Chapter 3: Apology Accepted
Maxine Cousins…that was the fish wife’s name. The director of Hope For All. Ev wondered if these people knew just who they had hired to run their show. If she worked for him and acted like that, she’d be out on her ass before sunset. Not that he had told anyone about the incident. He hadn’t known who she was then, and he’d been so preoccupied with Danny that he had only been focused on her for the moment of their meeting. He hadn’t even really registered what she looked like. Trust Danny to remember her. His son was very observant and had a memory like a steel trap. So now he was stuck sitting next to the woman and wishing he could be anywhere but there.
Wiping his son’s lips to get the soup off, he glanced around at a sound near his elbow. He had been vaguely aware that Dr. Cousins had left, but he had been too focused on helping Danny eat and had forgotten about her for the moment. So he thought she was returning and didn’t bother to watch. He was surprised, therefore, when someone bumped into his arm and then apologized.
“Pardon me, Mr. Morgan. We’re just putting this chair here for your son. I’m sure he’ll be much more comfortable here than in your lap, and you’ll be happier, as well.”
The young man smiled at him and placed the modified high chair at the table in the spot that his hostess had occupied. He put a hand on the man’s sleeve.
“Wait a second. Where’s Dr. Cousins? This is her spot.”
“Dr. Cousins is the one who requested it, sir,” the young man said. “With her compliments.”
He slipped away before Ev could say anything further. He set Danny in the chair, strapped him in, and pulled his own chair back to the table. Then he looked around, trying to see if he could find the woman in the dining room. He scanned every table, but she wasn’t seated at any of them. He caught the eye of the woman who had been speaking when he entered the dining room, and she smiled at him. He returned her smile and beckoned her over.
“Good evening…” he hesitated, not knowing her name.
“I’m Carrie, Mr. Morgan. Good evening! How may I help you?”
You might try teaching your boss some manners. Did she think giving up her seat and disappearing from her own party was any way to apologize for being a shrew? He blinked at the thought, but said aloud “I was just wondering where your boss is?”
She looked puzzled. “My boss?”
“Dr. Cousins? The director of Hope For All? She seems to have given up her place at the head table for my son.”
“Yes, sir, she did. If she had known you would be bringing him, seating would already have been arranged for him.”
The woman sounded as though she were gently chiding him, but he let that slide. He should have known he wouldn’t be able to find a babysitter on such short notice, not with the way he was picky about who watched his son. Expecting that his neighbor’s kid would have managed to get his ass back home in time to come over and watch Danny had been too much to ask. The boy was notorious for being late, and for getting into trouble that made him even later. Ev sighed.
“No, no, I should be the one apologizing. I should have let you all know sooner.” He smiled again and said, “Whereabouts is she sitting now?”
“At the moment, she’s not sitting, sir. But I expect she’ll find a seat by the time the program portion of the evening begins.”
A waiter arrived just then with the next course, and Carrie smiled at him. “Enjoy the rest of your meal, sir.”
She smiled at Danny as well, ruffling his hair as she stepped away and went back to her place. Ev watched the waiter clear the soup bowls away and then return with the next course. He helped Danny cut up the salad on his plate, and then let the child feed himself while he ate his own. The woman who was now occupying his thoughts did not make a reappearance, and for some reason, that made his ire rise. He didn’t want her making any sacrifices for him, especially not as a way to apologize for being rude.
It wasn’t his way to hold a grudge, and even if she did owe him an apology, he didn’t want her to debase herself in the process. He was sure she had done a lot of work to plan this event, and he had heard that she had a lot of fresh ideas that had already begun to bear fruit. So even if she could sometimes be a shrew, she was clearly more than her bad behavior on Friday night. It bothered him to think that she felt the need to bow and scrape to him because of who he was. He kept looking for her throughout the meal but never managed to see her. Which meant she was not in the dining room. Where the hell was she?
By the time the main course was served, Ev was seriously pissed off, and for a different reason. He didn’t want any self-sacrificing female making him feel guilty about something she had started. He caught Carrie’s eye again and when she came over once again, he said,
“Would you mind sitting with Danny for a moment? I need to do something.”
“Sure thing, Mr. Morgan.” She waited until he stood up and then took his seat. He crouched next to his son and said,
“I’ll be right back, okay? This nice lady’s name is Carrie. She’s going to look after you till I come back. Is that okay, buddy?”
Danny looked up into Carrie’s pretty face, serious as a judge, and Ev knew he needed to wait until his son decided the woman could be trusted. He swallowed his impatience and then smiled when Danny said,
“Okay, Daddy. Look for the fish lady?”
Ev laughed. “Sure thing, buddy. I’ll see what I can do.”
He carefully avoided looking at Carrie. He wasn’t about to disclose any information regarding fish ladies or anything else that would let her know he had had a previous encounter with her boss. The fewer people who knew about that, the better for Dr. Cousins, he was sure. And as the evening wore on, he found himself less inclined to lose her her job over one unfortunate incident. But he also wanted to tell her off for making his evening so stressful with her disappearing act.
He strode out to the hallway and stopped the first person he saw.
“Excuse me. Do you know the director for Hope For All? They’re the organization running this party. Her name is Dr. Cousins?”
The young woman thought for a second and then said, “I heard someone speaking to a Dr. Cousins in the small conference room across the hall maybe about fifteen minutes ago, sir. But there’s no one in there now. The lights are all off.”
Not helpful at all. Ev ground his teeth together, remembered to say thanks, biting off the “for nothing” part, and turned away. He’d probably have to open a few doors to find her. He set off to do the rounds when he caught sight of a whisper of green and blue that reminded him of what she had been wearing. He turned in the direction of the color but whoever it was had disappeared. Hurrying to catch up, he turned into an empty hallway. He followed it for a step or two until he came to a ladies room. This must be where she had gone. Not wanting to be caught standing in front of the ladies restroom like some kind of stalker, he went back to the end of the hallway and leaned against the wall. When the door opened, he straightened up and waited for her to reach him.
She didn’t see him until she had turned the corner, and then she gasped, startled by his appearance.
“Mr. Morgan? Is everything alright? Do you need the men’s room? It’s further down this hallway, on your right.”
She was nervous. Ev could see it clearly, and part of him was inexplicably pissed by her reaction. The rest of him loved the way her hair fell down over her shoulders, which were a warm dusky brown. She looked soft and vulnerable, and it called to something primitive in him. He wanted to reach out and touch the wavy length, and to pull her chin up so he could look into her eyes.
“I’m fine,” he said, shutting down his man brain. He didn’t need to be finding anything to admire on this woman. She was volatile at best, and a sort of client at worst. They should not get involved. “I was looking for you.”
Now she looked scared. What the hell? Did she think he was going to hurt her? Because she cursed at him on a Friday night in a store?
“Why?” That was all she seemed to be able to say.
“You gave up your seat for my son. You didn’t need to do that. I haven’t seen you since dinner started, and I’m pretty sure you haven’t eaten.”
She drew herself up to her full height — she was still, even then, a good six inches shorter than he was — and looked coolly at him before answering.
“It was the least I could do, Mr. Morgan. And please don’t be concerned about me. I’ll be fine. Once the entertainment portion of the evening begins, I’ll be able to sit quietly somewhere and finish my meal. It’s not a problem.” She paused to catch her breath and then ended, “Thanks for your concern. Is there anything else I can help you with?”
Ev had the distinct impression that she was hiding a quiet desperation of ever being able to make up for her bad behavior in the store two nights earlier, and she would do anything he asked to fix things. Unbidden the thought of her on her knees before him, pleasuring him, rose before him in such graphic detail that he had to blink to clear it. He was not looking to start anything with anyone, casual or not, and definitely not with this woman. But he could see that she was not going to come back to sit next to him for dinner, and he knew when to give in.
It struck him, as he stood there trying not to find her increasingly attractive as the scent of her perfume wafted between them, that there was something he could ask of her that would not only help her absolve herself of the guilt and embarrassment she was clearly feeling, but would allow him to see her again without having to make a date with her or be too personal. He needed a new nanny, a reliable one, for Danny. Who better to help him find someone like that than the director of one of the largest philanthropic organizations in the state? She would know who to ask, where to look for help, how to vet candidates. He answered her before he could change his mind, knowing that he was playing with fire.
“As a matter of fact, there is something you can help me with. But I need to get back to my son. Once the event is over, I’ll meet you in the lobby, and we can discuss a time to meet to review the help I need. Will that be okay?”
Her eyes bulged for a second, and she looked poleaxed again, as she had done when he had arrived as the starters for dinner were just being served.
“Um…certainly. Things don’t usually wrap up until around midnight, if you mean once the dancing ends. That might be very late for your son to be out, I suppose. But if you’re leaving after the speeches and gifts, that’ll be about ten. So shall I meet you at ten or at midnight?”
Ev had been distracted by her full lips as she spoke, and by the husky sound of her voice. And her perfume was now definitely making him giddy. He stepped away from her, saying as he did so,
“Ten will be fine. Thank you.”
Then he walked away, clenching and unclenching his fists to relieve the tension in his arms. He had had to fight himself not to touch her back there, and he didn’t understand the impulse to get handsy with a woman who had been rude to him the first time they met. He made his way quickly back to his table, thanked the longsuffering young woman and resumed his seat.
“Look for the lady, Daddy?” Danny was curious, as Ev expected.
“I did,” he said, and hurried to change the subject. “Do you like your dinner?”
“Yes. More salad.”
Ev laughed. He had no idea why Danny had such a thing for salad, but he would see if he could get him some more. Otherwise, he’d have to make sure to double up on it for the next day. Danny never forgot.
“I’ll see what I can do, buddy. But I can’t promise you. It’ll soon be time for dessert. Eat up.”
While Danny ate, Ev looked around for a server, and once he caught his attention, he asked for a second tiny serving of salad for his son. Then he ate his dinner, trying not to look around for Maxine Cousins. It would be funny if it weren’t so irritating to him that he was suddenly fascinated by a woman who had soured his mood only two nights ago. He thought about her as he made his way through a surf and turf meal. She was tall and stately, with a full, some might even say buxom body. Her breasts were like beacons calling to him, and her shapely figure made it hard to ignore the sex appeal that she exuded. Even though she seemed to be completely unaware of it.
“Here you go, buddy.”
Ev looked up to find the server at his elbow with a minuscule serving of salad for Danny. The little boy grinned like the cat that got the cream and said “Thank you!” in a high, piping voice that had the others close by smiling indulgently. Ev smiled his thanks as well and helped his son cut up the leafy greens. Then he left it to him again. Danny had pushed away his dinner plate, but Ev would have to make sure he ate more than greens for dinner, or he’d be starving by the time they got home. And someone had once told him it was never wise to eat just before bed.
The rest of the meal passed uneventfully, and the woman who had his full attention managed to remain hidden from his view until the dessert round was being cleared. Then he looked up from feeding Danny the last spoonful of the custard and saw her. She was standing by the entrance doors looking down at a woman in a wheelchair who was speaking animatedly with her. Ev watched as her face bloomed in a smile that made his chest hurt. For some unknown reason, Dani’s smile rose before him. One of the first things he had noticed about the woman he had given his heart to was that smile. It had lit up her whole face every time, and the dimples that had been like headlamps in her cheeks had always made him want to kiss her senseless.
And here he was, watching a woman he should dislike, at the very least, and feeling like he’d been hit by an eighteen-wheeler. She had dimples as well, and they hadn’t disappeared since she had started talking to the woman with her by the door. His attention was riveted to the spot, watching as she leaned in to accept the hug the woman offered, and as she laughed softly at something else the woman said to her. Inexplicably, his eyes burned with tears he hadn’t shed in over a year. He blinked and forced himself to look away. Reaching almost blindly for the glass of water, he gulped it down.
“Daddy, I want to go potty.”
Ev heaved a sigh of relief. “Come on. Let’s go.” He picked up the little boy and headed out to the men’s room, which he remembered his hostess had told him was to his right down a long hallway. As he stepped into the hallway, Carrie appeared out of nowhere.
“Mr. Morgan, may I help you with anything?”
Ev stopped, wondering for a second if his hostess had told her assistant about their encounter and had asked her to look out for him. He looked at the young woman quizzically.
“No, thanks. I’m just taking Danny to the restroom.”
“Oh, I’ll do that for you, sir,” she said. “The speeches and gift giving are about to begin, and we wouldn’t want you to miss out on that.”
She reached for the little boy as she spoke, plucking him right out of Ev’s arms. “Come on, cutie pie, let’s go potty.”
Danny wiggled his fingers at Ev and giggled, and the sound warmed Ev’s heart. He watched them go, shaking his head at how effortlessly Carrie had taken over and at how Danny had been agreeable. Pity he couldn’t hire her as his nanny. He had a feeling that she would be the best thing to happen to his son, next to his own mother. Making his way back to his seat, he caught sight of his hostess again, this time sitting next to an older gentleman, a hand on his arm and a look of intense concentration on her face. She nodded solemnly, and somehow Ev knew she was giving her whole attention to a person most other people would ignore or become impatient with. Obviously, she had to be polite to everyone here, as this was not just a benefit event but also a kind of advance fundraiser. But there was something genuine about the attention she paid to the two people he had seen her interact with that impressed him.
The dishes were all cleared away, the wine glasses refilled, and Carrie had magically reappeared with Danny, whom she set in his seat with another hair ruffle before she disappeared.
“You okay, buddy?” he asked his son.
Danny grinned happily. “Carrie go piggyback.”
Ev’s heart melted a little bit more. He would definitely have to speak to the young woman afterwards as well. Maybe she knew someone like her who needed a job. He smiled at his son, and then his heart sped up at the next sound he heard.
“Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. I’m Maxine Cousins. I trust you’ve all enjoyed your meals. It’s my pleasure to host this pre-holiday gala to thank you all for your generous support, both financial and otherwise, over the past year. Hope For All would not have achieved the successes that it has done this year without you all.”
Ev found himself distracted by the way her lips curved around the words, by the faint smile that still managed to leave dimples in her cheeks, by the husky note of her voice, as though she were just beginning to get a sore throat. She was giving a report of some of the bigger success stories of the year, but Ev found he wasn’t interested in anything but the way her eyes roamed over the audience, looking directly at people as she spoke of their particular contribution. He blinked. She had just turned her gaze to him, and spoke his name.
“EM Media has been one of our staunchest supporters over the last five years, and we have its CEO, Mr. Everett Morgan, to thank for that. Mr. Morgan has been unflagging in his support of our youngest clients, with special care for those who identify as LGBTQ. He has funded numerous after-school and work-oriented programs targeting those young people, and has also contributed heavily to the renovation of the second floor of our building, which now boasts a clinic where we can treat abused and neglected young people, and the homeless among our clients. Thank you, Mr. Morgan.”
Ev found himself coloring up at the genuine gratitude he felt coming from her, as well as from the applause that greeted her words. He was used to being thanked for his contributions to causes, but this somehow felt more personal to him, and he hoped it wasn’t her way of apologizing again. She’d done enough of that without even saying the words, and he was done with it. He’d need to tell her that before he left. He refocused on the rest of her speech, and then sat back and watched as she gave each gift to the contributors who had all helped Hope For All that year. The tradition was that the gifts would be opened there so everyone could see what the recipients had received.
In the past, the gifts had been fairly bland, not requiring much forethought. They had been tokens rather than gifts from the heart. But it would seem that his fish wife had upped the ante this year. Her gifts were all much more personal, things that showed she understood what was important to the donors who funded her organization. So far, she had scored brilliantly with each gift. He wondered what she would do for him. She must have known who she was buying a gift for when she got to him, and it must have made shopping for him even more difficult than it should have been. His gift was the last one she presented, and when Carrie came to sit with Danny, he felt his heart tripping over itself as he walked toward the woman waiting for him with a hint of uncertainty in her gaze.
Planting a smile on his face, he stood next to her while she spoke. “Mr. Morgan, I sincerely hope that you will find many hours of joy in the gifts you are about to receive. Happy holidays to you.”
She handed him a largish box covered in beautiful gold paper with a matching bow. He opened it carefully and when he saw what was inside, he was glad he had preserved the paper. Tears threatened again, for some reason he couldn’t fathom. He swallowed them and removed the box with the game and the book that were inside, encased in bubble wrap. He held them up for everyone to see, and then spoke into the microphone.
“Carrie, would you please stand with Danny for me for a moment?”
He waited while the young woman picked up his son and stood. Then he said,
“Ladies and gentlemen, that is my son, Danny. He’s three years old.” He sniffed, swallowed again, and said, “Thank you, Carrie,” and waited until she was seated before continuing. “I asked Carrie to stand with him so you could see who these gifts are for.” He held them up again. “There’s a bedtime story here about families, and a puzzle game. I think it’s safe to say that Dr. Cousins really has me figured out. My son is everything to me. These will indeed provide us both with many hours of enjoyment.”
He turned to her then, looking her in the eyes, and said, “Thank you for the gift, Dr. Cousins. It was very thoughtful of you. But more than that, thank you for having the heart that the neediest members of our fair city require in these difficult times. It has always been a real privilege to support the family of Hope For All, and I am more than happy to continue our partnership.” He looked away to say, “Happy holidays, everyone!” before walking back to his seat, where he carefully rewrapped the gifts and put them at his feet.
He couldn’t wait for the formal part of the evening to be over. He had some things to say to the woman who had managed to unravel his control this evening, and he had some hard thinking to do about how he was going to change the way he did things. Because he knew, as surely as he knew his own name, that Maxine Cousins was someone he needed to keep in his life. He wasn’t ready to say she was the one, but she was much more than any other woman he had ever had even a passing interest in since Dani’s death. And he knew he’d have to bring his A game with her.