Nothing to Lose

by Angela Winters

  “I’m so sorry, Alex. You must be devastated.”

  He was shaking his head in incredulity. “I can’t believe all those times I saw him, met him. He knew and still treated me like just some other kid.”

  “Now you know why your mother hates him so much.”

  “And her,” Alex said. “How could she have an affair with a married man?”

  “Alex, you can’t be mad at her. She was in grief, and . . .” Erica stopped midsentence as she realized what Alex was saying. It clicked in her head. “It’s her!”

  “What?”

  Erica hopped up from the sofa. “The woman Juliet was talking about when she was accusing my mother of sleeping with Jonah after they were married. She knew he was cheating, but she didn’t know with whom.”

  “Now you know all about it,” Alex said.

  “Does your mother know about me?” she asked.

  “No, I didn’t think it was a good idea, considering her plans.”

  Erica took a few steps closer to him, noticing the apprehensive look on his face. “What plans?”

  “She’s not here because she’s . . .” Alex’s brows highlighted his agonized expression. “She’s with her lawyer. They’re planning a press conference. They’re gonna tell the press everything.”

  “Oh . . . my . . . God.”

  EPILOGUE

  “You’re looking good, Sherise,” Erica said as she sat across from her in the outdoor café on U Street. “You’re . . . I don’t know, glowing. It sounds so clichéd.”

  Sherise smiled as she took a sip of her virgin daiquiri. “I’m coming into this pregnancy, girl. No more morning sickness and my stress is now so low that I sleep through the night. It’s great.”

  “Getting nice and . . . plump there too.” Erica laughed.

  “Fuck you!” Sherise laughed too. “I’m still smaller than you, bitch, so—”

  “Oh no, you didn’t!” Erica clenched her hand in a fist and playfully directed it at her friend.

  “Fact!” Sherise pointed to her. “And I’ll tell you something else—”

  Before she could finish, a car pulled up on the curb. It was a maroon BMW and Billie was inside. Both Sherise and Erica leaned over to get a look at the driver. Neither of them had still seen him in person.

  “He’s handsome,” Erica said.

  “He’s okay.” Sherise rolled her eyes. “I’ll make my formal assessment after a real encounter, not a drop-off.”

  The ladies watched as Billie leaned over and kissed Michael on the lips before hopping out of the car and waving good-bye as he sped off. She turned to walk toward the girls with a hop in her step.

  “You’re walking like a girl that’s getting some,” Sherise said as soon as she reached them.

  “That’s because I am.” Billie sat down. “Long time, no see, ladies.”

  “It’s been weeks since we’ve been together,” Erica said. “I hate it. And now that you’re spending more time with Michael, it’s going to get worse, isn’t it?”

  “No,” Billie assured her. “We’ve all had or have husbands and boyfriends and we managed to keep our connection. We’ll figure it out. This has been an insane few months for all of us.”

  “What months aren’t insane for us?” Erica asked. She could remember very few.

  “So we’re meeting him formally tomorrow night?” Sherise asked. “I have to give my blessing.”

  “Yes,” Billie said. “You’ll meet him at the fund-raiser for Northman tomorrow night. You have to be nice.”

  “Of course,” Erica said. “You already have my blessing. I can tell you’re happy.”

  Billie smiled, feeling a sense of overwhelming joy, which she was starting to get very comfortable with again.

  “He’s great,” she said. “I mean, we’ve only been back together for a couple of weeks, but things are just picking up where they left off. It’s weird how happy I am.”

  “Why is that weird?” Sherise asked. “You deserve it.”

  “I know,” Billie said, “but it’s been so long. I just didn’t think it was gonna happen. When I’m with him, I feel like I have a future, all over again. As if everything that happened in my past needed to occur in order to be here with him now.”

  “Oh, girl,” Sherise said. “He got you sprung as hell.”

  Billie laughed. “I’m being serious. My whole life is back in a flow now. I’m gliding with it. It’s good.”

  “I feel ya,” Sherise said. “Now that that bitch, Elena, is out of the picture and this pregnancy is settling in, Justin and I are in heaven. You just know it, when things are back on track. It makes you laugh at all those other times you tried to convince yourself it was, but it wasn’t.”

  “Is he still at the firm?” Billie asked.

  Sherise nodded. “But he’s shoring up his clients and his plans. Neither of you can tell anyone about his going off on his own.”

  “My lips are sealed,” Erica said. “I wish him the best.”

  “I’m going to be the wife of the CEO now,” Sherise said.

  “Correction,” Billie said. “He’s going to be the husband of the press secretary for the president of the United States.”

  Sherise grabbed her phone from the table and held it up for the girls to see. “See this? The combination of polls has Northman up by five now. From being down seven, just a couple weeks ago.”

  “You can thank Jonah for that,” Erica said. “Asshole. He got what was coming to him.”

  Leeza Gonzales went public the afternoon Alex informed Erica of the shocking news. Things had been crazy ever since. The press everywhere wanted more answers about the affair with Leeza and how Jonah could have known about his love child and ignored him. When Jonah held a press conference to try and put out the fire, Juliet was conspicuously absent, which led to even more rumors that the two were headed for divorce. Proof of this affair brought mistresses out of the woodwork. In a matter of days, Jonah Nolan went from being the future of America to the whorish deadbeat dad of America.

  He not only withdrew as Matthews’s vice presidential nominee, but he also tendered his resignation at the Pentagon. Jonah Nolan’s legacy was over; and all it took was a former maid who decided it was time to end the charade.

  “Is he still trying to contact you?” Billie asked.

  “Not in the last few days,” Erica said, grateful for that. “I’m never talking to him again. I just have to accept that I don’t have a father. I survived without one.”

  “You have us,” Sherise said. “You don’t need him.”

  Sherise reached out and placed her hand on Erica’s, squeezing it.

  “He deserved every bit of what has happened to him,” Sherise said. “With you, he has the excuse of not knowing until you were older. But with Alex, he knew all along.”

  “I’m still afraid they’ll find out about me,” Erica said.

  “I don’t think so,” Billie said. “It’s starting to die down. He’s out of the limelight. This new woman Matthews selected is all everyone is talking about. The press has moved on to her. I think the worst of Jonah is over.”

  Erica only hoped so. She hadn’t had as much as one call from a reporter during the weeks since this exploded. She was grateful to God for that.

  “Are you okay?” Billie asked. “I mean, with . . . Alex and everything.”

  “I don’t want to talk about it,” Erica said.

  “You have to,” Sherise urged. “You know that’s what we’re here for.”

  “I still get sick thinking about it.” Erica’s hands came to her temples as she felt a headache coming on. “I think I will for a long time.”

  “You only kissed him,” Billie said. “It’s not the end of the world. You have to get past it.”

  “I know, and I will.” Erica rubbed at her temples, wondering whether one day, thinking about this wouldn’t give her a headache. “It’s just gonna take some time. I feel awful.”

  “Why would you feel awful?” Billie asked. “You
didn’t do anything wrong.”

  “Not for me,” she said. “For Alex. Since this all came out, his life has been turned upside down. He had to go into hiding with his mom.”

  Erica had wanted so often to reach out to him over the past weeks, but she couldn’t. He’d texted her once, but she’d only told him that she needed time and wished him the best. He promised he’d never tell her secret and she thanked him. That was their last communication, over a week ago. Erica didn’t know when she’d be able to look at Alex and not feel dirty, but she hoped the day would come. Alex was a good guy and needed as many real friends as he could use, now that his life was never going to be the same. She wanted to be that friend.

  “They should be safe, though,” Sherise said. “I mean from Jonah at least.”

  “Who knows?” Erica said. “He’s gone underground for now. He’s waiting until the fever dies down. But what happens when it does? He had plans for his future and they’ve been ruined.”

  “He won’t blame himself,” Sherise said. “He’s not capable of that level of awareness. Before blaming himself, he’ll blame Alex, Alex’s mother, Erica, me, and anyone else.”

  “He wanted to sit in the Oval Office,” Erica said. “He felt it was his birthright, and he’ll never get there now. I refuse to believe he’s just going to go away. I don’t think we’ve heard the last of Jonah Nolan.”

  “That can’t be good.” Billie gestured for the waitress. “I need a drink.”

  A READING GROUP GUIDE

  NOTHING TO LOSE

  Angela Winters

  About this Guide

  The suggested questions that follow are included

  to enhance your group’s reading of this book.

  DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

  1. Why do you think Erica agreed to go work for Jonah even though she had sworn to keep the man at a distance? Was Sherise right in accusing her of really wanting to be close to Daddy?

  2. Sherise swore up and down to herself, Justin and her friends that she did not get pregnant to hold on to Justin, but considering the tense state their marriage was still in, do you think she subconsciously got pregnant on purpose?

  3. Was Michael justified in his anger over Billie’s preoccupation with Porter in the beginning or was he being insensitive to her past? Was it just jealousy?

  4. Do you think Erica sensed that Alex was her brother, thus explaining the awkwardness after their kiss, or was it really about Jonah warning her to stay away from him?

  5. Why did Sherise fool herself at the beginning of the book into believing that her marriage to Justin was back on track when they clearly still had trust issues?

  6. Was Billie right to finally turn the tables on Porter after all he had done to ruin her life and keep her from Tara? Did she go too far in demanding to see Tara or is it okay to do whatever you have to in order to see a child you consider yours?

  7. Was Sherise justified in not being certain Justin was innocent when she first heard about the sexual harassment claim?

  8. Do you think Erica will ever get over kissing the man who turned out to be her half brother or will she understand it was completely innocent and get over it?

  9. Did Sherise finally prove herself to be the wife Justin deserves by taking care of Elena, or is she still the conniving woman who would cheat on him with any man of power?

  10. What do you think the future holds for Justin and Sherise and Michael and Billie? Will they be happy or end up apart?

  It’s business as usual for the infamous gold digging Gibbons women of Chesterton, Virginia. But this time, middle sister, Stephanie, may be the one getting played . . .

  Don’t miss the latest novel by Shelly Ellis,

  The Player & the Game

  On sale now!

  Chapter 1

  (Unwritten) Rule No. 3 of the Gibbons Family Handbook: Never give a man your heart—and definitely never give him your money.

  Busy, busy, busy, Stephanie Gibbons thought as she hurried toward her silver BMW that was parallel parked in the reserved space near her office. Her stilettos clicked on the sidewalk as she walked. Her short, pleated skirt swayed around her hips and supple, brown legs with each stride.

  She shouldn’t have gone to the nail salon before lunch, but her French manicure had been badly in need of a touch-up. Unfortunately, that slight detour had thrown off the entire day’s schedule and now she was running ten minutes late for the open house.

  The spring day was unseasonably warm, but it was tempered by a light breeze that blew steadily, making the newly grown leaves flutter on the numerous maples lining Main Street in downtown Chesterton, her hometown. The breeze now lifted Stephanie’s hair from her shoulders and raised her already dangerously short skirt even higher.

  She adjusted the realtor name tag near her suit jacket lapel, casually ran her fingers through her long tresses, and reached into her purse. She pulled out her cell phone and quickly dialed her assistant’s number. Thankfully, the young woman picked up on the second ring.

  “Carrie, honey, I’m running late . . . Yes, I know . . . Are you already at the open house?” Stephanie asked distractedly as she dug for her keys in her purse’s depths. “Are any buyers there yet? . . . OK, OK, don’t freak out.... Yes, just take over for now. Put out a plate of cookies and set the music on low. I’ll be there in fifteen minutes . . . I know . . . I have every confidence in you. See you soon.”

  She hung up.

  With car keys finally retrieved, Stephanie pressed the remote button to open her car doors. The car beeped. The headlights flashed. She jogged to the driver’s-side door and opened it. As she started to climb inside the vehicle, she had the distinct feeling of being watched.

  Stephanie paused to look up, only to find a man standing twenty feet away from her. He casually leaned against the brick front of one of the many shops on Main Street. He was partially hidden by the shadows of an overhead awning.

  He looked like one of many jobless men you would find wandering the streets midday, hanging out in front of stores because they had little else to do and nowhere else to go. Except this bored vagrant was a lot more attractive than the ones she was used to seeing. He also was distinct from the other vagrants in town because she had seen him several times today and earlier this week.

  Stephanie had spotted him when she walked into the nail salon and again as she left, absently waving her nails as they dried. He had been sitting in the driver’s seat of a tired-looking Ford Explorer in the lot across the street from the salon. Though he hadn’t said anything to her or even looked up at her as she walked back to her car, she had the feeling he had been waiting for her.

  She had seen him also on Wednesday, strolling along the sidewalk while she had been on her date with her new boyfriend, Isaac. The man had walked past the restaurant’s storefront window where she and Isaac had been sitting and enjoying their candlelit dinner. When Stephanie looked up from her menu and glanced out the window, her eyes locked with the stroller’s. The mystery man abruptly broke their mutual gaze and kept walking. He disappeared at the end of the block.

  The mystery man had a face that was hard to forget—sensual, hooded dark eyes, a full mouth, and a rock-hard chin. He stood at about six feet with a muscular build. Today, he was wearing a plain white T-shirt and wrinkled jeans. Though his short hair was neatly trimmed, he had thick beard stubble on his chin and dark-skinned cheeks.

  “Are you following me?” Stephanie called to him, her open house now forgotten.

  He blinked in surprise. “What?” He pointed at his chest. “You mean me?”

  “Yes, I mean you!” She placed a hand on her hip. “Are you following me? Why do I keep seeing you around?”

  He chuckled softly. “Why would I be following you? Lady, I’m just standing here.”

  He wasn’t just standing there. She sensed it.

  “Well, this is a small town. Loitering is illegal in Chesterton. You could get arrested!”

  “It’s illegal to stand in front o
f a building?” Laughter was in his voice. He slowly shook his head. “We’re still in America, right? Last time I checked, I was well within my rights to stand here, honey. Besides, I’m not panhandling. I’m just enjoying the warm sunshine.” His face broke into a charming, dimpled smile that would have made most women’s knees weak. “Is that a crime?”

  Stephanie narrowed her eyes at him warily.

  She didn’t like him or his condescending tone. He was attractive, but something emanated from him that made her . . . uncomfortable. It made her heartbeat quicken and her palms sweat. She wasn’t used to reacting to men this way. Usually her emotions were firmly in control around them, but they weren’t around this guy. She didn’t like him one bit.

  “If . . . if I catch you standing here when I get back, I’ll . . . I’ll call the cops,” she said weakly.

  At that, he raised an eyebrow. “You do that,” he challenged, casually licking his lips and shoving his hands into his jean pockets. Defiantly, he slumped against the brick building again.

  Stephanie took a deep breath, willing her heart to slow its rapid pace. She climbed into her car and shut the driver’s-side door behind her with a slam. She shifted the car into drive and pulled off, watching him in her rearview mirror until she reached the end of block. He was still standing in front of the building, still leaning under the shadows of the awning, still looking smug as she drove to the end of Main Street and made a right.

  Finally, she lost sight of him.

  “Shit,” Keith Hendricks muttered through clenched teeth as he pushed himself away from the brick building once he saw the taillights of Stephanie Gibbons’s BMW disappear.

  “Shit,” he uttered again as he strode across the street to his SUV, pausing to let a Volkswagen Beetle drive by.

  Though he had played it cool in front of her, he had started to sweat the instant Stephanie’s eyes had shifted toward him.