The Conspiracy of Baby-Switching novel Chapter 78

Thomas smiles as he types in the order. "Loving himself more than usual today."

They all chatter and talk between themselves and I look around at the people in this weird café. Do they honestly all know each other?

And why is everyone being so pathetically nice? It's like The Twilight Zone.

"Mr. Gabriel," Thomas calls.

I walk to the counter and he passes me my coffee. "Have a great day, sir."

"Thanks." I take the coffee and walk out and back to my car; I take a sip and twist my lips.

Rough...but palatable, I guess.

This place is weird.

9:10 a.m.

I log onto my computer and click on the Zoom meeting link. I sit and wait for the others in the meeting to join.

I look around the office I'm sitting in, so unlike my taste, with the worst furnishings of all time. I'm going to have to bring some creature comforts from home, I can't live here for half of the time without the things I need.

I begin to make a list in my notes.

Coffee machine. Office furniture.

Bed.

Linen.

I glance down at my suit. More casual clothes.

Gym, I need a gym here. I haven't trained for a week now. I feel like shit.

My mind flicks to Vee. I never wanted you to feel a one-sided love.

My heart sinks, there's a lot of reasons I feel like shit.

The other faces begin to pop up on my screen, and I take a deep breath. My new normal starts now.

School pickup is hectic, by the time they came out, it's taken us half an hour to get home. I had to finish work early, but this week was somewhat of an emergency.

"And what else happened today?" I ask as the kids and I walk into the house.

"I've made you some brownies," Mark says. "Hope you're hungry." He presents a tray of brownies and they both take one.

"Thank you," Dominic mumbles.

"I had to work today, so Mark has been helping cook us dinner." I smile as I watch them down the brownies. I really need to learn how to cook; it kills me that I can't cook for them myself.

"Do you guys like hamburgers?" Mark asks.

They both nod.

"Mark makes the best hamburgers in all of New York," I reply.

Lucia's eyes widen. "You do?"

"Just you wait until you taste them." He wiggles his eyebrows and they both smile.

"Let's go upstairs, I've got something to show you. Bring your brownies."

They follow me upstairs and down the hall, and I take them to the bedroom next to mine. "What do you think?" I present the bedroom; it's pale blue and has a fireplace and an ornate ceiling. It has two single beds with ottomans at the end of each, one has a pale blue quilt and the other has a pale pink quilt. Each bed has a stuffed animal sitting up on the pillow. There's a rocking chair in the corner and a toybox, no toys in it yet though. "I had some new beds delivered for you guys." They both look around the bedroom.