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“Yes.”
“Please hold for Mrs. Fremont.”
Her heart thumped against her ribs like a loose shutter in a hurricane. Sonya Fremont was calling her?
“Elizabeth. You were supposed to call me if ever you got free of that employer of yours.”
“I know. I just assumed that with the Page Six article…” She let her words trail off. What if Sonya didn’t read the gossip page? Had Elizabeth just blown any chance of working with the woman? And what if she got the job and was later fired because Sonya found out about the whole fake engagement with Roark?
“Oh, for heaven’s sakes, Elizabeth. This is New York City. You’re already yesterday’s news.”
“I am?”
Sonya laughed. “I’ve never heard anybody sound so glad to have their fifteen minutes of fame behind them.”
Elizabeth’s confidence was returning with each second. “I think you’ll find I’m happier behind the scenes.”
“And that’s what I’d like to talk to you about. Now that you’re no longer employed by that woman, I’d like to hire you to plan the gala. Your proposal was original and inspiring. Can you come by tomorrow to discuss a few minor changes I’d like to make?”
“Of course.”
Did this mean she was going into business for herself? Josie’s decision to blackball her from working with other event planners had backed Elizabeth into a corner. Hope floated through her, erasing most of her doubts.
After she hung up with Sonya, Elizabeth tackled a list of things she’d need to go into business for herself. The money she’d tried to return to Roark would have to be diverted from her fertility treatments to rent, food and other basic survival needs. Was it enough to last until she could find other clients?
Elizabeth dialed the fertility clinic. She needed to cancel her upcoming appointments. She’d already come to terms with the reality that motherhood would have to wait until she could afford it. The switchboard connected her to Bridget Sullivan, her doctor’s nurse. In the eight months Elizabeth had been trying to get pregnant, Bridget had been so kind to her. She deserved an explanation why Elizabeth couldn’t move forward at the moment.
“I just wanted to let you know that I’ve cancelled my upcoming appointments.”
“Of course you have,” Bridget crowed. “Congratulations.”
This was so far from the sympathetic response she’d braced for that Elizabeth wondered if Bridget knew who was on the phone. “Bridget, this is Elizabeth Minerva.”
“What timing. I have your file in front of me. I was about to give you a call.”
“But you said congratulations.”
Now it was Bridget’s turn to be confused. “I thought you’d be thrilled. You’re pregnant. Isn’t that what you’ve been hoping for all these months?”
“Pregnant? How is that possible?”
Bridget laughed. “Since I’m confident you haven’t been cheating on us with another fertility clinic, I’m guessing that fiancé of yours has the right stuff. You must be over the moon. A baby on the way and a wedding to plan. You’re one lucky lady.”
“Lucky.” It wasn’t the first word that she’d u
se to describe her current situation. She was pregnant? The room tilted as she tried to absorb what she’d just heard. “But two rounds of in vitro failed. Dr. Abbot told me it would be impossible for me to get pregnant without help.”
“I don’t know how to explain it other than sometimes miracles happen. A couple that has struggled with fertility for years adopts a child and suddenly the wife is pregnant. Maybe you just needed to find the right guy.”
But Roark wasn’t the right guy for her. He was an amazing man. A terrific lover. Wonderful friend. Loyal to the core, but he wasn’t interested in making a commitment to her or anyone.
“Do you need us to recommend an obstetrician? I can email you a list.”
“That would be great.” Her thoughts were like cotton in her head. Thanking Bridget, she disconnected the call and stared at the list of event planners on her laptop screen.
In the space of ten minutes she’d become an entrepreneur and learned she was pregnant. What if she wasn’t ready to tackle both at the same time?
And Roark. How angry would he be when she told him he was going to be a father? This was all her fault. She’d told him she couldn’t get pregnant. He would think she’d tricked him.
