by Mia Ford
I felt weak. If Thomas and his ex-wife took Brett out of P.S.151, I’d never see him again. Why can’t I stop thinking about Thomas, I wondered nervously, clenching my hands into fists under the table. It’s like I’m obsessed with him!
“We have a great school,” Andy said, somewhat defensively. “It’s gotten the highest ratings for any public elementary school in New York City.”
Hannah laughed and tossed her beautiful mane. “Sure,” she simpered. “But private education is just so much better,” she said. She stood up. “I mean, I can’t even imagine how stupid I’d be if my parents had forced me to go to public schools,” she added, emphasizing the word like a curse.
I rolled my eyes. “Okay, Hannah,” I said. “It was great to see you.”
Hannah peered at me with renewed interest. Then she looked at Andy and smiled. “Oh, June,” Hannah said in a voice dripping with fake sweetness. “I didn’t know you had a boyfriend!”
“I don’t,” I said quickly, trying to ignore the hurt look in Andy’s eyes. “This is a coworker of mine.”
“It’s the first time we’ve gone out,” Andy added, sounded wounded.
Hannah’s smile shrank. “I see,” she said curtly. “Well, it was nice running into you,” she added. “I’ll have to tell Thomas all about it.”
Inwardly, I groaned. But on the outside, I forced a fake smile. “Right,” I said. “Well, thanks again.”
Hannah lingered uncomfortably for a moment and I could tell that she wanted to say something else. She had a gift of getting under my skin, but I wasn’t going to give her the satisfaction of knowing that she was able to do so.
“What was that all about?”
I shrugged. “I have no idea,” I said honestly. “I really have no clue.”
Chapter Three
Thomas
“Thomas? Are you ready to go?”
I barely heard Hannah’s voice as she stood in the doorway of my office, knocking loudly at the door.
“Just a sec,” I called, not taking my eyes off the latest expense report, filed just after my most recent business trip. Despite the fact that I was a self-made billionaire, spending money on myself still felt squeamish at times. And looking down at the receipt, I couldn’t believe that I’d spent over four thousand dollars of company money entertaining clients at a steakhouse.
“Come on, we’re going to be late,” Hannah said. She sighed and strode into the room, her heels clacking on the Italian marble floor of my office.
Steel Visions, Inc. hadn’t always been this opulent, but I’d worked my ass off to bring the company into the twenty-first century. Right out of college, I’d started my own consulting firm, mostly working with defense companies. And it had taken years for Steel Visions, Inc. to even be on the map. But I was proud of what I’d done – I thought that I’d really built a solid world for myself, my wife, and my son, Brett.
“Thomas,” Hannah said sweetly, putting her hand on my arm. “I know this isn’t exactly going to be fun for you, but we’ve got to get it done.”
“Please don’t touch me right now,” I said testily, stepping away.
Hannah frowned. “Did I do something?” She batted her eyelashes. “I’m sorry, Thomas,” she said. “I didn’t mean to get in the way.”
I bit my lip. The fuck you didn’t, I thought. You’ve been gunning for me since the first day I hired you.
Hannah had been my assistant for years. I’d initially hired her at the request of Marlene, my ex-wife. She hadn’t been my ex-wife then, though – we’d still been happy together, or so I’d thought. Marlene had wanted me to hire Hannah, someone to “manage my schedule” and give me more time at home with the family.
Thinking of now all made me ill.
Hannah was beautiful – I had to give her that. She had long legs, tanned skin, and long blonde hair. But I hadn’t hired her for her good looks. I’d hired her because she’d been a whiz at scheduling. Despite her dumb-blonde looks, she was one of the brighter women at Steel Visions. I respected her.
But lately, things had been getting really out of hand. Over the last few years, Hannah’s personality had changed. She’d become more forward, less timid – and she wasted no time flirting with me whenever she got the chance.
I was used to the attention of women. I knew I was a reasonably attractive man, and I’d heard Hannah joke more than once that I was “at that dangerous age.” I was forty-six, but I worked out four times a week and kept as fit as I could. And apparently, that was some kind of strange aphrodisiac on the young women of New York City.
Things hadn’t always been this way. When I was younger, I’d had to work my ass off just to get a girl’s number…and it was likely a fake one, at that. Hell, even Marlene had taken a lot of convincing just for one date. But luckily (at least, I’d thought that way at the time), by the time I asked her to be my wife, I’d amassed a sizeable fortune in consulting.
“You’re fine,” I said curtly. “Just please, don’t act up today.”
Hannah made her eyes wide and she licked her lips. “Why would I act up?”
I groaned. “You know what I mean,” I said. “Do you know that Marlene actually told my son after our last meeting that I was sleeping with you?”
Hannah’s cheeks flushed and she couldn’t hide the hint of a smile that spread across her face. “I wonder why she’d think that,” she said sweetly.
“Because you flirted with me the whole time,” I said. “Hannah, look – I can’t have you act like that in front of Marlene, and if you’re going to do it again, please just let me know ahead of time so I can make additional arrangements.”
Hannah looked sulky but she nodded. “Yes, Thomas,” she said. “I understand.”
I went to my closet and pulled my jacket free as Hannah gathered my papers and put my laptop into sleep mode.
“You want me to get you a coffee before the meeting?”
I shook my head. “No,” I said. “I’m fine.”
The truth was, I wasn’t feeling fine at all. My stomach was a tangle of nerves and I felt sick – which was always how I felt right before I had to meet with Marlene. Brett was only ten years old. How the fuck was I supposed to co-parent with a woman I couldn’t stand for at least the next eight years?
Hannah and I rushed downstairs, then into a waiting Lincoln Town Car. The day was sunny and bright and Hannah took off her cardigan, rubbing her bare shoulders and smiling at me in a manner that I knew she thought was enticing.
I ignored her.
The car seemed to take forever crawling through Manhattan traffic. I tried to keep my mind on the most important thing at hand – Brett, and how Marlene and I were going to do our best to raise him without letting our shit get in the middle.
After what seemed like an eternity, the car slowed to a stop in front of Marlene’s office building. Until the divorce, she’d been a stay at home mother…and I know she’d been angling to keep that up with alimony payments. But luckily, the judge had been on my side. While I still awarded her a hefty fee every four weeks (a fee that no doubt would have bankrolled the lifestyle of someone less greedy), Marlene had had to return to work. Now, she worked as a secretary for a fancy law firm.
I just wondered how many of the law partners she was sleeping with at once.
Hannah and I breezed inside. To my shock, Marlene was already standing in the lobby. Her flame-red hair was piled high on top of her head and her narrow face looked pinched when she saw me. She was wearing bright red lipstick.
“You’re late,” Marlene said. “I’ve been waiting here for over five minutes!”
“I’m sure that was very taxing on you,” I said dryly. “Where are we going?”
Marlene sighed heavily before turning on her heel and leading the way through a large, mostly unfurnished office. She turned a sharp left and pointed to a conference room.
“This is reserved for us,” Marlene said.
“Oh, great.” Hannah pushed past her. “Could you bring m
e a coffee?”
Marlene turned to me and raised her eyebrows. “Thomas, you have to be kidding me,” she said.
“Don’t worry about her,” I said. “We’re here to talk about Brett, Marlene.”
Marlene and I followed Hannah inside and I shut the door.
“Brett hasn’t been doing well at school,” I said. “He’s gotten in trouble a few times over the past week, for teasing and tormenting this little girl.” I stared right at my ex-wife. “Do you know anything about this?”
Marlene sighed. “If you’re asking whether the school has called, yes, I’m vaguely aware of something like that.”
“Are you fucking kidding me?” I narrowed my eyes. “You knew about this?!”
“Well, Thomas, I’m not sure what you want me to do,” Marlene said coolly. “He’s just going through a phase right now, it’ll pass.”
“He could get thrown out of that school!” I could feel my face turning red with anger but there was nothing I could do to stop myself now. “That’s the best goddamn public school in the city! I had to work so goddamned hard to get him accepted!”
Marlene shrugged.
“I’ve suggested a private school might be better for him,” Hannah simpered. “I went to private school, and I just think it’s such a better idea.”
I rolled my eyes. “Private school is off the table,” I said sharply.
“I don’t know, Thomas, maybe she’s got a point.” Marlene was picking her cuticles, she didn’t even deign to look at me as she spoke. “Maybe we should reconsider where we placed him. You know, a change could do the boy good.”
“It’s not happening,” I said firmly.
Marlene’s eyes flashed with anger. “You’re being a cheapskate,” she said. “You don’t even want to spend money on our son’s education!”
“It isn’t about that,” I said hotly. “It’s about his attitude! I don’t want to reward him for this shitty behavior. Like, oh, son – you’ve been acting out but it’s okay because Daddy is going to put you in an expensive school full of other little rich shits!”
Marlene and Hannah were both staring at me.
“Sorry,” I muttered. “Dealing with all of this is really fucking stressing me out at the moment.”
The rest of the meeting didn’t go much better. Hannah and Marlene turned on each other, and then I was suddenly the mediator. By the time we were done, I was exhausted. I felt a huge amount of resentment towards both of the women in my life, and I knew it was irrational, but I didn’t care.
“In the future, you’re not coming to these meetings unless you can behave,” I told Hannah sharply as we left the building.
Hannah batted her lashes at me. “Oh, Thomas,” she said sweetly. “I just want what’s best for you and Brett.”
I stared at her. My anger was rolling over me in strong, palpable waves.
“I trust that you’ll let me make those decisions,” I said sharply. “Because I’m sure as fuck not going to let you start parenting my son.”
Hannah’s cheeks flushed and eventually, she dropped her gaze.
“Fine,” Hannah muttered. “God, I was only trying to help.”
“We’re done for the day,” I told her. “I’m going home to see Brett, he’s been waiting for me and I know I’ll be late if I don’t hurry.”
“Want me to come?” Hannah looked hopeful. “We can order a pizza, I’ll watch Brett while you work out?”
“No,” I said sharply. “I need to start spending more time with my son.”
Hannah looked at me expectantly.
“Alone,” I added in a sharp voice. “Without you around, got it?”
Hannah nodded meekly. “Fine,” she snipped. “I’ll see you in the office tomorrow.”
I groaned and ran a hand through my hair. I hadn’t looked in a mirror all day, but I could tell that the stress was really getting to me. My skin felt puffy and old, and when I closed my eyes, a dull ache began to spread through my whole head.
I knew that I was going to have to do something about Hannah, but for the moment, I was stuck with her. I couldn’t find another personal assistant who would be as knowledgeable and helpful as Hannah – at least, not without weeks of searching. And with a big project coming up at work, I wasn’t going to be able to take that kind of time off. I supposed I could always organize a committee and put them in charge of finding me a new person, but that would have to wait until things calmed down, just a little.
And Marlene! She was a fucking cipher – she always had been. When we’d first divorced, she’d been almost pleased to be out on her own. But I could tell that it was taking a toll on her, too. She obviously hated the fact that she was “forced” to work in order to maintain her luxe condo, and I knew she probably blamed me.
I also knew that I shouldn’t care. But it was difficult – after all, we had a child together. And Brett was the most important part of my life. I wasn’t going to write off his mother just because she’d been a shitty wife. That would have been incredibly unfair to him.
It was dark by the time I got home. Isabelle, Brent’s nanny, was just starting dinner in the kitchen and the delicious smell of chicken enchiladas flooded my senses when I stepped in the door. When she saw me, she smiled.
“Hi Mr. Thomas,” Isabelle said. She grinned at me. “We had us a nice long day, didn’t we baby?”
Brett nodded and smiled. Isabelle had been with us since shortly before the divorce, and Brett really cared for her. Some of my friends had joked about her – she was young, curvy, and a lot of fun to be around. But dating the nanny was such a cliché…I wasn’t going to become that kind of man.
“I’m glad,” I said.
“Dinner almost ready,” Isabelle said, swinging her hips as she flung a dish towel onto the counter. “Just bake for twenty more minutes and you’re good. I’m going to clean up and then I’ll head out.”
I nodded. “You want a ride home?”
“No, thank you Mr. Thomas,” Isabelle said.
“Alright, then,” I said. “Thanks for everything.” I pulled out my wallet and handed her a crisp fifty. “This is for a good week,” I said, handing the folded bill to Isabelle. She tucked it inside her pocket and smiled.
“Wow, thanks!”
“Don’t worry about it,” I said dryly. “Work is really ramping up, and I think things are only going to get busier from here on out. You okay with spending a lot of time here next week?”
Isabelle nodded. “We’ll have fun, won’t we, Brett?”
“Yeah!” Brett looked ecstatic. It was hard not to take it personally – he was obviously closer to Isabelle than me or Marlene. But I knew I shouldn’t care – at least the boy had someone to be a positive role model, even if she was the nanny.
Isabelle grabbed her coat and left, leaving a wake of heavy orchid perfume behind her. As soon as she’d left, Brett seemed to clam up. He hopped onto a barstool at the island and slumped over a piece of paper, furiously scribbling with a crayon.
“Hey buddy,” I said, walking over and taking off my jacket. I loosened my tie. “How’s it hanging?”
Brett barely glanced up. “Fine,” he said.
“Just fine?”
Brett sighed. “Dad, I’m fine,” he said.
I forced a smile. “Okay. You hungry?”
Brett shrugged.
“How was school today? And don’t say it was fine,” I added quickly. “Because I know it wasn’t.”
That got Brett’s attention. When he turned to face me, his cheeks were pink with guilt.
“I’m trying, Dad,” he said after a long pause.
“I know.” I cleared my throat. “I know you’re trying, but sometimes that’s not good enough. Brett, you know I want the best for you.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
It was difficult not to get angry, but I took a deep breath and tried to let my frustration drain.
“I know I haven’t been around as much as I should be,” I said. “Things are really b
usy at work, but I’m thinking of taking a really long trip over the summer.”
“Oh.” Brett sounded glum.
“With you, together,” I said. “I was thinking about Disney World. Or maybe San Diego, wouldn’t that be fun?”
Brett looked up and nodded. He smiled. “Yeah, Dad. That would be great.”
I tried to smile back. I knew that I shouldn’t be bribing him like this – with offers of a fancy vacation – but sometimes, it was too easy.
“Well, you think about it and let me know,” I said. “I’m going to check on dinner and then get changed.”
“Can we order a pizza?”
“Brett, Isabelle made this just for us.”
“I know.” Brett wrinkled his nose. “But I want a pizza. It’s Friday, Dad. Come on!”
I sighed. “Only if you promise you’ll eat the leftovers,” I said. “We’re not going to be wasting any more food in this house.”
Brett nodded enthusiastically. I stared at him for a final minute, hunched over his paper in concentration and scribbling hard. He was such an intense kid – I knew he’d gotten that from me – but I hoped we wouldn’t ever get to the point where he refused to talk to me. Growing up, I hadn’t been particularly close to either of my parents. But they’d never really tried, either. It had always been about them.
Today, we practically had no relationship save for when they wanted to see Brett. They adored Brett, of course – sometimes it was hard not to feel resentment when I saw how clearly they preferred him to me.
I whistled as I walked through the condo. It was big – four bedrooms – I’d had it since before I met Marlene. It felt like too much space for two people. But moving was a pain in the ass, and this was centrally located right in Manhattan. I wasn’t about to give that up, just for the sake of a cozier condo.
Impulsively, I picked up my phone and dialed Brett’s teacher, June. I didn’t expect her to answer, but she picked up on the first ring.
“Hello?”
“Hi June, this is Thomas March. How are you?”
