by A. E. Radley
As soon as they arrived at the park, Henry had mentioned Olivia’s name again, and Emily and Tom shared a terrified look before Tom decided to distract Henry. Emily had played, too, until exhaustion started to overtake her, and then she’d bowed out to sit and watch.
The ever-present niggle at the back of her mind resurfaced. How long would she be able to keep up the punishing schedule? She was back and forth from London to New York so much that she barely knew where she was anymore. And Tom had been right, the jetlag and the exhaustion were building and building.
She looked up at he sat on the bench beside her. “Wow, kids have so much energy.”
Emily chuckled. “You kept up with them for a long time.”
“They beat me in the end.” Tom grinned.
They watched as Henry and a couple of other children stood in a circle watching a worm in the grass. Emily could hear them debate how many teeth it had and what kind of snake it was.
Tom’s phone rang and he looked at the screen. “It’s work.”
He answered, and Emily listened to his side of the conversation with interest. The call only lasted a couple of minutes, and Tom hardly said anything other than to agree with what he was being told.
He hung up and nervously licked his lips. “We’ve been grounded.”
“What?” Emily exclaimed. “Why?”
“Mass cancellations after the landing gear crash.” Tom looked over to check that Henry wasn’t listening. “Our flight’s been cancelled, the earlier flight’s taking our passengers, and we’re grounded.”
“But…” Emily trailed off, knowing there was nothing she could say to change what was happening. Cold dread crept up her spine. She simply couldn’t afford not to work. She regretted admitting her earlier exhaustion, suddenly wishing she could double her shifts.
“Maybe Iris will move you onto the earlier shift?” Tom suggested hopefully.
“Iris hates me. She’s convinced I did something wrong when I begged her to let me take the upper deck. I know she was snooping. And I’m last in, so I’ll be first out.”
“You don’t know that,” Tom offered.
Emily chuckled. “Yeah, I do. Just because we’re thirty-thousand feet in the air doesn’t mean we don’t have office politics.”
“Well, whatever happens, you know Lucy and I are here for you.” Tom put his arm around her and pulled her in close.
Henry approached, clearly unaware of any tension in the air. He pointed at an older boy who had been playing with him earlier. “That boy says the worm tasted funny.”
* * *
Emily unlocked the front door and stood to one side as Tom carried a sleeping Henry into the house. Lucy looked at the sight with a fond smile and kissed Tom on the cheek as he passed by to put Henry down for a well-deserved afternoon nap.
“Someone’s tired,” Lucy commented.
“He’s not the only one. I don’t know how Tom has so much energy. Just watching him made me want to sleep.” Emily took off her scarf and coat and hung them in the closet. She turned to look at Lucy, who had a pensive look on her face. “What’s wrong?”
“We had visitors while you were out,” Lucy said grimly.
“Shit, bailiffs?” Emily immediately concluded. “They sent a threatening letter, but I paid their minimum payment! Oh, God, Lucy, I’m so sorry—”
“No, not bailiffs,” Lucy interrupted. “But you better sit down.”
“I don’t want to sit down. You’re frightening me,” Emily said as Lucy grabbed her arm and gently guided her to the kitchen, where a pot of coffee was waiting.
“The Brennans have been here,” Lucy announced as she sat down.
Emily stared at her as she dropped herself onto the waiting dining room chair. “What? Henry’s grandparents? They came here?”
Lucy nodded and poured them each a coffee. “They wanted to speak to you, but I said you were out. They’ve asked that you meet them for dinner this evening.”
“Did they say what it was about?” Emily whispered. Her breathing was shallow and she could feel the panic rising in her gut.
“No, but it didn’t seem like a pleasant social call.”
Tom entered the room and clapped his hands together. “Right. Henry’s in bed, so I thought I’d…” He looked at the two women. “What’s up?”
“Joe’s parents have been here,” Lucy informed him.
“What? Why?”
“To speak to Emily. They wouldn’t tell me what it was about, but, well, knowing them, it can’t be good.”
Tom looked at Emily. “Have you had any contact with them since the custody case?”
“No.” Emily shook her head, staring at the coffee cup in front of her. “Nothing. They kind of vanished.”
“So what the hell do they want now?” Tom asked no one in particular.
“For me to meet them for dinner, apparently.” Emily let out a long sigh. “Great timing.”
“Is any time a good time with them?” Lucy asked. Emily and Tom looked guiltily at each other.
“About that,” Tom started. “While we were out, we both had calls from Crown.”
Lucy paled at the news. “And?”
“We’re grounded,” he said.
“For how long?”
Tom shook his head. “We don’t know. They told me that they were cancelling Sunday’s flight and that they’d be in touch soon.”
“And they told me that I’m grounded until further notice,” Emily added. “You need pilots more than you need cabin crew.”
“Oh, Emily, I’m so sorry!” Lucy gasped.
Emily shrugged. “Hey, it never rains, but it pours. That’s what they say, right?”
“And that things come in threes,” Tom added.
Lucy looked up at him. “Not helping. Go and play with your car or whatever you were going to do.”
“I’m going to clean up the spark plugs and then—”
“Tom.” Lucy gave him a meaningful look.
He nodded. “Right. I’ll, yeah, I’ll just be out there.” He gestured his thumb towards the door and then left the kitchen.
Emily let out a long sigh.
“Are you okay?” Lucy asked.
“Not really.” Emily chuckled ruefully. “What did they say, exactly? Was it both of them?”
“Yes. They asked for you, and I said you were out. Then they introduced themselves. Asked when you would be back, and I said I didn’t know.” Lucy stood up and fetched a slip of paper. “They want you to meet them here for dinner tonight. They said around seven.”
Emily took the note. “Hope they don’t expect me to pay,” she mumbled.
“What do you think they want?”
“No idea. If it was anyone else, I might think they wanted to connect with their grandson. But they made it very clear after the court case that they would never be in his life. From what Joe told me about his parents, I think that’s probably a good thing.”
“Does Henry even know about them?”
Emily shook her head. “I didn’t see any reason to tell him. He doesn’t have an understanding of a traditional family. You know, mom, dad, grandparents. It’s always just been me and him. And then you and Tom. So he’s never asked. And I’ve never offered.”
“Maybe it has nothing to do with Henry,” Lucy suggested.
“Well, I’ll find out tonight.” Emily looked at the piece of paper again. “I’m going to have to dress up for this place. Do you mind watching Henry?”
Lucy smiled. “It’s not a problem. I do it most nights.”
“I know. That’s why I hate to ask. Although if the situation with Crown doesn’t resolve itself quickly, I might be spending a lot more time here.”
CHAPTER 6
Emily walked along the dimly lit street with her winter coat pulled tightly closed and ducked her head to avoid the heavy drops of rain that had started to fall. The weather had taken a dramatic turn, along with her mood, as she’d fought heavy wind and rain to get to the restaurant.
She’d considered not going, but she knew that Irene and Sebastian Brennan were not the kind of people who would be put off so easily. She shuddered at the memory. She’d been struggling to figure out how to be a single mother with no support network around her and a week-old baby. Suddenly receiving a letter from a law firm was the last thing she’d needed. Her sleep-deprived mind had read the letter five times before she could believe what she was reading; they wanted Henry. The ensuing court case had been long, painful, and expensive, but Emily had won. Since then, a Christmas card addressed to Henry was the only thing she’d ever received from the Brennans. Until today.
She paused outside of the expensive-looking restaurant and sighed. Of course they would pick somewhere that Emily would feel out of place. The rain was picking up, so she didn’t have much time to think about it as she walked up the steps and opened the grand-looking door. The floor manager looked at her suspiciously, and Emily wondered what kind of a state she must have looked. She pushed down her fear, walked over to him, and put on her best smile.
“Good evening. I’m here to see Mr. and Mrs. Brennan,” she said, refusing to show her discomfort to the man.
“And your name is?” He looked her up and down.
“Emily White.”
He raised an eyebrow and inclined his head. “Very well, if you’ll follow—”
“Actually, I’ll be using the restroom first,” Emily told him. “In case you’re unaware, the weather is atrocious, and I would like to make myself somewhat presentable.”
The host looked at Emily with surprise but nodded his head as he gestured towards the restroom across the lobby.
As soon as Emily entered the plush restroom, she realised she had made the right decision. She was a mess. She put her handbag on the vanity unit and pulled out her small makeup kit and hairbrush. A year ago, she never would have thought she’d be carrying around the sheer volume of makeup supplies she did these days. Working in the first-class cabin at Crown had altered her views on personal appearance. She looked in the mirror at her running mascara and her messy hair and let out a sigh.
* * *
Ten minutes later, Emily strode from the restroom, having used the hand dryer to dry her clothes, hair, and hands. She’d reapplied her makeup and now felt ready to confront her ex’s parents.
She approached the host again and looked at him silently; he knew why she was there, and she wasn’t about to ask him a second time. She’d worked with first-class passengers long enough to have seen them use this tactic—attempt to take the high ground by treating the other person like they were somehow unworthy. It wasn’t a tactic Emily would normally have employed—she much preferred to treat everyone with respect—but in this instance she was willing to bend a little.
“Ah, Miss White,” he finally spoke, as if only just noticing her despite the fact that he couldn’t have missed the sound of her heels clicking across the marble foyer. “Please, follow me.”
He snatched up a leather-bound menu from the station where he stood and smartly marched down a small corridor lined with various awards and into the main part of the restaurant. It was exactly what Emily had pictured in her mind, an old-fashioned, high-ceilinged, palatial room with golden details on the ceiling as well as the pillars. The sound of a piano playing some soft, repetitive tune and the murmur of voices was almost deafening to her as she followed him across the room, passing numerous rich, and mostly older, diners.
When they had arrived at the Brennans’ table, the host spun around, pulled out a chair, and indicated for Emily to sit opposite Sebastian, with Irene to her right.
“Bon appétit,” he said as he laid the menu down and made a quick exit.
Emily remained standing and looked at the two people before her. In the last five years, they’d changed little; they just looked older than when she’d first met them. Both were in their late fifties, with full heads of grey hair, age lines across their foreheads, and no laughter lines around their mouths. Emily remembered all the stories Joe had told her of his stern and humourless childhood with these people. Judging by their expressions, nothing had changed.
“Emily.” Sebastian stood in greeting and politely held his hand out to her.
For a moment, she hesitated, wondering if she’d gotten it wrong, if this was just a social call and nothing untoward was about to happen. Then she remembered their surroundings, realized this was probably a frequently visited establishment for the Brennans, and understood that they were keeping up appearances. She reached across the table and shook his hand.
“Mr. Brennan.” She tried to smile.
“Please, call me Seb,” he replied. “You remember Irene, of course.”
Emily turned to the woman, who was looking her up and down with an unreadable expression. She held out her hand, and Irene returned the lightest of handshakes.
“Please, sit.” Seb gestured to her chair.
Emily sat down and gently pulled the heavy chair in.
“It’s been a while,” Seb began as he pulled a bottle of white wine from an ice bucket beside the table. He poured himself a glass and gestured the bottle towards Irene, who shook her head. He looked at Emily and gestured at the glass in front of her.
“No, thank you,” she said politely. “I can’t stay for long.”
“How is Henry?” The question burst from Irene suddenly, as if the faux politeness of the situation was eating at her.
“He’s doing well. Very well, actually,” Emily replied, unable to keep from smiling at the thought.
“I suppose I should cut to the chase.” Seb returned the wine bottle to the bucket and interlaced his fingers in front of him. “We have concerns.”
The anger hit Emily quickly, but she remained calm. “Oh?”
“We have reason to believe that you are suffering financial hardship,” Seb confessed. “We also know of your relentless work schedule, and we don’t believe it’s the best environment for our grandson.”
“Excuse me?” Emily couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “Firstly, my financial situation and my work schedule is no business of yours. Henry is doing very well, and he is surrounded by people who love and care for him. He doesn’t even know who you are, so calling yourselves his grandparents is, quite frankly, laughable!”
“Please, don’t get defensive. We’re trying to help.” Seb breathed out a sigh, clearly unhappy with Emily’s outburst.
“What makes you think I need help?” Emily folded her arms and glared at the man opposite her.
“Do you deny that you’re in debt?” Seb asked accusingly.
“A great deal of debt,” Irene added.
“I don’t see what it has to do with you,” Emily answered curtly.
“What about your work schedule?” Seb continued. “You see Henry on Saturday and Wednesday, two days per week. Do you really think that’s appropriate? You leave him with your housemate the rest of the time. Is that right, for a young boy to see so little of his real family?”
“Lucy is his family. She may not be connected by blood, but she’s more family to him than you are!” Emily hissed. She paused. “And how, exactly, do you know all of this?” Emily looked at Seb, who glanced at Irene, who steadfastly refused to look at anyone. “How do you know about any of this?” Emily repeated.
“We checked up on you,” Irene admitted, still looking down at the pristine white tablecloth.
“Checked up? What does that mean?”
“We hired a private investigator,” Seb explained without emotion. “We wanted to check that Henry was being cared for in the best possible way, as he would have been if he had been living with us.”
“You…you…” Emily stopped, speechless.
“We know about the credit cards, the loans, the debts,” Seb continued.
“Wait a minute, how do you know all of that?” Emily demanded, swallowing down the expletive that was on the tip of her tongue.
“I believe that information came from the trash can. Maybe you sh
ould invest in a shredder, Emily.” Seb sipped at his wine. “Not that anyone would want to steal your identity. I can’t imagine it’s worth much at the moment.”
“Seb,” Irene hissed.
“You—” Emily started.
“We want to help with Henry,” Irene interrupted.
Silence fell over the table as Emily stared open-mouthed at Irene, unable to come up with anything to say.
“You know that we have the funds to support him better than you can,” Irene explained.
“And we’d be willing to pay off his medical bills and any debts incurred over the last five years,” Seb added.
“Of course you could see him whenever you wanted,” Irene continued.
“Or not at all, if you wish. You could be a free woman.” Seb smiled at her. “No more debts, no more working an almost illegal number of hours per week, and no more threats of bailiffs.”
“You’re asking me to give up my son!” Emily hissed angrily. “You want to pay me off for my son!”
“We’re doing no such thing,” Seb said calmly. “We are simply giving you an alternative.”
“You are out of your minds if you think I’m going to trade Henry for a clean credit score. And why now? If you cared so much about Henry, then why wait until now to get in touch? Where were you when he was in and out of the hospital these past few years? Would looking after a sick child be too much for you? Is spying on us from your mansion all the commitment you’re willing to make?”
Seb opened his mouth to speak but paused when Irene placed her hand on his forearm. She turned to Emily. “I understand that our methods were wrong, but they were born out of a desire to do good. You were very young when you had Henry, and we, well, we never got the chance to know you. We didn’t know if Henry was planned, if it was your choice to be in the situation you’re in now.”
Emily opened her mouth to speak, but Irene delicately held up a hand to stop her.
“Of course you love him. I know that a mother’s love for her son is unbreakable, no matter what. And I’m sorry that we weren’t around before, when you both needed us. After all the history between us, it took us a while to decide to try to cross that bridge and get back in touch with you. The main thing is, we want to help. We want to help lift the load a little. If that’s financial, or babysitting, or whatever. We want to help.”