slalom.
‘You made a great time for a woman, anyway,’ Sam told her.
Jack Taylor caught her looking at him. She was stunningly beautiful. The type of chick who thought the world owed her a living. Or a gold medal, in this case.
‘The idea is to stay upright, Cinderella,’ he remarked coldly. ‘Don’t bite off more than you can chew. Women’s training is effective for women - if they bother turning up for it.’
‘I’ll go again,’ Elizabeth told Brad furiously.
On the fifth attempt, she managed to beat Pete Myers ,by half a second.
‘Jesus!’ Pete swore, disgusted with himself.
‘Come on, Pete. You’re way off today. Just concentrate,’ Jack Taylor said loudly, belittling her achievement.
The girl flashed him a look of pure disdain, which Taylor pretended to ignore. He thought she was an
arrogant bitch, and he wanted her to know it. Privately, he had concl.uded something else. Elizabeth was the best female skier he’d ever met.
And she was the sexiest, best-looking babe he’d ever seen.
86
Chapter
Nina was writing a job application when it happened, sitting in Green Earth in the gloom. Connor had boarded the place up, ready for sale, but Nina had kept a spare set of keys. She snuck in the back most nights and hammered out rsums and letters, a torch propped up behind her, bombarding the big drug giants until somebody said yes. At first she felt like a thief, but Nina was getting used to be!ng ingenious. You could only ever rely on yourself. Until she” landed a new job, she couldn’t afford a typewriter of her own. Most of her severance cheque had been eaten by her new, tiny walk-up studio; you couldn’t afford to head letters with a motel address.
She was trying ICI when the first pain came. A sharp twinge in the gut that she ignored - she was always getting pains from her pregnancy. Then it was worse. Nina pressed a hand to her taut midriff. God, it hurt, it really hurt; like the worst period she ever had. Gasping, she doubled forwards, clutching herself. There was a pause, then another wrenching, flaming stab. Nina staggered out of the door and on to the sidewalk. There was a payphone there and she dialled
When the ambulance got there fiv6 minutes later, they found Nina clinging to the phone, tears streaming down her face. Her slacks were drenched. She knew what was happening. She was going to lose her baby, like she’d lost everything else.
St Jude’s Blue Cross Hospital was staffed with brisk,’
87
fatigued junior doctors. A black gynaecologist saw Nina.
‘I’m sorry you lost the child, but you’re OK. No reason why you couldn’t have another.’
‘Thank you, Doctor,’ the girl said quietly. ‘Got a husband?’ ‘No.’
‘Got a job?’
‘No.’
Dr Kenmore shook her head. The kid was still the light side of twenty. Most girls in that position would be pleased to miscarry. ‘You’re nineteen? You look older.’
Nina pushed herself up on her pillows. ‘When do you think I’ll be fit to leave?’
She was taken aback. ‘You’re fit now, physically, but you can stay and rest, that’s fine. We do Medicate.’
‘I have to go,’ Nina said, and pushed back the covers.
‘Don’t you want any counselling?’ Dr Kenmore asked. ‘We have a rabbi here, he could talk to you.’
‘No. Thank you.’ Nina Roth looked up at the doctor, her face beautiful despite its pallor, heavy, silky hair rirging her face. ‘No counselling’s gonna change what happened. I’m alive, I have to get on with it.’
What a cold young woman, Dr Kenmore thought as she left.
Nina felt weak enough to take a cab home. She let herself into her apartment, collapsed on the bed and cried like she would never stop.
When she woke up, it was six p.m. It was bitterly cold, her rickety radiator barely blunting the edge of the chill. Her stomach hurt, but the emptiness and the loss hurt more.
Nina forced herself out of bed and went to the window. It was sparkling clean, like the
‘You made a great time for a woman, anyway,’ Sam told her.
Jack Taylor caught her looking at him. She was stunningly beautiful. The type of chick who thought the world owed her a living. Or a gold medal, in this case.
‘The idea is to stay upright, Cinderella,’ he remarked coldly. ‘Don’t bite off more than you can chew. Women’s training is effective for women - if they bother turning up for it.’
‘I’ll go again,’ Elizabeth told Brad furiously.
On the fifth attempt, she managed to beat Pete Myers ,by half a second.
‘Jesus!’ Pete swore, disgusted with himself.
‘Come on, Pete. You’re way off today. Just concentrate,’ Jack Taylor said loudly, belittling her achievement.
The girl flashed him a look of pure disdain, which Taylor pretended to ignore. He thought she was an
arrogant bitch, and he wanted her to know it. Privately, he had concl.uded something else. Elizabeth was the best female skier he’d ever met.
And she was the sexiest, best-looking babe he’d ever seen.
86
Chapter
Nina was writing a job application when it happened, sitting in Green Earth in the gloom. Connor had boarded the place up, ready for sale, but Nina had kept a spare set of keys. She snuck in the back most nights and hammered out rsums and letters, a torch propped up behind her, bombarding the big drug giants until somebody said yes. At first she felt like a thief, but Nina was getting used to be!ng ingenious. You could only ever rely on yourself. Until she” landed a new job, she couldn’t afford a typewriter of her own. Most of her severance cheque had been eaten by her new, tiny walk-up studio; you couldn’t afford to head letters with a motel address.
She was trying ICI when the first pain came. A sharp twinge in the gut that she ignored - she was always getting pains from her pregnancy. Then it was worse. Nina pressed a hand to her taut midriff. God, it hurt, it really hurt; like the worst period she ever had. Gasping, she doubled forwards, clutching herself. There was a pause, then another wrenching, flaming stab. Nina staggered out of the door and on to the sidewalk. There was a payphone there and she dialled
When the ambulance got there fiv6 minutes later, they found Nina clinging to the phone, tears streaming down her face. Her slacks were drenched. She knew what was happening. She was going to lose her baby, like she’d lost everything else.
St Jude’s Blue Cross Hospital was staffed with brisk,’
87
fatigued junior doctors. A black gynaecologist saw Nina.
‘I’m sorry you lost the child, but you’re OK. No reason why you couldn’t have another.’
‘Thank you, Doctor,’ the girl said quietly. ‘Got a husband?’ ‘No.’
‘Got a job?’
‘No.’
Dr Kenmore shook her head. The kid was still the light side of twenty. Most girls in that position would be pleased to miscarry. ‘You’re nineteen? You look older.’
Nina pushed herself up on her pillows. ‘When do you think I’ll be fit to leave?’
She was taken aback. ‘You’re fit now, physically, but you can stay and rest, that’s fine. We do Medicate.’
‘I have to go,’ Nina said, and pushed back the covers.
‘Don’t you want any counselling?’ Dr Kenmore asked. ‘We have a rabbi here, he could talk to you.’
‘No. Thank you.’ Nina Roth looked up at the doctor, her face beautiful despite its pallor, heavy, silky hair rirging her face. ‘No counselling’s gonna change what happened. I’m alive, I have to get on with it.’
What a cold young woman, Dr Kenmore thought as she left.
Nina felt weak enough to take a cab home. She let herself into her apartment, collapsed on the bed and cried like she would never stop.
When she woke up, it was six p.m. It was bitterly cold, her rickety radiator barely blunting the edge of the chill. Her stomach hurt, but the emptiness and the loss hurt more.
Nina forced herself out of bed and went to the window. It was sparkling clean, like the
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