by Ruth Hay
I am amazed that anyone would want to buy my work but it is such a boost to my confidence that I am working faster than ever. Devon says he will show my painting to a group of environmental people in his building. He thinks they will be very interested in the way I have captured the variety of shapes, colours and movement.
I guess I can now think of my paintings as pretty good after all. At least good enough to have found a buyer! Wow!
* * *
This final entry was the one Portia turned to most often. She had underlined the entire page with a highlighter in a shade of vivid green and decorated the borders with line drawing of leaves and flowers. Whenever her new confidence began to waver slightly, she would read it over and over again until it boosted her energy once more.
Today she needed that boost.
Through Devon’s intervention, she was about to visit his premises in the Hi Tech Hub and see her paintings in situ. She would also meet the three women who worked with a new Adobe Illustrator program to transfer designs to fabric. This required a far more intricate design than Portia had been doing previously but it was the work that gladdened her heart more than anything and she could not wait to see what was happening with this advanced technique.
She now looked on Devon as an exceptional young man who had taken the time and trouble to introduce her to this opportunity. He had restored her faith in the male sex.
Surely, she thought, Devon Beck cannot be the only young man in the world who respects women and wants the best for them as co-workers. It was an encouraging and new speculation for Portia.
Abi drove her to the building. Portia had taken care with her appearance and felt as confident as possible under the circumstances. She knew no one she met today would be aware of her recent history. She could start all over again with a renewed sense of her worth and some bitter experience behind her as an ever-present caution.
As soon as they entered the building she felt such an air of energy and excitement that she could not resist the feeling. Her spirits rose. Here was a place where she could explore all her ideas; a place full of like-minded young people who would never scoff at her ambitions.
Devon came bounding out of the elevator to meet his cousins with a smile on his face.
“Come on up, ladies. I want to introduce you to some exceptional and innovative people. Portia! You are going to feel right at home here.”
Chapter 21
Zoe Morton was at home when the call came. She recognized Corinne’s voice at once although they were not in personal communication very often these days. She and Arthur always came down to London for the annual Boxing Day celebration at Dunstan’s Close and emails usually substituted during the rest of the year unless their daughter Carla was in town for some movie event.
“Hello, Corinne! I hope everything is all right?”
“Oh, yes, indeed! All good news from here. Arthur is well and Colin has a new job. I am loving the slower pace of my nursing assignments and feeling much more in control of my life for a change.”
“That’s good to hear. How is Carla doing? I haven’t seen anything in the papers about her since the last big movie premiere in Los Angeles. She must be pleased at the Oscar nomination.”
“Well, there’s a reason she is keeping quiet these days and that’s why I called. I didn’t want to put this news in an email, so I’m happy I caught you at home.”
“You are sounding very mysterious, Corinne. What’s going on?”
“Carla asked me to tell you this before it reached the papers or TV entertainment programs. She’s pregnant with twins and over the moon with joy about it!”
Corinne’s voice had reached such a volume that there was no mistaking how she felt about this news. She did not notice that the woman on the other end of the line had not responded. Zoe was suddenly struck with the thought that this kind of good news was capable of bringing real happiness to others. She realized her present attitude of keeping everything under wraps, as it were, was denying that happiness to those she cared about.
It must not, however, be a matter of undercutting, Corinne’s news. That would be unfair.
“What wonderful news, Corinne! I was speechless for a moment there. When did this happen and how is her relationship with the handsome Evan Miles going?”
“She’s just about four months along now and the doctors say she is in great shape. Evan is super supportive and they are already decorating a nursery in the house. I will be going to the States nearer the time but she looks very well and happy on Skype. I don’t know for certain, of course, but, Zoe, I think a wedding may be coming in the not-too-distant future!”
“ Even more wonderful! Do you think Carla will wait until after the babies are born? That seems to be the Hollywood way these days.”
“I imagine she will want a small affair before then. Even Carla can see she’s going to be run off her feet with two little ones to look after, whatever she might say about getting lots of help. Not a good time to be planning a wedding.”
“Well, congratulations all round, Corinne! It’s lovely that you told me about it. Does Valerie know yet, or Sandra?”
“Only you, so far. Carla has always felt such gratitude to you for starting off her career in London. She thought you would understand how happy she is and how much this means to her.”
“I certainly do understand and I am delighted for her. I’ll be in touch with her soon and thank you for sharing this with me, Corinne. Keep me up to date with events, please.”
“You can count on it! My best to Wesley.
Bye for now.”
Zoe put down the phone and was cast back to the days when a young and uncertain Carla Carstairs had camped in her loft apartment. Then, she had only her startling beauty and her desire to follow her dreams. Now, after years of hard work, those dreams had come to fulfilment in the acting career she had always longed for. Starting a family was a new development and Zoe thought it was significant. It seemed to indicate that no matter what heights of achievement in the world a person reached, there was no substitute for a loving family around you.
Carla had made this mental jump fairly early; much earlier than Zoe. In a year, the two women on two different continents and two stages of their lives would have the common experience of motherhood as an additional bond.
Perhaps it was inevitable that Zoe would reach the same conclusion. She had achieved everything in the world of business that she had ever wanted for herself. But was it enough?
The initial, imprecise, plan in her mind for life with a baby had consisted of a routine varying as little as possible from her present total work commitment. That picture, she now began to see, was based on little to no actual knowledge of what a baby would do to both her work and her emotional life.
Was it possible to drop off her child with even a great British nanny and go on about her business dealings without a backward thought? She knew many mothers had no other choice in the matter but she and Wesley were in an entirely different position.
For the first time, the idea of slowing down and enjoying everything about this amazing new part of her life entered her mind as a serious alternative. Was it time, or even past time, for her to take a lesser role in Excelsior? Could she bear to relinquish the guiding hand and become the executive on the sidelines in charge of something like charitable and community projects such as the Portal program?
The idea had appeal. She would not be exiting completely. She would be available to consult when problems arose but the daily necessity to be present and in charge would be gone. In a way, it reminded her of Corinne’s decision to take a less-demanding job than her former frantic hospital position. She sounded much more content with her life as a consequence.
Suddenly she wanted to talk to Wesley about all this. There was an hour or so before he was due home. She fetched a glass of milk from the fridge and sat down with her tablet on the table in front of her. She needed to work out a few things before she would know how to frame these unexpected topics for her husb
and.
One thing was assured. This conversation was going to knock his socks off, as they said.
* * *
Jessica was being pressured daily by Dan to produce the goods about the Zoe Morton story. She held him off as long as possible to capitalize on his rising interest in her, but on his next call she hinted there might be something of interest to him if he could meet her after work at a nice restaurant. She refused to reveal anything over the phone with the excuse that someone could overhear their conversation and she would be in deep trouble.
He agreed quickly, of course. There was nothing quite as satisfying for Jessica as having a good-looking man panting to pay for an expensive meal in return for a mere scrap of information.
In fact, Jess had indeed found something she thought could be valuable and this time she had not listened in during bathroom conversations.
She had the idea to search the patient files for contact details. The name Zoe Morton did not appear on any files but there was a possible clue when she noticed a file with the patient’s name in brackets. It belonged to a Mary Jones. She took a quick look inside and saw the woman was older and having her first pregnancy. That was not proof of anything. Most women were older mothers these days but it did fit with what little she knew of the woman in question. The next hurdle was to confirm that Mary Jones was indeed Zoe Morton.
This presented a difficult problem. She could hardly ask outright.
She looked on the computer for the Excelsior company website and found one photograph of the CEO. She now recognized her. As an avid reader of fan magazines, Jess had read a biography of the actress Carla Carstairs in which she had given credit for her success to Zoe Morton. There had been a photoshot of the two women together at some big event years ago.
Luck was on her side. On the very next day, there was a sudden flurry of excitement in the reception area of the clinic and Jess heard the words “Zoe’s husband’ whispered. The speaker was quickly shushed but it was enough to alert a curious listener. A man arrived shortly after this and Jess saw him collect a sample of a special iron supplement for his wife. He did not look like the husband of a famous woman. He was tall and dressed very conservatively but not that noticeable as far as looks went. He would never compare to Dan, she thought, with a smug smile.
The man was in a hurry. He asked for the cost of the medication to be charged to the usual account. The nurse replied, “Of course, Dr. Philips,” and he rushed away.
Jessica watched what happened next. She was supposed to be updating patient files on the desk computer but she had eyes only for the nurse’s actions as she referred to the sliding cabinets where files were stored and removed a file to check on the account details. Jess saw the file for one second only. It was just enough time to catch a glimpse of the heading. The patient’s name was Mary Jones and it was in brackets.
Result!
Jessica’s smug smile deepened. Now she had Dan in her power. This information was priceless and no one could trace it back to her. She had no concern for what Dan chose to do with it. She only knew it would put him in her debt for a long, long time.
* * *
Jessica chose a fancy restaurant for their meeting. Dan looked a trifle worried when he saw the prices on the menu but Jessica had assured him it would be worth the price for the information she had for him. She made him wait until she had finished an elaborate dessert that cost more than the cash he had in his wallet. He would have to charge this meal and hope he could pay for it later in the month.
After an Irish coffee ordered only for Jess, (he knew he had to keep a clear head), he finally pinned her down to the actual details. She really had no idea how valuable her information was and he meant to keep it that way. She could have asked thousands of pounds for this nugget of gold. He made an attempt to thank her and plan their next date but it was all he could do to be pleasant. His head was blaring at him to get out of the restaurant and start the research that would hopefully link a certain Dr. Philips with the elusive Zoe Morton.
Chapter 22
His wife had gone off to bed at her usual early hour but Wesley was too excited to sleep.
Zoe’s new idea to slow down after their child was born had made his heart leap with delight. Emotions crowded him and he had a difficult time keeping control. He had never dared hope for this. His life was revolving and changing daily now and all his well-concealed dreams were beginning to develop into reality.
He would be the main breadwinner for his family. Although he had always admired Zoe’s career devotion, there was the part of him that wished to have the security, and pride, of knowing his substantial earnings were the most important part of their finances.
Zoe would be at home with their child most of the time. His studies had shown him what a vital part of a child’s development it was to have the care of a mother especially during the early months and years. He loved the mental picture of coming home after a day’s work to find Zoe with his son or daughter cradled in her arms and the welcome he would receive from them.
The new idea was a breakthrough. If Zoe was thinking this far ahead already, there was a chance she might even slow down nearer to her delivery time. It was something he had worried secretly about. Older first-time mothers were more likely to have problems and although Zoe was fit and strong so far, she had a long way to go.
All these ideas were revolving in his mind. He felt more hopeful than at any time since Zoe’s announcement about the pregnancy. There was one more thing to complete his sense of comfort and that was to happen quite soon.
They had a scan of Zoe’s uterus booked. Dr. Ambrose would see them privately on the weekend and all the rest of his concerns could be laid to rest when he knew their child was safe and normal. Zoe had expressed no opinion about whether or not she wanted to know the child’s sex but Wesley was privately hoping his recent studies online of medical scans would give him enough knowledge to be able to see that important detail for himself.
He could hardly wait.
Chapter 23
The Beck family had learned the value of pulling together. Their restaurant was going from strength to strength because of Jillian’s presence and Devon’s expertise. The latest billboard advertising campaign from Devon’s desk consisted of a new series of restaurant staff and customers reaching out to welcome weary drivers at the traffic lights. It was lit like a television production and Terrence swore he could almost smell the aromas of good food coming from the dishes on show. The only point of controversy he could raise was his son’s idea to use the heading ‘Beckoning Cuisine’. It seemed a little contrived but Devon said it was the name that would stick in people’s minds on a cold, wet, windy day as they were rushing home for warmth and comfort. They had decided to give it a try and Devon was proved right again, to his private delight. His next move was to re-brand the restaurant with this name. He intended to create an online customer survey with a question specifically about this, to demonstrate to his father that incorporating their family name was a wise move now there were many competing eating establishments springing up all over the city.
When Megan read out the news about their mother’s heart attack, Terrence had swept all other concerns aside to be at his parents’ disposal during this difficult time. He knew he could rely on his team at the restaurant to step in for him. Jillian would ensure there was no drop in standards. The kitchen crew loved her and would do anything for her. It was much the same as he felt about his wife these days. He sometimes thought their real marriage had started that night in Mexico when his father had given them a chance to rejuvenate their lives. This second chance was all the more meaningful when set against the hopeless mess their marriage had been previously.
Now Terrence had an opportunity to repay that gift in a substantive way. He rushed over to the Forest Hill mansion on Friday morning to see for himself what the situation was. Since Tuesday, the whole family had been working to put in place the improvements to the elder Beck’s lives that had been decid
ed upon at the family meal. Now it was time to check out the situation and see how his father would respond.
A quick conversation with his father in the library told him how serious matters had become.
“Terry, you know how independent I have always been. It was a case of pride over common sense, as I now see. I allowed your mother to take on too much. This gargantuan house is impossible to run without the type of staffing in place that would have been available in the last century. It’s not Downton Abbey, I’m afraid. I let my Marian take on this responsibility without a thought as to the stress it placed on her and I agreed to take Portia and promptly scurried back to my computer leaving Marian to cope with all that, despite the fact she was completely unprepared for a seriously sick girl on her hands.”
“Wait, father! Mother never complained about any of this. She handled the household very well on her own and I think she rather enjoyed holding the reins. Wesley and Zoe helped with Portia and I know Abi was instrumental in Portia’s recovery. It was not your fault.”
“Who else is to blame, I ask you, Terry? I am a selfish, grumpy old man who let a crazy scheme about living in the sunshine take over my mind when I should have been watching out for the most precious person under my roof. I will never forgive myself.”
Terry Beck was alarmed to hear these statements from his father’s mouth. He suddenly realized how old his father had become in the last few months. While he and Jillian had been absorbed in their business concerns, his father had aged considerably. It was difficult to see the sprightly, organized man of their Mexican holiday in this sad, bent figure with disordered white hair who sat, slumped, in front of him.
He decided to do the only thing he could think of. For the first time in his adult life he must take over his father’s role and try to save the situation.