Best Friend's Brother - Chapter One

         A baby.
         It’s the one thing that every woman should have the chance to have.  It also happened to be the one thing that I wanted more than anything. My pulse sped and I smiled every time I thought about holding a baby in my arms, my baby.
         Of course, that would mean I’d actually have to sleep with somebody.  Or, you know, have any semblance of a love life.
         I sighed and leaned back in the chair behind my desk and looked out the window the very anti-climactic view of the empty field outside my building.  For the billionth time I wished that I had a nicer view.  It would have been much nicer if anything happened in the field other than the occasional person cutting across it on their way to or from the bus station on the other side of it.  Of course, it was just an offhand thought as my mind wondered to the topic that had been plaguing my waking thoughts for months.
         I’d spent most of my life focusing on getting the job that I’d always wanted and now that I’m actually doing it I had all the spare time in the world to think about how much I wanted children of my own.
         That would be a lot easier if I’d actually go out with people but other than spending time with my close girlfriends I didn't really go out too often.  I’m not the kind of person to date casually which means that I don’t really date too often.  Some people would say I’m picky but I say that I just haven’t met anyone that interests me enough.
         Over the past couple of years I’d worked hard to get where I was.  I started out as an assistant in the company I was still working for – Dynamic Publishing – and had worked my way up to head editor.  I’d also managed to publish a couple of books of my own.  Of course, I wasn't the editor that read them over although it was somebody else at my company.  There was also the little thing of the house I’d managed to purchase on Saxony Court that had a lovely view of a country club that I was a member at but almost never went to.
         Before my mind could wander even further there was a knock at my door.
         I turned around in time to see my assistant, Hilary, at the door.  “Miss Rayne?”
         “Yes Hilary?”
         “Whitney’s here to see you.  I know you said you don’t want anyone to interrupt you while you’re going over the new Sydney book you’re looking over but I thought you’d make an exception for her.”
         I smiled and moved the manuscript aside.  “Send her in.”
         Whitney was my best friend and the craziest person I know.  We met in grade nine and have been practically inseparable since.  While I've been working on my career, she’s been working on hers and somehow managed to have a family as well.  She’s married and has three kids while being a successful kindergarten teacher.  I don’t understand how she’s managed to do it all.
         Hilary disappeared and Whitney took her place.  “Hey girl!”
         My smile grew as she took her favourite spot – the plush chair that sat facing my desk she forced me to put in my office when I was redecorating last year.
         “What are you doing here?”
         She rolled her eyes and sighed dramatically.  “The kids.  I swear, when I’m not at school I’m running around doing everything for them!”
         I laughed knowing she’d never complain about her kids.  She loved them way too much for that.  “Seriously, what’s going on?”
         She bit her lip and I knew that whatever she was going to say I wasn't going to like it.  “Don’t kill me, okay?”
         “What is it?”
         “Matt’s in town and he kind of needs somebody to spend the afternoon with him.  I would so do it myself if I had the time but Simon has soccer, Jace has hockey, and Anastasia has dance.  There’s no way I can do everything and still have time to do anything with him.”
         Matt, Whitney’s younger brother, was currently in his last year of university.  While I saw him occasionally since I've become friends with Whitney I never spent much time with him since he’s three years younger than us and he lived with his mother while Whitney lived with hers.  Having different mothers didn't really bother them but it had limited the amount of time that they’d spent together.  Now that he’s living away from home he visits Whitney on any free weekend he has which means I see him only slightly more often than I had in high school.
         “And you’re telling me this why?”
         She glanced at the thick manuscript on my desk and continued to chew her bottom lip.  “Have I mentioned Matt’s awesome?  I’m pretty sure he doesn't still have a crush on you, too.”
         I sighed and picked up the manuscript.  There was no way I’d get it finished tonight if Whitney got her way.  I seriously didn't want to spend my weekend working but it looked like that’s how it was going to end up going.
         “And besides, who wants to work on a Thursday night anyways?  You can always just show up to work early tomorrow and you’ll still have your weekend free.”
         I rolled my eyes and wished that her school wasn't so close to my building.  “So you decided to waste your lunch break to come con me into taking care of your little brother?”
         She shook her head.  “No, I came here to spend my spare time convincing you to take an evening away from work.  I love reading just as much as you do but you have to stop working sometimes.”
         “If I say yes will you leave me alone?”
         She nodded and smiled.  “So you’ll do it?”
         I sighed.  “What time is he getting to town?”
         “I told him to pick you up at your office around four.  I know, you normally leave work around six but like I said, you’re taking the night off.”
         “I don’t know, Whit, I have a lot to do.  Can’t I just meet him somewhere later?”
         She shook her head.  “Matt’s already in town but I told him to find something to do for the next couple of hours.  I think he’s going to visit Maria once she’s done with her classes and take her somewhere after school.”
         Maria, Whitney’s younger sister who was still in high school, was a miniature version of Whitney herself.  They might have different mothers but the only thing she received from her mom was her hair colour.  The resemblance was so astonishing one would assume they were full siblings.
         I glanced at my watch.  “Fine, I’ll be ready to go by then.  Tell Matt I’ll meet him at the front doors just after four.”
         She smiled and bounced out of the chair.  “Kay.  I’ll give Matt your number so he can call you when he gets close.”
         Before I could say anything she was out the door.  Shaking my head at my crazy best friend I glanced at the Sydney manuscript and forced my mind to concentrate so I’d be ready to leave the office two hours early.