Page 54 of Surprise Baby for Daddy's Best Friend

Amanda grabbed my phone and opened the dating app I had been using, "Yeah, we can clean this up a little and I can reach out to a few friends. Set you up with someone good. We'll get you a decent guy by the end of the week."

"I don't know about this," I took my phone back before she could change anything on my profile. "I know you found my brother, but I'm pretty picky about my type."

"The older gray foxes, I know. I've got some contacts," she winked at me. "Trust me on this."

Before I could retort, the waitress came over with everyone's food. My salad looked crisp, colorful and delicious, but something about it made me feel uneasy. The smell of the salad made me think of rotten meat. I poked around the lettuce but could find nothing wrong with it. No small flecks of white fuzz or anything that wasn't supposed to be in there. I crinkled my nose and pushed the food away.

"Everything all right?" Carl asked through a mouthful of his salad.

"Yeah, I just..." my stomach churned. "I... I gotta go!"

I didn't wait for Carl or Amanda to say anything before I darted toward the bathroom in the back. I pushed past a crowd of women still waiting their turn and burst into the first empty stall I could find.

Everything I had eaten that day came out all at once. My vision turned dark as sweat beaded across my temples. Everything swam around me as if I couldn't keep a tight grip on the ground, not even the toilet.

"Kim?" Amanda called out.

A few women muttered something to her before she opened my stall and knelt next to me. She pulled her shirt up to her nose to block some of the smell out.

"What happened?"

I shook my head and let out a soft groan, "I think I need to go home and lie down."

I hugged the toilet again as more bile came up.

"Shit. You don't need to go home, we need to take you to the hospital." She put a hand on my forehead, "You're freezing."

"What about you... dinner?"

Amanda shook her head. "Carl is getting boxes for it right now and calling an ambulance. We're taking you to the hospital immediately."

The ride to the hospital faded in and out of focus as my stomach wanted to throw up again despite nothing being in there anymore. Everything felt hot and cold all at once. The last thing I remembered was Carl standing next to me while Amanda muttered something, and then my vision went dark.

18

JARED

Ileaned back in the chair as the other board members argued about the next steps in our expansion plans. One group proposed investments in additional real estate and to build a new apartment building in Manhattan while others said it would be better to start expanding our service offerings. None of it interested me. Something about how the day was going made me not confident in anything. I wasn't going to make any final decisions today.

My phone consistently buzzed almost non-stop. I wanted to answer it, but the discussions were so heated, it was difficult to get away. I had no idea who it was, but if they were calling me this much it had to be important. I hoped they would leave a voicemail so I could follow up after the meeting.

The door leading to the hall cracked open. Jessica poked her head inside and raised her brows as if to silently call me over.

I cleared my throat and stood up, "Pardon me, gentlemen."

"But sir!" one of them exclaimed.

I shot them a glare and straightened my jacket, I suddenly knew exactly what to do, "You all can bicker amongst yourselves. I'm not in the mood to deal with childish arguments. When you have a plan prepared, then present it to me. Otherwise, I'm leaving for the day."

Before they could argue with me again, I rushed out of the room and closed the door behind me.

"Sorry for interrupting the meeting, sir. It's just--"

I raised my hand to stop her, "Never apologize for getting me out of those meetings. I appreciate it, truly I do. So, what's the situation?"

She cleared her throat and led me toward her office, "We received a phone call just a moment ago from a Mr. Maurice."

"Maurice?" I stopped walking. "He never calls the office. What's going on?"

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