Emerging

Chapter 7






“Schmidt!” Brian bellowed from his office. A moment later Ted popped his head in the door. “Are we all set for the vid conference?”

“All set, boss. You want to do it here or in the conference room?”

Brian gave Ted an almost evil smile. “You know how much I like to do it in public. Conference room, let the staff in on it. They deserve to know our third quarter gains. They made it all possible.”

“Right away, Bri.” Ted scurried off to gather the staff and confirm the video link that connected all the Kinnetik branches. Brian was very proud of all his branches and the people running them. He gathered his folders together then joined his Kinnetik family in the conference room.



*****



“So what do you think?” John asked.

“Brian Kinney designed this grotto,” Riley said in disbelief.

John laughed. “Yes, he did,” he confirmed.

“Brian Kinney,” Danny repeated. “Did I ever tell you how I first met him?” Danny threw out to both men. John gave Danny an amused look as he shook his head no. Riley listened intently as Danny, using much of his Divina personality described his first encounter with Brian Kinney. John and Riley laughed when Danny admitted how he shamelessly flirted with Brian. And that above all, Brian was a true gentleman.

“Jeez, all I could think of was how hot he was sitting behind his desk dressed in his suit.” Danny began to fan himself, laughing at the fond memory. “And he put up with Divina.”

“It all worked out in the end,” John added as he put his arm around Danny. “Hunter and JR love you.”

“I am blessed. But enough about me. Mr. Riley, I do believe this cottage beckons for an owner who can truly appreciate its charms. And as Debbie hinted, you are part of the family now whether you like it or not. Are you prepared to render a decision?”

John and Danny gazed at Riley expectantly.

Riley wasn’t quite sure what to say.



*****



“Shane, you’re Kinnetik’s latest family member. You’ve been very quiet,” Brian observed.

“Wasn’t too sure what you’d be asking of me but I have to admit, you and your people have made me a rich man!” Shane McKenna, the head of Kinnetik Isles, honestly replied. Ted cringed.

Brian caught the twinkle in Shane’s eyes and laughed out loud. “You’ve been kissin’ that Blarney Stone, Shane, me lad,” Brian said with a fake accent.

“Aye, you found me out, Master Kinney. But in our business, we’ve all been kissin’ that great rock, now haven’t we?”

“I do believe you are correct. Shane, we’re all proud of the progress you’ve made. Your numbers have made my CFO a very happy man. Is there anything you need from any of us?”

The conference included Stacey from N’rgy, Scott from Part Deux and Joseph from Perspectives.

“Ni hea, you’ve all been so wonderful; it brings a tear to one’s eye. But now that you mention it, me and the missus could be using a vacation to sunny California. I hear it never rains there.”

“You’re always welcome here!” Joseph said.

“Then I’ll leave you two to work out the details. Ted, there should be a way of making this a business expense. Work it with them,” Brian commanded. “If that’s all there is then I’ll adjourn this meeting. Well done, people. Keep this up and it’ll be reflected in your year end bonuses!” Brian ended the conference as his staff on two continents cheered. Brian left the conference room and Emmett’s men came in with a special treat he had pre-arranged.

“Bri!” Ted called out after him, moving fast in an effort to keep up with Brian’s long legs.

“What is it, Schmidt?” Brian growled.

“Here!” Ted handed Brian a fresh popover.

“Thanks,” Brian said as they walked into his office. Brian began to tear off small pieces of the buttery bread and pop them into his mouth.

“It was a good meeting,” Ted said stating the obvious. Ted knew something was up with his friend and boss, and it wasn’t Brian’s dick.

“Yes, it was. You and Cynthia have done one hell of a job.”

“A compliment. Okay, now I know something’s not right. Spill or do I have to sic Emmett on you?”

Brian sighed. He was learning to share in his old, um, not so young, age. “Bree is spending the day with Craig.”

“Holy fuck!”

“Yeah, that just about sums it all up.”

“And how do you feel about it?”

“How do you think I feel about it? If he hurts her, I’ll kill him. But I can’t deny that he does love her and she’s so happy to spend time with him and Susan. I don’t have the heart to interfere.”

“You’re a very good father, Bri.” Brian gave Ted a self deprecating smile. “It’s true. Gus has grown up to be a very responsible young man. When he’s ready, I’d be proud to work for him.”

“You planning on getting rid of me?” Brian said with an amused arch to his brow.

“Not at all, Boss. But he is the next generation and we’d all be proud to work for him.”

“Planning to live forever, are you? You are older than me.”

“Ah yes, but old accountants never die, we mature like CD accounts.” Brian broke out in one of his rare fits of giggles. Ted smiled smugly.

“Okay, I get it. I’ll stop worrying about what might occur. But Justin might kill me if I really do retire and get in his way.”

“You can always open up another garden center, here in the Pitts. I hear Ben has to always re-edge their lawn,” Ted suggested.

“Out!” Brian pointed toward the door.

“Right away, Bri!” Ted scurried out but not before he heard more giggles from his friend. When Ted was safe in his office, he took out his cell phone and hit the speed dial. “Hey. Yeah, the conference went very well. It doesn’t matter how long Brian stays away from the office, he’s always on top of his game. No problem, you know I’d do anything for him. Bye, Justin.” Ted snapped his phone shut with a smile then got back to work.



*****



“Justin, my boy, so good of you to come in today!” Sidney greeted Justin with enthusiasm. “You remember Charles Higgins? He had some business in New York and thought he’d come here for a visit. We’ve discussed bringing your Then and Now Show to London when it concludes here. What do you think?”

Charles Higgins held out his hand to Justin which Justin gripped firmly.

“London hasn’t forgotten you, lad,” Charles commented. “Your Old Masters continue to be the toast of the art world. I brought with me a list of commissions.”

Justin remained in stunned silence.

“Sit, boy, before you fall over.” Sidney and Charles chuckled as they got Justin seated.

“I’m overwhelmed,” Justin managed to finally say.

“Why is that?” Charles asked. “You have loyal fans all over the world. The requests don’t surprise me at all. I just hope you have the time and stamina to fulfill them.”

“I have the time! Bree goes back to school soon, Brian is busy with his businesses and this show has been launched. I was wondering what I could do for my next project.”

“Then let this list be your answer,” Charles announced as he opened a specially bound file he had compiled.

“Leather bound?” Justin asked as his hand glided over the tooled binding. Charles nodded as Justin looked up in awe, his bright blue eyes sparkling with wonder. Sidney smiled to himself. Even after all these years, Justin managed to retain a certain amount of innocence. It’s what endeared Justin to Sidney and to so many others.

“They’re letters; very special letters all requesting a portrait or inspired painting from a very special artist,” Charles explained. “They warranted special handling.”

“And a trip from Charles, himself,” Sidney added.

“True. I did not want to risk this coming by post,” Charles remarked. “Look at the seals.”

Charles had not only preserved the letters but the envelopes they were sent in. They each had a royal seal affixed to them.

“Fuck me!” Justin gushed without thinking then he blushed deeply. “Sorry.”

Sidney and Charles laughed at Justin’s supposed faux pas.

“Not at all, my lad,” Charles assured Justin. “I had a similar reaction when the letters started arriving. Henry and I both agreed they required special attention. We responded to each request acting as your agent. We explained that you were in the throes of preparing for this show, but assured each applicant that we would personally take their request to you. So here I am. They were most agreeable and all stated they would wait with patience. Of course, you may want to give the Duke priority especially if the portrait is a gift for his father. The King is getting on in years, although his great-grandmother did live to see one hundred and his grandmother shows no sign of giving up anytime soon,” Charles said with mirth.

“Please convey to the Duke that I am honored,” Justin said formally. Then added in a whisper as he looked around for prying ears, “But I’m not painting that Camilla woman.”

“Heaven forbid!” both Charles and Sidney exclaimed; they all laughed. Sidney sent out for refreshments as the three of them discussed Justin’s projects.



*****



“They’re so … big,” Bree whispered. She was standing between Craig and Susan staring into the huge window that allowed spectators to see the polar bears swimming underwater. One bear swam right past the window. Bree jumped back reaching for a hand from each of the adults.

“It’s all right, Bree,” Craig said reassuringly. “They can’t get out of there.”

“I know, but…” The bears were awful big.

“You’re safe with us,” Susan said to the little girl.

“I know, Gamma Susan. How do they stay under the water so long?”

“I think their lungs develop to hold lots of oxygen for them to swim,” Craig explained. “The more they stay under the water, the longer they can do it.”

“Oh. I wish I was a polar bear. I could do whatever I wanted,” Bree said.

Craig and Susan laughed gently.

“I don’t know about that,” Craig said. “Even being big doesn’t protect you sometimes.”

“Why not?” Bree asked with a frown.

“Polar bears are on the endangered species list. They could become extinct.”

“What’s stink-t?”

Craig chuckled. “Ex-tinct. It means that there are only a few polar bears left in the world. They could cease to exist.”

“Oh, that’s not good,” Bree replied seriously. “Can we help them?”

“There’s not much the average person can do,” Craig said.

Susan smiled fondly at the little girl with the big heart. Trust Bree to want to help the polar bears. “Maybe we could make a donation to the World Wildlife Fund. They try to protect animals that need help.”

“Oh yes, Gamma Susan, let’s do that. Maybe my daddies will make a donation too.”

“I bet they will if you ask them,” Susan replied.

“Dad, Bree, is that you?” a voice called.

“Auntie Molly!” Bree screeched before she shook her hands free from her grandparents and ran across the square to her aunt.

“Hi, sweetheart,” Molly said bending down to hug her niece. “I didn’t know you were going to be here today.”

“And we didn’t know you would be here either,” Craig responded as he hugged his daughter.

“Hi, Susan,” Molly said. “You guys brought Bree to the zoo?”

“Yes, she’s all ours for the afternoon,” Susan told Molly.

“And how’s my favorite boy?” Craig asked bending down to pick up Taylor from his stroller.

“He’s just fine, Dad, growing like a weed.”

“I can see that. He’s getting so big, a fine young man,” Craig gushed as he kissed Taylor’s cheek.

Bree took a step back and watched her Gampa with Taylor. It was like Taylor was the center of everything. Bree felt like she had ceased to exist. She felt a big pain in her heart. Why did Taylor have to be at the zoo today and take her Gampa away from her?

“I hope we can babysit with this little guy really soon. I love seeing him as often as possible,” Craig was telling Molly. “I bet he has grown an inch since I saw him last week.”

I’m sure we can arrange something very soon,” Molly replied.

“Love you, Gampa,” Taylor cooed in his grandfather’s ear.

“And look how well he talks.”

“Yes, his vocabulary is improving. He’ll be enrolling in college next week,” Molly laughed.

Bree stayed silent, watching. The hurt in her heart seemed to be getting worse. Her Gampa loved Taylor. He had forgotten all about her.

“Bree, are you okay?” Susan asked as she spotted Bree’s sad face watching her husband and Taylor.

“I want to go home,” Bree whispered.

“But you were really enjoying the polar bears,” Susan protested.

“I want to go home,” Bree repeated softly.

Susan tugged on Craig’s sleeve and nodded in Bree’s direction. “She wants to go home,” Susan whispered to her husband.

“She does?”

“You’re ignoring her.”

“Oh. Um, I better give Taylor back to you. Bree and I have much more of the zoo to see. Don’t we, Bree?” Craig asked.

“I want to go home,” Bree said again scuffing the tip of her pink vans against the paved walkway. She refused to meet her grandfather’s eyes.

“But I want to spend more time with you,” Craig said as he kissed Taylor’s cheek and set the boy back in his stroller.

“You do?” Bree asked hopefully, finally looking up into Craig’s eyes.

“I do, so let’s go check out the elephants. They’re even bigger than the polar bears.”

“’Kay, Gampa,” Bree said happily. “Bye, Auntie Molly.” She held her hand out so Craig could take it.

“Talk to you soon,” Craig called as Bree dragged her grandfather down the path.

“They need time together,” Susan explained before she hurried along after her husband and Bree.

Molly watched them and smiled. She was glad her father was spending some time with Bree.



*****



Lindsay left the kitchen and walked into the dining room of her house. Gus had gone to the loft to gather up his things to take back to university with him. She was all alone in the house … again.

Her hand smoothed the cloth in the center of the dining room table as she came to it. She straightened the candlesticks that sat on top of the cloth. With a sigh she realized that the candlesticks belonged to Melanie. They had been inherited from Mel’s grandmother. Before long they would be packed up and on their way to Portland. She was sure Mel would want them back.

Sucking in a breath, Lindsay went into the living room. She looked at the furniture wondering how much of it Melanie might decide she wanted. Their lives had been intertwined for so long. And now…

Sinking into the big armchair, Lindsay let her mind wander. She pictured Gus’ bris, or rather his aborted bris. Brian had seen to that. A little chuckle escaped her lips. Melanie had been so pissed. But Lindsay knew that deep inside, she had been glad that Brian had arrived in time to stop the bris. Had she known even back then that she and Mel disagreed on so many fundamental things? Had she been deluding herself all these years?

Lindsay blinked hard making the tears go away. She refused to cry over what had happened. Everybody told her it was for the best, and maybe it was. That didn’t stop it from hurting though. She couldn’t help but wonder if Melanie felt any regrets. Maybe she was too busy getting on with her life to spend time thinking about her old life, thinking about Lindsay. Mel had a new girlfriend to think about.

Or maybe Mel had no regrets at all. Lindsay couldn’t help but wish that she could be cold-hearted like that. Life would be so much easier if she was. However, Mel didn’t have everything. Lindsay had Gus who still loved her and wanted to be with her. Melanie still had JR, but from across the entire country. Her daughter wanted to live with her father rather than with Mel. That spoke volumes about Mel. And it had to hurt. At least Lindsay didn’t have that hurt. She still had a good relationship with her daughter. Lindsay resolved to make more time for JR. The girl still needed a mother, and Lindsay was determined to be there for her daughter.

Lindsay turned her head and looked at the spot where the bed had been set up for Melanie to rest before JR was born. That had been a rough time for them all. Mel was so hostile and … cruel. Lindsay knew she was at fault. Sam Auerbach had been a huge mistake. But it wasn’t like Melanie was pure as the driven snow. She had had her fair share of indiscretions. There had been that girl Maryanne and Corinne, and who knew what others? Lindsay felt a tear trickle down her cheek. There had been a lot of bad moments with Mel.

Brushing the tear away, Lindsay remembered that there had also been good moments. Melanie’s proposal in the back garden. And Brian saving their wedding. And Gus’ birth. Being able to stay home with the baby that first year. Mel had done a lot to make that happen. Lindsay drew in a deep breath. She had had a good life, no matter what happened now. She refused to dwell on the bad things.

Looking at the couch, Lindsay remembered all the moments that had taken place on that article of furniture. She could see Brian and Justin sitting there while they discussed Brian giving up his parental rights. Lindsay knew even then that she didn’t really want him too. But she had wanted Mel to have parental rights, so she had gone along with pressuring Brian. It had seemed like the right thing to do.

And then there had been Gui. What a mistake that was! Brian had come to her aid once again, finally signing over his parental rights to get Gui out of the picture.

With a sudden shock, Lindsay realized that she had always “cheated” with men and Melanie had “cheated” with women. Although perhaps “cheated” wasn’t quite the right word for what they had done. However, those indiscretions or mistakes or whatever they were had led to this point in their lives. What did all those things say about their relationship?

She and Mel had been in love at one time. Lindsay knew that. She stared at the couch and remembered that day they had been using the vibrator, when the doorbell had rung. It had been Tannis and Philip, and they had tried to cover up what they had been doing, but they hadn’t fooled anyone. Lindsay let out a little giggle.

She shook her head and looked at the couch once again. A strange thought hit her. She and Leda had almost… And then there had been the three of them. That had been a mistake. Leda was back now and she had found someone to be happy with. Everyone was happy. Lindsay wondered how they all managed that. It seemed to elude her so often.

Leda had made a great success of herself, Lindsay knew. They had spoken a few times at Jamie’s shows at the gallery. Leda seemed to have her world exactly how she wanted it. Lindsay wondered how Leda had been able to get to this place in her life. She had been hurt when Lindsay and Mel had told her that they didn’t want to continue their threesome. But Leda had weathered all that and had come out on top. Furrowing her brow, Lindsay couldn’t help but wonder if maybe Leda could give her some insights into how she should proceed.

Straightening her spine, Lindsay walked with determination to the phone in the kitchen. She picked up her address book and looked up Jamie’s number. With a sigh she dialed.