by Rachel Hanna
“I’m not going to do anything… except marry her son.”
“Seems like that’s a death wish,” Sandi said with a laugh.
“Maybe, but Daniel wants to marry me, and I want to marry him so she’s just going to have to deal with it.”
“She doesn’t strike me as the type to just deal with things.”
Paige walked across the room with a tape measure in her hand. “Do you think this corner is going to be big enough for the band?” she asked. And then she heard someone clear their throat behind her. She darted her eyes to Sandi who was frozen in place with her mouth hanging open and her eyes as big as saucers. “What?”
Paige slowly turned to find Madeline standing in the doorway, her lips pressed together so hard that it looked like her face might shatter into a million pieces.
She was dressed to the nines in her pale pink designer suit and stiletto heels. Her purse, which was worth more than two months of Paige’s salary, was pulled tightly against her side like she’d just walked into a prison instead of a pretty nice banquet hall.
“I need to get something from my car,” Sandi said, rushing toward the door. Sandi didn’t own a car.
“Hello, Paige,” Madeline said without smiling. “I think we need to talk.”
Paige nodded, still without speaking, and walked to the same two chairs that she and Sandi were just sitting in. Madeline looked at the plastic folding chairs, sighed audibly and finally sat down, still holding her purse against her.
“I understand from my son that you overheard our conversation the other day.”
“I did.” Could she be about to apologize?
“You know, eavesdropping is not acceptable, don’t you?” she said. Paige wanted to slap her across the face, but thought better of it.
“It wasn’t intentional,” Paige said shortly.
“Well, that’s neither here nor there,” Madeline said. “I came here to settle this issue once and for all.”
“Issue?”
“Your desire to marry my son.”
“He wants to marry me too, Mrs. Richmond.”
“He’s confused. He’s young and men have needs…”
“Yes, I heard all about those needs during your conversation,” Paige said, trying not to giggle as she stood up. “And I fulfill those needs quite well.” Oops. Why had she added that little part?
Madeline huffed as she sprang to her feet. “You really have no couth.”
“Couth?”
“It means culture. Manners. Refinement.”
“Yes, I know what couth means. I just don’t know anyone who still uses that word,” Paige said, her feisty side finally making an appearance. “Look, Mrs. Richmond, or shall I say ‘Mom’…”
“No. You shall not.”
“I have a job to do here, and unlike you, I’m not able to snuggle up with bags of cash at night. So, can you please get to your point?”
“Well, your insult was a nice segue into my point. You seem fixated on my cash, so let’s talk about how much it will take to get you on your way again.”
“Excuse me?” Paige said, incredulous.
“How much will it take for you to get out of my son’s life and break off this silly engagement? Ten thousand? Fifty thousand?”
Paige couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Her mouth flopped open as she stared at the woman in disbelief.
“Are you serious?”
“I’m willing to go higher if needed.”
“You are serious. Oh my God.” Paige turned and walked toward the window, her fingers sliding through her hair in frustration.
“Okay, maybe you need more. One hundred thousand?”
She turned to face Madeline. “Get out.”
“What?”
“I said get out of here.” Paige had lived on the streets long enough to know how to be tough, and right now she was as tough as she’d ever been, holding her balled up fist by her side.
“Not until you tell me what it will take to get you out of our lives… for good.”
Paige walked toward Madeline and came almost nose to nose with her. “Now you listen to me,” she said through gritted teeth. “I love your son and he loves me, and no amount of money will ever keep me from him. Do you understand me? I don’t care who you are or how much money you have. As long as Daniel wants to be with me, there is nothing you can do to stop that.”
Madeline took a step back, her expression impassable and then smirked. “My dear, you have no idea what lengths I will go to in order to protect my son. You’ve made a grievous mistake here.”
And with that she walked out and left Paige standing there, sweat seeping from her hands yet again. She had a sick feeling in her stomach.
Paige stared out the plate glass window in Daniel’s penthouse watching the gray sky produce its first droplets of rain. The sky was getting darker as evening set in, and her mood was going with it.
She hadn’t told Daniel about the confrontation with his mother, and maybe she should have. But she didn’t want to cause him more stress, and it would only put him in the middle. For now, her plan was to just deal with Madeline herself. Maybe that would be her wedding gift to her new husband.
“You okay, sweetie?” he asked as he came up behind her, sliding his hands around her waist and nuzzling her neck.
“I’m fine. Just a long day.”
“Oh, that’s right. The Waverly wedding?”
“Yes. We were doing some preliminary setup, but tomorrow is the big day. They’re a great couple,” she said with a smile.
“Did it get you excited about our big day?” he asked, twirling her around to face him. She stared up into his gorgeous blue eyes.
“Of course. I can’t wait to plan our dream wedding, Daniel. But more than that, I just want to be married to you. I don’t care if we run off to Vegas,” she said, a hint of hope in her voice.
He laughed. “My mother would kill me if I didn’t have a big wedding. She’ll want to invite the whole city.”
Paige sighed and then faked a smile. “Of course. I was just giving you the option.”
“So,” he said between the kisses he was planting on her cheek over and over, “have you thought of a date yet?”
“Actually, I have been thinking about that,” she said. What do you think about Valentine’s Day?”
“Hmmm, kind of a cliche, don’t you think?” Daniel asked with a chuckle. Paige stiffened.
“Sorry, I just…”
“Honey, I was just joking,” he said with a smile, only she didn’t think he was joking.
“It probably is silly…”
“No. It’s not. If you want to get married on Valentine’s Day, that’s what we’ll do. I’ll hire Cupid himself to fly in and marry us if that’s what you want.”
She knew that he was being funny, but tonight just wasn’t the night. He had no idea what his mother had done to her today. But she wasn’t going to be the one to wreck his relationship with his mother, and if he knew that she tried to pay her to break up, he would’ve blown up his whole life and future over it.
So she was silent.
“Glass of wine?” she said, trying to change the subject away from the wedding temporarily. He nodded and walked into the kitchen as she sat down at one of the chrome barstools in front of the marble topped breakfast bar. He poured her a glass of white wine and slid it in front of her.
“Oh, that reminds me. Hamp asked me to meet him at the new wine bar tomorrow.”
“The one in Manhasset?” she asked.
“Yeah. I’m heading over there in the morning, so I should be back by lunchtime.”
Hampton’s family was well known for their wine business and he was opening a new state-of-the-art wine bar just about an hour away from the city.
As much as Paige couldn’t stomach Madeline or Tori, Hampton had actually been pleasant to her most of the time. He always spoke to her, tried to make her feel somewhat included. But she had no illusions that he wouldn’t turn on her in a hea
rtbeat because Tori ruled their home.
“You want to go?” Daniel asked as he sipped on a red wine.
“Can’t. The Waverly wedding, remember?” she said with a smile, secretly happy that she had a legitimate excuse for why she couldn’t go with him.
“Well,” he said, leaning across the breakfast bar, “I will miss you, my soon-to-be-wife.” He kissed her softly, and she moaned.
“Why don’t you show me how much you’ll miss me, Daniel Richmond?” she said, reaching across and pulling on his necktie.
“Hmmm… Let me see how many ways I can show you,” he said as he walked around the bar and swept her up into his arms.
Paige awoke briefly the next morning to find Daniel kissing up and down her neck. It was still dark outside, the October mornings cold and crisp. She barely recalled him slipping out of bed, taking a shower and then kissing her one more time before leaving for his day with Hampton before she fell back into a deep sleep.
But now the bright morning sun had awakened her, piercing through the wood slats of his two-inch blinds. She could hear the sounds of the city, ever so faintly at the height of the penthouse.
It was eight o’clock, and the Waverly wedding was starting in a few hours. She needed to get up, have her requisite coffee and get moving soon or Sandi would surely start blowing up her phone.
As if on cue, she heard her phone ding. “Leave me alone. It’s too early!” she yelled across the room as she poured water into the coffee pot.
Ding!
“I don’t talk to anyone before nine!” she yelled playfully back at her phone.
Ding!
Ding!
Ding!
“What the holy hell?” she finally mumbled to herself, wondering why Sandi was so insistent on talking to her. They were good enough friends that Sandi should know better. Don’t contact Paige before nine.
She looked down at her phone and noticed six texts from her friend. Grumbling to herself, she rubbed the sleep from her eyes and started reading them.
Paige, have you watched the news this morning?
And then…
Paige, please call me. It’s urgent.
And then…
It’s about Daniel. He’s… in bad shape. Please call me!
Paige suddenly felt like she couldn’t breathe, and her hands were shaking so bad that she dropped her phone onto the tile floor, cracking the screen in the process.
Unable to read the rest of the messages through her shattered screen, she used voice commands to dial her friend.
“Paige! Thank God, you’re safe!” Sandi said in tears.
“What are you talking about? Of course I’m safe. What’s this about Daniel?” Paige leaned into the breakfast bar and steadied herself.
“You haven’t watched the news?” Sandi asked, her voice trembling now.
“No. I haven’t even looked at Facebook yet…”
“Oh, God, Paige. I’m so sorry, but Daniel has been in a very bad accident. Between here and Manhasset. It’s all over the news. They don’t know if he’s going to make it…”
The world started spinning immediately. She thought she might vomit, and her vision was getting blurry.
“No… No… That can’t be…” she said as she lowered herself onto the barstool.
“They airlifted him to New York Presbyterian, Paige. You should get down there. I’ll handle Waverly on my own.”
“Waverly? What?” she said, too stunned to remember the wedding she was helping with today. “Oh, the wedding… I need to call for a cab. He took the car…” Of course he took the car, she thought to herself. He was in a wreck.
She hung up with Sandi and started pacing the apartment, unable to figure out what to do. After a few moments of deep breathing, she was able to call for a cab and get herself dressed, but she felt like a zombie. It was the only way she could cope with the situation.
Just don’t feel anything.
The cab pulled up to the door of the ER and Paige jumped out like a gazelle, throwing money at the driver as she bolted from the car.
She ran through the doors and straight to the information desk.
“I’m Paige. Is Daniel here? Is he okay?” The woman behind the desk looked at her like she was insane.
“Excuse me?”
“Daniel Richmond. He’s my fiance. He should be here…” She started pointing aimlessly around the room.
“Ma’am, I can’t give you health information unless you’re family.”
“But I’m his fiancee!”
“I’m sorry, but unless you’re legally married, I cannot release any information about his condition.” The woman looked apologetic, but impassable. “Maybe his mother can help you,” she said.
Paige felt sick as she turned to see Madeline standing a few feet away, her face puffy and red. She was looking in her compact mirror, applying concealer and some kind of eye cream. Paige wanted to lunge at her for being so vain during a time like this, but she knew that wouldn’t get her in to see Daniel.
“Mrs. Richmond,” she said walking closer. Madeline shot her a hateful glance.
“What are you doing here?” she seethed.
“Excuse me? Why wouldn’t I be here? He’s my fiance.”
Madeline snorted. “You will never marry my son.”
Paige saw Hampton approaching from behind Madeline and ran to him. “Hamp, how is he? Have you seen him?”
He looked at Madeline and then back to Paige. “I really don’t know anything yet, Paige.”
Madeline saw Tori coming back with coffee and walked to meet her daughter across the waiting area. Paige turned back to Hampton.
“Look, I can’t say much because you’re not…”
“Family? Come on. You know Daniel wouldn’t agree.” A tear rolled down her cheek. “I just need to know how he is…”
“Fine,” he said, pulling her around the corner out of sight. “He has major head injuries, Paige. Life threatening head injuries. Doctors aren’t overly optimistic right now. They said the next twenty-four to forty-eight hours are critical, but he may never regain consciousness. Even if he does, he suffered a lot of damage…” Hampton’s voice was shaking.
“Oh my God. No…” she said, falling into a sobbing mess against Hampton’s tailored suit. He let her stay there, not touching her, until she pulled herself back together. “Can I see him? Can you sneak me in or something?” she begged.
“Paige, I can’t. Madeline is watching everyone like a hawk. And I have to be honest with you. Her intention is to keep you from seeing him. And she has the power to do it as his next of kin.”
Paige slid down onto a chair and cried. How could this be happening? How could this woman be so cruel?
“Hampton, you know he loves me.”
“I know. Look, I can’t rock the boat. And I’ve already told you too much as it is,” he said. She looked up at him. “You should go home, Paige.”
Home? Where was that? Daniel’s penthouse? The streets?
Home was where Daniel was. Right now she had no home.
Her back was killing her. She’d been sleeping in the waiting room chair for hours until Sandi woke her up. Confused, she stared up at her friend, who was still dressed in her catering attire. It was now dark outside, and a whole different cast of characters was sitting around her in the ER.
She didn’t see Madeline or Tori or Hampton anywhere.
“Where are they?” she asked, shooting up from her seat, her hair askew and makeup running down her face.
“Paige, calm down,” Sandi said, trying to get her to stop yelling and causing a scene. “Listen, honey, you need to come with me. You can’t stay here like this.”
“I can’t leave. Daniel is here…” she sobbed.
“Sweetie, I know. But the hospital can’t give you any information. It does no good for you to be here. I’ve come to take you home.”
“What home?”
Sandi looked at her friend sympathetically. “You can come home with me.
Or I can take you back to the penthouse. Or I can stay there with you. Whatever you want.”
“I don’t even know if he’s still alive, Sandi. I need to know something.”
“Look, we’ll come back tomorrow when you’ve gotten some sleep and a nice hot shower. I’ll help you, okay?”
Paige nodded and allowed her friend’s arm to slide around her for support. Oh how she wished it was Daniel’s arm right now.
After learning from the news reports overnight that Daniel had been moved to ICU, Paige showed up at the hospital as soon as the sun was up. She’d had a fitful night of sleep at the penthouse. Sandi had stayed over, and the two of them had piled up on the plush sectional sofa because Paige just couldn’t bring herself to sleep in their bed alone.
She walked to the front desk, this time as calmly as possible, and waited for the woman to look up.
“Can I help you?”
“Yes, please. My fiance, Daniel Richmond, is here in ICU. I’d like to get an update on his condition. Please.”
The woman crinkled up her nose. “I’m sorry, but due to privacy laws…”
“I know you can’t give me specifics, but can you tell me something? Anything?” Paige pleaded.
The woman smiled sadly. “No. I’m so sorry. I could lose my job. Mr. Richmond’s information is completely locked down. The privacy level is very high,” she said, barely above a whisper. Madeline Richmond had huge power in the area. No doubt she’d put the lockdown in place.
She really did look apologetic, but Paige felt stuck. What was she going to do? She turned back to Sandi and saw Tori walking through the double doors from the outside with several Starbucks cups in a drink carrier. She ran to her.
“Tori, thank goodness! How’s Daniel?” she asked.
Tori turned and looked at her, the same snooty expression as her mother’s spreading across her face.
“Why are you here?” she asked.
“Why wouldn’t I be here? I’m Daniel’s fiancee.”
Tori laughed without smiling. “Listen, Paige, that time of your life is over. My brother is fighting for his life, quite literally, and you’re a distraction here. If you come back to this hospital, I’ll have the police called. You’re not wanted here.” She started walking again. Paige grabbed her arm, causing coffee to spill through the hole at the top of one of the cups. Tori snarled at her.