Читать книгу His Pretend Fiancee - Victoria Pade - Страница 11

“Manhattan Multiples. Can you hold, please?”

Josie couldn’t hear whether the caller had agreed or not but pressed the hold button on the telephone anyway. She had to. In the waiting room directly in front of her reception kiosk, her boss, Eloise Vale had the sound turned up on the television and she was shouting at the screen as if the mayor would stop his press conference to listen to her.

“Stubborn jackass!” Eloise yelled. “Don’t you do it, Bill Harper! Don’t you say you’re cutting us off! I swear, if you do…”

The founder of Manhattan Multiples paused as the mayor announced that in an effort to keep the economy afloat during the current recession he would very likely be ending funding for organizations such as Manhattan Multiples.

“War!” Eloise declared. “This is war now, Harper! I can’t believe I nearly married you! I must have been out of my mind! If you think I’ll sit still for this, you have another thought coming! Because I won’t! I haven’t worked this hard, this long, just to let you wipe me out with your stupid bureaucracy!”

By that time the entire staff and several of the clients were rallied behind Eloise and everyone clapped and cheered. Including Josie who not only liked her job and didn’t want to leave it just yet, but also believed that Manhattan Multiples provided a valuable service to women who were either pregnant with more than one baby or had just delivered more than one. As well as the families of those women.

Eloise Vale turned off the television and the mayor’s press conference with a vengeance and spun around to face the group that had gathered behind her.

“I don’t want any of you to worry. I’m going to do my best to make sure our doors stay open. No matter what it takes. I believe in Manhattan Multiples and I won’t let it go,” she said with conviction before she left the waiting room.

But despite her war cry, Josie still knew her boss was concerned with the future of the place that was as much Eloise’s baby as the triplets she’d delivered thirteen years ago.

Manhattan Multiples was a multifaceted center occupying three floors of a building on Madison Avenue. Eloise had started it as a support group for women having multiple babies, but since its inception in 1995 it had ballooned into a counseling center, numerous support groups, Lamaze training, day care, meditation and yoga classes. All provided invaluable aid and comfort for the additional difficulties and complications of carrying and having more than one baby at a time.

But in the strained economy it was easy to see why funding for such a specialty organization would be the first to go.

Josie suddenly remembered the call she’d put on hold and answered it once again. The woman on the other end needed to enroll in the next session of Lamaze and Josie directed the call to scheduling.

When she hung up, Eloise’s assistant Allison Baker joined her in the kiosk and provided her with the opportunity to satisfy some curiosity that had risen during Eloise’s tirade at the television.

“I didn’t know Eloise nearly married the mayor,” Josie whispered.