Nadalia smiled, relived. “Okay. I’ll make reservations.”
“No, I can’t!”
“What!” Her heart rate quickened and a tight ball formed in her stomach.
“Can’t do this weekend. Coffey’s coming in and we have to meet with clients Friday evening. I probably won’t be in until late and I’ll have to head back out early Saturday morning. This new venture looks like it’s really going to happen, but we have to play our cards right. We are starting with breakfast and want to show them around New York, then, get this deal sealed. Wish me luck.”
Nadalia sat in slow motion, afraid that her shaky legs would give out. She bit her bottom lip.
“Babe…babe.”
She heard Sage calling out to her through the phone, but she didn’t answer. She’d rather let him think the cell phone malfunctioned. When it was clear that he’d hung up, she turned the phone off, just in case he called back.
Chapter 27
Pearson
Pearson was in the Chamberlin and Associates offices, but handled business for the G-Day Foundation for the better part of the morning. She attempted to learn what she could about running her father’s company, but with her own annual benefit being a few months away, she couldn’t afford to push all of her duties aside without having to deal with major backlash once she got back to her own office.
Candice peeked into the spacious temporary office that had been issued to Pearson the day before. “Don’t forget we have a new client to see at ten.”
Pearson gazed over her laptop and nodded. Candice waited a moment and after Pearson didn’t offer any response, she closed the door.
Being in the building and the company that her father had built played a nostalgic trick on her. Most of the time she was fine and felt the pride of his legacy as she roamed through the halls. Other times, sadness enveloped her and she found it hard to breathe. Pearson imagined that Candice’s rigid, no-nonsense management style must have been a world of difference from that of her father. Even though she was young, she remembered how people adored him. He was so easy to like with his warm demeanor and that huge charming smile he always wore.
Pearson’s phone rang and a number from her office lit up her display. “Hello.”
“Morning, Mrs. Day.” It was Pearson’s assistant. “We just received the manifesto that you wanted to air at the benefit from the videographer. He also sent a link for us to view the trailer. When you have a moment to view it, let me know and I’ll get any changes that you might require back to him ASAP.”
“Thanks, Natalie. I’ll be in after lunch. We can view it together.”
“Okay. I have a few things for you to sign and I emailed you a couple of schedule changes to approve.”
“No problem.”
“Oh! The printer said we will have the printed invitations in the office today, right? If you want I can go ahead and have Tina begin labeling them.”
“Hold off on that, Nat. I want to see them before they go out.”
“Okay, Mrs. Day.”
Pearson ended the call and sighed. How was she going to manage running two companies? Her foundation was too close to her heart to abandon. Continuing her father’s legacy meant a lot to her as well. Maybe she’d have to tell her mother to find someone suitable to take over the company. Pearson sifted through the files on the desk. She grabbed the one that said Lefton Properties Ltd., and headed to the conference room for the meeting.
Pearson was the first to arrive in the oval boardroom. She sat at the massive mahogany table that mimicked the room’s shape. She laid the files on the table and opened up her laptop ready to take notes.
As much as she wanted to be there, her mind kept veering to thoughts about her foundation. There was so much to do in the next few months. This timing was just not the best.
Pearson heard Candice’s voice in the hallway. She thought of how she would tell her that she couldn’t take the position. After the meeting they could go to lunch and she’d give her the news then. She’d suggest that Walter be considered for the position since he had been with the company from its inception. He was like family and had spent the better part of his life in service to Chamberlin and Associates. Surely he had a stake in seeing it do well.
Finally, Candice entered the room chuckling with the gentlemen Pearson assumed to be the clients. Walter walked in behind the three unknown men and then along came her mother’s secretary, a mature woman who wore thick rimless glasses. As sweet as she was, one couldn’t tell since her faced appeared to be etched into a permanent scowl. The meeting was successful, Pearson assumed by the way they all smiled and shook hands afterwards, although she hadn’t bothered taking a single note. All she could recall was the droning of a collection of voices.
Once the boardroom was clear, Pearson went into her mother’s office to wait for her. Candice stepped in with a huge smile, but that smile fell when she gasped and threw her hand to her chest. Pearson had startled her.
“I didn’t mean to scare you.” Pearson said.
“Oh! I didn’t expect to see you.” She rounded her desk and sat. “The meeting went well, didn’t it?”
“Yes it did.” Pearson looked away. “New business is always nice. Let’s go to lunch so we can talk...and celebrate.”
“Sure. There’s a good Asian Fusion restaurant just down the block.”
“Okay.” Pearson wondered if Candice noticed how lifeless and forced their conversations were. They still hadn’t successfully passed being cordial, as if they were both nervous about stepping on any conversational land mines. There were so many. At least Pearson thought so. The other night in Candice’s home, was the first time she ever remembered having a conversation with her mother that went as deep as it had. Most importantly, they weren’t arguing.
“I’ll drive,” Pearson offered. “Let me get my purse and I’ll be right back.”
“Okay,” Candice said as she started to paint a layer of soft pink on her lips with one hand while she held a beaded mirror in the other. She pressed her lips together and swiped away the wisp of hair that settled over her right eye. Then she fluffed her flawless salt and pepper bob. Pearson watched for a moment before heading out of the office.
During the ride, Pearson continued trying out words that would help her tell Candice no. She decided to wait until after they ate. When they arrived at the restaurant, it was obvious that Candice had frequented the place. The ultra slim hostess addressed her by name in a heavy accent and asked if she wanted her usual spot.
Once they were seated, Candice sighed, clasped her hands in front of her and rested her head on them. The small chatter that passed between them was more typical of a courteous exchange between professionals rather than a conversation between mother and daughter.
“Looks like a big win for Chamberlin. Congratulations,” Pearson said.
“Yes. We’ve been after their properties for years, but we had to wait until their contract was up with their previous management company. They have a huge portfolio.”
Other than placing their orders, not much was said as they sipped on seltzers with lemon. When their food came, Pearson pushed hers around the plate. The questions that she wanted so badly to ask Candice left little room in her nervous stomach.
Pearson knew she’d have to get her questions in before she told Candice that she wasn’t going to take the position. Imagining that Candice would not be happy about her decision, she doubted that she’d be open to answering personal questions that could possibly detonate new levels of tension between them.
“I have more questions.”
Candice put her fork down and sighed, turning her face away from Pearson.
“I have the right to ask.”
“Fine.” Candice picked her fork back up and took in a few small bites in the space that Pearson left open as she formulated her questions. Candice then sat back. When Pearson didn’t begin right away, Candice threw her napkin on the table. “Come one. Let’s get this over with.”
“Why did
you ship me off to boarding school?”
“It was best.”
“For who?”
“You!” Candice said like she was exasperated. “Your future...me…”
“Forgive me if I don’t see how beneficial it was to ship me off to some boarding school that was miles away from home right after my father died.” Pearson couldn’t stop her emotions from raging. Tears spilled from her eyes and Candice looked away. “I just don’t get it.” She took deep breaths to try to keep calm. Candice still hadn’t responded. “Do you know what it felt like to have to deal with the death of my father in the midst of strangers? I had nobody!”
“Neither did I!” Candice yelled. A few people looked in their direction and she retreated. She cleared her throat and sat straight, shifting her chin a little higher as if that alone would restore her dignity. Then she took her napkin and dabbed at a small tear on the side of her eye.
Pearson was shocked. She couldn’t recall ever seeing her mother cry, except at her dad’s funeral.
“Contrary to what you may believe, I loved your father.”
“I didn’t question that. Why ship me off at a time when I needed you the most?”
“Pearson!” Candice screamed. “Do we have to do this now?”
“Yes!” Pearson sucked her teeth. “It’s never the right time for you, but these are things that I need to know. This isn’t easy for me either.” Candice shook her head and cast her eyes upwards. Pearson ignored the gesture.
“Fine!” Candice looked around to see if anyone was looking at her again, then lowered her voice and continued, “You won’t understand anyway.”
“Try me.”
“I didn’t know what else to do. I didn’t know how to deal with it myself, how was I supposed to be able to help you? The counselors at the school assured me that you would be fine.”
Pearson felt the heat of anger rise inside of her. Strangely she also felt pity for Candice. The woman had no clue how to be a mother.
Pearson decided she’d had enough for the day. Of course she had other questions that haunted her about her childhood and the wall that had been erected between her and her mother, but for now, she was done. Each question carried so much emotional weight and the response she just received was heavy enough. She was expecting to feel better with answers, but that wasn’t happening.
“You know what, Ma? Don’t worry about me asking you any more questions about things that I have the right to ask.” Dark sarcasm dripped from her words. “Why would I need to…or even want to understand why my relationship with my own mother seemed to be so…” Pearson searched for the right word. “Non-existent? Feel free to take all those answers to your grave.”
Candice’s head reared back as shock registered on her face. Pearson savored the response, but still couldn’t stop herself from crying. Her tears flowed so heavily that she no longer bothered to wipe them from her face. She noticed that her hands were shaking and decided it was time to end this exchange. “I’m done.” Pearson tossed her napkin and stood. “And by the way, I won’t be taking the position. I have my own business to run.”
Candice’s eyes grew wide. Pearson couldn’t tell if it was from astonishment or anger. Needing air, she ignored her mother’s reaction and dug around in her wallet so she could leave money for her part of the bill.
“Pearson!” Candice called out, but Pearson refused to answer. “Pearson!” she said louder and again looked around at the attention she garnered.
Pearson sucked her teeth and continued ignoring her.
“Pearson,” she said again, but more steadily. “Please!”
Pearson stopped moving. There was a sense of desperation in Candice’s plea that caught Pearson off guard. She stood still.
“Sit down. I have something very important to tell you.”
Pearson looked away.
“Please,” Candice almost whispered and then reached out and grasped Pearson’s arm.
Pearson flopped down in her chair.
“You have to reconsider,” Candice said.
Pearson opened her mouth to protest and Candice held her hands up.
“Sweetheart,” Candice said gently and Pearson scrunched her brows. When tears streamed down Candice’s cheeks and her lips trembled, Pearson really felt baffled. “I have…cancer….breast cancer. There’s a good chance that I won’t make it through the year.”
Pearson felt like a bomb had exploded in her chest. “What!” Her eyes stung from new tears. “No. You can’t do this to me. You can’t finally come back into my life just in time to tell me that you’re going to die!”
Pearson’s eyes narrowed into slits. She couldn’t speak the rest of the words that bombarded her thoughts. They wouldn’t pass her quivering lips.
“You…” Pearson’s emotions caught in her throat.
When Pearson felt like she would pass out, she marched out of the restaurant. Once outside, she backed up against the façade, held her hand to her chest and gasped for air. Tears blurred her vision. By the time she made it to her car, her chest felt like it would burst.
Pearson jammed the start button and the car purred to life. She hit the gas and zoomed off a couple of yards until she realized that she still couldn’t see. Pulling over, she cried into her hands. Her entire body shook until she calmed down enough to dial Niles’ number.
“Babe! What’s wrong? Where are you?” Niles yelled into the phone.
She tried to speak through her crying, but her words sounded muffled.
“Where are you?” Niles asked.
“On my way home,” she finally managed to say.
“I’m on my way.” Niles tone was urgent and Pearson couldn’t wait to fold herself inside his arms.
Chapter 28
Ryan
“Hey. How’s the movie going?” Ryan tried to sound cheerful, despite the turmoil that she’d been wrangling with since the day she saw Anderson in the restaurant with that other woman.
“Awe, babe! Things are great! We should be wrapping up here in another week or so.”
“A friend of mine called me yesterday. She thought she saw you having lunch at Tao the other day. I told her you’ve been out of town shooting a movie for weeks. She could have sworn it was you, but I told her that was impossible. Funny, huh?”
“Yeah. Funny.” The line went mute for a few seconds. “Listen babe, I need to run. You know how it is here on the set—it never stops. I’ll call you later tonight when I get back to the hotel.”
“Sure.” He gave her exactly what she expected—nothing! He’d never admit to his affairs and still believed that she was clueless.
“Later, babe.” Anderson hung up without giving Ryan a chance to say goodbye.
Ryan sat at the edge of her bed, still holding the phone. She knew her attempt at trying to get him to say he was in New York was lame. She didn’t really expect him to confess. Actually she wasn’t sure what she expected. She could only imagine what he would have done if she had approached him in that restaurant—especially when she wasn’t supposed to be in the city.
Ryan wrapped her arms around herself, suddenly feeling a chill. Maybe the baby would make her stronger. After her visit with the doctor yesterday, she had a good feeling about the pregnancy, but she would still wait to see how things went before she told Anderson. Most likely, it would be rough and she’d have to spend a good portion of her second and last trimester on bed rest. But she was willing to do whatever she had to do. All she needed was one child—for so many reasons.
Ryan decided that the one person she would tell would be her mother. She dialed her number.
“Hello!” Frannie’s greeting sounded rushed as if Ryan caught her in the middle of something.
“Hey, Ma.”
“What’s up, honey?”
“I’m pregnant.” Ryan decided not to waste any time.
“For real this time?” Frannie teased.
“Ma!”
“Hey! We’ve been here before—several times! I got
ta ask these things.”
“I was pregnant all the other times. Those times just didn’t go well.”
“Did you go to the doctor yet? What did she say?”
“So far things look good and that I will probably be on bed rest to make sure it all goes well.”
“How far are you?”
“Around two months.”
“You didn’t waste any time getting back in the sack. What did he say?”
“I haven’t told him yet.”
“Oh. Well, honey, I gotta go. I’ll come by tomorrow and we can do lunch.”
“Okay. I’ll see you then. Oh! Are you coming with me to Pearson’s benefit this year?”
“That fancy smancy benefit she does every spring—hell yeah. I got to meet that cute, famous jazz player last time. Not to mention, I tossed a few of those huge shrimp in my purse and enjoyed them the next day. I ain’t neva seen shrimp that big before in my entire life! I’ll need a dress, though. Let’s start looking this week.”
“We’ll see. I may be a little bigger by then.”
“Just tell me when you’re ready. Listen, sweetie, I’ve gotta go. Got company coming ova. Ya mother’s still got it, kiddo!” Frannie hooted and hung up.
Ryan wondered if her visitor was going to be Vonnie’s uncle. She cut her eyes at the thought of that. Tossing her cell phone aside, she sat there looking around the large room and sighed. She felt dwarfed in the massive space and a sense of loneliness consumed her.
“You’re going to keep mommy company when you get here.” Ryan patted her stomach. She stood and made her way to the kitchen.
Certain that the baby would change things in her home, Ryan imagined it would be nice to finally get her husband’s attention. She visualized him coming home every night and her traveling with him. If those dreams didn’t manifest, at least she’d have her baby.
In the kitchen, Ryan opened the refrigerator. Nothing inside enticed her so she decided to go out for breakfast. Taking a quick shower, she slipped on a pair of jeans, with a black sweater, boots and a mink jacket. She covered her red, swollen eyes with a pair of oversized dark sunglasses. People didn’t need to see the anguish that resided in there.
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