STAY THE NIGHT (The Phillips Family Book 1)

by Vicki Keener

  “If the content is what you expect, how will you grade this paper? You don't teach English.”

  “I tell my students at the beginning of each semester that they'll be graded on content and their ability to express themselves in writing. Content counts for eighty percent of the grade and their writing twenty percent.”

  “In other words, if the content is dead on, but the writing is bad, you give them an eighty.”

  “Right. Seldom is the content perfect so eighty percent is rare. I'm tough, they realize it and by the end of the semester, they improve, squeak by or fail. It's up to them. They don't have Mom and Dad nagging them to apply themselves.”

  “Is there one group over another that excels?”

  “I can't prove it because I don't access their background, but my experience tells me that as I get to know the students better, it's the kids there with scholarship help or financing their way through college with loans who take it more seriously than those whose parents are footing the entire bill. That certainly can't pertain to every student and it's just a hunch of mine. I'll tell you one thing for sure. Students who are a bit older than the average freshman or who have served in the military always apply themselves.”

  “That makes sense. They've experienced life and gotten knocked around a bit.”

  “How did you do in college?”

  “I did fine. I had no choice. My parents sent us to a private school. Small classes, constant monitoring, tutors if necessary.”

  “Did you go wild when you went away to college?” she asked.

  “Yes, but by that time I'd learned how to study, take notes, get the meat out of the subject in high school. I put in the necessary work with loads of time for extracurricular activities. I rebelled to the extent that I refused to become a lawyer.”

  “Did it cause problems?”

  “Hell, yes. A lot of ranting and raving took place at home. It got so bad I didn't go home for a full year. I worked over breaks and the summer to keep a roof over my head and food in my belly. Dad threatened to stop paying my tuition, but he never did.”

  “Was it that bad for Mona?”

  “No, I paved the way and by that time my three brothers were on the way to becoming attorneys, so I guess they figured it didn't pay to fight Mona. Three out of five isn't bad.”

  Angelica yawned and said, “Let's go to bed. I'll finish this in the back of the cab tomorrow on the way to school.”

  Angel looked forward to spring break as much as the students did. Cray came bounding in the door and she met him in the foyer. He lifted her off her feet, swung her in a circle and said, “Pack a suitcase full of bikinis. We're flying to Aruba tomorrow as soon as you get home.”

  “What? Are you crazy? Our wedding is in eight weeks and we're taking a three-month honeymoon.”

  He walked her backwards toward their bedroom, kept kissing her as he moved her and said, “Sunshine, warm days, hot nights, sandy beaches, waves lapping on the shore, rum drinks with tiny umbrellas in them, long walks in the moonlight, you in my arms, me making love to you. Tell me that doesn't sound appealing.”

  “It sounds wonderful.”

  “You're sick of these gloomy days, so am I. I want to feel your sun-kissed lips against mine, your sleek, tan legs wrapped around me, your milky white breasts rubbing against my bare chest, see your half-closed dreamy eyes as you're coming lock on mine, the hint of a smile when you achieve your goal. Let's pack, darling.”

  He had her on the bed by that time and she said, “Let's make love first.”

  “I thought you'd never ask.” He smiled and began to undress her as she did the same to him.

  Five days later in the luxurious hotel suite bathroom as they showered together in preparation to dress for dinner, Cray's hand traced the outline of her bikini on her naked body. “You're starting to tan a little. I can see the bikini lines.”

  Her hand rubbed over the only white area of his body. “I can't help I have to take the sun in small doses because I'm so fair. Look at you. The lines of demarcation are astonishing after five days. I envy your brown body.”

  “And I adore your silky, almost translucent skin, every square inch of it.”

  “Do you realize how spoiled we've become in a few days time? Make love, laze on the beach, eat a quick lunch, make love, more beach time and shopping, make love, shower together, dress, dine, take a moonlight stroll and make love again before sleep. We're so decadent, but in two days we're back to harsh reality and cold weather.”

  “Should we become beach bums? I can afford it. We may need to pick up shells off the beach after a storm, clean them and sell them to tourists for extra spending money, but the rest of each day we can loaf like we've been doing.”

  She smiled and scrubbed his hair with shampoo. “That's not us. We're both driven in our own way.”

  Crays cell phone rang while they dressed for dinner. “It's Mona, I better take it. Hey, Mona. This better be good.” He listened while she talked and then said, “Mona, your instincts are spot on, so put a package together and go for it. No, I'm not trying to bolster your confidence. Well, maybe I am. Look, Mona, I trust your business acumen. I need you to trust it, too. I wouldn't have named you COO and be leaving the company in your hands for three months this summer if I didn't believe you can do it. I may be madly in love, but I'm not stupid enough to let everything I worked for the past twelve years go down the drain. You're welcome. I'll tell her and I'll see you Monday. Thanks, Mona. You're the best.”

  “Is she still doubting herself?” Angel asked.

  “Mona says hi. Yes, and I do understand her apprehension. It's my company and my money at stake. It unnerves her to make these big decisions and put millions of dollars on the line without my blessing. I'd feel the same way if our roles were reversed.”

  “Why don't you give her an equity stake in the company? We're not planning on having children to inherit the business.”

  Cray began to nod before Angelica finished her sentence. “It's a good idea. I'll get our attorneys on it first thing Monday.” He put his arms around her and said, “It's nice having a partner to bounce things off of and especially one who's gorgeous and sooooooo sexy.”

  She laughed and said, “An insatiable handsome hunk like you deserves a gorgeous, sexy partner like me.”

  “Aren't we proud of ourselves?” he said, wrapping his arm around her waist and ushering her out of their suite.

  The last two weeks of March Angelica finished the wedding plans with the help of Gwen while Cray met with his attorneys and offered Mona twenty-five percent share of his company. Angelica's classes ended at two in the afternoon and Cray met her at the university in a taxi during the first week of April. From there they visited health clinics and schools in some of the poorest city neighborhoods, talked to the superintendents, directors and doctors to get a feel of where the Angel Foundation could do the most good without divulging their intentions.

  It didn't take long for the overwhelming need to become apparent. They saw and heard about so many children, some needing corrective eye surgery, others in need of cleft palate repair and many in need of speech therapy or extra tutoring because they suffered from dyslexia. Teachers from schools and doctors who volunteered at the clinic came forward with lists of children who deserved to be the first recipients of the largess.

  Cray enlisted the help of doctors he knew, who in turn knew surgeons who'd donate their time and expertise to keep the costs lower. He placed a conference call to his dad and his brothers and asked them to work pro bono to prepare ironclad documents to keep everything legal and safe for all parties. His family's law firm had a private investigator on staff who had a brother in the city who did the same kind of work and called him. Anthony Mazoni called Cray and offered his services to vet the families free of charge.

  Mona and Freddie joined the te
am and many nights Cray, Angel, Freddie and Mona sat around the dining room table, eating take-out food Cray ordered delivered while they organized the numerous items that must be done before the help took place. Freddie Winthrop proved to be a valuable asset. His family had billions and their friends had billions. He seemed to be friends with everyone in the city who had untold wealth and he offered to plead their case.

  Cray said, “Freddie, we aren't a federally recognized charity, so please make it clear to those you contact that their donations are not tax deductible.”

  “A hundred grand to these people is pocket money,” Freddie said. He grinned, “I'm not just a pretty rich boy, you know. I handle a lot of these people's money in my brokerage firm plus I'm privy to where the skeletons are buried.”

  Cray laughed and said, “No blackmail, Freddie.”

  Angelica said, “Mona and Freddie, I realize you're busy with your business and personal obligations, but since Cray and I will be away for the summer, will you oversee and run the organization?” They agreed and the first board of the Angel Foundation was formed.

  The time approached for Angelica's family to arrive and the closer it got, the more concerned Angelica became. Cray noticed she seemed distracted and how many times she asked him to repeat something he'd told her. He mentioned it to Mona and she said, “Cray, whatever it is it has nothing to do with marrying you. Why don't you come right out and ask her?”

  “I can't, Mona. If she tells me she's having second thoughts about marrying me, I won't handle it well. I mean we haven't known each other six months.”

  “Are you the one sending signals that you're getting cold feet?”

  “No. As silly as it sounds, I would have married her the first week we met.”

  Mona lifted her cell phone and dialed. “Hey, Angie, it's Mona. You're not going to believe me, but it's true. Last night I put on my domestic attire and made a huge pot of spaghetti sauce that will take me a year to eat. How about coming to my place for spaghetti and meatballs tonight. Cray's here and wants to come if you don't count him clutching his throat as though he's dying from a dose of poison. Great. I'll look for you two any time after six-thirty. Thanks for helping a friend.”

  She closed her phone, grinned at Cray and said, “I'll find out what's bothering her, although she sounded fine to me.”

  “Promise me you'll be subtle. I can picture you saying: Hey, Cray thinks you don't want to marry him.”

  “Get out of here. I'm not that bad.”

  “Yes, Mona, you are.”

  “I won't blurt and I'm leaving work early to put the dinner together.”

  “Did you really make sauce last night?”

  “No, Cray. I thought it okay to lie to my sister and stop on the way home for some jars of sauce and hide the evidence before you get there. You dope.”

  He had the good sense to appear ashamed. “Guess I better get out of here before I say something wrong.”

  “More like shove your foot further down your throat.”

  Later as the three of them ate spaghetti, salad and garlic toast at Mona's she noticed that Angie seemed lost in thought and didn't pay attention to the conversation unless asked a direct question and then needed to have it repeated. Mona said, “Angie, what's bothering you?”

  Angelica rested her fork on the dinner plate and said, “My family will be here in three days for over two weeks. We have lots of things planned, but they're not going to want to be doing the same thing. My parents will enjoy the opera and the plays, but my siblings will balk, especially Darja and Dirk. They hate stuff like that. Bekka will go along with anything whether it pleases her or not, but the other two will do a lot of eye rolling and sighing. It's going to make me a nervous wreck because I read them so well.”

  “Dirk told me he'd like to go clubbing while he's here and see some of the nightlife. Why don't I take care of Dirk and Darja? Freddie will go along, so we're a mixed foursome. If Bekka wants to join us, I know a ton of single guys who'll be happy to go with us. You and Cray concentrate on keeping your parents occupied as their energy permits.”

  Angelica said, “Oh, Mona, how can I ever thank you? That will work. Cray, we can be sedate and cultured with my parents. My family has no idea how expensive everything is in this city. I did plan on giving them cash so they won't feel beholden, but I don't want to insult them either.”

  “I'll give Freddie the word,” Mona said. “He'll pick up the tab at the clubs and we can settle later.”

  “Oh, I feel so much better.”

  Chapter 15

  Cray hired a stretch limo to accommodate the Andersson family and their luggage from JFK airport to his condo. Mona insisted on going along in order to meet Dirk, who she'd been communicating with via Skype since Christmas. At the arrival gates, Cray took the driver's cell phone number to call him when they were ready to head back to the city. He had his arms around Angelica and Mona as they walked to Norwegian Airline's terminal arrival area to await the reunion and introductions to his future bride's family.

  “You nervous?” Mona asked him as they found seats.

  “A little. Is it that obvious? I do want them to approve of Angel's choice.”

  Angel laughed and said, “They'll love you, honey, and if they don't it doesn't matter because I love you.”

  “Is that supposed to make me feel better, the fact that they might hate me, but that's okay with you?”

  Mona winked at Angie and they both laughed. An attendant announced the arrival of the flight from Oslo and Angelica stood. Cray said, “It's a huge plane, honey, and it will take time before they begin to disembark.”

  “Yes, I know, but I can't sit still. It's been over a year since I've seen my mother. I was supposed to go there over Christmas, but I canceled the trip.”

  “You canceled? Why?”

  “Because I met you.”

  “You didn't say a word.”

  “How could I? I met you the night before I canceled. I couldn't very well tell you that I fell in love with you the moment you took my hand and introduced yourself. You would have thought me demented.”

  He grinned. “I wasn't going anywhere. I would have been here when you got home.”

  “I didn't want to take the chance of you finding someone else.”

  “Ain't love grand,” Mona said.

  “You're jealous,” Cray said.

  “Damn straight I am. Since seeing you two, I'll accept no less.”

  “You shouldn't, Mona,” Cray said.

  “Mamma, Pappa,” Angelica cried running to embrace her parents, tears flooding her face. After a warm greeting, she stepped between them holding each one's hand and lead them toward Cray and Mona. “Mamma, Pappa, you met Cray and Mona at Christmas through the computer. I'll introduce you properly now.” She made the introductions and said, “Where are the others?”

  “We're here,” Darja said, running to embrace Angelica. “We got stuck in the back of the plane.”

  Cray's mother, born and raised in Alabama, became a Yankee when she married her husband, but she raised her sons to be Southern gentlemen. Cray's early years of training kicked in and with courteous, gracious manners he charmed the Andersson women, casting a spell over them.

  Angelica smiled at his courtliness while Mona smirked. The two women glanced at each other and their grins widened. On the way to baggage claim, Mona paired with Dirk, Cray walked between the parents with Mamma's hand tucked in his bent arm and his other arm brushing against Pappa. Angelica walked between her sisters and asked loads of questions about their trip and what they wanted to do while here. A more congenial group couldn't be found.

  At baggage claim, Cray hailed a bellhop, slipped a large bill in the man's hand and said in a low voice, “There will be a lot of bags. Handle them with care and I'll show my gratitude. We're in a stretch limo t
hat I'm calling now.”

  The driver of the limo and the man handling the luggage loaded the trunk while Cray helped the women in the limo, got them situated, showed the men where to sit and then climbed in beside Angelica after handing the luggage handler another large bill. The man bowed and wished them a good evening.

  Celena, Angelica's mother said in halting English, “Everyone is so nice here.”

  Darja burst out laughing and said, “Mamma, they're nice because Cray is handing them money. Cray, I love this car. Is it yours?”

  “No, Darja, I wouldn't be able to find a place to park if it were mine.”

  “I bet you ride in limousines a lot though.”

  “We ride the subway and taxicabs, too,” Angelica said. “Most people who live in the city don't own a car.”

  “If that's true, then I prefer to ride in limos,” Darja said.

  Agust, Angelica's father, said in Norwegian, “Darja, don't be impertinent. We're guests in this country.”

  Angelica said in English, “Pappa she's not impertinent. She's expressing her preference and that's okay. New York City is overwhelming when you first see it. I had a difficult time adjusting to it when I first came here.”

  Mona and Dirk sat side by side enjoying a conversation between them that was punctuated with laughter. They ignored the rest of the group.

  The limo driver eventually pulled in front of the canopy that sheltered the hotel's entrance. Cray hopped out and motioned for two bellhops. He helped the elder Andersson's from the car and then gave a hand to Bekka, Darja and Angel. “Honey, I'll go to registration to get the room keys.”