by Claire Adams
"I don't know how to begin to thank you," I said, overwhelmed by the magnitude of generosity, and a little intimidated by it too.
"There's no need, dear," Betty said smiling warmly. "We do what we can, when we can. And we're able to do a lot right now. Just relax and enjoy it, and let us help ease the stress of trying to figure out how to move forward, okay?"
"Okay," I nodded then asked. "Where's Riley?"
"Her room is two doors down the hall," Betty said. "I stocked it with things for a teenager, so I think she should be okay there tonight."
"I'm sure she'll be fine," I laughed, thinking about what Riley must have thought about her room. "I won't be able to get her out of it in the morning, though!"
"About that," Betty said hesitating a bit. "I know she's out of school right now. Jack told me. So, I found a tutor who will come to the house and give her lessons for as long as you two are staying here. I hope that's all right."
"Oh, Betty, thank you so much," I said as the tears welled up in my eyes. "I have been trying to figure out what to do about her schooling because I don't want her to get behind."
"That's the benefit of having lots of money, dear," Betty said patting my shoulder. "The challenge is figuring out how best to use it. I think this is definitely a good way to use it."
I nodded as she held out her arms and drew me into a tight hug. I held back, knowing that the wall dividing my emotions from the reality of what was going on had become dangerously thin over the past few hours, and I didn't want Betty to think I wasn't grateful.
She bid me good night and closed the door. I ran a tub full of hot water, then sunk down into the bubbles and cried until I felt like I had no tears left.
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
Jack
I spent most of the night pacing like a caged tiger, trying to hold back the anger that I felt. I wanted to find Lincoln and demand answers as to why he'd set me up, and then I wanted to find Sloan and cut her down to size. This was the last time I would ever believe a single word she said and, going forward, I would do whatever it took to ensure that she paid for the lies she'd told and the damage she'd done to Baby Steps.
By the time the sun came creeping up over the horizon, I'd formulated a plan to bring the liars out of the woodwork and teach them a lesson. Leah and I would save Baby Steps from the destructive plans my brother and his lover had cooked up.
I called Jimmy and told him to bring the car around before anyone in the house was stirring. I planned to get to the office early and organize the plan before anyone else arrived. When Jimmy dropped me off, I told him to swing back to the house and pick up Leah, but not to bring her in before nine. He nodded and headed back.
"Well, good morning, sunshine!" Norma crowed as she entered the office a little while later. She chattered away as usual before she realized how early it was. "My goodness, this morning I've been busier than a moth in a mitten! What are y’all doing here so early?"
"Norma, we've got a problem," I said, motioning her into my office.
"What's up, buttercup?" she said as she came closer.
"I'm going to trust you with information that is strictly confidential, and I expect that it will go no further than this office, do you understand?" I asked.
"Darlin', your father trusted me with most of the top secret things in this company. I'm sure I can handle your little cloak and dagger mystery just fine," she said shaking her head disapprovingly.
"I'm not kidding, Norma," I said as I moved toward the office door and shut it firmly. "There are things going on here that could seriously affect the entire company, and I need your help getting to the bottom of them. You cannot tell anyone what we're doing. Do you understand?"
"Why, you're serious, aren’t you?" she asked, suddenly getting serious, too.
"I am," I nodded. "Can I trust you to keep this confidential?"
"Well, butter my butt and call me a biscuit," she said. "Of course I can, darlin'!"
"You really have a way with words," I laughed, thankful that she had lightened the mood a bit before I shared the secrets with her. "Norma, it's come to my attention that Sloan is working with my brother to destroy Baby Steps and sell individual pieces of it to foreign investors. Last night, I found out that they're getting ready to make a deal with the Chinese to buy our warehouse operation and ship it over to one of their factories."
"You have got to be shitting me," Norma said as she stared at me with her mouth open. "That skinny, little Miss Know-It-All is trying to ruin all the hard work you've put into this company since your father died?"
"Yes, and my brother," I said as I watched her expression go from shocked to downright angry.
"Well now that gets my goose!" she swore under her breath. "What are you going to do?"
"I'm going to lay a trap for them and catch them in the act, but I'm going to need your help," I said. I explained the plan and told her what she was going to do. When I was done, Norma smiled and gave me the thumbs up.
"I'm on it, boss," she said as she returned to her command center out front.
A little while later, I heard her saying good morning to Sloan and knew that my plan was going to work. If Norma was onboard, then we were going to be just fine.
"Good morning, Jack," Sloan said as she crossed the room and set her handbag on my desk as usual. She was dressed in a tight-fitting suit. It had grey pinstripes with a bright red blouse underneath the jacket and impossibly high, black patent-leather stilettos on her feet. She looked like a cross between a Wall Street CEO and a high-end dominatrix, and I was fairly certain it was exactly the image she wanted.
"Good morning, Sloan," I said, smiling as I offered her coffee, which she turned her nose up at. "How's business?"
"It's damn good this week, boss," she said, flashing me a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "I've got quite a few appointments with possible distributors, and I think that the Upper West Side is going to be a great place to market Baby Steps package deliveries. I've got meetings with a few of the condo boards, and we're going to discuss making Baby Steps the supplier for families in each of the buildings."
"Friends in high places," I said as I watched her lie.
"Indeed," she smiled. "So, what do we need to discuss this morning?"
"I'm going to need you to turn in all of your order sheets this morning before you leave," I said, dropping the bomb.
"Oh, haven't I given those silly things to Norma already?" she said, laughing lightly as she brushed off the request.
"No, you haven't, so before you leave this morning, I'm going to need you to turn them all in," I repeated.
"Darling, I know you like to run the business with an iron fist," she said moving closer to me so she could run her fingers down my arm as she playfully smiled. "But I don't have the silly paperwork with me. I'll have to turn it in later."
"I'm not backing down on this, Sloan," I said as I removed her hand from my arm. "There are some questions about the orders we're getting ready to fill in the warehouse, and I need you to provide evidence that those orders are actually on the books."
"Well, I don't have the paperwork," she said in a brittle voice that let me know she was angry. "It's not my biggest priority, Jack. You know that. I've been brought onboard to ensure that we have orders coming in, and I've done that. The paperwork is your warehouse manager's job. What's her name? Lora? Linda?"
"It's Leah," I said smiling knowing that I was getting to her. "And it's not her job. It's your job. I'll need you to sit down and fill it out before you leave this morning. Norma will get you the forms you need, so all you need to do is fill in the blanks. I'll contact the clients and have them sign the documents."
"I can't be expected to remember every client's order, Jack!" she protested. I could see her brain frantically working to try and find a way out of her lies.
"Then write down the names and phone numbers of every order you've taken, and I'll have an assistant call and double check the order," I said calmly.
"Jack . . ." she warned. "This is just not something I feel like I need to do."
"Well, I'm the CEO, and I do feel it's necessary. So you'll sit down and do it," I said sternly. "I'm not arguing with you, Sloan. I'm running a business here, and you need to comply with my directives if you want to remain employed."
"I don't know what's gotten into you, but this is an ugly side that I've never seen before," she said narrowing her eyes. "I resent being treated like a common sales person when I'm bringing in some of the biggest clients Baby Steps will ever have."
"I'm sorry you feel that way, Sloan," I said, holding her gaze as I held my ground. "But I expect all of the sales people to maintain their paperwork so that we can make sure the orders are being filled properly. You are no exception to the rule."
"Fine, I'll fill it out," she huffed as she grabbed her bag and stormed out.
I watched as she grabbed the papers from Norma. I chuckled as Norma turned and winked at me. As I stood at my desk thinking about how I was going to outsmart Sloan and Lincoln, for the first time since my father died, I felt like I had a purpose in the company. I also knew that I had other things that needed to be addressed, but I wasn't quite ready to go there—yet.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
Leah
I ate breakfast with Riley and Betty, and we discussed the tutor situation. Riley was grudgingly going along with the plan but, I knew that by the time the day was over, she'd be on board. Betty had assured me that the tutor was one of the best in the city and that Riley would love working with her.
I was surprised when I found Jimmy waiting for me in the driveway after breakfast. He drove me into the office but agreed to drop me off a block from the front door so that I wouldn't have to explain why I was being ferried to work in the boss's car.
"Hey, Leah, where's Riley?" Burt asked as he clocked in and looked over the day's orders. "We were getting used to having the little mite around!"
"She's back in school, boys," I said, giving them a grateful smile. "I appreciate your kindness and patience as we worked out the issues with the suspension."
"Hey, you know, we've all been there," Burt said sympathetically.
"I haven't been," Javier chimed in.
"That's because you're 12, too," Burt shot back. "You haven't lived enough to get suspended."
The guys laughed and slapped Javi on the back as they got to work pulling boxes and loading up the orders that were to be shipped out in the morning pickup. I was grateful that they had no idea about Lincoln’s and Sloan’s plan because I didn't trust that they would keep cool heads about the plotted destruction of the company. I also didn't want them worrying about their job security. I knew that once there was a hint of instability, the workers would go running to look for new jobs. I couldn't afford to lose even one of them.
I worked quietly in my office all morning, only briefly wondering what Jack was doing in the office upstairs before refocusing on the orders I'd received from the sales force the day before. I hummed to myself as I typed and tried not to let my mind wander to the fact that I still needed to get to the hospital to visit Mama and find a realtor to deal with the house.
"One thing at a time," I murmured as my fingers moved swiftly across the keyboard.
"Hey, honey!" Norma called, cutting into my concentration.
"Hey, Norma," I said, turning around to find the feisty southerner standing in my doorway. She was wearing a long purple blouse with a chiffon scarf tied at the neck and a tight pair of leggings that were tucked into a pair of purple suede boots. As usual her hair and makeup were impeccable, and I suddenly felt very dumpy and out of touch with anything resembling fashion. "What's up?"
"I've got a new batch of orders for you, darlin'," she said as she stepped into the office and shut the door behind her. "And I want you to know that Jack told me about the plan this morning."
"Plan?" I asked, trying not to betray the fact that I didn't know the plan myself.
"Yeah, you know, the plan to keep Lincoln and that horse's patootie from ruining Baby Steps," she whispered conspiratorially.
"Oh, yes, that one," I said trying to hide a smile at the image of Sloan as a horse's ass. "Well, good, we're going need a lot of support if we're going to stop them. But Norma . . ."
"I know, I know!" she interrupted. "I can't talk to anyone but you or Jack about this because if word gets out before you're ready to move, we're all going to be screwed."
"All right, so we're good then," I laughed. "Show me what you've got."
Norma spent the next half hour explaining the paperwork that Sloan had filled out and then telling me what Jack had decided to do with it. Once I understood the plan, I knew exactly what my role was. I told Norma I had it under control and sent her on her way as I set to work making sure that Baby Steps would be protected from the two who were trying to destroy it.
*
After dinner, I called Patrick and found out nothing had changed with Mama's condition. She was still in the treatment center, and he said they were having a hard time getting her to comply with the rules, but they were hopeful she might talk with a counselor and figure out a compromise.
I sighed as he told me that the realtor thought we'd have to lower the price of the house substantially in order to sell it as is. She felt fairly certain that, once we did, the place would go quickly. Then we'd have money in a couple of months for Mama's treatment and a room in the retirement center. I told him I'd try to come by to see Mama the next week, but he told me that family members were encouraged to stay away until the recovery was fully underway. I sighed and told him to call me when he thought it was a good time to go visit. He assured me he would and then he hung up.
Feeling down after the call, I went upstairs and found Riley sprawled out on the bed doing her homework. Her room was the perfect place for a twelve-year-old girl. It had been painted a light shade of lavender and had a mural of a brightly colored flower garden painted over it. The floor was covered with thick white carpeting that felt like soft grass under my bare feet. The furniture had been painted white and trimmed with the same shade as on the walls and had tiny green vines dotted with flowers running up and down the edges. The whole room was a scene out of a fairy tale. I was surprised that the decorative touches that Betty had added hadn’t made my little tomboy rebel against it. The reality was that it was a room to be envied—and one that Riley didn't want to leave.
I felt happy that she was able to have such a wonderful little space for herself while we were homeless but, it also made me very aware of the fact that I'd never be able to provide her with something like it. I wondered how we'd go back to living in a small apartment once our welcome had been worn out. I pushed the thoughts to the side.
"Hey there, kiddo," I said as I walked over and sat down on the bed next to her.
"Hey, what's up?" she asked as she rolled over and sat up, leaving her books spread across the duvet.
"Nothing, I just wanted to check in and see how your first day with the tutor went," I smiled as I reached out and smoothed her wild hair. She reached up and playfully ruffled it up again.
"It was really awesome, Leah!" she said excitedly. "She taught me all kinds of things that we haven't learned in school, and she gave me a bunch of homework to get done for tomorrow."
"So, you like it?" I asked.
"It's so much better than just sitting around waiting to go back to school," she nodded. "I wish I didn't have to, though."
"You'd rather study with a tutor than go to school with all of your friends?" I asked surprised.
"I don't have any friends, Leah," she said dropping her head and biting her lip. "No one likes me, and I don't like anyone at school. Well, except for Becky, but she's not in my grade."
"I'm sorry about that, Riley," I said reaching out and rubbing her arm. "We'll see if we can't do something about that once we get our own place. Maybe you need to go to a different school."
"Can't I stay here and study with the tutor?" she asked.
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"I'm not sure that's possible, sweetie," I said, trying to think of a way to break it to her that I couldn't afford the services of a tutor like the one Betty had employed. "I don't know if your tutor will travel to our new place."
"Oh, nonsense," Betty said as she stepped into the room smiling. "We'll find a way to get her to you when you move to your new home. Either that or you can come here once a week and study with her, if need be."
"Seriously?" Riley asked as she jumped off the bed and ran over to hug Betty.
"Seriously," Betty said as she hugged the girl tightly. "Leah and I will figure it out. Don't you worry. Now, don't you have homework to complete for tomorrow, young lady?"
"I do! I'm working on it," Riley said as she ran back to the bed and threw herself across it. I stood up and turned to go but, before I could, Riley pushed herself up and threw her arms around my waist saying, "Thank you, Leah. I'm glad you let us stay here."
"You're welcome, kiddo," I smiled as I hugged her back. "We'll figure something out. Don't worry."
Betty and I exited the room and quietly closed the door behind us before heading down to the sitting room where she had had the kitchen staff lay out tea and dessert.
"I hope you don't think I'm interfering," she said as she poured us both a cup of tea. "I don't mean to, but Riley is such a smart girl. She loved working with Bree."
"I don't mind at all," I admitted. "But I worry that I'm setting her up for disappointment once we return to our regular lives."
"I know we live a rather extravagant lifestyle," Betty said as she sipped from her cup. "But having you and Riley around makes me realize how much I miss having people in the house. Since Bernard died, it's been so quiet around here and I've felt lonely. The two of you, and Jack of course, make the house much livelier."
"Well, it's been wonderful for us, too," I said. "I can't thank you enough for inviting us to stay with you."
"What are your plans for your next move?" Betty asked.
"I've been looking for an apartment near Riley's school, but she just told me she doesn't want to go back to it. So now I'm not sure where to look," I said, feeling overwhelmed by everything I needed to do. "I guess I'll have to scout out schools."