Hoping to get the ball rolling, I forced a smile. "We should celebrate." I reached into the nearest grocery bag and pulled out the bottle of champagne. I lifted it in Joel's direction and said, "You know what I think? We should drink the whole bottle."
He eyed the bottle. After a long pause, he said, "What's that?"
Wasn't it obvious? I looked to the label. The handwriting was ultra-fancy, even if the champagne itself wasn't. "Well, it's not the good stuff, if that's what you're asking." I forced a laugh. "But who cares, right? By the third glass, we won't even notice."
I wasn't a huge drinker, but tonight, I was determined to make an exception.
I was still holding the bottle. I'd expected Joel to take it, but he hadn't. I cleared my throat. "So, do you want to open it or do you want me to give it a try?"
Silently, Joel took the bottle from my outstretched hand. He lifted it higher to study the label.
And then, he frowned.
I felt my face grow warm. Okay, so I'd bought the cheapest bottle I could find. But it's not like I was asking him to drink motor oil. I asked, "What's wrong?"
He was still looking at the label. "There's alcohol in here."
"Well, yeah," I said. "Itischampagne, even if it isn't the best stuff."
He gave me an odd look. "You're not having any, are you?"
"Sure." I hesitated. "Why wouldn't I?"
His gaze drifted to my stomach. "You know why."
It took me a moment to realize the significance of that look. But when I did, I almost felt like throwing up – but not for the reason that Joel obviously thought.
