Page 45 of Trapped
It didn’t help that I wanted a man like Jack, but chased men like Nathan. I wanted the gentleman but craved the bad boy.
Finn was neither. I meant for him to be nothing more than a short fling, but our fling turned into dating. He wasn’t exactly a gentleman, but he was nice.
Typical of the guys I’d dated, his nice demeanor faded after we agreed to be monogamous. And Finn definitely wasn’t the bad-boy type. It turned out he was a spoiled, self-centered egomaniac.
The sex wasn’t even that good. It didn’t suck, but I’d had much better.Do not think about AJ. To kill those thoughts, I pictured Nathan. The guy who’d looked like a bad boy and acted like a gentleman. Then disappeared like Casper the Fucking Ghost. Knowing he was working undercover didn’t make it better. He should’ve walked away when I hit on him, not lied to me and led me on. That’s what hurt the most.
I could forgive him for something bad happening, causing him to stand me up. But the lying, the games, the pain. I couldn’t forgive that so easily.
Needing to work on my proposal, I said. “Why don’t you two go watch TV or knit while I work?”
“Okay dear. Come on, Prince, let’s give Ashley her space.”
Prince meow-yelled at me before following my grandmother to her favorite chair.
I tried working, but couldn’t concentrate. My period was late enough to elevate my concern from nervous to worried, and now that I’d accepted the possibility I couldn’t stop thinking about it, making it damn near impossible to work on my proposal.
“Gran, I’m going shopping after I meet with Emily. Do you need anything?”
“How about some tuna?” she asked, sounding innocent but looking anything but as she rubbed Prince between his cute, fuzzy black ears.
“Prince has plenty of food. You don’t want him to get fat, do you?”
She didn’t answer, but he did. I interpreted his long, loud meow to mean he wanted tuna.
“It’s okay. She didn’t mean it. You’re perfect just the way you are.” Apparently, Gran thought his meow was because he felt insulted.
I shook my head and laughed. Gran bonded with that cat faster than crazy glue dries on a finger.
Was she really that lonely? Guilt washed over me.I should’ve visited more.
When I left to meet Emily, I glanced in the rearview mirror far more often than necessary. I didn’t notice anyone following me, but that didn’t stop me from looking around before getting out of my car.
Nothing stood out.Thank God. I had enough on my plate and didn’t need to add Finn stalking me to it. My sigh was too loud, even in the busy parking lot.
Settled in at Grannie’s, Emily showed me her website designs for the Wyatt Foundation. Ideas started flowing about how I could tie the social media accounts to the new site. Together, we’d create the perfect brand for the foundation.
“Did you redesign the logo?” I asked.
“I did. Do you like it?”
I ignored my phone vibrating in my back pocket.
“It’s great. It fits the future vision of the foundation,” I answered. Emily was great at her job and always went above and beyond for her clients. Sometimes, to the detriment of her health. Like when she’d get so focused on a project she’d forget to eat. No wonder Jamie wanted her to take extra time off.
“Once they approve it, can you send me the graphics?”
“Of course.”
I told her my ideas for the socials, and she loved them. They still needed refining, but I was off to a good start. My goal was to finish the proposal early and have Emily critique it for me,so I could put my best foot forward. I didn’t want to abuse my friendship with the board members by turning in less than perfect work.
“Em, can I tell you something that you can’t tell anyone?” She’d tell Jamie, but he’d keep the secret.
“Of course, is everything okay?” she asked. Her concern was palpable as it took up space between us.
“I’m two months late.”
“For what?” Her eyes widened in shock as it clicked. “Oh!”
