A Madaris Bride for Christmas

by Brenda Jackson

  “I did not contact the chef. So, since you got the time off that means we’re good for this weekend and the week in Dubai.”

  “Unless you’ve changed your mind.”

  “Not hardly.” And he meant it. Never had the thought of marrying anyone filled him with such anticipation. It had been hard to leave her bed this morning. He’d been tempted to wake her up, but she had been sleeping so peacefully, he had dressed and left.

  “Have you heard any more about your sister?”

  “No, not a word. I talked to Aunt Ruthie and she hasn’t heard anything either. I think I’m going to give in and call Gail later.”

  “Do what you think you must for your peace of mind.”

  There was a pause. “Thanks.”

  Lee lifted a brow. “For what?”

  “For caring about my peace of mind. Considering the circumstances and what Gail said to me, some people would have told me to not give a damn.”

  “But not caring wouldn’t be you. Just because she acted that way doesn’t mean you have to act the same. I can’t stop her or her husband from hurting you, Carly. But I won’t let them, or anyone else, take advantage of you. I will do everything in my power to keep you from harm.”

  “Harm?”

  A slipup. He wasn’t talking about her mother or her stepfather. His thoughts had shifted to the East Coast Connection. “I was talking in general.”

  “Oh. I know you have to get back to work. I’ll see you later.”

  “All right.”

  As soon as he clicked off the phone there was a knock on his door. “Come in.”

  Angelo walked in with a folder in his hand. “Here are the documents you wanted me to prepare,” he said, placing the folder on Lee’s desk.

  “That was quick.”

  Angelo sat down in the visitor’s chair. “I fly out later today to join Peyton in Oklahoma.” He paused. “So, are you going to go through with it? Marry the chef and keep it a secret?”

  “Yes. Think you can make it back this weekend to act as a witness?”

  “That won’t be a problem.”

  Lee nodded. “Good. And bring Peyton with you. She met Carly briefly as a chef, but I want Peyton to meet her as my wife, and I know she’ll keep this secret for us.”

  Angelo smiled. “Peyton is going to be surprised.”

  “A number of people will be, but none more than my great-grandmother. I can’t wait to go home for Christmas.”

  “Sounds like you have a plan.”

  “I do.”

  A short while later, after Lee had attended several meetings and was back in his office, his cell phone rang. He inwardly cringed, immediately recognizing the gospel ringtone.

  “Yes, Mama Laverne?”

  “Just checking on you. How have you been?”

  Lee leaned back in his chair. “Busy. How have you been?”

  “As well as can be expected. Life is good. You haven’t been home in a while.”

  “Been busy.”

  “I was worried you were hiding out in Vegas.”

  Lee couldn’t help but smile. “Hiding out?”

  “Yes, trying to avoid the inevitable. It won’t help you, you know.”

  “I’m not hiding out. Just have my hands full running a busy hotel. Besides, I don’t have time for a woman.”

  “That’s what they all used to say, but you see all your cousins are happily married.” She paused. “You are coming home for Christmas, right?”

  “Yes, ma’am. I’ll be home for Christmas. In fact, I’m thinking of arriving a few weeks early.”

  “Good. I’m going to have a surprise for you.”

  No, sweetheart, I’m going to have a surprise for you, he thought, widening his smile. “I hope it’s going to be some of your signature bread pudding.”

  “It’s going to be better. Can’t wait to see you.”

  “Same here.”

  He couldn’t help but chuckle when she clicked off the phone.

  * * *

  Carly had just come in from her garden when her doorbell sounded. Wiping her hands off on a towel, she moved toward the front door, stopping to look through the peephole.

  Her heart almost skipped a beat. She removed the chain off the door and snatched it open. “Shundra? What are you doing here?”

  It had been a long time since she’d seen her sister, but she still recognized her. The young woman standing on her doorstep appeared nervous, and it was quite obvious from the rings under her eyes that she’d missed sleep. “I need to talk to you. May I come in?”

  “Sure,” Carly said, stepping aside and closing the door behind her. “Come in and have a seat. Can I get you something to eat or drink?”

  “No, I’m fine.”

  She certainly didn’t look fine, Carly thought. She looked exhausted. “Does Gail or your father know you’re here?”

  “No,” she said quickly as she sat down on the sofa. “And I don’t want them to know.”

  Carly shook her head as she sat down in the wing-back chair across from the sofa. “I can’t do that to them, Shundra. They are probably worried sick about you. I wouldn’t be surprised if they’ve filed a missing-person report with the authorities.”

  Shundra lifted her chin. “I don’t care. They said some awful things to each other.”

  “Well, I do care. They shouldn’t have to worry about you needlessly.”

  “Why do you care about them when they don’t care about you? I didn’t even know you were my sister, for crying out loud. No one knew Mom had a child out of wedlock. How could you let them treat you so shabbily all these years? They told us that you were a cousin and your mother had died when you were born. How could my parents be such big liars?”

  Carly certainly didn’t know how to answer that. It was obvious Shundra was upset, but Carly had to make her see that she couldn’t just run away. She had to handle this family problem in the right way.

  “I care because I’m a caring person regardless of the ups and downs life tosses me. Sometimes, if you’re strong enough, struggles can make you a better person. You learn not to give in to hurt. You move on and appreciate every day as you move forward.”

  Carly stood. “Now, I’m going to call your parents and let them know where you are and that you’re okay.”

  “I won’t go back and they can’t make me...especially now.”

  Carly lifted her brow. “Why especially now?”

  Shundra didn’t say anything for a minute. “Their argument was nasty. I’ve never heard my parents argue before. If they had disagreements, we didn’t know about it.”

  “All couples argue, Shundra, and nobody, not even parents, are perfect.”

  “But I heard everything that day. I’m convinced Dad would not have married Mom if he’d known about you, then he was stuck because she’s an asset to him. She’s the perfect hostess for his business. People like her more than they like him.”

  Carly really didn’t want to be privy to Gail’s family business. “Well, first let me call them and let them know you’re safe and then I’ll prepare you something to eat.”

  Shundra jumped up. “I meant what I said, Carly. I won’t go back, especially now.”

  Carly drew in a deep breath. “You said that before and I asked what you meant. Will you tell me what you mean by especially now? If it’s about me, then I can understand you being upset, but it’s not earth-shattering.”

  Carly thought Shundra was going to break down into tears. “You don’t understand. Now I know how he feels.”

  “How who feels?”

  “Dad. Mom had you before they married, and I think deep down he never forgave her. He still thinks she’s nothing more than a slut.”

  “I understand how you’d be upset about what he said, Shundra, but it was your parents’ argument. It wasn’t about you.”

  Shundra shook her head. “In a way it was. Because I’m pregnant, Carly, and if Dad feels that way about Mom, I don’t want to think about how he’ll feel when he
finds out about me.”

  Cary stared at Shundra. “You’re pregnant?”

  Shundra took on a defensive stance. “Yes, and I’m not getting rid of it.”

  “Is that what you think your parents would want?”

  “Yes. And I won’t do it.”

  Carly didn’t say anything for a minute. She glanced at the clock. She was supposed to be at work in an hour but there was no way she could go in until she decided what to do about Shundra.

  “Come on. We’ll talk some more over food.”

  * * *

  “There’s a call for you, Mr. Madaris, from a Colin Driskell.”

  Lee went still. This was the call agents Gause and Woodman had advised him would be coming. He hadn’t expected it this soon. “Did he say what this call was about, Phyllis?”

  “No, sir. He wouldn’t say. He asked to speak with you directly.”

  “All right, give me a minute and then put him through.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Switching to another line, Lee immediately punched in the three numbers he’d been instructed to use when initial contact was made. This would alert the FBI that everything was now a go. First, they would record the call. He heard the click when the connection was made. Seconds later, he heard another click when Phyllis put the call through. “This is Lee Madaris. How can I help you?”

  “It’s not how you can help me, Mr. Madaris, but how I can help you.”

  “I’m pretty busy right now, Mr. Driskell, so please state your business. Be forewarned that if you’re selling anything, I have department executives that you need to speak with.”

  “I’m not selling anything to the hotel per se, but I need to discuss something I think will be of vital importance to you.”

  “Which is?”

  “How to maximize your profits.”

  Lee didn’t say anything for a moment. “And how can you do that?”

  “I can’t say over the phone. I suggest we meet privately.”

  “Fine. I’ll put you back on the line with my secretary and you can make an appointment.”

  “No.”

  “Excuse me?” Lee said.

  “If you’re interested, we meet privately. I name the place and—”

  “Excuse me again. You’re calling me. If you want us to meet then we do it here. I won’t know if I’m interested until you present whatever it is that you’re offering. I don’t conduct business with anyone I don’t know outside of the Grand MD.”

  There was a pause. “Fine. I’ll meet with you next week.”

  “Sorry, I’ll be out of the country next week. I suggest you call back when I return. Goodbye, Mr. Driskell.”

  Lee released a deep breath after he hung up the phone. Less than a minute later his phone rang on a newly installed private line. “Lee Madaris.”

  “You did great,” Agent Gause said. “You didn’t appear eager to talk with him and you put him off. He didn’t like it, but he won’t make a move to retaliate. He’ll wait you out until you return from your trip abroad. Do you really have a trip out of the country next week?”

  “Yes. I’m going to Dubai to check on my hotel there.” He had no intention of telling Gause that he would be on his honeymoon.

  Gause paused. “If you weren’t planning to go out of the country, I would have suggested that you go anyway. He’s going to check it out. If you’re seen in the office next week he would wonder why you lied. That would have made it hard for him to trust you in the future.”

  “Well, we won’t have to worry about that since I will be in Dubai for a week,” Lee said.

  “There’s no doubt in my mind that he’ll be contacting you when you return. I also suspect he’ll be placing some of his own people at the hotel. He probably has a few already there.”

  Great! That’s just what I don’t need to hear. “In what capacity?”

  “No telling. At this point you can’t trust anyone. Our people are already in place and we’ll find out who his people are. We have someone in your human-resources department reviewing all your new hires, especially those working in the casino.”

  Lee rubbed a frustrated hand down his face. “What about that comment Driskell made about wanting to maximize my profit?”

  “No crime there. He could be an insurance agent or an investor. He knew the right things to say to stay above the law. We probably won’t get anything on him until the two of you meet. We’ll have to be careful. Chances are he’ll bring his men with him. They’ll make sure that wherever you meet, whether it’s in your office or some other location, it’s not bugged.”

  Lee frowned. “Then how are you going to record what’s said?”

  “We have our ways. Don’t worry about it.”

  That was easy for him to say. “Fine. Goodbye, Agent Gause.”

  He then hung up the phone.

  * * *

  Carly served chicken-salad sandwiches, leftover vegetable soup and glasses of iced tea. And because she believed any meal eaten after noon should include a dessert, she had a tray of peanut-butter cookies. She could tell from the way Shundra’s eyes lit up when she placed the tray in front of her that the girl hadn’t eaten in a while. That wasn’t good for an expectant mother.

  They ate in silence before Carly realized Shundra was staring at her.

  “Is anything wrong?” she asked.

  Shundra smiled. It was the first time Carly had seen her smile since opening the door to find Shundra standing on her doorstep.

  “I favor you. I actually favor you.”

  Carly couldn’t help but return Shundra’s smile. That was one of the first things she’d noticed once Shundra had stepped inside her home and she’d taken a good look at her. Shundra was a little taller and a little on the thin side. But their facial features were definitely comparable. They had the same forehead, the same almond-shaped dark brown eyes, the same nose and lips. Although to Carly’s way of thinking, Shundra’s lips were a little fuller. But in all, looking at Shundra was like seeing a younger version of herself.

  “Yes, you’re right. We do favor.”

  Shundra’s smile widened as if she was glad to hear Carly admit it. “You’re pretty. Really pretty.”

  Carly chuckled. “So are you.”

  Shundra’s smile faded and she absently pulled on a lock of her hair before pushing it back from her face. “I don’t feel pretty.”

  “But you are.”

  The kitchen got quiet again as they ate in silence. Shundra broke the silence when she said, “This is good. You’re a good cook. No wonder you do it for a living.”

  “Thanks.”

  “I remember when you were on a cooking show that time.”

  “Do you?” Carly asked.

  “Yes. You won.”

  “Yes, I won.”

  They finished the meal and were cleaning off the table when Carly thought to ask, “How did you find me?”

  “That was easy. I looked you up on the internet.”

  Carly looked at her in surprise. “I’m not on the internet.”

  “Sure you are. Everyone is these days.”

  “And it gave you my address?”

  Shundra smiled. “Brought me right to your door. I used the money in my bank account for the plane ticket.”

  Carly washed the few dishes they’d used and handed Shundra a towel so she could dry.

  “Why aren’t you asking me anything about the father of my baby?”

  Carly shrugged. “It’s really not any of my business.”

  “No, it’s not anyone’s business, but Mom and Dad are going to make it theirs.”

  Carly studied her nineteen-year-old sister. “Shundra, even you have to admit it’s understandable for them to want to know.”

  “Yes, but...the reason I went home unexpectedly in the first place was to tell them. I parked in the garage, and when I saw they weren’t there, I got in bed and took a nap. Their screaming woke me up and that’s when I heard everything.” Looking as if she wanted to change th
e subject, Shundra took stock of the kitchen. “You have a nice place. You live alone?”

  “Yes, I live alone.”

  “You don’t have a boyfriend?”

  Her question made Carly smile. “Yes, I’m seeing someone.”

  “Is it serious?”

  “Pretty much.” So serious that I’m getting married this weekend, Carly thought to herself. Deciding Shundra had asked her enough questions for now, she said, “Okay, we’ve finished in here. Now I think it’s time, don’t you?”

  Shundra began nibbling at her bottom lip, something Carly did often enough to know the girl was nervous. “Time for what?”

  “Time to call your parents and tell them where you are.”

  * * *

  After attending a number of meetings, Lee was on his way back to his office when he found himself on the elevator with Chef Blanchard.

  “Mr. Madaris, you haven’t graced us with your presence in Peyton’s Place lately.”

  Lee smiled. “No, and I need to do that. The last time I was there I had the Key Lime Appacula with a cup of coffee. It was simply delicious.”

  “Yes, Chef Briggs receives a lot of requests for that. But if you’re thinking about dropping by later, don’t bother. She’s out tonight.”

  Lee went still. When he had talked to Carly earlier, she hadn’t mentioned anything about taking the night off from work. In fact, she’d planned to take a short nap before going in.

  “Well, this is my floor,” Chef Blanchard said. “Have a good evening.”

  “You do the same.”

  As soon as the elevator doors swooshed shut, Lee pulled out his cell phone to call Carly. When he didn’t get an answer, his heart pounded in his chest. He clicked off the phone. What if she’d been forced to make that call to Chef Blanchard? Gause claimed Driskell wouldn’t retaliate just because of the way Lee had brushed him off. What if the agent was wrong?

  Lee punched in another number. “Fred, this is Mr. Madaris. Please have my car out front immediately.”

  * * *

  Carly tried to busy herself while Shundra spoke to her parents on the phone. From the sound of the conversation, it wasn’t going well. Shundra’s phone battery had died, so Carly had let Shundra use hers. She had decided, considering the circumstances, there was no way she could go in to work tonight, so she’d called Chef Blanchard. He’d been very understanding about the extra time off. When she got the chance, she would call Lee. It was her usual routine to go to his suite when she got off work, and she wouldn’t be coming by tonight.