by Suzanne Hart
“Yes, of course, I will, sir…and how is…how is Cecilia?” Joan asked as I walked to my desk. I clenched my jaw and turned to look at her.
“She’s fine, why?” I barked and Joan gulped, looking a little lost for words.
“I just hoped she wasn’t in shock after what happened yesterday,” Joan continued and I furrowed my brows.
“Why would she be? She was in good hands. Unlike the state she would have been in if she was at the reception with those incompetent…” I didn’t finish the sentence; instead I just clenched my fists.
“I can talk to them, if you like? I can speak to Michael and see if we can find replacements?” Joan offered and I shook my head.
“I’m going to let this go, this time. Just tell Michael that everyone on our staff needs to be trained on how to deal with a lost child,” I stated and sat down with a thump on my leather chair.
“I’ll make sure of it…and what about the girl?” she continued.
“You mean Nora?” I asked and Joan nodded her head lightly. “What about her?”
“Well…Sir, I saw her come into the building today. I thought Jackson would have taken care of her already.”
“I told Jackson to keep her on, to train her properly and make sure she’s comfortable at the job,” I told Joan, who seemed surprised to hear those words.
“Why?” she asked, shaking her head.
“Because she looked after Cici yesterday and she did a damn good job of it!” I barked. Joan gulped and nodded her head, smiling weakly at me.
“Of course, yes, that’s right,” she mumbled and turned to walk out of the office again.
“Send up Jackson,” I called after her.
She shut the door gently behind her and I sat at my desk, drumming my fingers on it. I spent very little, close to no time at this office, even though this was my headquarters. I looked around the office, not really knowing where to begin with work.
The phone at the desk buzzed and when I picked up, it was one of the receptionists on the line.
“Mr. Stone, your mother’s on the other line. She says that she needs to speak with you urgently,” the girl said. I pressed my eyes close and sighed. This was just what I needed! I’d been avoiding my mother’s calls for weeks now and she’d caught me here at the worst possible moment.
“Put her through,” I said and slammed the phone down. I waited for the line to buzz again and I picked up.
“Felix! My darling son, you’re still alive!” I heard Mom’s voice, and I tried to calm myself. The worst thing would be if she whiffed a scent that there was something going on.
“Hello, Mom, how are you? Sorry for missing your calls lately, I’ve been…” She cut me off before I could finish the sentence.
“Busy. Yes, I know. Surprise, surprise!”
“What is this urgent matter that you wanted to talk about?” I asked her.
“Oh, just that I’ve booked my flights to San Francisco, and I need someone to pick me up from the airport tonight,” she said.
I was stunned into silence for a few moments. I hadn’t seen this coming.
“Tonight? Mom, that’s very short notice. I have an important meeting in New York today, I won’t be here,” I argued.
“That’s fine. I’m going to see my granddaughter; if you’re missing from the picture, then it’s your bad luck. You’re the one who’s going to miss out on my apple pie,” Mom continued. I remained silent, trying to think.
“Will you send a car for me then, son? Six p.m.,” Mom said, still in her usual cheerful voice.
“Yes,” I replied.
“Good, and don’t tell Cici. I want it to be a surprise. Bye now.” Mom ended the call with that and I sighed deeply as I put the phone down. I shook my head. My mother visiting was always an anxious time for me, because she always had complaints about how I was raising Cici. I’d had enough of that already from Nora, and I just couldn’t deal with Mom too.
There was a knock on my office door and Jackson stepped in, looking meek and respectful.
“Mr. Stone, you asked for me?” he said in a low voice and I looked up at him sharply.
“How is Nora?” I asked him, weaving my fingers together on the desk.
“N…Nora Stevens? She’s fine, I guess. I’m training her like you asked me, but she has no experience, sir. She’s from some small town in Minnesota…” Jackson was speaking quickly, trying to make excuses while I glared at him.
“I don’t care where she’s from, just make sure that you train her well and report back to me in ten days with her performance,” I stated and Jackson nodded his head.
“Yes, I’ll do that, sir,” he replied.
“Is there something else you want to say?” I growled at him and Jackson shook his head.
“Then get out of my office,” I barked, and he backed away quickly to the door.
After he was gone and I was alone again, I sat back in my chair and rubbed my temples with my fingers. I felt like there was a headache coming on. I was thinking about Mom and what I was going to do about her, and at the same time, I couldn’t get Nora out of my mind. I’d laid awake all night in bed, recalling every feature of her face. In four years, this had never happened to me before. Why was it happening to me now?
Chapter 11
Nora
I was shadowing the housekeeping staff today, just like Jackson had asked me to, and as I helped the women make the beds and lay small bunches of lavender on the pillows, I tried to not think about Felix Stone. Instead, I focused my thoughts on Cici, wondering how she was getting on, and remembering the sadness in the little girl’s eyes. It would have been a mistake to think about her father, my boss, and how handsome he looked and, despite how aggressive his exterior was, how certain I was that he was hiding a softness inside him.
“Take this to floor eighteen, we’ll join you there,” one of the girls told me as we left a room. She was pointing to a trolley containing cleaning products. I nodded my head with a smile and pushed the trolley down the plush corridor of the hotel towards the elevators.
I was lost in thought when the elevator doors pinged open and as I took a step inside, I realized that I was face to face with Felix Stone again. I was startled to find him there and I hesitated for a moment. The doors began to slide shut and he stepped forward, pushing his hand in between the doors to make them stop.
“Are you coming in?” he asked, meeting my eyes firmly. I gulped. I hadn’t forgotten how green his eyes were, and neither had I forgotten the last words he had said to me the previous evening at his house. I could feel the color rising in my cheeks, but I kept my head up and stepped in.
“Thank you,” I said and pressed the button for the eighteenth floor.
“This elevator is going down. You’ve taken the wrong one,” Felix said, as he stood beside me with his hands deeply stuffed in the pockets of his tailored pants. He wasn’t even looking at me; he was looking straight ahead. I got a whiff of his musky expensive cologne and my knees suddenly felt wobbly.
“Oh, I wasn’t paying attention,” I replied, in a small voice. I got the feeling that he hated me now, since the things I had told him hadn’t pleased him very much. I glanced at him, the way he was clenching his jaw tightly. Why did he always look so angry?
“I just wanted to say…Mr. Stone…that I’m sorry for last night, for the things I said…” I was fumbling with my words. I didn’t even know why I was talking. It was just so uncomfortable standing there in silence, knowing that there was an awkwardness between us.
“Do you always have this much to say?” he asked, turning to look at me. His cold stare passed over me, drinking in my features closely. I could sense that he was studying me. I licked my lips nervously and shook my head.
“No, I’m sorry. I just don’t know what to say,” I told him and looked down at my feet.
The elevator came to a stop on the ground floor and the doors started sliding open. He was going to leave and I’d be relieved, because I would finally
be able to breathe again. When the doors opened, there were a few people waiting on the other side to get in. Felix looked up at them and pressed the ‘close-doors’ button again.
“Occupied,” he said to the people on the other side and the doors started sliding shut again. I was shocked by what was happening. Didn’t he want to get off on this floor? The elevator started moving again, heading up to the eighteenth floor. Felix turned to me, fixing his green eyes on me again.
“I should have fired you yesterday,” he said. My throat had gone dry and I nodded my head vigorously.
“Yes, I know, thank you for not doing that,” I replied, my cheeks burning up. He took a step towards me and I had nowhere to back away from him.
“I’m not a fan of your opinions,” he continued, and I nodded my head again. Our bodies were just inches apart now. He was close enough for our bodies to touch. I looked up at him; he was staring down at me, his hot breath was falling on my face, and never before had I wanted a man to kiss me this badly.
“There’s something about you,” Felix said, in a low murmuring voice, as his eyes roamed all over me. My body tingled, covered in goosebumps, and he raised up a hand to my face. I felt like I was choking as his fingers lightly grazed my left cheek. He pushed a stray blond strand of hair off my forehead. I was frozen to the spot; my body was on fire. He breathed in sharply, just as the doors slid open again.
“Go,” he said, in his usual commanding voice again. I was too disoriented to know what to do. We were on the eighteenth floor; the doors were wide open. It was time for me to get off.
I pushed the cleaning trolley past him, stepping out of the elevator with my head in a tizzy.
“Come to my house this evening, at six. Wear something my mother would like,” I heard him say, as the doors slid back shut again.
I was staring at the wall now; the elevator had whisked away already and I couldn’t believe what I had just heard. Did he really want me to go to his house today? Did he say something about his mother? Had I just imagined everything?
I could still feel his fingers on my cheek though, like they had left a burning trail on my skin.
Chapter 12
Felix
I returned to the house, earlier than usual, having already sent the chauffeur to collect Mom from the airport. Cici and Anne and the other staff in the house were all surprised to see me. I gave Anne her instructions for readying the house and preparing a lavish dinner, and to Cici I said nothing, just like Mom had told me to.
I wasn’t sure why exactly I’d invited Nora. I hadn’t really invited her; it was more like I had commanded her to come. Like she had no other choice. I didn’t have a plan. I didn’t know what I wanted her to do once she got here.
When the doorbell rang at six, Anne rushed to open it. I was in the study with the door shut, while Cici was running around the house, making a lot of noise. Through the door, I could hear the surprised exchanges outside. Anne was welcoming Nora in, Cici was bubbling with excitement, and then Anne was ushering Nora into my study.
There was a knock and then the door opened. Nora wasn’t alone; Anne was with her and so was Cici. My daughter had once again attached herself to Nora, refusing to let her go.
Flashes of what happened in the elevator returned to me. I had touched her inappropriately, I had stood too close to her. She was my employee!
“Mr. Stone, Nora said that you wanted to see her?” Anne asked and I nodded. I was sitting behind my desk, trying to work.
“Yes, she will be joining us for dinner tonight,” I said and Anne nodded curtly before she left the room.
“Really?” Cici squealed, looking up at Nora’s surprised face, who looked like she was still in shock.
I looked her up and down. She was in a neat coral-colored cotton dress with a thin red cardigan on top, which accentuated the shape and heaviness of her breasts. There was a slim red leather belt on her narrow waist and her bare legs looked long and smooth. She had a pair of flat sandals on. Why was I looking at her body? Why was I staring at her breasts? I jumped up from my chair, telling myself that I was only inspecting her attire to make sure that Mom would approve.
“Yes, she’s staying for dinner, and I have another surprise for you,” I said to Cici, walking towards them.
“Another surprise? What is it, Daddy? Please, tell me!” Cici squealed, clapping her hands frantically.
“It will just have to wait. Run along to your nanny, baby girl,” I said, ruffling Cici’s hair.
“Nanny left a few hours ago!” she retorted, crossing her brows. I had no idea about the staff’s schedule; I was taken aback.
“Why don’t you go see if you can help Anne in the kitchen?” Nora interjected, hugging Cici tightly. Cici looked dejected but she obeyed Nora’s request and left the room, skipping and still excited.
I went over and shut the door behind her. Nora was standing quietly in the room, with her hands clasped to the front.
“I’m staying for dinner?” she asked when I finally walked past her and back to my desk.
“Yes, my mother is joining us tonight. It’s a surprise visit. I don’t like surprises,” I said and sat down. Nora remained standing. I could feel her eyes on me as I clicked a few keys on my computer. I could sense that she wanted an explanation for what was going on, but I had none to give her.
“And why am I here for your mother’s visit?” she asked and I looked up at her sharply. “This isn’t a part of my hotel duties,” she added.
“No, this is not. My mother is disappointed in me, in the way I’m raising Cici and for the lack of warmth in our household. I was hoping that you might be able to change that,” I said and Nora crossed her brows and took a few steps in my direction.
“Change that how? What do you want me to do?” she asked, with her blue eyes looking quizzical.
“I’m not sure,” I said, and she pursed her lips together tightly like she was frustrated with me.
“Okay, for starters, how are you going to introduce me to her?” she asked. I hadn’t thought that far ahead.
“I’m not sure…”
“A member of your household staff? An employee at the hotel?” she suggested and I shook my head.
“That would be weird, for you to have dinner with us,” I said.
“Well, I could go now. We don’t have to do this if you’re not sure,” Nora said and made to turn, but I stood up from my chair with a jerk.
“No! Stay!” I barked and she stopped in her tracks.
Her eyes had gone soft when she looked at me now; there was actually a hint of a smile on her face. I knew she could see the nervousness on my face.
“We could say that I’m a friend?” she asked, and I sat back down in my chair again. I smoothened my tie and cleared my throat.
“Yes, that could work,” I told her and didn’t meet her eyes.
“Okay, good. I could be your friend for one night,” she said and there was a laugh in her voice. When I looked up at her, Nora was smiling.
“I’ll go help Anne and Cici in the kitchen, make sure the house is to your mother’s liking,” she said, and I watched her walking to the door. “And in the meantime, maybe you should think about changing out of that suit and into something more casual, warmer…it’s a homely dinner with your family, after all,” she added with a smile and then she was gone from the study.
I felt like someone had just punched me in the stomach. I didn’t know why I kept letting her talk to me like that, and why I kept going back for seconds.
Chapter 13
Nora
Felix appeared in the living room sometime later, where Cici and I were sitting together, chatting. The dinner was set in the dining room and I’d lit a few candles around the house and selected a mellow playlist for the sound system. The lights were turned low and Cici was showered and changed into a cute frock with a bow in her hair.
I hadn’t expected him to follow my advice, but there he was, changed into a pair of dark jeans and a more casua
l plaid shirt. His dark hair was swept back and he was freshly shaven. When Felix entered, he scanned the room, observing the little changes I had made and then he met my eyes but said nothing.
The doorbell rang and Cici looked up at her father questioningly.
“Go see who it is,” Felix told her, just as we heard the loud cheerful voice of an older woman.
“Grandma!” Cici squealed and she jumped away from me, running towards the front door with glee. I stood up from my chair, smoothening the front of my dress, and when I looked up, I saw that Felix was watching me.
“Thank you, for doing this,” he said in a low, gruff voice. There was a change in him; he looked less angry now. I stepped towards him, feeling braver, and I opened my mouth to say something but we were interrupted.