Almost Doesn't Count (14 page)

Authors: Angela Winters

BOOK: Almost Doesn't Count

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“You know, Jonah, I was thinking about that. You don't know that for a fact. Unless there was some DNA test you did without my knowing. You said yourself that you and my mother weren't in love. Maybe sheâ”

“Don't,” Jonah ordered, his expression darkening. “Don't disrespect your mother's honor just to hurt me.”

Erica and Jonah held eyes for a moment as she wanted to say something cruel or mean, but couldn't. He was right and it hurt her to realize what she was suggesting about her own mother. Besides, Jonah had made it clear, and Erica later realized, she looked just like his mother, only a darker shade. He was her father. There was no denying that.

“What do you want?”

“I was hoping to see you last week,” he said. “My father died.”

“I know and I'm sorry, but that doesn't have anything to do with me.”

“You're right,” he said, nodding. “I was just . . . This isn't really about that. We're trying to get all his things in order so we can donate them.”

“I'm not a charity case,” Erica said defensively.

He seemed surprised. “I would never consider you that. Erica, any time I ever gave you anything or offered to give you anything, it was because I care about you. But that doesn't even matter.”

“What does matter?” she asked. “Because I have to get back to making dinner.”

Jonah reached into the pocket of his expensive coat and pulled out a silver chain. He opened his hand, offering it to Erica.

“I don't want gifts from you,” she said, folding her arms across her chest.

“This isn't a gift from me,” he said. “Take it, Erica. Look at it.”

Erica took the chain. Looking at it, she realized it wasn't just a chain. It had a small pendant hanging from it. She brought it closer. It was a gold-lined topaz heart with the inscribed words TO ACHELLE FROM MAMA. LUV.

Erica gasped as her heart caught in her throat. “This is my . . .”

“It's from your grandmother, right?” he asked, smiling.

“This is Mom's pendant.” Erica felt her eyes welling up with tears. “Oh my God. She was looking for this. I remember her telling me how she regretted losing this.”

“I thought you'd want it.”

“She gave me this.” Erica reached under her shirt and pulled out her necklace with a pendant. “It's the exact same except it's morganite and not topaz.”

She leaned forward so Jonah could see it.

“It's lovely,” he said.

“She told me to never, ever lose this because she lost the one Nana gave her and she always regretted it.”

Erica felt a tear roll down her cheek. She couldn't believe she was holding this. She had never met her grandmother, but had seen many pictures and heard stories of her from her grandfather and her mother about how amazing this woman was. She had a heart the size of the sun, a wicked sense of humor, and was whip smart despite having only a ninth grade education. She had high blood pressure her whole life and passed away too early after complications from a stroke.

“How do you have this?”

“Your mother showed that to me the summer we were together. She was at my house and . . .”

“I thought your relationship was a secret.”

“It was,” he said, sounding as if he wanted to seem ashamed of that point. “My parents were away. I sneaked her over. My sister was there, but she already knew about us. She took this off and showed it to me. I guess she left it there; either I put it away somewhere or the maid did. I found it going through some boxes of my old stuff in my dad's attic.”

Erica walked over to the sofa and sat down, not taking her eyes off the pendant. She didn't notice when Jonah joined her, but after a while, she looked at him.

“She must have cared about you,” she said. “She took this off to show you. I doubt she took it off for just anyone.”

Jonah smiled warmly. “I asked to see it because she was always touching it, and when she touched it, she would smile.”

“And then forgot about it.”

“Well, that was my fault. We started kissing and . . . I think it just left her mind.”

Erica smiled. “That must have been some kiss.”

“It was.”

Erica was starting to feel guilty about the way she'd treated him. “I'm sorry about your dad.”

“It's okay,” he said. “He was an asshole.”

“Jonah, you shouldn't say that about your dad.”

“It was the truth.” Jonah appeared unaffected. “I loved him and I guess a part of me will miss him, but . . . well, it was what it was. I just don't want you to feel the same about me.”

Erica managed a tentative smile.

“What in the fuck?”

Erica turned around to see Terrell, who had just come in the apartment, heading straight for the sofa. Then Jonah shot up from his seat and she knew something bad was about to happen.

She jumped up and rushed to Terrell just before he reached a ready and unflinching Jonah.

“Stop,” she ordered. She grabbed him by the arms and pushed him back. “Just calm down.”

“What the fuck are you doing here?” he asked. He wasn't charging anymore, but Erica was still holding on to his arms.

“You need to watch how you talk to me,” Jonah warned.

“Really?” Terrell laughed, but with an expression that showed he didn't find anything about this the least bit funny. “You forgot to add âboy' to the end of that sentence. I know you were itching to.”

“Terrell,” Erica pleaded. “He had to give me something of my mother's. That's why he's here. Don't start anything.”

“He's not welcomed here,” Terrell said.

“You don't live here anymore,” Jonah said. “You don't speak for her. You never did.”

“Okay, that's enough.” Erica held her hand up to him. “You have no right to speak to him like that.”

Jonah's glare left Terrell to focus on Erica. “You can't possibly be getting back together with this . . . this . . .”

“Say it,” said Terrell. “Just give me a reason.”

Jonah laughed. “You need a reason? You're already behind the game, then.”

“Jonah!” Erica knew that if she let this go on, something horrible would happen. “You need to leave.”

Jonah's posture softened, but only a bit. “I'm sorry, Erica. I didn't mean . . . I'll just go.”

“You do that,” Terrell added.

Erica slapped him in the chest. “Enough!”

Jonah looked at Terrell, shook his head in utter disappointment, and walked past them both out the door.

“I want an explanation for that asshole being here!” Terrell demanded.

“Who do you think you're talking to?” she asked. “I don't owe you any explanation for anything. This is my apartment and I can let in whoever I want.”

“So you defending this dick?” Terrell stepped back, looking hurt and angry.

“If I was defending him,” Erica said, “I would have made you leave.”

“So what was he doing here? What did he give you?”

“I don't want to talk about it.” Erica looked down at the chain she had wrapped around her hand. She felt like she was holding a part of her mother that had been lost forever.

“It wasn't a big deal,” she added. “Just let it go. He's gone.”

Terrell just shook his head. “Ain't nothing good gonna come from letting that man in your life, Erica. Nothing good.”

“I don't care what you have to do,” Billie said, then caught herself. “Wait a second. I didn't mean it like that, David.”

David Eklind was one of the firm's private investigators and she was working with him to get more information on the missing 911 calls for her pro bono case.

“I know,” he answered in his raspy voice. “You don't mean break the law.”

“And don't be unethical about it,” she added.

He laughed.

“I'm serious, David.”

“That's why I'm laughing,” he said. “Look, I won't break the law. That's what I promise.”

“You can't do anything to jeopardize my case.”

“I know that. I've been working for the firm for ten years.”

“Okay. Just get everything you can and update me. Don't wait until it's done. I have a feeling if we don't ruffle some feathers right now, it will get so buried that we won't have a chance.”

“I will get back to you as soon as I know something.”

As soon as she hung up her office phone, her cell phone, lying on the desk, began to vibrate. She looked at the ID and saw it was Sherise.

“I'm really busy right now,” she said as she picked up.

“You need to look something up for me,” Sherise said.

She was going to do it. Sherise had been debating it all week, but decided she couldn't hold it in any longer. She needed to know if Justin was cheating on her, and something told her this “trip” to Philadelphia was shady. If she could have done the investigation without involving the girls, she would have, but she needed them. Besides, after finding out about her affair with Jonah, there was no point in trying to hide anything . . . well, anything more, from them.

“I'm not your personal researcher,” Billie said.

“It will only take five minutes.”

“Why don't you call Justin and askâ”

“It's about Justin,” Sherise said quietly.

Billie paused. “What about him?”

“I think he's having an affair.”

“You're crazy,” Billie said. “Is this why you've been acting so weird lately?”

“I'm not sure, but I think he is.”

Billie was extremely doubtful. Justin was probably the most honest, reliable man she knew. The only one left. “Why? Because he can't get you pregnant, you think he's cheating?”

Sherise was pacing the kitchen as she had been for the half hour it took her to get up the nerve to make that call.

“We would actually have to be having sex in order to get pregnant.”

“You know what I think?” Billie asked. “I think you know Justin won't want you to go work for Northman and you're trying to turn him into the bad guy to justify doing it anyway. You do that, Sherise.”

“What are you talking about?”

“When you know you're wrong, you try to make the other person the bad guy so you can say at least they're worse.”

“Are you really attacking me now?” Sherise asked, getting angrier every second. “I come to you for help and this is your response? You're turning into Erica, blaming me for everything.”

“I haven't seen him with anyone here at the firm,” Billie said. “There aren't any rumors going around. Is that what you want to know?”

Sherise explained everything that she had heard and seen up to that point, including the receipt at the airport, which had added to the tension in their marriage before their argument and since; Sherise needed to know more.

“I went online and couldn't find any information on that conference, except that it happened at the Westin Philadelphia on the dates Justin says he was there.”

“Lobbyists like to keep their conferences secret,” Billie said, even though she didn't know that was true. It sounded better. “But he had the date right.”

“But there was no hotel charge to any of our credit cards.”

“The hotel and airfare would have been prepaid for on a corporate account.”

“Can you find them?” Sherise asked.

“I can't go through billing and ask for someone else's receipts.”

“Then what about the e-mail?”

“What e-mail?”

“The one announcing speaking engagements within the firm.”

“You're being ridicâ”

“Billie, just do it!”

Billie was taken aback by the desperation in Sherise's voice. She did not sound like the woman she knew. She was seriously worried.

“Hold on a second,” she said calmly. “It was a while ago. I've already deleted it. I have to go back and find it.”

“I just need to know if the company confirmed he was speaking at that conference or not.”