Claire placed a hand on Jamie’s arm, pausing. “Is there something you want to tell me? Am I missing something?”
“No.” Jamie smiled patiently and gave Claire a gentle tug forward. “Come on. The girls are already waiting for us.”
That made Claire’s suspicion heighten to new levels. “The girls? I thought it was just you and me.”
“It’s just Lisa, Denise and Maria,” Jamie said, rolling her blue eyes. “We wanted to have lunch with all five of us before you leave.”
Lisa, Denise and Maria were all part of the accounting department. Over the last few years, they had somehow made lunch with Jamie and Claire a habit. She would miss their lively lunch conversations, she realized. From sexy men to secret intra-office romances to Netflix binge-watching, they’d discussed it all.
She examined Jamie as they made their way to the back of the restaurant. Were the girls throwing a surprise party for her before she left LM? This entire lunch scenario seemed like a setup.
Less than three seconds later, the sight of Lisa, Denise, and Maria smiling from a table laden with pastel packages confirmed her suspicions. Pastel packages? Wait a minute…
Claire froze in her tracks as she realized the wrapping on one of the packages was dotted with rattles and teddy bears.Oh no.She reached out and snagged Jamie’s arm. “You told them?”
Jamie looked at her anxiously. “Oh you’re not mad, are you? You’re leaving, and it just didn’t seem right that we didn’t throw a shower for you. I only told the girls, and they aren’t breathing a word to anyone. We wanted to do something special for you.”
“So much for your lips being sealed,” Claire grumbled. And so much for hoping to keep this pregnancy a secret. She loved Maria dearly, but the woman started rumors like a professional gossip columnist.
“Please don’t be mad,” Jamie begged, giving Claire puppy-dog eyes.
She cracked a smile for Jamie’s benefit. Her assistant had, after all, divulged the secret with good intentions. She didn’t have the heart to spoil all her fun now.
“I’m not mad,” she said, allowing herself to be guided into a seat by Denise.
The petite brunette was utterly adorable and always happy. She had a husband and three kids she bragged about every chance she got. “I can’t believe the news. Congratulations. If you ever want to compare notes, I kept pregnancy diaries. After the babies were born, things got kind of hectic, but…well, call me if you need anything.”
Claire thanked Denise, trying not to chuckle at the mention of pregnancy diaries. If she’d been organized enough to write one, the first three months could have been summed up in one word. Vomit.
Lisa, the loudest of the bunch, picked up the box with the rattle gift wrap. “Open this now. I can’t wait until you see it. It’s just adorable.”
Feeling bemused by the attention she was suddenly getting, Claire tore open the paper to reveal a newborn outfit with matching bib, booties and hat. It really was a cute set. A genuine smile curved her lips as she tried to picture the baby who would wear it. “Thanks so much, Lisa. I love it.”
“Uh-oh.”
Claire turned to Jamie, who looked as though she was about to be struck by lightning. “What’s the matter?”
“It’s King Monroe,” Jamie whispered. “Coming this way.”
Claire’s heart sank to her feet, then right through her soles. She physically sensed him approach as he towered over their table. God, there were actually goose bumps on her arms.
“Claire, if I could borrow you for a moment?”
She flinched. She couldn’t help it. Though to the impartial observer, Logan’s tone was cool, even polite, she heard the harsh undercurrents. When she looked up, she saw the determination in his eyes.
“Of course.” She excused herself and accompanied him to the outer lobby in silence. Though she surreptitiously studied him, Logan’s face remained a mask of impassivity. It appeared to have been carved from the same stone as the leering Roman statue that spouted water from its mouth into the fountain.
When they came to a stop and Logan faced her, her heart hammered against her chest. This was the moment she’d been dreading, the moment she’d been seeking to avoid with all her carefully laid deceptions.
He gripped her arm at the elbow, pulling her into the angry heat radiating from his body. “Goddamn it.” His voice was rough, low, laced with fury. “Would you like to explain why you lied to me about being pregnant?”
His cold anger frightened her, not because she feared him physically but because she knew he could be a brutal man when he chose to be. She would not allow him to use the baby as leverage against her. She had no choice but to attempt to keep her lies afloat somehow.
She yanked her arm from his grip. “Because it’s none of your business.”
His lips tightened. “Like hell it’s none of my business. Jesus Christ, you looked me in the face and lied about it. How far along are you?”
“Five months,” she lied, adding an additional month. Even as she heard herself say it, she castigated herself. God, this thing was reaching soap opera proportions in a whole new way. At least she wasn’t faking the pregnancy, a favorite daytime trick.
