Chapter 18

When Sydney got home from her walk, she called both of her daughters and told them what had happened, and gave Steve all the credit for it. She thought he was a magician to have gotten her released three months early. The prospect of getting her record expunged, even of a misdemeanor, was good news too. The girls were ecstatic for her. She told them she wanted to change the venue for Christmas Eve. She wanted to take everyone to the Plaza for dinner. It would be wonderful to get out, and treat them all to a nice dinner in a restaurant for a change. Even ordinary activities were a gift now.

She called Bob then, because she could see that he had called her three times while she was out, and he was worried when she answered.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m so sorry. I was sleeping.” She didn’t want to tell him. She wanted to surprise him when he arrived. It was only five days away, if she could hold out, but it was hard not to say anything to him.

She got up early the next morning and dressed for work. She hadn’t told Ed either, and she walked into his office casually, wearing gray wool slacks and a gray sweater and spoke to him as though she’d never left. He stared at her as though he’d seen a ghost.

“Sydney? What are you doing here?” He was afraid she had broken the rules and just left her apartment and gone out. He was relieved when she told him what Steve had accomplished.

“Oh my God!” he said and ran around his desk to hug her, and he kept hugging her, he was so excited. Everyone in the office was thrilled.

He took her out to lunch and she told him about Christmas dinner at the Plaza. Every day was a celebration now. It felt like a miracle to her that she was free.

He startled her with a question over lunch. “My mother throws a charity event in Hong Kong every year, to benefit breast cancer research. It’s a big deal to her. Her mother and sister died of it. Two thousand people attend, and they raise a lot of money. They always have some special event or happening to make it more exciting.” He looked slightly embarrassed to be asking her. “She wants to know if we’d send the collection over after Fashion Week. They’d pay for transportation and insurance, and they’ll pay to hire the models. I didn’t know how you’d feel about it. To be honest, it’s a pain in the ass and a lot of work. I thought you wouldn’t be out of your apartment by then, and I didn’t want to do it alone. But now that you’re free, what do you think? It’s good publicity, and for a good cause, but we don’t have to if you don’t want to. I can tell her no. I already told her I didn’t think we could, if you weren’t there too.” Sydney didn’t hesitate for a second after she’d listened.

“It’s a very good cause, and good publicity for us, even if it’s in Hong Kong. And she’s your mother. If it weren’t for them, we wouldn’t have a business,” she reminded him.

“True,” he said, thinking about it, and his mother had been gracious enough not to point that out. “They’re talking about March first. The timing could work. We’ll have the collection here for two weeks after the show to take orders, or ten days at least, and then we’ll ship it to Hong Kong. I can take Kevin to help, and we can hire people there, and use local models.” He had already thought about the logistics, but hadn’t wanted to do it without Sydney. “So what do you think?”

“I say yes,” Sydney said firmly, smiling at him. She was in love with the world now that she was out of her apartment.

“She’s going to love you forever.” He was smiling at her. It was great to see her back at work, even though they had covered the three months remarkably well. Better than they’d hoped. “I’ll send her an email. She’ll be thrilled. And it’ll be fun to be in Hong Kong with you again,” he said, and then he laughed. “And you can meet Bob’s kids while you’re there.”

She looked horrified at the prospect. “Forget it. Cancel the event,” she teased him.

“You’ll like them, I promise.”

“That’s not the issue. They’ll probably hate me.”

“Why should they? They’re all adults.”

“That doesn’t always make a difference.”

“He must be ecstatic that you’re a free woman now.”

“He doesn’t know,” she said conspiratorially. “I want to surprise him when he comes next week.”

Ed smiled at the idea. “He’s going to be one very happy guy,” he said, and she grinned broadly.

“I hope so.” She was a happy woman too.

The six of them had dinner at the Plaza at her invitation on Christmas Eve. Ed and Kevin, Steve and Sabrina, Sophie and Sydney. It was a beautiful meal and a festive evening. They toasted Sydney’s freedom with champagne, and admired the engagement ring Steve had given Sabrina earlier that day. It sparkled on her finger. Sydney went to midnight mass at Saint Ignatius on Park Avenue on her own after the meal. It was a beautiful service. She went to see the tree at Rockefeller Center afterward, and stood looking at it with awe, and then she walked all the way home. She walked everywhere now. It felt so incredibly good to be back in the world. She took nothing for granted and enjoyed it all.

She had lit a candle for Andrew at church, thinking about their life together and how much everything had changed. It was almost as though she’d been a different person then, one she had been just for him, and he had taken that person with him, or she had died with him. Now she was designing again, working, and part owner in a business, thanks to Ed. She had survived losing their home, being dead broke, giving up the apartment she loved in Paris, being arrested, and going to jail, however briefly. She had been stripped of everything she had based her identity on, and discovered that she was still a whole person, that she still believed in the same things and had the same values. The things that had meant so much to her when they were married meant less to her now. And having lost them, she had found herself, and was stronger than she’d ever been before. She had always thought it would kill her to lose Andrew, but it hadn’t. She was sad about him, and she still missed him at times, but he had died and she had survived. And what was left of her, what she had become after all the losses, belonged to her and to Bob now. She had discovered herself after Andrew died. She had become a butterfly with strong wings, and Andrew was the cocoon she had shed in order to fly.

Bob’s secretary had sent Sydney his itinerary by email, as she always did, so she would know his flight number if he was delayed. Sydney had spoken to her on the phone a few times, and she seemed like a nice woman. Sydney made note of his flight number and arrival time, and hired a town car to take her to the airport. She could afford a few more luxuries now with her salary and the money that would come from the Paris apartment sale in January. Her finances were no longer as terrifyingly tight as they had been at first, after Andrew died.

There was no traffic on the way to the airport. It was three days after Christmas and a lot of people weren’t working. There was no snow on the ground, and she arrived at the airport half an hour early, and wandered around waiting for him. He had no idea she’d be there. She had managed to keep the secret, although it had been agonizing to do so, but she loved the idea of surprising him, with good news for a change.

She saw from the big board listing arrivals that his plane was on the ground, on its way to the gate. And then it said that the passengers were in customs. She stood just to the side of the doors he would come through, so she would see him before he saw her.

He was one of the first passengers out, since he always traveled first class, and he moved quickly toward the terminal exit, pulling his bag on wheels. He was expecting a car and driver to meet him, which she had canceled, since she had hired one herself.

She followed him for a few feet, and then walked right up behind him and tapped him on the shoulder. He turned to see who it was, and stopped in his tracks without saying a word. Like Ed, for an instant he was afraid she had escaped from the apartment, but she put her arms around him and kissed him, as he held her in his arms.

“It’s okay,” she said softly. “I’m free…they let me go.” She had seen the worry in his eyes. He kissed her again then, and they stood for a long time in the airport with people walking around them and smiling, and then he looked at her intently.

“What happened?…Why didn’t you tell me…when?”

They started walking toward the exit and she told him the whole story, about Zeller pleading guilty, and Steve talking to the U.S. attorney and the judge.

“And they’ll expunge my record in six months or a year, if I don’t get arrested again,” she said as though it was a normal occurrence, and he laughed.

“I think you can manage that, don’t you?” She nodded, and they settled into the back of the car and rode into the city. But he had an idea as soon as he walked into the apartment and looked at Sydney. The place looked a shambles now. All the computer equipment and screens were in the way. The coffee machine wasn’t working, and they were coming to get the big screen and office equipment the day after New Year’s. It made them both feel claustrophobic now being there. She wanted a new apartment, but hadn’t had time yet to do anything about it in the short time she’d been free.

“Let’s get out of here,” he said, as he opened his computer. “Let’s go someplace hot and sunny. How does St. Barts sound?” He had barely taken his coat off, and was already looking up the hotel he preferred there. He knew they could have a villa with their own pool. Sydney sat and smiled at him when he called them. They had a villa available, and he made reservations for the next day. It sounded like a dream to her.

They lay in bed talking that night, wide awake. She had packed, and he said he’d buy what he needed there at the local stores, since he had only brought clothes for New York. And she told him she was coming to Hong Kong in March.

“You have been busy!” He laughed and looked pleased.

“We’re doing a fashion show for a big benefit Mrs. Chin does every year. We’ll take the whole collection there after Fashion Week. It should be fun,” she said, and he smiled.

“It will be ‘fun’ having you in Hong Kong. Actually, it will be fantastic.” It was his fondest wish come true, to have her in Hong Kong with him. “How long will you stay?”

“A few days, a week, as long as we need to, to put on the benefit.”

“Would you stay an extra week, just for us?” he asked her seriously, and she nodded. And then he told her about Christmas with his children. They had all come home and had spent a wonderful week together, before they went off with friends to do their own thing, and he had left for New York. He said they were curious about her, and he hadn’t told them that she was incarcerated in her apartment, and didn’t intend to. They didn’t need to know. They fell asleep that night in each other’s arms, and they couldn’t wait to leave for St. Barts the next day.

They got up early the next morning and left for the airport. She had sent Ed a text telling him she was going away, and knew he’d be fine with it. They flew to St. Martin and switched to a tiny plane to get to St. Barts. The plane made her nervous, but the flight was short, and it was like being in heaven when they got to the hotel. The villa was fabulous, the location amazing, and having their own pool was a divine luxury. She had never felt so spoiled, even on trips with Andrew.

They dined in their room on some nights, and went to local restaurants on others. They swam naked in their pool, and explored the shops in the port. It felt like a honeymoon and a reward for her three-month house arrest all at the same time. They extended their stay, with Ed’s blessing, and spent a week there, and hated to go back to New York. It was the most perfect vacation she’d ever been on.

“The first of many, I hope,” he said when she thanked him profusely on the flight home.

He had to leave for London the next day, for a board meeting, but he was coming back for their show during Fashion Week, and then she would be going to Hong Kong for the breast cancer benefit. He had already bought a table for ten and wanted to invite friends so she could meet them. She would be busy backstage for most of the evening, but she could come and sit with them when the fashion show was over.

They had one night together in New York before he left. She was still floating on a cloud from their vacation, and so was he. And he loved knowing that she would be coming to Hong Kong soon. They talked about it that night until they fell asleep. And she was half asleep when he left for the airport at six o’clock the next morning. He kissed her and then he was gone.

When she got to the office that morning, she knew that the month ahead would be frantic. They had to finish the collection, put on the show, pack it up, go to Hong Kong, and start on the new collection. And before things got too crazy, she wanted to find a new apartment, another furnished one, nothing elaborate or too expensive, but bigger than where she was. The one she was in felt like a jail cell to her now. She couldn’t wait to move.

She found one the following weekend. It was a furnished commercial rental, like a hotel suite, but it was big enough, and nicer than the one she was giving up. She didn’t want the expense of decorating or buying furniture, so she was satisfied with furnished rentals for the time being, until she felt financially stable again. They looked impersonal but it didn’t matter to her.

Sophie helped her move.

It was a relief when she got the money from Paris. She could pay Sabrina off at last, and Steve, and put the rest in the bank. It was the most money she had seen in almost two years, and she felt secure for the first time in a long time.

They were both working on their shows when Sabrina called her on the weekend to tell her that she and Steve had just found the location they wanted for their wedding reception. It was an English club with wood paneling and fireplaces. It had elegant rooms, a library, and a beautiful garden, and looked like a home, which it had once been. It was formal, traditional, and serious and suited them. The club rented it out for weddings, and the price seemed reasonable to both of them when Sabrina and Sydney went to look at it. Sabrina and Steve were definite that they only wanted a hundred people at the wedding. They wanted it to be intimate, traditional, and discreet. They loved that the club had an old-fashioned feel to it. Only Sophie was disappointed that they didn’t want to do it somewhere funkier and more fun, which would have been more her own style than her older sister’s. Sophie was trying to talk Sabrina into letting her wear hot pink as the maid of honor instead of a pale blush peach that Ed and Sabrina had agreed on. And Sydney was planning to wear taupe with bronze accessories.

Sydney put a deposit on the club immediately, so that problem was solved. The club had its own caterer, so she didn’t have to find one. They’d found a church they liked. All they needed now was a wedding cake, Ed’s florist, and a photographer. She and Ed were making the gowns for Sabrina, Sophie, and herself. It was all turning out to be much less complicated and stressful than she’d expected. Steve and Sabrina were very low-key and not demanding, and weren’t looking to show off, despite Sabrina’s high standards in fashion. She wanted her wedding to remain simple and very private. Steve was fine with the idea, and his parents had agreed. Sabrina had done most of the work and research herself and had her own ideas about everything.

So with the main issues for the wedding solved, and deposits where they needed them, Sydney could focus on the collection and take care of the remaining wedding details later. They had time. But the pressure was on for Fashion Week, and she was at work till midnight every night. Ed was often there even later.

She was taking a break one night, eating a salad at her desk, before working on the show some more, and picked up the Post and turned to Page Six as a diversion. The usual names were there—the cheaters, the hot romances, the new babies both in and out of wedlock, who had a new house or lost one in a divorce—when she saw Kyra’s name jump out at her, and wondered what nastiness she and her sister were up to now. She knew that Kellie’s divorce was costing her a fortune, and Geoff was already engaged to another woman. The mention of Kyra was brief, and struck Sydney as sad. It said that she was in rehab for an alcohol and substance abuse problem that had led to several recent arrests, and she had been sent to rehab by the court in lieu of jail. Sydney had had her own problems with the law, but it seemed a terrible waste that someone with so much in her favor and to protect her should be so lost.

Kyra was thirty-four years old now, had no children, had never been married, had had a slew of bad boyfriends, and her life was totally without merit or accomplishment. Sydney hoped that she could turn it around. She had never known her to have a drug problem before, but maybe with all she had inherited she had lost her grip and gone wild. Neither of the twins seemed to be using their father’s fortune well. One was squandering it on a gigolo husband and a bad divorce, and the other one was deep into drugs. Sydney was relieved to be well away from them, and glad that she hadn’t run into them in a long time, and hoped she never would again. Their history together didn’t seem real anymore. Too much had happened since.

She said something about it to Sabrina when they talked the next day, and she agreed about what a mess they both seemed to be and what miserable lives they led. They’d been so anxious to take everything away from her and then lost it themselves.

“I heard from someone the other day who knows her that Kellie does a lot of cocaine these days too, and Geoff is threatening to take the kids,” Sabrina told her mother. “It’s pathetic.”

“At least he wants them,” Sydney commented.

“He probably wants them for the child support she’ll have to give him,” Sabrina said cynically, and then added in a gentler tone, “I’m sorry about the house, Mom.”

“So am I, but it doesn’t matter anymore. It’s past history.” And the future was looking bright. Since its first show, Sydney Chin had been an astonishing success, and was exceeding all expectations and predictions. Ed had told her that his family was very pleased. They had increased her equity and given her a big raise and a huge bonus. There was a certain satisfaction in knowing that whatever she had now she had earned herself, it hadn’t been given to her by someone else, and no one could take it away. She would never put herself in that position again.

Bob arrived in New York two days before the show, and took her to dinner the night before Valentine’s Day. She was running crazed but had agreed to have dinner with him. But afterward she had to go back to work. He was staying with her at her new apartment, which they both agreed wasn’t glamorous or beautiful, but was an improvement over the last one, which she had been thrilled to leave.

“Ready for the big day tomorrow?” Bob asked her across the table, and she looked instantly anxious.

“God, no. We have six dresses to finish sewing tonight. Our appliqués and embroideries just came in this afternoon, and one of our biggest models just canceled. She broke a leg skiing in Courchevel yesterday, and we don’t have a replacement for her yet. She was due in tonight.” He smiled as he listened. He knew it was the jargon of the trade, and standard Fashion Week panic. In the end, the dresses would be done, the models would be there, the sewing would be finished, and in Sydney and Ed’s case, the reviews would be great. Sabrina was going through the same thing where she worked. And Sophie was just as busy, or almost, with her junior line. It was the norm in their world.

“Are you staying at work tonight?” he asked, and she nodded. There was something he wanted to ask her, but he didn’t think this was the night. She was too tired and too stressed. And she would be in Hong Kong in less than two weeks. He could ask her then. He was happy to see that she always wore his ring and never took it off. She called it her lucky charm, and had become superstitious about it.

Bob kissed her when he dropped her back at the office, and went to her apartment to sleep. It amazed him how much he loved her. He had never felt that way about any woman before, and in spite of the crazy business she was in, they got along well. The only problem they had was where they both lived, but they seemed to have a system that worked for now, and managed to see each other every three or four weeks, mostly thanks to him, because he had to go to New York anyway for meetings with clients, though not as often as he went for her. But he couldn’t go without seeing her for long.

He woke up for an instant when he felt her slip into bed at four in the morning, and then out again at six. By the time he woke up fully two hours later, she was long gone and hard at work.