and sky high heels, with her long hair flowing over her shoulders, makes me feel self-conscious in my teddy bear scrubs, but I force that out of my mind. Thinking about the things she said to Shaw and the hell she’s putting him through sets my blood boiling.
There’s no doubt she’s here to try and intimidate me—again. But that’s not happening today, or ever again. I swallow down the anger bubbling up and walk straight to the desk, rounding the corner and logging into the computer.
I feel her death glare but don’t look up.
“You always wanted what I had.”
I ignore her statement and type furiously, sending a quick goodbye message to my co-workers.
“Don’t ignore me, Lizbeth Hastings.”
I glance up and give her my sweetest smile. “Are you here to see a patient?”
“Hell no! I’m here to tell you to keep your money-grubbing hands to yourself and leave Ren alone.”
“Well, if you’re not here to see a patient, are you lost?”
“Stop playing coy. It’s time you and I had a talk.”
“That’s not possible. I’ve been advised not to speak to you without a witness present. If you’d like to talk, I’d suggest having your lawyer call Caldwell, and it can be arranged.”
“That’s bullshit! Boyfriends, friends, sorority—you wanted what I had. This time, you have gone too far. I’ll deal with you being friendly with Nick, but I will never allow my child to be around you.”
I can’t stop the laugh that escapes, which only pisses her off more. As if her sixth sense has kicked in, Claire is at my side in an instant. I didn’t see her coming, but I’ve never been so glad for her in my life.
“What’s going on here?” she asks coldly.
“Sasha Crane has a knack for showing up to places of employment without notice and without being invited. To sum it up, she’s here to tell me to stay away from Shaw, and I explained I’ve been advised not to speak with her without a witness.”
“I’ll be the fucking witness. Or I can call security. Your decision.”
“I’d like for you to be here for what I have to say. Somehow, things seem to get misconstrued when Sasha repeats them.” I raise an eyebrow to Sasha, enjoying her face heating up. This is starting to get fun.
“First of all, I think it’s funny you think you have a choice of me being friendly with Nicky. You don’t dictate anything in my life, especially my relationships. Any of them. As for being around your child, that’s for you and Shaw to work out. He’s always had the best interest of your child in mind.”
“You think I don’t see what you’re doing? Using his kindness and pity? That’s what it is—pity. Everyone’s always pitied you. Since we were teenagers, you wanted to be like me. Your clothes, your hair… I saw it when everyone else looked the other way because you were sick. But that’s over. It’s one thing to try and steal my boyfriend in high school, but it’s another to try and steal the father of my baby. Ren will be the laughing stock of his friends, his business associates, and his entire community if he shows his face with you. Is that what you want? To ruin him? To tie him to you purely because you’re jealous of me?”
Claire hisses beside me, and I fight to stay still. Her words hurt, but that’s what she wants. To see me slink into a wallflower and skirt away with my tail between my legs.
She’s going to fail, because I’m no longer that girl. I’m now a woman with a career and a man who’s even better than I always dreamed. I stare deeply into her eyes and see her own jealousy swirling. She’s scared. For once in my life, I have the upper hand. And she knows it.
As much as I want to lay into her, tease her about my relationship with him, let her know I am moving in and we are continuing our life together, I refrain. Instead, I finish my email. Claire is stone still except for her hand that’s trembling on the phone receiver, ready to call security. I give her a look that lets her know I’m okay and turn back to Sasha.
“I’m not going to do this. You’ve wasted your time coming here.”
It’s on the tip of my tongue to say more, but I stop myself. She’s strung so tight, I fear for the baby. The last thing Shaw needs is me