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“I can’t. I have a ton of work to finish up here.”
“I’m giving you permission to take a lunch break.” Jarrod laughed. “I’m the boss. And frankly, you’re a workaholic.”
“I have a meeting with a buyer this afternoon, and I want to be prepared.”
“I appreciate your commitment to this company, Savannah. Even in the wake of my selling it.”
“I love my job.”
“And you’re damn good at it.” He smiled. “Which reminds me. I just got off the phone with an old colleague of mine, Herman Mason. His company specializes in women’s fashion. One of the largest in England. I got you an interview.”
“Are you kidding? Herman Mason?”
“I told him you were my best fashion designer, and he’s very interested in meeting with you when you arrive in London,” he said.
“Jarrod! I don’t know what to say.”
“Say that you won’t embarrass me. Show him what you got.” He smiled. “It’s the least I can do, considering I can’t keep you around here.”
“I appreciate it. More than you know.”
Jarrod became more comfortable in his seat. “I heard the commotion that went on...earlier...with your ex. Is everything okay?”
“Everything’s fine.”
“You need me to rough him up a little bit? Teach him a lesson?” Jarrod grinned at his own joke.
Savannah laughed inside. She knew that Jarrod could never stand up to Edward. Not physically. Not otherwise. The two were very different. When she met Jarrod, she wanted something so different from Edward that she’d gone to the other extreme. Jarrod was doting, gave her all the attention she wanted and needed—and sometimes more than she wanted. He wasn’t afraid to share his feelings. Edward was a man’s man. He would never admit to anything, and was hardly ever available to her. The two were like night and day. Both were gentlemen and loving, but Edward would rough Jarrod up if given half a chance.
“That won’t be necessary. Edward’s harmless.”
“I know you still have a thing...for him...”
“Don’t start, Jarrod. Please.”
“It’s why we didn’t work out, isn’t it?”
“We didn’t work out because we just weren’t meant to be.” Savannah kept the conversation light. She knew that the tone had the potential to change—fast. “I appreciate everything you’ve done for me. You’re a great friend.”
Jarrod stood, headed toward the door. A slight smile danced in the corner of his mouth. “So I’ve been placed back into the friend bucket.”
Savannah laughed. “Yes.”
“Anything for you and Chloe.”
Jarrod disappeared before Savannah could say another word. She did appreciate him, in spite of the fact that their whirlwind fling hadn’t lasted. He was the first man she’d dated after the divorce. He’d romanced her and given her all the attention that a woman desired from a man—the attention that she’d desired from Edward. He’d even fallen in love with Chloe, and would’ve made a wonderful stepfather. When he’d asked Savannah for her hand in marriage, it seemed the only logical next step—except for the fact that she didn’t love him. She thought he was a nice catch, a successful man any woman would be happy to have. But she didn’t feel for him the things that he felt for her. He didn’t care if she didn’t love him—he wanted her anyway. She would grow to love him, he’d told her.
“Love is overrated anyway,” he’d insisted. “People put too much emphasis on it. Successful marriages aren’t built on love, they’re built on commitment.”
That way of thinking didn’t sit well with Savannah. She needed love, and she wouldn’t settle for anything less. He was devastated when she broke off the engagement, but it didn’t stop him from trying to change her mind every chance he got.
Jarrod knew fashion inside and out. He’d been in the business a long time and had taught Savannah much of what she knew. His company had taken the industry by storm. But suddenly it was on a downward slope. Sales had fallen and the business was suffering. He needed to downsize, and as much as he wanted to retain Savannah, he couldn’t afford to keep her. Soon Jarrod’s Fashions would be owned by someone else.
Savannah shut the door to her office to avoid any other interruptions. She took a seat at her drafting table, her sketches scattered about. She thought of Edward. Wanted to call and smooth things over with him. Her decision to go to London hadn’t been meant to hurt him. She wanted him to understand her need to connect with her mother. They’d come a long way since the divorce. They’d become more than just co-parents—they were friends. And she didn’t want to jeopardize their friendship. But it was her time. He’d always come first in their marriage—his career, his feelings, his everything. It was the thing that had torn them apart. She’d taken a backseat for long enough. Now it was her time to do the things that made her happy.
She’d already anticipated that Edward might not be amenable to her idea of relocating with Chloe. Her income wasn’t as adequate as Edward’s and she didn’t have attorney friends to assist her. She’d already done her research and learned that there were forms that needed to be filed whether Edward agreed or disagreed with the move. So she’d already downloaded the necessary forms for both scenarios. She’d hoped that they could come to an agreement and that the decision would be consensual. However, Edward had been all but tolerable. The news was sudden, and he needed time to absorb it. Soon, he would see that he’d overreacted. But if not, she would take him to court.
Chapter 3 (#ulink_531d3019-02bc-5e89-955e-c17f2a94f2f3)
Edward sat sunk back in the leather seat of his car and watched as youngsters hopped into their parents’ vehicles. The petals of a plumeria flower rested against the leather seat, right next to a plastic bag filled with Laffy Taffy, Nerds, Milk Duds and Skittles. He watched for Chloe. Expected her to rush to his car as she had every single Friday afternoon—her thick ponytails would be flying in different directions, the plaid skirt that she wore would be twisted in the back, and she’d offer him the biggest snaggletoothed smile that he loved so much.
Surely she remembered it was Friday. And not just any Friday, but the one on which her favorite movie came out at the theaters. They would smuggle the bag of candy into the auditorium in her backpack. They would order a large bucket of popcorn and a large Coke to share, and they would sit in the middle of the theater. Not too close to the screen, but not too far in the back. Right in the center.
Miss Jennings marched out of the school, a row of kindergartners following close behind. Edward sat straight up in his seat. He didn’t want to be caught slouching as he scanned the row of children in search of his daughter. When he saw her, he smiled. Her ponytails flew in opposite directions, just as he’d suspected. She rushed to the car when she spotted him, Miss Jennings following close behind. Chloe pulled on the door handle and hopped inside. Miss Jennings stuck her head inside.
“Hello, Mr. Talbot.” She gave him that same flirty smile that she always gave him.
The first time he saw the smile, he thought he was mistaken. Thought it was innocent until the time she gave him a raise of the eyebrows followed by a slip of her phone number during a parent-teacher conference. He never called. Feared that it would be a conflict of interest, dating his daughter’s teacher. Not to mention, she wasn’t his type.
He’d dated a few women after the divorce. Freda was the attractive psychologist that he’d met at a conference. She was the total package—beautiful, smart, independent. A nice catch, but she was too bossy. She wanted to dress him and mold him into what she wanted him to be, and he wasn’t that type of man. He had his own agenda. Miranda was conservative and laid-back, accommodating. Too accommodating for his taste. She was the total package, too—beautiful, smart, independent—but there was no mystery. He’d managed to find something wrong with every woman he dated.
“Hello, Miss Jennings.” Edward was cordial.
“Her homework is in her backpack,” she said.
“Thanks.”
“Have a great weekend, Chloe. I’ll see you on Monday.”
“Bye, Miss Jennings!” Chloe exclaimed before shutting her door. “Hi, Daddy!”
“Hello, Princess.” He tapped the side of his face until she leaned over and kissed it.
“How was school?”
“Awesome!”
“For you, madam.” He handed her the single yellow flower.
She smelled it and then stuck it into her hair. “It’s pretty, Daddy. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
“You got the goods.” She grinned wickedly as she peeked into the plastic bag filled with candy. She fastened her seat belt.
He knew that he shouldn’t let her ride in the front seat. She was supposed to be buckled up in her car seat in the back, but some days he made an exception. And this was one of them.
“I got the goods.” Edward smiled as he pulled out of the school’s parking lot.
Chloe stuffed the bag of candy into her backpack. “What time does the movie start?”
“Four o’clock,” he said. “If we hurry, we can make it before the previews are over.”
“Cool.” She toyed with his stereo until she found her favorite satellite radio station. She sang along with Katy Perry.
* * *
The theater was crowded. It seemed that every child in America had shown up for the premiere of the movie. Edward purchased tickets and then the two made a beeline for the concession stand. He held on to Chloe’s hand.
“How’s your mommy doing?” he asked as they stood in line.
“She’s fine,” said Chloe. “She misses you.”
“Really? How do you know?”
“She talks about you all the time.”
“Really,” he asked, and tried to seem unfazed by her remarks. But he couldn’t help prying. “Like what?”
“I don’t know, Daddy. Just saying stuff like ‘your daddy and I used to listen to this type of music’ or ‘your daddy really likes this kind of food.’”
“I see,” said Edward.
“Do you still love her?”
“I will always love your mom. And you. We’re always going to be family.”
“Even when we move to London?”
“Your mom talked to you about London?”
“She said we’re going to live with her mother, Nyle.”
“How do you feel about that?”
“I don’t want to go, Daddy. Please don’t make me go. If we go there, I won’t get to spend the weekends with you anymore.”
“Don’t worry, baby. You’re not going anywhere.” Edward kissed Chloe’s hand. “I’ll make sure of it.”
He intended to speak with Savannah about filling his daughter’s head with her fantasies of moving away. As soon as the movie was over he’d confront her.
* * *
At home, Edward poured himself a glass of Merlot and began to prepare a vegetarian Caribbean meal for two. Being reared in the Bahamas, he’d learned his way around a kitchen. Growing up in a large family with three sisters and a mother who could cook, he was spoiled. Never had to worry about cooking. But after marrying Savannah, he was forced to become a great cook, considering his wife could barely boil water. He would call home to his mother in the Bahamas and she’d equip him with her recipes.
After his father’s heart attack scare, Edward had become obsessed with his diet—only feasting on fish and chicken and incorporating more vegetables into his diet. He insisted on healthy eating in order to prevent heart disease and other ailments that bad eating caused. He needed to be healthy for his daughter, and he wouldn’t compromise that. He visited the gym every other morning, if for nothing more than a run on the treadmill.
“You think you can break up the broccoli?” Edward asked Chloe.
“I can do it.” She stood on a step stool in front of the kitchen’s island with the granite top.
“Good!” He pulled her ponytail. “You do the broccoli and I’ll cut up the peppers and onions.”
He headed into the living room and tuned the stereo to his Afro-Cuban playlist. He could hear his phone ringing in the kitchen.
“Daddy, it’s Mommy!” Chloe called from the kitchen.
He grabbed it from the granite countertop and answered it. “Hello.”
“Hi.” Savannah’s voice was sweet in Edward’s ear. “What’s Chloe doing?”
“She’s preparing vegetables for our dinner,” Edward said. “We’re making a vegetarian gumbo.”
“Yum. You always were a great cook,” said Savannah. “The movie was great, I hope.”
“It was fantastic,” Edward said. “Your daughter fell asleep midway through, but I enjoyed it.”
Chloe laughed, and so did Savannah.
“She’s so bad at movies.”
“The worst.” Edward laughed. “Would you like to speak with her?”
“I actually called to speak with you. I’d like to talk to you about London.”
“There’s nothing more to talk about.” Edward was calm for Chloe’s sake.
“I would really like your blessing, Edward. I would hope that we could come to an agreement about it.”
“That won’t happen,” he said, and then smiled at Chloe, who was listening intently. Edward stepped outside onto the back deck where he could speak freely. “I haven’t changed my position on this, Savannah.”
“Would you really deny me the opportunity to connect with my mother? You of all people know how important this is for me.”
“Then you should go to London and connect with your mother. But leave Chloe.”
“I can’t leave my child, Edward. You know I would never leave her.”
“Then you won’t be going. Because she’s not going!” He was adamant. “I would never agree to that.”
Savannah was quiet for a moment. “Then I don’t have a choice. I’ll have to petition the courts. I don’t want to, Edward, but you’re leaving me no choice.”
“Do what you have to do, Savannah. But know that I will fight this.”
“I know that you already have your bulldogs lined up,” she said, referring to Edward’s lawyer friends.
“I’ve already consulted with counsel. Yes.”
“Fine.”
