Clover hesitated, then said “What about his brother Jeffrey? Is he a good guy?”
“Oh yeah, super nice - too nice for his own good. He’s kind of shy, the opposite of Sam. Their parents died when they were young and Sam’s really protective of him.”
So why was a super-nice guy dumping his pregnant girlfriend? Clover wondered.
“He was dating your sister, right?” Jemma said. “I don’t know what happened there. It was – I mean, no offense, it was kind of an odd combination. She’s very – uh, self-confident, I guess? Assertive?”
“Yes, she can be very pushy,” Clover admitted. And Sapphire usually didn’t go for shy guys – she went for biker dude assholes who did drugs and slept with all her friends. Maybe Jeffrey’s family wealth and status was the main attraction; Clover hated to admit it, but it was a possibility. And Sapphire was charismatic and beautiful, a much more slender version of Clover; she could picture Sapphire totally dazzling some quiet, shy bear and making him fall head over heels for her.
But still…she was pregnant. And the McCoys were apparently more than ready to leave her out in the cold.
“Jeffrey and her were together all the time,” Jemma continued, “and then last week I saw him come home looking really mad and him and Sam were yelling at each other, but I couldn’t hear what it was about, and the next day he left with a few of his friends, went on some vacation to Europe.”
Europe. Great.
Her heart sank. No chance she could casually come across him here on the property and talk to him face to face.
In her office, Clover called Sapphire to make sure she was ready to go to the doctor’s office.
“I can’t make it today,” Sapphire said. “I’m out job hunting. Did Jeffrey say anything about me?” Her voice sounded hopeful, and Clover’s heart sank. It made her want to pound Sam into the dirt. Unfortunately, that would probably result in her early termination.
“I haven’t seen him yet,” Clover said. She didn’t want to tell her that the coward had fled the country. Maybe if she could at least get his phone number, Sapphire could call him and he’d grow some cojones and come back. He’d been angry when he left; obviously Sam had forced him to go.
“They’re keeping him from me on purpose.” Sapphire’s voice was bitter. “They’re brainwashing him against me. We’re not good enough for the fancy McCoy clan.”
“You’re too good for him,” Clover said firmly. “You’re gorgeous and fun and…” She tried to think of something else. Smart, reliable, trustworthy, a great friend…none of that was actually true, and Clover made it a point to be truthful to a fault, to set a good example for her family. “Anyway, we’ll fix this, I swear. I don’t believe he’s going to want to turn his back on his own cub. I think he’ll come around.”
“Where are you right now?”
“I’m on the McCoy property.” She had tried to call her sister the night before to tell her about the job, but her sister hadn’t answered. Typical Sapphire. Sapphire tended to up and run off every time she faced any kind of obstacle, which worried Clover. She’d really, really been hoping that having a cub would force Sapphire to settle down.
“So you’re going to see him today?” Sapphire asked excitedly.
“No. I, uh… Well, I’m working here. Sam McCoy hired me to do social media for their company.”
Dead silence for a minute. She could hear Sapphire’s angry breathing. “He what? You’re working for that asshole?”
“They offered me a great job,” she said defensively. “Health insurance, even. I need to support the kids. Social services stopped by the boarding house yesterday, by the way. I can’t be unemployed. They’re already looking at me funny.”
“Why were they there?”
“Because our family has the not entirely undeserved reputation of being petty criminals and trailer trash. I need this job. I barely have any money, I have student loans to pay back, and I’m supporting four kids.”
“Stupid holier-than-thou douchebags. Anyway, I’m pretty sure I landed a cocktail waitressing job,” Sapphire said. “I can help out when I make some money.”
“You shouldn’t be working,” Clover said, worried. “Especially running around all night long in a place where there will be cigarette smoke…”
Sapphire snorted. “You’re right. Tell Jeffrey that.”
“Where are you, exactly?”
“Call me when you find Jeffrey,” Sapphire said, and hung up.
Great. When Sapphire refused to say where she was, that meant that she was hanging out with a bad crowd. Clover buried her face in her hands and heaved a sigh. Her family was going to be the death of her yet.
Then she turned her computer back on and went to work.
*