by Josie Brown
She tried not to show her disappointment.
“How did the two of you meet again?” Ellis sounded innocent enough, but she knew him too well. Every question was a probe. Every declaration had an ulterior motive. Everyone was his stepping-stone to Mr. Bracknell’s side.
Just then, Brady looked over at her and waved.
Ellis raised a brow.
Ignoring it, Ally smiled innocently. “His son is in my daughter’s playgroup. He sold AStealAtThisPrice.com in order to be a stay-at-home father.”
“How noble.” Ellis shrugged. “I’m sure he finds hanging in the park with all you yummy mommies an added benefit.”
Before Ally could retort, Mr. Bracknell beckoned her over.
Ally waved back, then murmured, “You’re behind the times, Ellis. All the best business contacts are made on the playground. You should go sometime with your family. Oh sorry, I forgot you’re not married! Too bad because just hanging out might seem a bit pervy.” She paused, as if a thought just came to her. “Hey, there’s an idea for you. Why not just rent a kid?’”
From the look on his face, she could tell he was actually thinking that through.
***
“Ah, here’s our little star now!” The way Laurence Bracknell put his arm around Ally’s shoulders and squeezed her, you would have thought she was his long lost daughter. “Your ears must be burning from all the praise.”
Ally blushed. “It’s always great to be appreciated.”
“You’ve done the corporation a great service, convincing Brady to join us.”
Brady laughed. “It didn’t take much arm-twisting. Your portfolio speaks for itself.”
“You and Ally know better than anyone—consumers are a fickle bunch. Capturing their attention and keeping it isn’t easy. The knowledge you bring to the board is invaluable.”
“You’ve got a great head start with Ms. Thornton. Where she leads, I follow. She’s a genius at sniffing out trends.”
Better make hay while the sun is shining, Ally thought. She smiled brightly. “My pie shop concept is a great example. It’s going to be the next big dessert craze.”
Laurence’s face went blank. “Really? A pie shop? What a unique concept. Too bad I hadn’t heard of it before now.” He leaned in conspiratorially. “On the QT, just this morning Bracknell purchased Toppers, the cupcake chain. It was Ellis’s lead.”
Ellis? Ally fumed. Why that lying son of a bitch! Laurence never even saw my proposal!
“The due diligence shows he’s was right about it. Very successful, and lots of growth on the horizon,” Laurence continued. “That young man keeps his ear to the ground! He was the one who brought Foot Fetish to our attention.” Noting her dismay, Laurence patted her shoulder. “That’s not to say your pie idea isn’t a good one. But catching a wave means doing more than dipping your toe in the water every now and then. You’ve got to get in the deep end and swim with the rest of us sharks. Whenever you’re ready to come back full time, you let me know.”
***
“Did you hear what he said?” Ally’s third martini made her both morose and tipsy. “Titan of industry Laurence Bracknell called me a guppy! Me, whose company produced nineteen percent of his total net income in the third quarter!” To make her point, she thrust her martini glass at Brady’s chest.
The old me would be putting the moves on her, now that her defenses are down, Brady thought. But the new me will be a perfect gentleman...
His resolve melted away when the spaghetti strap of her dress fell off her shoulder.
He held tight to his scotch tumbler, willing himself to resist the urge to move the flimsy piece of silk back where it belonged.
Worse yet, he wanted to strip her down altogether.
He sighed. “You’ve got it all wrong. His exact phrase was that he welcomed you to swim with him and the rest of the sharks.”
“I did. I mean, I am! I gave the sniveling brown-noser, Ellis, a full prospectus on the pie shop business I want to take national. And I asked him to show Bracknell, so that I might get the initial funding. Do you know what he did with it? Buried it! Apparently at the bottom of the sea where he and the other sharks are circling each other.”
She waved down the bartender for another martini.
“A pie shop? That sounds hot.”
Ally toasted Brady with her empty glass. “That’s what I thought, too! And with Jillian’s pies, the lines will be out the door.”
“You’ve got that right. She’s one hell of a baker. Do you think she’s up for it?”
“You betcha. Rarin’ to go, in fact. She needs the cash flow, what with that horrid divorce and all. But now I have to tell her it’s going to take longer than we thought.”
Brady shrugged. “It doesn’t have to. Why don’t you send the prospectus my way? Maybe it’s something I’d like to invest in.”
“Really? Wow, Brady, thanks!” Without thinking, Ally threw her arms around his neck.
He knew he shouldn’t do it, but his lips brushed her forehead. Her hair smelled like roses, just as he remembered from the other night.
Maybe it was because he surprised her. Or maybe she was too tipsy to know what she was doing. Whatever the reason, she looked up at him and said, “I love you, too.”
He had to kiss her.
She didn’t resist. At least, not at first.
Then she jerked herself away. “I’m…so sorry. I didn’t mean to…We promised each other…” She buried her head in her hands.
He knew why. She was trying to hide her tears.
Finally, she pulled her hands away. But she wouldn’t look up at him. “When I told Jade about this opportunity to sit on the Bracknell board, I also made it clear that if she did not want you to do so, the offer would be withdrawn. Just so you know, she told me she hated the thought of you having this excuse to spend time with me, but at the same time, she knew you’d blame her and hate her if she said no.” Finally, her eyes met his. They still glistened with teary sadness. “Brady, she knows about us. She didn’t say, but I can tell. Did you tell her?”
He shook his head. “No! I wouldn’t want her to hate you. And…and it would hurt her too much to think one of her friends is betraying her.”
“That’s my point. I’d never betray her. And I do believe she’s got Oliver’s best interests at heart. She’s dead set on winning the Top Mom spot. In fact, I told her…” She shrugged. “I told her that if they offered it to me, I’d turn it down and recommend her instead. I can’t think of anyone who wants it more.” She shook her head. “Because she thinks it will make you love her again.”
“That’s ridiculous! It won’t. You know that.”
“My point is that she wants you so badly that she’ll jump through any hoop to salvage what she had…has with you.” She picked up her purse. “The least you can do is meet her halfway.”
Nothing she could say would have him agree with her. Any argument to the contrary would convince her that they should never see each other again.
Don’t show your hand, he warned himself.
“I appreciate your honesty, Ally. Send me the pie shop prospectus. I’ll read it immediately. If I like it, you’ll have your funding within forty-eight hours. No strings attached.” He knocked back the last of his scotch. “It’ll be a pleasure doing business with you.”
Chapter 10
Wednesday, 13 February
“You’re brilliant,” Ally whispered to Jillian. “And not just in the filling and crust department, either. Look at all the children! They’ve never been so quiet…or so busy!”
She was right. For the children’s Valentine’s Day party, PHM&T had rented out the Presidio Golf Club’s clubhouse and Jillian had turned it into a pink heart-filled palace.
The ooohs and ahhhs of the other moms were all the proof she needed that she’d impressed them.
Well, most of them. “It’s Pepto Bismol pink! No, wait…More the hue of the inner labia,” Mallory sniffed. “Thank goodness it doesn’
t smell like one.”
Jillian winced when she heard that.
Ally patted her friend on the back. “Don’t let her ruin your success.” To Mallory, she called out, “Are you sure about that? I could have sworn it’s darker. Please check your facts. If you need one, I’ll lend you my compact.”
Mallory’s face turned dark red.
“You know, I’m guessing that’s its real color.” Ally snapped open her compact in Mallory’s face.
Jillian was laughing so hard, she almost choked.
What impressed the mothers most were the numerous activities Jillian had devised to keep the children busy. Using heart-shaped cookie cutters, the Fivesies were creating bite-sized sandwiches of cheese and turkey slices. At the same time, each of the Foursies were decorating five-slotted shoe boxes with glitter, doilies and stamp pads, which would serve as mailboxes for the Valentines being created by the Threesies.
Valentines and boxes were to be auctioned off, purchased with chocolates. Mounds represented one hundred dollars, Peanut Butter cups were worth five hundred dollars, and Hershey’s Kisses were a thousand dollars.
“Why not pennies, nickels, and dimes?” Jade asked Kimberley.
Kimberley’s thin brow arched high enough to almost hit her forehead. “Are you kidding? Bettina never passes up an opportunity to have the children learn the value of a dollar. Or a thousand dollars, for that matter.” She licked her lips. “The auction was my idea. I figure the sooner they discern good art from bad, the better. Like that monstrosity over there!”
She pointed to a forlorn-looking shoebox topped with fifteen ripped strips of black construction paper. Sad stick figures were painted on the sides.
Jade didn’t have the heart to tell her new bestie that it was the handiwork of her four-year-old son, Titus.
Why rock the boat? Jade asked herself. She’s so sweet! She’s giving me a dozen leads for my AP class. And besides, she’s already told me she thinks I should be Top Mom.
Jade suspected she already had Bettina’s vote, too, what with the money Brady gave Art to invest for him. Still, she was paranoid that Bettina was the type who checked her husband’s cell phone ID. If so, surely she’d know he had called her.
And that he was still calling, in fact. Why couldn’t he just leave her alone?
As for the other three committee members, none of them made it a point to warm up to her. Votes for Lorna were a given, considering her relationship to Bettina. As for Sally, she always smiled when she was around Ally. Joanna seemed to like her, too.
Jade could tell Mallory didn’t like anyone. Maybe that worked in her favor, but she doubted it.
The Twosies’ moms were to run the auction. Each time a bid was made on a box, one of the children would be allowed to hit the toddler-sized podium with a rubber mallet.
The Onesies were in charge of the “bank.” Each Onesie was given five tulle bags filled with loose chocolates, to hand out to the older children.
Everything was running smoothly until the auction began. Suddenly Mallory’s son, Angus, pointed under one of the tables and yelled at the top of his lungs, “Hey! One of the babies is eating all the chocolates!”
All heads dropped under the table.
The culprit was Zoe. The proof was smeared all over her lips.
She wasn’t alone. Amelia and Addison had followed her lead, tearing open the bags and popping the chocolates into their mouths.
Angus grabbed one of the bags out of Zoe’s hand. “I’m not letting you eat mine!”
In retaliation, Zoe bit him on the arm.
Yelping, Angus stood straight up and banged his head on the tabletop.
“My son! He’s been attacked by your brat,” Mallory screamed at Ally.
The children lunged at any Onesie in sight, even the obedient ones. Horrified, the Onesies cried at the top of their lungs as the bags were ripped from their pudgy little fingers.
The mothers coming to their children’s aid were just as bad. The Onesies’ mommies clasped their terrified babies to their breasts, while the moms of the older children insisted that their children were only taking what was rightfully theirs.
Tossing a twin under each arm, Jillian worked her way out of the free-for-all. Ally and Lorna with howling children in tow, were right on her heels. They made it to the front door—
Only to find it blocked by Bettina.
Was there a scowl on her face? It was hard to tell, considering the smoothness of her brow. But the tone of her voice left no doubt otherwise. “Jillian, dear, if this is what you call ‘fun and games,’ I can only imagine the kind of board member you’d make! In fact—”
A phone went off, but the ringtone, “How Much Is That Doggie in the Window,” was nothing any of the Onesies moms had on their cells.
Bettina’s eyes grew as wide as her eyelid blepharoplasty would allow. “Emergency! I must take this!” She turned her back on the others, all of whom realized there was an apt metaphor in that.
“You mean…my baby is here? Oh my God! I’ll be right over!”
All the others exchanged puzzled glances. Was Bettina adopting a child?
God help the poor child…
When she turned to face them, Bettina’s smile was luminous. Girlish almost. “I must leave immediately! Lorna, be a doll and do me the favor of taking Lily with you, okay?”
“Sure,” Lorna murmured. “Bettina I…I don’t know what to say except—I’m so proud you’re so openhearted.” She gave her sister-in-law a hug.
Stunned, touched in fact, Bettina patted her shoulder. “Lorna…thank you for understanding. Lily is very excited about it too, of course. I just hope they get along. If not, the little beggar will be confined to the terrace, I guess.”
Ally, Lorna and Jillian exchanged shocked looks. Twenty stories up?
Bettina was already halfway down the sidewalk before she turned back around. “And, Jillian dear, great party! Just make sure to clean up the mess. Ask Mallory for her help.”
Ally and Lorna had to prop Jillian up before she dropped the twins.
Jillian smiled and nodded, but she waited until Bettina hopped in her car and drove off before muttering through her smile, “Like hell I will.” She turned to Ally. “Quid pro quo. If you’ll help with cleanup, I’ll help set up the adult party tomorrow night. ”
Ally shook her head adamantly “Um…no, no, nothing to worry about. Got it covered! Feel free to take the night off.”
“Really? Don’t you want me to—?”
Ally’s way of changing the subject was to wave in the direction of the ruckus. “Shouldn’t we clean up Armageddon?”
Suddenly Jillian’s face turned white. “Oh, heck! When the fight broke out, two of the Fivesies boys were eating glue! I’ve got to get back in there!”
“I’m on it. Go clear out the rest of the troops.” Lorna shook her head. “If their mothers ask, I’ll tell them the boys are high on sugar. Just…sugar.”
***
The puppy was a bitch.
No! Bettina thought horrified. This is wrong, all wrong!
And it was so puny, too. Plain black, like a gutter rat! Nothing at all like big, strong, and deep auburn Caligula.
Sybil was in the process of ingratiating herself to a man who was buying two of the puppies, not exactly the ideal time for Bettina to tap her on the shoulder, but she did so anyway.
Bettina shook her head at Sybil. “This will not do! You knew I wanted a male.”
“Sorry, but I can’t predict the sex of the pups. As it turns out, this litter’s pick was a big strapping male, and a female is the runt. Life goes on. Take her or leave her.”
“In that case, I’ll leave her,” Bettina sneered.
Sybil shrugged. “Bu-bye! Don’t let the dog door hit you on the way out.” She turned back to the man.
Bettina was mortified at the thought, but more so by Sybil’s assumption that she would be leaving empty-handed. She tapped Sybil on the shoulder again. “Aren’t you forgetting somet
hing?”
Sybil turned back to her, confused. “I beg your pardon?”
“I’d like my check back.”
“Sorry, no refunds.” She pointed to the sign over the door.
“But…it was ten thousand dollars!”
“And you’ve refused to take the puppy you bought. That’s not my fault. It wasn’t a deposit, it was a purchase.”
“But you said you had a waiting list for the pup, so there is no loss to you! And besides, it’s a thoroughbred and will find a home with someone who will love her.”
Sybil walked Bettina toward the door. “Speaking of dog lovers, the new owners for the pick have arrived. Time for you to skedaddle.”
This time she shoved Bettina out the door, and locked it behind her.
How dare she!
I’ll sue, Bettina fumed. I’ll fight her in every court in California! I’ll—
A woman tapped her on the shoulder. “Excuse me. You’re Bettina Connaught-Cross, aren’t you?” She stuttered the question in a hushed, reverent tone, then backed away slightly, wrapping her arm around her husband.
Both were young, happy, and…
Pregnant.
Perfect, thought Bettina.
She lifted her head and deigned them with a regal smile. “Yes, I am. So nice to meet you, Mrs. and Mr…” She paused, and tilted her head in what she hoped gave off the impression of true interest.
“I’m Candy McIntosh, and this is my husband, Richard.” She pushed him forward a bit. “We—I mean, I’ll soon be applying for PHM&T, as you can see.” She patted her belly gently.
Bettina clapped her hands in mock glee. “How joyous! A boy, or a girl?”
“Girl,” the proud father-to-be piped in. “We’re due in April.”
“How wonderful! And all the more so, because you are also Tibetan mastiff lovers!” Then her smile faded. “What a shame! From the applicants we’ve already received for your birth year of Onesies, the girls are outnumbering the boys two to one.”