by King, Imani
She was starting to get more comfortable until Sarah excused herself to use the ladies’ room, leaving Trisha with three women she’d barely even met. They reminded her of a high school clique. Debra was a tall, shrew looking woman who seemed to be their little ring leader .
“Looks like the press it eating up whatever Mr. Ashcourt is feeding them over there.” Debra looked passed Trisha to where Jonathan stood talking with a reporter. Then the woman sneered at Trisha. “I’m surprised he doesn’t have you over there on his arm, looking all pretty for them .”
Trisha blinked, then furrowed her brow. “Why would he want me to be with him ?”
Debra snickered and her little friends did the same. Trisha frowned now. Obviously there was some kind of inside joke that she wasn’t privy to .
“Look honey, it’s nice that you get to live out your little Cinderella fantasy here, but at midnight, that carriage is going to turn back into a pumpkin.” Debra smirked at Trisha. “We all know why you’re really here. You’re nothing but a prop so Mr. Ashcourt can have some positive press in the news tomorrow. You’re a distraction so nobody thinks about why he’s really opening up this hospital .”
Trisha’s hands balled into fists. Anger flooded through her body at her insinuation. Was that what they all thought? That she’s just a publicity stunt to help him look better for the press? “He’s doing it for the kids! For everyone who still lives down in those projects! He brought me along because he wanted me to be here, not as some kind of arm candy .”
Debra laughed openly, her friends still snickering, which just made Trisha angrier. It took all of her willpower not to just deck the woman. How anyone had married such a shrew, Trisha would never know .
“Oh honey, you’re so naive. Have you even asked him what his company’s plans are? They’ve been buying up land in a twenty block radius of that hospital. The projects will be ancient history in a few years.” She grinned broader now. “We’re talking condos, high rise luxury apartments. All of those poor, poor people will be out of their homes soon enough .”
She faked a frown as she spoke, then smiled again. It was obvious she didn’t care about anyone but herself. But Jonathan wasn’t like that. He wouldn’t toss people out of their homes just to make a quick buck. “You’re wrong !”
“I’m never wrong… My husband is the lead architect of the redevelopment project. Investors aren’t going to fund building a state of the art hospital in the middle of a rundown area. It’s just not a good investment .”
Again, there was that high pitched giggle that grated on Trisha’s nerves. She wanted to rip the champagne glass out of the woman’s hands and smash it over her head .
“Clearly you’re above your depth here. I don’t know what will be bigger news, the fact that he is opening up this hospital and rebuilding downtown, or the fact that he’s dating someone so far outside his circle ...”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Trisha’s nails dug into her palms as she fought to control herself. She’d never felt like this before, never felt this much anger coursing through her veins .
Debra smirked and the other two girls giggled. “Oh honey , you know exactly what I mean.” Her eyes looked up and down Trisha’s body, her thoughts clearly visible. Trisha was nothing more than a publicity tool in her eyes, something to be used and discarded afterwards .
Trisha’s anger began to bubble over now. But instead of punching the woman in the face, she turned and stalked out of the room, not once looking back. How fucking dare she insult Trisha like that. Worse, how dare she say those things about Jonathan .
But hadn’t Trisha had those same thoughts herself? She was so far outside Jonathan’s social circle she was surprised she even registered on his radar. She didn’t grow up rich. She didn’t grow up going to private schools and having her schooling paid for without a second thought .
She slipped out a side door, avoiding anyone who might still be out front, then she sat down on the curb, pulling her knees up against her chest. She completely ignored the people walking along behind her, completely lost in her own mind .
Her parents had worked their asses off to get out of the projects. And she’d worked her ass off to go to school, to get accepted into one of the most prestigious universities in the state. She’d worked her ass off to get as many scholarships as possible .
To hear someone talk about the projects like that …
She still had friends and family there. Shew knew plenty of people who busted their asses just to keep food on the table and the electricity turned on. These were people who couldn’t afford to buy a house of their own and were dependent on landlords who barely maintained their buildings .
What if what Debra had said was true? What if Jonathan’s company really was buying up all the land around the hospital? Where would everyone that lived there go? There was no way they could afford to pack up and move somewhere else .
Her hands went to her stomach as she thought about the baby growing inside her. God, how could she have a kid with a man who’d toss people out of their homes just to make the area more appealing to investors ?
Worse, how could she have a kid with a man who just wanted to show up with her on his arm for the media? Trisha, the poor black girl who’d barely escaped the projects. Boy, wouldn’t that make some headlines in the morning .
Her anger once again surfacing, she stood and hailed a cab. She needed to get out of here. Needed to get away from Jonathan, at least until she had time to think. And she wasn’t going to get much thinking done sitting on the curb in front of the AshCorp gala .
Once in the cab, she gave him this address, hoping Samantha would be home. Sure enough, when she knocked on the door, Samantha opened it a few moments later, dressed in her pajamas and a pint of ice cream in her hands .
Sam smirked, then stepped aside to let Trisha inside. “Well don’t I feel underdressed now .”
“Can I borrow an extra set of PJs? I need somewhere to crash for the night .”
“Uh oh, that doesn’t sound good. I think I’m going to need some more ice cream .”
A few minutes later and Trisha was dressed in a pair of Sam’s pajamas, the two of them sitting on the couch, each with a pint of ice cream in their hands. Trisha wished she could have a glass of wine or something to help settle her nerves, but she couldn’t risk it with the baby .
“Oh, you don’t really believe that rich snob, do you?” Sam rolled her eyes. “Has he ever done anything that would make you think you were just a publicity stunt? I thought you liked him .”
“I do like him. But he hasn’t exactly been open about our relationship. It wasn’t until I’d confronted him that he’d asked me to go to the gala with him. What if the only reason he took me was so that he could show me off to all those reporters? Maybe it had just been sex until he realized he could use me for more than that .”
Trisha closed her eyes and fought back the tears that formed. She didn’t want to believe any of this, didn’t even want to consider it. But now that the seed had been planted, that was all she could think of. What would happen when Jonathan found out she was pregnant ?
The image of him dragging her to an abortion clinic flashed in front of her mind, making her shudder. There was no way she was giving up this kid. She wasn’t keen on trying to raise a kid alone, but that’s what she’d do if she needed to .
“Did you try talking to him?” Sam asked .
Trisha shook her head. “No. I just left before I punched that woman. And I turned off my phone on the way here. I wasn’t in the mood to hear any of his excuses .”
“Trisha… If you don’t talk to him, how are you going to find out the truth? You can’t let what that woman said get to you. You need to sit down and talk to him. You have to tell him about the baby .”
“Switch,” Trisha said, trading pints of ice cream with Sam. “But what if everything she said is true? What if he really is going to tear down the projects and build a bunch of condos or som
ething? How am I supposed to raise a kid with a guy like that ?”
Sam nudged her. “You don’t really think he’d do that, do you ?”
Wasn’t that the billion-dollar question ?
No, she didn’t want to believe he’d do something like that. She wanted him to be a good man. But was that the reality or was that just her heart talking? Was he really a good person or did she just want to believe that because she was falling in love with him ?
He was a good father, she admitted to herself. Even if he did practically live at work, he never ignored the boys. He rarely yelled at them. And he’d never raised a hand to them. They both clearly adored their father and loved him more than anything .
But those were his sons. Would he feel the same compassion for people he’d never met? People who might not have even registered on his radar? Or were they below him, below caring about ?
“I don’t know,” Trisha said, honestly. “I just don’t know what to think .”
Sam set her ice cream on the coffee table, then put her arm around Trisha. Trisha leaned into her friend, glad she’s decided to come here. Sam had always been by her side, was the one rock she could always return to, no matter what .
“Sleep on it then. You can crash on the couch tonight; this way you don’t have to see him until tomorrow. Maybe then you’ll know what you think. And then you can talk to him and decide where to go from there, okay ?”
Trisha nodded. It sounded like a better plan than anything else she’d come up with. Part of her never wanted to see Jonathan again. But another part of her needed to hear the truth from him. Needed to hear that those women were wrong, about his plans for the projects and for her .
24
Jonathan
J onathan had slept fitfully all night, wondering where Trisha was. He’d called her phone dozens of times, but his calls had gone straight to her voicemail. Why the hell had she left the gala without telling him? Had he done something wrong ?
He knew she’d been a bit awkward being surrounded by all those people, but he’d thought she was adjusting as she’d gotten to know Sarah. Besides, he was right across the room if she’d needed him. So why had she run off so abruptly without even saying something to him ?
By the time the sun had risen, he’d barely gotten any sleep. Finally, he kicked off the covers and hopped in the shower. This time though, the hot water did nothing to ease his nerves. He was just as restless when he stepped out as when he’d gotten in .
The only difference was some of the fatigue had faded slightly. Now his mind worked in overdrive, various scenarios going through his head all at once. Each image that flashed before his eyes was worse than the last .
He ended up pacing around the house, trying to figure out what to do. Should he call the cops and report her missing? He doubted they’d take him all that seriously, probably just laugh and tell him he’d been dumped .
But he couldn’t believe that .
Trisha wasn’t the type of woman to just dump a guy for no reason. And he was pretty sure she wasn’t the type to not even tell a guy things were over. When she’d tried to end things last time, at least she’d told him up front about how she felt .
Jonathan froze, staring at the window. Had she changed her mind about not wanting to break up with him ?
She’d said she wanted to break up with him before, but that was when their relationship was nothing but sex. Last night was supposed to be their first official date together, their first outing as more than just a man and his nanny .
Had she decided he wasn’t worth dating ?
He was thankful the boys were still with their friends. At least they didn’t need to see him having a mental breakdown as he wracked his brain, trying to figure out what had gone wrong. What was he going to tell them if he picked them up and Trisha still hadn’t come home ?
Declan would be crushed if he never got to see her again. He was pretty sure even Alexander wouldn’t be happy, even if he wasn’t thrilled with the thought of them dating. So how was he supposed to explain things to them, when he didn’t even know what was going on himself ?
Thankfully, Trisha showed up around nine that morning, being dropped off by a taxi. He practically ran to the front door just as Trisha was walking inside. She wore a t-shirt and jeans and had a small bag with what looked like her dress and necklace in it .
Jonathan’s mouth went dry as he stared at her, trying to figure out what he should say .
“We need to talk,” she said, breaking the silence. Those simple words nearly made his heart stop beating all together. “Are the boys home ?”
He shook his head. “No. They’re still at their friends ’.”
“Good,” Trisha said with a nod. “Can we go somewhere and sit ?”
Jonathan studied her face for a moment. She wore no make-up today, and her cheeks were tear stained. This didn’t seem like it was going to be a good chat. He wanted to pull her into his arms and tell her everything would be okay. But he doubted that would be the best course of action .
Instead, he nodded and lead her to the sitting room. The last time they’d sat together in there was when Jonathan had been interviewing her for the positon. In a way, their relationship had begun in this room. He hoped he wasn’t about to end in this room, too .
Trisha sat in one of the chairs and Jonathan sat across from her. She looked down at her lap, her hands clenched into fists. It looked like she was fighting back tears again. What was going through her head ?
When she didn’t speak, Jonathan did. “What’s going on, Trisha? What happened last night? Where did you go ?”
“I… I went back to my old apartment. I stayed with Sam for the night .”
Trisha kept her eyes downcast. Her left leg bounced up and down, as if she could barely contain her nerves. She had the look of a girl who’d just had a glimpse into Hell and had no idea what to do. That just made Jonathan even more scared .
“Is everything okay with her? She’s not sick or anything, is she?” He fought the urge to stand up and pace around the room. His body was practically shaking. He couldn’t ever remember feeling anxiousness or nerves like this before. Not even when he had to stand in front of crowds of people and cameras for press conferences .
Trisha shook her head. She brushed a hand across her eyes. “No, she’s fine. I just…. I needed time to think .”
“To think about what ?”
“About us …”
Jonathan could barely hear anything over his heart beating. His worst fears seemed to be coming true. Trisha had changed her mind and didn’t want anything to do with him. Just when he’d thought he’d finally found someone, she wanted nothing to do with him .
Wasn’t that just his luck ?
Now his mouth and throat were even drier than before. He considered going to grab himself some whiskey to help calm his nerves, but it wasn’t even noon yet .
“What do you mean?” he asked .
Trisha stood abruptly and began pacing around the room. Once again, Jonathan had to fight back the urge to pull her into his arms. His own hands balled into fists as he struggled to come up with something he could do or say to help put her at ease .
Neither of them spoke for a minute or two. Jonathan just watched Trisha pace, waiting for her to give him something he could work with. Something that would tell him what was going on inside her head .
“Is it true you’re buying up all the land around where the new hospital is being built?” She asked as she stared out the window, her arms crossed in front of her chest .
Jonathan blinked. What the heck was she talking about? Why the sudden change of topics ?
“Yes, we are. Why? What does that have to do with anything ?”
Trisha whirled around. She glared at him now, her hands in tight fists. It looked like she was about to attack him. What the heck had gotten into her ?
“How could you do that?” She yelled. “People live there! Good people…. I have friends… and family… that live
down there. I can’t believe you’d do that !”
“What are you talking about?” Jonathan stood and walked over to her. He tried to pull her into his arms, but she yanked away from him. “Trisha, will you just tell me what’s going on ?”
“I can’t believe you. I thought you were better than that.” She brushed tears from her eyes, though they came right back. “I can’t believe you’d throw people out of their homes just to build pretty little condos. I never thought you’d be so selfish and greedy .”
Now Jonathan was really confused. Why did she think he was planning to build condos around the hospital? Hell, how had she known he was buying up the land around there? The only people who knew anything about the project were supposed to be those working on it .
“Come with me.” Jonathan took her hand and lead her up to his study. Even though she tried to pull away, he kept firm. She needed to know the truth, and he wasn’t going to let her run away without hearing all of it .”
Once inside the office, he picked up his briefcase and pulled out a bunch of files, laying them out on his desk. As he did so, he spoke to her. “My company has been planning this hospital for years now. It will be the first ‘smart’ hospital. The first of many, we hope. Everything will be connected and managed through our MediPads .
“Everything from patient charts to x-rays and CAT scans can be viewed on the devices. The doctors can use it to write prescriptions, to monitor their patients’ vitals, hell they can even order their lunch from the cafeteria. Everything in the hospital will be connected .”
“That sounds cool, but what does that have to do with anything?” Trisha had her hands on her hips, glaring at him again. Apparently she wasn’t all that impressed with his plans .
“I’m getting to that.” He rolled his eyes. “We started buying up the land around the hospital last year. We’d gotten the land for the hospital dirt cheap because no businesses wanted to open in that part of town. When we started doing more digging, we found out about the horrible conditions of the area .
