Chapter 6- Basket Case
"What about this one? It's kind of cute, right?" Imogen asked, holding up the decorated crib bedding.
Making no real effort to hide her honest opinion, Fiona quickly shot the other girl a revolted look. "Ducks, Im? Really? You want our son sleeping on ducks? Do you also want him growing out a long unruly beard and spitting his 'chewin' tobacco all over our Italian marble floors? Honestly, Imogen, I expected more of you."
The ducks swiftly made their way back to the stacked shelves. "Well you wanted clowns, and clowns are just down right creepy." Imogen crossed her arms in defense of her selection.
"I've already explained to you twice that I didn't want the clowns per say, just the color scheme that came with the clowns. You already had the walls painted Tea Green. That bedding would have really pulled the whole room together!" The curly brunette continued sifting through the other options. Spotting one in particular, her eyes widened. Immediately, she began piling other beddings on top of it, hoping that her wife would somehow overlook it.
"Okaaaay, fine, so no ducks and no clow—hey, what's that one that you're hiding?"
Fiona tilted her head in confusion, acting as nonchalant as she possibly could. She braced herself to give the performance of a lifetime. "What? What are you talking about?"
"Well you just had one in your hand, and now its nowhere to be seen." The younger woman took a couple steps in Fiona's direction. "What was it?"
Fiona shifted her eyes. "Honestly, Imogen, I have no idea what you're talking about. Did you see the trains over there? Trains might work. They aren't quite as well-matched as the clowns, but they are definitely something I could work with," she insisted, motioning in the opposite direction. Truthfully, the trains were less than desirable, but her failing efforts called for an act of desperation.
"Fiona Celestine Arabella Coyne!" Imogen was pulling a quilt set from the center of the pile. "Monkeys?! You dare hide the monkeys from me?"
Running her fingers through her hair, she let out a sigh. "The monkeys do not match at all!"
Imogen was already putting the bedding in the basket. "So we'll repaint the walls! We can do them in that blue color you originally wanted; that would look great with this one," she assured, giving her wife the absolute biggest puppy dog eyes she could manage. "Fi…its monkeys."
"But you begged and begged for Tea Green walls. I even asked if you were absolutely sure, and I believe your exact words were, 'Fiona Coyne, there is only one possible color in this whole entire world that I can imagine our son having, and it is this green.' I went and ordered all of the furniture, and flooring, and the curtains to match your chosen scheme. We'd have to return everything." Fiona watched as the other girl's animated expression quickly fizzled away.
Frowning and defeated, Imogen picked up the bedding out of the basket, giving it one last adoring stare. Unenthusiastically, she nodded and said good-bye to her treasured find. "You're right, I did say that," she lamented. "Maybe we can just find something we like online… Come on, lets go pay for the crib for now, and tackle his bedding later." She reached her tan hand out, waiting for her wife to grab hold of it with her own.
Fiona took a long breath and exhaled. She really didn't know why she even bothered debating the subject to begin with. Deep down she knew that their crib would be lined with the monkeys as soon as she first laid her blue eyes on the set. "Okay," she caved as she turned around to grab their newest piece of nursery decor. "We can repaint."
"Eeeek!" The petite young woman let out a loud, ecstatic squeal, throwing her arms around her wife's neck. "I promise to love you forever and ever!"
Wincing from the slight pain of her still-sore neck, Fiona eased out of the grasp. "So you're saying you wouldn't have loved me forever and ever if I didn't agree to the monkeys?" she scoffed.
"Well I'm not saying I wouldn't have, but it certainly doesn't hurt your chances to have the guarantee," Imogen winked before making a beeline towards the checkout counter.
What have I gotten myself into, Fiona whispered to herself, shaking her head in amusement. Just as she was about to follow the very eager Imogen, she spotted a familiar face browsing the mobiles section—Hayley. Now only a handful of weeks away from her due-date, her stomach was exceptionally large for just a girl of sixteen years—it was such an odd sight to see. Instinctually, Fiona started in her direction to go say a quick hello…but then her feet halted. Her head suddenly flooded with bewilderment. What is she doing here? Terrified to let her mind even begin to come up with an answer, she turned around and walked to meet up with her wife. She wanted nothing more than to get out of that place before Imogen even had the chance to spot the girl. "Hey, did you finish checking out?"
"Yep, sure did! The crib will be delivered this evening. Ready to go?" She asked, giving Fiona a quick peck on the cheek. "I know you have people to fire, and assistants to hire." The quirky woman was very proud of her rhyme as she stood there swinging her shopping bag back and forth.
Trying not to let her face show any signs of uneasiness, Fiona flashed a half-hearted smile. "You know it. I'll give it my best effort to be home by nine tonight."
"No pressure! Thanks for the lunch-date, Fiones. I hope the rest of your day goes well! I swear I will try my best to not fall asleep before you make it back tonight."
Knowing Imogen all too well, Fiona fully expected to return to an already-sleeping wife, no matter how early she actually managed to leave the office. "I won't hold my breath," she quipped sarcastically. With a tight hug and an exchange of I love yous, they parted and then took off towards their separate destinations amongst the moving crowds.
As soon as Fiona stepped out of the office elevator, Eliza was clacking in her direction, enthusiastically holding out a resume. The socialite couldn't help but notice the new cup of coffee in her young assistant's hand. Inwardly she groaned and made a mental note to never let the girl work those insanely late hours again.
"Welcome back from lunch! I've done the impossible—I've found a new me! Well…the second best thing," she laughed. "Perry Pratt will be here at 2:30 for his interview with you. Is that okay? I can call him to reschedule if you need."
"No, that sounds fine." Fiona took the piece of paper, not yet caring to look over its contents. "Him?"
Keeping pace with her boss, Eliza moved forward. "Yes, Perry is a guy. But he's graduated from NYU with a major in business. He has a minor in design and two years experience as a junior administrator at the Times. He'll be perfect, I promise!"
"Sounds great," Fiona said, half-listening. She had never hired a male assistant before, but was definitely open to new ideas at this point. "Let me know when he gets here." Closing the door behind her before Eliza could add anything else to the conversation, she was happy to be in the privacy of her own office. As she sat down in her desk chair, she tried to calm her racing mind. After all, stressing over what she'd seen at the store would accomplish nothing, and there was probably zero to worry about in the first place. Realizing how crazy she was being over something so harmless, Fiona forced all of the paranoia out of her head and put all of her focus back on accomplishing what she had set out to do that day—fulfill the promise she had made to her wife.
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A/N: Review! Will update soon.