by Tina Martin
“Yeah, but I love her the same way she loves me, Ramsey. I don’t want to see her struggle, knowing I’m the blame.”
“Well, you don’t have to worry about her struggling anymore. I’m here. Now, if I heard you correctly, you said you had an appointment tomorrow.”
“I have an appointment on Monday.”
“Tomorrow is Monday,” he told her.
“Oh. Right, then yes. I have a consultation—a follow-up to the chemotherapy from last week.”
“What time is the appointment?”
“Nine.”
“How do you typically get to your appointments?”
“Gianna takes me.”
“She hadn’t planned on opening the bakery tomorrow?”
“I guess not.”
Ramsey frowned a little while he tried to think of a way to take some of the burden off of Gianna.
“I could try to drive again. I drove myself to the chemotherapy appointment last week.”
“No. I’ll take you before I let you drive. As a matter of fact, let’s do that. I’ll drive you.”
“No. I appreciate it, but Gianna wanted to be at this consultation with me. She felt bad enough that she couldn’t be there last week.”
“Right,” he said, remembering that he had two appointments already lined up in the morning. Meeting his project managers at the new University City Apartment complex was first on the agenda, then right after, he had an appointment with Wedded Bliss.
“I just hate that the bakery has to close for the day. Has she considered a home health nurse to assist you?”
“We looked into it.”
“What happened?”
“Insurance doesn’t cover it so it would have to be private pay. They charge close to two-hundred dollars an hour. Can you believe that?” she asked. “And I would need at least four hours, three days a week at a minimum.”
Ramsey did the math in his head.
“When your loved one was sick, did you hire a home health nurse, Ramsey?”
“No, but I would have if I could afford it at the time.”
She nodded. “I feel so bad for Gianna. When I’m gone, she’s going to be the one left suffering. My pain will have ended. I don’t want to leave her in pain when I love my sister so much.” Tears blurred her vision.
“I told you, Gemma,” Ramsey said, reaching across the table to hold Gemma’s hands. “That’s why I’m here. I’m going to take care of your sister. That I can promise you. Okay?”
Gemma nodded.
Ramsey got up from the table, invited her to stand and closed his arms around her once more. “You don’t have to worry about Gianna. Your focus should be on getting better. Let me worry about Gianna.”
“Okay.”
Releasing her, he asked, “For your appointment tomorrow—is there a copay?”
“Yes.”
“How much is it?”
“Fifty dollars.”
He removed his wallet and handed her a fifty dollar bill. “Take this. Pay the copay. Okay?”
Gemma, reluctant to accept the money, stood there with her hands by her side.
Ramsey reached for her hand, grasped it, then placed the money in her palm, closing her fingers around it. “Take it.”
Gemma knew Gianna probably didn’t have the money to pay for it. Last week, she had to borrow the copay from Felicity. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome, Gemma.”
“I need to lay down now. I’m tired.”
Ramsey glanced at his watch. The time was a little after nine, and he had no desire to go home.
“Are you staying?” Gemma asked.
“I want to, but—”
“But what?”
“I would prefer not to sit in here alone. I want to be close to your sister. Do you mind if I sit in her room while she sleeps?”
“Sit?”
“Yes.”
“No. I don’t mind, but she’ll probably freak out if she wakes up and finds you in her room. She’s never had a guy up there.”
“I won’t stay the whole night. Just for a little while.”
“Okay.”
“Goodnight, Gemma.”
“Goodnight, Ramsey.”
He watched her walk away until she was no longer in sight. He wanted to know, needed to know everything about her diagnosis. He wanted to know why she had cancer. Was it hereditary? He wanted to know if perhaps there was some treatment that could reverse her diagnosis—experimental or otherwise. He didn’t have the resources to save Leandra, but now that money was no object, he could try to save Gemma. A part of him needed to.
After checking the front and back doors, making sure the house was secure, he headed upstairs then walked down the hallway to Gianna’s bedroom.
He pushed the door open, noticing her lying in the same position that he’d placed her in an hour ago. She looked exhausted. Her mouth was slightly opened as she slept. Her face looked soft. Peaceful. He liked that. She had no worries while she slept. It was probably the only time she got a reprieve from her hectic, stress-filled life.
He was about to sit in the chair when he noticed a shoe box on her dresser that looked out of place in her neatly organized room. He glanced at her, then walked there, opened it and didn’t see shoes. He saw envelopes. Bills. A shoebox full of them. He knew her bills weren’t any of his business, but since he felt a deep affinity to her, he decided to make her problems his problems.
He glanced back at the bed to make sure she was still sleeping before taking the first envelope from the box. It was a letter from the property management group that owned the building that housed her bakery, dated a month ago.
From: Queen City Properties, Inc.
To: Gianna Jacobsen
Subject: Lease Past Due
Ms. Jacobsen,
The Boardwalk Bakery, owned and operated by Gianna Jacobsen, is past due on the lease. Please pay this amount in full by July 31st to avoid eviction.
Amount Owed $2,000
Assessed Penalty (5%)
Total: $2100
___________
Ramsey kept going through the pile of envelopes, reading through notices from collection agencies and credit card companies. There was also a notice from the mortgage company:
From: Pinnacle Funding
To: Gianna Jacobsen
Subject: Mortgage Past Due
Ms. Jacobsen,
The mortgage for your property on Arbor Vista Drive has been past due for three consecutive months. We are writing to inform you that unless this amount [$2,937] is received by July 15th, foreclosure proceedings will begin on your home…
___________
Ramsey closed his eyes and sighed, feeling sorry for her. How was it possible that she could still manage to smile at this point in her life? Mounting bills, a dying sister and now her house and her business were on the line.
He took out his phone, snapping a photo of the foreclosure notice from the bank as well as the notice from the property management company where she leased the space for the bakery. Then he put everything back inside of the shoe box the same way he’d found it. He walked back over to the chair in the corner and sat there with his elbows resting on his knees, watching her.
She couldn’t help but be anxious and nervous. She was buried in debt with no hope of coming out of it—all because she’d given everything to take care of her sister. She’d give anything for Gemma, even if it left her with nothing.
He stood up from the chair and stooped down beside her bed. So close that he was only a breath away from her lips, he whispered, “You don’t have to worry anymore, Gianna. I’ll take care of you. You’re stuck with me now, and I’m never letting go.” He leaned even closer until his nose was pressed against her hair. He pulled in a long, deep inhale and released it slowly. Then he stood up and headed downstairs.
Before leaving, he peeped inside Gemma’s room to make sure she was okay and after confirming that she was, he quietly exited out of the front door, making
sure it was locked.
He sat in his SUV, not attempting to put the car into gear. He just sat there, desiring to go back inside. He didn’t want to leave them, but he didn’t have much of a choice. Gemma already warned him that Gianna would flip out if she woke up and saw him in her room. Additionally, he had too much on his schedule for tomorrow. He couldn’t stay. So, as difficult as it was to do, he slid the gear into reverse and backed out of the driveway.
Chapter 15
“Gemma, wake up,” Gianna said, sitting on her sister’s bed at 7:30 in the morning.
Groggy, Gemma cracked her eyes, just barely. “What is it, Gianna?”
“Your appointment is today, sweet girl.”
Gemma stretched. “Oh. Right. Appointment.” She yawned. “Do we really have to go?”
“Yes, we have to go. I know you’re tired, but we can’t reschedule this appointment. We gotta go, Gem.”
“Okay, okay.” Gemma stretched her arms up in the air. “That’s what I get staying up late, talking to your boyfriend.”
“Huh? You stayed up late last night?” Gianna asked.
Gemma grinned. “You didn’t deny that he was your boyfriend.” She made kissy faces at Gianna with her lips puckered.
“Who? Ramsey? Oh my gosh! That’s right! I fell asleep on the couch,” Gianna recalled. “How did I get upstairs?”
“How do you think? I surely didn’t take you up there.”
“Ramsey?”
“Bingo!” Gemma stood up.
“He—he actually carried me to my bedroom?”
“Yep. I watched him pick you up as if you were as light as a feather. Then, he came back down and we had a little chat.”
Gianna’s stomach cinched. “About what?”
“That’s between us, but what I do know is, he really cares about you.”
She couldn’t wipe the grin away from her face when she asked, “How do you know that?”
“Stop being nosy, Gianna.”
“Nosy?” Gianna said, amused. “You were talking about me. How’s that being nosy when I ask you what was discussed?”
“Because it is. Oh, and he gave me the copay for my appointment.”
“He did?”
“Sure did.”
“Wow. Okay. I’ll be sure to thank him.”
Pulling a pair of pants from a drawer, Gemma said, “When we were done talking, he went back up to your room. Said he wanted to watch you sleep for a while.”
“He did what!”
Gemma smiled lazily. “You should see the look on your face right now.” Gemma shook her head. “I don’t get you. You have a man as kind and thoughtful not to mention handsome as Ramsey and you act like you don’t like the attention. Come on. He’s perfect.”
“Perfect for who?”
“For you, Gianna.”
“I—he—ugh…just get ready to go. I’m going to take a shower.”
“Yeah, think about Ramsey while you’re rubbing soap all over your body,” Gemma said, puckering her lips again.
* * *
Ramsey pulled up at the University City complex site and waited. He glanced at his Rolex. How did he get there before the project managers did? Impatiently, he shook his head. He didn’t play when it came down to business.
He watched a black Ford pickup truck pull up with his company’s name and logo on the side panel.
Ralph parked and got out of the truck. He walked over to Ramsey’s SUV.
Ramsey lowered his window.
“Good morning, Ramsey,” Ralph said.
“Good morning. Where’s Gilbert, or better yet, where is McFarlane Excavating?”
“Ah…” Ralph took off his hat and surveyed the area, trying to carefully word his response. “Gilbert is on the way and McFarlane promised us they’d be here by 8:30.”
Ramsey glanced at his watch. “It’s 8:27. If they’re not here in three minutes, they’re out and I’ll have Royal find a replacement.”
“With all due respect, Sir, traffic is bad this time of the morning.”
“I understand that, but I’m here, and I drove from Lake Norman. You’re here. If McFarlane really wanted the contract, they would’ve been here at 8:00, not 8:30. Already, I’m not seeing any commitment from this company.”
Ralph sighed. If McFarlane didn’t show, he had a weird feeling that his job was on the line. He glanced around again seeing a white, four-door truck pull off the road and onto the entrance of the site.
“Ah, here they come now,” Ralph said.
Ramsey glanced at his watch: 8:29 a.m. “Lucky bastards,” he mumbled. He turned off the engine and stepped out of the car, walking up to the McFarlane work truck. “You almost got fired,” he said boldly, shaking the stocky, white man’s hand.
“Sorry about that, Mr. St. Claire. We were running a little behind. This Charlotte traffic ain’t no joke, especially on I-85 and I-77.”
“Well, our last crew were a no-show, so as you can imagine, I’m pretty ticked about it.”
“Yes, Sir. I understand completely.”
“Can you and your team do this work?” Ramsey asked, his eyes roaming the site as he did so.
“Yes, Sir. We have the manpower and the tools to get this taken care.”
“What timeframe are we looking at?”
The man looked around, surveying the area and said, “Give us two to three weeks.”
“I like the sound of two weeks better,” Ramsey told him.
“Then two weeks it is.”
“Alright. Two weeks,” Ramsey said. I haven’t worked with you before, but just an FYI…I’m very strict with my deadlines and the due date of this project will be noted on the contract. It is my hope and expectation that you don’t run past the due date—but in the event you do, the penalty is two-thousand dollars per day that will come straight out of your pay.”
“Shrew. Then we’ll definitely have this wrapped up for you, Sir,” the man said, chuckling while wiping a thin layer of sweat from his forehead.
Ramsey didn’t find any humor in the situation. “Good.” He looked at Ralph and placed his hand on his shoulder. “Ralph, here, is the project manager for the site.”
“Yes. I spoke with him on the phone last week,” the man acknowledged.
“Also, Gilbert, whose on the way, will be assisting with the project as well. Any questions?”
“No, sir.”
“Then I’ll leave you to it.” Ramsey turned to walk away when Ralph said, “Hey, Ramsey.”
“What’s up?” Ramsey asked.
Ralph fell into stride beside him. “Are you serious about docking them two grand a day if they’re late?”
“I am. Why wouldn’t I be?”
“Because that’s not the rate we usually charge. It’s—”
“A thousand per day. I know that. I own this company, Ralph. Do you really think I don’t know what the rate is? I do. One thousand…but this time, and for this job, it’s two grand. We already got screwed over once. I’m not going to let it happen again.”
“Yes, Sir.”
“I’ll have my cell phone if you need to reach me. For trivial matters, call Regal or Royal.”
“Got it, and Ramsey.”
“Yes?” Ramsey asked short of reaching for the door handle of his car.
“We’ll handle it, okay. Take a load off, man. Enjoy yourself.”
Ramsey gave a single nod then turned away without saying a word more. He got in the Range, pressed the phone button on his steering wheel.
“Please say a command,” the voice program prompted.
“Call Cupcake.”
“Calling Cupcake,” the voice command said.
Ramsey waited, listening to the rings, his heart beating faster than normal as he waited for Gianna to answer. When she didn’t pick up, his trepidation worsened. Why wasn’t she answering her phone? He knew she was taking Gemma to the hospital. Could she not answer the phone currently? Were they already at the doctor’s office? In a patient room? Was everything
okay with Gemma – well okay as it could be? It ailed him that he didn’t know where that office was. Otherwise, he would’ve pulled up to talk to her in person and see how Gemma was doing.
Deciding to go ahead with his plans for the day, he drove to South Park, found a parking stall and headed into the building where he would meet with Felicity James. With a folder in hand, he was prepared this time, but he was sure she wasn’t going to be prepared for what he had in store for her.
The same receptionist escorted him back to Felicity’s office and he walked in, watching Felicity hold up her index finger. She looked busy, he thought, as busy as the purple and black striped dress she had on and wondered why the receptionist didn’t have him sit in the waiting area. Since he was already there, he took a seat and studied Felicity in more detail. She looked like one of those businesswomen who could out talk anyone if they got in her way. The kind of woman who didn’t take no for an answer. That’s why she agreed to let him look on the database. She didn’t think he was capable of finding the right woman for himself. Boy did he have news for her.
Finally hanging up the phone, she took off her headset and placed it on her desk. “Mr. St. Claire…didn’t think you were going to show your face today.”
Ramsey shot a challenging stare her way. “Why would you think that?”
“Well, you were pretty heated during our last meeting.”
“Heated?” He smirked. “You thought that was heated?” He lounged back in the chair watching her eyes narrow.
“So, you got a folder. You must’ve found your perfect woman,” Felicity made herself say. This was her business, yes, and she’d come up with the concept but for the life of her…some of these guys coming in should’ve already been snatched up in her opinion. Ramsey was one of those guys. It made her wonder what was wrong with him. Could he not keep a woman happy? Or was he really that peculiar about his type of woman?
Sitting straight up, Ramsey said, “Yes. I did. She’s exactly what I want, and I want you to make it happen.”
