C.J. liked the other maternity store much better than the one she left. Not a frilly dress with a cutesy bow to be found anywhere. Yeah she might be pregnant but she still planned to work and in a man's world it was hard enough for a woman to be taken seriously.
If she walked into the board room or court room wearing some polka dotted frilly number with little pink bows all over, she guessed she'd be laughed at and then the bailiff would remove her for disrupting the court calendar. But as she checked out these suits, she found some of her favorite designers represented and they looked like what she usually wore to be lean and mean…only they'd expand for her growing girth. She hadn't started showing yet or popping any of her seams out of her clothes but she knew that soon she'd have to readjust her wardrobe.
Matt needed her to be in top form to work with him to build up his new company just as they had his old one into an empire. She knew they could do it, she could do it with hard work and that's what she wanted for him. But these thoughts kept slipping in her brain anyway of living out in the country, owning a spread of land under the open sky and raising their children together. Giving them the childhood that raised both of their parents…somehow she had to figure out how to mesh everything together so it'd work. Running the new company, keeping the investigative firm going and then family…but then that brought her back to the marriage deal again.
As she inspected some sedate grey three piece suits, she thought about that last part of it. It's not that she didn't want to marry him. A part of her had wanted that since she first met him even when she'd been too young to understand what that all meant.
"You like that style," an employee said, "We have it in navy blue, black and brown if you'd like."
C.J. smiled.
"Thanks…I'll check them out."
"Is this your first?"
"My…what…oh first baby…yes…"
The employee smiled.
"I've got three now but I remember the first…and shopping for respectable clothes to wear," she said, "Some of the stores had this teeny bopper motif going, you know what I mean?"
C.J. nodded.
"You have a nice store here."
"Yes…my partner and I…we just wanted to take the frilly clothes and have a bonfire…but instead to keep the fire marshal at ease we started this store."
"I like it…Elise my friend over there recommended it."
The employee glanced over.
"Well, if you need anything I'll be more than happy to help you…and you should enjoy this time in your life," she said, "It gets hectic at times, even crazy but you'll look back at it fondly."
C.J. watched the employee leave her and Elise walk on over.
"See what'd I tell you," she raved, "This stuff is awesome…I might go out and get knocked up again just to wear it."
C.J. flashed her an arched eyebrow.
"Just kidding…"
They both looked at clothes and C.J. picked up two business suits, one in navy and one in black that she might need soon. She paid for them and she and Elise headed to a store to enjoy smoothies having survived that experience.
They didn't know that behind them, Delilah tailed them talking on her phone.
The publisher of the Daily Mirror had been on the phone on and off since she'd decided to follow C.J. to see if she was up to anything. Matt had his guard up figuring she was around so she dropped him for a bit to focus on his business partner.
Man, she'd hit pay dirt on this one hadn't she? She clicked another number on her phone to Elizabeth.
"Hi Lizzie…you there now…?"
Her friend sighed.
"Don't call me Lizzie…I was almost engaged to a Duke once…
Delilah chuckled.
"Then Matt really was a step down for you," she said, "Sometimes I can't figure you out…Lady Elizabeth."
"So why did you call me," Elizabeth said, "I'm real busy trying to keep Houston Enterprises afloat. I mean I have practically no employees. They're dropping like flies."
"You'll get more…if they're such ingrates at having a good job in these difficult times, good riddance to them."
"Matt's just hiring them up, so my sources tell me."
"Then open the jobs up and hire new people," Delilah said, "You can buy advertising in my newspaper. I'll give you a discount."
Elizabeth paused.
"Running a company is just so much work," she said, "It's much harder than I thought it could be…my god I had three meetings today with my one remaining board member and two employees who quit right afterward."
Delilah heard the angst in her friend's voice and wondered what had happened to Elizabeth's silent partners but didn't bring it up.
"I've been busy today doing some investigative reporting," she said, "I saw All the President's Men and thought if they can do it, so can I so I've been doing some surveillance."
"Surveillance….why and who?"
"I did Matt for a while but he's too watchful…possibly paranoid…"
"Oh that…it goes with the day job that becomes the all the time and night job but that's another story…"
Delilah listened to Elizabeth's voice turn bitter.
"I dropped him and I started following C.J."
A gasp on the other end of the phone in response.
"C.J…what on earth for, the woman's got to be the dullest life form on the planet," Elizabeth said, "I mean my god, I let her in my wedding party but that was just pity…"
Delilah remembered it as Elizabeth's family refusing to participate in the ceremony and C.J. offering to be her maid of honor but whatever.
"I mean the woman has no life at all."
Delilah cleared her throat.
"I followed her around for several hours without her seeing me and it turned out interesting."
"Why…what on earth about her could be interesting?"
Delilah paused for effect.
"She visited three maternity boutiques with another woman," she said, "The last one she left with a bag in her hand."
A pause as Elizabeth processed this information.
"Well…maybe she's buying it for a friend," she said, "It's not like C.J. ever dates. She was too busy mooning over my fiancé to even go out…and I know she sabotaged our engagement…and the wedding."
Delilah sighed.
"Elizabeth…you really think she got the psycho-killer to show up?"
"Well no, not exactly but she was happy about it, I know it…she was so jealous of Matt and I and we were going to be so happy together…"
Delilah snorted, her patience ebbing.
"No Elizabeth, I don't think she bought those clothes for a friend," she said, "I think she got them for herself because she's pregnant."
Another gasp from Elizabeth in response to her pronouncement.
"She can't be! I told you she doesn't date," she said, "She's probably a candidate for the nunnery. Really…she tried to get me to loosen up too much so I'd embarrass myself at the bachelorette party but it didn't work."
Delilah thought maybe Elizabeth had forgotten about the party.
"You need to get a grip if C.J. is pregnant, then we need to find out who fathered it and fast…"
Elizabeth didn't respond back but Delilah's head was already working on how to find out what was going on. Whether C.J. was expecting and if so, who knocked her up.
"If she got pregnant," Elizabeth offered, "It could have been you know, one of those unseemly insemination places."
Delilah had considered that and thought she might start there. She grew giddy as she knew based on what she found; she could do a special spread on C.J. and her bun in the oven. She'd get started on it right now.
Matt called the real estate agent to say that he and C.J. would meet her at the ranch near Hidden Hills. Just then the mother of his baby breezed in with her packages. He walked up to her, slid his arms around her and drew her in for a slow burn of a kiss. Then he went to pour her some juice and handed it to her.
"Houston…you okay?"
He smiled at her.
"I'm perfect…and the agent will meet us there."
She nodded, sipping her drink.
"Good, I can't wait to see the ranch Houston…"
She felt that urge to tell him about that pesky part of her that felt excited every time she thought of settling down a bit and focusing on family. Still work but cut back to concentrate on spending time with him and their baby. God, such craziness because she never thought she'd ever want to cut back her focus on her career, maybe it was an onslaught of hormones from the pregnancy.
She just didn't know what he'd say when she told him and besides this crisis involving him and him building his company needed the undivided attention of both of them. People depended on them including their employees…maybe when they got their heads above water again, they'd talk about the future more.
But for now, they were out to look at the ranch put up for sale not too far away from Matt's old place. Everything else could wait.