Page 102 of Babies for the Big Shot
But it’s not Nick. It’s Tina from HR.
My stomach drops.
I stare at the screen, willing it to change, hoping for a name that won’t feel like a brand burned across my skin, marking me for trouble.
“I have to take this,” I murmur, already standing. I slip out onto Laura’s balcony, my heart thudding so loud it drowns out the city noise.
I swipe to answer.
“Hi, Tina?”
“Sara, hi,” comes her cheerful, too-bright voice. “I hope I’m not catching you at a bad time.”
Depends. Are you about to fire me?
“No, it’s fine,” I say, even though everything inside me is screaming.
She clears her throat. “So, listen. This is… just a courtesy call, okay? Off the record. But I thought you deserved a heads up.”
My spine straightens. “Okay…?”
“There’s been some chatter. About you and Nick Ashford.”
I go cold. Arctic, heart-stopping cold.
“What kind of chatter?”
“Well… let’s just say someone’s been making some noise about a possible inappropriate relationship between an executive and his employee. It hasn’t gone above my department yet, but I wanted you to know. In case it gets worse.”
I squeeze my eyes shut. “Is someone accusing me of something?”
“No one’s filed anything. Yet. But you know how this place works. People talk. And lately… well, let’s just say certain meetings and late-night sightings have made their way through the grapevine. And then there are the online rumors…”
Oh my god. The gala photos.
My knees buckle slightly and I have to lean against the balcony railing. “Who’s saying this?”
“I can’t say. And honestly, I don’t even know who started it. But the timing feels… intentional. And I just thought, as someone who likes you, that you deserved to be warned.”
I nod, even though she can’t see me. “Thank you, Tina. I appreciate it.”
She softens a little. “I know this sucks. I’m not trying to add to your stress. Just… be careful. Okay?”
“I will.”
We hang up.
And then I just stand there, staring out at the New York skyline, the wind slapping my face, trying to keep me conscious.
Because I’m not sure I am.
Inappropriate relationship.
Chatter.
Rumors.
I press a hand to my belly. The nausea is creeping back in, but it’s not from hormones this time.
