“Completely off the subject,” Jessica said as Olivia authorized the override for the accounting department. “And off the record . . .”
Olivia looked up from her screen, rested her hand on her basketball-round belly, and sipped from an insulated cup that probably contained a “natural suicide,” her nausea-abating soda mixture. “The way you came down the hall, I wondered if something was on your mind.”
“This is a little awkward,” Jessica said. “And please don’t tell Jon that I asked you.”
“Promise,” Olivia said.
“What do you think about Holly Wright?”
Olivia pointed to a crystal paperweight with distinctive purple flower petals suspended within. “Love her. She knows I like hydrangeas, and when she spotted this incredibly rare variation on a trip to Asia, she had this made for me.”
“That is very thoughtful,” Jessica acknowledged. “But is she also . . . I don’t know . . . a little wacky?”
Olivia looked incredulous. “Wacky? Holly Wright?”
Feeling like she owed Olivia an explanation for her suspicion, Jessica scrambled for a believable story.
“We met briefly in the ladies’ room on New Year’s Eve, and she seemed amazing,” Jessica stammered. “But then this morning, out of the blue, she emailed me to welcome me to the company like we’d never even met. I’ve been at Cancura for over six months now.”
“She’s usually more on top of things, but it sounds like she didn’t really know who you were or how important you are around here until recently,” Olivia said. “She did mention you the other day when she stopped by with Jon’s lunch.”
Jessica bit her lip so she wouldn’t blurt, She did what? Then, attempting a nonchalant smile and a breezy tone, she asked, “What did she say?”
“I think she referred to you as our wonderful new director of medical monitoring, so Jon must have been talking you up. She wanted to know if you were around, but I told her you were in Germany until Saturday.”
Which explained how Holly had known her schedule.
“It would definitely be worth your time to get to know her, because she’s brilliant.”
“Brilliant how?”
“Total superwoman,” Olivia said, handing her a flight schedule and carefully standing to stretch, mindful of her stomach. “She hasn’t been around as much the past few years, but when Jon was getting started, she was a mom with three little kids who maintained her medical practice and was basically the de facto VP of Cancura. I mean, she came up with the idea for the Revelate in the first place.”
Jessica put both hands on Olivia’s desk for balance.
She heard Jon’s voice. Saw him speaking on the stage in Phoenix. Remembered the way he seemed to be looking at her as he said it.
Years ago, I had a simple idea.
“Are you okay?” asked Olivia.
“I’m fine. It wasn’t Jon’s idea?”
Olivia chuckled. “Oh, you mean, ‘Years ago, I had a simple idea: What if detecting childhood cancer was as easy as getting kids to take chewable vitamins?’”
Her imitation was dead-on, right down to Jon’s humble–not humble smile when captivating a room.
“Jon may have run with it, but it was definitely Holly’s idea. Not that she’s the kind of person who needs credit.”
“You’re absolutely sure?”
“My first job was as a receptionist at Holly’s pediatric office. That’s how I eventually got this job. I was there when she said it the first time, before she ever said it in front of Jon. Are you sure you’re okay? You look like you don’t feel good, and I should know.”
Jessica was light headed and dizzy and wanted to throw up.
“This is total gossip,” Jessica said dully. “But someone told me Jon and Holly were recently separated, maybe even getting a divorce.”
Now it was Olivia’s turn to look shocked. “That would be news to me. I’m guessing it would be news to them, too.”
When Jessica got back to her office, there was a text message from Jon.
You called but didn’t leave a message. Everything OK?
Not knowing what else to do, she wrote: Hey—you never mentioned that Holly brought you lunch while I was in Germany.
I don’t think the food was poisonous, but she was up to something, he wrote back immediately. Needless to say, I didn’t eat it.
Gotcha. Just letting you know I’m leaving for the airport.
Call me when you get there.
Will do.
Jessica spent the whole flight processing everything she’d heard from Olivia. Should she let Jon know about Holly’s latest email? Demand his explanation for everything she’d just learned? Her whole body felt leaden with dread as the Uber rolled toward the corporate apartment. When she got out of the car, she still didn’t know what to do. She probably would have forced herself to call Jon and at least let him know she’d arrived if Marco hadn’t been kicking back in the living room with a glass of wine.
“Here I am, to save the day,” she said, putting her bag down with a weary sigh.
Marco got up to grab another wineglass from the kitchen. “If you say so. But let the record show, I told Jon I had things completely under control.”
At that moment, Jessica decided not to call Jon at all.
Chapter Thirty-Three
HOLLY
Always be true to yourself.
—“How I Lied about My Name and Discovered My Truth,” a TED Talk by Jon M. Wright
Somehow, Jack had become even more of a presence since she’d told him not to come home. For starters, the kids—who were so used to his absences they barely batted an eye at a two-week trip—were suddenly keenly interested in what was happening. Judgmental Ava was furious with both her parents but seemed to be reserving the silent treatment for Holly while maintaining an open line of communication with Jack via text. Paige continued to attempt heart-to-hearts, her wise and knowing looks sometimes making it hard for Holly to keep a straight face. And even the usually oblivious Logan had been asking whom he’d live with if there
