Page 13 of By the Letter

I swallowed down a wave of nausea that had nothing to do with the Wells brothers and forced out a smile.

“I doubt I’ll have the opportunity to meet them anyway. I’ll take your word for it.” I nodded toward the hall. “I should probably get back to work.”

“Yep. Glad we got to have this talk. Remember what I said about Roman. He’s a good man under the bluster. Give him another try.”

I offered a small smile. “I will. And…thank you for checking on me. That was really kind.”

Leaving Ben to flirt with Rita, who was at least thirty years his senior, I headed back to my office. I had to pass Roman’s on the way, and he’d sent me an email earlier I hadn’t replied to yet. Taking Ben’s advice, I decided to stop by and answer his questions in person as an olive branch.

His door was cracked, but I wasn’t one to barge in. I lifted my hand to knock, freezing when I heard Francesca’s distinct, sultry voice. Frank’s daughter—technically my stepdaughter, though I’d never thought of her that way—disliked me more than Roman. Or anyone else, really.

“...it drives me crazy that she’s still here. Why haven’t you done anything about it?” Francesca whined.

“It’s not that simple. Shira owns a controlling interest in GoldMed,” Roman replied, and blood rushed to my face. If I could have forced my feet to move, I would have. The last thing I wanted to hear was their unfiltered opinion of me.

“It should be simple. You know how she treated me. Do you like her or something? Has she gotten under your skin like she did Daddy’s?”

He grunted. “Absolutely not. I don’t understand what Frank saw in that woman, but I can guarantee my caution with GoldMed has nothing to do with me liking Shira. She’s the cause of GoldMed’s situation and the stifling environment in this office. As far as I’ve seen, there is nothing redeemable about the gold-digging little—”

Bile rose so quickly up my throat, it was all I could do to rush to the nearest wastebasket before losing the little bit of water I’d sipped after my last bout of nausea. Once I was able, I ran for the restroom, all too aware of the eyes on me.

I wasn’t surprised by what Roman had said. It didn’t feel good, but I’d heard and endured far worse. It was just humiliating. The man I’d looked so forward to meeting and getting to know was bad-mouthing me to a woman who’d caused me boatloads of misery since Frank passed. Francesca didn’t know the meaning of discretion. I had a feeling she’d be repeating everything Roman said as soon as she left his office.

Sinking to the tile floor, I covered my face with my hands.

I was determined to keep my promise to Frank, but how much longer could I do this? Had it even been fair of him to ask all this of me?

Probably not, but he’d given me so much…

Blowing out a heavy breath, I climbed to my feet.

I’d be okay.

I always was.

Chapter Six

Shira

Twice a month, Imet Clara and Bea for pedicures. The two of them had no trouble spilling their latest news, no matter how salacious, in front of our nail techs and whoever else in the salon, but I was a little—no, a lot—more circumspect.

I wasn’t sure a picnic table at the farmers’ market was thebestplace to have the “I had an anonymous hookup at a sex club and now I’m pretty sure I’m pregnant but too scared to take the test”conversation, but we had far more privacy than the salon, and after biting my tongue for the last month, I couldn’t keep it in any longer.

Fortunately, Clara’s three-year-old, Nellie, had passed out in her stroller while we’d been walking around the market, so Ididn’t have to spell the words out. Instead, I blurted them in one fell swoop.

“I think I’m pregnant.”

Bea paused, a honey stick halfway to her mouth. Clara’s eyes went comically round.

“Repeat that,” Bea instructed.

“I think I’m pregnant. I’ve been allowing myself to be in denial and haven’t taken a test, but the signs are all there—”

Clara, the COO of Rossi Motors and most levelheaded woman I knew, stopped me with a slice of her hand through the air.

“Let’s back up a step. Are you sleeping with someone?”

I shook my head. “Isleptwith someone…almost two months ago.”

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