Chapter 26

First, Penne entered the company and spoke to Liz's secretary, saying that tomorrow morning Liz would have to undergo some tests and wouldn't be able to come to work, but that for any emergencies, she could call her cell phone. "You have my contact in the agenda." Penne glanced over the various papers on Liz's desk and returned to where Nick was waiting at the entrance.

"And now, where are we going, my love?" Nick asked. Penne replied that they were going shopping.

When they arrived at Liz's house with all those bags, she asked if they had bought the entire mall. "Did you buy shoes?" Liz asked, smiling, and Penne replied, "No, we went shopping for gifts for you, or rather, for our godchild."

They started unpacking the bags, and each piece of clothing was more beautiful than the last: knitted booties, blankets, overalls, diapers... Everything in a very light green, suitable for either a boy or a girl. Liz looked at each piece one by one, and with each piece of clothing she picked up, she became very emotional.

Suddenly, Liz was crying again, and her friend cried with her. Liz told Penne how much she loved her and thanked her for coming to share this moment with her. "And you too, Nick. You're very special. Thank you so much for coming too and for taking such good care of my friend."

Penne made a smoothie for Liz and said that from now on, she couldn't eat anything else because of the tests the next morning. "Nick and I will eat something later."

"And I also forgot to tell you that tomorrow evening we're going back home. Are you sure you don't want to come with us? There's still time to buy your ticket." Penne asked, and Liz replied that she couldn't yet. And she joked with her friends to set a wedding date soon, as she didn't want to walk down the aisle pregnant... They laughed and said it would be very soon.

Liz said she was tired, excused herself, and went to bed. The two of them stayed in the living room, Penne watching a movie and Nick working and sending emails. Later, they had a snack, and Penne went to Liz's room and saw that she was crying. She entered and asked if she was feeling anything. Liz replied that she wasn't, that it must be the hormones, as she felt like crying all the time. Her friend gave her a goodnight kiss and said, "Sleep well. We have to leave early tomorrow." "Okay," Liz replied. Penne turned off the light in the room and closed the door.

The night passed quickly, and soon it was morning. Liz and Penne got up early to go to the lab. Nick was also going out because he had a meeting in the morning, so he couldn't accompany the girls.

Arriving at the lab, Liz did all the tests requested by the doctor. Afterward, they went to a café for a hearty breakfast. Then, they went to the company; the partners had a quick meeting, as there were some documents that needed to be signed by Penne. They took advantage of her presence to resolve the last details.

After the meeting, Liz told the secretary she was going home and would only return tomorrow. She was going to spend some time with her friend, who would soon be leaving.

Liz and Penne went to the restaurant suggested by Nick, where he was having lunch with a partner. When they arrived, they saw that they were already seated at the table, having a drink while waiting for them. To Liz's surprise, when she got closer, she saw that the man sitting with Nick was the businessman Maik Lennon, whom she had met at the party and who was in the photo that had made Henry very jealous.

As they approached the table, Nick stood up, and so did his partner. Then, he introduced: "This is Penne, my fiancée." "Nice to meet you." "Likewise." "And this here is..." he was interrupted by Maik, who said, "This is Liz Morrison. The most beautiful girl at the party, the day our company was honored. But, while I was talking to other businessmen, she left, like Cinderella. Nice to see you again." She replied: "Likewise." He pulled out the chair for her to sit. "I didn't leave secretly. I said goodbye to the people next to me and left."

"Good to know you're still around, and we'll see each other more often." "Who knows, Mr. Maik. New friends are always welcome," Liz commented. He concluded, "Sometimes, maybe even more than friends." Liz replied, "That would be impossible. Closed off to new loves." (Liz said with a beautiful smile on her face). This made Maik even more fascinated by her beauty.