Steeling My Haart

by Lizzy Roberts

  Chapter Sixteen

  The phone rang out a couple of times before her mom’s cheery voice sounded over the line, “Hello, Nicky speaking,” her familiar voice rang out.

  “Mom, it’s me,” Emma managed to croak out, suddenly overcome with happy tears.

  “Baby! What a nice surprise. Hey, are you okay? What’s the matter, sweetheart? Mike, pick up the other line, honey, it’s Emma,” her mom shouted to her dad. It was their usual ritual whenever she phoned. It was so that her mom never forgot to tell her dad something and saved Emma repeating everything over two separate conversations.

  “Emma, love it’s nice to hear from you,” her dad’s deep voice boomed across the line. “How was Las Vegas? You win anything?” he joked.

  Composing herself, she replied, “No, Dad, I didn’t, but I didn’t have much time to do a lot other than work really. And, Mom, I’m fine, it’s just so nice to hear your voices.”

  “Are you making sure you’re eating properly, sweetheart? You looked so thin last time you came out to visit. And whilst were on that subject young lady, when are you next planning on coming home and see your momma? I miss you.”

  “Nicky, will you quit nagging the poor girl?” her father interrupted.

  Emma was forced to smile at the constant quibbling between the two of them. Despite having been married for a long time, their fondness and devotion to each other hadn’t faded at all. It was the only part of her life that felt normal every time she called the she was overcome with the feeling of belonging.

  “Hey, guys, I’m fine. I miss you both, too. And, yes, Mom, I’m eating well. You know George, he won’t let me go by the diner without slipping me a cupcake or two, and I’ve eaten my own body weight in steak this week in Vegas, so I’m good for now,” she reassured them. “How’s Grams doing, Mom?”

  “She’s as good as can be expected, but she’s not getting any younger, sweetheart. When you’re back we will have to take a trip out there. I’m sure she’d love to see you. Her memory’s not doing as well, though, so don’t you worry yourself if she isn’t too sure who you are.”

  “Aww, Mom, I’m sorry. I feel bad I haven’t been up to visit her so much this last few years. I have had such a strange few days and it’s all beginning to catch up with me. I miss you both so much and Grams, too,” she answered, her voice shaking as she bit back the tears that were threatening to start flowing again.

  “It’s okay, honey, she’s not great but were getting through it and are blessed to have had her with us for so long, but it’s been hard watching her deteriorate this last couple years.” Emma heard the sadness in her mom’s voice. Her Grams had been suffering dementia for a while and she couldn’t begin to understand what her mom must be feeling. As she sat and listened to her mom everything just skipped into place. Changing the subject, she spoke quietly, “I have something to run by you though, Mom, Dad. How would you feel if I said I was tired of living all the way out here and wanted to come home?”

  Nicky squealed like a child whilst her dad made a satisfied humming noise over the phone and she continued, “I’ve not been happy here for a while and I’m feeling really homesick right now. Things at work need to be straightened out, but I have enough savings to get myself a nice home near you guys, plus I have my apartment to sell or I can rent it out if I need to. I am going to have a chat to my boss as soon as I can, but I’m confident I can work from pretty much anywhere with my career. So what do you think?”

  Her mom sniffled into the phone as she said, “Emma, it would make me so happy to have you back here. You know it tore me apart when you decided to move to New York. I had hopes you’d come back to the firm here after you finished college, but I am still so proud of what you have done, sweetheart, but I’d love you back here more than anything. You can stay here for as long as you need to, baby. We can get the spare room sorted for you to stay in and I’m sure Dad will help you sort out a house in town when you get back, won’t you, honey?”

  “Of course I will and, Emma, I’d love you home, too.”

  “Well, if all goes to plan, I’ll be home soon. How have things been with you?”

  “Dad has been working hard as usual, and I’ve just put in an application to reduce my hours at work. I’m getting too old for all the running about and need a couple of days off to recharge.” She chuckled. Her mom was a kindergarten teacher at the local school and loved her job. Her Dad ran his own successful garden supplies business helped no doubt by his love for the great outdoors.

  “Well, Mom, when I do come home I’ll be working my own hours and we can do some girly stuff on your days off. I’ve missed our Mom/Daughter days so much.”

  “Me, too, it’s just not the same heading to the stores with Madison or Jean. Oh my goodness, Emma I’m so pleased. Hey, Mike, do you think we can go ahead now with remodeling the private bathroom that’s attached to the spare room now it’s going to get used?”

  “I’m on it, Nic, I’ll speak to the contractors tomorrow. How long do you think it’ll be before you’re home, Em love?”

  “Guys, the house is just fine as it is, and I don’t know that yet. I’m hoping a few months’. Maybe in time for Thanksgiving? I have a lot of things I need to straighten out here first. Oh, and, Dad, it’s been too long since we went fishing. How about a trip as soon as I get back, eh?”

  “I’ll sort it, love. Looking forward to it, and it’ll be great to have you home again.”

  “Well, it’s gotten late and I need to get some sleep, but I’ll be in touch with you both as soon as I have made some firm plans. I love you both so much.”

  “Love you, too, baby, and you’ve just made me so happy. Speak soon and don’t forget to holler, honey, if you need us to do anything.”

  “Bye, Emma love, and I agree with your mom, let us know if you need us and we’ll be there in a heartbeat. Good night, love”

  “Night, guys,” she said as she hung up, smiling widely and feeling pretty happy as she clutched the cordless phone to her chest. She took a look around her apartment and wasn’t surprised that she didn’t feel an ounce of regret at starting the wheels in motion for her move back to Oklahoma.

  Tomorrow she needed to go and speak with Bill to test the waters with her idea of working from home. Jennie was more than capable of dealing with the day to day running of her small department, and if she could garner some recurrent work from the new contacts she had made, then they would even be able to hire a new assistant to help out in her absence. Interestingly, one of the agents who had specifically sought her out had suggested she meet with one of his clients based out in Oklahoma. He was considering franchising his business and if she was interested he was happy to make the introduction. That could prove to be a useful contact to have with her plan in mind. Other than having an office in the same building as the rest of the lawyers, the nature of her line of work meant that her physical presence in the office wasn’t crucial and she hoped that she had a close enough rapport with Bill for the suggestion to at least be considered.

  She headed to bed with that thought in mind and slept fitfully, the multitude of options now running riot through her head and before she knew it, her alarm was sounding and it was time to get up and head into work. She rose groggily from the bed and headed to the shower and went about her usual morning routine, feeling tired after the events of the last few days.

  Within the hour, she had collected her latte and was at her desk, greeted by a mountain of paperwork she needed to sort and sign off. As she was ploughing through bulk of the work, Jennie arrived.

  “Morning, Emma, how was the trip?”

  “Jennie, good morning and thank you for keeping everything running so smoothly! Remind me to ask Bill for a raise for you when he gets in,” Emma joked. “And it was interesting. Gained a few good contacts and met with a couple of agents who have some promising leads that might bring us a lot of recurring business.”

  “That’s brilliant news! So, come on then, how was our favorite client? Did
he behave?” Emma rolled her eyes at the not so subtle probing of her assistant. “I bet you wouldn’t believe me if I told you, but he was a gentleman, and I got to know him pretty well.”

  “Emma! You didn’t?”

  “No we didn’t, but I’m not going to say anything more. The crap is going to hit the fan soon enough and you’ll find out!”

  “Cryptic much? So you aren’t going to spill, but please tell me you gave him a chance? He’s unbelievably hot if you don’t mind me saying, and I think you’d make a perfect couple!”

  “Jennie! Seriously! No he’s not getting a chance, and after this last few days I can definitively say he is not interested I me! I shall say no more and you will definitely find out more soon enough! Now, let’s get back to this mountain of paperwork before it threatens to drown me!”

  “You spoil sport,” Jennie pouted but took the hint that the conversation was over. It took the two of them until just before lunchtime to plough through the mountain of files that had stacked up, but they managed to clear the bulk of the backlog Emma’s absence had created. She also noted that Jennie was far more capable than just an assistant and was impressed with the way she had handled the caseload in her absence. With a small amount of training Emma wondered if in fact Jennie could field a lot of the work herself if her plans came to fruition.

  As they were about to break for lunch, Emma’s cell phone started to ring. She picked it up and looked at the display. I was Lily, so she dismissed Jennie and hit the answer button.

  “Lily! What he hell is going on? I’ve been so worried about you!”

  “Em, I’m really sorry, hun. I’ve had so much crap going on here you know with the kids and Gary,” she tried to reassure. Emma noted a hint of something she couldn’t pinpoint in the tone of her voice. Still, she was glad to hear from her. “Tell me, how was Vegas?”

  “Oh you know, a bunch of laughs with all the stuffed shirts.” Emma laughed, relieved at finally hearing from her friend. She was happy to tell her about the Bruce incident but hadn’t forgotten she wanted to get to the bottom of Lily’s mysterious behavior. “I almost got it on with Bruce you know, but it turns out he’s already taken!”

  “No! Come on, Em, tell me more!” Lily probed, the undertone in her voice lifted temporarily at this diversion.

  “Well, he was so sweet and acted like a true gent. Seriously, we spent the first day together and he had the entire day planned. Arnauld didn’t go in the end, so it was just the two of us. We had an amazing day. He took me to feed the turtles in the aquarium and it was such a magical moment. Then he wined and dined me and took me to a show. It would have been the perfect date, if I’m being honest. Then it all fell apart. It turns out he’s gay! And very much in love. I also got to meet his other half, Lou, when he appeared. They’d been fighting over Lou’s wish that he came out to his family. He’s an absolute sweetheart, too. I think I’ve fallen in love twice over watching them together this weekend.”

  “You have to be kidding me. Bruce is seriously a great catch though. Hes undeniably good looking and has the bank balance to go with it too. Why is it always the nicest ones who are gay?” she pondered. “You know I was about to whoop with joy when you said you’d made a pass. I think you’d have been perfect together, but obviously the hunky Mr. Jenson isn’t interested. Who’d have thought it?”

  “Yes, although it does explain a lot. Anyway less about me. Come on, Lil, what’s going on? The cryptic messaged and you just disappearing on me like that? I’ve been worried,” Emma delved.

  “Oh, just… stuff. I need to see you sometime soon and we can have a long chat about it all. Gary has a new job and this has been the root of our problems. It’s a long story and one you will get to know I assure you,” she stated.

  “The reason I’m calling is that I don’t know if you remember I mentioned I was having some papers prepared about the kids? I want you to be there for them if anything happens? Well, I pulled a few strings at work, and Dean has prepared everything. I was wondering if you were free sometime in the next week to go to the court and sign the papers?”

  “Erm… yes. Would today be any good? I’m about to head out to grab a sandwich and have to get some papers to the courts for filing today. I could do it instead of sending Jennie and the walk will do me good. I can sign the stuff you need when I’m there, if that helps. Why the sudden rush though, Lily? Are you sure you’re okay?”

  “Yes, Yes I’m fine, and it would be amazing if you could do that. Just call in the main foyer and ask for Kate Johnson. She’ll sort you out. You really don’t know what this means to me.”

  “I would if you told me. But it goes without saying, I’d do anything for those kids.”

  “Thanks, Emma. I’ve got to go. See you soon and I’ll ring you later. Love you, Em.” Emma could hear that her voice almost broke as she put the phone down, leaving Emma hanging again. Why was Lily not answering her?

  She only had a short time to be able to get the patent papers to the court on time. She grabbed the file and headed out straight away, telling Jennie she needed the fresh air. It took her a little over half an hour to get there on foot but she was pleased to have a rare moment to enjoy being outdoors during the day.

  She reached the court office, and within a few moments of asking for Kate, she was shown to a room and presented with a pile of papers. They all looked pretty standard from what Emma could see, but it almost suggested that she was agreeing to take custody of the kids now. She queried with Kate who simply said that these were standard papers and that they wouldn’t be put into effect until they were needed. Without further hesitation she signed them knowing, that if it brought some comfort to Lily then it was worth it. She checked them over quickly again before handing them back to Kate. Heading out of the room quickly she was anxious to get her applications filed in time.

  She then headed back to the office and she and Jennie dove back into the pile of urgent patent applications that needed to be sorted. At around three pm, Bill came into the office and interrupted the pair, “Good afternoon, Emma, Jennie. “Would this be a good time for a word?”

  “Hello, Bill, and yes, I think we are due for a break right about now.” She turned to Jennie. “Why don’t you go have a late lunch? Would you bring me something back to eat at my desk, too, please?”

  “Sure thing, Bill, would you like anything?” Jennie asked her boss casually. It was a big part of the ethos of the firm that everyone be treated equally and Bill would have been offended if Jennie had addressed him more formally. “No thank you, Jennie, I ate at the lunch briefing I have just come back from.” And with that, Jennie was politely dismissed.

  “So, Bill, what can I do for you?” Emma questioned.

  “I wanted to touch base with you and find out how you enjoyed the conference. I’ve just had an interesting conversation with Arnauld. He seems to be singing your praises. He also mentioned he had been in a long meeting with Bruce, too, and to send his thanks for talking some sense into his boy. He said you’d know what that was all about and to say he couldn’t be more pleased that Bruce had finally confessed.” He looked at her as he raised a curious eyebrow.

  Emma smiled broadly, but wasn’t about to break Bruce’s confidence . “Well, it’s not my place to go into detail because it is quite a personal matter for Bruce, but I’m pleased I was of some help,” she answered.

  “Well, I had high hopes you and he might end up together, but I got the feeling that isn’t the case.”

  Emma grinned to herself, and replied, “You and half of Manhattan, but I can assure you any relationship we may have is strictly professional.”

  Seemingly pretty disappointed with this answer, but not pressing the issue, Bill then dove into a discussion about the contacts Emma had gained at the conference. They had been chatting well into the afternoon and Bill seemed to be really impressed with the contacts Emma had made during the conference in Las Vegas. Seizing the opportunity of having Bill to herself, she tentatively asked, “Bi
ll, I’ve been thinking for a while at how unsettled I still am despite so many years in the city.”

  “Goodness, Emma, please tell this old man you aren’t giving your resignation. I thought you loved working for us, and we certainly love having you on our team.” Bill had with a hint of panic in his voice.

  “Whoa, it’s not what you expect, but I have been pretty homesick the last year or so, and after the events of the last few days it has really brought it home.”

  “Don’t make any hasty decisions, Emma. Please let me know what we can do to keep you here?” he pleaded.

  “Well, not much, but I am contemplating a move back nearer my parents. They aren’t getting any younger and I’m getting tired of the city life now, too. But, I do love the work I do here and feel that I could do a lot of it from a distance, and Jennie has been totally on the ball in the office. So, no, I’m not resigning, but would like you to consider me becoming more of a consultant so I can go home to Oklahoma, but still work for you here in New York. I can hop back for a few days at a time if I’m needed for a face-to-face meeting, and Jennie would be more that capable of keeping things going in my absence,” she offered .

  “Thank God, you don’t want to leave us. I will have a chat to the other partners, but I am sure we could come to some agreement. You’ve been such a valuable asset these last few years. I’ll be sorry to not see your face around here every day I can see you aren’t happy. In fact it’s not only me who has been worried about you. It would be a pleasure to help put a smile back on your face. My advice is to go for what you want, not what you think you should do. I’ll have a chat early next week with the other partners and put it to them. Is that okay?”

  “Thank you. It’s more than okay. I love my work, but I need my family more right now and I think it’s about time I made the move. I will miss a lot of things here, but I feel it’s time I went back where I feel I belong,” she admitted.

  “I don’t blame you. I hope that you find something back there that will help you see that you might find more to life than these drab four office walls, too. I think you need to start thinking about more than work, if you don’t mind me saying,” he suggested.