Page 8 of Be My Valentine

Kate quickly wiped her cheeks.

“Excuse me.” She turned around and at that exact moment realized she was in trouble.

A beautiful woman, visibly pregnant, was sitting on the sofas while a man was standing still with a woman’s shoe in his hand. He looked petrified, exactly like her.

“Do you know this girl, Mark?”

“Yes, she’s Miss Donovan, I told you about her.”

“Of course!” the woman smiled, an open, jovial, sincere smile “It’s a real pleasure, I’m Emma.”

“M… my pleasure, Mrs. Arrow, sorry for this intrusion.”

“Mrs. Arrow? For goodness sake. I’m Emma Cannon, I love using my husband’s last name.”

“Cannon?” Repeated Kate.

“Oh, my goodness! Mark is my brother! Yes, I know the situation is ambiguous, however, we do look a little alike, don’t we?” Emma Cannon spoke in a roundabout way “I would have liked his blue eyes, but our mother made me realize we couldn’t trade, though the temptation to pluck them out of him occasionally resurfaces. Anyway, he got out early today, not ‘early’ like he promised,” she shot him a murderous look, “and accompanied his huge pregnant sister whose shoes no longer fit. You know, no one tells you that you have to buy new shoes, they all think about clothes, belly, and it’s not like it’s not true, look at that!” she ran a hand over her round belly “But my feet! I think they’ve gone up at least half a size, in fact, I’d say a whole size and besides… I CAN’T REACH MY FEET! It’s frustrating, believe me.”

“Yes, I can only imagine.” Kate was stunned by the flood of words.

“Why did you have a terrible day? Oh my God, you sound so torn up, what happened to you?” she looked at her brother “It’s not your fault, is it Mark? Did you make her cry? The truth!” She admonished him severely pointing a finger at him.

“No, no!” intervened Kate “Nothing happened. I must be going, it was a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Cannon… Emma” She corrected herself.

“I wouldn’t call it nothing.” said Arrow as he gently placed a shoe on his sister’s foot and helped her to her feet “She met Patrick Hanks.”

“Ah, the blonde pig!” Kate raised her eyebrows in amazement “He has quite a reputation that way. I once accompanied Mark to an event, two years ago, the same night I met my future husband, of course, I didn’t know he was going to be my husband yet. Hanks didn’t even try to approach me, Mark told him in a threatening tone ‘That’s my sister.’!” she mimicked a man’s voice and Kate smiled “He jinxedmy dad’s partner’s daughter, however, he slept with his secretary.”

It was like being shot at.

“Emma!” Her brother scolded her.

Emma Cannon realized how indelicate she had been.

“Oh my god, sorry, so sorry!” She limped toward her in one shoe and impulsively grabbed her hands “I certainly didn’t mean for you to… Mark, say something, I mean.” She called her brother to the rescue.

“You’re saying it all by yourself, sis, I think you should just shut up.”

“How dare you shut me up! I must apologize!”

Allie intervened in a harsh, serious voice.

“Kate, have you experienced harassment in the office? It’s one thing to have a boss who’s a bit of a bastard, no offense Mr. Arrow, it’s another if someone has bothered you like that.”

“Nothing happened, Allie, really.”

“You came in crying, I think.”

“Nothing happened.” She repeated.

I don’t want to lose my job, I don’t want to lose my job, I don’t want to lose my job.

“I can assure you and your friend that what happened today will not happen again, not in my firm,” said Mark Arrow “I give you, my word.”

“What the hell did they do to her, Mark?” The sister looked like she was about to rage.

“They paid her unwelcome attention, but I made sure they ended it as soon as possible.”