Chapter Three
Rachel’s hands shook as she changed Allie’s diaper.
As her baby happily kicked her legs and chortled, she inhaled a deep breath.
Rachel counted to four slowly before letting it out over a count of eight.
Her daughter didn’t need to know how livid her mom was at this cruel twist of fate.
She tickled Allie’s bare feet, making her laugh more.
Then she scooped her baby girl into her arms and carried her from the bedroom back into the living room, where she set her in the playpen.
“You okay?” Jenny asked. She’d rushed over as soon as Rachel had called and given her the news. “I mean, I know the answer to that question… But you still look shaken.”
Rachel bit back the tears threatening to fall. “I’ll be okay. Seriously. I’ve been through worse, right? I really liked this job.” She also needed the money, and the health insurance. Also, walking out meant no reference. But there was no way she could stay.
“I know you did, and I promise I will find you another one.” Jenny patted the couch cushion, and Rachel sat. “You are my priority. I’m glad you called me.”
“Me too. Thank you.” Tears raced down Rachel’s cheeks.
“Oh, honey, where else would I be?”
“Work?” Even to her own ears, Rachel’s joke came across half-hearted and sad. She swiped her eyes with her sleeve.
“Being the boss has to have some perks. One is being able to leave in an emergency,” Jenny said. “I got you into this, and I’ll help you get out. I have faith this will be okay.”
“But I could have ruined things for your business.”
“You didn’t, and I’ll handle it if necessary. Friends first, always.”
Rachel reached for her wineglass. Upon hearing what had happened, Jenny had left work early and brought over takeout and a bottle of Rachel’s favorite Merlot.
She was a loyal friend who’d declared it was five o’clock somewhere.
“I’ll let the rest of tonight be my pity party, and then tomorrow I’ll figure things out.
Hit the ground running.” Rachel’s attempt at projecting confidence and bravado rang flat.
“That sounds like a good plan.” Jenny sipped her own wine.
“I still can’t believe that Clemons Frost and Clemons Fortune are the same person.
The Fortunes must be beside themselves to have to claim that man because of his DNA.
” She huffed out a breath. “Did you hear about how he sent back three bottles of Leonetti wine? Leo Leonetti is married to Poppy Fortune. Talk about crass! Not to mention failing to read the room. I heard the wine was fine—as if Leo would let a bad vintage leave his vineyard.”
“He’s a horrible, horrible man. He made my life a living hell. I moved to Emerald Ridge to escape him. How’s that for irony?” Rachel took another gulp of wine. “I can’t believe this happened. Or that my excellent boss is his son. Who or what did I cross to deserve this?”
“There’s no way either of us could have known,” Jenny soothed.
“Clemons Frost—I mean Fortune,” Rachel spit out the name, “cost me everything. My job. My house. Once I saw that photo and after I did an internet search, I had to quit. How can I trust that Oakley is not like his father? Maybe he’d hired me because he wanted to toy with me?
” She set the empty glass on the table and, glancing over at Allie, was relieved to see her daughter happily playing with blocks.
“I’m sorry if this made things awkward for you. ”
“You keep saying that, so believe me when I say it’s okay.
I might lose Oakley Fortune’s business, but I won’t lose anyone else’s.
My clients know me. You did the right thing, quitting like that.
” She reached and gave Rachel’s knee a little squeeze.
“You are my friend. That’s not changing. I support you fully.”
“Thank you. That means a lot. When I saw that photo…” Her voice choked. “Clemons ruins everything. Why did he have to ruin this? I mean, look at this place. Haven’t I suffered enough? The guy has grown kids. You’re telling me they never once threw up?”
Instead of looking at the chic shabbiness of the furnishings Rachel had cobbled together, Jenny gathered Rachel into an enormous hug. “It’s going to be okay. Trust me. You will get through this. This, too, shall pass.”
“I hope so.” Drawing back, Rachel watched as Allie pulled herself up and stood holding on to the side of the playpen before plopping back down.
Rachel’s mom had told her that she’d walked early, and it appeared as if her baby girl would do the same.
“It would be so different if I didn’t have to think about Allie.
I could go anywhere and do anything…but I have to put my daughter first. We’re a team. She’s what matters.”
“You’re a great mom.” Jenny’s phone beeped, and she checked the message. “Speaking of being a mom, my husband just sent me a message. It’s clearly something he can’t handle, so I have to go home.” She sighed. “He’s lucky I love him.”
“I know you wish he’d step up a bit more in the fatherhood department, but we both know he’s a keeper. And I appreciate the late lunch and you attempting to cheer me up.” She walked Jenny to the front door and accepted another hug. “Tell Lee I said hi.”
“I will and I’ll call you tomorrow.” Jenny stepped into the hall and Rachel closed the door behind her.
Turning back to check on Allie, she saw her daughter bending and straightening her legs as she clung to the side of the playpen.
“That’s right, Allie. Work those legs! Speaking of which, I should do some yoga… ”
Not that the apartment had much room to move around.
While it had one bedroom, the place was a mere four hundred square feet, and much of it was crammed with the things she hadn’t been able to part with when she’d moved from Dallas.
Most of her possessions remained in the moving boxes as she had no idea where to put anything, and she didn’t have the room anyway.
She’d hoped to get a good job so she could move into something bigger, where Allie didn’t have to have a crib in the same room as her mom.
She’d have to put that dream on hold. Having a brief window of time, she turned on her laptop and scoured the online job boards.
The results were depressing. As if sensing her mother’s worry, Allie began to cry.
Rachel rose and handed her daughter her pacifier, but that didn’t work. Nor did picking her up. Instead, Allie’s face reddened, and she cried harder. A diaper check revealed that wasn’t the problem.
“Okay, let me go make you something.” She put her daughter in the high chair and gave her some Cheerios.
Allie ate some of the oat circles while Rachel began to clean a prep area by shoving the empty carryout containers into the trash can.
Like diapers, trash bags were expensive and a big part of her budget.
As one of the boxes’ sharp corners caught the bag, the plastic tore.
Figured. She’d take the trash down later to the dumpster located in the alley.
In the high chair, Allie started crying again. “I’m coming, sweetie,” Rachel said, scrambling to measure the formula.
Mid-scoop, a knock sounded on her front door.
Either Jenny had forgotten something, which was unlikely as she’d been gone for over an hour, or it was Taylor, her retired neighbor from across the hall.
In a hurry, Rachel opened the door without looking through the peephole.
She recoiled as she found Oakley Fortune standing there.
Her first reaction was to close the door, but his hand stopped her. He didn’t push back, though, or try to enter. “Please talk to me.” He held up a bag. “I brought dinner.”
In the tiny dining area, Allie screamed louder. Rachel glanced over her shoulder. “That’s kind but as you can hear, I’ve got to go. Besides, I’ve eaten. Jenny brought us burgers and fries for a late lunch.”
“Then you can eat your share tomorrow. It’s chicken spiedini from Cucina. It should reheat.” Oakley stretched the bag forward, and she smelled hints of garlic.
Cucina was the Italian restaurant located in the Emerald Ridge Hotel.
The ambience was romantic and the bill expensive.
For those reasons alone, she’d had no reason to go there, but she had heard the food was delicious.
She opened the door wider and reached for the bag.
“Okay, you can come in. I suppose I should explain, and I need to get my daughter.”
Allie, as if sensing a visitor, chose to scream even louder.
“If it’s because of what I read on the internet after I got your note, no explanation is needed.
No one should have put you through that.
” Oakley stepped into the apartment, which made the place shrink.
Rachel was also immediately aware of how shabby it must look.
Even the leather chairs in the waiting room of his office were of better quality than the two metal chairs located at the minuscule kitchen table.
From the cutout in the wall between the kitchen and dining area, Rachel watched as Oakley stopped about five feet from Allie’s high chair.
“Hey there,” Oakley said. “Aren’t you a pretty little thing.”
For a brief second, Allie stopped crying. Then she started again. “Really?” Oakley teased Allie. “Tell me more. Let me hear all about it…”
As Allie’s cry died in her throat, Rachel quickly shoved the oversize white take-out bag into the refrigerator, checked that the sippy cup full of formula was the right temperature and headed toward them.
Finally quiet, Allie stared at Oakley with huge, interested blue eyes and mouth as wide as Palo Duro Canyon.
She couldn’t blame her daughter. Oakley was impressive.
“She needs to eat.” But when Rachel handed Allie the cup, her daughter threw it. Then, when Rachel returned the cup to the tray, she began to cry again and hold up her arms. Rachel lifted her from the high chair, but she couldn’t calm her. Allie leaned and dove toward Oakley.