“Uh, my father and brother are not those people.”
Tori blew out an exasperated sigh, stopping just before we entered the living room. “You don’t think after what they found out they wouldn’t be a little more concerned? I know you and your father weren’t all that close, but you two are getting better, right?”
“We are, but…”
“Exactly. So I’m sure he’s trying to make up for lost time.”
I considered Tori’s words. I knew that she, more than anyone, would know. She and Jason had known each other for a long time before getting together and then marrying. I sometimes think she was his motivation for changing his self-centered ways.
“Well, they couldn’t possibly think Xavier is anything like Eth—”
“No, of course not. Still, I bet they want to make sure he’s doing right by you.”
“That’s insane,” I retorted, looking down the hall toward where my father’s office was.
“Come on. I have two little people I know would be happy to see you.”
My face lit up as we entered the living room and saw Amalia and Jason Jr. sprawled on the living room floor, watching some cartoon.
“Aunt Nel!” Amalia excitedly greeted me, standing to give me a hug.
My heart swelled as I picked up the little cherub and nuzzled her soft cheek with my nose, causing her to giggle. “Hey, baby. What are you doing?”
“TV!” she pointed at the huge big screen that was playing.
“I see.” I kicked off my heels and sank to the floor on my knees to be closer to Jason Jr.
“Hey, buddy, what’re you watching?”
“Dora,” he answered before standing and giving me a hug.
I released Amalia to allow myself space to sit on the floor cross-legged. She quickly climbed back into my lap. I looked up at Tori, and we both laughed at her precocious toddlers. I played and sang along with Dora and the kids, helping them to pronounce certain words in Spanish that Dora said.
“I’ve been telling Jay we should enroll them in Spanish classes or hire a Spanish nanny part-time. I think it’ll be good for their development and this is the best age to do it,” Tori stated, as she sat down next to me.
“I think that’s an awesome idea. Gabby is fluent in Spanish. Said it was one of the best things she ever did for herself.”
Tori nodded. “Yeah. There’s only so much Dora can teach them.” She smiled and rubbed her hand over Jason Jr.’s head.
I marveled how, even in his profile, Jr. looked so much like my brother. Even their hairlines were shaped the same.
“This will be you one day soon.”
I knew I had to be hearing incorrectly. “What?” I shrieked, causing little Amalia to jump in my lap and look at me with fearful eyes. I cupped her little face and kissed the tip of her nose. “I’m sorry, baby. It’s okay,” I assured her before turning back to her treacherous mother.
“Are you crazy?” I questioned in a whisper. I wanted to fight her when she just gave me a sideways grin. I was about to tell her where she could shove her premonitions when we were interrupted.
“Chanel, I apologize for my absence. I was late from work today,” Marjorie rushed, explaining her lateness.
I picked Amalia up from my lap so that I could stand and greet Marjorie. She looked beautiful in a sleeveless dark blue, polka dot dress that stopped a few inches below her knees. The outfit was topped off by a pair of black strappy heels, and her golden tresses had been pulled back into a bun at the nape of her neck.
“Don’t you look pretty,” she complimented.
I smiled. Marjorie was often complimentary, but it never seemed forced or fake.
“Thank you, Marjorie, you look beautiful as well. No worries about being late. Tori and I were just playing with the kids.”
“Where’s Xavier?” Marjorie’s eyes searched the living room. “For that part, where are your father and Jason?” Her eyes darted between me and Tori, who was still seated on the floor helping Jason Jr. put one of his shoes on.
“They’re in Elliott’s office,” Tori called out, but her head was still turned downward at her son.
“Doing what?” Marjorie wondered.
I shrugged. “I’ve been told Dad and Jay are giving Xavier the third degree about me.” I looked down at Tori. “But they’re probably just discussing business or something.”
Marjorie raised a perfectly arched eyebrow up at me, then looked over at Tori, who I heard give a derisive snort. I shot her a hard look.
“Chanel here doesn’t believe her father or her brother would bother being protective.”
My lips turned downward hearing those words come out of Tori’s mouth. Sure, I’d said them, but they sounded even worse coming out of someone else’s mouth. To add insult to injury, Marjorie gave me a remorseful look as she came closer to stand in front of me, reaching out to grip my shoulders.
“Chanel, you cannot possibly think that, after all that’s happened, your father and brother don’t care.”
“I didn’t say that, nor did I imply it,” I interrupted. “I’m just not used to it. That’s all. Can we drop it? It’s no big deal.”
She gave me another look, staring into my eyes for a few heartbeats before nodding and dropping her hands. Thankfully, as soon as she did, we heard a barrage of footsteps making their way up the hallway.
My father appeared first at the entranceway of the living room. His eyes lit up once he spotted Marjorie. For once, noticing his demeanor change as he looked at his wife, my heart didn’t ache. I actually felt my lips form a smile. When my father broke eye contact with Marjorie, he found me, and his eyes held a similar sparkle.
“Chanel,” he greeted, coming over to plant a kiss on my cheek and pull me into a short embrace that felt natural.
Next, Jay, dressed in dark slacks and a light blue button-up came over to greet me before kneeling to play with the kids a little. Finally, my gaze collided with a pair of dark brown irises I’d been missing since we’d arrived. It hadn’t even been that long, maybe fifteen minutes, but in that short period, I’d missed his presence. And that same look I saw my father give Marjorie just a few seconds prior, I would’ve bet my life, was the same look Xavier gave me when he stepped into the room.
I didn’t even realize my feet were moving until I was a few inches away from him. Silly as it sounds, I sometimes felt like there was a magnetic pull between us, invisible to the naked eye, but powerful.
“Everything okay?” I asked him.
He leaned down, pressing a kiss to my cheek and taking my hand in his. “Why wouldn’t it be?” That question told me he wasn’t about to say what’d been discussed. I angled my head and looked at him through slanted eyes, and his ass had the nerve to grin, causing that dimple that always made my knees a little wobbly, to emerge.
I hated him.
I loved him.
I sighed.
“I hope you all are hungry,” Marjorie began. “Tonight’s dinner is starting off with fried calamari salad, followed by lobster risotto, and dessert will be gelato. I’m going to check to see if they’re ready for us. Elliott, could you come with me?”
Sure enough, my father followed her.
The rest of us made conversation about work, Tori asking Xavier about his restaurants in Vegas. I loved the way his face brightened as he spoke about his progress in Vegas. My chest tightened a little bit when he mentioned that he’d have to fly out there again this Sunday evening, for at least a week, and then he’d be on the east coast for another few days, doing some business. Like I’d told Wanda, I adored his ambition and drive, but I did hate how it took him away so often.
I remembered something my mom had told me early on. “If you don’t want to settle for a broke man, you’re going to have to settle for a busy man.” She’d shared that little tidbit when I was about eight years old and asked yet again why my father rarely ate dinner with us. I know now he wasn’t always working, but her advice wasn’t a fabrication. Both my father and
Xavier owned wildly successful businesses that pulled their attention in a lot of different directions.
“You okay?” His whisper in my ear caused a trail of goosebumps down my arm.
I stared up at him and gave him the same answer he’d given me earlier. “Why wouldn’t I be?”
He raised an eyebrow. “Touché.”
“We’re ready,” Marjorie called as she and my father returned to the living room.
Xavier’s hand went to the small of my back as he escorted us down the long hallway to the dining room. My nose was hit by the different aromas in the kitchen, and my stomach began to growl.
“Someone’s hungry,” Xavier chuckled low in my ear.
“I haven’t eaten since a late morning snack,” I said.
His face turned serious, and his lips formed a frown on his beautifully masculine face. “You didn’t have lunch?” he asked as he held one of the black wooden dining room chairs out for me.
I waited for him to take his seat next to me before answering. “I kinda forgot,” I admitted.
“What’re you two whispering about over there?” Jay asked as he sat across from Xavier.
“Your sister hasn’t eaten since this morning. She skipped lunch.” He had the nerve to look at me accusingly.
I gave him a glare right back for ratting me out.
“That’s not good, Chanel.”
My mouth nearly dropped open at my father’s interjection.
“Leave her be, Elliott. I know there are days either you or Jason are running so much, you miss lunch or have it extremely late,” Marjorie defended.
“Yeah, well at Combs and Combs we take care of our employees,” Jay interjected.
Soon enough, the caterers Marjorie had hired served our salads, and conversation of my missed meal drifted away. Tori told us about the art classes she was taking, and their idea to hire a part-time, Spanish-speaking nanny. And despite Marjorie’s rule of no talking business at the dinner table, discussion of Xavier’s restaurants in Vegas came up as Marjorie asked about the design of the restaurants.
She talked about how her love of design almost made her pursue a degree in interior design, but ultimately it was her love of engineering and the challenge that’d won her over. The conversation easily flowed, even at one point coming around to the dance classes I took twice a week with Gabby. I’d invited Tori some time ago, but one of the kids had gotten sick that night, and she couldn’t make it.
By the time dessert was served, I’d encouraged both Tori and Marjorie to come one Wednesday night when they were available. I could barely believe my ears, but those words had definitely come from my mouth. And the most surprising part was that I didn’t regret inviting Marjorie. I genuinely liked her.
Maybe the best part about my realization was that I wasn’t questioning it either. I didn’t need to figure out what it was about her that won me over, or have to make up a story in my mind about devotion to my deceased mother as an excuse not to like Marjorie. The past was the past, and I was working on letting it go. In the back of my mind, I believed my mother wouldn’t have wanted me to hang on to old stuff anyway.
****
“Chanel, can I speak with you in my office?” my father asked as we continued our conversation and dessert out on the patio.
I blinked, a little surprised. Meanwhile, everyone around us continued with what they were doing, making me think most of them had already known my father would be asking to speak with me. I looked over at Xavier next to me, who tossed me an encouraging nod before returning to his conversation with Jason.
“Sure,” I agreed, standing and following my father into the house and down the hall to his office.
He waited for me to enter before closing the door behind me.
“Please, take a seat on the couch,” he requested, indicating the brown leather couch on the left.
He smiled when I gave him a wary look.
We both sat on opposite ends of the couch, facing one another.
“No sense in beating around the bush. Xavier’s already told me that he told you I requested your presence tonight.”
“He did.”
“He’s honest and direct. I’ve always liked that about him. I just wanted to officially ask you to work for the family firm.”
I sat back, blowing out the breath I’d been holding. The usual tension I felt whenever he or Jason asked about my joining the firm didn’t appear. My father and I had talked more lately, but he hadn’t brought up my joining the firm in a while. I remained silent, my mind working.
“It would be a big transition. I’m in the middle of a handful of cases right now, and I’ve only been with my current firm for about a year. I don’t want my clients to see me as a flake or feel like I bailed on them.” I was just thinking out loud about all the details I would have to consider, but my father responded.
“You would be more than welcome to bring over your clients. And you’re too good of an attorney to be seen as a flake. You’ve built a solid reputation in the nearly six years you’ve been practicing.”
I looked over at him. “I’d still practice under mom’s maiden name,” I warned.
He inclined his head. “That’s fine, but clients and much of the legal world already know you’re my daughter.”
I sighed, agreeing. Using my mother’s maiden name worked well enough in L.A. and when I first began practicing in Houston, but after that article, it was no secret any longer. I didn’t resent that either. As my father stated, I’d made a decent enough reputation on my own without use of the name Combs.
“How about this? I will give you until the end of next week. We’ll meet again, just you and me, and maybe Jason. We’ll have lunch and hash out the important details. Then, you can give us your answer?” The look of hope on my father’s face is what struck me.
“Why?” spilled from my lips without warning. “I mean, I know I’ve asked you this before, but it’s still difficult for me to wrap my head around it. Why now? Why do you want me to work with you guys? Jay’s there, and he’s doing a hell of a job. You reared him for this his whole life, practically. So what is it you gain from having me come on board?”
“I want my family together.”
That answer stunned me. My mouth nearly flopped open.
“One of my biggest regrets was not supporting your decision to attend law school and your subsequent career. I want to change that. I want you to feel part of our family.”
My mouth worked as I tried to speak, but a lump in my throat had formed. I’d wanted to hear these words from my father for years. I looked around his office as I tried to settle my unruly emotions. His desk and bookshelves caught my attention.
“You know I used to sneak into your office as a kid?” I looked over at him, but I didn’t give him time to respond. “At first, I wanted to see the world you never let me be a part of but showed to Jason. I would pull a random legal book from the shelf and could barely understand the words in it, but I kept trying to read it, hoping it would give me a better understanding of you. I thought if I knew something about law, you’d like me just a little more. I stopped hoping after my tenth birthday.”
His gaze lowered to the floor.
“After that, I stopped reading them for you and started reading them for me,” I continued. “I found that I had an interest in the legal jargon. It was still difficult to understand, but I would ask teachers and go to the library to look things up. I did it to teach myself, not to endear myself to you, but because I loved it.” I don’t know why I felt the need to share that, but I did.
“Did you ever love my mother?” I asked unexpectedly.
He looked at me surprised. “I…of course I did, but over the years things changed.”
“Did you miss her after she died?”
“I did. I felt lost for a long time after her death. Lost and guilty.”
“Is that why you decided to go to therapy?”
“It took a while for me to get my head out of my own ass, but e
ventually I knew I needed help. About a year a half into it, I met Marjorie. I would never be able to sustain this type of relationship, had I not sought help in the first place. That’s why I’m glad you’ve made the decision to see a therapist.”
“I am too.” There was a beat of silence.
“I’d have to give my current job two weeks’ notice,” I added.
My father’s eyes began smiling even before his mouth did. “That’s standard.”
“And we’d have to negotiate my salary.”
“We’ll double what you’re currently making, and of course, you’d get part ownership of the firm, just like Jason.”
“Double my salary? That’s a lot.” I already made well into the six-figure range.
“You’ll earn it. Eventually, you will be leading the family law division.”
“I want the ability to take on at least two pro bono cases a year.” I’d had more than a handful of clients who’d been victims of abuse and could barely afford to pay for a decent attorney, which often led to them being abused even more by their spouses.
“That can be arranged,” my father agreed.
I lowered my head, pondering. “It’s a deal.” I stood and stuck out my hand. But my father surprised me as he stood and pulled me into a hug.
“Two hugs in one night. That’s got to be a record for us,” I joked.
My father laughed as he walked to the door to open it for me. I came up short, almost bumping into Jason, who was standing in the doorway.
“Did you agree yet?”
I laughed.
“Jason, meet the newest family attorney at Combs and Combs,” my father stated, pride filling his voice.
“Fucking finally!” Jason clapped and pulled me into a hug.
If someone would’ve told me a year ago that I’d be laughing with Jason and my father in his home, after just agreeing to work at the family firm, I would’ve laughed in their face. But that had become my reality and it felt good. I didn’t even have to question whether this was what healing felt like. I knew it.
Chapter Thirteen
Xavier
“You had a good talk with your father?” I looked over at Chanel, who was looking serene in my passenger seat. There was a peaceful look on her face that was only enhanced as she smiled at my question, her eyes shut.
Safe Space II: The Finale Page 16