“Good afternoon, how can I help you?” the young lady asked.
“Faith McClendon to see Renee McClendon.”
The young woman’s smile brightened. “Good afternoon, Ms. McClendon.” She picked up the phone and announced that Faith had arrived.
Impressed with the young lady’s professional demeanor, Faith checked out the other woman’s attire and admired her white-silk blouse, complete with bow, and black jacket. Wearing simple pearl earrings and matching pearl pendant around her neck accentuated the blonde streaks in her short haircut, giving her a very classic look.
“Please have a seat.” She pointed to the waiting area to the right. “Someone will be with you shortly.” The young woman smiled and then answered the next incoming call.
The classic black-leather contemporary furniture was situated in the reception area so that the guest was able to view the huge flat-screen on the wall, streaming the twenty-four-hour news channel. There were two other screens positioned at different places in the waiting area—next to the sofa and in between the plush chairs.
Faith took a seat and continued to study the space with posters encased in glass of the company’s ethics policy and slogan. She didn’t have a lengthy wait before Cara Matthews, her sister’s administrative assistant, came to greet her.
Faith stood and smiled before hugging her. Only having met Cara once, Faith found the tall, statuesque young woman with caramel-colored, smooth skin, deep-brown eyes and a dimple in her right cheek to be very thoughtful and smart. In talking with her sister, Faith knew that Cara kept the office running.
“How are you doing, Faith,” Cara asked.
“I’m doing well. And you?”
Cara looked up. “Busy as ever. You know there’s never a dull moment around here.” She turned in the other direction. “Why don’t you follow me? Renee is on a call, but will join you in the conference room shortly.”
“Okay.” Faith followed Cara down the hall to a small room, which was furnished in the same contemporary manner as the waiting area.
“How long have you been working with Renee?” Faith asked.
“I’ve been here for about two years now. Renee didn’t tell you?”
Faith waved her hand. “No, she didn’t. That’s great, though.”
Cara smiled. “Yes. I really love it here. But you know your sister can be a hand full with wanting everything to be perfect.”
“Oh yes, how well do I know,” Faith said. It was true that Renee had a knack for ingenious marketing ideas, was supremely organized and extremely detailed oriented.
Faith heard buzzing from the cell phone in her purse, indicating a new text message. She ignored it at first because she had already told Michael about the meeting, so there was no reason for him to contact her.
When the phone beeped again, Faith knew she needed to see what was going on. “Excuse me, Cara,” she said, removing the phone from her purse. She glanced down at the screen.
Where are you?
Her eyes narrowed as she stared at a number she didn’t recognize.
Confused, she glanced up at Cara. “I’m sorry, Cara, I don’t want to hold you. I know there are things you need to do. You don’t have to babysit me.”
Her gaze dropped back to the message and she studied it for a few seconds. Maybe the person had punched in the wrong number; with the keyboard being so small, that happened sometimes.
“It’s no problem. Would you like a bottle of water, coffee or tea?”
“No, thank you.”
Faith needed to get back to the anonymous text. Hitting the window, watching the cursor blink, her thumbs moved expeditiously, texting the person back to find out their identity.
Who are you? Do we know each other?
Immediately the three dots appeared, letting her know that the other person was drafting a message.
This is Ezell from Smith Construction.
Faith’s eyes widened as her mind wandered. Had something else broken? Was it going to cost her a lot of money? He had to have a good reason for texting. If there was a problem, why didn’t he call her instead of texting?
Faith texted him back, telling him if there was a problem at the shop to call her. If there wasn’t an emergency, it would have to wait until she returned.
She waited but no response. Placing her phone on the table just in case, she leaned back in the chair and sighed.
Suddenly, the glass door to the room opened and Renee entered, arms laden with books. “I’m so sorry you had to wait that long, sissy,” Renee said, placing her files on the table before giving her sister a hug.
“Are you ready?” Renee asked, sitting down in a chair next to Faith.
Faith’s brows furrowed and she shook her head as Renee sat down beside her.
“What’s wrong?” Renee asked.
“My contractor sent me a text wanting to know my whereabouts.”
“What? Did something happen at the shop?”
“I have no idea. When asked if there was an emergency, I didn’t hear from him again.” Faith couldn’t tell by the words on the screen if something was truly wrong. That was another reason why she didn’t like texting.
“Call him back and see what’s going on,” Renee suggested.
“I didn’t want to interrupt our meeting. You told me it was important.”
“It is, but if you are going to sit here and be worried, then call. I can wait. I need to catch my breath a bit before we begin anyway.”
Immediately, Faith swiped the phone from the table and dialed the number.
“Ezell Smith,” he answered.
“Ezell, is everything all right over there?” Faith asked, attempting not to panic when all she heard was silence.
“Hello?”
“I’m sorry, Faith. I’m here. Everything is okay; we just hadn’t seen you in here today. I was worried about you.”
Faith threw a hand over her chest and exhaled. “Okay. I thought something was wrong.”
“No, there’s nothing wrong here. Everything is going according to plan.”
“What a relief. I came in this morning, but you hadn’t arrived yet and I needed to get to my meeting. I will be back at the shop shortly,” she said before ending the call.
“I hope all is well,” Renee said, opening the file folders she’d brought with her.
“Child, yes,” Faith said, scooting her chair closer to the conference table. “Ezell said he was worried about me because he didn’t see me come in the shop today.”
Renee laughed. “Faith, girl, you do know that man is sweet on you.”
Faith threw her hand at her sister. “Please. No he’s not. He is my contractor and that is all,” she said in response.
“That’s what you think, but I think he wants to be more than just your contractor,” Renee said, using her hands to emphasize the word contractor.
Faith rolled her eyes.
“I had no idea you were so clueless. Michael is after you too, has been for as long as I can remember. But I guess you don’t see that either,” Renee said then giggled, before opening the binder in front of her.
Faith didn’t see it the same way. She wished her sister wouldn’t try to make something out of nothing.
“Just because a man is nice to you doesn’t mean he wants to be with you. Michael and I have been close friends since we were young and you know that.” She didn’t want to reveal her relationship with Michael yet, since it was so new.
Renee tossed her head back and chuckled. She pulled out an image of a logo from one of the folders. “Girl, let’s just get to work,” she said, shaking her head.
“I’m so excited. Just looking at the work that’s posted on the walls—it’s awesome.”
Faith leaned in closer to Renee. “Are you sure this is going to be okay…with us in here? I’m not one of
Vine’s clients.” The last thing she wanted was for Renee to get in trouble for helping a relative. But she trusted that Renee knew what she was doing, so tried not to worry.
Renee squeezed her hand. “Sure, everything is good. I just needed you to meet here today so we can get things started. Everything else I’ll do at home.”
“Okay.”
“First, let’s talk about your vision for the business,” Renee started.
“My vision is upscale beauty and charm that has something for everyone who comes inside. From the most frugal to the big spenders, I want them to know that they can have a made-to-order garment without the custom-made price.”
Faith watched Renee write as fast as she was speaking, taking notes.
“So Made to Order by Faith is a charming, upscale boutique where anyone can shop?”
Renee started tapping her pen against the pad. “I don’t know, Faith. We need to shorten it a bit and give it words that stand out. We have to think about that because it will become your tag line for the business.”
“Let’s keep going and come back to that then,” Faith suggested.
Renee thumbed through a binder, which she’d brought with her, and moved the book between her and Faith so they could both see. “Look, we’ve got to be careful what we use for this logo because ‘made to order’ can be a lot of things. If we spell it M-A-I-D, then people will think it’s a maid service. Or spelling it M-A-D-E, they will think of food. So, since you’re going to be making one-of-a-kind apparel, we need the logo to represent that.”
“I see what you mean, so what do you suggest?” Faith asked, glad to have someone who knew what needed to be done, because she surely didn’t.
Renee flipped through the book once again. “See, this one is a mannequin logo with a dress on it. We can put ‘made to order’ on the right in fancy script.”
“Sounds good to me.”
“Do you have a color preference?”
“I was actually thinking pink and black,” Faith said.
“Let me have Eric, our graphic designer, mock up two different logos and I’ll email them tomorrow. In the meantime, let’s talk about the printed materials you’ll need for the grand opening and for everyday use at the boutique.”
“This is a lot of work,” Faith said to Renee.
“That’s why I asked you to come earlier, but I understand that you couldn’t get away from the shop. If it makes you feel any better, we can do this in two parts. Let’s get your logo nailed down and I’ll start on the rest.”
“Awesome.” Faith trusted Renee’s judgment, not only because she was her sister, but because she was that good.
As soon as Faith got into her car, her cell phone rang. She snatched it out of her purse, happy that it had rung while she was still sitting in her parking space. Michael’s name appeared and she pressed the button to answer. “Hey, just ended my meeting with Renee.” Faith’s excitement got the best of her, for she continued, “Wow, you wouldn’t believe the suggestions for branding my business she gave me.”
Faith talked so fast she didn’t realize at first that Michael hadn’t said a word.
“Hello…Michael, are you there?”
“Yes, babe, I’m here.”
“Okay, I thought the call had dropped.”
“No, I’m just listening to you.”
His voice was always so soothing and full of promise. Just the fact that he wanted to hear what she had to say earned him points in her book; it really touched her heart. Even though they’d just started their intimate relationship, being with Michael as his lover was different. She’d always felt cared for by him, but now it simply made her heart rejoice just being with him. He was now her lover and her friend, and sometimes she didn’t quite know how to respond or comment on things he said to her. His declarations of affection, the touch of his hands and his soft caress made Faith want to swoon every time he looked in her direction.
Finding her voice, she finally said, “I’m talking so much and you called me. I’m sorry.”
“Stop that. Don’t do that, babe. You don’t have to be sorry. You’re talking to me and I want to hear what you have to say. Remember, we talked about making dreams come true. Well, yours are coming true, babe, and I’m proud of you.”
Several deafening moments of silence hung in the air before Michael spoke.
“Babe?”
“Yes,” Faith said, her voice barely above a whisper, “I’m just listening to you,” she said, mimicking what he’d said to her.
They both chuckled.
“I can’t wait to see you,” he said.
“I should be home by seven. I’m worn out today, so I don’t think I can stay at the shop any longer than that. I’ve got a lot done and your mom is so great.”
“She likes working with you too and I’m glad she’s doing what she loves.”
One of the other things Faith loved about Michael was the love he had for his mother. They had a wonderful relationship and he always wanted her to be happy.
“See you later, Michael.”
“Okay, babe, I’ll see you later.”
Faith hung up the phone, started her car and eased out of the parking spot. Her life had definitely taken a turn for the better.
Chapter Thirteen
The fashionable Aria restaurant in the Millennium Park Hotel buzzed with the downtown lunch-hour crowd swarming to get their food before they had to get back to their respective jobs.
Faith rushed in, making her way through the crowd to her table. She was the last one to arrive for the eleven-forty-five reservation she and her sisters had for lunch. They’d been trying to get together for the last couple of weeks, but for one reason or another someone would always end up cancelling.
The girls liked the atmosphere and rich décor that created a sophisticated ambiance for the popular eatery.
“I’m so sorry I’m late. Some things that I ordered came in damaged and I was on the phone with the manufacturer for an hour,” Faith said as she sat down next to Jennifer.
“So, how are things going at the shop?” Jennifer asked.
“A lot has to be done. Last week we received the wrong supplies and it took hours to get them to send the right order. It cost me two whole days of work.” Faith pretended to wipe her brow. “I’m exhausted, but I’m going to keep pushing.”
“Have you made any decisions on the emails I’ve sent you?” Renee asked. “We can’t mess around with this stuff. We’ve got to get moving if you want to be able to order anything with a logo on it.”
Faith could only stare at Renee as she listened to the tone in her voice. She knew that she had to make some decisions, but her sister had just sent her the logo mock-ups yesterday afternoon. She hadn’t asked Renee to help her; her sister had volunteered.
Faith tried not to take offense, but she felt her calm slipping. “No, I haven’t made a decision, Renee. It’s on my list of things to do when I leave here.”
“You’re just trying to escape that life, or whatever you called it, with your ex, so you’re making bad choices. Maybe you need to prioritize your day better,” Patrice said, picking up her water glass.
Faith blinked several times in an attempt not to roll her eyes. She didn’t want to be angry with her sisters, but she wanted them to back off—and now.
They knew how long she’d worked to get to this point, but she would not allow them to tell her what to do. She tried to think of the best response.
“Listen, I know what I’m doing, Renee. As soon as I take a look at the sample designs you sent, I’ll be sure to send you a response.”
She turned to her other sister. “And, Treecie, my ex-husband has nothing to do with my choices or my priorities.” She didn’t expect Patrice to understand what she had been going through. Patrice’s store was already set up when she started managing it. “You came i
nto a situation where the store was already off the ground. You have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Patrice had been managing the Good Scents, a store that their mother established. So she’d never had the experience of getting a shop renovated, branded, stocked and opened, all at the same time.
“Well, all right then, I guess she told us off,” Patrice said, browsing the menu so she could order.
Faith didn’t mean to come off so harsh, but her sisters never hesitated to tell her what she should do. Yet she didn’t do that to them, even though she was the oldest. She had a right to respond.
Silence clung in the air and they ended up eating lunch quietly.
When Michael called, Faith couldn’t wait to tell him what happened between her and her sisters. Not that she needed his guidance, but he would always see things differently, so she wanted his perspective.
The last thing Faith wanted was to be at odds with her siblings. She didn’t come back for that. Asking her mother for advice would only make things worse because she didn’t like division among them.
Discussing it with Michael made her feel somewhat better, but she still had an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach. After she hung up from Michael, she pulled out her sketch pad and started to draw, but she just couldn’t get into the groove. She knew exactly why she was unsettled in her spirit and she wouldn’t be able to go on if she didn’t address it.
Faith glanced over at the clock. Even though it was almost eleven, she needed to talk to her sister or she wouldn’t rest well. She reached over, grabbed the phone off the bed.
Faith called Renee first because she figured that Patrice would probably still be steaming about her comments earlier.
“Hey, girl,” Faith said cheerfully. She hoped her sister could hear from her tone that she came in peace.
“Hey, sissy,” Renee said in return.
“I know it’s late, but I didn’t want to go to bed with this hanging between us.”
“It’s okay,” Renee simply said.
“I wanted to tell you that I’m sorry for biting your head off earlier. It came out wrong.”
A McClendon Thanksgiving Page 13