Page 99 of At the Heart of It
Everyone else at the table had laughed, but not Kate. It was the moment she knew she and Amy would be friends beyond the parameters of the workplace.
But the way Amy looked at her now gave her a fresh ache in the center of her chest. She wore the same expression as a kid whose sister had just spilled the beans about Santa, so she’d turned to Mom for reassurance.
“If anything, I should have known better,” Kate said. “Maybe if we’d gone straight to Viv ourselves. If we’d told her about the divorce not being official. Or maybe if I’d told Jonah first?—”
“But now you can’t tell him,” Amy said. “You heard what Chase said. We’re sworn to secrecy. Contractually bound to it.”
“Right,” Kate said glumly as the elevator dinged in front of them.
“So what do we do?” Amy’s voice hitched up on the last syllable, making two women look over from the opposite side of the lobby.
The doors swished open, and Kate ushered Amy inside. She didn’t speak again until the doors slammed shut and the elevator began to rise.
“There’s nothing we can do,” Kate said, struggling to keep her voice even. “Not without risking our jobs. Hell, risking the whole show. You know what our contracts say. We practically signed them in blood.”
“I know, but?—”
“Amy.” Kate swallowed, hating this as much as Amy did, but knowing there was no way around it. “Do you remember the clause about fines? The dollar amount we agreed to pay if we ever got caught releasing protected information?”
Amy bit her lip. “Ten million dollars,” she said. “But I can’t believe they’d actually?—”
“Believe it. They’d hit you with a suit before you got six words out, and then where would we both be?”
Amy didn’t say anything after that. Kate’s stomach twisted into a knot of sour energy. It was possible hunger was to blame for some of it. She’d grabbed half a turkey wrap at noon, but nothing else for more than eight hours. The thought of ordering room service again made her stomach stir with disappointment, and she longed for a home-cooked meal. That was ridiculous. She didn’t cook, and the last home-cooked meal she’d had had been at Amy’s house months ago.
“Something smells amazing,” Amy said as they stepped out of the elevator.
That’s when Kate realized her fantasy dinner wasn’t only in her head. Someone in one of the rooms along their hallway must have ordered something delicious. It smelled like spiced meat and a hint of honeyed cornbread like her grandmother used to make.
“I wonder where they ordered that.” Kate sniffed the air, feeling like a grizzly bear. “I’ll check the menu folder in the room. Want to join me?”
“Don’t tempt me. I promised myself I’d hit the gym for at least an hour.”
“Suit yourself,” Kate said as she turned the corner and drew out her key card.
That’s when she spotted him. Jonah was sitting in the hallway beside her room with his back against the wall. His legs were stretched out in front of him and crossed at the ankles. Beside him on the floor was a canvas bag bulging with Tupperware containers.
He looked up as they approached and gave them each a slow smile. “Ladies.” He got to his feet and hefted the bag in front of him. “I brought dinner. Jossy’s famous white chicken chili. She’s dying to know how the footage turned out but was too nervous to see it in person. I’ve been sent with a bribe and a plea to get the first look.”
“Jonah.” Kate flashed back to her conversation with Amy in the elevator and said a prayer of thanks she and Amy had stopped talking before they’d stepped out onto the ninth floor. Even if they’d revealed something by accident, they could still be held liable.
“You did say the clips were being sent at eight, right?” He glanced at his watch, then back at her. “I thought about calling first, but I was afraid you’d say no, and Jossy’s really dying to hear details.” He gave the bag a little shake and grinned. “There’s enough here for all of us. Did I mention Jossy makes the best chili on the planet?”
Beside her, Amy gazed at the bag with intense longing. She gave a heavy sigh and shook her head. “Thanks, but I have to take a rain check. I’ve blown off the gym all week. If I don’t go now, I’ll never make it.”
“We’ll save some for you.” Jonah’s gaze swung to Kate. “How about you? I have it on good authority that cornbread and homemade chili go great with this sour brown ale from New Belgium Brewing.”
Kate’s stomach growled loudly enough to serve as a reply, which saved her the trouble of finding her words right that moment. Jonah laughed and held out the bag of food. “Here. You’re welcome to just stick your face in the bowl.”
“Jonah.” She stopped there, torn between telling him how glad she was to see him, how grateful for the meal, how desperate to tell him all the things she couldn’t possibly say.
Oh my God, I slept with a married man.
The thought hit her like a kick between the shoulder blades. For some reason it hadn’t registered until right that moment. Not in those words, anyway. She’d been wrapped up in the details of the show and Viv’s announcement.
You slept with a married man who doesn’t know he’s married, she reassured herself. And who has no idea his ex-wife wants him back.
She swallowed hard, wishing she could say something, knowing she couldn’t, hating the way this was all going to play out.
