The Publicist's Plight (Book I in The Harrison Inc. Series) | ✓

Chapter Fifty Two: Schoolgirl Lingo

I'm racking my brain but I feel like a complete dick for doing so; my sister's in a room a few yards away from me with a newborn baby in her arms and I'm out here trying to figure out what I could have said to Leslie while I was drunk that has her acting so weird.

"S-Sebastian?"

Standing in front of me is a tall, slim blonde, smiling shyly at me. She looks familiar to me; Jesus Christ we haven't had sex before, have we?

"Hello, Sebastian. I'm Mr. Harrison's assistant, Lucinda Chapman."

Oh. I guess we haven't.

We exchange a handshake. "Oh, h-hey, Lucinda."

I'm trying to hide my annoyed reaction. I'm not annoyed with Lucinda in front of me, but I'm annoyed at the fact that with her being her, my father must be here. But where is he?

"Your father told me to inform your mother that he has arrived. Do you know where I could find her?"

And by the amazing power of coincidence, my mom comes out of Elizabeth's hospital room into the hallway. She looks around a bit, sees Loretta, then sees Lucinda and I. Her eyes level at me, like she's waiting for me to confess my transgression.

"It's not like that," I tell her. "This is dad's assistant."

Her glare lifts. "Oh! Lucinda, correct?"

"Yes, ma'am. It's nice to meet you."

They're carried off into a conversation. I see Mom trying to hide her anger that Dad is here, but it isn't working too well.

When their conversation is finished, Mom invites Loretta and I inside to see the baby. I don't feel like being a dick today, so I agree and walk inside the room, where a tired and somewhat happy Elizabeth is sitting on the hospital bed, holding a baby in her arms. Aunt Margot is inside, too, but she gets up to leave when we walk in. I have half a mind to walk out with her.

Elizabeth asks if I want to hold the baby after a moment of awkward silence, and of course I say yes; the prying eyes of my mother and Loretta kind of force me into it.

"Her name's Amelia," Elizabeth tells me. "Amelia Marie Harrison."

She says the name with pride, like Amelia is some prodigy. But she's still just an infant; she doesn't even know what the hell is going on. But I won't be too hard on the small fry; she's a cute little thing—chucky cheeks the color of the pink blanket she's in, and pouty lips that give her a sense of attitude.

When Amelia's in my arms, she starts to stir a bit until she falls back to sleep. But then she wakes up and starts staring at me. And not just the regular type of staring, but the "I see right through you and I know all of your secrets" type of staring.

And then she starts crying.

I try to hand Amelia back to Elizabeth, but she insists that I keep holding her.

"She just needs to get used to you," she tells me. I smile awkwardly, knowing this baby probably seeing into my chi or whatever it's called and senses an evil omen. She probably senses I'm hungover, too.

I give the baby back to her and excuse myself out the room.

Before I can make it into the waiting area, my phone vibrates in my pocket—an incoming call from Sarah.

I'm not ready to face her wrath.

I answer anyway. "Hey, Sarah. How's the best manager in the whole world doing?"

"Don't patronize me," she says sharply. "Would you care to explain why you've gone M.I.A. for the past day?"

"I...went to visit my sister in the hospital."