I shook my head as I walked up the stairs, figuring Ford would make himself at home after he practically barged in here earlier.
I swear I didn’t change my hair for him…
That was what I told myself as I changed into a black silky tank and a pair of jeans, sliding some pink lip gloss on and puckering my lips in the mirror. And in a matter of minutes I was ready to head out on a date with Ford Conway, the man I’d spent twenty years forgetting and the last month pining over.
Ford
Somewhere between taking off in Los Angeles and flying over the Midwest, reality smacked me in the face. Until then, I’d stewed.
Fucking Billy;she knew exactly how to manipulate me. She’d perfected it over the years. Except, seated in first class, drowning my anger in complimentary scotch, wasn’t helping my mood. Finally, at the bottom of an empty tumbler, I realized Billy wasn’t manipulating me—she was right. I’d been miserable since returning to LA. Billy was the closest I had to a loving family member, and I couldn’t turn my nose up at her. I’d tell her so later. In this exact moment, I needed to figure out how to get back at my mom and fix shit with James.
Instead, I’d stormed into the hospital, flashing my ID and pointing at the name on the wall, which happened to be one and the same, and the security guard had stepped aside.
“Ashley,” I barked, exiting the elevator, glad to see at least one familiar face. “Is Jamie here?”
Her wide eyes and shocked expression should have clued me in.
“Uh, she, she…doesn’t work here anymore.” Ashley stood while speaking and went to close the door behind her.
That was when I caught a glimpse of some brunette in a black suit behind the desk, looking up. No doubt one of my mom’s minions.
“When did that happen?” I moved my gaze back to Ashley.
“Honestly?”
All of a sudden, needing to brace myself, I sat on the corner of her desk. “What do you think? Honestly, yeah.”
“Right after the funeral. Maybe a few days later. I told her she should call you, but she shook her head, turned around, and packed up her office.”
I slammed my palm into the desk, still not having pulled myself together. Except screaming obscenities in the hospital wouldn’t help anyone. “You could have called.”
She stepped an inch closer, trying to shield her new boss from our conversation, I assumed. “She asked me not to. She got a new job though. She’s very happy.”
“I don’t give a shit. This was her job, not yours.” I eyed the stranger sitting in the office. I wanted her to bear witness to this. To know who she’d fucked with. I was not my mom’s stooge.
The brunette put her head down and didn’t look my way.Good.I didn’t want to see her.
“Call up the hospital CEO and tell him I’m causing a scene down here. Tell him to get his ass over here. And when you’re done, tell me where James is.”
Ashley scrambled to do my bidding. She whispered to me the part about the CEO helping James find a new job, clearly not wanting anyone in my mom’s camp to know, and explained how James worked from home. Then the fuck who called himself the CEO showed up and was lucky I’d already heard he’d helped James. I drew out a confession from him in minutes about my mom, making sure the new development director knew her days were numbered. I wasn’t going to sit by and watch this blatant power play. Not when I was on the board.
My final words were, “I gotta go. I’ll be in touch,” before I rushed the elevator bank, needing to get to James.
She hadn’t been happy to see me, but now we were in the back of the town car and going to eat.
I call that a win.
“Mexican?” I asked, knowing there was a cute place not far from Jamie’s house.
She nodded, looking out the window, deep in thought.
I told the driver the name of the place and he nodded.
James had changed into jeans and a tank, but it didn’t make her any more attractive to me. She’d looked gorgeous when she answered the door.
I broke the silence. “Trains are running full steam in your head.”
She turned to me, her glasses firmly on her face, but I could see her eyes were a bit wet.
