“I suppose that was pretty impressive for 1967.”
“Let me guess. Your favorite captain was Janeway from Voyager.”
“She was pretty great.”
“If she was so great, then why did they cancel her show?”
“Because most Star Trek nerds are guys.”
Again, he laughed and this time she joined him.
She did some quick thinking. “I think technically Star Trek: Voyager lasted more seasons than the original.”
Smirking, he took a deep breath. “You know what? I could use a break. I’d be glad to take a look at your computer.”
He walked with her to her cubicle and fiddled around with her perfectly functioning desktop. “It seems all right to me.”
“You’re a genius.”
“But I didn’t do anything.”
They stared at each other without saying another word. Her eyelashes blinked slowly. She hoped he could read the look in her eyes. Tucking a lock of hair behind her ear, she sent a psychic message his way: Ask me out! Ask me out!
He pushed away from her desk. “I need to get back to work.”
“I’m going for a bite to eat. Want to join me?” Biting her bottom lip, she held her breath as she waited for his answer.
He hesitated. “I’d love to, but I really can’t.”
Her spirits plummeted. Aracelli didn’t know what she was talking about. Why had Beth let herself forget that guys who looked like Drew never wanted to be seen with a woman who filled out her clothes as much as she did? She shut off her computer while he walked away. Slowly, she gathered up her things to take home: a half-eaten Snickers bar, her purse, her coat.
Across the room, he paused. He turned and pulled on his earlobe. Then his cell phone rang, he checked the caller i.d. screen and answered, “Hi Missy.” Beth completely wrote him off then.
But a couple days later, they ran into each other at a pizza joint and struck up a long conversation.
Within a few casual dates of watching Star Trek DVDs and taking Emma for ice cream, Beth knew they were meant for each other. Spending time with Drew was as comfortable as hanging out in sweats on the weekend. For some crazy reason, he liked spending time with her, too. Before she knew it, they were fixing up his house and furnishing it with period pieces together.
It had taken thirty-three years to find someone who adored everything about her—including her looks. She’d never be so lucky again.
After she braked at the small town traffic light in front of her, she squeezed her eyes shut.
She’d never be so lucky again.
# # #
Attorney Stanley Brink’s office smelled of Swisher Sweet cigars—a scent that intensified when Parker shook the man’s hand. A scent that reminded him of college, where he’d smoked a celebratory stogie every time he’d aced a test.
Despite the gray sky that peeked through the office’s large windows, Stan’s office was warm. Comforting, even. It almost put Parker at ease with its antique furnishings and photographs of wildlife.
Almost.
Parker had done business with Stan for the last decade, relying on the man with fierce eyes and graying temples to handle lawsuits and any other legal issues that arose with Parker’s Mall Land business. But when the middle-aged lawyer gestured toward a tufted leather chair—the same leather chair Parker had sat in numerous times before—it felt like he was there for the first time.
Sitting on the matching wing-backed chair next to Parker, Stan took his iPad from the side table.
“Like I said on the phone,” Parker began, “I’m totally blindsided by this. This woman I knew back in college claims that I have a child.”
Stan typed a few notes, but kept the device’s screen out of sight. “And you want me to pay her off? Make sure she doesn’t go public?”
Parker stared at Stan. “No, no.” He wanted to lash out. He wanted to hurt somebody. Make someone pay for the unfairness of life. Bethany was the obvious target. “I want you to sue.”
Stan’s eyebrows pulled away from his graying temples. “Aren’t you afraid she’s going to sue you for back child support?”
Parker sighed. “She put the baby up for adoption without my knowledge. I’m not sure why she told me now, but it’s not to get money.” Maybe because she knew he wouldn’t be around much longer. He hated pity. “I want a chance to know my daughter. I deserve that.”
“You said this happened in college? How old is this child?”
Parker did some quick math. “Fifteen, maybe sixteen, I suppose.”
Stan cleared his throat and put down his iPad. He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. “You want to fight for custody of a sixteen-year-old? That’s ridiculous. You’d never win. It could be years before it’s settled and by then, the child would no longer be a minor.”
“I have to meet her. I deserve to be a part of her life.” Parker stood up and started pacing. His business was strong. His marriage: not so great. But he realized as he faced death, he’d missed out. He didn’t have much in his life that made him want to smile, but when he thought about having a little girl, his heart warmed. “I still can’t believe Beth did this to me.”
“As you know, family law isn’t exactly my specialty.” Stan started writing some notes on his iPad. “But I think we could sue the birth mother for the intentional infliction of emotional distress. Tell me how this has affected you physically. Trouble sleeping, depression, loss of work?”
Parker cracked his knuckles. He had some of those symptoms but Beth wasn’t to blame. “I don’t know. Do I have to say such personal things?”
Stan cocked his head at him. “We’ll have to document how this has hurt you. Give me all the information you have on the mother and child. I’ll start drawing up the papers.”
“The birth mother’s name is Bethany Morris.” Parker stared out the window at the dismal scene. The half-bare trees lining the street reminded him of jagged forks poking into the sky. Cars drove by with their headlights on even though it was ten a.m. Winter, the season of death, would soon push autumn out of the way. “I don’t know the girl’s name. I don’t know anything about her.”
Stan remained quiet for a moment. “But you’re sure she’s yours? Perhaps this woman and child are working together, hoping to get a piece of your fortune.”
Parker turned and faced him. “Not everything is about money. Beth isn’t like that. She’s successful in her own right.” He remembered how he’d drunkenly come onto her at their college reunion. She’d always had a pretty face, but time had only made her more attractive. She’d pulled away when he tried to kiss her. No woman had ever pulled away from him. It unnerved him. And now she’d dropped this bomb. “I don’t know what her motive was for telling me this, but I’m glad she did.”
“My advice is to get some more details. I can’t do much without a birth date, a place, a name. Something.”
Parker sighed. He knew Stan was right. Parker shouldn’t have told Beth to go away. He’d just been so shocked. Overwhelmed with loss. Years with his child that he could never get back. And for Bethany to do this to him…he’d never expect such a thing from her. She’d always seemed kind and sweet, but maybe that was a façade. “You’re telling me I have to make nice with Beth in order to gain access to my own child?”
“The law states you only have a short time after birth to claim paternity.”
“How could I when I didn’t know about the pregnancy?” He twisted his wedding band. “The law is biased against men.”
His lawyer nodded. “Look, if you want me to fight, I’ll be glad to. But if you just want to meet your child, I don’t know that I can help you.”
Fury surged inside Parker. “I want you to draw up the papers. I’m suing Bethany for everything’s she’s got. I’m definitely in the mood for a fight.”
# # #
Instead of eating lunch, Beth forced herself to go to the company gym. She climbed onto the elliptical machine, calculating that she could burn
about 200 calories and still have time to shower before her break ended. She placed her Kindle on the ledge in front of her, anxious to read the latest Jennifer Weiner novel about a woman “thick of thigh” finding love.
Legs pumping, she ignored the growling in her belly and the dizziness in her head. Mind over matter. Mind over matter. If staying thin was the secret to breaking the glass ceiling, she would do it. She’d been researching her spray vitamin idea and it seemed promising. This could finally be her chance.
The perky brunette from the daycare center climbed onto the machine next to her. “Gotta sneak in our work-outs whenever we can, don’t we?”
Beth smiled and nodded.
Amy, whom she’d sponsored in a 5K autism fundraiser, didn’t look as if she’d ever had to order a skinny, no-whip latte in her life. “Emma’s bob looks adorable, by the way.”
“Sorry I wasn’t more understanding about the gum.”
“No, no. You were fine. It was totally my fault. Now I leave my purse locked in my trunk, so there’s no chance the kids can get into something.”
“That’s good.” She knew she was lucky to have on-site childcare, but the facilities were small and mostly unfurnished. All of the toys had been donated by staff members. The brothers who ran the company didn’t understand much about what women value. Ironic since females comprised the majority of their customers. “How is Emma doing these days? Is she still crying when she doesn’t get her way?”
Amy nodded. “We’re working on it, though.”
The tantrum in the pet store had really been embarrassing. “I’d give you a thousand dollars if you could break Emma of the habit.”
They both laughed then exercised in silence, but Beth felt Amy looking at her. “You’re good with Emma. Patient. Just like I’m sure you are with your customers.”
“Thanks.”
Amy took a breath, struggling to speak while maintaining such a vigorous pace. “Luke said he’s going to recommend that you take his spot when he gets promoted.”
A surge of joy helped speed up Beth’s legs swinging back and forth. Dating for two months now, Amy and Luke represented one of Beth’s matchmaking successes. She’d never gotten much more than a personal sense of accomplishment from her matchmaking hobby, but clearly it had its occasional perks—and having insider info on a possible promotion was one of them.
She remembered back to when she realized they’d be great together. Even though Luke was forty, he’d indicated that after years of embracing bachelorhood, he felt empty when he crossed the finish line alone. Since Amy was about her age, Beth had guessed correctly that the woman would want a running partner that was ready to commit.
“I’m so glad Luke believes in me.” Beth wiped her moist forehead with a small towel.
“Just between you and me, he’s hoping to move up soon. He had a great meeting this morning with the brothers. Something about a vitamin spray for people who hate to swallow pills.”
Beth’s face froze. “I didn’t know he was going to pitch it so soon. I was still doing research on it.” One other company had something similar in the works and she wanted to make sure Healthy Habits would stand out.
“Were you helping Luke with that?”
Beth grabbed the handles in front of her for balance. Was Luke acting as if it were his own idea? She’d expected to present it alongside him, or at the very least to be present when the idea was unveiled. But it was clear Amy didn’t even know she played a role in Luke’s worthy-for-a-promotion vitamin spray product idea. Worry twisted in her gut.
Beth turned off her e-reader and climbed off the exercise equipment. “I’ve got to go. Have a good work-out.” Leaving a sweating Amy behind, she hurried to the locker room and back to her office. She couldn’t let him get away with this.
Luke paced behind his desk as he drank a can of coconut water. His eyes lit up when he saw her. “There’s my protégé.”
Beth closed the door behind her, his gym bag swinging from the coat hook on the back. She braced herself for a confrontation. “I hear you pitched my idea today. How’d it go?”
His face flushed for a moment, but he quickly recovered. “Great. They want to move ahead with it. I knew you had it in you.” He gestured toward a seat, but Beth ignored him.
“So what’s next? Should I present all of my research to the brothers? I still have a few more things I’m looking into. Potential issues with the idea.”
“Give me what you’ve got and I’ll pass it along.”
That didn’t sound right. She really needed credit. She really wanted to get out of the complaint department. Now that she’d paid her dues, she longed for a new challenge. “I’d like to talk directly to them if I could.”
“They’re on board. There’s no need to convince them.”
“Good. I just...” Why couldn’t she say it? “I thought you’d include me in the meeting. I’ve worked so hard, but I’m not even sure the brothers know my name.”
He nodded. “I understand. The truth is I wasn’t planning on saying anything, but I was in this meeting and they seemed desperate for a great new idea. It was perfect timing.” His eyes darted side to side as if searching for the right thing to say. He stopped pacing and leaned on his desk. “Tell you what. The next meeting, I’ll make sure you’re invited.”
The list in her mind popped up.
Luke: 1) told her she should lose weight, and 2) may have stolen her idea.
She needed to make sure she was in the next meeting before the list grew longer.
CHAPTER TEN
“I can’t wait to put on my Halloween costume,” Emma said from the backseat.
Beth looked at the little girl in the rearview mirror and saw her twinkling eyes. “You’re going to look so pretty. Just like Cinderella.”
“Lucy is going to be Cinderella, too. And Monica is going to be Snow White.”
“Uh-huh.” The whole drive home from work, Beth listened to Emma’s chatter about Halloween. It was neat how a child’s excitement over a silly holiday could take the edge off a crappy day. Besides Luke’s suspicious behavior, Beth’s last caller had cussed her out. Even though she knew she shouldn’t take it personally, the abuse still hurt.
Emma kicked the back of Beth’s seat. “I think Lucy should be Snow White since she has brown hair. Don’t you think I look more like the real Cinderella than Lucy?”
Beth didn’t know which child was Lucy. “If she has brown hair and you have blonde hair, then you’ll look more like the Disney Cinderella.”
“Disney Cinderella? What’s that?”
“That’s the cartoon you watch. The real Cinderella.”
“Oh.” Emma did a little happy dance in her car seat. Then she froze. “You’re not going to make me wear a coat, are you?”
“If it’s cold out.”
“But I don’t want to cover up my pretty dress.”
Beth sighed. “Your coat will look fine.”
“No, it won’t. I don’t wanna wear a coat!”
“I tell you what. We’ll take it off before you ring the bell at each house. That way everyone will see your gown. Then to keep warm, we’ll put the coat on as we walk to the next house.”
“Only if it’s really, really cold.”
By the time she parked in front of the Victorian, Beth’s spirits had been lifted. The little girl immediately ran upstairs to her room and put on her costume. Beth opened the pantry to try and find a can of soup or something easy to make for dinner. While searching, she saw an open bag of fun-sized candy bars. Had Emma snuck a few early treats or had Drew?
Weren’t there more bags of candy? She’d asked Drew to pick candy up last night, so she wouldn’t be tempted. There was only one package here. She reached for it and peered inside to see five chocolate bars left. “What the hell?”
“What the hell-what the hell?” Captain Kirk chimed in.
“Shhh!” Beth hadn’t realized how often she cursed until she heard her words repeated back to her by an eavesdro
pping parrot. She slammed the pantry doors shut.
Emma ran into the kitchen wearing her shiny blue Cinderella gown. “What’s wrong, Aunt Beth?”
Beth looked at the clock. Trick or treating started in fifteen minutes. If she had known they were out of candy, she could’ve stopped on the way home. “Did you eat some chocolates without asking permission?” She tried to give Emma a stern look, but being called “aunt” always melted her heart.
“No. Pinky-promise.” She held up her little finger.
So cute. Maybe she was lying, but how was Beth to know? She grabbed the phone and dialed Drew who was still at work. “Did you break into the Halloween candy?”
“I might’ve had a few pieces.”
She heard Emma open the parrot’s cage with a squeak. The bird flew around the adjoining dining room, the air off its wings clanking the chandelier prisms. Beth tried to ignore the commotion by plugging one ear. “Did you hide the rest of the candy somewhere?”
“Did you check the pantry?”
“Of course I did.”
“I bought a big bag.”
“Only one bag? That’s not enough. Can you grab some on the way home?”
“Sure. But I’m going to be here a while.”
She sighed loud enough for him to hear. “What am I supposed to do? And if you’re at work, who is going to take Emma around the neighborhood? I can’t hand out candy and be with her at the same time.” For the first time in Beth’s life, Halloween was definitely a two-person job.
“Just turn off the porch light and take her.”
She shook her head. Would anyone egg her house if she didn’t participate in the sugar fest? Probably not. But she didn’t feel right asking for candy and not handing out her fair share. Twice today she’d been undermined by men. “You’re no help.” Click. “Emma, get your coat. We’re going to the store.”
The phone rang. She grabbed it hoping that Drew had changed his mind and decided to come home. “Hello?”
“It’s Sarah. Can you talk?”
Beth heard Emma jumping in the front parlor, probably trying to reach her jacket. “Things are kind of hectic right now.” Beth walked over to the antique coat rack and handed the lilac jacket to Emma.
A Weekend Getaway Page 11
