Emma. She looks beautiful. Just like her mother. She won’t talk to me anymore. She stays in her room and watches movies. She isn’t the same.”
“Since Marti left, right? Isn’t that what you mean? She tried to hurt me and our baby, and you and Emma are just waiting around for her to come back and try again.”
“I doubt she’s in any shape to do anything. Last I saw her, she was in the hospital with her leg in a sling.”
“Serves her right for trying to hurt us,” she said and put her hand on her stomach. Cameron had been so sweet about the baby lately. He came home from work today and wrapped his arms around her from behind and put his hand over her stomach. She thought the gesture sweet, and for a moment even wished she was pregnant. The thought was immediately replaced with how fat she’d get. It would take her months to lose the weight.
Cameron caught the gesture of her putting her hand on her stomach and he was stricken with how he’d never see Marti do the same thing. Their baby was gone.
He stepped out of the limo and escorted her into the lobby. When they reached the doors leading into the ballroom, he stopped short, surprised. The benefit usually got a lot of press, but this was something else. Reporters and photographers were everywhere with flashes going off and people clamoring for interviews with Jenna.
Jenna made an announcement to the press. “I promise all of you Miss Fairchild will be in attendance tonight. She won’t answer questions. There will be a photo opportunity when she presents the gift to Miss Emma Shaw.”
“What about Tina Fair? We understand a lot of children attended tonight to see her.”
“She will be here and has an announcement and a gift for Miss Shaw. If you’ll excuse me, Cameron Shaw has arrived and we need to get inside.”
She turned from the press and headed for the doors to the ballroom with Cameron beside her.
“Ready to go in?” Jenna asked.
“Are you actually speaking to me again?”
“I’ve made an exception for tonight. This is going to be an enlightening evening for you. Shall we?”
“Hello, Jenna, your dress is lovely. You look spectacular.”
Jenna didn’t respond to Shelly. She thought Shelly looked tacky in a black skintight gown with a deep V-neck, leaving her boobs barely covered. Her blond hair was so teased and fluffy, Jenna thought she might be hiding a bird’s nest inside.
“I hope you have your speech ready to welcome everyone and thank them for coming tonight,” she said to Cameron.
“You never said I was speaking tonight. I don’t even know half of what you’ve got planned. Who is Miss Fairchild? Why are there so many children here? How did you get all these people to attend? I see at least twice as many people as we normally have.”
“You’re an idiot. We have nearly three times as many people. They’re all here to see the Sofia Fairchild collection and Tina Fair, the author of the Tina’s Travels books Emma loves so much.”
“She does love those books. I read them to her all the time. How did you get the author to come tonight?”
“She fell in love with Emma and had her publisher contact me to set things up. Miss Fairchild asked the curator of Sofia Fairchild’s paintings to contact me and provide eight paintings by the master artist. They’re all of her granddaughter when she was little. The series is called Martina.”
“I can’t wait to see them.”
“Wait till you see Miss Fairchild herself and Tina Fair.”
“Fairchild? The same Fairchild as Fairchild Industries?”
“One and the same. Miss Fairchild is in charge of special projects at Fairchild Industries. She’s the one you hear on the conference calls between our team and hers.”
“Great, we can do some business while she’s here and get to know each other before the project really takes off.”
“Oh, you already know her,” Jenna said under her breath.
Cameron didn’t hear her.
“I can’t believe I get to meet a Fairchild tonight. She’s wealthy beyond belief.” Shelly squeezed Cameron’s arm and smiled hugely.
“I understand she’s the richest woman in the state.” Jenna smiled at the statement Anthony Fairchild had once made about Marti. Shelly could appreciate a statement like that.
“You’re kidding.”
“Her uncle claims she is, and he should know. He runs Fairchild Industries. You’ve met Anthony Fairchild, haven’t you Cameron?”
“Several times. The man is impossible to get along with. All he thinks about is money.”