“Hi, Angela,” I say into the phone as my heart thumps in my chest. I know I'm not supposed to do this.

I mean, it's not illegal or anything, but Heath won't be happy.

Well, too bad, because I’m doing it anyway.

“Kat?” Angela asks in a hushed voice.

We’ve seen each other and spoken a few times at the office, of course. But we're not close and we both know we're only talking because there's an emergency going on, and we may be able to help each other. That's what I’m hoping for, anyway.

And we both know we can't talk in front of Heath.

“Is it safe to talk?” I ask.

“Yes. I’m back at my desk.” Something rattles on Angela’s end of the line. “Actually, I’m leaving my desk now. It's probably best if I go outside to speak to you.”

As Angela’s heels click-clack against the tiled floor of the office, I ask her, “What's really going on?”

“Jeff’s gone rogue. He’s gone to the media and told them how Heath’s apparently committing sexual harassment and assault. He even showed them your contract,” Angela says.

I know that much from the TV, but that's not what I’m asking. I bite my cheek as I pace the floor. The marble tiles feel freezing underfoot, like my blood. Beads of cold sweat form on my temples.

I hear the sound of a door opening and closing, and I know she’s probably standing in the balcony where people usually smoke.

“Yeah, I know.” I swallow and ask, “Is everything under control?”

Angela laughs. “No, Kat. Everything’s fucked up.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“I mean we don’t have a plan. Nada.” Angela takes a deep breath. “Heath wants to just tell them to respect his privacy, or something like that. I haven’t thought of the right wording yet. But I don’t think there are enough words in the dictionary to make his statement sound good. People want answers, and Heath’s basically doubling down on his no-comment policy.”

I wince. “That doesn’t sound good.”

“No, it’s not good at all. He’s treating it like he used to treat his sex scandals—you know, from before he got married?”

My chest tightens, but I manage a short “yeah.” This is not the time for jealousy.

“Yeah,” Angela says. “This is completely different, though. Those girls didn’t work for him, and they were obviously professional gold diggers—or socialites, as they prefer to be called.” Angela’s eye-roll is almost audible.

“How is it different this time?” I ask.

“It’s different because this concerns the company,” Angela says. “This could end up hurting our reputation and credibility, especially because Heath’s trading style is to go after unethical companies. We have enemies, and we need to keep our image squeaky clean if we want to maintain our brand as ethical investors.

“Our clients, they don’t only choose us because we grow their money, but also because we do it in a way that allows them to sleep at night. And now, Heath’s being painted as a monster, who preys on his innocent, young assistant. How are our clients going to make peace with the thought of their wealth going toward supporting someone like that?”

“They aren’t going to,” I blurt out as realization dawns on me. “They’re just going to switch to another company.”

“Exactly.” Angela pauses. “We’ve already been quiet for far too long. The news broke in the morning and it’s past lunch time now, so it’s been almost four hours of silence.”

Angela huffs a wry laugh. “God, I can’t believe I just said that. But it’s true. After Twitter, people expect answers within minutes. It didn’t use to be this way in the good old days. We could take a breath and carefully formulate a response back then.”

Angela is in her forties, which means that she didn’t grow up with Twitter. It also means that she’s been doing PR for about two decades, and she knows her shit. If she says things are fucked up, she’s probably right.

“Is there anything we can do to fix things?” I ask as my heart pounds. I’d do anything to contain this situation.

Angela goes quiet. “Is that a serious question?”

“Yes, of course.” Why wouldn’t it be?

“Well…” Angela lets her voice hang in the air, intensifying the suspense. “I can’t fix this mess… but you can.”

“Me?” I frown.

I’ve never dealt with the media before. And now that things are so bad even Angela can’t fix them, I’m supposed to be the knight riding into battle to save everyone?

What can I do?

I’m a nobody. I’m not Heath, with his wealth, power, and high profile—or Angela, with her years of experience as a PR professional.

“Yes, you’re the only one who can save us now,” Angela says. “Are you serious, though?”

“Yes,” I say in a heartbeat.

“You mean that, right? You’re not just saying whatever you think I want to hear?” Angela asks urgently. “Because while I’m sure this is going to work, it also means that you’ll have to put yourself out there for people to scrutinize and judge.”

“Yes,” I repeat. I’m doing this. They’re attacking Heath, which means they’re attacking the only family I have. And I can’t just sit here drinking my caffeine-free tea and rubbing my pregnant belly.

Angela lets out a big, relieved sigh. When she speaks, the tension has disappeared from her voice, replaced by eagerness. “That’s perfect. You’re saving the whole company, Kat. You’re doing the right thing. You’re helping a lot of people keep their jobs.”

“What do I have to do?”

Now Angela’s all business. She speaks with the certainty of someone who has a solid plan. “You’ll just have to tell them the truth. I don’t know anything about your relationship—good job hiding it, by the way. I had no clue. But I know Heath, and I know you. I’m sure everything between the two of you is consensual.”

“Of course,” I say.

“I’ll be honest, I had my doubts. But seeing you so willing to put your ass on the line to save Heath when he insisted on not dragging you into this… I can tell you two have something real.”

“He insisted on what?” I ask, curious. This is the first time I’m hearing this.

“Well, I suggested that the only way I could see to solve this problem was for you to make a statement to clarify everything. But he said that was out of the question.”

I don’t know how to feel about this information.

On one hand, my chest swells at the thought of Heath being so protective of me.

On the other hand, this is my problem too, damn it. And if I can help solve it, I will. Bed rest, schmed rest.