Page 101 of Token

I prided myself with creating a diverse and inclusive workforce, and I thought I had the numbers to back it up. It wasn’t until my company was sued that I realized numbers aren’t the only things that matter. No matter how diverse a company is, if it’s not equal in opportunities for growth and advancement, the problems stemming from racism and sexism will continue to persist. I’m grateful to Kennedy for helping me see that. Her dedication to equality and fair play makes her the best at what she does. The perspective she brings to her work is invaluable, and I can’t thank her enough for helping me with my blind spots.

On a more personal note, Kennedy is an incredible woman, and if you’re lucky enough to have someone like her in your life, don’t squander it. I certainly don’t plan to.

Kennedy’s breath quickened, her heart thudding loud in her ears. Everything he’d said about her... The things he’d admitted about himself. She didn’t know what to say.

“You still there?” Sahara asked, breaking the silence that had gone on for several long seconds.

“I’m here,” Kennedy whispered, her hand not quite steady as she held the phone to her ear.

“See! What did I tell you? Your man means business. He wants the whole world to know how he feels about you. I want the kind of man who would do that for me,” Sahara said, her tone half teasing, half wistful. “It’s instant foreplay.”

Kennedy let out a shaky laugh, her thoughts churning as she returned to the living room and sank down onto the couch. “What blind spots is he talking about?” she mused. It had to be about Jack. His was the only name she’d mentioned in that context during their argument.

“You mean you don’t know?”

The question had Kennedy squirming in place. “I haven’t talked to him in a few days,” she replied in a small voice. Then she told Sahara about the scholarship, Jack, and the resulting fight.

“If you want my opinion, his friend sounds like a jerk, and hopefully, Nate has figured that out. Now, about the scholarship... I don’t know, sweets. I can’t work up too much outrage over that.” She then hastened to add, “Not that I don’t understand why you’re upset about the way he did it, but why were you okay with taking the money from some faceless entity but it’s a problem now that you know it was from him?”

That question had plagued Kennedy the last two days. She tried to convince herself it was the underhandedness of it, but she quickly realized that wasn’t the crux of it. “I thought I’d earned it on my own.”

“Who said you didn’t earn it? How many scholarships did you apply for that you didn’t receive because an applicant had connections with the powers that be? You told me you also applied to a few other Ivy League colleges and didn’t get in. Why not? You had the grades and the test scores. Maybe a legacy student got the slot that should have rightfully gone to you. Did you ever think of that? And I highly doubt Nate would have paid for you to go to a school like Columbia if your grades and test scores didn’t warrant it. When you have billions, as generous as it is to write a check for a good cause, that’s the easiest part.”

“I get all that, but—”

“Sweetie, I hope you’ll take what I say next in the spirit it’s given, from someone who knows. Your boy had money. He saw you needed it. He filled that need and didn’t tell you because he knew you’d refuse it—and he was right. Listen, I understand you feel in his debt and you understandably hate that. But it’s not about the money, honey. For him, that was an act of love.”

Hugging her knees to her chest, Kennedy stared at her fire-engine-red toenails. “I don’t know. Maybe I’d feel different if we weren’t sleeping together. It isn’t as if our relationship isn’t lopsided enough.”

“What do you mean lopsided?”

She absently flicked a clump of hair that came dislodged from her ponytail over her shoulder. It was more wavy than straight, days after the blowout. “You know what I mean. He’s got it all. He’s worth billions. His parents are part of the whole Hollywood crowd. And he’sgorgeous. He could probably have any woman he wanted even without all the money and glam. Sometimes I feel I’m hitting way above my weight class.”

There was no feeling like not feeling good enough. It was soul destroying.

“And he’s white, right?”

“Yeah, there’s that too,” she replied gloomily. Another brick in the wall between them.

Sahara released an audible sigh. “You have to know you’re a catch, right? You’re all the things he said in his statement, and on top of that, you’re one of the kindest, most compassionate people I know.Andyou’re pretty funny too. But I understand how you feel. I’m living a life I could only ever dream of, but there are always doubts. Am I good enough? Will they like me? What if my film or album bombs? What if after all of this, I never get married and have the family I always wanted? I think about all that stuff. Everyone does, Ken. And probably Black women more than anyone. But it’s normal. You’re not alone. At the end of the day, though,hewould be the luckiest man in the world to have you, and judging by his statement, I think he knows it too.”

Kennedy gave a self-deprecating laugh. “I’ve been telling myself that a lot, and then I discover he basically paid my way through college. And not just any college—an Ivy League one.” Which put her in his debt. A debt she’d never be able to repay.

“Take it from me—no one becomes successful on their own. It’s literally impossible. Intelligence, talent, ambition, and hard work only gets you so far. Whether it’s being born into wealth or being lucky enough to be born with a voice and a face that can sell millions of records, behind every successful person there are usually a host of peopleandtheright opportunities that helped pave the way. You did all the hard work, so give yourself a break. You don’t have to be superwoman all the time.”

Kennedy huffed a laugh. “I wish.” If that were true, Joseph Russo wouldn’t have thought her capable of something as reprehensible as throwing a Black female reporter under the bus. The complete antithesis of what she was trying to do with her agency.

“Look, I’m not trying to take anything away from your man, but he was born on third base. If he wants to pay it forward, let him. You don’t owe him anything, which is why his name wasn’t attached to the scholarship.”

How could she not owe him anything when he’d put her through college? That was no insignificant thing. It had everything to do with where she was in her life right now and where she’d end up. She had to come up with something to level the playing field. But first, she had to talk to Nate. See him and touch him. If there was one thing she knew, they were far from over.

“Hey,” Sahara said, her voice penetrating Kennedy’s thoughts. “Everything is going to work out. With Phil and Sam out of the picture, things will calm down and get back to normal. And if you need me to run interference with the press, just say the word. You know me—I have a knack for distraction. Now, go find that hunky man of yours and put him out of his misery. Have yourself some of that good, wall-banging makeup sex and thank me in the morning.”

Kennedy smiled. Her friend did have a way with words. “How about I just thank you now in case I’m too busy in the morning?”

“When the time comes, promise to name your little angel after me,” Sahara said, amusing herself to no end.

Teasing or not, normally Kennedy would have told her friend not to get ahead of herself. Today, in the midst of a pandemic of disasters, she found herself laughing along.

---