A Hard Man to Love by Delaney Diamond

first if you were Derrick’s wife. I’m in Atlanta almost as much as I’m in New York because I have a place there. I saw the announcement in the society pages.”
    Eva nodded, not sure what to say. “Oh, okay. Well, it was nice to meet you.”
    As she turned to go, Johnnie said, “Well played, by the way.”
    Against her better judgment, Eva stopped and turned around. “Excuse me? What does that mean?”
    “It means exactly what I said. Getting pregnant was genius. The ratio of women to eligible men in Atlanta is something outrageous, isn’t it, like ten to one or something? At least that’s what I keep hearing, but who knows if those statistics are true? I’ve always been able to find a man.” She laughed softly with the confidence of someone who understood her appeal and capitalized on it. “Whether those numbers are true or not, you hit the jackpot by scooping up one of the most eligible bachelors in the city off the market, and right after his daddy left him all . . . that . . . money.” Johnnie proceeded to pat her short hair, though it didn’t need it.
    Eva suddenly felt hot all over. How many people knew about the pregnancy? How many other people thought the same thing? She felt the need to defend herself.
    “Not that my marriage is any of your business, but I didn’t plan to get pregnant to nab Derrick.”
    Johnnie’s eyes looked back at her from the mirror. “Please don’t take what I said the wrong way. I’m not mad at you; I’m jealous. Wish I’d thought of it first. He was always so careful, though. He always wore a condom, and he only used condoms he bought, as if he didn’t trust me.”
    Eva swallowed down the nausea creeping up her throat. She didn’t want to hear about any of Derrick’s past sexual exploits, and she certainly didn’t want to talk to one of his previous lovers about his habits in bed.
    “Maybe he had reason not to.”
    The comment came out before she could censor it, but in all honesty, she didn’t want to. This woman had no right to approach her with this type of conversation. It was insulting, and she sure as hell wasn’t going to let her or anyone else make her feel guilty or embarrassed about something she didn’t do.
    Johnnie stopped admiring herself in the mirror and faced Eva head-on. She placed one hand on her hip and smiled like someone who relished knowing a secret no one else was privy to. “It doesn’t seem like I’m the one he had to worry about, now does it?”
    Somehow Eva restrained herself from slapping the smirk off of Johnnie’s face.
    The bathroom door opened, and in walked Cassidy.
    Johnnie smiled. “Hi, Cassidy. Good to see you again.”
    “The pleasure’s all yours,” Cassidy said loud enough to be heard as Johnnie took leave of the bathroom. She walked over to Eva. “What did that catty bitch want? I saw her come in after you and thought she might be up to something.”
    Instead of answering, Eva asked, “How do you know her?”
    Cassidy sighed. “She’s someone from Derrick’s past and the daughter of one of Phineas’s old business associates. No one important.
    “Our family got together for New Year’s, and he brought her with him. I didn’t like her in the first place, but then she got drunk and tried to seduce Roarke. Believe me, it created major problems. We didn’t see her again after New Year’s Eve. I guess he got rid of her.” She touched Eva’s arm. “Hey, whatever she said, don’t let it get to you. She’s probably jealous. Derrick has a really good business sense—I guess that’s why Phineas left him everything—but he didn’t have the best judgment when it came to women. We’re all trying to figure out how he ended up with someone like you. You’re so normal.”
    Eva laughed shortly. “Yeah, I’m normal.”
    Apparently, normal didn’t cut it for Derrick. Even though Johnnie may not have been liked by his family, she was the one he chose to introduce to them.
    Not her.

Chapter Nine
     
    Eva