by Lexy Timms
“He didn’t!” Charity couldn’t imagine anyone speaking to Margaret like that. “So I take it he flew back to New Zealand?”
Margaret rolled her eyes. “What you don’t know is that Haunch Bradenton has taken up residence at my estate. It’s turned into a real nightmare because I’ve created business ties with Haunch. I invested a great deal of money in his business ventures and if I piss him off any further, I risk losing a great deal.”
Charity nearly laughed. She’d never heard Margaret swear before. “Margaret, I think you can afford to take a financial hit. What I’ve come to realize is that it’s the people we love that make all of the difference.”
“I couldn’t agree with you more.”
“Then where do you and my dad stand?”
“We’re slowly beginning to take our relationship to the next level.”
Charity shot Margaret a questioning look. “Next level? Aren’t the two of you,” she said and swallowed, “getting jiggy with it?”
“Sex? Oh, yes. We would have swung from the chandeliers if your father had them.”
“Thanks for the visual Margaret.” Charity smirked.
“We all have the same physical needs. I’m no different than you, dear.”
Margaret’s face was serious and all Charity wanted to do was hide behind something while her mother-in-law referred to boning her father. The images wouldn’t stop popping into her head.
“Have you ever heard of the nineteen-sixties, the era of free love?”
Oh no, I hate where this is going. “I know what happened in the sixties.”
“This is like free love when you’re sixty. Your dad and I have long since explored the physical aspect of our relationship. The earth moves, Charity. Let me tell you that there is something to look forward to when you get to be my age. I’m sorry love, I digress. With the sex operating like a well-oiled machine.”
“Enough analogies,” Charity cut her off. “I’m never changing the oil in my car again.”
Margaret continued. “We’ve decided to delve into each other’s spiritual, emotional and intellectual sides.”
“Sounds pretty deep Margaret. How does one do such a thing exactly?”
“For starters…”
Saved by the bell, or the two year old to be exact.
“Momma. Out! Out! Gamma play now? Momma!”
Jamie’s call put a smile on Charity’s face. She hoped her little girl would never have to listen to her rant about how delicious sex was at sixty. She held back a laugh. She’d have to keep an eye on Elijah. It might run in the family. He might start telling Jamie’s husband about it in the future.
“I’ll go grab her,” Margaret offered.
“I can.” Charity stood and pointed to the cute pancakes. “She’ll be so excited to see you making those.”
“I still don’t understand why they put her in such a big cast. Elijah said the break wasn’t as bad as they had anticipated.”
Charity had seen the X-rays after the surgery and had asked Elijah the same thing. “Doctor Bailey felt that since the break was so high up on her femur it was safer for her to be in it. She’s young and very active, it was better to be safe than sorry.”
“I guess, I just feel bad for the little kiwi.”
Charity smiled as Jamie called out for her again. “I’m coming, Peanut!” she called out. “Doctor Bailey said four weeks, and thank heavens it’s already been three. One more week and they’ll put her in a smaller leg cast. Then before we know it, it’ll be back to potty training and having a panic attack every time she climbs. I don’t even want her scaling the living room couch. I have visions of her falling off her big-girl bed and it’s only inches off the ground.”
“She’ll be fine,” Margaret assured.
“I hope so.” Charity walked down the hall to get Jamie. Part of life returning to normal meant getting back to work and all that implied. She would have to play catch-up. Charity couldn’t remember a time when she wasn’t playing catch-up. It would all work out. It always did. She thought of something that needed to be done first. Margaret shouldn’t have to deal with Haunch Bradenton and his antics.
****
After breakfast and helping Jamie with the crazy morning routine, Charity waved from the door as Margaret took her for a walk in a wheelchair around the neighborhood. When she sat down in her office, Charity opened her laptop and got to work. She didn’t know exactly how Margaret had exposed her portfolio to Haunch. She was involved in real estate, art and a lot of her money was in the stock market. She decided to start with Haunch himself. She performed an online search, which was immediate gold. First, she had to see a photo of the guy. Yuck, he was a clone of Henry Kissinger. Her father had nothing to worry about where that was concerned. He was from Germany and owned a couple of galleries in New Zealand and the U.S. Charity picked up the phone and dialed up his business in Malibu.
“Bradenton Gallery. This is Melissa Bradenton.” A youngish-sounding woman answered.
“Hello. I’m calling from the Tate Museum and I had spoken to Haunch about loaning some pieces from our collection to your gallery. As a means of increasing traffic in your establishment,” Charity lied.
“Really?” The woman sounded excited. “I had no idea my husband was exploring that option!”
“Oh dear.” Charity’s eyes nearly fell out of their sockets. She was going to kill the man. “I think it was supposed to be a surprise. I didn’t realize I was speaking to his w-wife.”
The woman giggled. “I’ll pretend I didn’t know. He’ll be back from a trip to Florida in a couple of days. Can I have him contact you?”
The louse was using Margaret to fund his marriage to Melissa. She wondered if they were even legally married. Was he using Margaret to get a visa from a marriage to Margaret to do business in New Zealand? Charity had enough on Haunch to shut him up. She’d make sure he released Margaret from any financial obligations or she’d contact her father’s lawyer.
“Yes, have him contact Mrs. Swindel.” She gave her a one-eight-hundred number connected with her own business.
Melissa was clueless. She believed a reputable gallery would submit an eight-hundred number for sensitive business.
“I’ll make sure he gets the message.” Melissa hung up.
Whatever the rest of the day had in store could not feel as good as catching a thief. Margaret would have one less thing to worry about. Charity grinned. She was playing Cupid for her father. One day she’d have a fantastic story to tell.
Chapter 16
“I had a nice chat with your mom this morning,” Charity teased Elijah over the phone. She’d opted to shower and change before Margaret and Jamie got back from their walk. She’d made several phone calls out to donors and was waiting to hear back from a few who had already expressed interest in helping. “I thought our parents had the sex talk with us when we hit puberty and then it was done with. Your mom loves sex!” Charity laughed. “Do you think we will remain horny as we age?” She stood naked in front of her closet contemplating what to wear.
“I can’t imagine not being horny in your presence, sexy wife of mine. What’re you wearing right now?” Elijah asked.
“Absolutely nothing,” she purred.
“Dammit! I wish people would stop getting sick so I could come home and be naked with you. I would rather be putting these hands to good use travelling the length of your sexy curves.”
“You’ll survive.” She laughed again. “By the time you got home, I’d be dressed. And sadly, I think it would be inappropriate to have phone sex with you while you’re standing in the doctor’s lounge.” Charity thought of putting off work for another day. They could sneak into a supply closet like the good ole’ days.
“That would be poor etiquette, but it hasn’t stopped us in the past.”
“Yeah but I think I’ve broken enough hospital rules for now.” She shook her head. “I’m hoping once Jamie’s in school I can start back at the hospital.”
�
�I think it’s sexy that you’re risky. Or should I say risqué.”
“This naked body would love a bit of risqué, lewd, libidinous, raunchy sex with you.” She stared at her body in the mirror, wondering what Elijah found so appealing about it.
“Seriously?” Elijah groaned. “You’re killing me here.”
She grinned. “Am I getting you all hot and bothered?” she teased. “You’d better cool yourself before you start hanging with the residents. I’m sure all those girls would love to take a tumble with you.”
“Do I hear a hint of jealousy in your voice, Miss Charity Thompson-Bennet?” She could hear Elijah smiling through the phone. “I’ll be late tonight, but you’d better be waiting for me.”
“Simon again or work?”
“Both. Sorry. After we finish our shifts, Simon wants me to help him with, uh, some workout equipment he wants to buy.”
Charity was sick of the Simon shit. Elijah was a lousy liar. “Your daughter’s still in a cast that covers almost half her body. She misses her dad, and you’d rather spend time with Simon instead of us?” She knew she was snapping at him, but come on, what the hell did he have to do with Simon that couldn’t be put off for a few weeks.
“Can we talk about this later? I have to go and look over some new imaging equipment we are considering. The heavier our population grows the bigger our MRI machines. Obesity is an epidemic that needs to be addressed and I’ve got a guy waiting for me in my office here.”
She was ticked. She wanted to tell him about his mother’s boyfriend and somehow they’d gone from an erotic moment to the verge of a heated argument. “This conversation has disintegrated, ‘eh? We can talk about how hot we are for each other and then you tell me to wait up ‘cause you have guy-stuff to do tonight? Enjoy looking at fat MRI’s.” Charity pressed end and began the countdown. Five, four, three. The phone did nothing.
Charity stared at it in surprise. Elijah always called to say, “I love you.” Guess she’d managed to tick him off. Tempted to call him back and apologize, she set the phone on the bed and decided to get dressed first. She pulled out a bright green skirt and white linen blouse. She stepped into a pair of taupe espadrilles. Her hair and makeup took minimal time because she didn’t wear much. Lipstick was enough to show that she gave a shit. She remembered her mother always insisted she have her lips on, as she put it. Charity was ready for a day of work even if it only meant closing her home office door.
The house still empty, she stomped to the office. Forget Elijah! Focus the rest of the hour on work.
Elijah had gotten the best for Charity when it came to decorating her office. He realized that she was hesitant to take leave from the hospital. A nice working space was supposed to make the transition better. The walls were light yellow with mahogany moldings and shelves built into one wall. The desk was sleek with no drawers and no spot for a computer. She relied on a Mac Air. The only clutter was on top of two wood file cabinets. She had photos of Elijah, Jamie, Margaret, her dad and one of her mom. There were combinations of him with her, them and a few group snapshots. Charity considered getting another file cabinet just to display photos. On the walls, which Margaret decorated with impeccable taste, were lightscapes from New Zealand. She chose a collection of paintings (originals of course) and prints from some of her favorite spots such as Devonport Beach and the Mangulai Estuary in New Zealand.
Charity sat down in her leather swivel chair, which made her feel as if she were a CEO, and glanced at the list Hal had left her awhile back. The list was a good size, except most of the names and companies were entities that she had asked for donations on behalf of Thompson Hospital. That was a major conflict of interest. If they gave money to the Cancer Institute at St. Luke’s it would be money not given to Thompson. Already in a foul mood, she grew mad as hell because she hadn’t checked the list more thoroughly while in the hospital. Now it had been three weeks and here she was with loads of work to do and barely a list to work off of. She had established relationships with most of these donors and she was supposed to ask these people to change their alliance? It was not going to happen.
She looked at a photo of Jamie, which calmed her down. Everything felt so confusing at the moment; did she work for Pinnacle, St. Luke’s or Hal Jaworski? Her check was coming from Pinnacle so she started there.
She picked up the office phone and called them. “This is Charity Thompson-Bennet for Linda Curry.” As she waited for Linda, Charity considered her last name. She wasn’t at the hospital now so Thompson seemed unnecessary, but it would be confusing to too many people.
“Charity! How’s Jamie Lynn?” Linda Curry was one of the top players at Pinnacle. Charity considered her a casual friend.
“She’s healing. Thank you for the care package. Jamie can’t wait to try on all the princess dresses. I didn’t know Disney had so many. You hit that one out of the park.”
“I’ve got twin girls. They insisted Jamie needed one of everything at the Disney store. They’ve been to Disneyland twice already. Good luck when that begins. It’s expensive,” she said and laughed. “Second mortgage expensive. What can I do for you Charity? It’s nice to have you back by the way.”
“I met with Hal Jaworski as you asked, in regards to the Cancer Institute at St. Luke’s. It was several weeks ago. I’m just getting around to thoroughly looking at his list of potential donors. I have begged on the doorsteps of these folks before Linda.”
“You’re thinking conflict of interest I assume. It’s messy, I know, but it’s not illegal or close to being against the law.”
“There’s something you’re not telling me Linda.” Charity kicked off her shoes and started pacing. There were politics at the hospital but this was taking things to another level and Charity knew she was being played.
“I consider you a friend Charity, but I’m following requests as they are assigned to me. Let me tell you what I know. Hal Jaworski wants a legacy beyond Starr. For whatever reason, he thinks slapping his name on a cancer institute will provide him with that. He wanted the best fundraiser he could get and his eyes were on you. He’s golfing buddies with Joe Magnus, who owns Pinnacle. We were given the task of hiring you and assigning you to his fundraising project. He’s aware of your loyalty to Thompson and your father, so he knew he couldn’t hire you directly. He’s slime, but then again, all smart men tend to go down that road once or twice. Hal just happens to own the street. Slime Street.”
She smiled at Linda’s pun. “Slime is putting it mildly Linda. This is not good at a time when I’m supposed to be focused on my family. I have to be honest, I don’t want this job anymore. I want to be reassigned to a different fundraising project at Pinnacle.”
“That’s not going to happen. Not if you and I are planning to keep our jobs. I know you don’t need the money Charity, but a man like Hal Jaworski can do a number on our reputations. New York is big, but this guy has humongous reach.”
Seriously? The guy was threatening to take everyone down if he didn’t get what he wanted? “I’m not flying alone anymore. I have a family to consider. I’ll have to talk to Elijah and see what he thinks.” Great! That would make for a fun conversation tonight, after arguing.
“Please consider carefully. You can do this.”
“I think I could find some new donors. I’m just not sure I can find a couple hundred million. That’s pushing it.”
“Hal wants you to specifically contact these donors or he won’t give his two hundred mill.”
“He’s a bugger.”
Linda sighed. “I know. Let me know what you decide. My husband will have to know where things stand because I’m the sole breadwinner of the family. Funding websites have made our jobs almost obsolete. Everyone thinks they can raise cash on their own.”
Talk about being stuck between a rock and a hard place. No matter what she decided, she was going to disappoint someone. Most of all, the people who had cancer and really needed the money.
Chapter 17
Whe
n Margaret came up the driveway with Jamie, Charity rushed out to help them. She explained the situation briefly to Margaret, who insisted she go to see Elijah right away to talk to him about it. She also suggested talking to her father. With Jamie settled comfortably in front of the T.V. to watch a princess movie, Charity slipped out.
She pulled into the hospital. She hadn’t bothered calling Elijah because she knew after the MRI meeting he had back to back surgeries and she hoped to catch him in between. Fight or no fight, this needed to be discussed.
She headed to the visitor’s parking area. She knew if she were to get a ticket, she would lose her cool over the simple infraction. It had become one of those days. She moved through the visitor checkpoint to obtain a pass.
“Good afternoon, Charity!” Beatrice said. She was a fixture at Thompson Hospital. First, she was a nurse in the 1970’s, who married a doctor. She gave birth to a son while her husband served in Vietnam. After her boy was grown and her husband retired, Beatrice showed up again as a frequent visitor to her husband. He was ill for years. When he died, her son became a resident and she started volunteering. Now her son was an anesthesiologist on staff and she was aged, smiling and still volunteering at the hospital. Charity wondered if some young doctor might view her similarly one day. “It’s been a long time since I saw you! I’m not used to seeing you check in as a visitor.”
Charity smiled. “Visitor today. Security’s changed a lot over the past few years.” She winked. “I’m sure my shooting had something to do with it, so I’m not complaining.” Charity pulled the orange V sticker with the name C. Thompson-Bennet off the tab and stuck it on her blouse.
“Did I get the name right? In my day we got married, took our husband’s name and that was it. The hyphen confuses me. I have no idea what my son will do when he marries his husband, but I’ll always call him Pecan Pete.”
Poor kid. Another one whose pet name is a nut. “It’s nice chatting with you Beatrice,” Charity said. “I’m in a bit of a rush, trying to catch Dr. Bennet between surgeries.”