A Husband by New Year's

by Sean D. Young

  Robert looked up from his notepad, and laid down his silver barreled pen. “What’s up, little brother?”

  Patrick had always hated when Robert used that phrase. It was the way he said it that got on his nerves.

  He took an empty seat in front of his desk. “I need to go over some things with you and ask you some questions.”

  Robert picked up his pen and continued to write. “About?”

  “First of all, I want to talk to you about the drivers.”

  Robert looked up at him, eyes squinted. “Okay.”

  “I did some preliminary research that shows that twenty percent of the drivers are either late picking up their clients or late dropping them off.” He stopped there, thinking that his brother would jump in and explain or say something, but he didn’t. “I believe the cause is because they’re going places they shouldn’t beforehand and end up being late.”

  He studied Robert’s expression. “You don’t seem at all surprised by what I’m telling you.”

  Robert sighed. “Look, I understand that sometimes they show up late. I talked to them about it after we received a few complaints.”

  Patrick slid to the edge of his seat. “What do you mean you talked to them? Rob, these guys have to be accountable. It’s our name on the door, not theirs. This affects us, Pop, and especially our good name.”

  “You’re making too much out of this. We have over fifty cars on the road and you only mentioned twenty percent.”

  Patrick shook his head. “This is ridiculous. Do you realize how much money we could lose and how fast people could tear us down?”

  Clasping his hands together, Robert leaned forward. “So, little brother, what do you propose that we do about this?”

  “I don’t know yet. I thought that we’d put our heads together and figure it out.” He could easily fix the problem on his own, but in order to avoid conflict with his brother, he wanted to include him. That way Robert couldn’t accuse him of coming in, trying to take over.

  Robert scowled, his dark eyes flashing as he stared holes through Patrick. “Well, you’re the smart one, Mr. MBA. It looks like you’ve got it under control. You run with it.”

  Patrick couldn’t believe his ears, but he wouldn’t allow his brother to tear down their father’s business. The conversation wasn’t going anywhere, so he didn’t need to say anything further.

  Standing quickly, Patrick inhaled deeply to calm his temper. “You know what, Rob, this meeting is over. I see you don’t have any interest in what I’m trying to tell you.”

  Robert stood and slammed his hands down on the desk. “How dare you bring your smug ass into my office telling me about what I’m not doing? While you had your smart behind up there in New York, I was here working side by side with Pop.” Robert leaned forward as far as he could. “Get out of my office,” he said and then turned his back on Patrick.

  Patrick didn’t move. He knew his brother had resentment issues, but he couldn’t allow his father to pay the price for them. “Yes, you were here for Pop, but things are going to hell now. Can’t you see that?”

  Robert turned around quickly. “That’s what you say!” He shouted.

  Patrick walked to the door. “You have your way of running this place, and I have mine. If we can’t come together and you say you’re leaving it up to me, then get out of my way.” He opened the door and walked out, slamming it behind him.

  On his way home, Patrick tried to figure out what the underlying problem was with his brother. It had to be more than resentment, something deeper. In their younger years, he and Robert had been inseparable. Patrick had looked up to Robert, but ever since he went off to college there had been a rift between them. Before their mother died, she’d told him that even though Robert was a bit different, not to worry because they were indeed brothers in every way. Patrick didn’t quite understand what that meant, but he hoped that he would one day.

  All he knew now was that he would have to get his father involved in order to save the company, since Robert clearly wouldn’t cooperate.

  Chapter Nine

  Renee pulled out her favorite long-sleeved black dress and heels to wear. Even though the weather was a bit tricky for November, she took a chance wearing her peep-toed shoes. Fall in Chicago could be rainy, snowy, and cold. She was used to them all, but didn’t like any of them.

  She stepped into the delicate garment, pulling it up over her hips. She loved the way the fabric hugged her curves and the length was perfect, just above her knees. She wanted an elegant look since they were going to a French restaurant. To accessorize, she hung a pair of dangly diamond earrings in her ears. She would have worn her tennis bracelet, but decided against it since she needed to have the clasp fixed.

  By the time Renee had applied her makeup, she heard the buzzer. She pressed the button to allow Patrick to enter the building.

  Before rushing to the door, she looked in the mirror once more, even though she still hadn’t put on her black pumps.

  As soon as she opened the door, her words caught in her throat as she stood in front of the most handsome guy she’d met in a long time. This was the first time she’d seen Patrick out of uniform, and she was very impressed.

  “Good evening, Renee,” Patrick said, pulling his hat off his head.

  Renee stepped back, opening the door a bit wider so that he could enter. “Patrick, you look so nice,” she said, closing the door behind him.

  “Clean up good, don’t I?” he responded, chuckling.

  Renee couldn’t help but giggle herself. “Not that you didn’t look good before. It’s just I’ve only seen you in your uniform.”

  Patrick removed his coat. “Well, then, that explains it.”

  Renee thought she’d better stop before she really insulted him. He must have seen her reaction because he walked over to her.

  “I’m not offended, so just forget it,” he said, lifting her hand into his. “But let me get a look at you.” He turned her around slowly and for a minute Renee was self-conscious and wondered what he thought about her.

  “You are always so lovely, Renee.”

  “Thank you, Patrick,” Renee said, squeezing his hand.

  “Ready to go?” Patrick asked.

  “I just need to get my shoes,” she said, turning to go to her bedroom. “Is it as chilly as it was earlier today?”

  “Yes, it’s pretty nippy out,” Patrick said.

  Renee stepped into her shoes and grabbed her coat before joining him in the living room. “I’m ready now,” she said.

  “Let me help you with your coat,” he said, holding her coat so that she could slip it on. Then they headed out to his car.

  In the foyer of the building, Patrick stopped. “Why don’t you wait here until I pull the car around?”

  “You’re not on duty, I can walk with you.”

  “I want you to stand right here and stay warm. Okay?”

  Renee recognized that he was trying to be thoughtful, so she agreed.

  A few minutes later, a black Range Rover rolled to the front of the building. Renee remained in place, looking for Patrick’s arrival. A couple seconds later, she noticed that the expensive SUV still hadn’t moved. She couldn’t see the driver because the windows were tinted. A few seconds later, Patrick climbed out. She was so embarrassed, but she didn’t know what vehicle he was driving.

  She walked out and met him halfway. “I’m so sorry, Patrick, I didn’t realize this was your car.”

  “No harm done, I should have told you what I was driving,” Patrick said, placing his hand at her back and leading her to the SUV.

  He helped her inside, closing the door behind her before jogging around the front to slide into the driver’s seat.

  He looked over at her and gave her a smile. “Are you comfortable?” he asked, turning the heater up.

  Renee wa
sn’t cold at all as she looked around the luxurious vehicle. “This is a nice car, Patrick.”

  He smiled. “Thanks, I like it.”

  “Are you going to tell me where we’re going?”

  “I’ll be taking you to a little French bistro called LeBouchon in Bucktown.”

  “I’ve wanted to try that place, but never got around to it. This should be fun.”

  “In my opinion they have the best classic French dishes like soupe a l’oignon and salade chevre chaud.”

  Renee rubbed her gloved hands together. “I can’t wait to try it.”

  At the restaurant, Patrick parked the car, got out, and went around to the other side to assist Renee. Once they walked inside, Renee took in the small yet intimate space. The small, white linen-covered tables weren’t in great supply, but the décor of the restaurant was reminiscent of France. The couples dining didn’t seem to mind the close quarters as soft music mixed with low conversation. It was truly an intimate space and would definitely be a new experience for Renee, but she was excited about it.

  “Patrick, good to see you this evening,” the maître d said.

  “Good to see you as well, Manuel,” Patrick said in return.

  Renee’s eyebrows lifted. Patrick had to be a frequent patron if he was on a first name basis with the host.

  The waiter grabbed some leather-bound menus and showed them to their table.

  “I’ll bring you a bottle of Bordeaux,” he said to Patrick.

  Patrick nodded and picked up his menu.

  After glancing over the offerings, Renee looked at him. “Would you like to suggest something?”

  Patrick smiled. “Sure. Would you like to order an appetizer before the entrée course? You’re going to love the steak frites au poivre. I’ve had it several times.”

  Patrick had been thinking about a conversation he and Renee had the other night when they started talking about personality traits. He’d squirmed in his chair as he listened to her express her displeasure over people lying to each other. She wanted honesty in her relationships, but the clincher was when she said that she hated liars. Since that night he’d been thinking about telling her the truth about himself. Of course, it was easy for him to play the role of a driver since that was his family’s business. He’d never told her he was only a limo driver, she was the one who jumped to that conclusion, but to keep the truth from her was not fair, especially since he was starting to have feelings for her.

  Tonight would be a perfect time to tell her, he thought as he watched her read the card on the table.

  “Renee,” he started, but was interrupted when the server came with their meals.

  Renee looked down at her dish. “Mmm, this looks really good,” she said as she adjusted her linen napkin across her lap. She picked up her fork and knife and cut into the steak.

  “Patrick, does your family have any Thanksgiving traditions?”

  “We used to before my mom passed away.” Patrick hadn’t really thought about the holidays since his mother’s death. His father had tried to keep things going as usual, but they were never the same.

  “I’m sorry to hear about your mother’s passing.”

  “She died several years ago of leukemia. What about your family? You mentioned you have a large one.”

  “Yes, on the McClendon side there are four boys, including my father, and three girls. We always host Thanksgiving dinner each year. We have to feed an army of people and it’s a lot of work, but in the end we all enjoy it. At least, I know I do,” Renee said.

  “Well, I hope I have the opportunity to meet your family someday. And Renee, you know, there’s something I really need to tell you,” Patrick started as he picked up his wineglass.

  Suddenly he heard a commotion and saw everyone rushing over to another table to assist a patron who seemed to be choking. A young woman sitting at the table across from them pulled out her phone and dialed 9-1-1. Several people went back to their tables so that they wouldn’t overcrowd the man, yet they still stared in that direction.

  Patrick saw Renee immediately drop her head. He believed she was whispering a prayer for the middle-aged man. The paramedics arrived quickly, whisking the man away. After that, the atmosphere seemed somber and Patrick watched as Renee just pushed her food around her plate.

  “Let’s get the check so we can get out of here,” he said, giving Renee a smile.

  Once the waiter brought the folio over containing their bill, Renee reached into her purse and pulled out her credit card.

  “Can I ask what you’re doing, Renee?” Patrick asked.

  “I thought we’d split the bill,” she said in response.

  “No thank you, I’ve got this,” Patrick said.

  * * * * *

  In the car, Renee stared out the window.

  “Still thinking about that guy in the restaurant?”

  Renee nodded. “Yes. Plus, there are some other things going on at work and home.”

  Patrick frowned. “What do you mean?”

  Renee didn’t answer, she only continued to stare out the window. She couldn’t help but think about her sister Patrice. It had already been a week, and her sister still hadn’t said anything about her doctor’s appointment. They had all agreed not to confront Patrice. They wanted her to share on her own, but she had yet to do it. There was also the situation with Julia, and Renee didn’t know what to do about that either.

  Patrick reached over and covered her hand with his. “Renee, you can trust me.”

  “Well, I just found out that my friend Julia is being taken off of one of our big accounts at work.”

  “The lady we saw at the Palmer House?”

  “Yes, same one.”

  “What did you call her again?”

  “My frenemy. I hate to call her that, but it’s true.”

  “I can tell this is bothering you a lot.”

  “It really does, because she’s very good at her job, but…” -” Renee stopped in the middle of her thought.

  She didn’t want to continue to badmouth her friend in front of Patrick. “I’m sure she’s going to try to find a way to spin this against me,” she said finally.

  “Why would you say that? She’s the one that the client wants off the project, not you.”

  “Yes, but I know she’s going to say it was something that I said or did to cause this to happen.”

  “That’s a bunch of bull, and I don’t want you worrying yourself about it.” He squeezed her hand in reassurance. “If this is about performance, this is all on her. A lot of the clients look at everyone individually and as a group. You couldn’t have known that they were going to request that they not work with her anymore.”

  Renee slowly pulled her hand back and rested it in her lap. “I’m so tired of defending myself and my work to her.”

  “Listen, baby, you don’t have to do that. I’m sure that you’re a hard worker and that’s what speaks for you. I’m not going to try to tell you what to do, but if you feel that strongly about it, you need to be careful. People that are close to you can cut you to the white meat and you never see it coming.”

  Both of Renee’s eyebrows lifted.

  “I’m not trying to scare you, it’s just I’ve heard about people like her before.” He reached over and touched her arm. “If you ever want to talk, I’m willing to give you a listening ear.”

  Renee gave him half a smile.

  Several minutes later, Patrick pulled into the apartment complex, parked the car, and turned off the engine.

  Renee laid her hand on his arm. “You don’t have to walk me up; I’ll be okay.”

  Patrick looked into her eyes. “Renee.”

  “Yes,” she said, giving him a smile.

  “I’m not escorting you to your door because I’m used to playing chauffeur. I’m walking you to the doo
r because I’m a gentleman.”

  Renee gave him a playful look. “You are?”

  “If you can’t tell, then I’ve bombed big time tonight,” Patrick replied.

  They looked at each other and laughed. He stepped out of the vehicle and walked around to the passenger side. He opened the door and took her hand to assist her out.

  “I really had a nice time tonight, Renee.”

  “I did too, except for the poor guy at the restaurant.”

  “Yeah, except for him.” They walked together to the door. “We’ve got to do this again sometime.”

  “Okay. Maybe we can try a different cuisine next time.”

  “I’ll call you tomorrow.”

  “I’m looking forward to it,” Renee said as she pushed the silver-plated key in the lock and turned it.

  Patrick pulled the handle, holding the door open for her until she walked through, and he followed her inside. Renee turned to him and he took several steps closer. Putting his hands around her waist, Patrick’s head descended until his lips gently touched hers. “I’ll call you tomorrow,” he said before heading out the door.

  The sweet kiss, though brief, was all Patrick could think about as he walked to his car. There was a strong attraction between him and Renee, one that he hadn’t felt in a long time. After tonight, he was sure that he wanted to see how far they could go together.

  Chapter Ten

  Sunday morning, Renee got up and made herself a cup of tea, then sat down with her journal and laptop at the kitchen table. She needed to talk to her sister Patrice, if for nothing else to relieve her nerves. The next thing she needed to do was follow-up with entertainers Selena Johnson and Charlie Wilson’s management to be sure that they had everything set for the gala. But first she needed to complete a much-needed entry in her journal.

  I had a good time at dinner with Patrick last night, even though I was sort of bummed about Julia being kicked off the P&B account. I really wish I knew why a woman as brilliant and beautiful as she would sabotage herself the way she does. I wish I could talk to her, but the last time I did that she thought I was trying to attack her. Now all she does is find fault with me and what I say and do. I think I need to back off.