Page 64 of Flirting With My Brother's Billionaire Best Friend

“What do you mean by that?” Joyce asks. “Do you know the reason they broke up? No one can seem to figure it out.”

Maybelline leans forward like she has the juiciest gossip of all. “Well, it seems that poor Jenni can’t ever get pregnant and doesn’t want to burden Langston into a childless marriage.”

What? Jenni finally told her mom she can’t have kids? What could have possibly led her to do that?

I open my mouth to speak, but then Joyce pipes up before I can. “Where did you hear this?”

Jenni would be so upset if she heard her privacy being violated like this.

“I overheard Meera pouring her heart out to Eliza Harvey at the diner yesterday.”

Eliza Harvey, the wife of the owner of the diner, is one of Meera’s closest friends, so it makes sense that she would have confided in her. After all, the poor woman must have been hurting herself, and knowing Meera, she never would have wanted Jenni’s secret to be spread around like this.

I speak up. “I’m not sure Jenni would appreciate this being so openly discussed.”

They whip their heads back to where I am like they’ve almost forgotten I was there. “Oh, dear,” Maybelline says. “Langston, you have to forgive us. We’re just so concerned about the two of you. I didn’t mean to overstep.” Her eyes are genuinely sorrowful, and she places her hand over mine. “We’re here for you both if you ever need anything.”

“Thank you. I appreciate that.” At least she does seem to be remorseful.

I leave the coffee shop and get into my car. Jenni deserves to know her secret is being spread around town, and I want it to come from me, not one of the town gossips. I pick up my phone and give her a call.

“Langston?”

It’s good to hear her voice. I want to bask in it for a moment, but I need to get to the point too. “Hey, Jenni. I need to talk to you about something unpleasant.”

“Okay?” A bit of nervousness has crept into her tone.

“I was just at the coffee shop, and the knitting club ladies all seem to know about your infertility.”

“What? How?”

Hearing Jenni this upset makes me want to march right back in there and defend her some more. Those ladies are sweet and well meaning, but they are terrible about letting the rumors fly. They just can’t keep secrets to themselves. “I’m guessing you told your mom about it?”

“Yes. Just barely.”

“Well, Maybelline overheard your mom telling Eliza Harvey at the diner, and she just openly spoke about it to some of the knitting club members.”

Jenni sighs. “That’s so frustrating. But I guess they were going to figure it out eventually anyway. The main people I was hiding the news from were my parents, and now that they know, it doesn’t really matter that the secret is out.”

A weight lifts off my chest at her words. “That makes sense. I was so worried that your privacy has been violated.”

“I’m okay, Langston. I appreciate it, but I can handle the knitting club ladies. And my mom. I’m sure she’s going through her own emotions and needs to talk it out with someone.”

“I’m glad you were able to talk to your mom about it,” I say.

Silence stretches between us.

“Yeah, it was good. I got to go. I have a work call coming in.”

We end the call, and I lean back against my car’s headrest and sigh. There’s this little part of my heart that’s hoping that if she was willing to talk to her mom, then maybe Meera was able to show her daughter that she’s loved enough to deserve to have a husband who adores her regardless of whether she can have his babies or not.

A guy can dream, right?

17

JENNI

Just as I’m finishing up work Friday night, my phone rings. I look down to see Valentine’s trainer, Don Hopkins, is calling.

---