“He’s pretty mixed-up,” Becky added. “About his mom dying and all. And now this thing with his dad. I haven’t exactly been nice to him.”
“Maybe you two have been at each other’s throats for a reason.”
Becky shrugged. “He didn’t really fit in with the other kids here, either. So we both were left out of groups a lot at school. And I guess it was easier to be mad at someone who felt worse than I did….”
Becky felt sick.
When had she gotten so stuck on herself?
“You know,” her mom said, “Daniel could really use a friend in Sweetbrook right now.”
“Will he have to go live with his dad?” Becky’s stomach rolled in the topsy-turvy way it always had when her dad started in on her mom. And Daniel’s father sounded even worse than hers.
“I hope not. But it’s going to be a tough time for him and his uncle for a while, regardless. That’s why it means so much that Principal White’s willing to go the extra mile to help you. You have to promise me to work with him and the other adults at the school.”
Becky nodded, feeling both petty and somehow special at the same time. She’d made Daniel’s life more miserable than it already was, but Principal White was still on her side.
“Then you’ll stay here and do the best you can?” her mom asked.
“I’ll try,” Becky agreed, not sure how things could possibly get better at school. But she’d give it her best shot. It was time she started helping her mom, instead of making things harder. “So what was that website saying about ADD?”
* * *
IT WAS ONLY A LITTLE PAST eight the next morning when Amy settled her garment bag and laptop into the trunk of her car. Her heart bottomed out somewhere around her knees.
It got harder every time she left Becky behind, but Amy didn’t want it to be any other way. She never wanted to get used to this.
She sighed and turned back to the house. Gwen held Becky close by her side. They were waiting on the porch to say goodbye.
“I’ll be back as soon as I can,” Amy said as she walked toward them. She didn’t try to sound cheerful. She was done pretending this was a good solution. Becky was too smart to buy it, anyway. “It’s only another week or so until I close the Kramer deal. And a few more after that to get the project off the ground.”
She hugged her family close, soaking in the sound of the birds chirping in the nearby apple tree, the feeling of the Sunday morning sunshine warming Becky’s hair. In her world of no-win solutions, walking away from the perfect feel of this moment was the hardest thing she’d had to do yet.
She stepped back and cleared her throat.
“Principal White said he’d set everything up with Mr. Fletcher at school. They can start the testing you need as early as tomorrow, and Mrs. Cole already has some ideas for modifying some of your class work, as long as you’re willing to cooperate.”
Amy had talked with Josh briefly on the phone yesterday afternoon to let him know that Becky was on board. He’d promised to oversee her progress personally and to keep both Amy and Gwen updated. He’d sounded as if he wanted to say much more, but he hadn’t. They’d both said more than enough already.
“I’ll try as hard as I can,” Becky promised.
Amy hugged her again. “I knew I could count on you, honey. I’m so proud of you.”
Her cell phone rang from where it was attached to the waist of her jeans. The jeans from high school Gwen had smiled to see Amy wearing for the second day in a row.
Her mom had been right. Amy loved wearing her old things. It was as if she was at home in her own skin again.
Becky stiffened as the phone rang once more, then she produced a stiff smile.
“Time to get back to work,” she said, doing a lousy job of hiding how much she still hated Amy’s cellular link to the office.
But Amy loved her for trying. She waved goodbye, then fished her phone from her waist as she walked to the car.
“Hello?” she said as she eased inside.
“Amy, I’m so glad you’re there.”
Jacquie sounded rattled. Not exactly Amy’s favorite thing to hear at eight o’clock in the morning. She started the engine, the peaceful haze of her Sweetbrook Sunday fading.
“What’s up?” She backed away from the house and waved to Gwen and Becky one last time.
“Are you sitting down?”
“I should hope so. I’m driving. I’ll be back in Atlanta by noon.”
“Better hurry. Thomas Fuller’s in your office. He says he has Mr. Hutchinson’s approval to review your files on the Kramer project.”
“Why would Fuller care about Kramer Industries? He’s buried under the HR redesign for Madison Toys.”
“He finished that up on Friday,” Jacquie whispered. “He’s headed this way. I can’t talk about it right now, but get yourself back here. I think Mr. Hutchinson’s reassigned Fuller to your Kramer deal.”
“What!”
The line went dead.
With a quick glance at the digital clock on the dash, Amy accelerated, racing away from her dreams of home and back to Atlanta—to the future and the security she was determined to provide for her daughter.
CHAPTER NINE
“AND FINALLY, let’s hear about Kramer Industries,” Mr. Hutchinson said at the conclusion of the Monday morning project managers’ meeting. “You’ve gotten a fresh look at everything over the weekend, Thomas. Why don’t we start with your take.”
Amy seethed in her chair, isolated on the other side of the conference room table from both Thomas Fuller and Hutchinson. She’d driven straight to the office after Jacquie’s call yesterday, to find Thomas instructing her staff on how to prepare for this morning’s update. Thomas preferred a PowerPoint presentation, he’d been telling Jacquie, when Amy had stepped into her office. She’d assured him that a formal presentation wouldn’t be necessary, that she’d kept Hutchinson in the loop from day one and a PowerPoint would be overkill for a two-minute staff meeting roundup.
Whatever she thought was best, Thomas had said. He was just there to help. As if she needed a hungry, up-and-coming Enterprise star glued to her side. A walking reminder that Hutchinson was hedging his bets on the Kramer deal, in case she couldn’t get it done.
“I think we’re in pretty good shape,” Thomas said. He nodded meaningfully toward her, then turned to address Hutchinson directly. “The video conference Friday was a bit of a concern, but it sounds like it went well.”
“It couldn’t have gone better,” Amy interjected. “Jacquie did a great job here, and I was able to talk everyone through the meeting from Sweetbrook.”
“Yes, you did a fine job under difficult personal circumstances,” Mr. Hutchinson agreed in an overly understanding way. “I was pleased and a bit relieved at the outcome. It’s unfortunate that you’re having to juggle so many priorities. But now that we have Thomas providing backup, we can all rest a bit easier until Alex Kramer signs the contract.”
“Yes, sir, I’m happy to have Thomas on board.” Amy added the expected half smile of welcome. “He’s an asset to my team.”
And he’s out for my job.
It would take Thomas maybe six months to a year more of paying his dues, but he was on Phillip Hutchinson’s fast track, looking project manager dead in the eye and powering forward, no matter what was in his path. And if Amy wasn’t careful, he’d rip apart her bid for a manager’s slot without even breathing hard. He was out to impr
ess Hutchinson as much as she was, and the best way for him to do that was to save the Kramer project, once he’d pointed out any mistakes Amy happened to make.
“I’m heading over to Mr. Westing’s office later this morning,” she added, “to follow up in person and make sure he has everything he needs.”
What she wanted to do was call Josh to get an update on Becky. Instead, she was going to put in the required face-time with the Kramer IT director, to make up for her professional lapse on Friday.
“Good.” Hutchinson closed his portfolio and rose. “Take Thomas with you and introduce him to Jed. Why don’t you both come by my office when you get back. I need to know where we are with systems development and legal.”
“Yes, sir,” Thomas said, closing his own notebook.
“Yes, sir.” Amy left the conference room, her stride carefully nonchalant, while inside her stomach clenched at the thought of what her daughter was dealing with on her own that morning. But Becky was in good hands with Josh. Otherwise, there was no way Amy could have remained focused on what she had to do here.
“I want to help. You can lean on me as much as you need to….”
And she felt as if she needed him more every day.
No, she corrected herself. You don’t.
“Jacquie,” she said as she swung into her office, memories of Josh’s kiss still clamoring for her attention. “Let’s get my files pulled together for the meeting with Jed Westing. And find me the PowerPoint from Friday. I want it on hand in case there are any remaining questions. The last thing I need is Thomas Fuller looking like he knows more about what’s going on than I do.”
This was her chance to get back on track, and she was going to make the most of it. No matter how much she wished she was in Sweetbrook.
* * *
“HOW DID IT GO?” Josh asked Doug Fletcher as he stopped by the counselor’s office after a morning meeting.
Doug and Becky should have just wrapped up their first stab at testing, so Becky could join her class for lunch. Josh was headed to his own office, where Daniel would be waiting to leave for a therapy appointment with Dr. Rhodes.
“Becky’s a little skeptical how any of this is going to help,” Doug replied. “Taking tests that she doesn’t understand is only adding to her confusion. The good news is, she’s cooperating, and she already knows something about Attention Deficit Disorder. Kept asking me questions. Sounds like her mother’s doing a great job of making Becky feel part of the process.”
“Amy’s a fine parent,” Josh agreed, proud in a way that left professional interest behind. “She’s doing the best she can in the midst of a really bad situation.”
“I can tell Becky worries about her mother. She seems to pick up on other people’s emotions more easily than most ten-year-olds.”
“Like mother, like daughter.”
“What do you mean?” Doug asked.
“Becky’s mom.” Josh fought to keep his voice free of his attraction for Amy. “She’s been a big help with Daniel. She seems to know exactly how to listen to him, like she can sense what he’s feeling in a way that totally befuddles me.”
“I heard about what happened with Daniel’s father on Friday.”
Josh grunted. He doubted there was a person in Sweetbrook who hadn’t heard. “The man’s bad news, and he wants custody,” he said simply, not looking forward to talking with Dr. Rhodes later today, when they’d try to find some way to help Daniel talk about his memories of his dad.
“What are you going to do?” Doug asked.
“Keep my nephew safe.”
Josh headed for his office, overwhelmed by the chaos of emotion building inside him. Watching his wife walk away had hurt so badly, his plan had been to feel as little as possible for a good long while. But then Melanie had left him Daniel, and Amy Loar had marched back into his life.
Amy… He needed her, no matter how much he tried not to. It was senseless and downright destructive to want another woman who in turn wanted a life elsewhere. But Amy had been gone for less than twenty-four hours, and he missed her so much he hurt.
He stepped into the school office, his gaze moving from the growing pile of phone messages on Mrs. Lyons’s desk to where Daniel was huddled in the corner of the beige couch, closed off from him again. Obviously dreading the coming session with Dr. Steve.
That’s when Josh recognized the ugliest of the unwanted feelings pressing in on him—loneliness.
He’d never felt more alone in his life.
* * *
AMY TRUDGED THROUGH the lobby of Atlanta’s Georgia-Pacific Tower, heading for an elevator that would take her to the Kramer offices on the twenty-seventh floor. She knew Thomas Fuller was following close behind, mostly because the tiny hairs on the back of her neck remained on prickly alert every time the man was in the room.
She checked her watch, wondering if Becky’s first meeting with the school counselor had ended by now. Amy had told both Gwen and Josh that she’d be in touch after work, but waiting to hear how things were going was killing her.
Jacquie, who was hustling beside her, had Amy’s cell phone in her purse. A little added insurance. That way, there was no chance Amy would cave and try to cram in a personal call before her meeting.
She rounded one of the marble columns that flanked the elevators, Thomas Fuller’s ambition driving her forward, and barreled straight into a three-piece, navy-blue pinstriped suit.
“Hey!” an annoyed voice said as the man it belonged to spilled his coffee down both their fronts. “Watch where you’re going.”
Hot liquid seared her skin through the flimsy barrier of her white silk blouse, but the pain barely registered over the assault of the man’s familiar voice.
Backing away slowly, her survival instinct preparing her to run, Amy stared up into her ex-husband’s angry eyes.
CHAPTER TEN
“MR…MR. REESE,” Jacquie squeaked over Amy’s shoulder. The younger woman discreetly took her arm and prevented her from making a break for it through one of the revolving front doors.
Amy had filled her assistant in on the high points of her failed marriage. Once her divorce proceedings were in full swing, she’d needed Jacquie’s help to cover things at the office while she was in divorce court. Jacquie had since then become one of the few female friends Amy had made in the workplace, and no one, with the exception of Amy’s mother, was more protective of her where Richard was concerned.
“We’re late for a meeting,” Jacquie said as he stared disdainfully down at them both.
Amy searched her mind for something glib to say, some way to prove to herself and her ex that she wasn’t about to vomit simply from being near the man. Instead she just stood there, shaking in her sensible, slightly feminine, just-expensive-enough-to-be-noticed executive heels.
“Our elevator’s here,” Thomas called from somewhere to her left.
One glance at his exasperated expression yanked Amy back to reality. She ignored the way Richard was studying the coffee seeping through her blouse, and walked calmly to where her colleague was holding an elevator. The scared victim within her begged her not to turn back. Her pride insisted she not take the easy way out.
“You’d better change that blouse before your meeting, baby,” Richard practically shouted over the din of conversation surrounding them. Heads turned to look at him, then swiveled toward her just as she reached the elevator. Richard’s leer shifted from her coffee-sodden breasts to her ny
lon-clad legs, then back to the hair she was now wearing loose and much longer, if for no other reason than because he’d liked it short and tidy. “You’re a mess.”
The doors swooshed shut, and the car rose toward the top of the classy, ultraconservative office building, where the city’s top business people carried out their dance of confidence and power. A dance she excelled at, except her heart was racing and her palms were clammy, and she’d never felt more like she didn’t belong.
She was free of Richard Reese, she reminded herself sternly. All she had to do was close this deal with Kramer Industries, and she was on her way. The future and the security she’d always wanted were finally within her grasp, waiting for her to reach out and take them like the confident woman she’d tried so hard to become.
But when the elevator finally dinged and the doors slid open, her breathing wasn’t any less ragged. Her ears wouldn’t stop ringing as she looked down the hallway toward the double glass doors that opened into the Kramer corporate offices.
One chance encounter with her ex-husband, one of his patented snide remarks, and all her insecurities were back as if they’d never left.
You’re a mess, sweetheart. Go fix yourself up, so you won’t embarrass me….
I don’t know why you insist on keeping that job at Enterprise. You don’t have what it takes to succeed in business. They’ll eat you alive if you try….
You’re lucky you’ve got me to take care of you….
Why can’t you do anything right? All I asked is that you have everything ready when my guests arrive, but you can’t even do that. Just look at you—you’re hopeless….
“Amy?” Jacquie nudged her forward. “We’re here.”
Thomas had exited before them and was walking confidently toward the Kramer suite, not bothering to wait for her.
“Amy?” Jacquie repeated.
“No,” she said, shaking her head, which only increased the noise inside. “I can’t. Go in without me…. Thomas is prepared. Have him start the meeting.”
A Sweetbrook Family (You, Me & the Kids) Page 14