by Tonya Kappes
“No.” He shook his head. He bent over and put his shoes on. “I’m not comfortable with it. I understand that they shouldn’t be on your land. But I’m not going to tell someone that they can’t hunt. I’ll call you tomorrow.”
I sat back on the couch and pulled a pillow up around my chest, hugging it tight and wishing it was Jase. Everyone had his or her own personal opinion about hunting and I respected that. Plus I was sure that Dad had scared Jase with all the guns and rushing around here like the Lady B was under attack. I should have told him that Dad and his men would just go out there and fire a few rounds in the sky to scare anyone off. It was too late now, but I would be sure to tell him tomorrow night at the family dinner. Even though we never got around to discussing my presence at the meeting, I was still going to go.
Chapter Twenty-Three
“That was a close one last night.” Dad was already at the table when I ventured down for my morning cup of coffee. “Are you okay? You look a little tired.”
“I’m fine.” I took a cup out of the cabinet and looked out the window. Mom and Birdie sat by the fountain in what looked to be a deep conversation. Iggy was nestled between them. They must have made their morning coffee talks a little ritual.
In truth, I wasn’t fine. I got very little sleep. All night long, I lay awake recalling the ecstasy of snuggling against Jase’s strong body. I shook my head like one of those etch-a-sketch toys to help shake away the redness I could feel settling in my cheeks as I remembered the fire he put in me.
“Did you get the hunters?” There were so many nights when I was a kid that my dad had gone out and scared hunters off the land. We knew killing was a way of life for some, it just didn’t have a place in our life and we liked it that way.
“As a matter of fact,” Dad shuffled the paper in front of him, “I grazed his ear. I’m sure he’ll never be back here.”
“Dad.” Scaring a hunter was one thing, shooting him was another. In the eyes of the law, the man was trespassing, and it would have been legal to shoot him.
“I hope I didn’t scare off your young man last night.” Dad didn’t make eye contact with me. “You are a grown woman, Luvie. Maybe you should figure out your future. If you are staying in Lexington, you can move into one of the vacant field houses.”
“Really?” I hadn’t even thought of that. The idea of coming and going as I pleased—not to mention having Jase over with no one to bother us—was very appealing.
“Sure.” Dad dog-eared the paper. “The three on the north side of the property are available.”
“Thanks Dad.” Suddenly I wasn’t so tired. I couldn’t wait to get off work and move my things into one of the field houses that were reserved for farm hands and visitors to the Lady B. I could easily get a few things down there before my meeting with the Nelsons.
Mom and Birdie came in just then, stopped and looked at me.
“You look really happy.” Birdie lifted her eyebrows. “Did you and Jase do the ‘you-know-what’ after we all left?”
“Mom-line!” Mom shouted from the kitchen sink where she was cleaning out the china cups she and Birdie had been using. Mom always yelled that when she felt like she was hearing something a mother shouldn’t know.
“Of course we didn’t.” I had time for just one cup of coffee. “So what was the big discussion outside about?”
“Iggy and I are going to visit Omar.” Birdie held Iggy tight to her chest and rocked him back and forth like a baby. Birdie had a glow of happiness and calm that I had never before seen. With all the piercings and tough girl attitude gone, Birdie really had blossomed into the person she was meant to be in the short time she had been here. “But I don’t want to leave all of you,” her voice cracked. “You have all become my surrogate family and leaving you at the end of planning the fundraiser isn’t nice.”
“Just because you have the opportunity to see if Omar is your future doesn’t mean that we won’t be here for you forever. Besides, Luvie was supposed to help me with the fundraiser and there really isn’t anything more left to do but have it.” Mom curled her arms around Birdie and Iggy. “Leonard and I feel like you have become part of our family.”
“You know I already accepted you as a sister.” I got up and put my arms around both of them. “When do you leave?”
“In an hour.” Birdie pulled away. “He sent his private jet before we had even talked on the phone, hoping I’d agree to a visit.”
I admired Birdie’s sense of adventure.
We all had our little goodbye right then and there in the kitchen. I knew it definitely wasn’t the last time I was going to see her or Iggy.
“I hate to go, but I have clients to see.” I tapped my watch. Primp My Pet was going to be parked at Granny’s retirement facility all day—a day filled with clients. I was excited to see Sparky and Barkleigh on the appointment book.
On my way across town, I tried calling Jase a couple of times, even texting him. There was no response. I figured he was working and would call me around lunch as he had been doing.
My insides tickled as I recalled him telling me that he was falling in love with me.
“Good morning.” The usual crowd was gathered around the tent that Charlie and Granny had put up in the parking lot, already waiting for me.
Primp My Pet was the big attraction for today, which made all the residents come out and have an all-day picnic to socialize. I loved the fact that Granny had made so many friends.
When she decided to sell the land, where she and my grandfather had spent their retirement years, to a Saudi Arabian billionaire, we thought she was out of her mind. Granddaddy had been gone a long time and she said that she was lonely, even though she had a full staff to keep her company.
We thought she had some sort of sickness she wasn’t telling us about and Mom went digging around, putting her nose in Granny’s business, which only created more of a rift between them.
Granny was right. All she needed was a little home in the retirement community with a gaggle of instant friends to make her happy.
“Hi there, Sparky.” I bent down and took the leash from James. “Good morning, James.”
“It’s always a good morning when I see you, Luvie.” James grinned from ear to ear.
“We will be back.” I waved over my shoulder as Sparky followed me into the RV.
The day had gone by so fast, that I was excited to see Barkleigh and Coco as my last clients. That meant that in a few short hours, I’d be sitting around a dinner table discussing my future business adventure and holding hands with the man that had completely stolen my heart.
I grabbed my phone before I went out to get Barkleigh to see if Jase had called. After every appointment I checked, but nothing was there. I shut the phone off and turned it back on. Sometimes it was hard to get good reception in the RV and I might have missed a call.
Still, nothing showed when it powered up. I sent a quick text to him, asking him to call me and if he minded if I went to the dinner tonight, but there was no immediate response.
There wasn’t much time to wait for an answer, so I went out and got Barkleigh from Granny. Coco had some last minute planning to do for the meeting.
Barkleigh was a good boy and I changed his shoes to a new pair that I had made especially for the meeting. If he wore them and Coco saw them, she’d be sure to tell everyone how great they were and Jase’s family would love me even more.
“I’m off,” I said to Granny as I handed Barkleigh to her. “I have the big meeting at the Nelsons’ house. I get to meet Coco’s daughter, Jase’s mom.”
I was more nervous about meeting his family then I was selling them on the line, even though Coco and I had already made a deal.
“Just be yourself, Luvie Beiderman.” Granny hugged me. Charlie stood next to her. “They will love you just the way you are.”
With the confidence Granny gave me, I was on my way, floating on cloud nine.
Chapter Twenty-Four
I had use
d the RV to transport my duffle bag of clothes, the computer, and some items from my room to the field house. On the way home from the retirement home, I had stopped by the mall to grab a new outfit for tonight. Birdie had brought most of my stuff with her from New York that I had left there, but there was nothing like new and exciting to get me started on my next adventure.
My heart jumped when my phone rang. I grabbed my purse from the passenger seat hoping it was Jase.
“Congratulations!” Vivian sang into the phone.
“What are you talking about?” I laughed and pulled up to the all-stone, one-bedroom field house that has always been my favorite. I was so lucky that this one happened to be vacant. The stone walkway was in desperate need of weeding and the flowerbed was barely visible through all the weeds. Cleaning up the place was a priority for my day off. But tonight I was going to have to clean myself up and fast.
“You made the New York Times!” Vivian screamed.
“How?” I leaned over the RV wheel in disbelief. How on earth did I make the Times?
“In the business section, Coco St. James gave a big interview for an article on your new clothing line. She even has a picture of you standing next to her dog in some special shoes you made him.” Vivian was talking so fast that I was having a hard time digesting what she was saying. “She said that a global deal had been made with manufacturers all over the world, making this the biggest pet clothing line deal in history. In history! Did you hear that?”
Oh my God! No wonder I hadn’t heard from Jase and no wonder Coco wasn’t there to get Barkleigh groomed. I would put money on it that they were planning a big party in my honor at the dinner and Jase didn’t want to give anything away.
“Are you kidding me?” My phone beeped in a text. I glanced down to see if it was Jase.
Sasha Designs?
“I’ll let you know how it goes.” I said goodbye to Vivian and thanked her for letting me know.
Sasha: Luvie this is Sasha. You have to call me ASAP.
Even though the biggest deal in my life had just taken place in the Times, I still had the burning desire to know what Sasha wanted.
I decided not to call her until I had the RV unloaded. I even called for a driver to take me to the Nelson house because I didn’t want to roll up in the RV. That didn’t seem too professional to me.
After putting on the little black dress and new red heels, I flat-ironed my hair and applied my make-up like I would have in New York. When the driver was there to get me, I grabbed my cell and new cocktail bag and got in.
It was a perfect time to call Sasha.
The phone didn’t ring but once before she picked up.
“Luvie dear, I’m so glad you called.” Her voice dripped with elegance, making me nauseous.
“What do you want, Sasha?”
“We need to make amends and you have to come back to Sasha Designs.”
“I don’t have to do anything.” That was the beauty of my new adventure. I could now do anything I wanted. But my heart did tug at the idea of designing clothes for two-legged creatures.
“Hear me out, dear,” Sasha paused, drew in a big breath and said, “Pete had to be fired. He had brought us his design folder to enter into the mix. When we had to, shall I say, trim the fat, you were the one who was let go because he had switched your portfolio with his, making me believe that you couldn’t even design a flower bed.”
My mouth dropped and my stomach hit the limousine floor. I reached over and grabbed the bottle of wine the limousine driver had left open for me and chugged from the bottle.
“When I picked his portfolio for the new line, he was pleased as could be. The deeper I looked into the book, I could see he didn’t do his homework and hadn’t erased your initials from all of the designs. When we confronted him about it, he admitted to it. So I fired him and now I need you back.”
She said it like I was going to just drop everything and move on back to New York.
“And I was going to call you yesterday before I had even seen the New York Times article about your recent success. But we all know that your heart is in designing for a real retail store.”
I took another swig. Everything that I had always wanted to hear come of out Sasha’s mouth was pouring out like water from a fountain.
“Luvie?”
“I’m here.” I put the bottle back when I realized we had stopped in front of the Nelson house. There were cars lined all up and down the driveway. When I saw Jase’s little Mercedes, my heart told me everything I needed to know.
“Sasha, I’m sorry.” The driver opened the door. I put my finger out for him to wait a minute. “But I couldn’t thank you more for firing me. I have created a life that I love, thanks to you.”
“Wait, don’t you dare say no,” Sasha stopped me. “I’m talking about a two-million dollar contract, Luvie. This is nothing to wave off in a two-minute conversation. I’m going to give you a week to decide. You have one week to get back to me…starting now.”
The phone went dead. In true Sasha style, she had to be the one with the last word. It was a lot to think about, but I knew where my heart was. With Jase.
“I’m ready.” I opened the door back up where the driver was standing. “How do I look?”
I knew the first impression was the most important.
“Very nice, Ms. Beiderman.” The driver nodded. “I’ll be here waiting for you.”
“Thank you so much.” The excitement built up in me as I made my ascent up the steps to come face to face with the man I loved and his family.
A woman with a black uniform came to the door.
“May I help you?” She asked.
“I’m Luvie Beiderman.” I waited to see if she recognized my name. When it became clear that she wasn’t, I continued. “I’m here for the meeting with Jase Nelson and Coco St. James.”
“Hold on please.” She politely smiled, shutting the door.
“Luvie,” Jase came to the door a few minutes later and opened it. “What are you doing here?”
“Hey.” I smiled, but didn’t get the same reaction from him. Coco walked up behind him.
“Where are your manners?” She nudged him out of the way.
Our eyes met. There was a stern look on his face, a look that I had not seen before but recognized; there was a pain deep in his soul that I felt in my heart.
I walked in. He bent down and whispered, “You should go home and I will be by later.”
Coco took my hand before I could respond to him.
“Granny, no.” There was pleading in his voice. Something he didn’t want me to hear.
She didn’t pay any attention to him nor did she let go of my hand as she dragged me into the large formal dining room where a lot of people sat around with wine and large plates of food in front of them.
“Everyone, this is Luvie Beiderman.” Coco placed me in front of her with her hands on my shoulders.
Everyone greeted me with a hello or a nod of welcome, but not Jase.
“Hi,” A woman with long blond hair, flowing dress, and eyes like Jase’s stood up and greeted me. “I’m so happy to meet you on more than just business. My Jase said you are a very special woman.”
“He did?” I blushed and looked at him.
He took his finger and dotted his cheeks, letting me know that my freckles were as bright as my new heels. He smiled, making me feel a little better.
His mother set a place for me at the table. Within minutes, I had a plate of food and wine like the rest of them. I desperately wanted to grab Jase and tell him the news about Sasha. It was definitely bittersweet and I loved telling her no.
I had no intention of calling her back. She had my answer. My life was here, at this table with Jase and his family and at home with mine.
They were having their meeting around the dinner table, which made it more relaxed. His father went around the table, asking each member to give a detailed report about what they had been doing to help the company along. When he
got to Coco, she was so proud telling them about our little venture and her deals overseas. She had even brought the Times article.
Jase put his hand under the table and squeezed my thigh.
“I’m so proud of you,” he whispered. I longed to kiss his lips, but knew I would have plenty of time in the field house to pick up where we left off.
The silly notion of why he hadn’t called today evaporated with his touch. I knew he had a reason for not calling me and this meeting was obviously a big one.
When it got to his time to talk about his part of the food business, I became excited. I couldn’t wait to hear what role he played in the company.
He stood up.
“First let me say that I’m glad Luvie is here tonight. And I also want her to know that I’m sorry for anything that she is going to hear.”
I sat straighter in my chair. My fingers suddenly tensed in my lap. Sheer fright flew through me in anticipation of what he was going to say that was so awful and deserved an apology before the fact.
Everyone around the table was silent. I couldn’t help but wonder if they already knew to what he was referring.
“Since the season opened, we have killed about three hundred deer.” He gulped.
Deer?
“The venison will not only take care of the homeless for the winter, but the hides and leftover parts will go into the organic section of the pet food.” His voice was resigned.
Deer?
“That doesn’t include the twenty I got last night before I almost got my brains blown out,” Jase’s brother, Dan, snickered from across the table. “It was a big ole buck too. I bet his antlers would look good over the big fireplace in there.” He pointed his fork in the direction of the living room.
Jase looked down at me. I shrugged to hide my confusion. Were they hunting on the Lady B?
I looked over at Dan. He had a small bandage on his ear.
“Are you a hunter?” I asked Jase in a hushed whisper.
Slowly he nodded. His eyes probed at my soul. He had just confirmed he was part of everything that I stood against.