Page 10 of No Way Forward

Novette’s spirits took a nosedive. “Of course. What was I thinking? He wouldn’t take time out of his busy schedule to fly here. Please show my dad’s secretary in. She’ll be letting us know the exact time when we are expected to heal up and arrive back at the mansion. No exceptions.”

The sooner Novette processed her next steps the better for living life on her own terms.

Chapter 5

“Novette!” Azalie pounced on Novette, wrapping her arms around her neck. “I was so worried about you. Why didn’t you call me? I thought I was your best friend.”

Novette struggled to draw in a breath. She swallowed the bit of sausage she had just bitten into sitting at the dining room table. “Easy, Azalie. I made it back, but you’re about to kill me with your hug, crazy.”

Her friend sniffled. She dropped into the seat beside Novette, wearing a white-cropped top that was so short she was almost exposing the underside of her boobs. “I stayed here last night because Richard said you were coming home. And here you are sitting at the table eating like none of us was worried all this time.”

Guilt assaulted Novette. “I’m sorry, sweetie.”

Novette started to justify her actions, but what was the point? If she had told Azalie where she was going or even contacted her after she left, her dad would have bullied the information out of Azalie. He had done it so many times before she couldn’t count.

“Well, you’re back now.” Azalie waved a hand, grinning. “We can party like we used to and get into trouble. God, I miss those times. I mean I have to get my mom to babysit, but it’s Mom. She’ll do it.”

Novette’s eyebrows rose. “Babysit? Wait, you have a child, Azalie?”

Her best friend was always flighty from the first time she met her. Novette couldn’t see Azalie getting pregnant. No, she could see her getting pregnant, what with the line of boyfriends she had running through her life. Azalie took a new lover every other week, but to keep the baby? That was a shocker.

“I’ve got a little girl.” Azalie sorted through photos on her phone and finally held it up. The picture on the screen was of a cute

little two or three-year-old girl with curly blonde hair and big silver eyes. She was the spitting image of her mom except for the eye color.

“Wow,” Novette breathed. “She’s beautiful. I can’t imagine you settling down. So you’re married?”

Azalie cringed, wrinkling her brow. “Ew, no. I guess I would have said yes if Zaid asked me, but we’re happy enough with little Beau.”

Novette’s stomach dropped. “Zaid?”

“Didn’t I tell you? Zaid is my baby’s daddy.” She tucked the back of a hand against her mouth like she shared a secret. “He will deny it, but I know who my daughter’s daddy is.”

“You and Zaid had a thing.” Novette kicked herself for the raspy tone. She cleared her throat. It wasn’t like she’d ever had anything going with Zaid. The attraction was there on her part but she never thought it would develop into anything. Especially with him being ten years her senior. Still, jealousy rocked her thinking he had an affair with Azalie and they had a child together. It put him even farther out of her reach.

“Awwww.” Azalie poked out thin pink lips. “You’re jealous, aren’t you? Don’t be, silly. I’m so over him now. I mean sometimes we feel like we could get back together, but then I meet a new guy. You know how that goes.”

Azalie rambled on, but Novette stopped listening. She wondered where the little girl was if Azalie had stayed the night at the mansion. Hadn’t being a mother slowed her down even a little?

The front doorbell rang, and steps sounded in the hall. A woman’s voice followed and the high-pitched screech from a little girl. “Zaaaaiiiiddd!”

So their daughter didn’t call him daddy.

The dining room door opened, and Zaid walked in holding little Beau. Novette couldn’t help studying the two of them to find the resemblance. There was none other than the matching eye color. When she noticed Zaid looking at her, she focused on her plate. Her appetite had already died.

“Novette,” Zaid said. “How are you? Rested? Your dad wants me to bring you into the office this morning.”

“No, thank you.”

“You didn’t see him yesterday when we got back.”

“Whose fault was that? Work was more important.” She glared at him. “Tell me something. Did you two arrange to have me kidnapped as a way to convince me to come back home?”

“Azalie, why don’t you take Beau into the kitchen and give her a snack?”

“Me? That’s why we have servants.”

He glared at her. “You don’t have servants.”

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