Simone couldn 't decide if she was glad that Curtis had left or if she 'd rather have him near and just remain awkward in his presence. There was a comfort in that too.

The waitress stopped at the table, left glasses of water, and took their orders. The moment she walked away Simone reached for the water and began to drink it down. If only it were champagne and it would wash away any self-doubt she had sitting next to Curtis 's girlfriend.

Cynthia reached over to the plate Curtis had taken his sandwich from, and ate a chip. As she bit into it Simone thought of how intimate and unassuming it was, and Curtis wasn 't even there. She sipped her water again and hoped Cynthia didn 't realize how uncomfortable she was. A Pierpont was never to appear shaken or uncomfortable.

Cynthia took another chip. "So, Regan, how are you feeling? "

"I feel better every day, but I look forward to the end of this first trimester. "

Cynthia gave her a nod then turned toward Simone. "And are you getting situated? Curtis said you were planning on staying in Nashville for a while. "

Simone swallowed hard. She was trained to have etiquette when spoken to. A Pierpont had poise. There was no reason that she couldn 't carry on a conversation with the woman and be as prestigious as she 'd been raised. Just because her father had taken her every last dime and she was in some diner in Nashville instead of a posh hotel restaurant, there was no reason she shouldn 't have her shoulders back and her spine straight, even if she was talking to the woman Curtis was sleeping with.

She formed her lips into a gracious smile. "I have decided to stay permanently. "

Regan nudged her as she 'd seen casual friends do. "That 's what we 're doing today. I 'm her executive assistant today. We 're seeking out jobs and places to live. "

"Now that sounds like fun. " Cynthia took another chip and then sat up straight. "Are you looking for anything specific in a job? "

"Oh, not really. I have never had a job outside of my father 's company. I look forward to something new. " She hoped she conveyed that so that the desperateness of the situation didn 't come through. It wasn 't that she looked forward to something new; she was now desperate for it.

"You can type can 't you? "

"Yes. I am quite proficient in it. "

Cynthia 's eyes grew wide. "They have an opening at the clinic. "

"Clinic? "

"Yeah, I work at a medical clinic on the weekends. But they have a full time position for clerical. "

Regan patted her arm. "Oh, that would be great. "

The noise from the small diner was closing in on her. Was the woman Curtis made sure he kissed in front of her actually offering to help her find a job? Was she desperate enough to accept her help? "I do not know anything about medical. "

Cynthia leaned back in her seat and laughed. "Well it 's not like they 're asking you to do surgery. It 's all data entry. Put the information in the computer and file the paperwork. I 'm telling you, if you 're willing to work I can get you in. "

Simone looked to Regan for support, but she was only grinning wide.

Cynthia sat back up in her seat and gave Simone a serious look. "Wait, if you need a job why don 't you just ask Zach. I thought you were best friends or something. "

"Zachary is my very dearest friend. But no, I am not asking him for a job. I want to do this all on my own. "

Cynthia gave her a slow nod. "Ah, so this is one of those I 'm showing the world I can make it on my own gigs? " She took another chip from Curtis 's plate. "I mean, we all need to stand up for ourselves at some point, right? "

"Right. "

"My dad owns a garden shop. You know, fertilizer, plants, the whole garden gamut. But I didn 't like bugs and dirt. " She laughed as she lifted her drink to her lips and took a sip. "He was furious when I told him I didn 't want to do flowers the rest of my life. He was even madder when I 1told him I wanted to be a nurse. "

"A nurse is a very noble career. " Simone couldn 't imagine someone scoffing at such a job choice.

"Yeah, but his feelings were hurt. He 'd built this business with the thought the kids would take it over and I had other plans. He got over it, but I remember wanting to get a job, on my own, and move out, on my own. So I worked at McDonald 's for minimum wage during the day and went to school for nursing on the weekends. I lived in a tiny apartment just off campus and ate noodles every day of my life for years. " Her eyes sparkled. "It was the hardest thing I ever did, but I did it. "

Simone never thought she 'd bond with the other woman in Curtis 's life. In fact, she wanted desperately to hate her. But they did understand each other. Perhaps Cynthia hadn 't escaped an oil empire, but she obviously knew what it meant to show the world she could make it on her own. Her enthusiasm was contagious and it was exactly what Simone knew she needed to make it through.

"Do you think they would hire me? "

"Of course. " Cynthia batted away the comment with her hand as if she 'd be the one to hire her. "Why don 't we head down there and you can fill out the application. "

Again Simone looked to Regan for her approval.

"I seem to be one great assistant. " She yawned and then rubbed her still flat stomach. "I got you a job just by having lunch. " Regan laughed.

"So you think this is a good idea? "

"Of course I do. And if you 're going to head out with Cynthia, I 'm going to head home and take a nap. "

Simone had been in awkward situations before, but sitting in Cynthia 's car as they drove through Nashville had to rank right at the top of the list of uncomfortable moments in her life.

Oh, Cynthia had been cordial enough. She pointed out restaurants she liked, talked about a man named Sam who worked at the clinic and who Simone would probably find it was nice to work with. She played with the volume on the radio three or four times and even sang along with a song Simone had never heard. However, she never seemed to act as if Simone was an obstacle in her life. Perhaps she was that comfortable with her relationship with Curtis to think that Simone wasn 't a threat. Then again, maybe Curtis hated her enough that she wasn 't a threat.

Cynthia pulled up to the clinic, which was within view of a hospital where Simone assumed she and Curtis both worked. That was a bit too close for comfort, but her whole motive in showing people she could make it on her own was to prove to Curtis she was worthy of him and their baby, so the location would be an asset.