Take Me As I Am

by JM Dragon

  “Karen is with her daughter in the office. I’m sure they will find one for you. Al, go ask for your sister.”

  Jo grinned at her kid brother and slapped him gently down. “I’ll go. Al doesn’t know what I need. I’ll be right back to sing for you.”

  She sang more than one song and wowed yet another appreciative audience.

  †

  Jo opened her eyes a fraction and pulled down the blind to the window. She would get some sleep now that the pills were kicking in. She’d call her parents when she arrived at the hotel. She’d promised her dad updates and that was a promise she’d keep from now on. It gave a sense of belonging that she hadn’t felt since Thea had left. Maybe this would fill the chasm of her friend’s leaving.

  †

  Feeling guilty for leaving the party early, Thea tried to call Alex and Stella several times but they weren’t home. It wasn’t surprising. They had received a special surprise when their estranged daughter arrived unexpectedly to make their special evening even more extraordinary.

  Her headache had been genuine, especially when she’d cried for an hour before she eventually succumbed to a restless sleep and endless dreams, not one of which she could recall. The party had been a marvelous success, not just for their friends, but also for the small hotel, which had been booked solid for the weekend. As people left today, they remarked on the excellent treatment they had received and promised that they would recommend the hotel to friends. If only a fraction of the platitudes came to anything remotely like a booking, they would be doing very well indeed.

  Her mother had stayed on hotel duty until midnight and then joined the party as the night clerk worked until Thea came to work at seven. She felt better for admitting to her mother that she had a problem. Even though she wasn’t entirely sure how her mother had taken it, since her mind was so upset at not connecting with Joanna, she could remember little else.

  Now it was almost five and her mother was due to come in for the early evening shift. She hoped that her mother wouldn’t decide it was time to discuss her problem. Thea wasn’t up for it since she was still processing it all.

  “You know, my mother always said if I frowned like that, the lines would never go away.”

  Thea turned and grinned at her mother. “You look like you could do with a strong cup of coffee.”

  Karen nodded. “I’m still feeling the effects of having drunk far more than I normally do. But, it has been a special occasion and you have to take them when you can.”

  “I’ll get that coffee for you.”

  “Thanks. I need it to be black and strong to keep me awake. Can’t have the guests arriving thinking I’m asleep on the job.”

  Thea placed a cup of steaming coffee in front of her mother, “I could take your shift for you and you could take the morning one from me one day this week?”

  “Thea, you are way too good to me, but this was self-inflicted and therefore it shouldn’t stop me working. I think if I’m a little slow it isn’t going to be too much of a risk now, is it.”

  “Okay, but call me if you change your mind. I’m going to have dinner and then watch an old movie.”

  “I will and last night, Thea….”

  “Mom, everything is cool, I promise. Last night I was tired and overreacting.”

  “Okay, darling, no problem. Go have dinner and I’ll call you if I need you, otherwise have yourself a wonderful, relaxing evening.” Karen bent to kiss her daughter.

  “Good night, Mom, see you tomorrow.”

  †

  Karen watched her daughter go. She had seen Thea’s smile waver for a split second of sadness that shone out of her usually bright, green eyes. She didn’t intend to discuss the revelation of the night before but wanted to tell her about Alex and Stella’s famous daughter. She’d wait for Thea to broach the subject of her sexuality and knew she would when she was ready. Monday was their mother-daughter get together and would catch up on all the gossip during lunch.

  †

  Thea walked into the office and toward the door to her suite of rooms and wondered if this was all that life had to offer her. Was this it? Was she going to spend every evening leaving work and arriving back in her room alone to have a solitary meal and watch television by herself?

  She needed to get on with her life and make a new one just as Joanna obviously had. But had she? She wasn’t with Lee anymore but hadn’t tried to contact her and that in itself spoke volumes. How could she contact her, since only Alice knew her phone number and where she was living? She couldn’t find her if she didn’t want to be found. But she did. She was in a self-imposed exile from the one person she longed for in her life. How did she let her life get to be such a mess? Alice would be there in a month and she’d tell her to let Joanna know how to contact her.

  †

  “Alice, great to see you.”

  “Great to see you too, Thea, you look wonderful.” Alice held Thea away from her. “Look at you, all sophisticated looking. I love your new hair style, too.”

  “Thanks, you look stunning yourself.” Thea hugged Alice again.

  “Thanks. Guess what, I have a surprise for you.” Alice pointed toward the entrance of the hotel.

  For a few moments, Thea held her breath, hoping against hope that someone had answered her prayers. The doors opened and her heart sank as it had so many times before.

  “Calum? Calum, how wonderful. What brings you here? Did you travel two together or just meet up?”

  “Great to see you, Thea, you look marvelous.” The young man grinned, swung Thea up in his arms, and gave her a resounding kiss on her cheek.

  “Hey, hey put her down.” Alice, laughing, came to them and placed a hand on the leather-clad arm.

  Calum turned his gaze to her with what Thea could clearly see was love.

  “Don’t tell me, I’m being dense here. You two didn’t meet up, you came together because you are together?

  “Well, yeah, that about sums it up. I wanted to tell you personally, not in an email or on the phone. This great lug wanted to come, too, so I hope that’s okay with you, Thea. I know its short notice and all but—”

  “No buts. Wow, this is fantastic news and it couldn’t have happened to two better people. Do I get an invite to the wedding?”

  “The wedding,” Calum squeaked out.

  “Where do I put him, Thea, so you and I can go out and catch up?”

  Thea left them for a moment to go to reception and speak with her mother.

  “Guys, I want you to meet my mother. Mom, this is Alice and Calum, the friends I’ve spoken about.”

  “Hi, Alice, Calum, I’m Karen. I hope you have a great time here in our little part of the world. Calum, do you enjoy baseball?”

  “Sure, who doesn’t?”

  “Well, it’s your lucky day. I’ve taken Thea’s shift so she can spend time with you, I know you girls and your girl talk. It’s normally what Thea and I do at lunch on a Monday. Calum, how would you like to go with my husband and son to see a game? As I’m working and can’t go and we have a spare ticket,” Karen said.

  Thea flashed a grateful look in her mother’s direction. Her mother was more of a fan then the men in the family and they had season tickets. It was very generous of her.

  “Are you sure they won’t mind?”

  “No. They would welcome another male and if you are a friend of Thea’s, even more so.”

  “Thanks.”

  †

  Two hours later, Alice watched her friend order their coffee and some pastries from the small cozy café about a block from the hotel.

  “Great ambience here, Thea. I can see why you enjoy living here. Your folks, by the way, are really nice people.”

  “Yes, it’s very welcoming. It was little daunting at first, because everyone knows everyone else. I like the small town feel and working with my family is wonderful.”

  “I didn’t think any place like this still existed.”

  “It exists, Alice, even
if it’s just in our mind.”

  The words were wistful and Alice knew Thea well enough to know that she was thinking about something else.

  “Truthfully, you look great, Thea. Meeting your folks again and working at the hotel obviously agrees with you.”

  “Yeah, it does, but I miss you and…other stuff.”

  “I’m sorry I never told you about Calum, Thea. It happened by chance and I wanted to tell you face to face.”

  “Oh, God, don’t be sorry. That’s really wonderful news. I’m so happy for you. He’s such a lovely man. Under all that show of brashness, he’s like the rest of us, just trying to find a place in life.”

  “Have you found yours?”

  Thea looked to the bakery across the road and Alice followed her eyes. A large bear of a man was talking to his customers with such ease, that she could almost hear his banter. A woman about his age was at his side smiling along with something he apparently said.

  “I think maybe I have.”

  “If you need to think about it, Thea, I’d say there is doubt. Is it Jo?” Sharp eyes glanced at her.

  “Of course not. Joanna and I went our separate ways and that’s how it will stay, especially now.”

  Alice gazed into the café latte she had ordered as she pondered that remark. “What do you mean especially now?”

  “Well, she’s famous and wouldn’t have time for someone as insignificant as me. Let’s face it, she’s gone onto better things and doesn’t need me now.”

  “Did she ever say that?”

  “No, of course she wouldn’t say that. Joanna never said anything like that. It wasn’t her way.”

  “No, it wasn’t and you know that.” Alice shook her head. “Stalemate, I guess. The both of you are as stubborn as mules,” she said under her breath.

  “I’m not stubborn. I called her last month but she had left for Europe.”

  “I take it she never returned your call?”

  “She couldn’t. I didn’t leave a message with her answering service.”

  “Well, that’ll keep the lines of communication open.”

  “I couldn’t take the chance that she wouldn’t return my call.”

  “I see. Maybe it’s time you moved on. That’s why you left her in the first place. Right?”

  “Right.”

  “Are you trying to convince me or yourself?”

  “Both.” Thea laughed softly,

  “Okay, I’ll go with that. Now, tell me why you didn’t mention you had a handsome brother?”

  “Really, Alice, what would Calum say?”

  “Oh, he would smile and say ‘typical woman, never satisfied with the man she has’.”

  “Would he be right?” Thea sipped her cappuccino and smiled.

  “No, he wouldn’t. Not with me anyway. I think I loved him from the first time I ever saw him on that monster of a bike of his.”

  “You loved him then? Why didn’t you tell me?” Thea’s jaw dropped.

  “You were my lucky charm, Thea. If he hadn’t met you, he would never have noticed me. I tend to blend into the background.”

  “How can I be lucky for you? I was dating him. Not really, you know but—”

  “Hey, don’t worry. He told me it was more of a brother sister relationship. Although he did confess that he’d have taken it further if you had allowed it. We’ve found an understanding about that episode in his life and decided it was fate that led us to one another.”

  “Am I fate?”

  “Yep. Got that in one, Thea. Perhaps for more than Calum and me.”

  Thea shrugged. “Maybe. We will never know that for sure.”

  Alice watched as Thea’s eyes automatically scanned the street outside the café. “Is there a problem, Thea?”

  “I don’t know. Some friends have rushed out of their store and gone off like the very devil down the street. It’s probably nothing to worry about. I’ll ask my mother when we get back.”

  “If you want to go check it out, it’s no problem for me.”

  “No, it’ll wait. What won’t wait are all the details of your romance with Calum. You have to tell me everything. ”

  †

  “I told her but would she listen? Oh no, stubborn, that’s what she is as stubborn as a…mule.” Jack paced his plush carpeted office waiting for another call from Antwerp where Jo had been due to go on stage.

  “I’m sure she’ll be fine, Jack, she’s a young woman,” said Belinda Orkney.

  “How do you know she will? I should have insisted she stay behind until she was fit, not leave, and end up in the hospital. God knows what’s wrong with her.” Jack turned toward the woman who had run his private office diligently for five years. She rarely commented on anything to do with business dealings or the artists he handled but was always his sounding board.

  “Could you have stopped her?” Belinda laid a hand on his arm.

  Jack gave a rueful expression as he shook his head. “No. Jo is a loner. She wouldn’t have anyone tell her what to do.” He shrugged. “Well, maybe one person, but it certainly isn’t me.” Jack was feeling every one of his fifty-five years as he impatiently waited for a call from the European tour manager in Antwerp who was at the hospital where they had taken Jo.

  “Have you contacted her parents? It might be wise if they knew before the media broadcasts it.”

  “I’ve informed them and they are on the next flight out of New York to Frankfurt then on to Antwerp.”

  “Do you want me to inform anyone else?”

  Jack stared at the ground for a few moments and then turned to gaze unseeingly out of the window onto the busy street below. “I’d love to but I don’t know how.”

  “Is it Ms. Danvers?

  “Why do you say that?” Jack’s shoulders stiffened as his personal assistant hit the nail on the head immediately.

  “Sometimes you can see the chemistry between two people and believe me, sparks flew when they were together. I felt sorry for them both when I heard Ms. Danvers had left town. It must be scary to aim for the big time without at least a friend you can trust by your side. Jo lost both a friend and manager, not to mention a fiancé, all in the space of a week. Not surprising she’s in this state now. The work load she had undertaken was going to tell on her eventually.”

  “I think she was working non-stop to forget the break-up of her personal life.” Jack pursed his lips. “How could I complain? She’s revived the company’s fortunes single-handedly, but at what price?”

  “Want me to try and locate Ms. Danvers and contact her as soon as I do?”

  “You can try, but I doubt she wants to be found. Let me know if you do, I would like to inform her personally.” He gave his assistant a sly look. “Why do you think it was Ms. Danvers she missed the most, and not Lee Weston?”

  “That’s easy. Lee works with you and she could have contacted him any time. But Thea hasn’t been around since the television show a year ago.”

  “You’re right on the money about that.” Jack’s phone rang and he rushed to his desk. “Wicklow. Yes, yes, I understand and she’s in which hospital? Got that, her parents are on the way. They’ll get there. I’ll charter them a flight, if necessary. Thanks, Andre, keep me informed.”

  Jack sank into his chair, leaned back, and wiped a weary hand across his eyes. “Double pneumonia, exhaustion, and possibly an unknown viral infection,” he said. “God help us, what has she been doing to herself?”

  “Did Andre say what the prognosis was?” Belinda asked.

  “He said the doctors indicated the next forty-eight hours would be critical and that her family should be with her, if possible.”

  “Good thing you called them, then.”

  “Strange. Jo called me from the airport before she left and told me if anything happened to her, to call her parents.” He snorted. “That was the first time I heard her mention family.”

  “If you give me their flight information, I’ll arrange for someone to meet them there and get the
m booked on the earliest flight to Antwerp.”

  “I’ll meet them personally,” Jack said.

  “Okay. I’ll see if I can locate Thea.”

  “Thank you.” Jack sat heavily in his chair, worry filling his mind. His gut told him that Thea was the key to Jo’s wellbeing in the future. If there was a future for her.

  Chapter Twenty-one

  Thea returned to the hotel with Alice, saw Calum waiting in the foyer of the hotel, and thought it strange since the game couldn’t be over yet.

  “Let me check with my mother for a few minutes, Alice. Why don’t you check on Calum since it looks like he didn’t go to the game. I’ll catch up with you two shortly.”

  Alice nodded and headed toward the young man who had a pensive look on his face. Thea ducked behind the reception desk and went into the office.

  “Mom, I was in the café across from the bakery and saw Alex with Stella leaving hastily. Is there a problem that you know of?”

  “You know they have a daughter and she surprised them the anniversary party?” Karen stared at her with sad eyes.

  “Yes, you told me the night of the anniversary party. I didn’t get to meet her because I left early.”

  “Appears she’s critically ill and they’ve had to leave to be with her. I don’t know any details other than that Alex said he would let me know when he knew the facts.”

  “Oh, no, they will be destroyed. I’m sorry to hear that. I’ll pray for them. By the way, I saw Calum. Did he change his mind about going with Grayson and Bradley?”

  “He said something came up and that he needed to see you and Alice. He looked kinda shocked. I hope he hasn’t had bad news, too.”

  “I’d better go check.” As she headed for the door, the phone pealed out and Karen answered. “Hello. May I ask who’s calling? Just a minute.” Karen placed her hand on the mouthpiece “Thea, do you know someone named Belinda Orkney? She sounds official?”

  “Orkney? No, I don’t think so. Orkney? It does ring a bell.” Thea concentrated on the name. Where had she heard it before?

  “She said it’s urgent and wanted to know if you could spare a few minutes. Her boss would like a word with you.”