Making Time

by C. J. Harte

  “No! I’ve not been great with relationships, and I couldn’t imagine parenting.”

  “Natalie being pregnant didn’t scare you, then?”

  “You needed to know Natalie. Anything she did she did with such enthusiasm. She was infectious. It was a part of who she was. If you loved her, you loved the things she did and that included her child. Michel has much of his mother in him. Parenting was never a question. It just was.” Mia’s smile began to fade. “I still miss her.”

  Mia reached for Teri’s hand. “Stay with me tonight. I’m not on drugs and I will remember I’m asking.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Just hold me.”

  Teri pulled off her shoes and nodded. She crept into bed and soon Mia’s head was resting on her shoulder. Teri was in heaven. “How did Natalie die?”

  “She worked for physicians who were active in Doctors Without Borders. She was injured by a landmine in Afghanistan. When she arrived in Paris, she was almost gone. She hung on for another three weeks. I lived at the hospital.” Mia snuggled closer. “I didn’t realize how much I loved her until I sat there realizing she was never coming back. Then one day the machines started beeping, and I knew Natalie didn’t want to live on a machine. I had to let her ago.”

  Teri brushed tears away. She couldn’t imagine losing someone you loved that much. Teri looked at her own life and realized how easy it had been. Mia had lost her lover and become a single parent. At the same time, she was facing the loss of one parent and nearly lost the other. Teri put both arms around her, as if that single act could push away pain and protect Mia from hurt. Teri then remembered her own behavior. She had been as guilty of causing Mia pain.

  “Natalie must have been an incredible person. You must miss her.”

  Mia closed her eyes. “I do love you, Nat.”

  Teri’s heart could have stopped. It was the second time Mia had said that. Did she miss Natalie so much that no one would ever fill her place? As soon as Mia was asleep, Teri left. She was beginning to hurt. She couldn’t stay away and she couldn’t stay.

  *

  Staying away from Mia for a week did little to resolve her feelings for or about Mia. Teri was short-tempered with staff, had trouble focusing, and had to reread even her e-mails several times.

  “Theresa, why aren’t we closing this deal?” Teri just stared at her father. “I wanted this done before October first, and it’s mid-September. You haven’t been focused.”

  “Father, Pamela Milton is a liability and the company has hidden assets. We cannot proceed until I’m absolutely sure we won’t end up acquiring their problems.”

  “From what you have told me, Pamela Milton hasn’t done anything to jeopardize the merger.”

  “Damn it, her behavior is unacceptable. Harassment is not tolerated in the corporate world.”

  “She was at a party. We don’t know if there hadn’t been something going on between Pamela Milton and what’s her name?”

  Teri slapped her hand on the table. “As long as I run this company, we will have zero tolerance for sexual harassment, in any situation. Mia Daniels did nothing to deserve the behavior, and I have sworn statements that Pamela Milton was the aggressor.”

  Her father stood in front of her. “I don’t care about Mia Daniels or Pamela Milton. Do whatever you need to do to fix this and close on the merger. Do you understand me? I want it done. The board wants it done. And I want Jeremy to break off his engagement. Are you going to take care of this or do I need to?”

  “I’ll take care of this in my way. Jeremy has already set the date for his wedding. If you choose not to go, then you’ll be the only one to blame if Jeremy and Elaine don’t come for a visit.”

  “I’ll talk to him then. What’s gotten into you lately?”

  “I’m going to run this company the way I want until I’m removed from office.”

  “That may happen.” Her father stormed out of her office.

  “What’s going on?” Bren walked in without waiting to be announced. “Father looked furious.”

  Teri shook her head and sat down. “He doesn’t care about Pamela Milton’s behavior. He wants Jeremy to end the engagement. And”—Teri felt every inch of her body tense—“he wants to blame Mia for the unwanted attention from Pamela.” She looked down at her hands. Her knuckles were white. “How dare he try to blame Mia?” She looked at Bren. “He even threatened to remove me as C.O.O.”

  Bren stood behind her. “The board will never go along with that. I’ll start feeling them out. Maybe it’s time for Father to retire.”

  “Maybe it’s time for me to step down. I don’t want to keep doing things this way. I won’t let anyone hurt Mia again.”

  Bren sat on the edge of Teri’s desk. “You’re in love with her! I can’t believe you’re actually considering stepping away from all this. My sister’s in love. I don’t believe it.”

  “This isn’t about Mia.”

  “The hell it isn’t.”

  “I don’t want to end up like our parents. Such snobs. And I will not tolerate Pamela Milton. I’d rather pass on the merger.” Teri got up and looked out at the city. “Milton has quite a reputation, and there’s no way we would ever consider having her in any position in our company.” She turned and looked at Bren. “I don’t know Elaine, but I see how happy Jeremy is. I told Father that it was his choice whether or not to support Jeremy’s decision. I want Jer to be happy and Elaine makes him happy. He’s so lucky to have Elaine.”

  “And what about you and Mia?”

  “Bren, I don’t know what to do. She’s still in love with Natalie. I don’t know if I can give her that kind of love. I don’t know how. Besides, she doesn’t readily accept anything I do for her.”

  “That’s not true. She let you bring her family here. Her brother and sister-in-law are arriving tomorrow.”

  “That’s it. All those things are for her family, not her.”

  Bren stared at her. “You idiot. That’s what’s important to Mia now. Don’t you realize how much that means to her? Why aren’t you spending time with her? Why are you sitting here?”

  “Because she loves Natalie. I remind her of Natalie.”

  Bren smacked Teri on the back of the head and walked toward the door. “Come with me. I need to show you something.”

  Teri followed Bren into her office. Bren pulled out her cell phone and started scrolling. “Here’s a picture of Jeremy, Mia, and Mia’s college sweetheart.” Teri looked at the picture of three young faces. “Here’s another girlfriend. And another. Here’s her English girlfriend. Here’s Natalie. What do you think they all have in common?”

  Teri was numb. Each one looked enough like her that Teri could easily have imagined herself in each photo.

  “Mia kept falling in love with you—or someone who looks like you. Natalie called her on it but loved Mia in spite of you. I don’t doubt that Mia and Natalie would have made it work if Natalie had lived. Natalie was so in love with Mia, and Mia was finally allowing someone to love her. Teri, Mia needs you. She may not want to admit it, but she does.”

  “What can I do for her? She sometimes seems like a porcupine.”

  Bren laughed. “You should talk. She needs to know that you’ll be there for her. She needs to trust you.”

  “And how the hell do I do that?”

  “Do something for her family. Show her that you not only care for her but the people she loves.”

  Teri remembered the conversation on the plane. “Her father wants to walk her down the aisle. They were talking about it when we were coming to New York. Her parents wanted to spoil grandchildren and walk Mia down the aisle.”

  “Then if you really love Mia, marry her. But only if you really love her and plan on a long-term commitment. And realize Mother and Father may not be happy.”

  “I don’t know if I can love her the way Natalie did, but I’m willing to try. I’m willing to spend the rest of my life trying to make her happy, if that’s what it takes.” S
he turned to Bren. “What do we need to do? What about the merger?”

  “One step at a time.” Bren’s smile was reassuring. “Let’s get you married. You need to ask Mia first, but you better get a ring.”

  For the first time in years, both Teri and Bren left the office early. Bren helped Teri pick out a ring, then picked out something for Teri to wear. Teri was nervous, but somehow, she knew Mia would make her happy.

  Teri drove to Mia’s. She needed to talk with Mia’s parents first. Mia’s father was old-fashioned enough to expect Teri to speak with him first.

  “Teri, come on in.” Mia’s mother opened the door. “We hadn’t seen you since we got settled in. Tom and I want to thank you.”

  “Is Mr. Daniels available? I’d like to talk to you both.”

  “Is something wrong?”

  Teri couldn’t remember the last time she had been this nervous. What if Mia’s parents objected? They certainly had reason. “No!” She fidgeted in the doorway. “I just need to ask you something important.”

  “Mia isn’t home yet. Do you need to speak to her?” She led Teri into the home office where Tom Daniels was reviewing merger documents. “Tom, look who’s here.”

  Teri looked at her former mentor and time stood still. Tom Daniels had shown her such kindness and gentleness, even when she knew she was having temper tantrums. She was reminded of her grandmother’s unconditional love. He had given her the same love and respect. Tears threatened. She took a deep breath and gathered her courage. She did know about love but had forgotten.

  “I know how important Mia’s family is to her. So I’m asking your blessing. I want to ask Mia to marry me. I’m well aware of our past history and that Mia would never do anything that her family didn’t approve of.”

  Teri now knew what the defendant in a trial felt like, awaiting the jury’s decision. Her life was on hold. She looked from Mia’s mother to her father. Time seemed to drag as they looked at each other. Teri couldn’t read their expressions. Her happiness was in their hands. This was a rare and uncomfortable position for Teri.

  Finally, Tom Daniels spoke. “Teri, you haven’t been around much this week.”

  “No, sir. I could claim that I was busy at the office. Even though that’s true, that’s not the real reason. I care so much for Mia that most of the time I feel like a bumbling teenager. Worse, I’ve realized that I behaved selfishly and without cause too many times around Mia. Why she doesn’t hate me I don’t understand. I also doubted that I would know how to love her the way she needed. That’s sounds so lame, but it’s true.”

  “And now?”

  “I’ve been miserable all week. The only time I’m happy is when I’m around her. She makes me laugh. She makes me forget that I’m a Stanton. She makes me want to be the kind of woman she could be proud of.” Teri looked down at her trembling hands. “So many years ago, you both made me feel part of your family, welcomed me into your home, and helped me to belong. I almost forgot that. There’s a possibility that my father may try to remove me as C.O.O. I want to let you know that financially, I’ll still be able to take care of my new family. You and Mia are more important than any job or title.”

  “I hope that doesn’t happen. If it does, it may mean a big change in your life.”

  “Sir, I know that. I’m not sure how I will deal with it, but I choose Mia over work.”

  “Jobs will come and go.” Lisa Daniels’s voice was just as steady as her eye contact. Teri had no doubt she was referring to the abrupt job transfer years ago. Teri didn’t look away. “You can get some temporary feeling of joy from them, but the job will not heal a wounded heart. It’s not going to give your life the inner strength that love can.” She reached for her husband’s hand. “We’ve taught our children to put family and their personal lives first. I have no doubt you care about Mia. I’ve seen it in the way you look at her, the way you talk to her. I just didn’t think you knew it. If you can put her first, you have our blessing. Thank you for asking even though we know Mia’s the one who has to say yes.”

  Teri took a deep breath and relaxed. She welcomed the hugs from both Mia’s parents. Mia’s father pulled out the Scotch and poured them all a drink. When Michel arrived home from school, she sat on the floor with him and played with his Legos. They had just completed building a large castle when Mia arrived.

  “Where’s my camera?” Mia said. “Here’s Teri Stanton in her very expensive clothes and shoes, sitting on the floor, surrounded by plastic building blocks.”

  “Mama,” Michel jumped up, causing the not too stable castle to cascade down on Teri’s lap.

  Mia’s smile was worth the shoe filled with blocks and the chocolate milk stain on her pants leg. A heat was building inside her chest. She loved Mia. She made a silly face and Mia laughed.

  “Now I definitely need my camera. That picture should go on your corporate website.” Mia put out her hand to help Teri stand. “That would certainly put a different face on Theresa Stanton’s image.”

  Teri was standing close enough to smell Mia’s sweet scent. She closed her eyes briefly and memorized the smell. “I’m not sure Stanton Enterprises is quite ready for that big a change. I’ll remember your offer though.” She took in all of Mia. “You look wonderful.”

  Mia’s expression became more serious. “You disappeared.”

  “Yes. I had some things I had to take care of. I won’t be disappearing again.” Teri knew she had an uphill battle, but she was ready. “How’s your arm?”

  “I go next week and they’ll x-ray it. Hopefully, the cast will be off permanently or at least a shorter one. This long one has more to do with my wrist than the broken bone.” Mia’s scrutiny made Teri uncomfortable. “You haven’t even called. You said you wouldn’t disappear. Is this a way to get even?”

  “No. Getting even is the last thing on my mind.” She stroked Mia’s good arm. “I’m sorry. I didn’t want to wear out my welcome.”

  “Have I or my family done something to make you feel that way?”

  “No! It was me not you.” Teri squeezed Mia’s hand. Her hand was a lifeline to a world that Teri no longer was a part of. A world of people, family, friends. This was an awkward moment, and she didn’t know what to do. “Do you need to change clothes? Your mom is fixing dinner. I can help you change.”

  Mia’s head tilted as if she wanted to ask a question. She just stared. Finally, Mia nodded.

  CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR

  Mia had missed Teri. Walking in and finding Teri sitting on the floor had been a pleasant surprise. Once she was over the initial shock of seeing Teri, her reserve kicked in. What did she want from Teri? She no longer knew. She was sure she had put the infatuation away.

  “Thank you, Teri. I’ll get my mom to help.”

  “I think she’s deep in flour or something. I don’t mind.”

  Something was different. Teri didn’t seem as arrogant or assured. “Fine.” She brushed Michel’s hair. “You wait here and let Mama change. I’ll be right back.”

  Once in her bedroom, she was nervous. She had spent so much time alone with Teri, and still, she was unsure of what was going on between them. She lifted the sling off her neck. Teri gently pulled it off. Teri’s every movement screamed tenderness. Mia felt treasured. She was able to undress and get dressed without any feeling of awkwardness. Teri sat on the floor and tied Mia’s tennis shoes. The look on Teri’s face was priceless. Her tongue was sticking out of the side of her mouth as she tied the laces.

  “Thank you.” Mia lifted Teri’s chin. “For everything.” Something was changing. Mia could feel healing beginning. “Let’s go see what my mom’s cooking.”

  Teri remained sitting on the floor. “Wait!” Mia stopped at the door. “There’s something I need to talk to you about.” Teri stood and stuck both hands in her pockets. Teri looked everywhere but at her.

  “Can it wait until after dinner?”

  “I need to do this now.”

  “O-kay.”

  “
Mia, you are the most amazing woman I have ever known. This past week I’ve been miserable missing you. I know there’s no excuse for my not being in touch, but I was afraid you might not want to see me. Not much scares me, but I would’ve been devastated if you told me to go away. Again. Being away was worse. I want to spend every free moment getting to know you. Every song you love to sing. Every wine you like to drink. Your favorite books. If you snore at night.”

  “I don’t snore!” Mia smiled anyway.

  “I don’t care if you do or not.” Teri pulled a small Tiffany box out of her pocket and opened it. “I’ve fallen in love with you, and I don’t want to imagine a life without you. Marry me, Mia Daniels.”

  “Marry you? Teri, most of the time I wasn’t even sure if you liked me.”

  Teri reached for Mia’s good hand. “Why would you think that?”

  There were so many things she could point to, but Teri’s declaration of love was totally unexpected. “Teri, what happened to my being a manipulative liar? What about my being so difficult?”

  “You can’t imagine how sorry I am for any and all the things I’ve said. Even more, I’m sorry I’ve been such an asshole. To you, to Brenna and Jeremy. To so many people. You’ve made me realize there is so much I’ve been missing in life. Knowing you has made me want to be a better person.”

  “I had no idea you felt this way.”

  “No one has dared to even suggest taking me shopping, and I’ve been shopping more times with you than in my whole life. You got me to buy jeans and hiking boots and dragged me up some mountain at zero dark thirty. I know how much you loved Natalie, and I didn’t think you could feel that way about anyone else. Especially me. But, Mia, I don’t care. I’ve been miserable this week and made everyone else miserable. I’ve felt empty without you. You’re a breath of fresh air in my black-and-white life. Please tell me I haven’t ruined a chance to show you how much I love you.” Teri moved the ring closer to Mia. “Put color back in my life.”

  Mia was speechless. Teri was standing there with an obviously expensive engagement ring in her hand. It was a large, marquise cut solitaire diamond with smaller emeralds on either side. It had to be at least one carat. Mia recognized the look on Teri’s face. She expected to be turned down. For the first time ever, Teri looked vulnerable.