Love Becomes Her (18 page)

A
nn Marie was working on the paperwork to get Stephanie’s PR business incorporated. She’d settled on using her name for her corporation, which made things pretty easy. Ann Marie had done a name search and it was clear. The whole process would take a few weeks, but in the meantime she’d gotten Stephanie set up with a doing-business-as certificate until her official paperwork came through.

Funny how things work out, she thought as she sealed the forms in the envelope, ready to be mailed. She and Stephanie, for reasons that escaped them both, had never really gotten along. Their very strong personalities always clashed. So for them to have found a way to bridge the divide was a major accomplishment. She supposed she owed some of that to her budding relationship with Raquel. Having Raquel back in her life had changed her, forced her to examine her past, her present and her motives for
living her life the way she had. She knew deep in her heart that she still had a long way to go to heal the wounds of her youth, but even small steps can eventually get you to where you want to go.

They were scheduled to meet later that evening at Barbara’s place to go over the details and bring each other up to speed on what had been accomplished so far. She put all her notes together and slipped them into her briefcase to take with her. She had a closing that morning on a commercial property in Queens and wouldn’t be back in the office. As a matter of fact, she needed to hurry. The president was in town for a meeting at the U.N. and she knew traffic in Manhattan would be horrific.

She was just getting ready to leave when the office secretary knocked on her door.

“These just arrived.”

Ann Marie couldn’t see the secretary’s face for the profusion of flowers that she held in her hands. She jumped up from her seat and helped set the flowers on her desk.

“Where in the world did these come from?” she asked while searching for a card.

“FTD dropped them off and I signed for them. That’s all I know. But someone thinks you’re really special.” She turned and walked out.

Ann Marie stood with her hands on her hips, surveying the riot of color. There had to be at least three
dozen roses in all of their colors resting in the most exquisite crystal vase. She gently moved the blooms around, hunting for the card. She found it tucked down inside.

Excited, she pulled the card out of the tiny envelope.

“I miss you desperately. Terrance.”

She stumbled back. Her hands shook. Terrance? What kind of bloody trick was this? She read the card again. Yep, that’s what it said. But it couldn’t be right. Terrance had no idea where she was and that’s the way she wanted to keep it.

Her heart raced and his devilishly handsome face sprung before her eyes. Her mind ran in a million directions at once. She couldn’t get her thoughts together. She spewed a string of cusswords before darting out to the front office.

“Carol, you said you signed for the flowers.”

“Yes?” She frowned in confusion. “Is something wrong?”

“Where did you say they came from?”

She shrugged for a moment. “FTD, those flower-delivery people.”

Ann Marie’s eyes darted around the room, searching for someplace to land. She bit down on her newly manicured nail. “Can you get me the 800 number? No, never mind, I’ll do it myself.” She ran back to her cubicle, forced herself to sit down and concentrate on the numbers on the phone. After several
tries she got the operator who connected her to FTD headquarters.

She listened to elevator music for a good five minutes and knew she was going to scream if someone didn’t talk to her and soon. Finally, a too-cheery sales rep got on the phone.

Ann Marie talked so fast, her accent so thick, the rep had to stop her and beg her to start over. Ann Marie drew in a long calming breath. She shut her eyes for an instant and started again.

“I just received a delivery. I need to know who sent it and from where. Can you do that?”

“I’ll do the best I can, ma’am.” She asked Ann Marie a couple of questions and then put her on hold.

Ann Marie held the phone in a death grip as she paced the tiny confines of her space.

“Ma’am?”

“Yes!”

“The order was placed by a Terrance Bishop.”

She felt faint. “Can you tell where it was sent from?”

“I’m sorry, ma’am, I can’t. It was done online. Is there anything else I can help you with today?”

“No…thank you.”

“Enjoy your flowers, ma’am, and thank you for using FTD.”

Ann Marie plopped down in her seat and stared at nothing. How did he find her? Better still, why had he looked? What did he want?
I miss you desperately
.
Her temples pounded. She hadn’t seen him in more than twenty years. He was a part of her past that she dare not revisit.

Her intercom buzzed and she leaped an inch in the air.

“Yes?”

“You’re going to be late for the closing.”

Ann Marie swallowed hard. “Thanks. I’m leaving now.”

She shook her head to clear it, gathered her things and left the office. When she stepped outside she surveyed the street like a CIA operative. Was he out there? Was he watching? Was he going to walk up behind her and whisper something naughty in her ear and all would be lost—again?

She circled the block three times before she finally found her car, right where she’d parked it. Get a grip. You’re really losing it. She took a minute to collect herself once she was behind the wheel, but all the way from Manhattan to Queens she kept seeing Terrance’s grinning face in every man she encountered.

The closing was a complete blur, as was the rest of her day. By the time she arrived at Barbara’s house she was a basket case.

“What in the world is wrong with you?” Barbara asked when Ann Marie came through the door.

She had a vacant look in her eyes, she’d chewed off all her lipstick and her hands were visibly shaking.

“Nothing.” She walked past Barbara and into the living room where she immediately took a fresh bottle of Courvoisier out of her purse and poured a two-finger drink.

Barbara shut the door and followed Ann Marie inside. The last time she’d looked so out of sorts it was because Raquel had turned up on her doorstep. But that time, Ann Marie was more “vexed,” as she would have put it, this time she looked almost terrified.

“Did something happen?” Barbara asked tentatively.

Ann Marie looked up at her. “I got flowers today.”

“That’s a good thing. Isn’t it?” Her lips curled in a semblance of a smile.

“No, mon, it ain’t no good t’ing.”

“Oh.” She sat down.

Ann Marie placed her bottle of brandy on the table. “They from Terrance.”

“Who?”

“Terrance, chile. Terrance Bishop, Raquel’s pop.”

Barbara’s neck jerked back. “Oh.” She thought he was dead or worse. Guess not.

The doorbell rang.

“Be right back.”

Ann Marie grabbed Barbara by the wrist. “Don’t say nutin’ to dem, hear.”

“Uh, sure. No problem.” She went to the door. It was Stephanie and Elizabeth.

“Come on in.” Then in a hush, “Don’t mention anything to Ann Marie about…anything.”

They grimaced. “What?” they chimed off-key.

“Just come in and don’t say anything,” she said, barely moving her lips.

Stephanie huffed and walked in. Elizabeth shot Barbara a curious look and followed Stephanie inside.

Following Barbara’s cryptic instructions, Elizabeth and Stephanie sat down and didn’t say a word, not even hello, thinking that simple salutation might be off limits, too.

Ann Marie looked from one to the other then shot Barbara a death stare.

“She told ya, didn’t she?”

They shook their heads, not daring to speak.

“I swear, I didn’t say a word.” Barbara crossed her heart.

Ann Marie poured herself another drink. “Well, if ya must know…”

In a series of halting sentences, Ann Marie told them all about Terrance Bishop, how she came to meet him, love him and leave him. And now, somehow he’d found her.

“Maybe it’s a good thing,” Elizabeth offered.

Ann Marie shook her head. “If ever there was a man no good for a woman it’s ’im.”

“But why, Ann?” Barbara asked. “You said you
loved him, and if he can upset you this much so many years after the fact, maybe you still do.”

She lowered her head, resting her arms on her thighs. “He the only man that can make me lose myself, lose my control over my feelings. When I’m with him I don’t know who I am anymore. He consumes me.”

Stephanie, of all people, slid next to Ann Marie on the couch and put her arm around her shoulders. “But you’re not sixteen anymore, Ann, you’re a big woman, as you would say. If he does come back, you can handle him.”

She looked up at Stephanie, doubt wavering in her eyes. “Ya t’ink?”

“Yeah, me t’ink.” She grinned and Ann Marie smiled for the first time all night.

“You’re right, I’m a big woman now. Not some innocent t’ing he can do what he want wit’.”

“Exactly!” Elizabeth said.

Barbara breathed in relief. It was a tough job being the bearer of secrets, so she figured she might as well unburden herself, too.

She stood up. “Now that we have that out of the way…”

“O
h…my goodness,” Elizabeth said.

Stephanie stood up to get a better look. “Is it real?”

“Chile, me no care if you keep the man or not, keep the damn ring,” Ann Marie said.

Barbara slipped the ring on her finger and showed it off. “It is something, isn’t it?”

“What are you going to do, are you going to marry him?” Elizabeth asked.

Barbara pursed her lips. “I’ve been thinking it over. Hard. I don’t know.”

Ann Marie waved her hand. “Like I said, keep the ring. Hard times hit and you have it made.”

“It’s a lot to consider,” Elizabeth said. “I know you’ll make the right decision.”

“But that rock can sure help,” Ann Marie said, and took another swallow of her drink.

Stephanie was unusually quiet.

“What do you think, Steph?” Barbara asked, hoping to draw her out from the place she’d retreated.

Stephanie focused on Barbara. “Sis, I’m the last person to ask questions regarding love and relationships. I’m sure you will do the right thing.” There’d be time, she was sure, to tell them about Anthony. Tonight wasn’t the night, especially since she had no idea what she was going to do.

“Well, now that we have our personal dramas out of the way, let’s get down to business,” Barbara said after returning from her bedroom to put the ring away.

Stephanie started first, giving them all the details about her campaign plans and target dates. Starting next week she would begin contacting the newspapers and local television stations about the grand opening and sending out invitations. The flyers and business cards would be ready to be picked up in a week and she could start soliciting for clients. The target: businesses. She tossed out the idea of running some ads on radio stations, and the women agreed. Ann Marie said she could definitely come up with a list of potential clients from her database. Elizabeth told them that she wanted to be responsible for the day-to-day operations and since she would be living on-site, it would work out perfectly. They all unanimously agreed. And she would work with Desiree and Dawne to plan the menu for the grand opening, as well as with Raquel in planning the
layout and decor. Barbara brought them up to speed regarding the purchase of the equipment and asked Stephanie, the techie of the bunch, to check into getting at least three computers. She added that to her list of tasks.

By the time they’d finished hashing out the details and setting a timeline it was nearly midnight and they hadn’t eaten, something that had never happened before. Barbara offered to order pizza from Dominos, but the ladies declined, needing sleep more than food.

Barbara said her good-nights and prepared for bed. Things were really coming together, she mused as she got undressed. In a matter of weeks, the plan that sounded so outrageous only months earlier would be realized.

Just as she slid under the covers the phone rang and her life took yet another turn.

The baby wasn’t his.

She lay awake for the better part of the night repeating over and over his words. “The baby isn’t mine.” She had a proposal, a ring and no baby mama drama. He said he’d be back to New York in time for their grand opening. He wished that he could come back sooner but he couldn’t, as the team would be on the road. They would talk when he got into town. Remember that I love you, he’d said before hanging up.

She reached over to her nightstand and picked up
the velvet box. She opened it and stared at her possible future.

What was she going to do now?

The next few weeks were a whirlwind of activity.

The construction crew put the finishing touches on the house and Raquel oversaw the delivery of the furniture—everything from curtains and towels to couches, equipment and kitchen supplies. Dawne and Desiree had special menus printed up and worked on preparing the dinner for the grand opening, scheduled for September first.

As promised, Stephanie secured radio spots on two major stations in New York, and the all-news channel New York 1 had agreed to cover the grand opening. She successfully managed to sidestep Tony’s offers of breakfast, lunch or dinner, sticking to her mantra to stay away from married men.

Ann Marie compiled an impressive guest list of who’s who and Stephanie added to it from her treasured Rolodex. Barring a natural disaster, the opening would be the major hit of the season.

Elizabeth, with a lot of help from Ron, moved into her new digs on the top floor and ran the comings and goings of the setup like a seasoned captain. With her divorce finalized, she had no qualms about inviting Mr. Powers up for a nightcap at the end of the day.

Barbara secured the services of two interns from the Swiss Institute who would offer complimentary massages during the opening. If they worked out and they acquired the number of clients they anticipated, she planned to hire them on a full-time basis.

Now all that was left to do was wait on the big day.