***
Sophie’s Choice was raring and ready to go by 8:30 a.m. when Charlie arrived. Carrying her bags with all of her notes and laptop inside, a large lunch bag of food and a notebook, she entered through the glass doors of the office with a smile on her face.
“Good morning, Mrs. Mendoza,” the receptionist said before she answered another call. “Sophie’s Choice, please hold.”
“Morning, Erika,” Charlie said, breezing past. “Is Frank here yet?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Erika answered. “I’m sorry for the hold, sir. How may I help you?”
Charlie walked down the long corridor to the large corner office and went inside. Before she could get her bags on the table in the far corner, her assistant Frank came through the doors with a notepad in hand. “Morning, lady.” His familiarity was due only to the long, personal relationship they had had for over a decade.
“Hey Frank. Close the door, please.” She quickly ran behind her desk and turned on her computer.
“What’s up?” he asked, closing and locking the door behind him. He walked over to the chair in front of her desk and took a seat, crossing his legs and sitting back with a certain calm that suddenly irritated Charlie.
“I need a personal favor that will take priority over everything else you have to do today,” she said, pulling up the story about her daughter online.
“Let me guess. You want me to go down to Prada and pick up that purse you wanted from the Fall line? Good because while I’m over there, I can flirt with James.” Straightening his bowtie, he gave a suggestive grin.
“No.” Planting her hands on the table, she looked directly into his eyes. “I need you to track down Dane Withersby and not one of his assistants. I need him.”
“Oh God, you aren’t pregnant by him, are you?” Frank asked frowning.
Charlie shook her head. “Frank, I’m being serious.”
“So am I. He’s got more kids than a Mormon.”
“This is one of the most important things that I’ll ever ask you to do, and I need you to be discreet about it,” she said, articulating each word.
Frank became more serious. “Charlie, is everything alright?” he asked, using her nickname as he did after hours.
“No. Far from it. Do this for me, Frank. And do it now.”
***
Home sweet home. Sully pulled up to his house from their long trip to Washington, D.C. and felt himself exhale for the first time in days. From one interview to another they had gone all in the name of Charlie’s creation, and while he was very proud of her, he knew that they all needed a break.
The kids had fallen asleep on the drive from the airport to the house. He looked back at them and tried to figure out which one to pick up first. Hitting the garage door opener, he pulled slowly into the garage and turned the car off. Seeing that Benny was lightly snoring, he opted to pick up Charlie first and take her into the house.
As soon as he closed his door and went to the back of his BMW SUV to open her door, her eyes popped open. “Dad, are we here?” she asked, sitting up.
Benny sat up too. They both looked around and stretched.
“Want me to pick you up and carry you to your room?” Sully asked, reaching for her.
“I’m not a baby,” she protested, stepping out. “I can walk.”
Sully shrugged his shoulders. “You’re only ten.”
“Exactly,” she said, grabbing her backpack. “That’s double digits.”
“You can pick me up, Dad,” Benny said, getting out of the car.
Sully had to laugh. “As big as you are getting, I should be asking you to carry me.”
Opening the back of the SUV, they unloaded their bags and headed up the stairs to the house. As they entered, they were greeted by Charlie’s cat, a calico, who anxiously awaited them.
“Hello, Mr. Bubbles,” she said, dropping down to give him a big squeeze. He purred into her, allowing her to pick him and rub her face against his fur.
“Why does she get a cat, and I can’t have that pot belly pig I asked for?” Benny asked, walking past his sister with his bags.
“Because it’s a pot belly pig, Benny,” Sully tried to explain for the thousandth time.
“Charlie always gets what she wants. Charlie gets the interviews, the attention, the cat…” Benny shook his head. “What do I ever get?”
Sully stopped in his tracks. Realizing that all this attention about Charlie’s design had caused some hardship for his son, he suddenly felt guilty. He should have seen this coming, should have had a plan in place to make sure that Benny wasn’t left feeling inadequate.
“I tell you what,” he said, walking over to his son with his hands fisted down into his jean pockets. “If you just compromise with me on this, I’m sure that we could find some kind of pet for you.” He rubbed the top of his son’s head and gave him a reassuring smile.
“Anything I want?” Benny asked, cheeks rosy and eyes wide.
Sully smacked his lips. “Within reason.” He knew his son well and the last thing he wanted was the boy to ask for something even more unreasonable like a pet shark.
“Within your reason or mine?” Benny asked.
It was a very mature question, so Sully tried to ask as if he was really bargaining with him. “Within mine, of course, considering I have to pay for him.”
Benny nodded. “Fine. I’ll go upstairs and check the internet for reasonable pets,” he said sarcastically.
Sully couldn’t tell if his son was being a smart ass or simply trying to be a big boy, so he stepped back and smiled. “That’s all I asked,” he said, watching Charlie head out of the room with her cat.
“I’m tired. Going to bed, you guys,” she said, annoyed by their negotiations.
“How about we all turn in,” Sully said, rubbing his eyes. “It’s been a long week and you guys have to be in school early tomorrow.”
Benny wasn’t happy about the prospect, but he could see that his father’s thread was wearing thin.
“Night, Dad,” he said, pulling his luggage behind him.
“Good night, you guys,” Sully said, turning around. He looked around the kitchen and gave a good sigh. Pulling his cell phone out of his pocket, he searched through is contacts and called Robert, a good friend of his from the Norfolk Daily News.
The call went straight to voicemail.
Walking over to the sink to fix a glass of water, Sully scratched his head. “Hey Bob, it’s Sully Orrin. I wanted to know if you would be interested in doing a story on my son, Benjamin. It seems every outlet in the universe wants a story on Charlie, but they seem to be putting Benny in her shadow. If you ever liked me, consider Benny, please. He’s a star quarterback on his football team and a hell of a debater. Give me a call back when you get this message. I’ll owe you big time.”
Hanging up the phone, he twisted his lip up and looked out the window just above this sink at the back yard and the breathtaking view of the ocean.
Trouble was brewing, he could feel it. Everything that he had worked so hard for was teetering on edge. The entire weekend, all the reporters could ask was about Charlie’s home life and who her mother was. Of course, his loving daughter handled the situation beautifully, but the reporters pressed for more. It was only a matter of time before they started to dig and when they did dig, there would be media gold for them and chaos for the Orrin family.
Before he could finish his glass of water, his cell phone rang. It was Robert. Sully answered it gratefully.
“Sorry to bother you so late,” Sully explained.
Robert cut him off. “I got your message. What we are really interested in is a story about Charlie. She’s the creator of the new design, right?”
Sully sighed. “Yeah, but my son is starting to feel inadequate, Robert. You’ve got kids. You know how this goes. I don’t want him to…”
Robert cut him off. “You’re a great father, Sully. The best. In fact, I wish my dad had been half as concerned about me as you a
re about Benny, but my editor will never go for a story on a regular kid playing football and joining the debate team. They want Charlie.”
Sully wasn’t happy. Turning around and leaning on the counter, he cleared his throat. “I don’t want another story on Charlie. I want a story on my son.”
“Can’t do it,” Robert said with such finality it made Sully burb.
“Well, there is nothing to talk about right now. Sorry I bothered you so late,” Sully said, about to hang up.
“Hey Sully, before you put me on your do-not-call list, I have to tell you that the real story brewing is about the In Vitro Fertilization process. You’ve opened up a can of worms on this. How about you give me the first story on it? I could make light of it and cover a piece of it on Benny.” He dangled the opportunity in front of Sully hoping that he would bite.
Sully wasn’t stupid. He wasn’t interested. “No, I’ll pass.”
“Well, it won’t just go away,” Robert insisted. “People want to know.”
“Know what?” Sully asked.
“People want to know who she is. The word is that it is an old intern from your days in Miami.” He waited for a response.
Sully knew that he was cornered. “Tell you what. Give me a few days to figure out how I want to couch the story and I’ll give you a call back.”
“Days,” Robert gasped. “Days equal eternity in my field, Sully. You know that. Give me something…a quote at least to tweet about.”
Sully growled. “This is my life you’re talking about, Bob. I’ll give you a call when I know that it’ll benefit me.” Hanging up the phone, he threw his head back and groaned. “So it begins,” he said, kicking off his boots.
What he needed now was a hot shower and food. At least then, he’d be able to think straight.
***
Charlie couldn’t help but pull the number out again and look at it. Even as she sat in the board meeting, she couldn’t focus. After a short conversation with Dane Withersby, he had given her the cell phone number of Sully Orrin and all she wanted to do in the world was call him, but first she had to make it through this meeting.
Sitting on the left side of the chairman of her board, she snapped out of her daze and smiled. Fake as it was, it gave credence to the conversation that she had completely ignored.
“So what do you think?” the chairman, Dr. Hanna Campbell asked, blinking quickly at Charlie.
There was hesitation. “I think it’s a great idea,” Charlie said, realizing that she should have asked her friend and boss to repeat the question.
“Excellent,” Dr. Campbell said, clasping her hands together. The Hope diamondesque ring on her finger flickered across the board room. “There you have it. We will ask Sullivan Orrin and his daughter to grace us with his presence at the benefit next weekend. Let’s get him on the line tomorrow and confirm his availability and fly him and his family up from Virginia the day before on Wayne’s private jet.”
Charlie almost fell out of her seat. Gripping the table, she swallowed hard. “Sullivan…” She looked around the room at all eyes on her, “may not be available with such short notice.”
“But he is a friend of the organization. I’m sure that he’ll make arrangements,” Dr. Campbell said with bright eyes. “He’ll be perfect to speak about our IVF program. He’s the perfect advocate, possibly our new poster child, if we play our cards right.”
Frank set a cup of coffee in front of Charlie and stepped back. His eyes were glued to her, hoping that she wouldn’t have a nervous breakdown right then and there.
But Charlie kept it together. Nodding, she scribbled something on a notepad and then looked around. “Excellent suggestion, Dr. Campbell. We can always count on you to think outside of the box.” Her voice cracked. “We’ll get right on the details.”
“Very good,” Dr. Campbell said with an optimistic, confident smile.
The rest of the meeting was lost on Charlie. She sat in a daze, almost catatonic until the end. As the people pushed back from the table and stood from their chairs, she finally came to. Frank stood behind her, ready to catch her body if she fainted and then offered a hand.
“Charlene, are you alright?” another board member asked, seeing that she had become peaked.
She almost wanted to laugh at the question, because it was so ridiculous. “Just a little under the weather. I’ll be fine,” Charlie said, standing up.
“Great. Well, I’ll see you at the benefit,” the old Jewish man said, tucking his folder under the arm of his tweed jacket. “Good job as normal.” Bowing out gracefully, he exited out of the board room with the processional in front of him.
Charlie watched each one disappear beyond the hall in amazement. They did not even know that they had severely altered her life forever with their bright idea.
When everyone was gone, Charlie turned to Frank and laughed condescendingly. “I’m ruined,” she said, opening the refrigerator to pull out a bottle of wine. “When they find out that I’m the mother of those children…”
Frank stopped her. “You don’t know that for certain. You haven’t even talked to the man. For all you know, he found some other sucker to give him eggs.” Biting his lip, he tried to rephrase. “Sorry, that didn’t come out right.”
“No…no. I couldn’t have put it better myself,” Charlie said, pouring a glass of wine. “And you’re right. I could not be the mother. But nine times out of ten…”
Frank brought a glass over for her to pour him some. After today’s rat race, he needed a drink too. He could actually go for something stronger, but he didn’t feel like going down to his office to retrieve his flask. “Do you think that you really are the mother?” he asked, frowning.
“Yes, obviously I do. Would I be in this state if I didn’t?” she asked, looking down at herself. “I’m a wreck, and I won’t feel better until I call him and find out for myself.”
“Well, I have to admit that this is the first conversation that I’ve ever had like this.” Frank grabbed the phone from the corner of the board table and brought it over to her. “Why wait a second longer?” he asked, hoping that she would make the call in front of him. There was no way he wanted to miss it.
There was a long pause. Charlie stood looking at the phone with a glass of Chardonnay in hand. “Now?” she asked Frank.
“Now,” Frank said, pushing the phone in her face. “There is no better time than the present. You could walk outside and get hit by a car. Live in the moment,” he stressed.
Charlie sat back down. “Maybe you’re right,” she said, pulling the number back out. Pausing, she looked up at him. “But maybe you’re wrong. Sully and I agreed that upon giving him those eggs, we would never contact each other again.”
“You agreed then, but now things have changed, haven’t they? Do you really want to run into him at the benefit for the first time with his kids and let everyone see your reaction unrehearsed? You’ll bomb. Trust me. Tears, snot...” Frank waved his hand dismissively. “It won’t be pretty.”
“You’re right. I won’t be able to control myself. I’ll probably start hugging them and trying to explain…” She was starting to become frantic again.
Frank put a comforting hand on her shoulder. “Set up a meeting before the gala. Talk to the man. Surely you two can come to some arrangement about this new development.” His voice was soothing, but his eyes were urgent.
Grabbing the phone, she dialed the number slowly, feeling butterflies erupt with each digit, until finally when she thought that she would keel over from a heart attack, the phone rang and Sully picked up.
“Hello, Orrin residence,” Sully said, sitting in the office of his home returning emails to media outlets.
“May I speak with Mr. Sullivan Orrin, please,” Charlie said, holding on to the receiver of her phone like it was her life line. She looked up at Frank who nodded approvingly. He mouthed to her, “You’re doing great,” and then gave her two thumbs up.
“This is he. May I ask who is s
peaking?” Sully asked, ready to hang up if it was one more reporter.
“This is Charlie, Sully,” she said, blinking hard. Her voice was soft now, all professionalism gone.
Sully stopped typing and sat up in his chair. “Charlie Meadows?”
“It’s Mendoza now…actually,” she quipped.
“Yeah, I heard about the wedding. How are you?” Nervousness clenched his stomach. Standing up, he walked to the door and closed it. He definitely didn’t want anyone to hear this conversation.
“I’m fine,” she said, trembling. “Look, I know it’s late…”
Sully cut her off. “I’m good. I’m just up returning a few hundred emails.” He laughed nervously and ran a hand through his hair.
“Because of the White House selection?” Charlie asked.
“Yeah, Charlie’s a star.” Suddenly, he didn’t know if that was a good thing or not.
Charlie giggled at her daughter’s name. She never thought that she’d be the one with a name sake.
“I mean, Charlize. That’s her name. I call her Charlie…after you.” He shook his head. Why was he acting like a school boy all of a sudden? He tried to straighten up, behave more like his age.
“Well, I just saw the news and her and your son…my son…” Charlie didn’t know what to say. “Oh, Sully, are they mine?” She slumped over in her chair and put her elbows on the table. “I’m dying to know, and I can’t wait a second longer. I mean they really look like me, but they…”
“Yes, of course they are yours,” Sully laughed. “Biologically.” In every other way, they are mine, he thought to himself.
“I know that we agreed that we wouldn’t ever contact each other, but Sophie’s Choice is going to invite you to the gala with Charlie and Benjamin and…”
“I understand. You want me to decline,” he said, disappointed.
“No,” Charlie said, nearly jumping out of her seat. “I just…wanted to maybe see you before the gala. I didn’t want there to be a reunion at the event. It might be too obvious.” She realized that she was now standing.
The Contingency Plan (The Lonely Heart Series) Page 10