Authors: Claire Adams
CHAPTER
THIRTY-TWO
Once
I'd gotten Jack settled down enough to be sure that he wouldn't screw things up
by letting loose on his brother, I went inside to find his mother. I knew that
running away from the table had probably confused her because Jack hadn't told
her about his surprise, and I wanted to apologize.
"Mrs.
Yates?" I said when I found her sitting on a chaise in the back living
room.
"Oh, please
call me Betty, honey," she said as she patted the seat next to her.
"Come sit with me and let’s talk."
"Betty, I'm
sorry I ran away from the dinner table," I began. "I didn't …"
"You didn't
know that Jack had already decided you'd stay here, did you?" she asked in
a light tone that told me she was used to this kind of behavior. "My boys
are good boys, but they are a lot like their father in the sense that when they
see something needs to be done, they just do it. Everything and everyone else
be damned."
"I didn't
know he'd made plans for us," I said.
"Of course
you didn't, dear," she smiled. "He wanted to surprise you with a solution
to your problem."
"Well, he
did, indeed," I said, shaking my head. "I just …"
"You just
don't like the way he swooped in and took over," she finished. "I
didn't like the way Bernard did that, either, but over the years I realized
that his intentions weren't bad. It was just that his plan of action needed
fine tuning."
"But Jack's
my boss," I said. "He's not my husband."
"Oh
darling," Betty laughed as she patted my arm. "I think you are
missing the obvious."
"What do you
mean?"
"I mean, Jack
may not know it yet, but he's fallen for you, my dear," she smiled.
"He's head over heels, but my guess is that he's either not entirely aware
of it or he's decided not to admit it to anyone, not even himself."
"I'm not
seeing it," I lied as the memory of our first kiss flashed in my mind.
"He's my boss, and he's been nothing but professional with me."
"All right,
well, you two can keep playing this game for a little longer, but eventually
it's going to catch up with you," Betty said as she looked out the window
wistfully. "Bernard and I had a similar kind of courtship. He maintained
an appropriate distance, and so did I, but in the end, we knew it was bigger
than both of us. And it was."
"How long
were you married?" I asked.
"Bernard and
I celebrated our fortieth anniversary last year," she smiled at the
memory. "He booked a cruise, and we spent ten lovely days together
remembering why we'd gotten married in the first place."
"Did you need
the reminder?" I asked.
"Oh goodness,
yes, dear!" she exclaimed. "I was on the verge of leaving him!"
"You
were?"
"Bernard was
a difficult man," she said, carefully choosing her words. "There were
many times during our marriage that I thought about picking up and leaving. But
we had the boys, and it wasn't easy. Besides, as Bernard built the business, he
was gone a lot of the time, so I lived in peace for many years."
"But you
stayed," I said. "Why would you stay if you were so unhappy when he
was around?"
"You young
girls are so funny," she said as she turned and looked at me. "You
think the whole world has always existed the way you experience it. What you
don't understand is that your experience rests on the backs of the women who
came before you."
"But if
things were bad …" I said.
"If things
were bad, you stayed because you didn't have options," Betty explained.
There was a hint of irritation in her voice as she spoke. "I didn't earn a
college degree until the boys were grown. And early in my marriage, I wasn't
allowed to apply for a credit card without Bernard co-signing on it. Where was
I going to go with two little boys? How would I support them?"
"I have no
idea," I said, suddenly thinking about my own mother.
"Of course
you don't," she said. "We don't really talk about these things
openly, but they're the source of frustration and regret for many women. Look,
I'm not complaining. I had a pretty marvelous life when all is said and done,
but I do understand the frustration you feel about having Jack take control of
your situation. All I'm saying is that there's a balance."
"I can see
that," I nodded as I thought about the difference between intent and
action, and wondered if perhaps Jack and I needed to have a conversation about
things. Then I thought about how embarrassed I'd feel if I brought this up and
was wrong about his intentions.
"I don't
think Jack was trying to control you, dear," Betty said as she quietly
broke into my thoughts. "I think he was just trying to alleviate the
stress you must obviously feel as you try to deal with work, home, and making
sure Riley is well cared for."
"I can see
that," I said. "I'm just not sure how I feel about this."
"Don't let
pride get in the way of gaining a better understanding of his motives,"
Betty said as she stood up. "I don't know what they are, but I'm willing to
bet they're better than what you think. Now, if you'll excuse me, dear, I'm
going to show you your room and then take myself to bed."
"Oh, of
course," I said, popping up off of the chaise and following her upstairs.
The room she'd had
prepared for me was the most luxurious place I'd ever seen. The room was done
in mossy greens and earthy tones, and it felt relaxing and restful. In one
corner was an inviting sitting area with over-stuffed armchairs and plump
stools. There were fuzzy blankets draped over the backs of the chairs and
tables piled high with the latest best-sellers. On the other side of the room
was a huge canopy bed covered in the thickest duvet I'd ever seen, topped with
a mountain of pillows that looked like they were made for lounging.
The room had its
own private bath complete with a soaking tub and an intricately tiled shower
area that covered almost an entire wall. Betty showed me that the closets had
been filled with an array of clothing and things Jack thought I might need, and
she gave me a tour of the bathroom, making sure to tell me that she'd placed an
order for the cosmetics and personal hygiene products herself.
"Jack
wouldn't have known the first thing about what you'd need," she chuckled
as she pulled out drawers and showed me all of the things that had been tucked
into them.
"I don't know
how to begin to thank you," I said, overwhelmed by the magnitude of
generosity, and a little intimidated by it, too.
"There's no
need, dear," Betty said smiling warmly. "We do what we can, when we
can. And we're able to do a lot right now. Just relax and enjoy it, and let us
help ease the stress of trying to figure out how to move forward, okay?"
"Okay,"
I nodded then asked. "Where's Riley?"
"Her room is
two doors down the hall," Betty said. "I stocked it with things for a
teenager, so I think she should be okay there tonight."
"I'm sure
she'll be fine," I laughed, thinking about what Riley must have thought
about her room. "I won't be able to get her out of it in the morning,
though!"
"About
that," Betty said hesitating a bit. "I know she's out of school right
now. Jack told me. So, I found a tutor who will come to the house and give her
lessons for as long as you two are staying here. I hope that's all right."
"Oh, Betty,
thank you so much," I said as the tears welled up in my eyes. "I have
been trying to figure out what to do about her schooling because I don't want
her to get behind."
"That's the
benefit of having lots of money, dear," Betty said patting my shoulder.
"The challenge is figuring out how best to use it. I think this is
definitely a good way to use it."
I nodded as she
held out her arms and drew me into a tight hug. I held back, knowing that the
wall dividing my emotions from the reality of what was going on had become
dangerously thin over the past few hours, and I didn't want Betty to think I
wasn't grateful.
She bid me good
night and closed the door. I ran a tub full of hot water, then sunk down into
the bubbles and cried until I felt like I had no tears left.
CHAPTER
THIRTY-THREE
I
spent most of the
night pacing like a caged tiger, trying to hold back the anger that I felt. I
wanted to find Lincoln and demand answers as to why he'd set me up, and then I
wanted to find Sloan and cut her down to size. This was the last time I would ever
believe a single word she said, and going forward, I would do whatever it took
to ensure that she paid for the lies she'd told and the damage she'd done to
Baby Steps.
By the time the
sun came creeping up over the horizon, I'd formulated a plan to bring the liars
out of the woodwork and teach them a lesson. Leah and I would save Baby Steps
from the destructive plans my brother and his lover had cooked up.
I called Jimmy and
told him to bring the car around before anyone in the house was stirring. I planned
to get to the office early and organize the plan before anyone else arrived.
When Jimmy dropped me off, I told him to swing back to the house and pick up
Leah, but not to bring her in before nine. He nodded and headed back.
"Well, good
morning, sunshine!" Norma crowed as she entered the office a little while
later. She chattered away as usual before she realized how early it was.
"My goodness, this morning I've been busier than a moth in a mitten! What
are y’all doing here so early?"
"Norma, we've
got a problem," I said, motioning her into my office.
"What's up,
buttercup?" she said as she came closer.
"I'm going to
trust you with information that is strictly confidential, and I expect that it
will go no further than this office, do you understand?" I asked.
"Darlin',
your father trusted me with most of the top secret things in this company. I'm
sure I can handle your little cloak and dagger mystery just fine," she
said shaking her head disapprovingly.
"I'm not
kidding, Norma," I said as I moved toward the office door and shut it
firmly. "There are things going on here that could seriously affect the
entire company, and I need your help getting to the bottom of them. You cannot
tell anyone what we're doing. Do you understand?"
"Why, you're
serious, aren’t you?" she asked, suddenly getting serious, too.
"I am,"
I nodded. "Can I trust you to keep this confidential?"
"Well, butter
my butt and call me a biscuit," she said. "Of course I can,
darlin'!"
"You really
have a way with words," I laughed, thankful that she had lightened the
mood a bit before I shared the secrets with her. "Norma, it's come to my
attention that Sloan is working with my brother to destroy Baby Steps and sell
individual pieces of it to foreign investors. Last night, I found out that
they're getting ready to make a deal with the Chinese to buy our warehouse
operation and ship it over to one of their factories."
"You have got
to be shitting me," Norma said as she stared at me with her mouth open.
"That skinny, little Miss Know-It-All is trying to ruin all the hard work
you've put into this company since your father died?"
"Yes, and my
brother," I said as I watched her expression go from shocked to downright
angry.
"Well now
that gets my goose!" she swore under her breath. "What are you going
to do?"
"I'm going to
lay a trap for them and catch them in the act, but I'm going to need your
help," I said. I explained the plan and told her what she was going to do.
When I was done, Norma smiled and gave me the thumbs up.
"I'm on it, boss,"
she said as she returned to her command center out front.
A little while
later, I heard her saying good morning to Sloan and knew that my plan was going
to work. If Norma was onboard, then we were going to be just fine.
"Good
morning, Jack," Sloan said as she crossed the room and set her handbag on
my desk as usual. She was dressed in a tight-fitting suit. It had grey
pinstripes with a bright red blouse underneath the jacket and impossibly high,
black patent-leather stilettos on her feet. She looked like a cross between a
Wall Street CEO and a high-end dominatrix, and I was fairly certain it was
exactly the image she wanted.
"Good
morning, Sloan," I said, smiling as I offered her coffee, which she turned
her nose up at. "How's business?"
"It's damn
good this week, boss," she said, flashing me a smile that didn't reach her
eyes. "I've got quite a few appointments with possible distributors, and I
think that the Upper West Side is going to be a great place to market Baby
Steps package deliveries. I've got meetings with a few of the condo boards, and
we're going to discuss making Baby Steps the supplier for families in each of
the buildings."
"Friends in
high places," I said as I watched her lie.
"Indeed,"
she smiled. "So, what do we need to discuss this morning?"
"I'm going to
need you to turn in all of your order sheets this morning before you
leave," I said, dropping the bomb.
"Oh, haven't
I given those silly things to Norma already?" she said, laughing lightly
as she brushed off the request.
"No, you
haven't, so before you leave this morning, I'm going to need you to turn them
all in," I repeated.
"Darling, I
know you like to run the business with an iron fist," she said moving
closer to me so she could run her fingers down my arm as she playfully smiled.
"But I don't have the silly paperwork with me. I'll have to turn it in
later."
"I'm not
backing down on this, Sloan," I said as I removed her hand from my arm.
"There are some questions about the orders we're getting ready to fill in
the warehouse, and I need you to provide evidence that those orders are
actually on the books."
"Well, I
don't have the paperwork," she said in a brittle voice that let me know
she was angry. "It's not my biggest priority, Jack. You know that. I've
been brought onboard to ensure that we have orders coming in, and I've done
that. The paperwork is your warehouse manager's job. What's her name? Lora?
Linda?"
"It's
Leah," I said smiling knowing that I was getting to her. "And it's
not her job. It's your job. I'll need you to sit down and fill it out before
you leave this morning. Norma will get you the forms you need, so all you need
to do is fill in the blanks. I'll contact the clients and have them sign the
documents."
"I can't be
expected to remember every client's order, Jack!" she protested. I could
see her brain frantically working to try and find a way out of her lies.
"Then write
down the names and phone numbers of every order you've taken, and I'll have an
assistant call and double check the order," I said calmly.
"Jack …"
she warned. "This is just not something I feel like I need to do."
"Well, I'm
the CEO, and I do feel it's necessary. So you'll sit down and do it," I
said sternly. "I'm not arguing with you, Sloan. I'm running a business
here, and you need to comply with my directives if you want to remain
employed."
"I don't know
what's gotten into you, but this is an ugly side that I've never seen
before," she said narrowing her eyes. "I resent being treated like a
common sales person when I'm bringing in some of the biggest clients Baby Steps
will ever have."
"I'm sorry
you feel that way, Sloan," I said, holding her gaze as I held my ground.
"But I expect all of the sales people to maintain their paperwork so that
we can make sure the orders are being filled properly. You are no exception to
the rule."
"Fine, I'll
fill it out," she huffed as she grabbed her bag and stormed out.
I watched as she
grabbed the papers from Norma. I chuckled as Norma turned and winked at me. As
I stood at my desk thinking about how I was going to outsmart Sloan and
Lincoln, for the first time since my father died I felt like I had a purpose in
the company. I also knew that I had other things that needed to be addressed,
but I wasn't quite ready to go there—yet.