Love In The Fast Lane Part 6

"Hi, Miss Williams," Brielle started to sweat as she fought a new bout of dizziness. "I desperately need to get in touch with Nathan Wolfe."

"What is this in regard to, Miss Woods?"

"Well, it's a personal matter."

"Unfortunately, I cannot give out Mr. Wolfe's details to anyone, Miss Woods. You must understand that Mr. Wolfe's privacy is of utmost importance to the firm."

"I'm pregnant with his child," she blurted out. "Surely that would warrant some disclosure?" Brielle started to raise her voice, annoyed with this woman's smug att.i.tude.

Her statement was greeted with momentary silence. "Miss Woods," she said eventually, a distinct change to her tone. "We have groupies from the Wolfe pack calling on a regular basis with claims that they are carrying Nathan's child. Forgive me if I don't jump at your revelation."

"Nate was with me in Brazil, he-"

"Miss Woods, I was just in a meeting with Mr. Wolfe and I can a.s.sure you that there was no mention of any casual affairs he experienced while in Brazil."

She made their time together sound so dirty. Like she was just another cheap s.k.a.n.k trying to exploit him. And he was there just a short while ago when she spoke to the pit bull. This made her angry. "Look Miss Williams, I don't need your opinions on this matter, I just need you to inform Mr. Wolfe of the situation and get him to contact me as a matter of urgency."

"Sure Miss Woods. My secretary has your details."

Before she could respond, the other woman had hung up.

b.i.t.c.h.

The days following that phone call had Brielle on edge every time her cell phone rang, in anxious expectation for Nate's call. She felt like some teenager waiting for a boy to call her, but these were entirely different circ.u.mstances.

When her phone eventually did ring, she nearly dropped it trying to answer in such a hurry.

"h.e.l.lo?"

"Miss Woods please?" said a female voice.

"Speaking."

"Hi Miss Woods. It's Ca.s.sandra from the administrations department at the university. Just a courtesy call to remind you that the deposit for your campus housing is due at the end of this week in order to secure your residence."

c.r.a.p.

"Thanks, Ca.s.sandra, I will have the necessary arrangements made." Brielle hung up and leaned heavily against the sofa.

She hadn't even made a definite decision about this final year. Could she study and have this baby? Could she afford both? She was already working multiple jobs to keep afloat and that included a ramen noodles diet. How far would this set her back in her career? She'd worked so hard to get to where she was, and all on her own, too. Giving up this child was not an option though, in any way, shape or form. This child was part of Brielle.

She needed to get out of the house, so she picked up her car keys and headed to visit Emma at the office.

"Hey Bree," she greeted with a ready hug. "How are you doing? Cabin fever?" It was eerie how well her friend knew her.

"Is it that obvious?" She plopped down in the chair opposite Emma. "I'm losing my mind. Sitting around and waiting for a phone call that I'm almost sure won't come. I feel like throwing up at every turn because the sight and smell of everything makes me nauseous. I'm anxious about the future all the time."

"Whoa whoa whoa. Just calm down, Bree," she came around and perched at the edge of the desk, near Brielle. "One thing at a time, ok?"

Brielle nodded, not feeling at all composed.

"The morning sickness will pa.s.s, ok? I read that it only lasts a few weeks anyway. You just need to figure out what foods you can tolerate and stick to that. As for the Nate issue, just call the PR agency back. Hound them till they can give you some feedback. Something. Anything. Nate needs to step up, too." She picked up her desk phone and handed it to Brielle.

She took a deep breath and dialled the PR company.

"Williams PR Enterprises, how may I direct your call?"

Brielle was soon transferred to the snotty Miss Williams.

"Miss Woods, how nice to hear from you again," she said in a tone that said she clearly was not happy to be hearing from Brielle.

"I just need to know if you have spoken to Nathan yet? I understand it's only been a few days and he must be very busy but I have no other way to contact him and this isn't really about me, it's about his child."

"Miss Woods," she said in her now familiar condescending voice. "As a matter of fact, Mr. Wolfe is out of the country at the moment as part of the champions.h.i.+p races, you know, his career. His life. I have, however, managed to reach him and I a.s.sure you that he has no recollection of you or your supposed time in Brazil, neither does he have any desire to play father to your fetus. I do wish you well in finding the father but I can a.s.sure you that it is not Mr. Wolfe."

Brielle was floored. What was she supposed to say to that? Nate actually denied her and their time together? How can it be? Well, how could it not be? All the signs were there prior. He practically ran from her the last time they were in the same s.p.a.ce together. He never bothered to say goodbye before he left Brazil. He'd made absolutely no attempt to contact her in the last two months. And the real kicker was that all along, she knew that he never wanted children. He told her outright that he didn't want to be a father. Brielle had the answer she needed, but certainly not the one she wanted.

"Thanks," she whispered as she hung up. Feeling light-headed and glad that she was sitting down, she could feel the panic starting to stifle her.

She took a deep breath to calm herself but instead choked on a sob.

"Oh honey, what did she say?" Emma asked, instantly at Brielle's side.

"He denied ever knowing me. He said the baby isn't his and he wants no part of it," Brielle was sh.e.l.l-shocked as a single tear rolled down her cheek. "Oh G.o.d, how am I going to do this?" She put her face in her hands and the racking sobs took over her body.

Emma pulled her into her arms.

"How am I going to do this alone, Em?" she sobbed.

"You won't babe. You will have me."

CHAPTER 6.

SIX YEARS LATER.

Brielle was running late. Noah had refused to get up that morning and when he eventually did, he had dragged his feet till she dropped him off at school. He was punis.h.i.+ng her, she knew, because she had strictly imposed an 8pm bedtime, whether he was sleepy or not. He had insisted he wanted to watch his cartoons and she had insisted he go to bed. Being the parent, she had won that battle but in no way gracefully. So, in silent protest he had lay in his bed, fighting sleep in defiance to stay awake. Which in the end, only delayed them in the morning, making her late for work and making him a grumpy almost-five-year-old. On the up side, he would be so tired by the end of the day that he'd be out cold well before 8pm tonight.

She got to the office with a minute to spare. Not that anyone would have noticed. Martha, her boss, wasn't a hard a.s.s and was certainly no stickler for time as long as the job was done and done right. "Hey guys, sorry I'm late."

"You're actually just on time," said Emma from her gla.s.s office. She walked into Brielle's identical office. "Was it Bucket? What did he do this time?"

"Trying to grow up before his time," Brielle sat down and ran her fingers through her blonde hair, exasperated. "He's currently negotiating a bed time."

"Is that even up for negotiation?"

Brielle just gave her a pointed look.

"Ok," she said, backing out of the office, hands up in surrender.

"Hey, how did the date go last night," Brielle asked before Emma was out the door.

"It was ok, I guess." She leaned against the door jamb. "Just a boring accountant. I imagine even if we had s.e.x, he'd be balancing numbers in his head. Like he'd be calculating the probability of his o.r.g.a.s.m. I mean, he even had the accountant look, you know. Brown pants, tweed jacket, beige everything and those rimmed gla.s.ses. He even had his hair in a gelled side part."

Brielle giggled.

"I give up. Is it so difficult to find a man that excites me? I know I'm not exactly twenty-three anymore, but I'm still fun."

"Maybe being Noah's G.o.dmother is making you old." Brielle quipped.

"Are you kidding me? That kid keeps me young and on my toes. Besides, I'm not old, I'm seasoned."

"Whatever you want to call it, sweetheart."

Emma stuck her tongue out at Brielle and left her office.

Brielle's day went by in a blur of paperwork and potential listings. Around lunch time her boss Martha popped her head into her office.

"Hey M. What can I do for you?"

"I have a new listing that I want you to sell."

Brielle had joined The Property Group shortly after she found out she was pregnant. Emma was instrumental in getting her the position of course, considering she had no prior real estate experience. Brielle had dropped out of her final year of chiropractic study because she needed a stable income to support Noah. Martha had taken her on, on a trial basis during her pregnancy to see how she could survive in the market.

After Noah was born, Martha was happy to have Brielle on full-time and she had never taken the kindness or the opportunity for granted. She had the utmost respect for Martha. The woman knew everything about everything and that infinite knowledge helped her tremendously when it came to child advice for Noah.

Brielle sometimes felt so out of her depth when it came to parenting and Martha's pointers kicked in and worked like a charm. Being a mother of two teenagers herself, she obviously knew the ropes. That aside, she was also one of the most respected real estate agents in the city. She had a no-nonsense approach and never "over sold" a listing to a potential buyer. She was a straight-talker and was esteemed for her candor.

"I have this amazing home in Brentwood Hills that I think you would find a joy to sell."

"Brentwood Hills?" Brielle enquired, her interest piqued. "That's very upmarket."

"I know, but it's about time you spread your wings from suburbia and started playing in the big leagues. It has huge commission potential, maybe enough to really spoil Noah on his birthday." The older woman smiled kindly.

"I'm sold. You don't need to tell me twice."

Martha left the keys on Brielle's desk. "Stop by and get a feel for the place. I'd like you to advertise an open house this Sat.u.r.day."

Brielle nodded, the wheels already turning in her head on how she was going to pull this project together.

Before the end of her day, she decided to leave a little earlier to scope out the new property before picking up Noah from after care.

It was a short drive from the office but the neighborhood was substantially different than where Brielle lived in Bellevue Valley. The streets were lined with tall, perfectly groomed palm trees and well maintained lawns. The houses towered over each other in grand Tuscan styles. Each better than the one before. Brielle drove up an impressive driveway with immaculate modern wrought iron gates. She keyed in the pa.s.sword and the gates opened inward in a warm welcome.

Driving up to the house, she had to pick her jaw up off the floor. The house was amazing and that was just the outside. She stepped out to get a better view of the two-story Tuscan-styled home. It wasn't a mansion by any standard but the house was undeniably huge. It had very open styling with lots of exterior gla.s.s to emphasize its magnitude and create the illusion of greater s.p.a.ce. The front door was flanked by two large pillars that went all the way up to the second floor in design. From what she could see through the drawn curtains, this place was a stunner.

Brielle opened the extra-large front door and nearly fell to her knees in appreciation. The house was phenomenal. Before her sat a sunken living room and to her right was an ornate curved staircase with wrought iron railings. She decided to explore ahead of her and found a beautiful cherry wood kitchen with stainless steel appliances. Long sleek handles adorned the cupboards and an island with a preparation sink sat at the center. The dining room opened out onto an amazing verandah... Beyond that lay a sparkling blue rectangular pool with a fabulously landscaped stone patio surrounding it.

Brielle was beside herself. She kept imagining herself entertaining in a place like this and Noah taking a running leap into the pool, well if he could actually swim. She had to give herself a mental talking to. No way would she even begin to afford a place like this. Martha had priced it at a cool five million. She was dreaming if she thought she would ever have that kind of money even in the next ten years.

The upstairs was even more phenomenal. Four bedrooms, all dark wood and steel finis.h.i.+ngs created a modern, contemporary flair.

She opened the door to her right and actually gasped out loud in pleasure. Oh, the master bedroom. The living s.p.a.ce was unbelievable. She could fit her current bedroom twice over in here. The walls were painted a pale blue and the recessed lights in the ceiling were strategically placed to create a warm, elegant feeling. This was only further enhanced by the rich, dark fittings in the room. Brielle walked toward the sliding doors and opened them out onto a small balcony which overlooked a spectacular view of the bay ahead. The view was simply breathtaking.

The master bath was something else altogether: his and hers j.a.panese sinks on top of ivory granite next to which was the hugest shower she had ever seen, and a hot tub. A hot tub! She'd never even been in one. Oh this was her dream house. Who was she even trying to kid? This was going to be a tough one to let go of.

"Ok squirt, in the tub for you," Brielle called later that evening. As expected, Noah was fatigued from lack of sleep the night before and he was dragging his feet about everything.

He slowly peeled off his clothes and plopped himself into the tub of warm, bubbly water. Brielle soaped him up and started to scrub him from top to toe. "How was your day today?"

"It was ok. I fell asleep during art cla.s.s," he said sheepishly. "Mrs. Fox didn't notice till the end of the cla.s.s so it wasn't too bad."

"Noah," Brielle scolded. "That's just not ok, honey. You have to listen when I tell you about bedtime, ok? It's important that you pay attention in all your cla.s.ses."

"Sorry, Mom."

"It's ok my love. As long as it doesn't happen again."

Noah nodded.

"What else happened?"

Noah looked thoughtful, thinking back on the day as Brielle scrubbed his ears. His jade eyes and dark brown hair looked so identical to his father's that sometimes she couldn't separate the two. He was Nate's son, no doubt about it.

"Look at the dirt in here!" Brielle exaggerated. "I think you are starting to grow potatoes in your ears."

Noah giggled as he continued to ponder Brielle's question.

"I have a cla.s.s project," he said finally.

"What's it about?"

"Something about a career?"

"What exactly about a career, Noah? Weren't you paying attention?"

Noah attempted to look solemn but failed miserably. "Wait, let me think."

Again his gaze turned thoughtful. "Oh, I remember now!! We have to create a show and tell about any career in the world."

"That sounds fun," she tilted his head back and washed the soap away. "What do you have in mind?"

"I don't know. I'm still thinking about it."