The Color of Hope (The Color of Heaven Series) by Julianne MacLean Page A

I’m a bimbo.”
    “I’m sure they don’t think that.”
    “Yes, they do,” I argued. “It’s why Bob set me up like that. His friend was looking for a good time, and I was the first chick who came to mind. The one who wears spandex pants and low cut tops to work.”
    The kettle began to boil. Rick stood up to make the tea. “You should kick Bob’s ass tomorrow,” he said, “or at least tell someone what happened. Is there an office manager you can complain to, or a senior partner? You said Bob was new there. There’s usually a probationary period. Maybe they’ll get a clue and fire him.”
    “I don’t know,” I said, sitting forward. “He’s a college grad, and what am I? They’d be more likely to fire me and sweep it all under the carpet.”
    “Don’t let yourself be intimidated,” he said to me as he poured boiling water into two mismatched mugs. “Remember, your sister is a lawyer, too, and she works at one of the top firms in the country, and your father... Let’s just call him your father, okay? He’s a senator. He could destroy them if they tried anything like that.”
    I smiled. “I’m starting to feel better already.”
    Rising from the sofa, I went to join Rick in the kitchen. He was dipping the teabags, and again, I noticed the blood on his knuckles.
    “You must have swung a pretty hard punch,” I said. “Can I get you anything for that?”
    “It’s fine.” He handed me my cup. “I’m tough.”
    “Well, that’s obvious,” I replied. “ I certainly wouldn’t want to cross you in a dark alley.”
    We both leaned against opposite counters, facing each other.
    “Nadia...” Rick said, looking me in the eye. “You’re not a bimbo. You’re smart. You could be anything you want to be.”
    I took a deep breath and let it out. No one had ever said anything like that to me before. At least, no one like Rick Fraser.
    “Thanks. I think it’s a confidence issue. I wasn’t exactly raised to believe I could conquer the world.”
    “Diana told me you had a rough childhood.”
    Before long, I was confessing numerous intimate details about the fights my parents used to have, and how we had no money left when we arrived in LA, and how my mother couldn’t get along with her parents, so we ended up living in her car again.
    “But you survived,” he said, “because that’s what you are. A survivor.”
    I finished off the last of my tea. “Yes,” I replied, “and somehow I’ll survive at work tomorrow when I tell Bob to go stick his head in the toilet and flush it.”
    Rick laughed. “I wish I could be there for that.” He paused. “You’re not going to quit are you?”
    “Hell, no,” I quickly replied. “I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction.”
    Rick finished his tea as well and set the mug on the counter. His phone beeped. He picked it up and checked it.
    “It’s Diana,” he explained as he texted her back. “She’s wondering where I am. He pressed send and dropped the phone into his back pocket. “I should go. You’re sure you’re okay?”
    “Yeah, yeah. I’m fine. Go home.”
    We walked out of the kitchen together, and I stood at the open door while he dug into the front pocket of his jeans for his car keys.
    “Listen, thanks again,” I said. “I owe you one.”
    He made a face. “Don’t be silly. That was the highlight of my day.”
    I smiled. “Drive safely.”
    “Always do.”
    I shut the door behind him and locked it.
    I thought about calling Diana, but I was physically and emotionally exhausted. All I wanted to do was go to bed and start fresh tomorrow.

Chapter Thirty-five
    Diana
    I T SHOULDN ’ T HAVE been a big deal for me to tell Nadia that Rick and I planned to drive up the coast, just the two of us, for a romantic weekend getaway. Yet I felt guilty all the same, for leaving her behind when she and I had spent every weekend together since the first day we met.
    We were not joined at the hip, I reminded myself constantly, and I was not