Treading Water

by Marie Force

  “Jack, think about it. You’ve told me boys have been asking her out for years, and she’s never said yes until now. Why do you think that is? She probably does love him, and you can’t just blow it off and wish it wasn’t true.” Andi hoped he would take the initiative to talk to Kate—and soon. She didn’t like keeping things from him.

  “You’re right, and I’ll talk to her. Well, I’d better let you get back to work and go see how much damage they’ve done to my design.” Leaning over to kiss her again, he said, “I’ll see you at home.”

  “I might be late.”

  “Take your time.” He waved as he walked away.

  Andi ached for him, knowing he would be upset by what Kate had to tell him. With a deep breath to clear her mind, she forced herself to focus on work. She picked up the phone to dial Bill’s direct line in Chicago to update her replacement on their progress. Since she’d been so involved with the initial planning for the Newport property, she’d overseen much of the installation work herself.

  Jen Brooks, her former assistant, answered Bill’s line. “Hi, Andi, how are you? Is it crazy there?”

  “It’s like a war zone. I have trouble imagining we’ll be ready in just twenty-five days. My office is still in boxes, and all I do is sit in interviews and meetings, but I love it. How are you?”

  “Okay, I guess.”

  “You don’t sound okay. What’s wrong? Are you enjoying working for Bill?”

  “He’s great—not as great as you, of course.”

  Andi laughed. “Of course. So what’s going on? You sound so down.”

  “Mark and I broke up two weeks ago.”

  “Oh, no! What happened?” Andi knew that Jen had hoped to marry the handsome attorney she’d dated for a couple of years.

  “You know we’d been talking about getting married, but he’s always said he doesn’t want kids. I hoped he’d change his mind, but he’s not going to. I can’t imagine never having kids.”

  “I’m sorry, Jen. I know how happy you were with him.”

  “Other than that one big sticking point.”

  “You did the right thing. You don’t want to miss out on being a mom someday if it’s that important to you.”

  “I just hate being here. I keep worrying about running into him in the city. We have all the same friends. It’s awful.”

  “I have an idea.”

  “What’s that?”

  “How’d you like to come here and be my assistant manager? It’d be a big promotion for you, and we’d get to work together again. You could use the change of scenery. I could use the help—”

  “I’ll take it.”

  “Are you sure? Have you ever even been here?”

  “No, but I’m dying to get away from this city, and I’d love to work with you again.”

  “We could try it for a year, and if you wanted to go home after that, I’d totally understand.”

  “When do I start?”

  “How soon can you get here? We’ll pay for your move, and I’ll help you find a great apartment. You’ll love it here. It’s the most beautiful place to live.”

  “I’ll be there in a week. I can come back after the opening to move for good.”

  “Bill’s gonna kill me.”

  Jen laughed. “Yes, he is, but you’ve made my day, Andi. Thank you so much.”

  “Thank you. You’re saving my life. So where is he?”

  “In a meeting. Do you want me to have him call you?”

  “Yes, please, and send me your flight information. I’ll pick you up at the airport.”

  “Will do, thanks again.”

  Andi walked in just after seven to the smell of something that made her mouth water. “What’re you cooking, Jack?”

  He stirred the pot with one hand and reached out to hug her with the other. “Pesto, but I can’t take credit.”

  She kissed his cheek and peered into the pot.

  “Kate made it. I’m just supposed to stir.”

  “I’m impressed and starving. Where are they?”

  “Kate had some homework to finish. Maggie and Eric are in her room. They visited the twins this afternoon.”

  “We need to get over there, too. I haven’t seen them in three days. Did you get a chance to talk to Kate?”

  “Not yet, but I will after dinner.” He kissed her nose and went to call the kids for dinner.

  The pesto tasted as good as it smelled, and Kate’s meal was a big hit.

  “I’ll clean up, guys,” Andi offered. “Maggie, will you run Eric’s bath, please?”

  “Sure, come on, Eric,” Maggie signed.

  “Kate, can I talk to you in the study?” Jack asked.

  “Okay.” As Kate followed her father, she cast a nervous glance at Andi.

  “Talk to him,” Andi whispered as she bit her thumbnail, worried about how he would take what he was about to hear.

  “I hope you understand why I was so upset last night,” Jack said, working to keep his emotions in check and his tone civil.

  “I shouldn’t have let Ryan in, but he came over to bring me some stuff I left in his car—”

  “You’re right—you shouldn’t have let him in. I know you have good judgment, and I’ve never had any reason to question it before now. It’s so important that I can trust you—especially when you’re supposed to be watching Maggie and Eric.”

  “You can trust me, Dad.”

  “I have to apologize for one thing I said last night.”

  “Really?” she asked, looking surprised.

  “I shouldn’t have been so dismissive when you said you love Ryan. Maybe you do. I don’t know, but it’s not fair for me to tell you how you feel.”

  “I do love him. I know we’re young and all that, but we love each other.”

  He knew he had to ask, but, God, he really didn’t want to. “Tell me you’re not, you know…”

  She looked him right in the eye. “Having sex with him?”

  His heart stopped. “Are you?”

  “I’m thinking about it.”

  “You’re too young to even think about it.”

  “Half the girls in my class have already done it.”

  Shocked to hear that, he forced himself to focus on his daughter. “Look, so you love him. You still have to think about the big picture. What if you get pregnant? You can’t go to college if you’re pregnant or have a baby to take care of.”

  “Andi said the same thing, and I told her I’m not going to college.”

  “What do you mean you’re not going to college? You talked to Andi about this? When?”

  “This morning. I want a career in music. Why do I have to sit through four years of college to do that?”

  He put up a hand to stop her. “That’s crazy. You’re going to college. We’re not even talking about that.”

  “I’m not going. And you may as well know, I want to go on the pill.” She swallowed hard. “Just in case.”

  Jack’s head was going to explode. Any second now… “Is Ryan pressuring you to have sex?”

  “Not at all,” she said, looking offended. “I know you can’t imagine I might want to do it. I want to be safe about it. I wish you could understand that. Andi did.”

  “Did she?” He couldn’t believe Andi had kept this from him.

  “You know how I feel, and I’ve been honest with you about what I want to do. I hope you’ll respect that.” She got up and left the room.

  He sat there fuming for several minutes before he went to find Andi.

  Chapter 24

  “You knew this all day and never said anything? I was in your office, for Christ’s sake!”

  “She confided in me, Jack. I couldn’t just come running to you.”

  He followed her into their bathroom. “She’s thinking about having sex! You should’ve told me that.”

  “No, I shouldn’t have. I’ve been walking on eggshells around here for almost a year, especially with Kate and Jill. Don’t you see what a big deal it was that
she came to me with this? I told her to talk to you, and I pushed you to talk to her. That’s all I could do. I couldn’t betray her.”

  “Instead, you betrayed me.” He stormed out of the bathroom and slammed the door, needing to get the hell out of there before he said something else he’d regret.

  Since it was too dark to run on the beach, Jack stayed on the quiet street and watched for patches of ice. Running without music or a destination, he couldn’t believe Andi had kept something this important from him, even for just a few hours.

  After a while, he looked up to discover he’d run three miles and was approaching Frannie and Jamie’s new house, a contemporary Jamie had designed and built overlooking the water. He’d drawn the plans for the house years ago and put them away when it seemed like he wouldn’t be having a family. Jack saw the lights were still on, so he decided to stop to see them. He walked in to find Frannie curled up on the sofa, feeding one of the babies.

  “Hey,” he said. “I didn’t want to ring the bell and wake someone up.”

  “You don’t have to ring the bell here. You know that. What’re you doing out so late?”

  “Just taking a run. Who do you have there?” he asked as he wiped the sweat off his face with a gloved hand.

  “Owen. He’s insatiable.” She smiled when the baby wrapped his tiny fingers around hers as he breastfed under a light blanket.

  Jack dropped into the chair across from Frannie and pulled off his gloves. “Enjoy them while they’re that age.”

  “What’s the matter?”

  He told her about finding Kate with Ryan and the fight he’d had with her. “She wants to go on the pill, and she’s not going to college. Other than that, everything’s groovy.”

  “Wow, she put it right out there, huh? Don’t you want her on the pill if things with him have gone that far?”

  He struggled not to raise his voice as the baby dozed on Frannie’s shoulder. “No, I do not want her on the pill. I’m not giving her permission to have sex.”

  “Jack, she’s seventeen. She doesn’t need your permission. If she wants to do it, she will. Wouldn’t it be better to make sure she doesn’t get pregnant?”

  “I can’t believe we’re even having this conversation. Oh, and get this—Kate talked to Andi about all this earlier, and she never said a word to me. I mean my daughter is talking about having sex, and Andi doesn’t think I need to know that?”

  “So you expect Andi to tell you everything the girls confide in her?”

  “Stuff like this—yes.”

  “I didn’t.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “There were lots of times the girls told me things and made me promise not to tell you because it was embarrassing or it was just girl stuff. Sometimes I told you, and other times I didn’t. It depended on what it was. Don’t you think it’s great that Kate went to Andi with this? It shows what a good job she’s done getting the girls to trust her. If Andi had gone blabbing to you, Kate would never tell her anything again.”

  Jack hated to admit Frannie might have a point. “Andi could’ve cued me in so I wouldn’t have been totally blindsided.”

  “I know it’s hard to see the girls growing up. It’s hard for me, and I’m only their aunt.”

  “You’re much more than that to all of them, and you know it.”

  “Get her on the pill so a year from now you aren’t wishing you had.”

  “I’ll think about it, but I hate the idea of it.”

  “Weigh it against how you’d feel about being a grandfather, and you’ll start to feel a whole lot better about it,” she said with a grin.

  Jack grimaced at the word grandfather. “What’ll you do when Olivia tells you she wants to be on the pill at seventeen?”

  “Olivia won’t be allowed to date until she’s thirty. That’s where you made your mistake—letting her go out with him in the first place.”

  He smiled. “I hope I’m around for that fight.”

  “So she says she’s not going to college? What’s that all about?”

  “She wants to pursue music, and ‘why should I waste four years in school?’”

  “Who’s wasting four years in school?” Jamie asked as he came into the room.

  “Kate. She’s got a big idea about a career in music.” Jack rolled his eyes.

  Jamie leaned down to take the sleeping Owen from Frannie. “She’s good enough.”

  “Make sure you tell her that,” Jack said dryly. “You’ll really help my cause.”

  “Well, she is,” Jamie insisted. “She’s got a real talent. Maybe you should let her see where it takes her.”

  “Clare would have a shit fit over this. She pounded college into their heads from the day they were old enough to know what school was. She’d never go for it.”

  “Aren’t you doing to Kate the same thing your father did to you?” As he spoke, Jamie rubbed Owen’s back. “Do you want Kate to resent you the way you resented him all those years for not understanding you well enough to let you go your own way?”

  “So I just say ‘good luck, honey, hope it works out. Call home every now and then?’”

  “Maybe you do,” Frannie said softly. “If that’s what it takes to prevent what happened between you and Dad from happening again, maybe that’s exactly what you do.”

  Jack shook his head as he got up. “I can’t see myself doing that, Fran. I’m sorry I barged in on you guys. Thanks for letting me vent.” He gave Owen a pat on his well-padded bum.

  “It’s too cold to take the babies out, so we’re always home these days,” Frannie said.

  “Come by any time,” Jamie added. “We like the company.”

  Jack jogged home thinking about what Frannie and Jamie had said. He knew they were probably right, but he had no idea how to let Kate follow her dream and keep her safe at the same time.

  He took a shower and lay awake next to Andi for a long time. As he stewed about Kate, he found himself longing for Clare. She’d know exactly what to do.

  Jack woke up to a note from Andi, asking him to come see her when he got to the hotel.

  He dropped Maggie and Eric off at school and was at the hotel by nine. Sleep deprived and cranky, he was hit right away with a slew of new issues with the stubborn stonemasons. He finally blew up at the Portuguese crew chief, the only one who spoke English.

  “Do it the way it’s drawn, or I’ll find someone else who will!” Jack left the man speechless in his wake as he stormed into the hotel, went to Andi’s office, and slammed the door.

  “What’s wrong?” she asked.

  “They’re making a goddamned mess of that veranda.” He ran a hand through his hair in frustration. “I’m giving them one last chance to follow the plans, or I’ll replace them.”

  “We don’t have time to get another crew. I’ve had a disaster a minute myself since I got here at seven, and I don’t have the patience for another one.”

  “If you don’t care if it’s done right, then I don’t either. You’re the client.”

  She got up and walked around the desk to face him. “Is that what I am now, Jack? The client?”

  “You know what I mean.”

  “You’re mad I didn’t tell you about Kate, but I’d do the same thing if I had it to do over again.”

  “I just wish you’d warned me or something.”

  “Would that have made it easier to hear? Any of it?”

  “Probably not, but I don’t want us keeping things from each other. I don’t operate that way, and I didn’t think you did either.”

  “You’re being very unfair, and I don’t deserve it.” Her normally soft brown eyes flashed with fury. “I’m living in your wife’s house, eating off her dishes, and using her towels while trying to be a friend to her daughters. I’m doing the best I can. For God’s sake, Jack, what else do you want from me?”

  “Andi—” he said, stunned by her outburst.

  She held up a hand to stop him. “Forget it. I don’t have time for th
is now. I’ll be here until ten o’clock tonight at this rate. Thank you for driving Eric this morning and for pitching in with him while I’m so busy.”

  “You don’t have to thank me. I’m happy to take care of him.”

  “I’ll see you tonight.”

  With a sick feeling in his stomach, he went back to work.

  They didn’t see much of each other over the next few weeks as Andi worked long hours, usually crawling into bed long after midnight.

  Two days before the opening, the executive team from Chicago completed its inspection and declared the hotel ready to go. Andi’s reservations director told her they were sold out for the first month, and the front desk manager reported her group was ready to begin receiving the VIPs invited to the gala opening.

  Andi had supervised every detail of the gala and was tending to final preparations the day before the opening as she walked through the lobby, where the house staff was decorating a huge Christmas tree.

  The first thing guests would see upon entrance through the main door was an enormous staircase with the registration desk on one side and the concierge and bellman’s stations on the other. The staircase divided the two sides of the hotel and served as the symbolic center of the building. Guests choosing to take the stairs would be rewarded at the top with a full-length window view of the lawn and the bay. Andi loved the night view when she could see the Newport Bridge lit up in the distance.

  Jen Brooks had arrived two weeks earlier and was already indispensable to Andi. Jen had taken on the housekeeping and food service staff. Louis Jacard, the executive chef Andi had hired away from a top New York restaurant, was temperamental, but Jen assured Andi she could handle him.

  “Everything looks wonderful, Andi,” her colleague, Bill, said as they toured the suites in the west wing. “It came together beautifully.”

  “It really did,” Andi agreed.

  “And the art is superb. Frannie Booth did an outstanding job. We’ll have to use her again.”

  “She’s busy with the twins right now, but she might be interested in some work down the road.”