“What?”
“After lunch, we have a meeting with Santino Rice. He designed our dresses for the Heart Ball.” Venus clinked her glass to mine. “I gave him our measurements a couple months ago. Today’s the first fitting.”
“Really? That’s awesome.” I loved Venus. She had a big heart, and despite everything she was going through with Mr. Vanderbilt, she always found time to make other people feel special.
“So tell me, darling. Have you asked Brad to the ball?”
I must have blushed because she said, “What happened?”
“I kissed Brad. Or rather, he kissed me and I kissed him back.” I downed the rest of the wine and poured myself another glass.
“About bloody time,” Venus laughed. “How was it? Do tell.”
“It was passionate. Hot. Delicious. And it was wrong.”
“What do you mean, wrong? He’s single. You’re single. He’s gorgeous. You’re beautiful. What’s wrong about that?”
I looked at her like she was crazy. “He’s my business partner. I can’t have a personal relationship with my business partner.”
“Not only can you have a relationship with your business partner, but you can have a little something on the side, too.”
I glanced out the window at the palm trees lining the street. An older lady in bright orange sweats was walking her dogs. I counted six pooches, various sizes, all with rhinestone collars. Only in LA.
“It was just a kiss,” I said already growing tired of the conversation. “I doubt anything will come of it.”
“Why not ask Brad to the Heart Ball? You can explore the option of having a relationship other than of a professional nature.” Venus refilled her wine glass for the third time. “See what happens.”
I thought about her suggestion. What would it hurt? And the kiss…I sure would like another one of those.
Chapter 29
Asking Brad to the Heart Ball took more courage than I’d originally thought. I hadn’t asked a man out in quite a while. Usually it was the other way around.
Brad poked his head around my office door. “Hey, you ready for lunch?”
I put down the medical file that I’d been reviewing and got up from the desk. “Sure, I’m starving.”
“Want to go back to Marcello’s? My mouth is watering for his clam linguine.” Brad stepped aside to let me through the door.
“Sounds good.”
Brad was quiet on the way to the restaurant. I wondered what was on his mind. Neither one of us had talked about the kiss and I hated the awkwardness between us.
Marcello was happy to see me, as usual. He gave me a kiss and a knowing wink as he led us to the back of the restaurant to a quiet table. “Your father? He okay now?” Marcello asked quietly as he pulled out a chair for me.
“Yes, Marcello, he’s doing very well.”
“You tell Frank next time they are in town, he can come by and have dinner on the house.”
“Sure thing, Marcello.”
Marcello was such a sweetheart. He took our drink order and left.
“I wanted to talk to you away from all the office drama,” Brad said.
I braced myself for him revisiting our passionate kiss in the doctor’s lounge.
“Since Frank’s been sick, I haven’t had the chance to talk to either of you about opening the fertility clinic,” he started the conversation.
Well, now I knew what was on his mind. And it wasn’t the kiss. Apparently he just wanted to sweep it under the rug. I wasn’t sure if I was disappointed or relieved.
My dad’s plan was to have Brad eventually start a clinic where we would treat infertile couples, offering IVF treatments and other options in achieving pregnancy. While I thought it was a great idea, I wasn’t sure if we were ready to take that leap. We would need more office space – we were already splitting at the seams now – and more staff and equipment to run a successful clinic.
Brad must have sensed my tension. He reached in his coat pocket and pulled out a sheet of paper and slid it across the table.
“I ran the figures that Frank requested. Here’s what it will cost to get us started. I had Mr. Vanderbilt check on the office space next door and their lease is up in four months. We can put in an offer to the landlord now before someone else snaps it up.”
I picked up the sheet of paper and looked over the figures. I wasn’t too worried about the cost. I knew my father had enough to cover the clinic’s expenses until we were up and running. And the clinic should pay for itself quickly. More women wanted babies later in life, and older women had more difficulties conceiving. We lived in an area that was obviously very wealthy, and these women could afford specialist care. Our specialist care.
What I was worried about was stretching us too thin. And my father’s health. Even though he wasn’t physically active in the practice, I knew he still obsessed over everything, and I didn’t want to add another thing to his plate. We’d talked about this before his heart attack. Now things had changed.
“I’ll fax it to Frank and talk to him about it.” I put the paper down and sighed.
“What is it? “Brad asked, sensing my reluctance.
“I’m worried this is too much too fast. I think we just need to wait until my father is doing a little better.”
Marcello brought us our drinks and told us the lunch special of the day. Baked ziti with fire-roasted garlic marinara. Brad looked pleased. “I was hoping for clam linguine, but that sounds terrific.”
We both got the special and waited for Marcello to leave.
“I can oversee the fertility clinic operations. We can hire an additional nurse practitioner to help with patients – someone to carry the lighter load like BP checks, blood tests, glucose monitoring, that sort of thing. We can build our patient base slowly while we wait for the lease next door to be up. I can see fertility patients one or two days a week. We already have a few now that I’ll have to refer out to LA Fertility Clinic.”
“Let me talk to Frank this weekend. We’ll see what we can do.”
We talked about it for a few more minutes until Marcello brought out our lunch. This time, his lovely wife and cook, Rose, came out with him to say hi. She wanted me to tell my parents hello and that she had been praying for them. I think she also wanted the opportunity to check out Brad and see what she could report back to my mother.
Finally, they left us alone and Brad and I dug into our food.
After the last bite was consumed, I started to get my nerve up to ask him about escorting me to the Heart Ball. I felt like I was back in middle school again and nervously waiting to ask a boy to the Sadie Hawkins dance. I took a sip of my water and started my well-rehearsed speech.
“You know the Heart Ball is in a couple of weeks,” I began.
Brad pushed his plate aside. “Oh, I’m glad you brought that up.”
Great. He was going to ask me instead. I breathed a sigh of relief.
“Yes?” I waited.
“I know you had already planned to go and I was covering that weekend…”
I waved him off. “It’s okay. I was planning on asking Dr. Kelso to cover for us.” This was going better than I’d thought. I couldn’t wait to see Brad’s face when I wore my beautiful Santino Rice red ball gown.
Brad smiled at me. “Oh, good. I already told Olivia that I’d take her. You know she’s getting an award from Hilary Jackson for her work with pediatric cardiology patients.”
My stomach dropped. Did I hear him right? He was going with Olivia?
“What’s wrong?”
I regained my composure. Why would I even think he’d go with me? That kiss was just a moment of weakness on both of our parts.
Brad continued to stare at me. “Oh, no.” It was like a light bulb went off in his head. “Did you want us to go together?”
Now he was being Mr. Perceptive. A little late.
“Nnn…no.” I shook my head. “I mean, I was just going to invite you to sit at our table.” God, I fel
t foolish right now.
“Ah, well, I think Olivia already bought a table. That was nice of you, though. Thanks.” Brad still looked uncertain. “Are you sure you’re okay with that?”
I rooted around in my purse, threw two twenties on the table to cover our lunch, and got up to leave. “Of course.” I looked at my watch. “We’d better head back to the office.”
So I guess Olivia still had her claws in Brad. I blanked out on the ride back to the office while Brad chatted about the fertility clinic some more. He was very passionate about it, and I just wasn’t in the mood to think about business. I wanted to know what I needed to do to get over my feelings for him.
Chapter 30
Frederick seemed really distracted. He was working on his second batch of toast, having burned the first one. The bacon was smoking and the water for the eggs was boiling over.
“Ummm, Frederick, are you trying to burn down the house?” I asked as I pointed toward the smoking frying pan.
“Oh, sorry.” He dropped the orange juice container on the countertop, ran over to the stove, and removed the smoking pan. “So sorry, Ms. Hope.”
“You haven’t worked for me very long, Frederick, but I can tell something is wrong. You’ve never burnt anything and are an excellent cook. So what gives? What’s on your mind?”
Frederick sighed as he turned off the stove and then trashed the second batch of burnt toast. “Bagels and cream cheese okay?” he asked.
I nodded my head and waited. Something was up. I hoped he wasn’t quitting. I was getting used to having a male around the house. Coming home to a clean house, stocked fridge, and an awesome meal waiting for me almost every night. No strings attached. Maybe he wanted a raise. He was worth it. I mentally calculated how much I could offer.
“My partner and I broke up. I wasn’t going to mention it. I try not to let my personal life affect my work. I’m sorry.” His shoulders slumped.
“I didn’t know you were in a relationship.”
“Three years. His name is Collin.”
Ohhhh. Frederick was gay? I had no idea. How did I not know that?
“I’m so sorry. Do you want to talk about it?”
He shook his head no. Then he said, “The bastard cheated on me. He said he was going to visit his parents, and then he went out of town with his lover. I found the hotel receipt in his luggage.”
So much for not wanting to talk about it. I motioned for Frederick to sit down while I fixed us breakfast and coffee. He gave me the whole story about how his boyfriend denied it and then finally admitted to seeing a married man.
“When we decided to live together, I moved into his condo. When we broke up, he asked me to move out, and now I have no place to live.”
“Where have you been staying?”
He looked at me sheepishly.
“Not in your car?”
“Only one night. I’ve been at a hotel all week, but that’s too expensive. I need to find an apartment.”
“What about friends or family?” I realized that I knew nothing of his life.
“My family is back in Texas. I’ve always lived with the families I’ve worked for. All my friends are his friends. Don’t worry about me, Ms. Hope. I’ll figure something out.”
“Look, I have plenty of room. Why don’t you stay here until you get back on your feet?”
“Thank you, but I couldn’t do that.”
“Why not, Frederick? You said you lived with other families you worked for.”
“Yes, but not with a single woman.”
“Ahh...well, that’s okay. I’m hardly ever here. You know that. And I really don’t mind. In fact, I’d love the company. Give it a couple of months for you to get on your feet. Then we can look for an apartment for you.”
Frederick hesitated for a second. I thought he was going to turn me down but instead surprised me by accepting my offer.
“Thank you, Ms. Hope. But only until I find something else.” Frederick and I sat eating our bagels and cream cheese and drinking coffee. After a few minutes of silence I reached over and rubbed his back. “It’ll be okay.”
Chapter 31
The weeks leading up to the Heart Ball just flew by. I immersed myself in work and didn’t give Brad or Olivia a second thought. After spending all day at the hair salon, I was finally ready for the big night.
“You look stunning,” Frederick said to me as I walked into the living room. “It’s a shame that you have no date. A gorgeous man should be on your arm.”
I turned around in my custom made Santino Rice dress. He’d done an amazing job. The floor-length, cherry red satin gown had a deep v-neckline cut that showed just enough cleavage. It was tightly fitted with a nice slit up the left leg. My makeup was perfectly done and the stylist had put a few extra caramel highlights in my hair. I wore it long and curly in the back secured with a vintage rhinestone barrette.
“Thanks, Frederick. Venus is my date, so that way I don’t have to worry about a good-night kiss later.”
“That’s the best part of the date.” Frederick put a hand on his hip and made a tsking noise. “It’s too bad.”
“In any case, don’t wait up. I’ll be home late.”
Frederick was still looking for a new apartment, but secretly I hoped he’d stay with me for a while longer. I was enjoying his company. I’d thought I liked living alone and having peace and quiet, but Frederick was a real treat to be around.
The doorbell rang and Frederick went to answer. I picked up a glass of chardonnay and swallowed it in one long gulp. For some reason I was nervous about seeing Brad and Olivia together. I just wanted to get through the evening.
“Your carriage awaits, my love.” Frederick walked back into the room. He handed the red beaded clutch purse to me and planted a kiss on my cheek. “Have a good time.”
Venus was waiting in a black stretch limo. She had transformed herself and no longer looked depressed. The dark circles that had shadowed her eyes after she broke off her marriage with Mr. V had magically disappeared. She appeared well rested. Her makeup artist had done wonders for her. I gave her a kiss on the cheek as I slid into the limo next to her.
“You look beautiful. How are you doing?” I asked her.
“Just fine, darling. You look amazing as well.” Venus handed me a glass of chilled, bubbly champagne.
“Thanks for being my date tonight.”
Venus gave me a smirk. “Yeah, well you aren’t getting lucky, love. I have a two-date minimum before I give up the goodies.”
I laughed, happy to see that Venus had her usual sense of humor back. We clinked glasses as she said, “Here’s to having a fabulous night.”
We arrived at the Hotel Bel Air, which had hosted the Heart Ball for the past few years. The red carpet walkway was lined with photographers, and we stopped and posed for pictures before heading into the ballroom.
The Heart Ball was one of the biggest fundraisers in LA, and all of Hollywood’s elite – and most of my clientele – were in attendance tonight. It was still cocktail hour, and guests were mingling before dinner. After dinner, there would be an auction and then the dance floor would open. I told myself I would stay for the auction and then Venus and I could go somewhere else and have a drink. As we walked into the bar area, I immediately saw Hilary Jackson. Even though she had just started her chemo treatments, she looked beautiful.
I walked up and gave her a gentle hug. “How are you doing?”
“Just great. I feel fine.”
That was Hilary for you. Always upbeat, never let anything get her down. She treated cancer like it was a just a small nuisance in her life. After her diagnosis of stage two breast cancer, she decided to get a full mastectomy and go through twelve rounds of chemo followed by six weeks of radiation. I had no doubt that she would pull through this with flying colors.
“You look great. And the place looks amazing.” Hilary always did an outstanding job as director of the Heart Ball. This was her baby, and she worked countless hours
making sure it was a tremendous success every year.
I talked to Hilary and her husband for a couple more minutes before moving on. As I made my way around the room, I spotted Brad talking to Tara Cranston. I’d heard that she had done a thirty-day cleanse after having her baby and had lost all her baby weight within that one month. She definitely looked like she had her old figure back. I started to walk over and speak to them when Olivia popped up next to Brad and put her arm around him. He looked up and saw me just as I turned around to find Venus.
“We’re sitting for dinner. Are you ready?” Venus asked as I walked up.
“Yes, I’m starving. I haven’t had anything to eat since a smoothie for breakfast.”
“I’m on the liquid diet myself,” Venus said, holding up her champagne flute.
I was getting worried about the amount of alcohol Venus was consuming lately. Every time I was around her, she had a glass of wine or champagne in her hand. I decided to wait until after the fundraiser to have a heart-to-heart talk with her about the divorce. She was taking this harder than I originally thought.
The tables were beautiful. Fresh, red rose centerpieces decorated all the table tops, and white votives flickered with candlelight. We were seated at a table with Jerry Markowitz, a cardiologist at the hospital where I worked, and his wife, Gail. Gail was a forty-four-year-old Barbie doll with so much Botox injected into her face that she didn’t blink all night. As the waiters brought the first course to us, I glanced at the table across from ours. Brad was holding out a chair for Olivia. She was wearing a floor-length gold gown and sparkled from head to toe. I watched as Olivia leaned over and whispered something in his ear before she sat down. He laughed and pushed her chair in. Suddenly I had no appetite.
“What’s wrong?” Venus asked, sensing my displeasure.
She looked at where I had focused my eyes. “Oh, that. Just ignore them,” she said to me quietly. “She’s got nothing on you.”
I poked at my salad and noticed that Gail the Barbie doll was doing the same. She was just pushing the bits of lettuce around her plate like she was eating. What was I doing? I didn’t care if Brad and Olivia were an item again. Whatever feelings I had for him I needed to let go. We were business partners. That was all.. That kiss meant nothing.
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