Chapter 24
D
ana looked at Brittany blankly. “What?”
“Nikki invited me to a sleepover Tuesday night,” Brittany repeated. “It's her birthday, and since I'm going to Nassau and she's going to Alabama, we won't see each other until school starts. A couple of other girls will be there as well. We're going to cook out, hamburgers and hot dogs. And Nikki's parents are getting her a limousine, and after we eat we're all going to ride to play miniature golf. Is it okay for me to go?” Brittany looked at Dana pleadingly. “It's Tuesday, so I'll still be able to spend my last night, Wednesday, with you.”
“Yes, of course, you can go.” Nikki Davis was Brittany's closest friend at school. Brittany and Vanessa started school together and had met in kindergarten, but when Dana and Kenny moved into the house Dana still lived in when Brittany was in third grade, she had to change schools. She'd made new friends easily, but she and Nikki formed a special bond.
Brittany's news that she would not be at home on Tuesday stunned Dana. She found herself rethinking her decision to cancel her dinner with Gil. After all, if Brittany would be at Nikki's she had no reason to. Gil could even pick her up as planned.
But at dinner she would set him straight about a few things.
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He showed up on time, complimented her on her outfitâa simple sleeveless sweater, plaid capri pants, and heeled mules that would be cool in the June heatâand opened the car door for her. “I thought we would go to the Fish Camp in Mandarin,” he said. “I love their food, but I seldom get to this part of town. They have an excellent selection of steak and pasta if you don't care for seafood.”
“I adore seafood, especially theirs.”
The restaurant was tucked in a remote corner of South Jacksonville on the banks of a branch of the St. Johns River. Several large boats sat docked near the front entrance.
The inside was all wood, river views, and dim lighting. Dana ordered grilled catfish and vegetables.
“Ooh, this is good,” she said after taking her first bite. “Melts in my mouth.”
“The food here is wonderful.”
“I'm glad we came.” She smiled at him warmly. Something in his eyes as he smiled back made her shiver, not in a bad way, and she suddenly knew this would be no one-time dinner. She and Gil would be spending a lot of time together. It wouldn't be too difficult to scheduleâwith Brittany gone she had no parenting responsibilitiesâbut Dana's thoughts kept going back to Irene Albacete. She'd seemed so happy Mother's Day when she confirmed Vanessa's statement that Gil was taking her to dinner, and later when she retrieved Vanessa from Dana's care. That had been one of the rare times when Dana saw her show any emotion.
But everything hinged on the way he reacted when she pointed out his part in the incident that nearly caused her to cancel their date. “Gil,” she began, “there's something we have to discuss. I don't think you were being very fair to insist that you come to pick me up.”
“No harm done, was there? I'll bet Brittany didn't even see me.”
“No, she didn't, because she wasn't there. She's at a friend's house. They're all celebrating the friend's birthday before they go their separate ways for the rest of the summer.”
“Vanessa is going away, too. First she's taking a trip up North with her mother, and then she'll spend a few weeks with my parents in Miami.” He noticed her stony expression. “Sorry. I was just making a comment. I didn't mean to take over the conversation. You were saying?”
“Gil, have you told Vanessa that you were taking me out tonight?”
“No. There's no need for her to know.”
“Because she doesn't live with you. I noticed the other day that you called in the evening. I guess you waited until after you'd brought Vanessa back to her mother's.”
“Well, yes, butâ”
“Think about it, Gil. Brittany lives with me full time. There's no sending her to her father's house. It's practically impossible for me to keep any secrets from her, even if a babysitter is present. The only way I can have a sense of privacy is to shield her from anything I don't want her to know. And I don't think it's fair for you to feel you want to keep Vanessa in the dark about us, but take me out openly in front of Brittany.” She paused. “Not that Vanessa would be in the dark for long, not if Brittany knew.”
He leaned back in his rattan chair and looked at her sheepishly. “I guess you're right. I didn't think of it that way. The whole thing caught me off guard. I mean, you were always the mother of my daughter's best friend. And there I was, not seeing anyone, having difficulty making any special connections, and when I brought Brittany home from New Orleans I kind of saw you for the first time. There you were, a woman who'd been handed lemons by life and managed to turn them into lemonade. You'd lost your husband suddenly, but instead of buckling under you started a business and took in a renter. I admire you for all you've done, Dana. Believe me, there are women out there who've fallen apart over a mere divorce. Of course, there was usually a younger woman involved.”
Dana thought of how hurt she'd been at catching Sean out with Micheline. “I'm sure it's not easy being cast aside in favor of a newer model, especially if you've given a man the best years of your life.”
“I guess. But that night it occurred to me that you were more than just Vanessa's friend's mother. I saw someone I'd like to get to know better, and since you're widowed there's nothing morally wrong with it.” He shrugged. “Of course, even I had to consider that there might be problems. But I'm afraid I thought about it mostly from my own viewpoint. I'm sorry.”
She sighed. “As long as we're on the same page. But Brittany will be away for the next month, and at least I won't have to meet you anywhere. You can come to the house freely, and no one will have to know.”
His face held mild curiosity. “And when Brittany returns?”
“Well ...” She hadn't thought that far ahead. “I guess then she'll have to be told. Provided, of course, that you and I are still seeing each other.”
Gil reached across the table and covered her forearm with his hand. “I've got a very strong feeling that we will be.”
Chapter 25
“
D
ana, I just got off the phone with Vic's lawyer, and he said he could throw some legal transcription our way,” Norell said into the phone. “Jessica did such a good job with that real-estate project, she should be able to handle this as well.”
“I don't know, Norell. Real estate is one thing. Legal is something else. They have their own vocabulary that's probably nearly as extensive as ours. Jessica might not be able to handle it. A court reporter might be better suited.”
“Oh, there isn't much to legal work. A writ there, a codicil there. It's a cinch.”
“Why don't we discuss it at the next partners' meeting?”
“All right.”
“You must have eaten your Wheaties this morning, Norell. You sound so energetic.”
Norell gulped down a multivitamin. “Well, I got a good night's sleep. I feel great!”
“Uh, how's Vic?”
“He's fine,” Norell replied dreamily.
Dana instantly understood. Norell had had a good night with Vic. No wonder she felt so up this morning.
As she hung up the phone she felt a little envious of Norell. She and Gil had been seeing each other regularly the last few weeks, with kisses that grew more and more ardent at the end of each evening. Having Gil in her life had gone a long way toward filling the hole in her life caused by Brittany's absence.
But at least Brittany was having a good time. She had her own set of friends down in Nassau that she'd grown up with, and Kenny's parents were delighted to see her. Thank God for them. If it were left up to her own father, Brittany would never know how it felt to have loving grandparents.
Dana remembered the incident that forever altered her relationship with her father like it just happened last week. Even if the incident had never happened, she would never forget the pain of that day when her mother and sister were buried. Hearing her father say that he would rather she had died so her mother and sister could have lived, that he wished it was she who lay cold and dead in a metal casket, came as a shock almost too great to bear. She'd been as devastated as her father at the loss of half of their family, but she would never have been willing to sacrifice her father to keep her mother and Gail.
Her eyes became damp. She would never forget how she began each day at her Aunt Joan's with a prayer that today would be the day her father would come for her. Every night brought aching disappointment, and even more unsettling was the haunting certainty that if her mother and sister had survived the crash and she had been the one who died, life would have gone on as usual. No one would have been sent anywhere. It would never stop hurting her heart to know that her father valued her less than he did her mother and Gail.
It would be another three years, time filled with grief counseling, high school, and college classes, before she would meet Kendrick Covington and embark on the happy home life she'd always dreamed of, with no way of knowing it would only last fifteen short years.
But now there was Gil. Dana's life was still far from perfectâshe worked many hours and still had to watch each penny she spentâbut she was happier now than she'd been in over a year. And she knew Gil Albacete was the reason why.
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Cécile fidgeted in discomfort under Norell's steady stare. They were at Dana's for their partners' meeting, with Dana speaking about physician complaints, but Cécile wished she could cover her stomach, for that was the focus of Norell's gaze. She was well into her fourth month and just beginning to show. She'd been pleased to get a call from Norell after returning from her aunt's funeral in South Florida to congratulate her on her pregnancy, and even thought that perhaps everything between them would be all right after all. But now she had to cope with having Norell look at her belly like it had suddenly sprouted flowers for another four and a half months. She didn't think she'd be able to take it.
Dana, sitting in a chair opposite Cecile, cleared her throat. “Hey guys, y'all aren't even listening. What's more important than CDN?”
Norell quickly recovered, finally tearing her stare away from Cécile's stomach. “Sorry. I was just thinking about something.”
Cécile met Dana's gaze and momentarily raised an eyebrow. Dana's raised chin showed she got the message.
“Did y'all want to reschedule this meeting?” Dana asked.
“We don't have time,” Cécile said in protest, instantly regretting her silent signal. She'd merely wanted to let Dana know that Norell was hung up on this baby thing again, not to prompt Dana to offer to reschedule.
“I'm sorry. This is all my fault,” Norell said. “I'm afraid my mind just isn't on business this morning. Go ahead, Dana. I promise to pay attention this time.”
Dana continued with her presentation. The bottom line was that CDN's clients had few complaints, and most of them were about getting their completed work back late. Others related to errors made in transcribed records, errors that could have easily been avoided by a careful read-through of the work before sending it to the client.
“I've determined that Linda Blake isn't proofing any of her reports,” Dana continued. “I think we should let her go.”
“Can we afford to lose a full-time MT?” Cécile asked.
“We can't afford to keep her.”
“I agree with Dana,” Norell said. “We can't have contractors who are only interested in producing as many lines as they can so they can collect big paychecks each Friday. If they're putting out garbage, it's going to reflect on us and may cost us clients. Let's get rid of her.”
“But what if she gets mad that we fired her and wants to get back at us?” Cécile asked. “I mean, what's to stop her from getting into the system and doing real damage?”
“Once we turn off her logon she can't access the system,” Dana said. “Now, aren't you glad we spent that money on a consultant to personalize our software?”
“Hmph. I'm just glad we're finished paying him.”
“I wish we were finished paying Pat Fairfield all that money we owe her,” Norell said.
“Come on, Norell,” Dana said patiently. They had gone over this many times before. “We did take over all her clients. It's only fair she be compensated for that. Those clients were what got us started. It can take years to build a base like that.”
“We were lucky Pat agreed to our terms of a large down payment and the balance in monthly installments,” Cécile added.
Dana nodded. “Yes, we were. But partners, we're facing a crisis if we can't hire more people. Remember, we're con-tracturally bound to bill at a lower line rate if we can't deliver on time, so every time we fall out of turnaround it costs us money. And I'm reluctant to take on any new clients if we don't have the staff. Any suggestions?”
“I've already talked to Michael about going part time for Precise after my maternity leave. That'll give me more time to work on CDN's clients,” Cecile offered.
“Won't going part time make you lose your health insurance?” Dana asked.
“We're all covered through Michael's job. As long as I can collect a weekly paycheck for the lines I produce, just like any other MT on the payroll, it'll work out fine. I know I'm a partner, but my family depends on my income, and we won't be splitting any profits until the end of the year.
“In other words, I don't want to sound like a cheapskate,” Cécile said firmly, “but I wouldn't want anyone to feel that my pay can be deferred in case of a cash crunch.”
“That won't be a problem. We've never had a cash crunch before,” Dana said confidently. “We would never take advantage of you that way.”
“That's great, Cécile, and we definitely need the extra effort, but it's not an immediate solution,” Norell pointed out. “You're not into your fifth month yet, and then after the baby is born you'll need six weeks of recuperation. We're talking something like another five or even six months. CDN needs help
now
.”
Cécile frowned. “Well, it's not practical for me to leave Precise now. I've already hinted that I might not be coming back full time after the baby. It wouldn't be fair to them for me to leave earlier. Besides, there's a lot going on in my life right now.” Mrs. Puckett had accepted the offer she and Michael made on her house, and now they were all working to get their current home ready to show prospective buyers. Even the kids were doing their part, straightening out closets and moving excess belongings to the garage so the house wouldn't look so crowded. She didn't want to tell Dana and Norell about their new house because only half the process was complete. They still had to sell the house they lived in now, and she didn't want anything to jinx it. Cécile had a superstitious nature, and she felt Norell's envy could send out some bad vibes. “But I'm not about to sit around for six weeks after the baby comes. Precise doesn't have any short-term disability benefits, other than what paid time off I've accumulated. Once that runs out and I don't work, I don't get a check.”
“You're planning on working as soon as you get out of the hospital?” Norell sounded incredulous.
“Sitting in a comfortable, ergonomically designed chair and transcribing for a living hardly takes the effort of being a lumberjack chopping down trees in the woods, Norell,” Cécile pointed out. “After the baby is born I'll be back at work in two weeks, max. And all the work I do will be for CDN. Since my status is that of employee, not independent contractor, Precise wouldn't even let me work until the doctor clears me after six weeks.”
“We wouldn't want you to overexert yourself, Cécile,” Dana said.
“I appreciate that, but you do what you have to do. Remember how quickly Norell went back to work after they took out her appendix? What'd you take off, Norell, three days?”
Norell nodded sheepishly. She had known the hospital bill would be huge, so she'd returned to work after just a few days.
“Yeah, three days,” she said. “But I wasn't married then,” she added. “I had no choice but to go back to work.”
“I'm married,” Cécile said, “but I've got to be realistic. I'll have seven kids and probably a much bigger mortgage. Michael won't be able to do it all by himself.” She confidently patted her heavy thighs. “I appreciate you guys being concerned about my health, but I'll be fine. There's nothing to having a baby.” At Norell's stricken look Cécile withdrew her breath audibly. “I'm sorry. That was a thoughtless thing to say.”
Dana sighed and, in a significant gesture, quietly closed her notebook and placed it on the coffee table.
For about ten long seconds, Norell sat still as a statue, then she hastily leaned forward to collect her purse from the floor beside her chair. “I have to go,” she said, her voice sounding strained and unnatural.
“Norell, no. Wait for me, please.” Cécile struggled to get to her feet. She grabbed her shoulder bag. “I'll see you later,” she said to a worried-looking Dana as she rushed to the backdoor, where Norell stood outside lighting a cigarette with an unsteady hand.
Cécile panted as she closed the door behind herself. “Thanks for waiting.”
“You obviously wanted to say something, so go ahead.”
“I wanted to tell you again how sorry I was for being so inconsiderate.” Then the words began pouring out straight from her heart. “Norell, I wish you weren't having such a hard time. I'd give anything if you couldâif things were different for you. But it's not up to me. I hate what it's done to us, to our friendship.”
“I know I'm not being fair to you, Cécile. I'm sorry. I just can't help being a little jealous. You've got everything I wanted, a husband who loves you and children.”
Cecile didn't know what to say. She hadn't expected Norell to come out and admit her jealousy, although Cécile felt it whenever they were in each other's company. “Vic loves you, Norell. You should never underestimate the value of a good husband. Look at what happened to poor Dana, losing Kenny so suddenly. Besides, you're reasonably well off.” She thought of Michael's reluctance to trade a small mortgage for a much larger one, and of how difficult it would be to raise seven children in this day and age. “That's something else you don't ever want to take for granted.”
“Money helps, but what they say is true. Money can't wrap its arms around you at night or give you a hug. I know things aren't easy for Dana, but I'm sure if you asked her if she'd rather have Brittany or plenty of money, she'd choose her daughter.” Norell stubbed out her cigarette with her shoe.
Inside, Dana wished she had a way to hear what Norell and Cécile were saying. She went up to her bedroom, which overlooked the patio. The only thing that stopped her from opening the window was the fear that her friends would recognize the sound. She'd be so embarrassed if that happened. But she couldn't hear a thing with the window closed, damn it.