"Uncle Simon, Birch. Show some respect. Mom can do whatever she pleases. She doesn't owe any of us explanations. She's fifty-four, and she's independent. She makes more money than this casino does. Go aihead, defend that one."
"I don't have to defend anything I say or do to anyone. I don't kiss ass and take names later like you do, Sage."
"Where the hell did that come from? Mom walks in here, and she has every right to do so, and that invisible alarm goes off". Dad gets in a flap, Sunny goes white in the face, and you look so damn brit-de it wouldn't surprise me to see your face spht wide open. Am I the only one who's normal around here? Scratch that, and add our sister Bilhe to the normal list. Don't forget for even one minute where the money came fi"om for this fancy-dancy casino. Or is that what's eating you?"
"Let's not get into this now, Sage. I'll get Dad and meet you in Sunny's office. Where do you suppose Unck Simon is? Dad calls him
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A^ shadow. He says they're joined at the hip. Actually, he didn't say hip."
"I know what he said. I was there. That crap is getting really old, Birch. Why can't you accept things for what they are? You're turning into Dad's clone. I just want you to know I hate what I see."
"Ah, the good son. Mom's good son. I'm the bad seed, is that it? Because I hate it that our uncle has taken over Mom's life? Dad hates it too. He still loves Mom."
"That's about the biggest crock I've ever heard. You're even more stupid if you believe it. You need to start lining up your ducks, Birch, before it's too late."
"Jesus, Sage, that almost sounds like a threat. Cool it before Dad gets upset."
"It's whatever you want it to be," Sage said, turning on his heel. "I wouldn't make light of this to Dad. Whatever it is that brought Mom here must be serious. Hey, isn't that our youngest sister making her way in our direction?"
"WTiat the hell! Is this a family reunion?" Birch demanded.
Sage grinned. "I think it's one of those things that's going to require a family vote. Billie, you're lookin' good!" Sage said as he hugged his sister. Birch followed his brother's actions, but not with the same enthusiasm.
"You handsome devil! You still beating the women off with a stick?" Billie teased as she tweaked Sage's cheek. "If you'd wipe that scowl off your face. Birch, you'd be just as handsome. What's up? Mom just said to be here at noon."
"Your guess is as good as ours."
"How's our little mother to be? I can't believe Sunny is going to have a baby."
"Dad can't believe it either. He's taking it personally. He thinks Sunny is having this baby to embarrass him. He won't allow her out on the floor," Sage said.
"What?"
'*You heard me. You wouldn't believe the crap that goes on here."
"Sure I would. Sunny takes it?" Billie said, her eyes wide with disbelief
"She doesn't want to make waves. She says she learned her lesson that time when we all turned on Mom. In addition, I don't think she's feeling all that good. Tyler asked me to keep a close eye on her. I worry about her. If she doesn't shoot off her mouth, something is very wrong. Birch . .. Birch seems to take some kind of perverse
pleasure in baiting her. It's taking a toll on her, Biilie. So, enough about us, how are you doing? You still seeing that guy?"
"Yes, and don't ask me any more questions. My love life is my 3wn. Tell me about yours."
"Her name is Iris. She said her mother named her after her favorite flower. She reminds me of Mom. Really down-to-earth, wants a family. She just got a professorship at the university. Is that the right term? She's so smart she makes me look like a dummy." Bil-iie hooted with laughter. "Sunny told me you told her that Rain-!x)w Babies is making so much money, you guys can't count it fast enough,"
"Kid clothing sells. We're doing well. Why does it have to be us yuys versus you guys? I hate that. Sage."
"Because that's the way it is. This family has always been divided, and it will probably remain that way as long as Dad calls the shots around here. I don't see any changes on the horizon."
"Is there anything I can do, Sage?"
"Sure, have dinner with me and Iris over the weekend. I'd really iike you to meet her. Bring along what's his name." Sage dropped us voice to a whisper as they approached the door to Sunny's of-5ce. "Biilie, I want out of here. I gave it my best shot, but it isn't good enough. This was supposed to be a four-way operation, but Dad and Birch call the shots. Sunny and I are just their flunkies. I hate getting up in the morning knowing I have to come here."
"Then do something about it. The Dutch have a saying, Sage. 'If ^ou can't whistle on your way to work, you don't belong in that job.' Do you whisde?"
"Hell no, I don't."
"There you go. Is there anything I can do?"
"If there is, I'll call you. I just know this is going to be one of those spill your guts things. Everyone is going to say things they'll regret later on. The wedge will become wider. One of these days we're going to be strangers to one another. Wanna bet?"
"No thanks." The door to Sunny's office opened. "Mom," Biilie jaid, "you look wonderful. Sunny, you look terrible. Are you taking your vitamins?"
"Of course I'm taking my vitamins. I'm married to a doctor. I just called down to the conference room to get it ready. We're going to need to spread out. The kitchen is sending up some coffee and sandwiches. How's what's his name?" Sunny asked, leading the way out of her office.
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"What's his name is just fine, thank you. So, Mom, what's this all about?" Billie asked as she linked her arm with her mother's.
"Family business. Serious business. I'm going to stop by the offices later. I haven't seen Bess in three weeks."
"Sunny's Togs and Rainbow Babies aren't the same without you. Bess misses you. Mom. She's just like you and Aunt Billie. You really are lucky to have such a good fiiend."
"I know that. We're like sisters. Actually, we're closer than sisters. I'm worried about Sunny, Billie. Has she said anything to you?"
"Only that she's taking her vitamins. Get her out of here, Mom. There aren't any windows, she's indoors all day, sometimes for twelve hours. It doesn't look to me like she gets any thanks for all her hard work, either. Wouldn't it be something if she had twins?"
"Bite your tongue, BiUie," Fanny said.
"Are you going to give us a clue as to what this meeting is all about, Mom?" Sunny asked. "Pop's smack in the middle of winding up all the details for the World Series Poker Championship. The emperor of Las Vegas, as he's called these days, will view this meeting as a thorn in his side."
Fanny snorted. The World Series Poker Championship was what Wimbledon was to tennis—the oldest and most prestigious of all the tournaments. Players came fi-om all over the globe to compete. For three straight weeks, twenty-four hours a day, people would line up and play, right up to the main event, the $10,000 buy-in no-limit tournament that would last four days until a new champion was crowned.
"Fanny, what a pleasant surprise."
Fanny stared at Ash Thornton, the man who had once been her husband. The man who didn't know the meaning of the words husband, father, son, fidelity. In her eyes, Ash was a name-only person. She'd given 110 percent to the marriage, and Ash had given zero percent. It wasn't enough. Two hundred percent wouldn't have been enough. There were no regrets. Not now, not ever.
Wheelchair-bound, Ash was impeccably dressed, manicured, smd coifed. "Ash," Fanny said coolly, acknowledging the man in the chair.
"Whatever this is about, Fanny, can we make it quick? I'm up to my ears with the final details for the chjimpionship. This tournament is a real feather in my cap. Thousands of small details need to be taken care of There aren't enough hours in the day." His voice was syrupy, the way it always was when he thought he could charm her, wheedle her into doing what he wanted.
"Dad, I offered to help," Sunny said. "Sage . . ."
"Forget it, Sunny. The customers don't want to see your big belly. It's a turn-off. Me
n don't want reminders of home and hearth when they come to paradise."
Fanny sucked in her breath when her daughter's eyes filled with tears. "That was unnecessarily cruel, Ash, and you need to apologize to your daughter."
"It's okay. Mom," Sunny said.
"No. It is not okay. It wasn't okay when your father said the same things to me years ago, and it's not okay now. This is not^owr casino, Ash. It belongs to Thornton Enterprises. Sunny has a role here, and if you forgot what it is, I can have my attorneys refresh your memory. I also don't give a damn about your championship gambling tournament, and I certainly don't want to hear about those percentages you are forever throwing out to justify whatever it is you do. Now, I came here to discuss something very important."
"You're really trying to stick it to me, aren't you, Fanny? Where's Simon? Shouldn't he be here?"
"Why is that. Ash? He doesn't belong to this immediate family even though he is your brother. But, to answer your question, I don't know where he is. Before we get down to the reason I'm here, outline what Sunny can do to take part of the burden off your shoulders, some of those thousand details. Now, Ash."
"Mom, it's okay. Really it is."
"Ash? Birch? Sage?" Fanny said. The three men stared at Fanny, blank looks on their faces. "I see, no one knows what's going on. Well, we'll change that right now. Sunny, you are in charge of the championship. You will report to Billie and me at the end of each workday. If it's too much for you, hire some help. Now that we've settled that little matter, let's get on with it."
"Just a goddamn minute, Fanny. You can't waltz in here and tell me how to run this business. I won't stand for it. Do you hear me?"
"I just did. We've moved on, Ash. What part didn't you understand?"
"You're deliberately screwing this up, Fanny. The minute you get your fmgers on something, it goes to hell."
"I made a decision. Ash. When I do that, I don't look back, and I don't back down. If I did, I wouldn't be in business and you wouldn't be sitting here in this . . . this obscene den of opulence. As I said, I came here for a reason. I'm giving you all the courtesy of asking your opinion. I'll weigh what you have to say very carefully."
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Fanny drew a deep breath as she stared at the faces of her family.
"What is it, Mom?" young Billie asked gendy.
"Billie Coleman needs our help. As you know, your grandmother Sallie bought into Coleman Aviation years ago. The stock has been holding its own until now. Ash, I know Moss talked to you about the plans he had for his new plane before he died. I also heard you say you would help in any way you could. Simon also agreed. The Colemans are tapped out. They have nowhere else to turn. They've come too far now to let it all settie in the dust. I think we should do all we can to help Billie bring Moss's dream to life the way we aU worked to make this dream possible for you, Ash. I'd like to hear your thoughts."
"Charity begins at home, Mom. What have the Colemans ever done for us? Uncle Seth didn't give a damn about Grandma SaUie. His own sister. I don't plan on forgetting that," Birch said.
"What happens if they go belly up?" Ash asked. "Where does that leave us, Fanny? What exactiy do you want from us? Our cash flow isn't that strong. Or are you saying you want to mortgage everything. That's it, isn't it? Jesus Christ, Fanny, we could lose everything on some cockamamie dream of Moss's."
Fanny's heart hammered in her chest. She waited.
"Aunt BiUie is family. Famihes stick together. If this is a yes or no vote, then I vote yes," Sage said.
"Me too," Billie said without hesitation.
The score was two to two. If Sunny didn't vote, it would be up to her to break the tie. The turmoil on her daughter's face tore at her heart. Once before Sunny had taken a stand and made a decision she couldn't hve with.
**What are you waiiting for. Sunny?" Ash demanded, his eyes boring into his daughter.
Fanny shivered at Ash's tone as she too waited for her daughter's response.
"I love Aunt Billie. I love all the Colemans. I say what's ours is theirs. I know in my heart Aunt Billie would do the same for us. Whatever Uncle Seth did or didn't do in regard to Grandma Sal-lie, has nothing to do with us. I'm voting the way Grandma Sallie would want me to vote. I vote yes."
"That's just dandy. And when that plane doesn't get off the ground and we're hiding out from our creditors, where will you all be?" Ash snarled, his wheelchair burning rubber as he pressed the electric control.
"You're a jerk, Sunny," Birch said. He followed his fadier out into the hall.
"No, you are not a jerk," Billie said as she wrapped her arms around her sister. "I know what it took for you to do that." This last was said in a hushed whisper.
"So, what's the game plan?" Sage asked.
"I'm going to talk to Simon. He's our investment man. I don't think he's going to agree. This could go either way. Sage said it best. Families need to stick together. It's possible we could lose our shirts."
Billie's voice was flippant. "The sign on my door says I'm the head designer of Sunny's Togs and Rainbow Babies. If it comes down to that, I'll design us new shirts."
"Attagirl," Sage said, pounding her on the back. "C'mon, Sunny, sit down. You don't have any color. Are you sure you're okay?"
Fanny's head jerked upward at the concern in Sage's voice. Did these children of hers know something about Sunny's condition that she didn't know? "I'm taking all of us to lunch at Peridot. Billie, call Bess and ask her to meet us there. Sage, ask Birch if he wants to join us. There's no point in asking your father, but do it anyway. I'll meet you at the front door. I want to call Billie and tell her the good news."
The moment the door closed behind her children, the phone was in Fanny's hand. She would call Billie, but first she was calling Sunny's husband, Tyler Ford.
"Dr. Ford here."
"Tyler, it's Fanny."
"What's wrong, Fanny?"
"That's what I want you to tell me. Sunny looks like death warmed over, and that's a kind statement. Aside from morning sickness, a pregnant woman usually has a wonderful sparkle in her eyes, color in her cheeks. She's a happy woman. This is not the case with Sunny. And another thing, she shouldn't be working twelve hours a day."
"You're right about everything, Fanny. Were you ever successful in changing Sunny's mind or getting her to do something she didn't want to do? I've spoken to her doctor and he tells me she's fine. He said if she wants to work, she should work. She eats well, she exercises moderately, she takes her prenatal vitamins, and she sleeps through the night. She tells me she takes an hour nap in the middle of the afternoon. She makes sure she takes breaks and walks outside. She didn't have morning sickness. She's never been one to complain. My personal opinion is she's under a lot of stress at the
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casino with her father and brothers. Did something happ)en, or did you just call to ask me questions? Whatever we say, Fanny, will go no farther."
"I know that, Tyler." Fanny told him about the brief meeting and Sunny's vote. "She looks so. . . fragile, so washed-out. She appeared a little wobbly to me. If she's willing to come up to Sunrise for a week or so, would you have any objections?"
"None at all. I've suggested the same thing to her, but she's married to that casino. I hate that goddamn place."
"Not as much as I do. Maybe I can work a little mother magic. How's everything going otherwise, Tyler?"
"Reconstructive surgery is not glamorous, but it is rewarding to make someone feel whole again. I love what I do as much as Sunny loves what she does. So, you see, I'm the last person who should even make suggestions where her job is concerned. I'm being paged, Fanny. Call me if you think there's something I can do. Not that my vote counts, but I think you're doing the right thing where the Cole-mans are concerned. Tell Billie I said hello when you talk to her."
"I'll do that, Tyler. She adores you, you know. She said you remind her of her son Riley."
"That's one of the nicest things a
nyone has ever said to me. Look, you do what you feel is right and don't let anyone make you back down. Famihes need to stick together. We'll talk again."
Fanny's fingers drummed on Sunny's desk. She should be feeling better after Tyler's reassuring words, but she didn't. Her motherly intuition was telling her something was wrong. She dialed Billie Coleman's number in Austin, Texas.
"Fanny, is everything okay? Every time I hear the phone the word disaster rings in my head. Before you can ask, we're facing a brick wall. Money just poui-s out of here. I don't know what to do. If I don't finish this project, then Riley's death and all those other boys who died in Coleman aircraft will have been in vain . . . how can I live with that? As sick as he was at the end. Moss worked tire-1 ,ssly to perfect this plane. How can I do less?"
"You can't. The Thorntons are going to help, Billie. I'm at Babylon right now. We voted and the money will be on the way by the end of the week. If it isn't enough, we'll go back to the drawing board. Please, Billie, don't cry. Be thankful your granddaughter Sawyer is the aeronautical engineer on this project."
"We're all obsessed with this plane, Sawyer more so. My own children . . . Fanny, how is it possible for a mother to be estranged from
her two daughters? I never, ever thought such a thing would happen to me; how can my daughters fight me on this plane? All they want is the money they say we're wasting. They say a new plane won't bring Riley back, and they're right about that. Riley was their brother and I know they loved him. When this is all over, perhaps I'll be able to understand. On a more pleasant note, I just know Sawyer is going to explode when I tell her about your offer. That child has worked for months now, getting by on three hours' sleep a night. She eats, sleeps, and dreams about her grandfather's dream plane. She's going to get it off the ground too, thanks to you. Fanny, I wish there were words..."
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