On Common Ground (Harlequin Super Romance) (14 page)

“And here I thought it was called insanity.”

Mimi bumped hips with her and whispered loudly—way too loudly, in Lilah’s opinion, “No, that’s what’s going to happen between you and Justin now that you don’t have me as chaperone.”

CHAPTER TWENTY

M
IMI
MADE
HER
WAY
THROUGH
the kitchen, passed through the butler’s pantry to the formal dining room, and came to rest in the grand, two-story foyer of the family house. It wasn’t every day that she got to wear dirty sneakers on an antique, mansion-size Oriental carpet, and she secretly enjoyed the idea of rubbing a little dirt into a family heirloom.

Then she realized that the maid would be held accountable for the cleanup, and she slipped off her running shoes and padded to the center of the hallway.

“Noreen? Are you there?” she called out.

“In the sitting room.”

Mimi heard Noreen’s voice from off to the left, and headed in that direction. If there were too many more renovations, she was going to need a road map next time she showed up.

Noreen was standing by a Chippendale couch, newly reupholstered. The claw feet looked tightly perched on the thick carpet. She held out her hand, inviting Mimi to sit.

Mimi sat on the edge of the couch—not the most relaxed position.

Noreen shifted a dainty Louis XIV armchair to face her. “I thought we could talk in here without disturbing Brigid and her little friend. They’re having a sleepover and after make-your-own pizzas, they made bead bracelets for all the members of the family—here’s yours by the way.” She opened her hand.

Mimi reached for the pink-and-white concoction. “Gosh, I’m overwhelmed.”

“You don’t have to wear it.”

“I’ll definitely wear it.” She slipped the elastic band on her wrist. “I’m touched. I’ll have to say thank you.”

“Maybe you could wait awhile? I’ve finally got them to calm down enough to watch a DVD of
Toy Story,
and I need a break from all the girlie one-on-one activity. Frankly, I’m dead to the world.”

“Sure, whatever.” Noreen always seemed like a whirlwind of perfect motherly energy, which Mimi had always found a little frightening. This was the first time she had ever seen her not jump at the opportunity to be the perfect hands-on mom.

“Maybe I could get you a drink? A brandy, maybe?” Mimi offered. “I’ve gotta confess—I’m not sure what the appropriate Mommy pick-me-upper is.”

“A brandy sounds like heaven. Let me get one for you, too?” Noreen rose.

That was the thing, Mimi realized. Noreen even didn’t stand up like normal people—she practically levitated. “Don’t be ridiculous. You’re the one who needs a break. And besides, everything else in the house might be different, but I still know where the booze is.”

Mimi got up and went back to the dining room sideboard to organize the drinks. Something was definitely up, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it. Noreen didn’t have that tearstained look of a woman scorned—a look she remembered her mother demonstrating on more than one occasion.

She headed back to the sitting room with renewed interest. Noreen was seated and turned her head with a swanlike grace upon Mimi’s return. She accepted a brandy snifter. Mimi noticed the blue veins in her delicate wrists.

“Bottoms up,” Mimi said, clinking glasses.

Noreen took a sip and gulped appreciatively. “Divine.” Then she rested the glass on her knee. “I’m sorry to drag you away from the festivities, but I knew your father was out tonight at Lion Inn, so it was a perfect time to talk.”

“Lion Inn? You saved me from bumping into him then,” Mimi said. She settled back into the couch.

“It’s regarding your father, you see, that I called you and asked you to come home to talk.”

So Noreen might not be the aggrieved wife, but Mimi’s instincts appeared to be spot-on. “Is this where you tell me that my father is dumping you and you don’t know why? Because, you know, I’ve heard it all before.”

“No, this is where I tell you that I have my doubts about staying with your father, but that I’m not ready to throw in the towel yet.”

“What?” Mimi was incredulous for multiple reasons. She shook her head. “I mean, why?”

“You mean, why don’t I want to leave him?”

Mimi nodded, and suddenly remembering the brandy, took a healthy gulp. The rich liqueur burned her throat.

“Because I love him. Is that so hard to fathom?”

“Frankly, yes, but then I might not be the most impartial person where my father’s concerned.”

Noreen studied her drink. “That’s one of the issues that I believe Conrad needs to address if he is going to come to grips with his life—and make a difference in yours.”

Mimi didn’t know what to say. But then the doorbell rang, saving her from revealing something potentially embarrassing.

Noreen checked her watch and rose, not quite as ethereally this time. “At last. I was expecting her a while ago, but she warned me that the trustees meeting could run long. If you’ll excuse me.”

Mimi tapped her snifter with her fingertips. Things were getting more complicated by the minute. She heard voices in the foyer and then steps coming her way. She craned her neck to get a better look.

Noreen stopped at the wide opening to the room. Next to her, a tall woman in a blue suit and a Chanel bag slung over her shoulder took over the room by simply stepping into it.

Mimi had witnessed the phenomenon before when she’d met certain heads of state or business tycoons. It was either the charisma of a natural leader or the unmitigated gall of supreme narcissists. Sometimes the two went hand in hand.

“I don’t know if you’ve met my old friend Vivian Pierpoint?” Noreen asked, making the introductions.

“I’d have to turn in my reporter’s credentials if I didn’t recognize the CEO of eSales and a fellow Grantham alum, I believe.” Mimi stood and exchanged firm handshakes.

“You believe correctly.” Vivian spied her glass. “Is that brandy, by the way? I’d die for one.” She turned to Noreen.

And Mimi got this weird vibe.
It couldn’t be, could it?
She noticed that Vivian wore a boulder of an engagement ring, but stranger things had happened. “Let me get it for you,” Mimi offered. “It seems like you two might have a lot to catch up on.” She practically raced out of the room and poured a drink for Vivian. Then she looked at her own glass, gulped down the brandy that remained and poured another two fingers for herself. After this weekend, she was going to have to dry out her liver but good.

Undaunted, she took another sip and walked quickly back to the sitting room, waiting to see what new revelations would surface.

“What I wanted to talk to you about was Lilah,” Noreen announced as Mimi took her seat again.

“Lilah? I thought we were going to talk about you guys?” She moved her drink between the two women who sat in matching chairs next to each other. Mimi expected Noreen to be swallowed up by Vivian, the business dynamo, but like a shape-shifter, Noreen seemed to have acquired some extra heft.

Noreen glanced over at Vivian, who raised her eyebrows before letting out a riotous laugh. “Well, that would really put it to Conrad.”

“Don’t pick on Conrad,” Noreen warned her sternly.

Vivian was silent immediately.

Noreen turned and focused on Mimi. “Vivian and I are just friends—good friends from long ago.”

“Oh,” Mimi said, chastised. Truth be told, she was disappointed. She could just imagine the familial complications.

“No, it was about Lilah that I asked you to come over,” Noreen repeated.

Mimi rolled her eyes. “What is it about Lilah? Everyone and his little brother wants to talk about Lilah.”

“Don’t be petulant. You sound like a child.”

“And you sound like you’re my mother.”

“I’m not, but there are times when you need one.” Noreen breathed in slowly and eyed her glass. “But those are issues that you need to deal with. For now, I need to talk to you as one adult to another.”

Mimi nodded.

“I am interested in doing more with my life than what you see here. Contribute in a larger way.”

“Honestly, there are only so many cookies she can bake,” Vivian interjected.

“Not that there’s anything wrong with being a strong supporter of the PTA. It’s just that it’s gotten to a point that it’s not enough for me,” Noreen explained. “And not only is that not good for me, it’s not good for my daughter, and not good for my husband. So I need to do something. Something that uses my mind before I go crazy.”

Mimi leaned forward. “And this has something to do with Lilah?” She tipped her head.

Noreen pursed her lips. “I can see what you’re thinking. Some rich suburban mom wants to play philanthropist.”

“Something like that,” Mimi admitted. She took another sip of brandy.

“Then you sorely underestimate what Noreen’s capable of,” Vivian announced, her deep voice cutting Mimi’s suspicious attitude to the quick. “She graduated number one in her class, you realize?”

“No, I had no idea. I just always thought of you as…as…”

“As a stepmother, and before that as a nanny,” Noreen supplied. “That’s all right. I’m proud to be married to your father. There’s nothing wrong with that. And as for being a nanny, that was a decision that was right for me at the time. I was reeling from the shock of my father’s death, and being away from the confines of an office and in a different country was the best thing for me. It was impossible to be morose around a child so full of life, and trust me, Press was a handful—in a good way. In any case, I don’t believe I need to apologize for my decision. I happen to think taking care of children is an extremely valuable job in this world.” When she spoke, her voice was noticeably an octave lower than the good-natured cheerleading tones she normally employed.

Mimi was quickly learning to reassess her view of Noreen as the spoiled trophy wife. “So what do you have in mind?” she asked.

“Good question. First off, I’ve had to evaluate what I have to offer. A quick and agile mind. A degree in finance. A keen interest in children, particularly young girls. Besides English, I’m fluent in French and Spanish.”

“You’re passable in Italian, too, if I remember correctly from our trip to Venice,” Vivian said.

“Okay, Italian. But I wouldn’t want to overstate my case.”

Mimi swallowed. Noreen’s intellectual résumé was going to quickly surpass hers, and she was too intensely competitive to feel comfortable about that.

“Plus I have access to people in high places,” Noreen concluded.

“Very high places, and with expansive pockets,” Vivian added. “We all know that Conrad will be more than happy to open up his checkbook if it means keeping you happy.”

“I’m also counting on you, you know.” Noreen addressed her friend. Then she leaned forward, crossing her arms. She tapped the toe of her Tory Burch ballet slipper on the rug. From upstairs, the soundtrack of the children’s DVD lightly penetrated into the room.

“Ever since I heard about Lilah getting the award, I’ve been researching her organization,” Noreen said with great deliberation. “The cell phone initiative is certainly a sound one, given her mission statement to elevate the health care of women and their children. I understand that new plans for microfinancing have also been suggested—”

“Where did you hear that? That’s exciting,” Vivian said.

“I have my sources,” Noreen answered. “In any case, I think that the move into microfinancing is more problematic, especially in light of the possibilities for exploitation by nefarious groups on the ground. That kind of program requires constant monitoring.”

“Corruption
is
a major issue in Congo.” Mimi felt obliged to contribute.

“You’re absolutely right,” Noreen agreed. “You see, I want to become involved with Lilah’s organization—as a financial officer. I don’t look at this as some part-time star turn. I have personal experience living in Africa—I lived there as a child—and my degrees combine financial management with public health issues. I believe I can help set up a more viable financial underpinning to Sisters for Sisters. Yes, there’ll still be the road races, and grant writing is a fact of life for a nonprofit. But what is essential for stability is the establishment of an endowment. And that’s where I can contribute my expertise—with that and also in evaluating the management of existing programs to maximize resources. All of that together ties into focusing clearly on long-term strategic planning.”

“In other words, you want to take charge,” Mimi said. “I’m not sure how that is going to go over.”

“Not at all. I want to help Lilah reach her potential. No matter what, she is still the driving force, the visionary. What I can bring, though, is a more professional business model to the organization. So? Do you think she might be interested, or is she so vested in her work that she will see me as an intruder?”

Mimi thought about it. “If you had asked me six months ago, I would have said she’d be reluctant to share her baby with anyone. Now, though, I almost get a sense that she
needs
to share the burden, that she looks dragged down by the responsibility. That…that…”

“That maybe she might like a life?” Noreen suggested.

“That maybe she might like to have time to share her life with someone else?” Vivian inquired judiciously.