“This is the girl I was tellin’ you about, Joe.”
Oh, groan. I wonder if he told him I have a good personality.
“The uppity girl who gave up her time to help you out?” Joe flashes a million-dollar smile that almost makes me forget he called me uppity.
“Nick!” I say with mock hurt. “What do you mean, ‘uppity’?”
Nick sends Joe a fierce scowl. “Next time, don’t repeat everything you hear.” He turns back to me. “Joe here is taking over the business. He’s going to be my manager so I don’t have to be here no more. What do you think about that?”
My heart sinks at the news. Nick can’t leave. I need him. I feel the tremor in my voice and swallow hard trying to disguise my fear of change. “I have no idea what to say, Nick.”
“I’m retiring. My Nelda needs me to help her with our girl and those kids. I’m ready to get out of the city and enjoy my retirement.”
I can’t begrudge him a chance to be with the woman he loves. “Wow, Nick. I can’t believe you’re leaving. When?”
“As soon as Joe can run things on his own.”
“My degree in restaurant management should help some, if Uncle Nick will let me use my education.”
“Education.” Nick snorts. “Books can’t teach you how to run a place like this. I been running it for forty years with only an eighth-grade education.”
“And just look at what you’ve done. It’s a great place.” Joe smiles.
Nick’s chest puffs out. “That’s right.”
“But think how much better you might have done with some knowledge of running a business in today’s market.”
“Well, he’s just been named one of Manhattan’s best-kept secrets. Business is booming,” I say.
“Not like it could with a little adjustment here and there,” Joe says with a cocky grin. I have to say, he’s starting to lose a little of his charm.
I can’t help but frown. “Are you planning to make changes?”
“Only if Uncle Nick approves.”
“You gotta learn the ropes that already exist first. Then we’ll talk about new stuff.”
“Hey, Nick, what did you do with the other two new workers?” I ask. Eat them alive?
Nick grunts and jerks his thumb toward the door. “They were a couple of idiots. Didn’t last a day, either one of ’em.”
“Are you looking for someone else, or is Joe here it?”
“Why?” Nick peers closely at me. “You interested in a job? Just say the word and it’s yours.”
A smile tips my lips. He has no idea how close I might be to taking him up on that offer. I shake my head. “My little brother could probably use an after-school job.”
“He got any sense?”
I shrug. “A little. About as much as any sixteen-year-old boy, I guess.”
“Bring him in and I’ll talk to him. If he has enough sense to make a cup of coffee and clean off a table, I’ll give him a try.”
“I’ll tell him. Thanks, Nick.”
I settle into a booth in the corner to work on my manuscript. I barely even look up for two full hours as Valerie plots her revenge on John Quest. My imagination runs rampant. I know the decision to fire her wasn’t all John’s fault. But he was certainly part of the process. He could have fought for her. Couldn’t he? He could have. I know he could.
After a couple of hours, Nick comes over to my table and takes a seat across from me without even asking if I’d like company. But that’s Nick’s way. “So, you still reading your Bible?”
Ready to take a break, I close my computer and look up at him. “Some.”
“That’s real good, princess. The best way to find God is through His Word. So you’re on the right track.”
I give a short laugh. “What I really need to find is a job.”
His eyebrows push together into a bushy frown. “What do you mean?”
I give him the Reader’s Digest version of Jack’s so-called business dinner.
“Hmm.” And that’s all he says as he leans back in his chair and folds his arms across his chest.
“What do you mean by ‘hmm’?” Does he not notice that I’m jobless and without purpose in my life?
“Well, maybe I don’t mean anything by it. Maybe I’m just thinkin’.”
“All right.” I give a little sigh. “I didn’t mean to sound huffy.” Tears flicker in my eyes. “I just really thought, after I started reading the Bible and praying, that God was going to make a difference for me.”
Nick gives me a long look, long enough that I start to squirm under his scrutiny. “You got it all wrong, princess. You don’t seek God to find happiness. You seek God to find Him. Whatever comes along with that is icing on the cake.”
“But what about Proverbs three, verses five and six?” I quote them. “I’ve been trusting Him. And look what happened!”
“So you got fired.”
That’s exactly the point I’m trying to make, but it seems like Nick is being deliberately thickheaded about it. “Yes, and don’t you think I shouldn’t have, under the circumstances?”
“What does trusting God to direct your life have to do with getting fired? For all you know, God wanted you to get fired.”
My jaw drops. I can’t even fathom that possibility. “Why would He?”
A shrug lifts his massive shoulder. “I don’t know, princess. I ain’t God, am I?”
12
Valerie mustered up all of her confidence and walked into Harrison & Sons Advertising. This interview had been hard-won, and she refused to take even the smallest chance that she would leave without the coveted job. Her résumé was extensive. She knew that, so there was absolutely nothing for her to feel nervous about.
Only, she’d been working for M&J since she graduated from college. How could she ever fit in at another company? Still, she squared her shoulders and stepped from the heat of the city into the coolness of the ten-story building.
—An excerpt from Fifth Avenue Princess
by Dancy Ames
Honey,” Dad says, “we need to ask a favor.”
I should have known my parents wouldn’t just invite me to dinner for no reason. They’ve been buttering me up for the last two hours during dinner, so I should have expected this. But did they have to wait until I’m about to leave to spring this on me?
“Can you stay with your brother next week while your mother and I go look at property in Florida?”
I stare at my dad like he’s lost his mind, which in all honesty, I’m afraid he has.
“What? Dad, I don’t think that’s a very good idea.”
Mother adds her two cents’ worth. “Really, Dancy. It isn’t as though you have anything else to do these days. Would it really hurt you to do this one thing for your father and me?”
I give a stubborn lift of my chin. “Quite possibly.”
Dad shoots me a glare. “I can’t leave him alone. And you know if he doesn’t have someone to keep him in line, he’ll end up getting into trouble.”
“What about Nanny Mary?” I’ve got to stop calling her “nanny,” don’t I? “I mean, she is his mother. What’s wrong with her keeping him for a week?”
“I told you, she’s been staying with her mother in Jersey. The woman has cancer. Listen, if there was any other way, I’d take it. But we need your help. Mary can’t leave her mother’s side. Apparently the cancer is terminal. Besides, she says she needs a break from Brandon for a while, remember? Are you going to make your little brother feel unwanted by you, too?”
Guilt is the tactic of the truly controlling. Dad must have learned this from my mother. It’s working. Still, I give one last-ditch effort to get out of it. “Did you even bother to ask Kale?”
Mom plants her hands on her hips and gives me her stern look accompanied by a huff. “Dancy, your father promised if there were any other choice, he wouldn’t be imposing. Can’t you be gracious? It’s only for a week.”
A lot can happen in a week. Creation, for
instance. “I’ll ask Tabby and Laini if he can stay on the couch, but I’m not staying at your place.”
“Thank you, honey.”
“Wait, what about Kale? Did you ask him?” Because, come to think of it, Dad never actually answered me about whether he asked Kale or not. And it won’t hurt for my brother to share some of the load.
Dad’s face goes a little red, and he averts his gaze. “Well . . .”
Uh-huh. Just what I thought. “Okay, I’ll see what I can do, but I’m going to ask Kale to split the responsibility some. Do you have a problem with that?”
Mom gasps. “With your brother’s schedule at the hospital?”
Why does she always have to act like I’m imposing when they’re the ones—
“Caroline,” Dad says firmly. He must have picked up on my attitude—I was just about to tell them to forget it. “If Dancy thinks she needs to share the responsibility, she’s more than welcome to talk to Kale. He’ll probably have a day or two to spare.”
I know when I’m being patronized. Still, it’s nice to have Dad take my side, so I relish it for the two seconds it lasts. He turns to Mother and holds out his arm, leading her toward the back of the condo. “Shall we go, my love? There’s coffee awaiting us on the terrace.”
She beams up at him. “How lovely.”
And I suppose it is. Lovely, that is. For them.
I flounder through the rest of the week until Sunday arrives. I honestly thought I might attend church, but chickened out at the last second. After all, I do need to prepare for Brandon’s arrival tonight, don’t I? Dad feels so guilty about shirking his responsibility that he surprised us with a new sofa bed. By midnight the thing arrived on our doorstep and the delivery guys took the old one away. Don’t ask me how Dad managed it that late, but after all, this is the city that never sleeps. The girls are beside themselves with excitement because it’s a La-Z-Boy and came with a matching overstuffed recliner. The fabric is a grayish green. (Laini sees only gray, and we don’t have the heart to tell her it’s more green.)
After Tabby leaves for church and Laini heads for her mother’s house as she does most Sundays, I enjoy a cup of coffee alone on the new couch and read the Sunday paper. By ten, I snatch up my dirty laundry and head downstairs to the building’s laundry room just as my cell phone rings.
I look at the caller ID and sigh. Sheri.
I’m not sure this is such a good idea, but I decide to answer anyway. “Hello, Sheri.”
“Dancy! I’m so glad I caught you.” She always sounds genuinely happy to talk to me. I really can’t figure her out. But she is family, and I choose to give her the benefit of the doubt.
“I’ll come straight to the point because I know how you hate to talk on the phone.”
No. I just hate to talk on the phone to you. But of course I’ll keep that to myself.
“I’m giving a dinner party at the club tomorrow night, and one of the couples backed out on me last minute. The table is all set for ten, so I need another girl and guy. Would you mind pinch-hitting for me—and bringing Brandon?”
I’m an afterthought. How can my cousin not realize how insulting that is? The least she could have done was pretend I was on the guest list to begin with. “I don’t know, Sheri.”
“Listen, I would have invited you in the first place, but Mrs. Bartell saw me writing out my guest list. She finagled a spot for Floyd. I know how you feel about him, so I crossed off your name rather than forcing you to endure him.”
That was sort of sweet, right? And that alone makes me suspicious. After all, she’s never been sweet before. “That’s thoughtful. Thanks.”
“But now that Brandon’s going to be with you, you can bring him along as your escort and I’ll seat you next to him.”
I don’t happen to enjoy this camaraderie with Sheri. It’s unnatural, unwanted, and uncomfortable.
“So you’ll come? If I promise to seat Floyd at the other end of the table?”
“I don’t know.” The last thing I want to do is go to this party. I don’t want to be around Jack, and I don’t want to watch Sheri try to sink her claws into him. I’d rather stay home and read a book.
“How about if I promise to seat myself next to Floyd?”
Hmm. That might be fun to watch.
“Oh, all right. But I swear, if he starts slobbering on me, I’m leaving.”
“I promise. Listen, be at the club around seven thirty. Coat and tie for Brandon.”
“Yes, Sheri. I’ll make sure he’s dressed appropriately.”
“Can you do something about his piercings and Mohawk spikes?”
I laugh, because I wouldn’t even if I could. This is going to be too much fun. “I don’t know. I’ll ask him if he can tone it down some.”
“Every bit will help, I suppose.”
I’m about to hang up when she says, “Oh, I forgot to tell you. The party is for Jack.”
“Jack?” She’s known him for less than a month and she’s throwing him a dinner party at the club?
“It’s his birthday. But I’m sure you knew that.”
“Why would I?”
A long silent pause. “I don’t know, I just assumed—”
“That I’d know my former boss’s birthday?” I know I’m defensive. If I hadn’t already agreed to go, I would certainly back out.
“I just meant since he’s a close friend of the family, being your brother’s best friend.”
“My relationship with Jack was strictly professional, and now that I’m no longer working at Lane Publishing, it’s nothing.”
“Well, you’ll still come to the party, won’t you?” She pauses again. “For Brandon. Don’t you think it would be good for him? After all, if he’s going to be part of our family, he needs a little refinement.”
“He needs a lot of refinement, but I’m not sure a dinner party is the best place to start.”
“You said you’d come.”
“I know. I’ll be there.”
“Thank you, cousin dear. You’re a real lifesaver.” She hesitates a second, so I suppose she’s trying to figure out a way to hang up.
“I have to go, Sheri.”
“All right then.” Just as I suspected, she sounds relieved. “I’ll see you tomorrow night.”
13
The woman’s nails were bloodred, long, and firmly wrapped around John Quest’s arm. Valerie fought her jealousy as she stared at the couple across the room, sitting in a cozy booth side by side.
Why had she come back to the restaurant where she’d first dined with John? She’d been crazy enough to think this was their special place. Well, apparently it was special, all right. He came here with all of his dates. Anger boiled her blood. First he’d taken her job away, and now he was breaking her heart. How much more did he expect her to endure?
—An excerpt from Fifth Avenue Princess
by Dancy Ames
Laini is in heaven with Brandon gobbling up her food like she’s the best thing since . . . well, sliced bread. Last night she had brownies waiting for him and practically hovered like Mrs. Cleaver, filling his milk glass and waiting on him hand and foot. And this morning she’s gone all out for breakfast: bacon, eggs, biscuits and gravy, and little plates with an assortment of berries and a dollop of whipped cream.
“I swear, Laini,” Tabby says, stumbling sleepily into the kitchen. She heads straight to the coffeepot. “What time did you wake up? Two?”
Laini grins. “Four thirty, but I couldn’t sleep anyway.”
Brandon’s hair is sticking up—and not on purpose. It’s that bedhead that, I guess, is sort of cute. Gives him a look of innocence. Something about that disheveled look brings out the maternal instinct in me. “So, how’d you sleep, Brandon?” I ask, sipping my coffee and reaching for a biscuit.
He shrugs. “Okay. The new-couch smell stinks, though. I thought I was going to hurl.”
“Well, you won’t have to sleep on the couch for long,” Laini soothes. “Here—have some oran
ge juice.”
“Thanks,” he grunts.
She’s fawning all over him. My goodness, Laini needs to get married and have some babies to take care of. I’ve never seen anyone become domestic and love it the way she has.
Okay, back to reality. “So, Brandon,” I say, “you remembered to bring a jacket, right?”
He stares at me like I’m from Mars.
“You have a jacket for the dinner party, right?”
He nods. “Dad bought it for my concert next week.”
“What concert?” No one told me. But I’m relieved he’s got the jacket.
“I’m playing in Central Park with honors orchestra. It’s for Jerry’s Kids.”
Laini beams as though he’s her own child. “Brandon, that’s tremendous. What night are you playing?”
He glows right back at her. “Tuesday. You think you could come?”
“Are you kidding? Of course we’re coming. Right, Dancy?”
“If my little brother is playing in the park, I’ll be there.”
Brandon is grinning so broadly, I almost cry. Hasn’t anyone ever paid attention to this remarkable teenager?
I swallow hard and change the subject before I make a scene and embarrass us both with my tears. “Okay, Brandon. Did you bring it?”
“What?” he mumbles around an enormous bite of eggs.
“Your jacket. Focus on me for a second, will you? I feel like I’m talking to myself.”
He looks up at me and frowns. “Yeah, I brought it. You told me to.”
Tabby snickers and Laini fights to keep from laughing. I can tell. “What do you think is so funny?”
“Nothing at all.” Tabby crams the last of her bacon in her mouth and downs the coffee in her mug. “I have to run. Early makeup call. They’re making me up as Francesca today.”
“Francesca?” I ask.
“Felicia’s evil twin.”
“Oh yeah. When does that story line start?”
“In a couple of weeks.”
I never watched soaps until Tabby started on Legacy of Life. But she’s got me hooked. When I can’t watch, I TiVo. And that’s nonnegotiable.
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