Michelle wore a horrid expression. “Seven months? Isn’t that too early to deliver?”
“Well, my doctor says that chances are good that the baby’s lungs will be developed enough so that he or she can breathe on its own. We may be able to wait longer than seven months, but that depends on the weight of the baby. I promised him that I was on my way home and into bed, but I just had to come by here and tell you about my miracle first.”
“Well, in that case, go home and get into bed.”
“What about the Henderson case? I didn’t finish typing the brief on it. I was gonna finish it this afternoon.”
“That’s no longer your concern, Chantal. You are officially on maternity leave; now go home,” Michelle demanded.
“But what about—”
Michelle shooed Chantal out of her office. “What about nothing. Go home and relax. I’ll call you later, then you can fill me in on everything that needs to be completed for the Henderson case.”
“Michelle, I hate to leave you like this when so much is going on. What are you going to do without a secretary?”
“I’m going to cry, but I’ll figure something out. I don’t want you worrying about that.”
“If I take my laptop home with me, I could work in bed.”
“Are you crazy, Chantal? That’s not a bad idea, but are you crazy? The only thing you should be concentrating on is what color to paint the nursery.”
Michelle helped Chantal carry a few personal things to her car after she had finished packing up her desk. “How will you tell Doug the good news?”
“I think I’ll bake a cake and put Congratulations, Daddy on it and sit it on the kitchen table.”
“Oh, I like that. Make sure to call me when you both come down from the high and tell me about it.”
Chantal hugged Michelle one last time. “I will, and thanks for everything.”
Michelle stood in the parking lot and watched as Chantal’s car disappeared from her sight. “Lord, I thank you for Chantal’s miracle, but what am I gonna do without my secretary?”
“Hey, sis,” Michelle greeted.
Amaryllis was lying on the sofa watching her favorite channel when Michelle walked in the front door with more paperwork than she could carry.
“What’s all that?” Amaryllis asked.
“My secretary took a sudden leave of absence today and this is all the stuff she left behind. I’ve gotta be in court in the morning and I need to type a brief before then.”
“Can you type?”
Michelle set the paperwork on the cocktail table, plopped down on the sofa next to Amaryllis and exhaled. “Not a lick. I’m probably at fifteen words a minute.”
Amaryllis laughed at her. “Michelle, fifteen words a minute isn’t typing, that’s pecking. Let me see what you got.”
That was the first time Amaryllis had laughed since she’d been in Las Vegas. Michelle noticed her stitches in the corner of her mouth were absent. “Hey, you can laugh. I forgot you were going to get your stitches removed today. Please tell me that you decided not to call a taxi and let Daddy take you to the doctor I had recommended.”
“Yes. I relented and allowed him to play his role. But I can tell that Daddy doesn’t like me. He didn’t say two words to me the entire time on the way to the doctor’s office or on the way home. He didn’t even ask how my visit went. I wish you hadn’t made me go to dinner with you two Monday evening. He ignored me the whole time. If it weren’t for you carrying the entire conversation and forcing him to acknowledge me from time to time, Daddy would’ve treated me as though I was invisible.”
Michelle was well aware that Amaryllis had been a thorn in their father’s side ever since she could utter her first words. Like oil and water, the two of them just didn’t mix.
“You know, Amaryllis, I don’t know what to say about you and Daddy. You’re both behaving like children. Why won’t you be the bigger person and address the issues the two of you have?”
As far as Amaryllis was concerned, Nicholas was the father and he should be the one to approach her if there was to be a reconciliation. She ignored Michelle’s question and focused on the large amount of paperwork her sister dumped on her lap. “All of this has to be typed for court tomorrow?”
Michelle let out a loud sigh. “All of that.”
“I’ll do it for you. It should take me no longer than two hours.”
“Amaryllis, there’s no way you can do that in two hours.”
“Correction, there’s no way you can do it in two hours. I’m on a leave of absence as an administrative assistant for a law firm in Chicago.”
“Oh, my goodness. I completely forgot about that. But do you feel up to it? You’ve only been here a few days. How’s your shoulder?”
“It’s getting better and better every day. It’s been a month since the incident and now, I’ve gotten rid of my cast and cane. Except for an occasional ache, my shoulder is fine.”
“Amaryllis, if you can get this done for me, I’ll love you forever.”
“You’ve got to do that anyway.”
“I’ll love you forever and a day, how about that?”
“I like that better.”
Amaryllis emerged from Michelle’s home office one hour and twenty minutes later. Michelle was lying on the couch half asleep when Amaryllis placed the brief on her lap. She sat up and looked at it, then looked at her sister. “What’s this?”
“Your brief.”
“You’re done?” Michelle asked scanning the typed pages in amazement.
“Yeah, I told you it wouldn’t take that long. It’s what I do.”
“Amaryllis, I can’t believe you were able to complete all of this so quickly. How fast are you?”
“Approximately seventy-eight words per minute.”
Michelle’s wheels were turning. “Do you feel well enough to be put on my payroll?”
“Yeah, I think it’s about time I got back into the swing of things.”
“Great, you’re hired and you start tomorrow morning at eight o’clock. What was your pay in Chicago?”
“Michelle, I don’t expect to be paid. You’ve already done so much for me. Room and board is more than enough.”
“Amaryllis, nobody in their right mind works for free. Of course I’m going to pay you. Besides, your story will change once you see all the duties Chantal had. She was my right hand woman who practically ran the firm in my absence.”
“Speaking of Chantal, she called right before you came home.”
“Great, I’ll call her, then you two can talk. I’m sure she wouldn’t mind briefing you on what you need to know. I pay her twenty-eight dollars an hour. Is that suitable for you?”
“You pay your secretary that much, Michelle?”
“Chantal’s worth it. I couldn’t function without her. She’s my eyes and ears.”
“Heck yeah, that’s suitable. It’s a whole lot more than I was making in Chicago. You better be careful, Michelle, you’re spoiling me. I may never leave you now.”
“You’re my sister, girl. I love having you here. I just hope you can handle the work load.”
After just three hours behind Chantal’s desk, Amaryllis was fit to be tied. Michelle said that Chantal had her hands full, but she didn’t tell Amaryllis that she was a superwoman. Back in Chicago, all Amaryllis had to do was pay Bridgette to take the load off of her, but here in Reno, she was on her own. No wonder Michelle paid Chantal so generously. Looking at all of the work, Amaryllis thought Chantal was probably underpaid.
At noontime, Amaryllis took a break and looked away from the computer screen. She had to blink about three or four times to correct her vision. Her fingers were cramped and her legs were numb from sitting in one position for way too long.
Michelle came out of her office and approached Amaryllis. “How’s it going, honey?”
Amaryllis was in a funky mood and decided to tell her sister a thing or two about abusing employees. “Let me tell you something, Michelle. Al
l this work you have Chantal doing is ridiculous. No wonder she took an early leave. And I bet she was paying someone on the sly to help her out.” Amaryllis held up her fingers for Michelle to see them. “Look at my fingers; they’re crooked.”
Michelle caressed Amaryllis’ fingers. “Come on, it’s not that bad, is it?”
“It’s worse than bad. How could Chantal handle all of this?”
“I don’t know, but she did. And thanks for typing that brief for me last night.”
“You’re welcome. What time do you have to be in court?”
“Three o’clock this afternoon. Has James called?”
“No, he hasn’t called at all today.”
Just then the elevator doors opened and James stepped off displaying a picture perfect smile and a dozen roses in his hand. He walked straight to Michelle and kissed her lips.
“Hello, gorgeous.”
Michelle smiled at his smile. “You’re the gorgeous one.”
“Not me, you are.”
“No, you are.” Michelle turned to her sister. “Amaryllis, this is James, the love of my life. James, this is my baby sister, Amaryllis.” She was so happy to finally introduce the two.
James took a single rose from the dozen and presented it to Amaryllis. “Here’s to the second most beautiful woman in the world. It’s my pleasure to meet you, Amaryllis.”
Amaryllis took the rose from him. “What a gentleman. Thank you, James.”
“You’re not letting Mickey work you too hard, are you?”
Amaryllis wiggled her fingers. “That’s an understatement. I’ve been typing since eight o’clock this morning and now I can’t feel my fingers or legs.”
James gave Michelle the remaining eleven roses. “These are for you, and you should be ashamed of yourself.”
Michelle inhaled the scent from the roses. “Amaryllis is a professional, she can handle it.”
James looked at Amaryllis sympathetically. “Sorry, I tried.” He grabbed Michelle’s free hand and kissed the back of it. “Have you eaten yet, beautiful?”
“Not yet. I was just about to ask Amaryllis if she wanted to go to lunch.”
“Looks like I’m just in time, then. I’ll treat you both to a nice juicy steak. How about it, Amaryllis. Are you up to it?”
“I appreciate the offer, but I’ve got too much work to do,” Amaryllis replied.
Michelle was grateful to Amaryllis for helping her out, but she certainly didn’t want her to think that she was being taken for granted. “Sis, I don’t care how much work needs to be done, I never expect you to work through your lunch or your breaks. I think it would be great if you come to lunch with us.”
“Thanks again, guys, but to be honest with you, I just don’t feel like going to a restaurant.”
“Are you sure?” James asked.
“Yeah, I think I’ll go next door to the deli and get a salad,” Amaryllis said.
Michelle ran a soft hand across Amaryllis’ sore shoulder. “Okay, but I expect for you to spend your entire lunch hour relaxing. Why not go to the employees’ lounge on the second floor and put your feet up?”
“That’s sounds like a good idea. Maybe I will.”
James withdrew a twenty dollar bill from his wallet and gave it to Amaryllis. “Since you’re not dining with Mickey and me, enjoy your salad on me.”
Amaryllis was in awe at the kindness of this man. “You don’t have to buy my lunch, James.”
“Even though you’re not eating with us, I’d still like to treat you today.” James smiled.
Amaryllis placed the money in her wallet. “Thanks, I appreciate it.”
Michelle gave Amaryllis the bunch of roses she was holding. “Can you put these in water and place them on my desk for me?”
“Of course I can. Have a good lunch.” Amaryllis stood up.
When James and Michelle got to the elevator, he turned around. “Can we bring you anything back?”
He was smiling and Amaryllis could see his dimples. James was handsome and a complete gentleman. He treated her sister with the utmost respect and Amaryllis understood why Michelle was crazy about him. She focused on his dimples and smiled back at him. “No, thanks.”
When the elevator doors closed, Amaryllis sniffed her single rose and thought to herself, He’s in love with Michelle and she barely lets him touch her. I wonder if he’s content with that. A man like James shouldn’t be deprived.
She placed Michelle’s roses in a vase and filled it with water, then set the vase on Michelle’s desk next to James’ picture. She picked up the photograph and looked at his smile. “No, you shouldn’t have to be deprived, James.”
The telephone rang and she sat down at Michelle’s desk to answer it. “Price & Associates, Amaryllis speaking.”
“What’s up, ghetto fabulous?”
“Bridgette, I left you a message on your voice mail for you to call me here three hours ago. What took you so long to call me back?”
“Amaryllis, when it’s ten o’clock your time, it’s twelve noon my time. I was at lunch.”
“Oh yeah, I forgot about the time difference.”
“What was so urgent?”
“I was trying to do a spreadsheet and I needed you to talk me through it, but I figured it out. What’s new with you?”
“Ain’t nothing new with me. My life is always the same; boring. Wait a minute, why are you doing spreadsheets? It just dawned on me that the number you left for me to call you at is to your sister’s firm. You took your tail to Vegas and got a job, Amaryllis?”
“I’m just helping out Michelle. Her secretary is on a maternity leave.”
“Well, isn’t that special? The partners still haven’t hired a temp to come in and take your place, so I got double the workload. I’m telling you, I’m two seconds away from walking out of this place without looking back. I haven’t been to the riverboat casino to get my gamble on since you’ve been gone. But that’s enough about me, are there any cute guys in sin city?”
Amaryllis looked at James’ picture again. “There is this one guy who has potential.”
“Ooh la la. Who is he?”
“Someone who would be perfect for me, but he’s not available.”
“Let me guess. He’s married, right?”
“Nope, engaged.”
“Engaged doesn’t mean untouchable,” Bridgette replied.
“It kinda does, Bridgette.”
“Excuse me. Who am I talking to? The Amaryllis I know always gets her man. Have you gotten soft on me, girl?”
Amaryllis laughed. “I must have, because back in the day I would’ve pursued any man whether he was married, engaged or whatever.”
“Yeah, you’ve certainly broken up your share of marriages and relationships, girlfriend.”
“I know, and I wanna leave that lifestyle behind, but there’s something about this guy that jumps out at me. Today, he brought me a rose and invited me to lunch, but I turned him down,” Amaryllis said sadly.
“Because he’s engaged?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, how in love can he be with his woman if he’s buying you flowers and asking you to lunch?”
“That’s what I need to find out. Just how much in love is he?” Amaryllis wanted to know more for herself than for Bridgette.
“What’s his name and how did you meet him?”
“His name is James and my sister introduced us. He’s a homicide detective, and according to Michelle, he’s deeply rooted in his church.”
“Another church boy, huh?”
“He’s a minister, Bridgette.”
“A minister? Come on now, Amaryllis. You should know by now that you and church boys don’t mix.”
“I know, I know. I don’t do well with church boys, but for James, I might consider going to church.”
“Okay, I don’t wanna bring up the past or anything, but I gotta know; Randall was a church boy and darn near perfect. So, what’s so different about this James guy that you’d be
willing to go to church?”
“I can’t answer that. Like I said, it’s just something about him.”
“Well, in that case, do what you gotta do to get your man, Amaryllis.”
“It might just come to that, Bridgette. Me doing whatever I gotta do.”
Chapter 6
“Court is in recess.” The judge banged his gavel and left the courtroom. Michelle felt a tap on her shoulder and turned to see her father. “Hi, Daddy.”
“Baby Girl, you were phenomenal, as usual.”
“Thank you, but I’m frustrated right now.” Michelle looked at her wristwatch.
“James and I were supposed to meet at my house this evening to select the wording for our wedding invitations. I really hadn’t planned on being in court this long.”
“Well, you heard the judge’s ruling, so there’s nothing you can do about it. Just call James and tell him that you’re stuck in court.”
“Okay. Are you leaving now?”
“Yeah, I’ve gotta pick up Margaret. We’re going to the opera tonight.”
Michelle was happy that her father had met a woman he enjoyed spending time with. Margaret Ayers, a widow and a retired librarian, was perfect for Nicholas. Golf was her passion as well. She and Nicholas had met on the greens three months ago and have been inseparable ever since.
Michelle took to Margaret the moment Nicholas introduced the two. Michelle thought she was kind and warmhearted. “If I wasn’t able to witness this, Daddy, I wouldn’t believe it. I can’t picture you sitting in a theatre enjoying opera.”
“I hate it, but Margaret loves it and I love her, so I do what I gotta do. It’s called sacrifice. You know where I’m coming from, Baby Girl?”
“Absolutely. You taught me well. Say ‘hello’ to Margaret for me.”
Nicholas kissed his daughter’s cheek and left the courtroom. Michelle took her cellular phone from her purse and called the precinct.
“Homicide; Detective Moore speaking.”
Amaryllis Page 6
