Page 47 of Be My Valentine

Mark turned his back on everyone and walked over to the window.

“Dad?” he called looking out “Are there any conditions to firing her?”

“You could, but technically Kate didn’t suffer a workplace injury. Dropping out of college didn’t result in a downsizing of her duties at the law firm. That’s a weak argument. She could drag you into court.”

“She didn’t leave college halfway through! She almost finished it!” Emma interjected.

“How far along are you?” Mark asked as he continued to look out.

“One semester and thesis.” Kate answered promptly.

“Why the heck did you drop out?”

Kate remained silent. Mark turned to his sister.

“Did she tell you?”

Emma shook her head.

Kate felt someone wrap their hand around her on the table, it was Judith and she was looking at her sympathetically. She raised an imploring gaze to her, asking for help. She never thought she’d get such a furious reaction from Mark.

“Why the heck did you quit?” He repeated implacably.

“My mom had a bad accident in November, she needed me. But like I told Emma, I didn’t quit. When she’s better I’ll finish my studies. Right now, though, she’s my priority.”

“Wait a minute.” Mark sat back down “I understand that you needed to be close to her, but once youwere out of danger, why did you stay?”

“There was a problem with the medical insurance. I don’t want to talk about it.”

“You don’t have to,” Paul said practically, “They didn’t cover the costs, it’s obvious.”

“Your father’s right.” Kate looked at Mark, almost begging for mercy.

“I can’t believe you didn’t tell me about this and buy into that whole load of crap. How much you must be…”

“Quiet!” his mother shushed him “Kate is my guest, don’t you dare offend her.”

“Why wouldn’t I listen to her?” blurted Kate “It was the first time I’d seen her, it was my first interview and I was talking to the head of staff with twenty years of experience! She had no reason to hurt me, it was a six-month contract to digitize an archive! Who could I bother? She didn’t even know me! I thought it was good advice, it seemed… logical!” she pondered again “Keep your head down, do your job, don’t get involved in things you know nothing about. It’s not bad advice.”

“Are you defending her?” Mark shook his head “Then you should know that your trust is misplaced. She told me she suspected you of being a whore since you hadn’t done anything since high school.”

“Mark!” His mother and sister scolded him at the same time.

Kate no longer felt a drop of blood on her. The ruthless way he had addressed her had annihilated her.

“And you believed her?” She looked him straight in the eye. She was drained and furious. The hesitation she read on Mark’s face made her sick to her stomach. She thought about how she’d let herself go in his arms, a total surrender from the first time he’d kissed her. It had probably served as confirmation. Mark was right about one thing, she was an idiot, a perfect imbecile.

“I’d like to go home.”

“Kate, no!” Emma grabbed her hand warmly “Neither of us ever thought anything like that, and I know for a fact that my brother defended you in the face of that insinuation.”

“Are you telling me that-that’s the rumor in the office? They think I… oh my God…”

The chasm seemed impossible for her to climb back up now.

“No.” promptly intervened Mark “There is no rumor about you. I can assure you of that.”

Emma would not let go of her hand.