Full Circle (10 page)

He returned
the smile, encouraging her to continue.

“My father
works at the mill. I’m not sure if he has a title, but he’s incredibly good at
fixing things. Maybe they call him the Chief Fixer, I don’t know, but he’s
worked there most of his life. My mother was a seamstress...she made clothes
for all the ladies who lived up on the ridge.” She frowned. “She probably still
is a seamstress, come to think of it. Anyway, as you’ve probably figured out, I
got pregnant just as I finished high school. My mother didn’t give me much of a
choice. Either I could leave town and go to a place where I’d give my child up
for adoption, or I could take whatever money they could afford to give me and
make my own way.”

“How could
they do that to their own daughter?”

She shrugged.
“You’d have to understand small towns in the south. Especially back then. They’re
wonderful places to grow up, people will give you the shirt off their back, but
you didn’t shame your family by having a child out of wedlock. Especially in a
town where there’s a definite pecking order.”

“Pecking
order?”

“Yeah. Your
father has a higher position at the mill than my father, so you live in a
better part of town than I do. That sort of thing.”

“And the boy?
Melissa’s father?”

Bella brushed
the question aside. “That wasn’t going to work.”

Rafael took a
moment to absorb her story then spoke, almost to himself. “And you want to go
back some day and prove to them...to the whole town...that you’re a success.”

“How did you
know that?”

“Simple.” He
grinned at her. “Because that’s what I would want to do.” He stared into the
candle. “Perhaps that’s what I’m trying to do now...with
Bella
.” He
reached out and took her hand. “No wonder we get along so well.”

Bella left
her hand in his. It felt right. But Rafael was her partner. It wasn’t official
yet, but in the short time he’d worked with them, he’d become indispensible. No
matter what sort of traitorous feelings she was having, she couldn’t allow
herself to become emotionally involved.

But it would
be so sweet! She had no doubt that he would be an amazing lover, that he’d take
her to heights she’d never experienced before.

But no. She
had to stop thinking like this. She disengaged her hand, gave him a weak smile.
“We should go,” she said softly. Somewhere in the back of her mind she wished
he would refuse, that he would sweep her into his arms and tell her how much he
wanted to make love to her.

Whoa! She was
getting carried away.

“You’re
right” he said, downing the last of his wine. “Tomorrow we spread our wings.”

“Look Mom, a
birthday card from Aunty Carla!” Melissa waved the card, which had a large six
on the front, at her mom. “She and Uncle Ethan are going to move to Los
Angeles.” Carla and Ethan had visited twice since moving to New York and
Bella’s old school friend had formed an instant friendship with Melissa.

“May I see?”
Bella hadn’t heard this amazing news, although Carla had hinted at it in their
last telephone conversation. She scanned the message quickly. “Oh” she said,
trying to hide her disappointment. “She won’t be here for another few months.”

“I’m going to
go tell Val and Sofia.” Melissa ran down the stairs.
Bella on Third
had
outperformed their most optimistic projections, but Bella and Melissa still lived
in the little suite over Sofia’s garage.

Bella went
back to studying the timeline Rafael had put together for the San Francisco
store. The three of them had taken a weekend a month ago and driven up to take
a close look at several sites Rafael had pre-selected. They’d been unanimous in
their decision to rent the one in the downtown core. Already they were being
inundated with job applications from women eager to work for such a prestigious
brand. There were times when Bella wondered who they were talking about.

Her thoughts
drifted, as they often did, to Rafael. It would soon be a year since they’d
joined forces; it was time to make their partnership formal. She’d taken it for
granted that Sofia would agree, but this was business...a very successful
business...and nothing this important could be assumed. She followed her
daughter down the stairs.

Sofia was
expecting her, glasses and a pitcher of iced tea on the front porch. Bella
supposed that she shouldn’t be surprised. The two women had an almost uncanny
ability to anticipate what the other was going to say. It made for an easy
partnership.

“I thought we
should talk about Rafael. It’s almost a year.”

“
Si
.”
Sofia poured, ice cubes clinking into the glasses. “But first, I have something
to say.”

Bella looked
up sharply at her friend’s tone of voice.

“You know
I’ve been going out with Diego.”

Bella nodded.
Diego had been on the drug task force with Eduardo, but had since transferred
to homicide.

“I think he’s
going to ask me to marry him.” Her voice had softened. “And I’m going to say
yes.”

“Sofia,
that’s wonderful.” Bella gave her friend a hug. “From what I can see, Val likes
him too.”

“Yes, she
does. But Diego and I want to have children together as well.”

Bella, unsure
where this was going, remained silent.

“What I’m
trying to say, is that when we restructure the company, I don’t want to be a
full partner. I want to be able to concentrate on my family.” She grinned
shyly. “My expanded family, I hope.”

Bella’s
thoughts were in turmoil. “But you’re such a vital part of the company. You
know everything there is to know about production.”

“Yes, and I’d
like to continue that for as long as I can as a salaried employee. There are
any number of people I can train. Maybe even your friend Carla. Melissa tells
me she’s moving out here in a few months.”

Bella was
torn between her happiness for Sofia and despair at losing her steady influence.
“This is what you want? You’ve thought about it?”

“
Si
.
It’s what I want.” Sofia’s eyes were luminous.

A jab of envy
caught Bella by surprise. Would she ever find love? She pushed away the selfish
thought. “Then I’m happy for you. I truly am.”

* * *

Rafael took
the news with his usual composure. “I’m not surprised” he said, when Bella
brought him up to speed. “I’ve seen the way they look at each other.” His gaze
rested on her for a moment, dark and unreadable. “They’re in love,” he said
softly.

Bella wished
he wouldn’t look at her like that. She lifted her cappuccino cup, surprised to
find it empty. They were sitting in a coffee shop across from
Bella on Third
;
it had become their go to spot for informal meetings.

“So.” She
forced herself to look at him. God, he was handsome. “Do you still want a full
partnership?”

He motioned
to the server for another two coffees. “
Si
, but before we go any further
with that, I have some ideas.”

Now this was
something she could discuss. She edged forward on her chair.

“You already
know that I think we should open more stores. I’ll prepare a full report with
demographics, projected costs, and timeline.” He flashed a brilliant smile at
the server and picked up his cup. Bella had never figured out how he could
drink his coffee so hot. “I’d like to see us expand right across the country
within...” he paused. “Within ten years. Fifteen at the most.”

“Why wait so
long?” Bella took a sip of coffee, hiding her smile behind the cup.

He pulled
back. “Because that’s how companies go under.” He waved a hand in the air.
“Expansion just for the sake of expansion. It’s fiscally irresponsible...” He
stopped abruptly. “Oh, I see.” His lips twitched, trying to hold back a smile
of his own. “You’re teasing me.”

“Sorry.” She
set her cup down. “I couldn’t resist.” She toyed with a packet of sugar. “It’s
what I wanted, but now that you lay it all out like that, it’s a bit
frightening.”

He placed a
hand lightly over hers. “Perhaps it is...a little. But we’ll be doing it
together.”

She looked
down at their hands linked together on the table and wondered if he could feel
her racing pulse. She could only nod in agreement.

He removed
his hand. “And then there’s our line. I think we should take advantage of our
reputation and introduce sizes from toddler to pre-teen.”

Bella was
back on safe ground. “Actually, I have a few sketches.”

“Good. I was
also thinking we should do a few mother/daughter items.” He tapped his
fingernails against his cup. It was something he did when unsure...or thinking.
He looked up. “Is that sort of thing passé?”

“It might
have been, but I think it might be time to bring it back. We could try a few items
to test the waters. We don’t have to knock them over the head with matching
styles and fabric.” She made a face. “That would definitely be passé. I was
thinking we could do something more subtle, like a mix and match effect...solids
with prints, complementary colors, that sort of thing.”

“So I’m not
the only one to think about this?”

“I’ve been
toying with the idea, that’s all.” She reached into her bag and pulled out her
ever-present sketch book. “I’ve done a few very basic designs, if you’d like to
have a look.”

Rafael
flipped through the pages then stopped, tapping a finger on a sheet of random
sketches. “What are these?”

Bella glanced
over to see what had caught his attention. “Oh, that. It’s something that came
to me the other day, when I was looking at a sales report and saw how many
scrunchies we sell. We should expand into accessories. We can make sun hats,
purses, hair bands, scarves, you name it. The list is endless. That’s the
beauty of having our own production facilities. It doesn’t take much to try
these things out.”

Rafael held
out his hand. “Bella Thompson, you are an amazing woman. I will be proud to
partner with you.”

She slipped
her hand into his. “Thank you, Rafael. I have a feeling it’s going to be fun.”

* * *

Bella let out
a whoop of joy and ran onto the production floor, waving an envelope. “Guess
what? Carla and Ethan are going to arrive next week. They’ll be here in time
for the opening of
Bella on the Bay
. Isn’t that terrific?”

Sofia turned
away from the ‘big board’ where she’d been updating their production schedule.
“That’s great news. Have they decided where they’re going to live?”

“They’re
going to leave their options open, but they want to rent a place somewhere
between here and the film studio.” Her face fell. “I’d love to help her look,
but what with the opening, and Rafael being gone so much, I scarcely have time
to breathe.” The San Francisco store had finally come together, but they’d
learned a great deal about ‘remote’ locations.  Rafael was already putting
together his notes to guide them through their future expansions. “Never mind”
she said, unwilling to spoil the joy of her friend’s pending arrival. “She’ll
find her own place. I can hardly wait to see her again.”

* * *

It was
raining when Carla and Ethan arrived at LAX; Bella spotted them immediately.

“I’m so happy
to have you here,” she said, giving her friend a hug. “You too,” she said to
Ethan, kissing him on the cheek and then holding him at arm’s length. “I want
to remember you just like this, before you become a big movie star.” She led
them out toward the limo she’d booked for the occasion. “Sorry about the
weather, but the sun will probably come out later this afternoon.” She followed
Carla and Ethan into the back of the limo and sat facing them. “I’m talking too
much, right? I’m just so happy to see you.” She looked at Ethan. “Can Carla
come up to San Francisco to the store opening? It will make up for missing...”

She stopped
in mid-sentence. There was something wrong. Carla and Ethan exchanged quick
glances.

“Bella.”
Tears welled up in Carla’s eyes. “Your mother is very sick.”

The words
echoed in her head, as though they’d come from a long distance. “Mom? Sick?” She
looked from Carla to Ethan, then back to Carla. “How sick?”

Carla managed
to meet her eyes. “I think she’s dying, Bella.” She sucked in a breath of air
and then continued. “We went home for a quick visit before coming here, and I phoned
ahead, asking if it was all right to stop by. She was sitting up, but just
barely. I think she made a real effort just to do that.”

“She’s not
sewing any more?” It was a foolish question, and she knew it, but she couldn’t
imagine her mother not being able to sew. It had been a part of who she was all
of Bella’s adult life.

Carla seemed
to understand. “No. Evidently she gave that up about six months ago; she was
just too tired. And then, about three months ago, the doctor started to suspect
that she might have lung cancer and he sent her for an x-ray.” Carla dropped
her eyes. Her voice was barely audible. “They found a large mass on her left
side, and the cancer had started to spread.” She looked out through the tinted
windows, but didn’t register the scenery. “I’m sorry, Bella.”

“The
opening.” It was all starting to make sense. “That’s why she didn’t come to the
Santa Monica opening.”

Carla nodded.
“Yes, you’re probably right. That would have been around the time they had her
in the hospital for a series of tests.”

Bella made up
her mind. “Do you mind awfully if I don’t go to the opening in San Francisco?
You’re still welcome to go...as a matter of fact Rafael could probably use
someone to help out.”

“You’re going
home?” Carla stated the obvious.

“Yes...and
I’m going to take Melissa out of school and take her with me. It’s time she met
her grandmother.” She choked back a sob. “I only hope it isn’t too late.”