Authors: Claire Adams
CHAPTER
TWENTY-EIGHT
Late
in the day, after I'd resolved the issues between the warehouse workers and the
construction crew, and ironed out a number of issues with large orders that
Sloan had generated, I got a call from Norma asking me to come up to Jack's
office.
My stomach flipped
over as I tried to anticipate what he might want. I couldn't help but recall
the way that we'd almost kissed, and then my face burned with shame remembering
how Jack had pulled away when Sloan had caught us. I told myself that what he wanted
was nothing more than a professional run down of the warehouse, and as the
manager, I was obligated to give him the figures. I gathered my reports and
headed up to his office with a sinking feeling in my gut.
"Well, now
aren't you a sight for sore eyes!" Norma exclaimed as I walked through the
door. She studied me for a moment and then said, "What's eating at you,
darlin? You look like you been rode hard and put up wet."
"Thanks,
Norma," I said with a grimace. "You know how to make a girl feel
good."
"Aw, honey,
now don't go gettin' your knickers in a knot," Norma said with a smile as
she pushed her jar of hard candy towards me. "Here, have a sweet treat,
and tell me what's going on."
"I don't want
to talk about it," I said as I reached in and grabbed a butterscotch disc.
"Sure you
do," she said as she followed suit. "Unburdening yourself always
feels good. Besides, maybe there's something I can do to help. You never
know."
"My mother
burned us out of our house yesterday, and we have no place to stay," I
blurted out.
"Oh my God,
darlin!" Norma exclaimed as she shot up out of her chair and hurried
around the desk. She put her arms around me and pulled me into a warm hug as
the tears began to flow. She rubbed my back as she murmured, "Darlin',
that's just terrible. All right, it's all going to be all right."
"I'm tired,
Norma. I'm just so tired," I cried as she held me and patted my head.
"I know,
darlin'," she said. "But the bigger issue is what are we going to do
with you tonight? I'd invite you to stay with me, but I'm living with my
daughter and her family while my apartment is being fumigated. And they've got
three kids stuffed into that little place."
"I was
thinking we could sleep in my office tonight, and I'd figure out something
tomorrow," I said. "I can't go back to the rectory with my brother,
but I've got Riley to think about. I can't have her sleeping on the floor in my
office!"
"Nonsense,
little girls like Riley are resilient, and they can adapt much better than
adults," she said. "But you're right. You can't sleep in your
office."
Norma rocked me
back and forth as she talked out loud about the possibilities. When I'd calmed
down enough to wipe away the tears and take a deep breath, she told me her
plan.
"While you're
in there meetin' with Jack, I'm going to call around and see if I can find you
a place for a couple of nights," she said. "I'll charge it to the
company account, and you can pay it back before the accounts get reconciled
next month. I'll make sure it's somewhere safe, but affordable."
"Thank you,
Norma," I said as Jack buzzed her on the intercom and told her to send me
in. I inhaled deeply to steel myself and opened his door.
"Leah, come
in and have a seat," Jack said, pointing to the chair across from him.
"I want to talk to you about something."
"I've got the
warehouse reports right here," I said, holding up the stack of papers I'd
printed out. "I can tell you where we need to improve and where all of our
resources are lacking. I think we need to..."
"Riley tells
me that you're in need of a good meal," he interrupted.
"I ...
what?" I said, stunned by the frankness of his statement and by the fact
that he knew what was going on in my life.
"She said
it's a bummer that she's been suspended and that you've been working late,"
he continued. "She said she'd love to have a good home cooked meal
sometime."
"Jack, I—when
did you talk with Riley?" I asked, thinking about how I was going to scold
her for talking about our personal business with my boss.
"She came up
here to talk with me about some things, and the subject came up," he
shrugged. "It's not my place to tell you everything. I do think that the
fact that you are my warehouse manager and you are in need of a good meal is
something I need to address. I'd be a terrible boss if I didn't, wouldn't
I?"
"Well, I
wouldn't expect you to," I said as I looked at him carefully. He was
smiling rather like the cat that ate the canary. "But it's nice of you to
be concerned about us."
"Alright, my
solution is that you and Riley will come have dinner at my mother's house
tonight after we're done with the final walk through of the warehouse," he
said.
"I'm not sure
how Riley will feel about this," I replied.
"What do you
mean?"
"She's a good
kid, but she's also a picky eater," I said, trying not to let the emotion
seep into my voice. I thought about all of the dinners we'd had in that house.
Mama, Molly, me, Patrick, and then Riley when she came along. And I choked back
a sob that was building in my throat. Forward movement was the only way I was
going to make it through this.
"I see,"
Jack nodded. "Well, then you'll come have dinner at my mother's
tonight."
"We can't do
that, but thank you for the offer," I said shaking my head as I looked
down at the stack of reports in my lap.
"Of course
you can do it," he replied. "And you will do it. It's no problem for
my mother, believe me. She loves having people to entertain, and I'm sure
she'll roll out the red carpet and feed you like royalty!"
"I don't want
to put her out," I protested.
"Oh, it's not
like she'll be cooking or anything," he said smiling at me. "I'm sure
she'll have her cook whip up a wonderful, kid-friendly meal that will have
Riley wanting to live in the kitchen after eating it."
"Well, Riley
is an easy target right now," I said, laughing. "She's hungry, and I
don't have time to cook a proper meal for her. She's been surviving on pizza,
which she loves, by the way."
"Then I'll
have Jimmy pick us up around six," he said, grabbing the phone and making
a call. He spoke quietly into the receiver as he swiveled his chair around so
his back was facing me. I couldn't hear what he was saying, but I could tell
that he was giving instructions.
"Jack, this
is way too much," I said as he turned back around with a rather satisfied
grin on his lips.
"Nonsense, my
mother's excited about the prospect of organizing an informal dinner
party," he said as he stood up and walked around the desk. He leaned on
the edge of the desk and crossed his arms as he looked down at me. "Leah,
it's just dinner. Please come and have dinner with my family."
My heart fluttered
a little as I looked up at him and remembered what it felt like to be held in
his arms. I looked away as the blush crept into my cheeks and wondered how I
was going to live and work in such close proximity to the man who made my body
ache with longing.
"Okay, I'll
say yes, but it's because Riley needs a decent meal," I said looking back
up at him once I'd gotten myself under control again. "Dinner is all it
is. We won't overstay our welcome."
"Oh, I think
you'll be surprised by how wide the welcome mat is at my mother's house,"
he grinned as he reached out and rested a hand on my shoulder. "I'm glad
you'll be having dinner with us, Leah."
I swallowed hard
and nodded, knowing that whatever came out of my mouth at that moment would be
completely inadequate. I looked up and smiled.
CHAPTER
TWENTY-NINE
It
was well after
six when I ushered Leah and Riley to the waiting car and told Jimmy to take us
home. Riley peppered me with questions about my mother's house for the entire
ride, which relieved the tension between Leah and me.
"How big is
her house?" Riley asked.
"Super
huge," I replied.
"That's not
an accurate measurement in real estate terms, Jack," Riley said with a
disapproving look. I laughed because I remembered the way in which I used to
give my parents the same look when they gave me an unsatisfying answer to
questions I'd asked.
"Fine, my
mother's house is approximately ten-thousand square feet," I said.
"You're
kidding, right?" Riley said as she dropped her jaw and stared at me.
"Not kidding
at all," I replied seriously. "It's why she can have guests like you
come and stay at a moment's notice."
"Our house is
less than two-thousand square feet," Riley observed. "That means your
mom's house is … four, no five times bigger than ours."
"Good job on
the math," I said nodding. "At least you know you're not losing
anything while you're out of school."
"Very
funny," she said as she flashed me a grin that I understood to mean
exactly the opposite of what she said.
"Looks aren't
everything," I replied, much to Riley's delight as she cracked up, then
turned to watch the city rush by. Leah gave me a grateful smile before she,
too, turned and looked out the window. I wanted to ask her what she was
thinking about, but I knew the answer was likely to be something she didn't
want Riley to hear so I let it go.
When we pulled up
in front of my mother's house, Riley let out a small shriek before she shoved
her weight against the car door and went running up the front steps. I laughed
as I helped Leah out of the car and nodded at Jimmy as he went around to the
trunk to get the packages I'd asked him to pick up.
"Who are
you?" Riley asked as the butler opened the front door and invited her
inside.
"I'm Martin,
the butler," he replied in a formal tone as he gave me a quick questioning
look. I simply nodded.
"Do you
always open the door?" she asked.
"I do,"
Martin nodded. "Mrs. Yates is waiting for you in the dining room at the
end of the hall. Please join her."
Riley, Leah, and I
walked back to the dining room where my mother was sitting at the head of the
table already surrounded by Lincoln, Jessie, Joey, and Mimi.
"Uncle
Jack!" Joey cried as he hopped down off of his chair and ran around the
table. "I waited for you!"
"Well, well,
well, who do we have here?" I said as the small child threw his arms
around my leg and hugged it tightly.
"It's
me—Joey," he said looking up at me through eyes that looked eerily like
his father's. "Don't you recognize me?"
"Indeed I
do," I said reaching down and grabbing him under his arms so I could swing
him up to sit on my hip. "And I've brought guests I'd like you to meet.
Joey, this is Riley, and this is Leah. Leah and Riley, I'd like you to meet my
nephew, Joey."
"Hi,
Joey," Riley said as she stuck out a hand for him to shake. He shook it
while staring at her without saying a word.
"Hi,
Joey," Leah said as she, too, offered her hand. Joey shook it and then
looked at me.
"They are
grown up ladies, Uncle Jack," he said solemnly.
"Yes, they
are," I nodded. "But I think they like the same kind of food you
do."
"Hamburgers?"
Joey asked as he looked around the room. "You like hamburgers?"
"I love
them," Riley said as she moved around the table and shyly introduced
herself to Jessie and Mimi.
"How are you,
brother?" I asked as I eyed Lincoln. We hadn't had a conversation since
the day he lost his cool over the renovations.
"I'm well,
thank you for asking," he said stiffly. My mother watched the two of us,
shaking her head.
"I'm glad you
could make it for dinner," she said smiling at Leah and Riley. "We're
so happy to have you here. Jack has told me all about the miracles you
performed in the warehouse since Bernard died. I know he feels lucky to have
your skill and expertise keeping that part of the business running."
"Oh, well,
I'm glad to be of service," Leah replied blushing a little at the
compliment. "Mr. Yates was so kind to me and gave me a chance when no one
else would have. I feel like I owe him at least that much."
"You must be
starving after a long day at the office!" my mother exclaimed as she
motioned towards chairs for Leah, Riley and me, and then nodded to the serving
staff. Soon the room was filled with the smell of freshly grilled hamburgers,
homemade French fries and potato salad, and platters full of freshly sliced
tomatoes, onions, and pickles. I could see Riley's eyes widen as she fixed an
enormous burger, and then tried to figure out how to open her mouth wide enough
to take a bite of it.
"Easy,
tiger," I said, nudging her with my elbow. "I'm not sure you can open
your mouth that wide."
"Sure I
can," she said with a stubborn grin. "I've eaten burgers way bigger
than this one, haven't I, Leah?"
"Oh sure,
right," Leah said rolling her eyes, watching as Riley stretched her mouth
as wide as she could and took the first bite of her hamburger. Catsup and
mustard dripped out of the sides of the bun and dropped onto the plate and
table around it.
"Oof,"
she said as she chewed with a satisfied grin. Once she'd swallowed, she looked
at me and said, "Told you so."
"I guess you
did," I laughed. "I'll never doubt you again."
The conversation
turned to questions about Riley's schooling and what things she was learning.
My mother kept it all light and easy as my brother and I occasionally shot
murderous looks at one another. I knew she saw them, but my mother was the
consummate hostess and never let anything ruffle her feathers. By the time
dinner was over, she'd gotten Riley and Joey to sing "The Wheels on the
Bus." She then helped Joey recite as much as he could remember of
"The House that Jack Built," which was punctuated by, "That's
you, Uncle Jack!" every time they said, "the house that Jack
built." By the time it was over, we were all stuffed with hamburgers,
chocolate cake, and ice cream.
"Oh God, I'm
so full," Jessie groaned as she pushed herself away from the table. She
picked up Mimi and said, "C'mon Joey, time to get ready for bed!"
"I'm full,
too," Riley echoed as she wrapped her arms around her midsection and
rolled her eyes as Jessie and the kids headed up to the second floor. "I
ate way too much!"
"Then you'll
sleep well tonight," Leah said as she patted her on the shoulder.
"C'mon, get your things together. We need to get going."
"Going?"
my mother asked as she gave me a confused look. "I thought that since your
house burned down, you'd be staying with us."
"Oh, I … well
… I mean," Leah stammered as she quickly looked at me and then back at my
mother. I could see the tears begin to well up as her face crumpled, and she
cried, "Oh, Jack, how could you?"
Leah pushed her
chair back, leapt up, and shot out of the room. I heard the front door open and
slam shut, and I knew I'd made a big mistake. Riley looked at me and then
looked at the hallway before looking back at me.
"Jack, go
talk to her, darling," my mother prompted. "Tell her that you're
sorry."
"Sorry for
what?" I said defensively.
"Sorry for
fucking up in such a big way," my brother said in a dry voice. "Even
I recognize that."
"Shut up,
asshole," I shot back.
"Boys!"
my mother shouted. "I will not have that kind of talk around my
table!"
"Sorry,"
we both muttered.
"Jack, go
find Leah and tell her that you're sorry you embarrassed her," my mother
instructed. "Lincoln, Jessie’s getting the children ready to go home. Go
help her. I'll help Riley get settled in her room."
I got up from the
table and headed outside. As I stood on the front steps trying to figure out
where Leah had gone, I saw movement in the garden. I headed over and found Leah
sitting on a bench with her face in her hands. She was crying.
"I'm
sorry," I said quietly. "I didn't mean to embarrass you."
The silence that
followed was deafening.