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“Good. Please pack your things. We’re heading to Texas.”
Chapter 5 (#u81f33526-4246-5f2f-8dee-d9c5c885ff53)
Felicia exited the limousine, stopping long enough to admire the picturesque lighting display marking the beginning of the holiday season before walking into the lobby of the Mandarin Oriental, one of Atlanta’s premier hotels, known for its irresistible Southern charm. Felicia wound her way through its immaculately decorated lobby, when a life-size photo of the only man she’d ever desired stopped her in her tracks...again.
“Griffin,” Felicia whispered, staring up at the image.
A beautiful, more confident version of herself came and stood at Felicia’s side and looked up at the picture. “Really?” her sister Farrah asked, the sarcasm coming through loud and clear. “I get that Griffin is some big shot now, but is this really necessary?”
“I guess so,” Felicia replied, shrugging.
“You okay?”
“I can’t believe I’m doing this, and in this dress, too,” Felicia said looking down at the sparkly red number that left her shoulders bare and not a single curve to the imagination.
“You returned to Texas nearly a month ago with a beautiful bundle of scrumptiousness in the form of my new niece, determined to do the right thing. Since Dr. Big Deal—” Farrah used her head to gesture toward Griffin’s picture “—refused to reach back out to you after all the attempts you made to contact him, we’re forced to return to Atlanta and confront him in person.”
“We?”
“Yes, we. You know I wasn’t going to let you do this by yourself.”
Felicia sighed. “I guess you’re right.”
“Of course I am. Besides, it’s either here or the hospital. And what’s wrong with that dress?” Farrah grimaced, causing her brow to rumple.
“I look like you,” Felicia replied, her eyebrows standing at attention.
“Of course you do,” she said, admiring her reflection in the wall of mirrors leading toward a bank of elevators. “You’re one-third of a fabulous set of identical triplets...well, almost identical. What do you expect?”
“I meant the dress,” Felicia amended on a weary sigh. “This is more your style, not mine.”
“I hate to break it to you, baby sister,” Farrah said, shaking her head and patting Felicia on the shoulder. “You have no style.” Felicia parted her lips to protest but wasn’t given the chance as her sister added, “Multicolored scrubs and white lab coats don’t count.”
In her world, fashion was a distant third to family and focusing on her career, since so many of the diseases she chased could wipe out entire cities within mere days. Felicia glared at her sister, even though she knew she was right.
“That dress looks fabulous on you,” Farrah reassured.
“It has all these glittery stones,” she said, picking at her dress. “And it’s strapless.”
“First off, they’re Swarovski crystals. And of course the dress is strapless. You have the body to pull it off and it’s about time you flaunted it. Besides...” She paused to fix a wayward strand of Felicia’s hair and then flashed a look at the poster once again. “You can’t see your long-held crush after all these years to tell him that you both have a beautiful nine-month-old baby girl looking anything less than magnificent. You weren’t expecting that life-altering news, and neither is he.”
Griffin had been Felicia’s lab and research partner and close friend since her first day of medical school. While she’d nurtured a secret desire for him, Felicia had always known it would never lead to anything, since he only saw her as a smart, good friend. Besides, they had been headed in different directions professionally, Felicia to the CIA and Griffin to a prestigious cardiac fellowship in Georgia.
“But—”
“No buts. You’re a gorgeous woman,” her sister said, flipping over a crystal that was turned upside down. “And it’s time you showcased it and stopped hiding behind your job. Live a little.”
“Like you?” she asked, unable to hide her sarcastic tone while giving her sister’s long, black, low-cut halter dress the once-over.
“Exactly like me.” Farrah smiled, winking at Felicia, showing the more mischievous side that she was known for.
Farrah, the second-born of the Blake triplets, was a no-nonsense corporate attorney for their family’s firm. She also didn’t believe in filters and considered herself a connoisseur of all things fabulous and expensive. Unfortunately her efforts at getting the most subdued of the three of them to follow in her stiletto-covered footsteps was met with constant resistance.
Farrah grabbed her sister’s hand and pulled her forward. “I know why we’re here, but how often do you get to dress up for a night out with your big sister?”
“Almost never.”
“See, killing two birds with one stone.” Farrah offered her a satisfied grin. “I love how this hotel combined contemporary furnishing and artwork with classic luxury.”
“It is lovely,” Felicia agreed. “The red roses and calla lily bouquets placed everywhere smell divine.”
“Those crystal-drop chandeliers at the front of the hotel,” Farrah said, looking over her shoulder, “would look great in our Paris apartment, don’t you think?”
“Yes, but focus, please. You sure about this, Farrah?” Felicia frowned, biting her bottom lip. “I mean, we are crashing the man’s big night.”
“I’m sure, and stop biting your lip,” she admonished, frowning and swiping at her sister’s hand. “We’re not crashing anything. We were invited by a client and family friend,” she reminded, returning all the smiles and waves being sent their way. “Look, you have to give your boss a final answer about the promotion and you have to settle things before you and Alyia make such a big move.” She nodded to a man walking past them. “Don’t be rude. Loosen up and mingle a little.”
Felicia wasn’t oblivious to all the attention they were receiving as they made their way through the lobby. In fact, she was used to it. Only, Felicia rarely found herself the center of that attention and never wanted it, for that matter. She was more comfortable being a background singer in their sisterly trio.
“Farrah, wait,” Felicia said, halting her progress. “I really don’t think this is a good idea. Maybe now isn’t the time or the place to spring this kind of news on him.”
“Look, sis, we’ve tried it your way already and you didn’t get a response. You’ve called and left messages, sent emails... Hell, you even sent those damn flowers.”
“It was a congratulations gift,” she said defensively, breaking eye contact with her sister long enough to ensure she couldn’t see through her little white lie.
“Sure...okay. You even included a card that ended with ‘Please call me, it’s urgent,’ and that still didn’t get a reaction. So now we do things my way and—”
“Dr. Blake...?”
Farrah and Felicia turned toward the sound of Felicia’s name.
“Dr. Blake?” a deep voice called out. A tall, handsome man with umber-colored skin, wearing a black Armani tuxedo, approached with an extended hand and a wide smile. “Dr. Felicia Blake, I can’t believe it’s you. Wow, you’re as beautiful as ever.” The man’s gaze roamed her body before landing on Farrah. “Oh, my, I forgot, there are three of you. Well, you’re both striking creatures.”
Farrah rolled her eyes skyward.
“Dr. David Price,” Felicia said, accepting the man’s large hand and watching as hers disappeared into his. “This is my sister, Farrah Blake Gold.”
“Pleased to meet you,” Farrah said, offering a quick nod as she measured up the doctor with a quick once-over.
“Dr. Blake, I haven’t seen you since... I don’t even know. How long has it been?” Price asked with a seductive grin.
“A little over two years,” she replied as her mind brought forward the memory. “We were attending the Boston conference.” Felicia turned to her sister and said, “Dr. Price was giving a lecture on cellular microorganisms. He’s an expert in the field.”
“Sounds...fascinating. Excuse me for a moment.” Farrah walked toward a woman wearing a hotel name tag.
“Medicine’s not really her thing. She’s a lawyer,” Felicia explained, wanting to strangle her sister for being so rude.
He laughed. “If I remember correctly, you were living in Texas. What brings you to Atlanta? Are you up for one of those new positions at the CDC? I hear the new executive director came in and cleaned house.”
“We’re here to visit some old friends,” Farrah offered, making a reappearance. “Please excuse us. We’re running late.”
“Yes, of course,” he said, eyeing both women. He pulled out a business card from the breast pocket of his suit and handed it to Felicia. “Please, give me a call sometime. I’d love to catch up.”
Felicia smiled and tucked it away in her crystal-encrusted clutch. “It was nice seeing you again.”
“You, too,” Price replied as he turned and made his way down the hall.
“The party’s right upstairs on the second floor in the Oriental ballroom.” Farrah intertwined their arms, pulling her sister toward the escalator, but not before looking over her shoulder at Dr. Price’s disappearing form.
“He won’t be the only doctor we may encounter,” Felicia whispered, trying to slow her sister’s pace to no avail.
“True, but there’s only one doctor here that you need to see. So no distractions allowed.”
The sisters took the escalator to the second floor and, with each slow progression, Felicia felt as though the small butterflies in her stomach were growing and if she opened her mouth, they’d make their escape in grand fashion.
“I can’t do this,” Felicia declared the moment the escalator placed her feet back on solid ground. She gripped her sister’s arm and froze, then watched a large crowd of elegantly dressed men and women mill about. She turned and faced her sister, who snatched a glass of wine from a passing waiter. “Farrah, let’s get out of here.”
“What the hell’s wrong with you?” Farrah said before taking a sip of her wine. “You work for the CIA doing God knows what. Dad trained all of us to handle all types of weapons, to fight, and you’ve even won a few karate matches against both of your sisters, for goodness’ sake.” Farrah scrunched her face as though her nose had just encountered a vile smell. “Why are you acting like you’ve never been in a clutch situation before?”
“Oh, I don’t know, maybe because all the training in the world hasn’t prepared me to tell someone I haven’t really seen in years, excluding a ten-minute conversation in an airport weeks ago—a man that I’ve never so much as shared a real kiss with, a man that I just might still be in love with, which is pretty pathetic if you think about it—that we have a child.”
Chapter 6 (#u81f33526-4246-5f2f-8dee-d9c5c885ff53)
Felicia spied a ladies’ lounge, extracted herself from her sister’s hold and weaved through the crowd. She was keeping her head lowered because the last thing she wanted was to be stopped in her current state. Entering the bright room, she spied a small, white sofa and matching round chairs. She took a seat on the sofa and crossed her arms and legs much like a pouting teenager.
Farrah wasn’t too far behind. “Really? Is this your plan? Hang out in the ladies’ room until the party’s over?” she asked, standing with her arms folded, staring down at her sister.
“No, only until the party gets started.” Felicia opened her clutch purse, pulled out her cell and checked the time. “It’s almost eight. We’ll only have to wait another fifteen minutes and then we’re out of here. The sooner I get back to the hotel and Alyia, the better.”
Felicia decided not to stay at the house Valerie had willed her and Alyia. Considering everything that happened, she felt it would be best if they made a clean break. Felicia decided to put the house up for sale and place the money in trust for Alyia.
Farrah let her arms fall to the sides and joined her sister on the sofa. “Look, sis, I understand your trepidation for handling things this way, but he’s left you no real choice.”
“I get that, but I don’t think this is the best way,” Felicia explained. The door opened and their attention shifted to two ladies making their way past the lounge area and into the stalls positioned behind the sitting room.
Farrah sighed. “All right, so what do you want to do?”
“I want to get the hell out of here and bring Fletcher in to help,” she said, her eyes widening and eyebrows rising.
Farrah’s eyebrows knit together. “Why Fletcher?”
“He did a great job checking into the attorney who sent me the letter that started this mess in the first place. Fletcher has always found creative ways to resolve our other family problems,” she said, giving her sister a smile and a playful nudge. “I’m sure this issue will be no problem. At least for him. He doesn’t have any messy emotions to contend with. Fletcher can track him down, break the news, and then the ball will be in his court.”
Fletcher Scott, a private detective turned lawyer, was the Blakes’ go-to person when it came to handling personal matters the family didn’t want their own company involved in.
“Okay, if that’s how you want to handle it, so be it.” Farrah got up and took a peek outside the door and the sound of live jazz music flowed in. “But by the amount of champagne and the musicians playing in the foyer, we could be here a while. It looks like we’ll be missing a great party and you know how I love a good party,” Felicia said, returning to her seat where she did a little shimmy.
The sisters laughed, but were interrupted when a pretty, tall woman with features that clearly indicated African-American and Asian heritage, wearing a low-cut, powder-blue, floor-length dress with her hair pulled into a tight bun, entered the lounge area. A petite older woman wearing a more conservative gown in a similar color entered right after. That woman’s almond-shaped eyes, high cheekbones and fair coloring seemed familiar.
Both sisters offered the women a smile. The younger one nodded and stopped at the entrance of the sitting area while the older woman moved forward and extended her hand. “Dr. Felicia Blake,” she said, more of a statement than a question. The woman’s dark eyes darted between the sisters, clearly confused by the near-identical images before her.
Felicia and Farrah stood, and Felicia accepted the woman’s hand. “I’m Dr. Felicia Blake.”
“I’m Mrs. Lin Kaile, Dr. Griffin Kaile’s mother. We met briefly at Griffin’s graduation,” she explained, offering Felicia a quick shake with her fingers before dropping her hand as though she was afraid she would catch a disease.
“I remember. Nice to see you again,” Felicia replied, suddenly chilled by the woman’s icy tone and demeanor. As far as Felicia could remember, there had never been any exchange they’d had that warranted the woman’s dismissive behavior.
Mrs. Kaile beckoned the younger woman. “And this is my future daughter-in-law, Jia Richardson.” Felicia’s heart dropped at the introduction as Jia quickly joined the older woman’s side, murmuring something insulting in Mandarin.
Felicia responded to the young woman in the same language, letting them know that she did not appreciate her making such a derogatory statement about her and her sister—that they were like puff pastries, pretty but no substance. She didn’t even know them.
Both women turned their glares toward Felicia, who met theirs head-on. Farrah offered her sister a proud smile but remained silent.
Mrs. Kaile broke the silence. “You speak Mandarin?” she asked, leveling an inquisitive stare at Felicia.
“We speak several languages,” Felicia replied, smiling at the woman’s obvious discomfort.
“I must remember that,” Mrs. Kaile responded with a hint of sarcasm in her tone, offering Felicia a tight smile before turning her attention toward Farrah. “Do you speak Mandarin, as well?”
“No, unfortunately I haven’t mastered that language yet, but I’m learning. Felicia’s an excellent teacher.”
Mrs. Kaile’s eyes landed on Felicia’s face. “You know our language well enough to teach it. I’m impressed,” she replied, her face sending a slightly different message, this one of undisguised disapproval.
“If I may ask, why did you say you’re not her daughter-in-law yet?” Felicia said, putting her focus on Jia.
Before Jia could respond, a trio of women entered the lounge area, but before proceeding any further, they swept a gaze across the others, then made a hasty retreat.
“They’re announcing their engagement tonight,” Mrs. Kaile clarified. “After we celebrate my Griffin’s accomplishments, of course. After all, tonight’s all about my son.”
Butterflies started making their way to Felicia’s throat, preparing to make their exit. While the other women may have missed the change in Felicia’s demeanor, Farrah clearly did not. “Congratulations. We wish you well,” Farrah said, covering for her twin’s lapse.
“Yes...congratulations,” Felicia managed to force past her lips.
“So you can imagine my surprise when I saw your name on the final guest list, especially since no one in the family invited you,” Mrs. Kaile informed her, tightening her grip on the purse she held as if expecting someone to make a grab for it.
Farrah tilted her head slightly. “Yet we were invited and under the impression that this celebration was also a charity event...a fund-raiser for a hospital.”
Mrs. Kaile raised her chin slightly. “Yes, of course, Dr. Barry’s welcome guest. He’s a client of yours, I understand,” she said, her lip curving upward slightly.
“He’s a family friend,” Farrah corrected. “Now, if he were a client, I wouldn’t be able to share that information with you. But I’m sure you understand, being the daughter and mother of doctors.”
Really, Farrah? Why don’t you just tell the woman you investigated every aspect of Griffin’s life, including his parents?
The older woman smiled and then dropped it as quickly as it appeared. Her eyes narrowed on Farrah. “You do know quite a bit.”
“You have no idea,” Farrah said, smiling.
Felicia moved a few inches closer to her sister, saying, “My sister’s not only our company’s chief legal counsel, she’s an excellent investigator,” she affirmed. The last thing Felicia wanted was for Farrah to start crossing swords with Griffin’s mother and Alyia’s grandmother. Especially since they would still have to meet with Griffin at some point and it wouldn’t do for there to be bad blood between their families.
