by Celya Bowers
Promises of Forever
Celya Bowers
Genesis Press, Inc.
Indigo Love Spectrum
An imprint of Genesis Press, Inc.
Publishing Company
Genesis Press, Inc.
P.O. Box 101
Columbus, MS 39703
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, not known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying, and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without written permission of the publisher, Genesis Press, Inc. For information write Genesis Press, Inc., P.O. Box 101, Columbus, MS 39703.
All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author and all incidents are pure invention.
Copyright© 2010 Celya Bowers
ISBN-13: 978-1-58571-501-5
ISBN-10: 1-58571-501-8
Manufactured in the United States of America
First Edition
Visit us at www.genesis-press.com or call at 1-888-Indigo-1-4-0
Dedication
I dedicate Promises of Forever to the following people:
Louise L. Brown and her daughter Alexandria S. Brown.
And anyone who is fighting the good fight.
To my mother, Celya Bowers Shaw Kenney.
Acknowledgements
I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of those people who have helped me along the way and have continued to support me in my quest.
My family: Darwyn Tilley, Jeri Murphy, William Earl Kenney, Sheila Kenney, Kim Kenney, Shannon Murphy, Yolanda, Kinney, Celya Tilley, Rod Kenney, Jessica Kenney, and Kennedy Tilley.
My BF’s: Cherry Elder, Erica Black, Roslin Williams, Maria Persuitte, Sharon Hickman-Mahones, Tammy Hill, Maria Persuitte, Beverly Cofer, Donna Lefear, Eulanda Bailey, Deandra Garrett, Angela Cavener, Diane Kelly, Dawn Moore, Lisa-Lin Burke, and Lewis Stewart.
My friends: Judy Brown, Pam Washington, Paula Washington, Mattie Washington Johnson, Gail Surles, Lawrence Leonard, Winston Williams, Shirley Washington, Sheila Allen, Melody Alvarado, Shaunette Smith, Darlene Ramzy, Clara Washington, Kerry Elder, Marnese Elder, and Vannetta Chapman.
If I forgot anyone, please charge it to my head, not my heart.
—Celya Bowers
www.celyabowers.net
[email protected]
www.facebook.com/celyabowers
www.twitter.com/celyabowers
CHAPTER 1
Kayleigh Hardy entered Collins and Associates with a sense of dread. For the first time in her thirty-five years, she wasn’t looking forward to seeing her godfather, Theodore Collins. It meant that her dear father was actually dead.
Julie King, secretary extraordinaire, met her before she could walk across the marble lobby to Uncle Teddy’s office. Julie was a spitfire at only five feet tall and maybe a hundred pounds. As tiny as she was, she was quite a force to be reckoned with. Not much went on in that office that Julie didn’t know about. Just like today.
“Kayleigh,” she said, handing her a box of tissue. “I know your father is in a better place now. Just think he’s not in pain anymore.”
Kayleigh wiped her eyes. “Yes, but he’s not here with me.”
Julie hugged her. “I know, honey. Life’s a bitch. Ted is waiting for you. So you just go right on in.”
Kayleigh nodded and walked to the large corner office her godfather occupied. She’d known this man since forever and his office always amazed her. Theodore Collins was the legal brain behind some of the biggest mergers on Wall Street, yet he chose to live in Fort Worth.
She tapped gently on the door and heard his gruff voice inviting her inside. “Come in.”
Guessing that her uncle was probably on the phone, she walked in and took a seat as quietly as she could. She used the few minutes it took for him to wrap up his call to get herself together. After all it had been six weeks since her father dropped dead of a heart attack and left her all alone in the world.
Uncle Teddy stared at her a few minutes. His bright blue eyes didn’t miss much. He was probably assessing her puffy eyes. “I’m glad you could make it, Kayleigh. How much time do we have?”
“I took the afternoon off, so you have plenty of time.” She worked across the street at Hartley and Bennett, an accounting firm in downtown Fort Worth.
“Good.” He rose, grabbed a folder and took the seat next to hers. He ran a hand through his thinning blond hair. Uncle Teddy looked as tired as she felt. She knew his fatigue was from running across the globe closing financial deals; hers was from studying too long for her college midterms and missing her last surviving parent.
“I’m sure you have lots of questions for me, but let’s get all the financial crap out of the way first.”
“OK.” Kayleigh also wanted to get the bad news out of the way. She hoped her father didn’t leave too many bills for her to take care of. She took a deep breath. Although she made a good living as an accounting assistant, her budget could only handle so many surprises. “How much do I owe? Will I be able to keep the house?” She hoped she didn’t have to sell her childhood home, it held so many memories of her life.
Uncle Teddy’s blue eyes clouded in confusion, and then suddenly cleared. “Oh, I understand. Why don’t I start from the beginning?”
She was always curious how her father, an African-American landscape architect, came to be best friends with a white multimillionaire. “How did you meet Daddy?”
Uncle Teddy laughed. “You mean why were we such good friends when we were from two very different walks of life?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, Kayleigh, I could tell you, but you wouldn’t understand. Let’s just say, I owe your dad more than I could ever repay in this lifetime. You know I introduced him to your mother?”
She’d heard her mother’s romantic version of the story more times than she wanted to count. One day she wanted to know the truth, but not today. “Yes, I know.”
“You’re just like him, wanting to get the heart of the matter.” He opened the folder and pulled out several pieces of paper. “First of all, the house is yours free and clear. You may do what you please with it. I know how much that house means to you.”
At least she still had a roof over her head. “What else? Any outstanding bills?”
“No, everything has been taken care of. He wanted you to have this.” He handed her a check. “He wanted you to have a cushion.”
Kayleigh looked down at the check. She blinked her eyes and looked at it again. The amount on the check wasn’t a cushion, it was the whole bed! “Uncle Teddy, this is a hundred thousand dollars. Where did my father, who was self-employed and now retired, get this kind of money?” He’d retired after her mother died of cancer five years before.
“He’d been saving over the years. You know, investments, mutual funds, that kind of thing. Your father was great at picking stock. He knew you wanted to go back to school and finish your degree. This way you can. You could even quit your job and be a full-time college student if you want.”
“And I’d go out of my mind. I’m used to multitasking,” Kayleigh said. “You think I should put it in a savings account at the bank?”
Uncle Teddy’s tanned face turned very red. “No, I don’t think you should put it in the bank. First of all, I’d like you to get a better car than the eight-year-old Honda you’re driving. I know that car has never been a day’s trouble, but honey, you can get something better. I’m not saying you
have to get a top-of-the-line car, just something sensible. I’ll be happy to go with you.”
She knew that wasn’t just a suggestion, it was more of an order, Uncle Teddy style. “All right, I need to do some research first. What about the rest?”
“Invest some of it, and put some into a mutual fund or something.”
Kayleigh could feel her eyes glazing over at the prospect of having to research something so boring. “Please say you know someone who does that kind of thing.” Uncle Teddy always had the best connections in town.
He smiled. “Yes, I do, and he’s a pretty good friend. Let me call and get something set up for you. His office is actually in your building, on the seventh floor.”
“You mean that snooty investment firm, with the gold-plated door handles? I’ve seen some of the people that work there and I don’t think they’d want my little money. Thanks, but no thanks, Uncle Teddy. I’ll ask Manny who does his investing.” Manny was an ex-model friend, and besides her uncle was the second-best connected man in town.
“For me, Kayleigh,” Uncle Teddy pleaded. “I told your father I would look out for you, and I mean to do that. If you want me to accompany you to meet him I will.”
She knew enough about Uncle Teddy to know he was dead serious. “Thanks, but no. I can handle one mild-mannered investment counselor on my own.”
“Good. Now that we have that covered, how about some lunch at the Pierre’s? I know how you love French food.”
Kayleigh looked at her godfather, knowing he probably had something else up his Armani sleeve, but she’d have to wait to find out.
* * *
Phineas Callahan stood at his office window looking down on Seventh Street in downtown Fort Worth. His plan was going quite well. After the latest romantic fiasco, he decided the last thing a divorced man of Irish descent needed was a woman. So for the last few months he’d been female-free and he’d never been better.
He stuffed his hands in his pockets and sighed. Reconnecting with the ex was a bad idea, and he should have been listening to the larger brain, but as usual, the little one had been calling all the shots.
His private line rang, stopping his people watching. He snatched up the receiver before it could ring a second time. “Finn Callahan.”
“Finn,” Ted Collins boomed. “I need a favor.”
Why did his skin start doing the Electric Slide every time he heard that phrase? “What is it, Ted?”
“My goddaughter needs some financial advice. Her father recently passed away and, except for me, she really doesn’t have any family. So you think you could advise her? She’s going to college as well as working full-time so she’s a little crunched for time.”
“Why can’t you advise her? You dabble in the market, you could do it without my help,” Finn said. He had no desire to meet some twenty-something kid who probably knew nothing but how to shop.
“Finn, we both know you have the magic touch. You could probably triple her investment in less than a year. Don’t make me use my marker,” Ted threatened.
“Fine. Tell her to come by on her lunch hour and we’ll get started.” Finn didn’t need to be reminded how much Ted had saved him during his divorce four years ago. He owed Ted his life.
“Thanks, Finn. You won’t regret it.” He ended the call.
Finn looked down at the phone and shook his head. Something in the way his old friend laughed made the Finn realize he’d just been had.
* * *
The next day, Finn got the surprise of his life. Sarah, his assistant, announced Ted’s goddaughter was in the lobby waiting for him. Finn didn’t like the tone in Sarah’s voice. It was like she was hiding something. What was it about this kid?
“Thanks, Sarah, I’ll be right out.” He made it a point to greet his new clients in the lobby. Believing in going the extra mile for his clients, he took a deep breath and hoped Ted hadn’t played a bad joke on him. He walked into the lobby and noticed there were two women seated in the waiting area. One was a middle-aged woman whom he already knew, but the other…this couldn’t be Ted’s goddaughter? The main reason was that she was African-American and Ted was lily white. He took back the thought as he realized how racist it sounded, even to his ears. “Ms. Hardy?”
He watched with amazement as she uncrossed long legs and rose to her full height. He had to look up! Then he realized she had on high-heeled stilettos. She had mocha skin, shoulder-length black hair and a slender build under that black business suit. So this was Ted’s gag. He was forever making fun of Finn’s multicultural family and he was holding the biggest secret of them all.
“Yes, I’m Kayleigh Hardy. My godfather, Theodore Collins, arranged the meeting. He said if there’s a problem I should call him.” She leveled a stare at him. “Do I need to call him?”
Finn smiled. She was pretty. She also had a lot of attitude in that voice. “There’s no problem, Ms. Hardy. Why don’t we talk in my office?” He motioned for her to precede him down the hall. As she glided to his opened door, he couldn’t help noticing how good the suit fitted her. Yeah, Ted got him real good this time!
After she was seated in front of his desk, Finn took out an unnecessary notepad. He recorded most conversations that took place in his office, and today was no different. “Now, Ted said you wanted to invest some money. How much do you want to start with?”
Kayleigh looked at him with sultry brown eyes. “Why don’t you tell me?”
“It would depend on if you needed a quick return or something long-term. Is there anything in particular that you’re wanting the money for? You know, like a life-changing event, like a baby, wedding?” Why on earth would he say that?
“Well, for either of those events, I believe I would need a man. Since I don’t have the time or the energy for one, it’s neither. I’m going to college. My senior year I would like to only concentrate on my studies.”
He nodded. It sounded sensible. “What year are you now?”
She lowered her head and whispered, “I’m a sophomore.”
“Going back to college at any age is very admirable, Ms. Hardy. You shouldn’t feel ashamed about that.”
“I’m not ashamed of anything, Mr. Callahan. I just wished I was further along with my studies. It seems rather daunting, and I still have at least two years to go before I graduate.”
“At any rate, it’s good that we have that much time to get you where you need to be financially.” He’d expected her to lash out at him for his choice of words, but she didn’t.
“Okay, I have about fifty thousand to start.”
It wasn’t anywhere near the amount he was used to working with, not by a long shot. But to look at those eyes he would. “Great.” He glanced at the gold clock on the wall and noticed it had been almost an hour. “Why don’t we finish this Friday? I can make you my last appointment of the day, so you don’t have to miss lunch again.” He couldn’t believe he was sinking this low. But maybe just one more time in her presence would cure him and he could go back to his celibate lifestyle.
She opened her purse and pulled out a PDA and began tapping the screen. “Yes, I can do Friday evening. I get off work at five.”
He smiled, feeling like he just won a medal. “Good. Let’s make it about five-thirty.”
She looked at him sideways. “Dude, it doesn’t take thirty minutes to ride the elevator two floors.”
He was so shocked by her words he was speechless momentarily. “I’m sorry. How about five-oh-five?” He gave her a list of the documents she needed to bring with her.
She nodded, and then rose. He stood as well. He liked being able to look at her in the eyes. He didn’t have to bend down or anything. If he wanted to kiss her all he would have to do is step around the large desk, take her in his arms, and…
“Mr. Callahan?”
Finn blinked his eyes, realizing he was staring at her and probably licking his lips in the process. “I’m sorry, Ms. Hardy. My mind wandered,” he said, only half lying. “See you Frida
y.” He reached out to shake her hand.
She hesitated but finally took it. “On Friday.” She walked out of the office and Finn flopped back in his chair. He was in so much trouble.
CHAPTER 2
“It’s about time you got back,” Harley Harris hissed as Kayleigh took her seat at her cubicle. “Ahmed the Horrible has been asking about you every ten minutes.” Harley’s pale round face was very animated.
Kayleigh sighed. Why did she have to have the boss from hell? “I’m sure he was concerned about my well-being right? Not to give me more work?” She chuckled as she turned on her computer.
“Umm, are we talking about the same guy?” Harley ran her fingers through her blonde hair. “This is the same idiot who blatantly stares at women’s chests before making eye contact with them! How was the investment guy? Did he look like the king of the nerds?”
Kayleigh laughed as she keyed in her password that brought up her work programs. “Hardly. He’s the really buffed guy we always see walking through the lobby talking on his cell phone.”
“You mean that hunky one? Oh, I’d give him my money just because he looks so hot.”
“You have a husband, remember. Ben. Sweet, caring, gentle Ben that will give you the shirt off his back if you wanted it,” Kayleigh reminded her friend.
Harley narrowed her blue eyes at Kayleigh. “Oh, you single women have all the fun. Well, not you, but other single women have all the fun. You’re always taking classes or something.”
“You’re in all my classes, Harley.”
“But I’m married, remember? I can take classes all the time. I’m going to buy you a cat.”
“Don’t you dare!” Kayleigh glanced at her computer screen. In the distance she noticed her immediate supervisor, Ahmed Dahlar, walking down their aisle. “Shh! Here comes the idiot.” She immediately brought up the spreadsheet program for the accounting department on her screen.
“I’m glad you could make it back to work this afternoon, Ms. Hardy. I hope working isn’t interfering with your social calendar,” Ahmed drawled as he leaned against her desk. He wasn’t a tall man, but he was a hairy one. It seemed he had hair growing from every orifice on his body. His skin was about two shades darker than Kayleigh’s.