“I’m sincere in what I said, Lucas. It’s true that I cave in sometimes when I’m with you—”
“Stop it, Susan. Mislead anybody you like, but tell yourself the truth.
“If you can, I’d like you to start in the first building of Hamilton Village in about two weeks. I want the model rooms on the eighth floor.”
“I need to see the plans for that floor so that, from the beginning, I can design each apartment differently. I hate redoing anything. What about the public rooms?”
“These apartments are intended mainly for retirees. I suggest you do the lobby and recreation rooms last. I’ll bring the floor plans to your office tomorrow.”
Shortly after one o’clock the next day, Monday, the shop door opened and she looked up from her drafting board to see Lucas stride in carrying a roll of plans. “How about some lunch?” he said. “I can go across the street and get a couple of barbecued pork sandwiches, or we can waste a lot of time on an elegant meal.”
She put the pen aside and took off her smock. “Hi. Make it barbecued chicken, and let’s eat here. I’ll make some coffee and open two cans of soup. Thanks to you, I have a nice kitchen over there.”
After lunch, they sat down to discuss her ideas for decorating the retirement village. “I think light colors, and a focus on comfort and safety should attract seniors,” she said, “so I won’t use ultra modern furniture, or low slung chairs.”
He leaned over the drafting table, too close, and he knew it, but she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of knowing her reaction to his nearness. “That would make a nice room for a child,” she said, “but since we’re dealing with seniors, I’ll put a big television in there.”
“That’s what I intended it for, a den,” he said. “Speaking of children, what’s happening with Rudy?”
“I was going to tell you. I’ve become friendly with Harris, my lawyer, and his wife, and so I didn’t want to use him for something personal like this, but it was moving so slowly that I called him and told him my problem. He brought the papers over this morning, I signed them, and he’s filing them. Now, I have to wait. He said it could be a month or ten months.
“Lucas, I don’t know what I’ll do if they turn me down. I love her so much, and she loves me.”
“I know. I’ve always known. Well, now’s the time to send up some prayers. What are you going to do about Nathan?”
“I’ll just have to make sure that they stay in close contact. They need each other.”
“Yeah,” he said in a manner that seemed absentminded, at least for him. “Funny how easily a person can become a habit.”
Lucas left his regular Monday morning meeting with the senior staff of Jackson Enterprises feeling that they had finally accepted him as the boss, although he’d had to roll heads in order to achieve that. He drove to Calvin Jackson’s house, an imposing brick Tudor on the edge of Danville, parked in front of it, strolled up the walk and rang the bell. He’d never cared for the Tudor style, because most of the houses contained space that wasn’t easily put to good use.
“Good morning. I’m Lucas Hamilton,” he said to the woman who opened the door.
The woman’s eyes widened. “Yes, I can see that. He’s in the library.” Considering the draft of cold air that came from her, he didn’t have to imagine who she was. He’d finally met Mrs. Calvin Jackson.
The library. And where the hell is that? he wanted to ask her when she left it to him to find his way. But as an architect, he knew the Tudor design, and walked directly to the room in which his father sat reading The Woodmore Times and drinking coffee.
Calvin looked up at him, smiled and pointed to a chair facing him. “I wanted to call you and ask how it went, but I decided to leave it to you. I don’t have the right to intrude in your life; I’m thankful for whatever you give me.”
He ignored that last part, recognizing the truth in it but prepared to move on from the past, to the extent that they could. “You mean my visit with Nana? I’m still awed by it.” With his forearms resting on his thighs, he leaned forward. “Dad, she’s so tiny and frail, and at the same time, she’s so strong.”
Calvin Jackson closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair while his lips trembled. “Do you know what you called me?”
He hadn’t planned to say it, but it came off his tongue easily, and maybe it was time. “It shocked me when I said it to Mama yesterday. I didn’t force it. I think it has something to do with Nana. I fell in love with her. It’s as if she’s a present you gave me.”
“Thank you. She called me, and I never knew her to talk so fast and so much. She is enchanted with you. Are you going back to see her?”
“Of course. As often as I can. I saw a couple of things I want to do there.”
“She told me. I get a sense that you take good care of your mother.”
“I do, indeed. And you take good care of Nana. It amazed me that she and I have so much in common. My visit with her was a homecoming for me. I’m so glad I went.”
Sitting with his father in the house that he should have called home, looking at the wealth that substituted for happiness, he thought of his own life. He didn’t need to be wealthier than he was; he needed a family and time in which to smell the flowers.
He observed his father, strong and with the appearance of a capable man. “You’re up and around now, so in a month I should be able to hand the company back to you. What do you say?”
Calvin donned his corporate demeanor and looked hard at Lucas. “Your contract is for a minimum of one year. That aside, I had something else in mind.”
Lucas held up his hand. “Before we get to that, tell me what you think the CEO of your company is worth for a year.”
Calvin let him know that, in business matters, he did not shilly-shally. “In your case, about three hundred thousand more than the contract stipulates. Now, to what I have in mind. I want you to add Hamilton Architectural Designs to Jackson Enterprises, and”—Lucas bolted upright. “Hear me out. You would continue as CEO of Jackson Enterprises as newly formed, and I would retire completely. I want to travel while I still have my health and enough energy. I’ve dreamed of seeing Europe, Africa, Asia, the world, in fact. I don’t want to die without having seen the Taj Mahal, the world’s most beautiful edifice. Can you appreciate that?”
Lucas nodded in a perfunctory manner. “Sure I can, but I want to give my architectural business my full attention.”
“Hire an architect whose ideas are similar to yours. Think about it. In five years, you’ll double the value of our holdings, something I can’t do. You’re young, and you have vision and ideas. Old men dream dreams.”
Lucas got up and began walking from one end of the room to the other, and his father remained quiet, as if allowing him the freedom to think. He stopped in front of the man he had called Dad for the first time three minutes earlier. “This is bizarre. I spent all of my professional life working my tail off to equal you in status and accomplishment, and now you’re handing it to me. I’m not sure I want to accept. I have to think about it.”
“Fair enough. I’m sure you’ll arrive at the right decision. By the way, can you come over Sunday afternoon? My daughters will be here, and I want you to meet them.”
“What about your wife? I assume it was she who opened the door for me. Will this be a family conference?”
Calvin lifted his right shoulder in a lazy, uncaring way. “Who knows? I don’t doubt that you can hold your own in any setting. And yes, that was my wife.”
Lucas looked hard at Calvin. “Why are you doing this? You’ve known me less than six months. How do you know I won’t steal the company or worse, destroy it?”
A smile settled around Calvin’s eyes. “Do you think I got where I am today by being stupid? I’m a good judge of human beings, and I damn well know the difference between copper and tin. You won’t do any such thing. You’re too proud, and you’re honest. I admire your character, and I know that I am not taking a risk. Hasn’t it occu
rred to you that you’re only getting what’s due you?”
Lucas held up one hand. “Slow down, Dad. Has it occurred to you that your family may make it impossible for me to run this operation as I see fit?”
“I’ll take care of that.” A laugh floated out of him. “You’re safe from them as long as they don’t have to work. Promise me you’ll give this serious thought.”
The following evening around seven-thirty, Lucas left an old movie, The Color Purple, with Susan—having given her seven yards of silk velvet as a bribe for going with him—took her hand and walked with her to the corner ice cream stand. “I’ve got so much on my mind, Susan. Let’s get some ice cream and go sit in the park and eat it. It’s too nice an evening to go inside.”
As they sat on a bench in Pine Tree Park eating the ice cream, she wondered about his inattentiveness. “If you want to talk, I’m listening,” she said.
“I don’t know where to start.” With apparent effort, he told her of his father’s proposition. “Why should I turn my life around for a man who didn’t recognize me as his child?”
“Wait a minute. That’s not what you told me. Your mother had a hand in that.”
“Oh, all right, but he didn’t bust his butt demanding his rights.” His fingers brushed his forehead, as if ridding it of the memory. “Okay. You have a point. His company is solid, and in the six short months that I’ve run it, I’ve improved it, but I’m not a business administrator; I’m an architect, and that’s the work I love to do.”
She didn’t spare him. “If he had married your mother, you would not be complaining; you’d do what you were expected to do. Don’t act hastily, Lucas. You’re beginning to care for your father, and he obviously admires and respects you. I suspect he loves you, too. Get to know him. You may learn to love him.”
“You’re right. He’s a warm, decent man, and he’s had over a third of a century in which to suffer for his misdeed. Say, would you like to go with me to see my grandmother this weekend? I think I’ll drive. Flying is such a hassle these days.”
“You’re sweet,” she said in an effort to minimize the pain that his question stoked in her. “But Lucas, a man does not bring a woman to see his grandmother unless he’s contemplating permanent ties with her. Your grandmother will get the wrong impression, and I will be embarrassed.”
He looked at her. “You said I’m sweet. So why would it embarrass you to be seen with me?”
She slapped the back of his left hand. “You can be very thick headed when it suits you.”
“I was hoping for company. It’s a long drive. You could keep me from falling asleep.”
“Take Willis Carter. Your grandmother won’t make any mistakes there.”
His features became animated, and he crossed his knees and leaned against the back of the bench. “You’ve given me an idea. I’m planning to change some things in her kitchen, and if Willis goes with me, we may be able to do it together. What’s wrong?” he asked when she appeared to sulk.
“Oh, nothing. I’m disappointed that Willis can replace me so easily.”
“In your dreams, maybe.” He indicated a desire to leave the park, and she wondered at his sudden shift from light-heartedness to seriousness.
“I really enjoyed sitting there and eating ice cream. Do you like picnicking in remote places? I do, and I took Rudy and Nathan picnicking over near Scenic Gardens. They were so excited and so happy. Oh, Lucas. I love those children so much.”
“I know you do, and I hope it works out well for all of you.”
She had attempted several times recently to ask Lucas about his half sisters, but hadn’t followed through for fear that he might not want to talk about them. After all, they had been raised in comparative luxury. She grasped his left hand and knew at once from his reaction that he anticipated an unusual move on her part.
“What’s on your mind?”
“I was wondering whether you’ve met your . . . uh . . . sisters and if you have, what you think of them.”
She was always so sensitive about his feelings. He squeezed her fingers. “Not yet. We’re meeting at Dad’s house next Sunday. He warned me that the older of the two can be a cuss, but that doesn’t bother me.”
She thought for a moment. “You would be in a strong position if your father could tell them that you will be in charge of his business. If you’re going to agree to his proposition, why not tell him now? You trust him, don’t you?”
“Absolutely.”
“Then why don’t you accept his proposition. You’ll still have Hamilton Architectural Designs, and you’ll gain so much more. You won’t get revenge by refusing him; you’ll only have to watch someone else, maybe a stranger, get what is rightfully yours. If you want to punish him, this is not the way.”
They reached his car, and after opening the door for her, he went around to the driver’s side and got in. “That’s just it. I have no desire to punish him. And you’re right. I’m going to call him and take him up on his proposal. It isn’t what I’ve envisaged doing with my life, but maybe his plan is better than mine.”
Susan arrived at Wade School that afternoon simultaneously with Ann Price. She parked the BMW and walked toward Ann’s car as the children jumped out of it and raced to meet her. When she knelt to hug them, they launched themselves into her arms.
“You children go on inside,” Ann said. “I want to talk with Ms. Pettiford for a minute.” They kissed Susan’s cheek and ran toward the school’s front door, holding hands as they went.
Susan stood and faced Ann. “Hi. What do you want to talk to me about?”
“Well . . .” At the woman’s hesitancy, Susan experienced a moment of anxiety. “I . . . uh . . . Well, how are your plans for adopting Rudy coming along?”
After remembering that Ann had offered to help in the adoption, she decided to confide in her. “I’ve signed the papers, but I don’t want Rudy to know in case it falls through. She would be as disappointed as I.”
Ann Price nodded. “That’s good. I’ll be glad to speak for you. You’ll need good references. I’ll be glad to send an affidavit to the agency.”
“I appreciate that, Ann. I don’t know what I’ll do if they turn me down.”
“I don’t think they will.”
Susan didn’t see Rudy and Nathan when she went inside the building, for she was already a few minutes late and, assuming that the children were either in class or with Lucas, she went on to her classroom.
Occasionally, Lucas walked the halls to assure himself that nothing untoward occurred at Wade School while he was in charge. As he stepped out of his office, Rudy and Nathan ran up to him and tugged at his hands, one on either side of him as they usually did.
He put his arms around their shoulders. “Why aren’t you in class?”
“We have to ask you something, Mr. Hamilton,” Nathan said. However, it was Rudy who seemed worried.
“Mr. Hamilton,” she began. “Mrs. Price gave us a dollar and fifty cents to give to the tsunami children, but I want to buy Ms. Pettiford a present with mine.”
“Me, too,” Nathan said. “Do the tsunami children need it real bad?”
“You mean the children in Asia who are victims of the tsunami? Yes, they need it badly.”
Rudy hung her head. “Gee, I just gave everything in my piggy bank to the New Orleans children. Now I have to send—”
He hunkered between them. “You have a home, food and clothing, but those children don’t.”
“Okay,” they said in unison.
“Tell you what,” Lucas said. “Give your money to the tsunami victims, I’ll take you shopping and you may buy something for Ms. Pettiford.” When they hugged and kissed him, the pangs in his heart became almost unbearable. If I don’t hurry, I’ll miss the opportunity to have a family. “We won’t mention this to Ms. Pettiford,” he told them. “It will be a surprise.”
At the end of the tutoring session, he walked out of the building in time to see Susan hugging Rudy and Nathan
, as if she would never see them again and detaining Ann Price, who looked on, smiling like a benevolent grandmother.
Susan loved those children as much as if she’d given birth to them, yet she was thirty-four and seemed to make no effort to have any of her own. Scratch that. She hadn’t told him to wear a condom and hadn’t asked if he might have impregnated her. Hmmm. One day, I’ll make her tell all, even if I have to get her in bed in order to do it.
The next afternoon, he waited for Ann Price at the Rose Hill School when she arrived for Rudy and Nathan and told her of his promise to the children. “I’d like to take them shopping now, if it’s all right with you. I’ll have them at your place within a couple of hours.”
“The smaller the store, the better it will be for your nerves,” she told him. “They’ll be so happy they’ll drive you crazy.”
“Maybe, but I doubt it. We get on well.” Rudy and Nathan ran to them, stopped and gazed up at Lucas in wordless question. “We’d better get started,” he told them. “I promised Mrs. Price to have you home in a couple of hours.” He strapped the excited children in the backseat of the town car and headed for Market Street.
In Annie’s Souvenir Shop, Nathan picked up a yellow necklace and showed it to the clerk. “Can I buy this for a dollar and fifty cents?” he asked.
The clerk shook her head. “No, dear. I’m afraid not.”
Nathan’s face sagged. “How much more do I need?”
“Wrap it up nicely for him,” Lucas said. “It’s for his teacher.”
Nathan turned to look at Lucas. “Thanks, Mr. Hamilton. Miss Pettiford is my friend.” He looked up at Lucas with eyes that shone with happiness. “You are, too.”
“What can I buy her?” Rudy asked. “I can spend a dollar and fifty cents, too.”
The sales woman looked at Lucas, who said, “Pick out something, Rudy.”
“I want . . . everything is so pretty,” she said.
Getting Some Of Her Own Page 21
