Chapter 11
Honey
I’d only been at work for a few hours when I got a call from an unknown number. Immediately, I panicked – what if it was a debt collector, someone after all the money my father (and I) owed?
“Hello?” I said nervously.
“Hello, I’m calling for Honey Walters.”
“This is she,” I said nervously.
“Hello, dear, this is Evangeline – I’m Mr. Anastas’s secretary.”
“Oh! Hi!”
“Peter sent an email this morning asking if you wouldn’t mind coming in – his lawyers have drawn up the contract,” Evangeline continued. “And if you need it, we can arrange for transportation to and from your office.”
“Oh, wow,” I said. I blinked. I couldn’t believe it – I’d told Peter a little less than twelve hours ago, and he was already setting the plans in action!
“Yes,” Evangeline said. She laughed. “So, are you able to come in today?”
I looked around and bit my lip. It had been a slow morning at Baker – my boss, Nate, was out with a cold and the phones had been quiet for most of the day.
“Sure,” I said. “I could be there in about an hour.”
“Just give me the address of your office, dear, and I’ll send a driver right over,” Evangeline said.
“Is Peter in?”
“Mr. Anastas is out at lunch for the moment,” Evangeline said. “But he left very careful instructions with his lawyer.”
“Oh.” I frowned. I’d somehow thought Peter would be at my side while I looked everything over.
“Mr. Anastas thought it would be helpful for you to go over the paperwork without him,” Evangeline continued. “That way, if you’re unhappy with anything, you can make tentative changes and send it back for approval.”
I blinked. “Okay,” I said. When we hung up, I gathered my things and went to wait outside. Sure enough, barely five minutes had passed before a glossy limousine pulled up to the curb. The driver was unfamiliar, but smiling all the same. He helped me into the backseat – I noticed I drew quite a few looks from passersby on the street – and I settled in, suddenly nervous.
Had I made a mistake in telling Peter I’d marry him and carry his child?
It didn’t take the driver long, even in midday traffic, to arrive at Peter’s building. I gasped when I saw it – the giant logo of his father’s company, Spyros Magnate, was splashed across the glass and steel like a brand. It was a handsome building, with plush carpet and beautiful details at every corner.
No surprise, Peter’s office was quite high up. As soon as I stepped off the elevator, a kindly-looking elderly lady smiled at me.
“Honey?”
“Yes?”
“I’m Evangeline,” she said with a smile. “Come with me, dear.”
I followed Evangeline into a plush conference room with deep leather chairs and an expensive-looking table. Sitting down, I folded my hands nervously in my lap.
Evangeline brought me sparkling water and a sandwich on a croissant that looked delicious, but between my hangover and my nerves, I couldn’t even have a bite.
“This is Mr. Kostas,” Evangeline said. She showed a heavyset man into the room and smiled. He was very well dressed, but his stern facial expression made me feel even more anxious.
“I’m Peter’s lawyer,” Mr. Kostas said. “You can call me Marty.”
I smiled. “It’s nice to meet you. Do you have the contract?”
Marty chuckled. “Oh, do I ever,” he said. He sat down heavily in one of the chairs and put his briefcase on the table. Then he handed me a leather-bound document that had to be at least five hundred pages.
“This is it?” I blinked. “This…this is going to take me a long time to read.”
Marty waved his hand in the air. “No rush, kid,” he said. “You’re gonna want someone of your own to look that over. I can only represent Peter.”
I nodded. Settling down with the large contract in my lap, I started flipping through the pages. There, on the first page, was my full name – Honey Elizabeth Aspeth Walters – and Peter’s, done up in fancy scrollwork.
I bit my tongue as I started flipping through the pages. After working for Baker & Sons, I’d gotten pretty good at reading through the legalese and sifting through all the jargon. But this was filled with so many clauses and tenses that I had no idea how I was going to get through it. Sure enough, there was even a section at the end with my requests, including medical coverage, proper care for the child, and a stipend that would more than cover a year of my salary at Baker & Sons.
“Any questions, miss?”
I shook my head. “Not exactly,” I said softly. “But I am going to need to have my own representation. I’m afraid I don’t understand some of this.”
Marty nodded. “Smart girl,” he said. He winked at me, and I felt a touch of disgust. Just as I was about to get to my feet and tuck the contract inside my bag, Peter stormed into the office. He was red in the face and looked angry. When he saw me, his expression seemed to grow even darker.
“Peter?” I asked softly. “What is it? What’s wrong?”
“Get out,” Peter snapped, staring at Marty and pointing to the door. “I need a moment alone with her.”
“Sir, I’m here to represent you,” Marty said. I could tell that he was exasperated.
“I don’t care!” Peter roared. In his anger, his eyes were bluer than ever. “Get the fuck out of here!”
Marty scrambled to his feet and ran out of the conference room. When he was gone, I went to Peter and put my hand on his arm.
“Peter, what’s the matter?” I asked softly. “What’s going on?”
Peter closed his eyes and sighed deeply. His face was wet with perspiration, and there were deep lines in his forehead that I’d never noticed before now.
“Pamela,” Peter said. He shook his head and pulled violently away from me, balling his hands into fists and slamming them down on the conference table.
I blinked. “What happened?” I asked softly. “Peter, tell me! You’re making me nervous!”
Peter turned to me and shook his head. “She’s pregnant, Honey. She’s pregnant, and it might be my kid.”
I gasped, covering my mouth with both hands. I felt like my heart was drying up and shriveling in my chest, like it was withering away to nothing but dust and ash and broken tissue.
“Peter….” I trailed off, biting my lip. Tears filled my eyes, and I blinked them away, desperate not to cry in front of him.
“That’s what she says, anyway,” Peter said angrily. “And I can’t do anything with you – nothing! – until I figure out whether or not she’s telling the truth.”
“Peter, I—“
“Honey, stop it!” Peter yelled. A vein bulged at the side of his forehead, and he stormed away from me, standing on the other side of the room and shaking with anger.
That was it. I could no longer keep the tears from falling as I whirled on my heel and ran out of the conference room. Evangeline leapt up from her desk, looking surprised.
“Dear, what’s the matter?” Evangeline called.
I didn’t answer. Tears were streaming down my face as I stormed out of the luxurious office and into the elevator. Thankfully, it was alone. As the doors pinged closed, I wrapped my arms around myself and began to sob. I felt like my heart was breaking.
I knew this was too good to be true, I thought bitterly as the elevator carried me down to the street. I just knew it!
And the worst thing was, I wasn’t even thinking of the money. I wasn’t thinking of the baby, or how it would feel to take a year off from work.
I was thinking about Peter, and how much I was going to miss him now that all of this was over.