“Is it? I saw how you looked at him. That desire in your eyes can’t be hidden.” Jennifer buckled her seat belt.
Heat rushed to Natalie’s face. She turned the car toward the road, her cheeks burning. “I don’t know what you saw. He’s my boss. Nothing more.”
Jennifer laughed but switched her attention to the road. “But you like him which makes the wig you’re wearing confusing.”
Her head itched beneath the scratchy wig. Natalie took it off as it was clear she wasn’t fooling Jennifer anyhow and tossed it on the backseat. “Mr. Morgan doesn’t hire pretty young women in the office. I wanted to work there so I borrowed my neighbor’s wig. Now, why were you at the gynecologist with two different Morgans at your heels?”
Jennifer handed her a card with her address on it. Natalie glanced at it and realized this was on her way to work. She’d see Galen soon and hear his side of the story on why he was at the gynecological office.
Jennifer then sighed and asked, “Honestly?”
“That would be welcome.” Natalie slipped the card into the empty cup holder to her right.
Jennifer leaned back in the passenger seat. “Peter and I dated for a long time. Then we broke up and he married another woman. I still miss him and want him back.”
The sing-song of her voice caught Natalie by surprise. She wasn’t prepared to feel bad, but Jennifer sounded so sad. Natalie fixed her glasses and repeated what she’d heard. “By all accounts he’s happily married now.”
Jennifer nodded and wiped tears from her eyes. “I know. It hurts me every time I hear that.”
With all the commotion in the hallway, Natalie hadn’t heard crying or anything about heartbreak. The words shouted were about sperm and property and babies. Natalie kept her voice low and asked, “That doesn’t explain the visit?”
Jennifer kept her gaze out the window. “I wanted to have Peter’s baby. They have his sperm, ready for injection and I almost talked them into getting it ready for me. But Galen told his brother and ruined my shot.”
Her ears buzzed. There was something missing from the story, which sounded illegal. But this also meant Galen had no girlfriend and wasn’t dating Jennifer. Natalie’s shoulders relaxed. “So, Peter didn’t know you wanted to have his child?”
Jennifer swallowed and stilled in her seat, looking ahead and not at her. “No, but it was my chance to always have a part of him even if he doesn’t want me back. I just want to be happy and a piece of him is better than nothing, where I am right now.”
The Morgans were the richest family out there. Natalie’s brain buzzed as she drove onto the highway. “That’s either really sad or really conniving if you intended to go after him for his money.”
A small snicker came out of Jennifer that sounded sad instead of sarcastic as she looked up at the sun. “I had an offer to have his father’s child and make a lot of money, but I chose not to. I’m notonlyafter money despite what you might think. I was in love and clearly he didn’t love me back in the same way I felt.”
Natalie had no idea what she’d do if she lost the man she loved to another. Sure, a college boyfriend, Rocco, had cheated on her, but she wasn’t left clingy or holding onto the past. She reached out and brushed the other woman’s shoulder. “Then I feel sorry for you.”
Natalie took the next exit and headed toward the beach. They drove over the bridge that led to the small island chains that had the best views of the city. Neither said a word as they passed the exit for Star Island, home of famous multi-million dollar movie stars, basketball players, famous singers, and the Morgans.
Jennifer flipped in her seat and her brown hair settled perfectly behind her head. Only a movie star would be that seamless with the action. “I meant what I said about helping you get Galen for yourself so that you can stop wearing that unflattering wig.”
They turned onto a nice island for millionaires and Jennifer’s building. Natalie stopped the car in front and shook her head. “No thanks. While Galen is hot to look at in the office and creates a nice fantasy in my mind, I want to find a man who is attracted to me without using tricks.”
Jennifer shrugged and unlocked her seatbelt. “I was like that once but then I lost, bad. I also learned that my looks get me pretty far. If you change your mind, let me know. My number is on my card.”
Natalie looked down. Jennifer wasn’t what she’d expected at all. She waved as the starlet climbed out. “It was nice to meet you, Ms. Gonzales.”
“Jennifer.”
She waited until Jennifer was inside the building and then checked to make sure traffic was clear before she pulled back out on the street and headed to work.
The silence in the car was palpable. So what if she had a slight crush on her attractive boss? He’d never notice her, ever. He thought she was at least twenty years older than she was. Once she parked in the employee lot, near the back, she stayed in her car, fixed her wig and makeup with the mirror and band to keep her hair from falling in her face, and then “waddled” into the office.
No one looked twice at her as she made her way to her desk, visible behind a glass wall and glass door. Everyone walking the hall could see her but usually nobody bothered. As she waited for her computer to boot up, she slipped on her ugly shoes and threw on her oversized sweater. Now she was ready to get to work.
Across the hall, Galen’s office door opened and he headed toward her. Her heart thumped, but she jumped in her seat, hoping to seem busy. She turned her chair to face the computer and logged in.
Galen’s hands clutched the side of her desk. “There you are, Ms. Parker. We have a problem. Please come into my office.”
Her skin buzzed and her mind raced. This couldn’t be good. She kept her head down. Had Jennifer called Galen to tell him the truth? “I dropped Ms. Gonzales off at her home and came right to work, as requested.”
Galen said nothing as he strode back to his office. She picked up a pencil and paper and followed him. She swallowed and tried to tell her shaking hands that this was about work and not the clinic. He then sat on the edge of his desk instead of behind while she took the seat near the door. He hopped up and closed the door, before returning to his desk. He didn’t quite look at her as he asked, “Are you married or engaged, Ms. Parker?”
