At Your Service

by A. C. Arthur

  “Well, you’ve got yourself a fiancée now, Major Gold.” She reached out and grabbed his hand, lifting their arms up over their heads in a combined fist pump.

  He laughed. It was the first time she’d heard the sound and she immediately liked it. She liked it a lot.

  “Yeah, I guess I do. And she’s a pretty terrific fiancée if I must say so.”

  “Oh, yes,” she said when she’d lowered their hands. “Definitely say so. Frequently.”

  They both laughed then, and in that moment Nina realized she’d never felt as at ease with another man before. They weren’t thinking about having sex—or at least she wasn’t—and they weren’t discussing work. They were just talking, just being, and she just liked it. A lot.

  CHAPTER NINE

  THE DUPLEX ON the Upper East Side was bigger than two of her apartments back in York. The stripped-wood flooring and private rooftop terrace were amazing. Nina loved it and she’d told Major so when he’d brought her yesterday to stay here for the remaining month of their agreement.

  Today was the first bridal dress fitting. Last week, she and Riley had gone to lunch and afterward sat in Riley’s office for the duration of the afternoon going through sketches of wedding gowns, fabric swatches and color wheels. By the time they were finished, six sketches had been selected for Nina, there were three color-scheme finalists and she’d discovered that when it was her turn, Riley didn’t want a big wedding.

  “Something small, maybe on an island, with just our family and closest friends. That’s the perfect wedding for me,” Riley had said.

  Nina had noted the light in her eyes when she’d spoken about her wedding ideas. A spark that Nina presumed was from being in love and actually believing that a wedding was on the horizon at some point. Nina didn’t have that type of imagination.

  But she was ready for today. Sitting at the table next to the biggest set of windows with the best northern view of the city, she monitored the activity on her app in correlation to the sales directly from RGF. All the numbers were up. This trial run was going well so far. She clapped her hands together and reached for her mug, frowning when she sipped very cold coffee.

  Minutes later she walked out of the gorgeous gray-and-white kitchen with a bottled water and a banana when she heard the doorbell ring.

  Somebody was early.

  Nina went to the door and smiled when she saw Riley looking fashionably chic in dark jeans, a tan blouse and heels that were way too high for a Saturday afternoon. After greeting Riley and stepping to the side so she could come in, Nina looked down at her weekend attire: gray sweatpants with a matching sweatshirt that was a couple sizes too big, so she looked like a sack of potatoes.

  “Sorry I’m so early. I was just eager to get this started and Chaz is out of town until Wednesday. This place is great,” she said as she walked straight through the living room/dining room and into the kitchen.

  Nina followed.

  “Yes, it is. I know Major wanted to make sure we were in a nice place for the fitting and photo shoot, but this might be a little above and beyond.” She’d been thinking that ever since last night when Claude had carried her bags from the hotel to the car and driven her over here.

  Riley leaned on the island. The eight-foot-long, gray-and-white-marble waterfall island had a stainless steel sink in its center and five clear-backed stools along one side. Nina slid onto one and set her water bottle on the marble top before peeling back the layers of her banana.

  “You think he rented this apartment just for the photo shoot?” Riley asked.

  “Of course he did. Why else would he rent it?” She took a bite of the fruit and chewed it slowly.

  Riley watched her and slipped a grape from the fruit bowl into her mouth.

  “I suggested we do the fitting at the office, where we normally have our sample showings. There’s a runway there and space to do anything else we wanted.”

  “That would’ve been a good option, too,” Nina said and seconds later realized the point Riley was trying to make.

  “The office is only ten minutes from here and, just like the rest of us, Major spends most of his time there. So this apartment was kinda extra effort.”

  Nina chewed on another piece of her banana, knowing the woman watched and waited for her next comment to refute the assumption that there was a personal reason Major had gotten this place specifically for her.

  “Well, your brother is smart, I can tell you that. The light in this place is amazing. Pictures are going to come out great. How soon do you think they’ll show up in a newspaper or tabloid?” Nina took her last bite of the banana before throwing the peel in the garbage.

  Riley was still moving with deliberate slowness, putting one grape at a time into her mouth while watching Nina as if she thought some different words were about to spout out of her mouth. If Major’s sister thought she was about to tell her that they were lovers, she was mistaken. While Nina enjoyed Riley’s company and had secretly wished her own sisters were as mature and business-minded, there was no way she was telling Riley that there were aspects of this fake engagement that she and Major had decided to make come true.

  “We only hire the most reputable photographers in the industry and they’ve each signed a privacy agreement. We’ll get first look and final approval of any pictures to be published and have already sold them to Infinity magazine. It’s not a fashion-only magazine, but it’s Black-owned and respectable. My father is good friends with the owners, Reginald and Bruce Donovan. They’re doing a complete spread on the engagement.”

  It made sense that they would contact a reputable magazine for a story about this engagement. Calling that magazine respectable, however, flew rudely in the face of the fact that the Golds knew this engagement was a sham. So they were asking this great Black-owned magazine to lie. Nina twisted the top off her water and took a gulp to get the bad taste of that idea out of her mouth.

  “I know what you’re thinking,” Riley said. “And remember the argument and breakup that’s planned for the end of this campaign. Nobody will know that it wasn’t ever real to start with.”

  “Morgana McCloud doesn’t think it’s real.” Nina couldn’t believe she was still thinking about that reporter after Major had explained the woman’s fixation with him.

  Morgana had written two stories since the one after that show that featured her, Major, the engagement and the mention of the At Your Service/RGF business venture. In each she’d placed a lot of emphasis on where Nina had come from and how she was apparently “marrying up.” The words stung because Nina knew she wasn’t getting married at all. The only consolation was that other tabloids had run with Morgana’s lead but were actually highlighting the innovative idea that the two businesses connect. Still, Nina couldn’t shake the feeling that Morgana was specifically feeling some type of way about her.

  “She’s fishing and has no source that will tell her any different,” Riley stated.

  It had been suggested that Nina bring her sisters to the fitting since Morgana had mentioned her quote about who was going to be in the bridal party, but Nina had been vehemently against that. She wished she’d thought about what she was saying when she’d said it, but there was no way she would bring Daisy and Angie into this farce. As much as she wanted this to seem believable, she hadn’t considered that it would put her family in the spotlight. Now, with Morgana hot on her trail, she wasn’t sure how long she’d be able to stop that from happening.

  The doorbell rang again and Nina quickly slid off the stool to go answer it. She usually liked talking to Riley but she couldn’t shake the feeling that their conversation was about to shift in a direction Nina didn’t want to go. When she opened the door this time she fully expected to see Lila and her crew, but instead Marva Gold smiled at her.

  “Mrs. Gold. Ah, hello. I wasn’t expecting you to attend the fitting.” And now she was a little more uncom
fortable, not just because of the conversation with Riley, but because there were two Gold women in the room with her.

  “Hello, Nina. When Riley told me about today’s events, I thought it only right that I be here. Do you mind?”

  The woman was Black royalty with her tawny-brown complexion and thick silver-streaked hair that was curled and pulled back from her face with a thin black band. She wore a white pantsuit with a pale pink blouse beneath it. Diamond studs dotted her ears and a thin bracelet cuffed her left arm. On her left ring finger was a massive diamond. Nina instantly balled her hands into fists, hoping nobody would see that she still wasn’t wearing an engagement ring. Major hadn’t mentioned it since Morgana’s comment about it—or the lack of it—at the fashion show, and there was no way Nina was asking him to get her a ring. Her pride just wouldn’t allow it, not even to make this fake engagement look good.

  “No, of course not, I don’t mind at all. Come on in,” she said and stepped out of the way to let the woman in. She was about to close the door but heard someone clearing their throat.

  Nina pulled the door open again and Lila came in with the crew, clothing racks, bags, boxes and her normal flair. By the time Nina closed the door this time she was breathing a sigh of relief that a buffer—or rather a whole group of buffers—had arrived. This should definitely take the pressure off.

  It didn’t.

  Two hours later and the fitting was in full swing. Three photographers from Infinity had arrived. Anya and Cheree were pulling the gowns and matching them with shoes and veils while Riley and her mother sat on the couch giving their opinions as Nina walked out into the living room. Garen would quickly give her hair a new look each time she tried on a gown, talking her to death while he worked. And Lila was announcing each gown as if she were the emcee of her own fashion show.

  “Now this long-sleeved nude gown includes a pleated tulle overlay and a dusting of shimmering gold Chantilly lace,” Lila stated the moment Nina entered the living room.

  The photographers immediately moved in, each capturing a picture from a different angle.

  “I’m not sure about this one,” Nina said as she moved closer. “It might be a little too nude. My father would have a conniption if he saw this.”

  Growing up, her father had been extremely strict about his daughters’ clothes—how much showed through sheer or tight-fitted items. Although Nina believed she possessed her own style and appreciated clothes that made her feel sexy, some of Jacoby’s teachings had stayed with her into adulthood.

  “I can understand that,” Marva added. She’d risen from the couch and was now standing next to Nina, lifting the tulle out so that it flared even more from her waist down.

  “But this is a classic look. It’s formfitting but gives the illusion of being natural,” Riley added when she joined her mother, standing on the opposite side of Nina.

  “And it’s so sexy. There’s just a hint of innocence in that it covers her completely, but that punch of desire as it hugs her natural curves,” Lila added.

  “I agree,” Marva said. “I love how each of the gowns complements a diverse body type. That’s one thing this line does very well.”

  Riley, who wasn’t nearly as curvy as Nina, stood back, one arm across her chest, a hand to her chin while she continued to survey Nina. “Definitely something we were aiming for,” she said. “But I can see what she’s saying. If I wore this, Dad would have solid opinions about the almost sheerness.”

  Marva chuckled. “You’re right about that. Fathers can be very particular about their girls.”

  “Too particular,” Riley quipped.

  “You can say that again,” Nina added.

  “Okay, let’s try another one,” Lila prompted.

  The photographers had snapped photos of the two Gold women standing with her, adjusting and commenting on the gown. In her mind, Nina could visualize how it would look in print. Normal. Sentimental. A slice of time a woman and her family would remember for the rest of their lives. A pang of unexpected sadness hit her.

  They went to the next dress and the next, repeating the process until deciding on a gown that evening. While Nina’s personal favorite had been a wine-colored tulle over an ivory fitted bodice and A-line skirt, they’d collectively chosen the classic white trumpet dress with bias-cut organza tiers and rosettes that Garen called romantic.

  “I’m exhausted,” Nina said when she returned to the living room once again, this time back in her comfortable sweats as she dropped down onto the cushioned chair across from the couch.

  “We should grab some dinner,” Riley suggested.

  “Oh no, I have to get back home,” Marva said. “Your father and I have an engagement this evening.”

  Riley nodded. “That’s right, the Rutherford Gala is tonight.”

  “Yes. You and your brothers should be there, as well. You know your father likes to present a united front at these gatherings,” Marva said as she reached for her purse.

  “The Rutherfords are old friends of yours and Dad’s. They have nothing to do with us or the company, so we figured we could skip.”

  “Yes.” Marva nodded. “The four of you like to team up whenever possible.”

  The words weren’t spoken with any sting, just a mother’s love for her children.

  Riley stood with her mother and hugged her. “But we still love you lots,” she said with a huge smile just before kissing Marva’s cheek.

  The sadness that had punched Nina in the gut earlier this afternoon now draped her body like a horrific plague. Lynn Fuller had left her family seventeen years ago, so why did it feel like it was only yesterday?

  Nina was just standing when Marva came over and pulled her in for a hug.

  “You look tired and we’ve monopolized your entire day. We’ll get out of your hair now so you can get some rest.”

  Nina had been thinking of doing that and probably squeezing some work in while she ate something quick, like a chicken salad sandwich, in bed. Now, however, a hot bath and burying herself beneath the covers for the next few hours seemed like a better plan.

  “Thank you,” Nina said without mentioning how good that brief hug felt.

  “We’re going to have a girls’ night soon before we get too crazy with planning and appearances.” This time it was Riley who stepped up to pull Nina into a hug.

  How did these women know exactly what she needed right now?

  “But you’ll join us tomorrow for Sunday dinner,” Marva said and turned to walk toward the door.

  “Oh yes. That’s a good idea, Mom.” Riley had picked up her purse and was now walking behind her mother.

  Nina followed them, not sure what was happening. She’d been here for two weeks and hadn’t attended any private family gatherings. “Ah, tomorrow? Dinner?”

  “Yes,” Riley said, looking over her shoulder at her. “Sunday dinner is a Gold family tradition. It takes place at six every Sunday evening, unless we’re all out of town. Then it’s usually a phone call from wherever we are in the world.”

  “Because, above all else, family is first,” Marva said.

  Nina looked at her and could almost hear her father quoting another African proverb. Jacoby did that often, especially after Lynn had left them. It was as if he’d thought by pouring the teachings of the importance of family from his ancestors into their heads, they would never make the same mistakes.

  “Nina, are you okay? You seem so different now. Would you like me to order you something to eat before I go?” Riley asked after her mother had opened the door and they’d walked through.

  Nina stayed in the apartment, placing her hand on the doorknob to steady herself. “No. Thanks, really, for being so kind to me, but I’m okay. I have some stuff in the refrigerator and I’m going to have a bath and just chill for the evening.” Or wallow in how much she’d missed by not having a mother-daughter rel
ationship to lean on, or even a sister relationship that didn’t feel like everyone was leaning on her all the time.

  Marva stepped close, cupping Nina’s cheek. “All will seem better in the morning,” she said before kissing Nina’s forehead. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  Riley smiled at Nina. “Yes, tomorrow. But call me tonight if you just want to chat.”

  “I will,” she said with a nod, really believing that she would reach out to Riley if she could no longer bear the silence or her thoughts tonight.

  * * *

  Nina was lying in bed two hours later, watching some old movie on the television, when her cell phone rang. She glanced over at the phone and saw her father’s name on the screen. It was as if Jacoby had somehow known she needed her family tonight.

  Nina smiled as she answered. “Hi, Dad. How are you?” She sat up, the pillows behind her back.

  “Not too good since I found out my daughter’s been lying to me.”

  Oh no, what had Daisy or Angie done now?

  “Who’s been lying to you and about what?”

  “You and you know what.”

  Okay, she had to refrain from replying with a “what” because her father wouldn’t like that. Instead she rephrased her question.

  “I don’t understand what you’re saying, Dad. What’s going on?”

  “How’s it possible that my oldest child is getting married and I didn’t know about it? Just who is giving you away and to what type of man? I don’t understand these young folks that don’t respect any kind of tradition. He couldn’t come ask me for your hand in marriage? Or maybe you didn’t want him to.”

  CHAPTER TEN

  “IT’S NOT WHAT you think, Dad,” she replied after the silence had stretched too long and she knew her father was getting antsy for a response.

  “Well now, I think I can still read pretty well. Daisy brought me my papers when she went to the market for me the other day. And I sat out on the back porch like I always do and read them. Damn near choked on my coffee when I saw those pictures of you and some guy named Major Gold announcing your engagement. What kind of name is that for a man, anyway? And now you’re in that big city planning some fancy wedding when you know I’ve always told you girls that you should have a traditional African wedding. It’s what your grandparents always wanted.”