“Let’s just wait a bit. Maybe you could close the door.” She turned the towel and wiped Bryce’s face. Some color edged into her cheeks.
“What happened?” Bryce whispered.
“I think you just fainted, but you’re fine. No damage done.” Fiona sat back on her heels and breathed a sigh of relief. Being a teacher didn’t qualify her to treat the unconscious.
Bryce covered her face and took a deep breath. Perspiration dotted her forehead and she wiped it with the towel. She started to sit up.
“Here, let me help.” Fiona put an arm under her shoulders while Bryce sat and tipped to one side. “Easy there.” Her damp polo shirt clung to her back, and the color in her face started to drain again.
“I’m okay, just disoriented. What time is it?”
“Almost seven thirty. It’s only been a few minutes. I heard a noise and came in to find you out cold.” Fiona brushed the damp hair from Bryce’s forehead. Her dark brown eyes focused a little better. “Do you want some water?”
“Yes. My mouth is really dry.” She took the bottle and sipped it.
Fiona kept a hand on her shoulder, and noticed surprising muscles. She remembered something about playing sports.
“What about dinner? Did I mess everything up?” She started to get up.
“Whoa. Not so fast. They’re holding it for a few minutes and Billy is talking with Dad, Tom, and Liam. Everything is fine.”
Bryce looked at her shirt. “I’d like to go up and change and splash some water on my face.”
“If you’re sure, but I think I’d better help.”
“You don’t have to—”
“I think it would be wise.” Fiona stood and put her hand out. Bryce took it and pulled herself up, where she wobbled again.
“Okay. You were right. My room is just at the top of the stairs.”
They slipped out through the lobby and made it upstairs. Bryce found her key and opened the door. “You can come in. I won’t be a minute.”
Fiona sat on the foot of the bed. “This is a lovely room.” The homey appointments like the quilted bedspread and curtains provided cheery color to the rustic furniture.
Bryce stood at the bathroom sink, splashing water around her head and neck. Fiona watched with a surprising fascination. When Bryce pulled her shirt off and threw it over the shower rod, a warm flush rose up Fiona’s chest and neck. Clearly an athlete. She swallowed.
“I’m so embarrassed. I don’t remember fainting since the state finals in high school. Anxiety, I guess.” Bryce dried her face and shoulders, then ran a comb through her feathery short hair. “Did anyone come in except you?” She opened the closet door and pulled out another shirt and started buttoning it from the bottom.
Fiona felt her mouth dry up. She just asked a question. “Um…no. Well, Billy followed me and got the towel and water.”
Bryce sat down on a nearby bench. “Fiona, I wanted this whole evening to go smoothly for you and your dad because it’s so important.”
“But it was perfect. Really.” She put her hand on Bryce’s wrist and quickly pulled back. “The whole tasting went well, and Dad was so touched. He lost some of his confidence when Mum died and he couldn’t help her. Tonight, he got that back.” She felt the truth of what she had just said, and the gratitude. “You gave me back my dad.”
Chapter Twenty-six
Reggie had been cooling her heels waiting for Leo Edelman. The call came late last night from Margaret. “Mr. Edelman would like to see you at nine tomorrow morning.” She glanced at her watch for the tenth time.
Leo Edelman was a bit of a legend in the import-export business, just like his father before him. Employees worked hard to earn his respect, but he worked just as hard if not harder. The same went for his darling mentee, Bryce Andrews, even though she got no special favors.
Maybe the wild idea of a discrimination case would bite her in the ass. It seemed like such a clever idea. She picked at some rogue nail polish she’d slapped on hurriedly. The dress looked good and accented her best feature with a deep V-neck. Here’s hoping he isn’t too old to notice.
Margaret’s phone rang. “Yes, sir, I’ll tell her.”
That sounded ominous.
“Mr. Edelman is on the way up.”
It was too late to run to the bathroom. Deep breath. She heard the private elevator ding.
“Good morning, ladies.” He walked in with a cane and a notable limp.
Reggie almost gasped out loud. He’d lost so much weight and looked so…frail.
“It was good of you to come on such short notice. Come on in.” He moved slowly into his office and sat carefully in the big leather chair behind his enormous cherry desk. A banker’s lamp, desk pad, and double pen holder were the only items on his desk. A large-screen computer and desk phone were directly behind him on his credenza.
“Please.” He indicated a chair. “Would you like coffee, or something else to drink?”
“No, thank you.” She looked around at the spacious, sparse space. A few modern canvases hung on two walls. Built-in shelves held numerous awards. And a wall of windows faced east over Lake Michigan.
Margaret came in carrying a tray with a teapot, and cup and saucer.
“Thank you, I’ll take it.” He lifted the top and set it back down. “No more coffee for a while.” He smiled.
“I heard about…well, I’m sorry you were laid up awhile.” Lame.
“It’s quite all right. A minor stroke and I’m getting back to normal. It will take some time.” He poured the pale tea. “Why don’t you tell me about this discrimination problem?”
Smack! No more polite conversation. Her rehearsed speech flew right out of her head. A bubble of anxiety popped open in her chest. “I’m not sure where to start.”
He sipped the tea and smiled. “Just take your time. I want to understand what happened that upset you so.”
“The trip went well, and I think we both—Bryce and I—had some wonderful contacts. But it took time and a lot of driving around, in and out of hotels. Even though we talked daily, it was a bit lonely.”
“I understand.”
“When I finished up at Balblair, I had some time and decided to accept a dinner invitation from my last client, Joe. As a rule, I never do that. But he was a nice kid and very enthusiastic about the business he and his brother were building.” She smoothed her skirt and wished she’d asked for water.
“Anyway, we had dinner at my hotel and…several drinks. He had so many questions and it was so fun to just be able to talk and laugh with someone.” She sniffed and wiped her eye. After she dug a tissue out of her purse, she took a deep breath. “I know now it was the wrong thing to do. It wasn’t a message I wanted to convey, but sometimes things just happen.” She wiped her nose and looked down at her lap.
“Yes, I can see how that might happen. You’re a very attractive woman and I’m sure many men would agree, especially those unfamiliar with a Southern belle such as yourself.”
Was he mocking her?
“I should have been more careful. In retrospect, I realize I was too tired to be meeting with a client.”
“Unfortunate. But I’m curious about where the …discrimination is coming from.”
“Oh. This is so difficult.”
“Take your time. Are you sure you wouldn’t like some water?”
“Yes, that would be good.”
He tapped a button on the phone. “Margaret, may we have some water?”
Within a minute she was back with two water bottles.
“Thank you.”
Reggie took several long swallows and recapped the bottle. “Much better.” She pushed her shoulders back and lifted her chin.
“I’m sure it comes as no surprise to you that Bryce is a lesbian.” She paused.
He nodded solemnly.
“Well, we’ve been good friends for many years, but…there was a time when we were, shall I say, closer?”
“Go on.”
“It
didn’t last because our working relationship was so much more important.” Leo’s face gave nothing away. She opened her water bottle and sipped. “Well, when I drove over to meet her in Craigellachie with my reports and samples, we talked about the people I’d met. I mentioned Joe and the evening we shared. Bryce actually scolded me.”
“About your relationship with Joe?”
“Yes. I agreed and apologized. Then she told me all about the MacDougalls and how important their business might be. I wasn’t sure it was worth all the time she was spending, but I wanted to help. She decided to go to Airdrie to talk to Ian and take the samples with her.
“I thought about what she’d said, and thought I could help by talking to them about how we could help them and offering a Request for Representation. But, apparently, Bryce hadn’t even gotten that far. I barely got a chance to explain when Fiona MacDougall yelled and threw me out.”
“I still don’t quite understand.” Leo sipped more tea. He looked confused.
“I guess Ian and Bryce came up with some hair-brained idea to gradually convince Fiona. So, when I told her what happened, she got really mad. I’ve never seen her like that.” She looked up. “Leo, I was actually scared. She screamed and told me she was in charge and I had to go home. I didn’t believe her, but I had no choice.” She sniffed and wiped her nose again. “I had hoped Ian might be able to reason with her, but she’d already called him and said he booked my flight.” Tears flowed easily.
“I can certainly see why you’d be upset. I’d like to help, but I still don’t understand where the discrimination case comes from.” Leo leaned forward.
“I didn’t either, at first. But I figured it out while I flew home. Bryce is interested in that woman, Fiona, and was mad that I butted in. Then wanted to punish me for an innocent mistake with Joe. She was fine when she thought I was playing for her team, but not when I switched sides.” Point. Game. Set.
Leo nodded. “Now I see. And of course, you know our company policy on discrimination. I’ll need to think about this. These are serious accusations.” He stood. “I hope you will do me a favor and sit on this information for a little while before you do anything rash. I think we can work this out.”
She smiled. “Thank you so much for listening. You have no idea how hard this has been.”
“I think I do. Why don’t you take another day before you fly back to San Francisco. If I hear anything, I will contact you. And nice work on the project.”
“Thanks, Leo. I will.” She practically bounced down the hall to the elevator. Time for a little celebrating.
****
The bar was hopping when Bryce and Fiona returned. A small group had gathered near the fireplace with flutes and fiddles, and entertained with some local favorites. Song and laughter filled the air.
“This is fun.” Fiona leaned close and tried to be heard.
“Is this a holiday?” Bryce dodged a young man juggling five pints.
“I’ve no idea. Could be a graduation or something.”
They made it to the bar and waved at Billy. He looked busy, but nodded at them.
Fiona scanned the room. “Where do you suppose the gentlemen have got to?”
“No idea,” Bryce shouted.
“Outside, last I saw them. I’ll have a look since Dad might be smoking his pipe.”
Bryce watched the celebration. In this chaos, no one would likely know what happened to her. Still, she felt uncomfortable for Fiona to see her like that. Although it might have been worse if Tom or Liam had.
Billy interrupted her thoughts. “How’re you feeling?”
“Embarrassed, but otherwise fine. Thanks for your help.”
“It wasn’t a problem, believe me. Can I get you something?”
“Have you seen any of the guests we had?”
“Oh, yeah. Tom got a phone call and they had to leave in a hurry, but said he’d call.”
“Okay. Did you see where Gavin went?”
He looked around. “Last I saw he was talkin’ with some lads by the patio door.”
“Thanks, we’ll look for him. I’m sorry about dinner.” She pushed off toward the door. “Excuse me.” She steered around two dancers. No sign of Gavin or Fiona.
Once outside, she took a breath. The cool evening air wafted up from the river. The sky glowed pinkish as the sun dipped close to the horizon. Three or four people stood around chatting, so Bryce moved out to the rear parking area.
“Bryce.” Fiona called. “I’ve walked all the way down to the river…no one has seen Dad. Now I’m scared.”
Chapter Twenty-seven
They walked around to the front, and Fiona spotted flashing lights farther up Victoria Street and her heart began to race as she ran. “Oh no, please not Dad.”
As they got closer, she could see a group of people in the parking lot on the south side of the hotel. In the dim light she couldn’t see who lay on the ground, but the constable was talking. She jumped when a small ambulance sounded a siren and turned in before her.
“Bryce, is it him? Can you see?”
“No. Look over here. Excuse me.” They moved between some on-lookers.
“That hurts!” Gavin called out.
“Dad, what happened?” His face was hard to recognize because of the blood. A paramedic held a large bandage to his forehead, as he sat against a stone wall.
“Oh, my God.” She covered her mouth and stared. Bryce grabbed her elbow to steady her.
“Let them help him,” Bryce whispered.
The constable approached her. “Pardon me, miss, do you know the gentleman?”
“Yes, he’s my dad. What happened?”
“It appears he may have tripped and fallen over that ledge. He can’t really give much information, but he cracked his head pretty good and will likely need some stitches and an x-ray.”
“Yes, of course, if you think that’s best.” She started shaking. “Can I talk to him?”
“Be quick.”
“Are you all right?” She took his hand. It was scraped by dirt and gravel.
His eyes searched her face. “I dunno, think I took a spill. My head hurts, Mary.”
“I know. We’re going to get you to hospital right away.” She looked at the medic. “Does he need to go in the ambulance?”
“Afraid so. Head injuries can be serious, so we’ll run him up to Dr. Gray’s in Elgin. You’re welcome to follow.”
“He has dementia, just so you know. But he’s been all right on his feet up to now.” She watched as he wrapped a large roll of gauze around her father’s head.
“We’ll take care, don’t you worry. Let’s move him.”
Another paramedic lowered a stretcher, and they moved him onto it and covered him with a blanket. Once the straps were buckled, they hurried to the waiting ambulance.
“I’ll be right behind you, Dad.” She turned to Bryce. “We have to hurry and get to Elgin.”
“I know. We will, but you need to focus. Please take a breath.”
Fiona sagged against her and took a breath. “My God, I’ve never seen him like that. It’s frightening.”
They jogged back toward the inn. “Let’s take my car,” Bryce said. “You can pick yours up later.”
Fiona simply nodded.
****
The moon peered over the ridge as Bryce steered the car back on the A941. They had been in the waiting room at the Accident & Emergency department for over two hours before the doctor spoke with them. She glanced over at Fiona, who still looked dazed.
“Do you want me to take you straight home?” She touched her arm.
“What?”
“I thought you could get your car tomorrow, if you want.”
“I don’t know. Can you tell me again what the doctor said?” Fiona sounded tired.
“He said there were no broken bones. The laceration was dirty and they were worried about infection, but they irrigated it before closing it,” Bryce said slowly.
“Yes, it did look ba
d…go on.”
“The x-ray showed a possible injury on the front of his head, so they want to keep him for a day or two for neurology checks.”
“I shouldn’t have let him out of my sight.”
Bryce cringed. She wouldn’t have if she hadn’t been trying to help me. “He was busy talking to Tom and Liam. We couldn’t know they’d leave in a hurry.”
Fiona squeezed her arm. “Oh, I’m not blaming you. I just feel guilty. I’m glad you’re here, and thank you. Most of my friends are in Edinburgh and have no idea what my family does. Good idea. I suppose it would be better to go home and worry about the car later.”
They drove in silence for a while, but Fiona kept her hand on Bryce’s arm like some kind of tether. She didn’t move it. The dark night surrounded them except for the sliver of moon and a blanket of stars. Bryce felt relieved they had made the trip to Elgin while it was still light out.
After about twenty minutes, Fiona pointed. “You’ll need to turn off just before the Craigellachie exit. See the sign for Archiestown?”
Bryce slowed and took the turnoff.
“Where is your family from?” Fiona asked.
“Central Illinois, just south of Chicago. Are you familiar?”
“Vaguely. I know where some of the states are because I teach Twentieth Century literature, so I’m familiar with Carl Sandberg.”
Bryce wracked her brain. “Wait… ‘Hog Butcher for the World/ Tool Maker, Stacker of Wheat/ Player with Railroads and the Nation’s Freight Handler,/ Stormy, Husky, Brawling, City of the Big Shoulders.’”
Fiona laughed. “Yes. In poetry, 1914.”
“You do know your stuff.”
“I really liked that image. Is it really that…raw?”
“I guess it was back in the beginning. At one time it was frontier and a major hub for trade, which is how it grew so big.”
“Is it really so big?”
Bryce smiled. “With the adjacent suburbs, it’s around ten million people.”
“What? Really?” Fiona asked. “The whole of Scotland is probably not more than five million.” She covered her mouth. “That’s utterly mind-boggling to me. Someday, I should like to see that.”
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