“They probably wouldn’t yell at me if you were there, but I need to let them yell.” I reach over and squeeze her hand. “But thank you.”
“Okay, you know where I’ll be.”
“I’m sorry about this,” I tell her.
“What do you have to be sorry for? She sees dollar signs and is looking for easy money. You said it before—you’re a target.”
I appreciate that she sees it so black and white. I only hope my parents and sister feel the same.
As we pull up in front of SHN’s building, I help Tinsley out of the car. “I truly am sorry.”
She stands on her tiptoes and kisses me on the cheek. “Keep me posted.”
I watch her walk into SHN. She doesn’t look back or wave. I hope that isn’t a bad sign.
So now, at least for readers of Gossip Gorilla, I’m the asshole who isn’t holding up his end of the responsibilities. I always swore that if I had a child, I’d do everything I could to be a part of his or her life and support both them and their mom. But I won’t be blackmailed into supporting someone else’s child.
As Stan drives me back toward home, I phone Claire.
“Where are you?” I ask before she can even greet me.
“I’m leaving my house for the office. Where are you?”
“Heading back to my apartment. Meet me there. Fiona called, and I have an issue we should discuss with Mom and Dad.”
“Is everything okay?”
“Probably not, but I want to tell all of you at the same time.”
“I’m on my way.”
I then call Mason Sullivan at SHN. I could have gone inside when I was there, but I’d rather have this conversation over the phone.
“Mason?”
“Hey, you want to grab lunch today?” he asks, recognizing my voice.
“No, I don’t think I can. Say, is your PR person pulling media hits on Disruptive?”
“Yes, her name is Greer Ford. I haven’t gotten that far in my email. What am I going to see?”
“A woman is suing me for paternity.”
Mason whistles.
“Where is it reported?”
“Gossip Gorilla.”
“A second-rate tabloid,” he scoffs. “What do you know?”
“She reached out to Fiona McPhee, claiming I impregnated her last October. She took a blood test and asked for a cheek swab. I gave that, and supposedly, there’s a ninety-two-percent chance that I’m the father.”
“I’m sorry, man.”
“Well, the date she said we were together, I was with you and everyone in Las Vegas. That was the weekend of Cecelia Lancaster’s disappearance.”
“No fucking way. This baby can’t be yours. Could she have gotten the dates wrong?”
“No, gestation is firm within the dates I was in Vegas.”
“That’s good news.”
“Yeah, that’s what’s passing for it right now. I asked Fiona to draw up a contract saying I’d pay a million dollars to the mom upon birth after conclusive blood tests prove the baby is mine. I also offered an additional one hundred thou a month for maintenance until the baby is eighteen. But the story in the gossip rag is what I got in response. She apparently knows her payday’s not coming, so she’s doing a smear campaign instead.”
“Let Fiona know all of us would sign affidavits verifying you were in Las Vegas,” Mason says. “And probably the police would chime in since we’re all people of interest in Cecelia’s case.”
“Thanks. I appreciate that.” The car has arrived at my building. “I’ll keep you posted. Fiona suggested I keep you informed.”
“Good thinking on her part. I’ll have Greer reach out to her, and they can work some PR magic.”
“Thanks, man.”
I hang up and get out. I want my family to hear this from me and not a gossip rag. As I walk to the elevator, Dee, who usually greets me, barely smiles as she turns away.
I’m going to kill this Heather McCoy woman.
Upstairs, my parents are waiting for me.
“Claire called ahead?”
My mom nods. “We googled your name and saw the story. We’re going to be grandparents?”
I shake my head. “Wait until Claire arrives, and I’ll walk you through what I know.”
Seconds later, the elevator announces her entrance.
We all sit at the kitchen table, and I explain everything that’s happened and what Fiona and I suspect.
“That’s a load of crap,” my father announces.
“She’s a gold-digger,” my mother exclaims.
I explain that we have to wait to hear what Mason’s PR person and Fiona have as a plan.
Claire opens and closes her fist. “If you hadn’t been so fucking careless with these women, you wouldn’t be a target. We’re trying to beat Morgan to market, and now we’re focusing on this shit? Regardless of whether or not this is true, you created this mess. Where the hell is Tinsley?”
I take a deep breath. “You’re right. I’ve been careless with my personal life, but I didn’t do this on purpose. I was most likely targeted to take our attention off of what we’re trying to accomplish. But we can’t take our eyes off of our goal. We need to get our translator to market. Tinsley is working with the development team at SHN’s offices to convert the code, and I should be there helping. If you want me to hire a developer to cover me, I’ll do that and pay for it myself.”
Claire slams her hand on the table. “No! You’re a distraction. Right now, I don’t want you anywhere near the company or us.”
I look at her, taken aback. Claire and I have always been close. She’s always been supportive. She knows all about gold-diggers.
“What do you mean?”
She takes a deep breath and clenches her jaw. “I mean you need to leave. Tinsley’s apartment has been cleared, so she can move back there and work
