Chapter Eleven
Xavier
I strolled past the double doors into my downtown office just after eight the following Tuesday morning. I rarely made it to the office this early, especially after my workouts with Jason each Tuesday, but I needed to get some things done and had a shit ton of meetings that day in particular, and I had to leave the office on time to make my double date with Chanel, my mother, and Todd.
I hadn’t even complained about having to get up early that day, which was unusual for me. But since I’d shared the story about my aunt with Chanel, I’d been feeling lighter than usual. As if a weight I didn’t even know I’d been carrying had been lifted. Don’t get me wrong, I still hated Doug with every fiber of my being, and I knew if he was still alive, I’d fuck him up on sight. However, I guessed it was true what they said about sharing your sorrow with someone; it really does help lighten the load.
“Any messages for me, Bryce?” I asked my assistant as I reached his desk. I wasn’t surprised he was there this early. Whereas I was more of a night owl, Bryce was an early riser. He often beat me to the office, having my messages and anything pertinent ready for me to look at.
“Just a message from Isaac, checking in,” he answered, handing me the message sheet. Isaac had just returned to Vegas. He was overseeing the reconstruction of the restaurants and had begun looking to fill the employee positions that we hadn’t already filled.
“Cool.” I nodded, looking down at the message. “I have a nine-thirty today, right?”
Bryce pulled up my schedule on his computer. “Yes sir, and that’s followed by a phone meeting at eleven, which should take about thirty minutes, and then you have a one o’clock lunch meeting at Grant’s. Busy day today,” he noted.
“Nothing I can’t handle.” I turned to make my way down to the corner office. As soon as I entered, I powered up my computer before staring out my large floor-to-ceiling window with a view of downtown Houston. While other cities like New York boasted about their skyline, I always had an affinity for this one right here. Looking out at it reminded me how far I’d come and how hard I’d hustled to get here, and still, how much more I wanted to accomplish. In my mid-thirties, I was only beginning to hit my stride. I wanted a legacy to pass down to my future children. I’d never been one of those men who said they didn’t want to be tied down with a wife and kids someday. I always knew that was in the cards for me. I needed that sort of anchor in my life.
The image of a laughing Chanel flashed in my mind. I briefly wondered what she would look like, her belly swollen with my baby. Those ponderings reminded me of what she’d said about what happened after she left her fiancé in D.C. A dull, less satisfying feeling grew in my stomach, but I wouldn’t indulge it at the moment. I had work to do.
I continued working for the next fifteen or twenty minutes when I was interrupted by my ringing office phone.
“Yeah, Bryce,” I answered, distracted, looking over an email on my computer screen.
“There’s an Elliott Combs here to see you.”
I sat up a little straighter in my chair, my attention completely taken off the email.
“Send him in.” I waited the few minutes it took for Elliott to make his way to my office. There was a knock at the semi-closed door. “Come in, Elliott.” I stood as he entered.
“Xavier, good to see you,” he stated, holding out his hand. We shook hands, and I offered him the chair in front of me.
“Elliott, it’s early.” I glanced at my wristwatch. It was barely eight-thirty.
“I know, but early mornings tend to be my slowest time of the day, and I figured I’d try to catch you before either one of our days got started.”
I nodded. It was on the tip of my tongue to ask what this was all about, but I knew. There were only so many reasons the father of the woman you’re dating comes to see you early as hell in the middle of the week.
“This is about Chanel.” It was a statement of the obvious.
Elliott inclined his head. “You came to see me a few months back about my daughter, and now I’m returning the favor.”
I didn’t respond, but instead sat back in my chair, bracing my elbows on the sides of my chair and clasping my hands in front of me.
“I heard a while back you two went through a bit of a rough patch,” Elliott began.
Again, I didn’t give any confirmation or denial. Chanel and my relationship was ours, and I wasn’t about to explain it to anyone else. Especially her father. I’ll admit, hearing her tell me what’d happened on her birthday when she was young pissed me off. The pain was still in her voice some twenty years later. Even though I pretty much knew my father never wanted much to do with me, I never had to overhear him utter those words while I was still a kid, hoping one day he’d come around to loving me. I was at least spared that.
And besides all of that, Elliott was a brilliant attorney. He never walked into anything without doing his due diligence first. I knew that he knew more than he was letting on.
“Of course, I didn’t hear this from Chanel. She’s a little tight-lipped around me.”
“Can you blame her?”
Elliott’s eyes turned downward, lips forming a line on his face. The man looked shamefaced.
Good. I thought.
“No, no, I really can’t.”
At least he was honest about it.
A memory of that police report flashed to mind, and my hands tightened into fists as my anger rose as it did whenever I thought about that dude.
“Did you know about her ex?”
Elliott gave me an appalled look. “Of course not. I may not have been the best father, but I would’ve never stood for a man…” He couldn’t finish the last few words.
I didn’t need to hear them to understand what he meant. My anger ebbed a little. I believed Elliott would’ve at least intervened, had he known what Chanel had been enduring in her previous relationship. However, the fact that she didn’t tell him even after she’d left spoke to the lack of trust she had in him.
“I still can’t sleep some nights knowing that my child couldn’t trust me enough to tell me what was going on in her life. And to know that I welcomed that man into my home, encouraged Chanel to be with him,” Elliott’s voice broke off. He cleared his throat.
“I came here,” he started, switching topics, “to invite you two over to the house this Saturday. Chanel and I have talked a little and even managed a few lunches. We’re getting better. I wanted to invite you both to dinner and to ask her officially to work for the firm.”
“You think I can help convince her to join the firm?”
He nodded. “That’s part of it. I want Chanel to join the firm because she’s a brilliant attorney and I know under my tutelage she could be even better. But I also want to get to know my daughter. I fucked up when she was growing up. I’ll own that, and I can’t make up for lost time, but I can start here.”
I leaned my head to one side, observing Elliott. My level of respect for him grew by leaps and bounds. It took a lot to admit your mistakes and own them, especially for someone like Elliott. He didn’t have to come here and say what he did. I doubted any grown man wanted to approach another man about getting to know his own daughter.
“You know she stopped singing because of you?”
He looked at me, perplexed.
“Her last performance was on her tenth birthday.”
I let that statement hang in the air.
He nodded solemnly. “She told you about that?”
I inclined my head.
Elliott’s eyes lowered.
“We’ll be there this weekend,” I committed. “But I won’t make any guarantees on whether she’ll work for you. That’s her decision.”
“I know my daughter doesn’t do anything she doesn’t want to.”
I chuckled and rose to shake his hand.
“I’ll see you in a couple of days,” he stated before departing my office.
I watched his back as he left.
****
Chanel
“So, how do you want to play this?”
Xavier looked at me as he turned the car off. We were outside the Italian restaurant he owned. His mother had chosen it for our double date.
“Play what?” he asked me quizzically.
“Tonight? I mean, I could be the bad cop, and you play good cop. You know, you butter up your mom and Todd with your usual charm, and I can do the bad cop, firing off twenty questions,” I joked.
Xavier looked at me like I was one fry short of a Happy Meal.
“Okay, I guess you want to be the bad cop. It makes sense, since she is your mom, and you want to make sure this Todd guy is on the up-and-up.”
He gave me a half-grin. “You’re crazy.”
I shrugged. “Sometimes.”
“Nah, but thank you for agreeing to this. I know it’s been a minute since you’ve been around my mom since finding out about her and your pops.”
I sighed. “Yeah, I won’t pretend like this isn’t awkward, but I’m working on letting the past remain in the past. My father and I are still figuring one another out. And your mom is a huge part of who you are. I don’t want there to be tension between us.”
Xavier pulled my face to his and pressed his lips to mine. A quick kiss. “Thank you.”
“Okay, so now give me the dirt.”
He raised his eyebrow at me.
“Don’t give me that look. I know you’ve had Todd looked into. Did you find anything interesting?”
“Nah, he’s as clean as a whistle. Makes his money legit via his landscaping business and raised his two sons after his wife died in their teens. Dated a few women but nothing serious. His oldest recently graduated from UCLA and the youngest is in his sophomore year at Howard.”
“See, I knew you’d done your research. Okay, so I’ll be the good cop to make him feel as ease. Ask him a little about his sons and whatnot, and you’ll do that intimidating face you do.”
“You’re a trip. Let’s just enjoy the evening, a’ight?” He laughed, getting out of the car and coming around to open my door for me.
Minutes later, we were shown into a private dining area where Wanda and Todd were already there waiting.
“Hey, Mama,” Xavier greeted, placing a kiss on her cheek.
Wanda looked good as she stood wearing a black skirt and pink silk top that flattered her almond toned skin. Her hair was in her typical twist out, with spirals framing her face. The smile on her face as she greeted Xavier was effervescent.
“Baby, this is Todd,” she introduced. “Todd, this is my son, Xavier and his girlfriend, Chanel.”
I looked at Todd, who appeared to be beaming next to Wanda. At approximately five-nine, he was a few inches shorter than Xavier, but with his copper-toned skin, dark brown eyes, greying hair, and confident look, he had an appeal to him.
“Pleasure to finally meet you. Your mother’s told me so much about you. This is a nice place you have here.” Todd waved his hand around, acknowledging the restaurant.
“Thank you.” Xavier extended his hand, shaking Todd’s. “My mother has told me a good deal about you as well.”
I smirked at how quickly his face changed from grateful to sizing Todd up. Xavier held onto his hand a little longer than usual, making it clear that he was keeping an eye on Todd.
“Guess I am the good cop,” I mumbled, causing Xavier to look at me.
“Hi, Todd,” I greeted.
“Hello, Chanel,” he responded, pulling me in for a kiss on the cheek.
We all took our seats across from one another. After ordering drinks, we made small talk discussing our respective days. Todd spoke of his landscaping business, and Wanda discussed the clients she was working with at the accounting firm where she was employed. The conversation went on like that until our food arrived.
“This is excellent. The food is delicious. I always found it interesting how American versions of Italian food vary. This is very different than Italian food in Rome,” Todd commented.
“You’ve been to Rome?” Xavier asked.
“Yes.” Todd paused and looked at Xavier’s mother before continuing. Wanda smiled encouragingly. “My wife loved to travel and had always wanted to take the trip to Rome. We never made it before she got sick,” he stated with sad eyes. “So, in honor of her memory, on what would’ve been our twentieth wedding anniversary, I took my two sons for two weeks. Best bonding experience the three of us have ever had.” Todd grinned proudly.
“Todd showed me pictures of the trip,” Wanda added. “It looks lovely.”
“Italy is one of my favorite countries to visit for the art and history,” I stated.
“You’ve been, Chanel?” Wanda asked.
I nodded, wiping my mouth with the napkin before speaking. “Yes, I studied in Florence for a summer in between my sophomore and junior years in college. I’ve been back a few times since. And Todd’s right, the food here is delicious but so different from authentic food in Italy. We Americans just have different tastes, I guess,” I stated, grinning at Xavier.
He gave me a wink. “I’ll tell our chef how much you all enjoyed it. He’ll be happy to hear it.”
We talked a little more about traveling, Wanda mentioning her trip to Hawaii toward the end of the year. Once the waitress came and took our dinner plates along with our dessert orders, Xavier stood and asked Todd if he wanted to speak with the chef, since he’d enjoyed the food.
“We’ll only be a minute,” he told me, leaning down to press a kiss to my cheek.
I turned to look at Wanda, who was now watching me.
“I wonder what that was really about?”
She smiled. “I asked Xavier if he could give you and me some alone time.”
I raised an eyebrow.
“You and I haven’t had a chance to discuss what happened between your father and me. Or rather, I should say, I never got the chance to apologize to you. My behavior back then was disgraceful. And I’m especially apologetic for the way you found out.”
I looked at Wanda and saw sincerity written all over her face.
“I appreciate that, Ms. Grant.”
“Please, call me Wanda.”
“Wanda. Thank you for apologizing. But in all honesty, that was never my business. What happened between you and my father was between you two and, well, since my mother is…” I shrugged. “I’m more than happy to move past that if you are.”
“Yes. Since I can tell how much my son loves you. I think you and I will be seeing more of each other.”
I inclined my head and swallowed.
“I worry about him and how much he works,” Wanda admitted.
“He told me he gets his work ethic from you.”
“That may be true.” She laughed a little. “And I’m certainly proud of how hard Xavier works and the success that has come of it, but I worry I showed him how to work and never take time for yourself to relax and recharge. I don’t regret any of the sacrifices I made for my son, but I don’t want him to do the same if he doesn’t have to. I don’t want him to look up one day and realize all he has in life is his business. I know how those sacrifices can lead to making poor decisions.” She looked at me.
“I don’t think you have to worry about that. You raised one of the finest men I’ve ever met.” And I wasn’t just saying that.
“Thank you. And thankfully, I had help in raising him.”
“He’s told me about his grandparents and his Aunt Lisa.”
“He told you about her?”
I nodded.
“Good. He barely ever talks about her, even to me. They were very close when he was younger. Losing her was hard on him, though he doesn’t ever talk about it. Hell, it was hard on us both. She and I’d grown close after he was born.”
I saw a sheen of tears coat Wanda’s eyes and I reached across the table to cover her hand with mine.
“I’m sorry for your loss, too.”
She covered my hand with her other one. “Thank you, Chanel.”
We remained that way for a few moments. I didn’t have any animosity in my heart for this woman. She’d raised the best thing that’d ever happened to me. I could see how someone could get so wrapped up in work and being a single parent that they start to question their lives, and how that could lead to some pretty poor decisions. And since I was working on forgiving my father, I was willing to extend that same grace to Wanda.
Wanda let out a small laugh. “Well, this turned out better than expected.”
I grinned. “I wonder how Xavier and Todd are doing.”
Xavier
“Everything was great, Xavier. Thank you for introducing me to the chef,” Todd stated, as we stood outside of the private bathroom in the restaurant. We’d just come from the kitchen where I introduced Todd to our head chef, Matteo.
I eyed Todd up and down. My instincts were telling me he was a genuine dude, and his background check had come back fine, but he was still dating my mother. That meant he needed to understand some things.
“You’re very welcome. I know this double date made my mother happy. Speaking of,” I paused to stroke the lower half of my beard and chin with my hand. “My mother is one of a handful of people I would take a bullet for, as well as take a baseball bat to someone’s kneecaps for. You understand what I’m saying.” I peered at him through squinted eyes.
He laughed.
I didn’t.
When Todd realized , I wasn’t joking, his facial expression turned serious. “I understand what you’re saying. You should know, I don’t intimidate easily.”
“You would’ve never had a chance with my mother if you did.”
He nodded. “I assume you’ve had me checked out? Your mother told me you probably would. But just so you know, I have zero intentions of disappointing her. She and I are building something very special, and I am looking forward to seeing where this could go.”
“That’s all good and well. Just keep my warning in mind.”
“I’ll do that.”
“Then we’ll get along just fine.” I stuck my hand out again to shake his. When he gripped it, I stared at him, assessing his genuineness. I didn’t feel like he was being deceitful. None of my bullshit meters were set off by this guy, but only time would tell. In the meantime, I was honestly happy my mother found someone she enjoyed spending time with.
We exited the private bathroom area and I made my way over to the woman whom I enjoyed spending all my free time with.
“Everything okay?” she asked, looking around me to see Todd walking toward my mother.
“Everything’s cool.” I leaned down to kiss her lips. “Just had to let Todd know what was what.”
“I bet you did.”
“And you and my mother?”
“We’re good. And I ordered you the crème brûlée.”
“Good. I’ve developed a sweet tooth lately.”
Chanel
“You’re going to smear my lipstick,” I giggled, as I once again ducked Xavier’s incoming lips.
“So. Don’t you have more with you?” he mumbled his question into the crook of my neck.
“Mmm,” I moaned as my eyes floated shut as he peppered kisses down my neck and over my bare shoulder. I was wearing a light pink off-the-shoulder, ruffled top, a pair of black skinny jeans, and black strappy heels. We were going over to my father’s for dinner. Xavier had told me how my father had come to his office to invite us to dinner. We’d make it over there eventually, if I could get this man to take his hands off me for a second.
“We’re going to be late,” I reminded him at the same time he bit my earlobe.
“We’re already late,” his deep voice answered back in my ear.
A shudder ran down my spine, and I sighed when his lips touched mine. He was right. We were supposed to be there at seven, and it was now seven on the dot. Xavier had a meeting that had run over, causing him to be late picking me up. Now, we were outside my building by his car, and I was seriously debating calling the whole thing off and dragging him back upstairs.
“We could just go back up to my place, anyway,” I suggested in between kisses.
He paused. “Nah, we’re going. I just needed a little taste before the night begins.”
I pursed my lips.
“Don’t give me that look,” he admonished, tipping my chin with his forefinger.
“Fine,” I huffed. “Come here, though.” Even in five-inch heels, I needed him to lean down a bit so I could wipe my smeared lipstick from his mouth.
“Tease,” I jeered when he bit the tip of my thumb.
“Get in the car,” he retorted, reaching behind me to open the car door for me.
I sighed as I got in, looking forward to the end of the night.
“’Bout time you two showed up,” a grinning Tori stated as she opened the door. Her outfit was similar to mine, but instead of black, she wore dark blue skinny jeans and a green top that crisscrossed at her neck but left her shoulders bare.
“Happy to see you too, sis,” I answered, at the same time pulling her in for a hug and kiss on the cheek.
“X, your friend has been anxiously awaiting your arrival,” she told Xavier, once he released her from his own hug. At the same time, she gripped my wrist, pulling me inside to the living room. “He’s in Elliott’s office,” Tori called over her shoulder to Xavier.
He gave me a wink and Tori a nod before veering off down the hall to my father’s home office.
“Where’s Marjorie?” I questioned, wondering why neither of the hosts had greeted us.
“She was running late due to work, so she’s upstairs changing, and your dad just took Jay in his office. I have a feeling they wanted to have a little powwow with Xavier, in private.”
I frowned. “Why on earth—?” I paused when Tori gave me an incredulous look.
“You know whatever it is has to do with you.”
“Me?”
“Yeah, they’re probably going to tag-team Xavier on some protective father-son, don’t-mess-over-my-daughter-sister type of thing.”
“Uh, my father and brother are not those people.”
Tori blew out an exasperated sigh, stopping just before we entered the living room. “You don’t think after what they found out they wouldn’t be a little more concerned? I know you and your father weren’t all that close, but you two are getting better, right?”
“We are, but…”
“Exactly. So I’m sure he’s trying to make up for lost time.”
I considered Tori’s words. I knew that she, more than anyone, would know. She and Jason had known each other for a long time before getting together and then marrying. I sometimes think she was his motivation for changing his self-centered ways.
“Well, they couldn’t possibly think Xavier is anything like Eth—”
“No, of course not. Still, I bet they want to make sure he’s doing right by you.”
“That’s insane,” I retorted, looking down the hall toward where my father’s office was.
“Come on. I have two little people I know would be happy to see you.”
My face lit up as we entered the living room and saw Amalia and Jason Jr. sprawled on the living room floor, watching some cartoon.
“Aunt Nel!” Amalia excitedly greeted me, standing to give me a hug.
My heart swelled as I picked up the little cherub and nuzzled her soft cheek with my nose, causing her to giggle. “Hey, baby. What are you doing?”
“TV!” she pointed at the huge big screen that was playing.
“I see.” I kicked off my heels and sank to the floor on my knees to be closer to Jason Jr.
“Hey, buddy, what’re you watching?”
“Dora,” he answered before standing and giving me a hug.
I released Amalia to allow myself space to sit on the floor cross-legged. She quickly climbed back into my lap. I looked up at Tori, and we both laughed at her precocious toddlers. I played and sang along with Dora and the kids, helping them to pronounce certain words in Spanish that Dora said.
“I’ve been telling Jay we should enroll them in Spanish classes or hire a Spanish nanny part-time. I think it’ll be good for their development and this is the best age to do it,” Tori stated, as she sat down next to me.
“I think that’s an awesome idea. Gabby is fluent in Spanish. Said it was one of the best things she ever did for herself.”
Tori nodded. “Yeah. There’s only so much Dora can teach them.” She smiled and rubbed her hand over Jason Jr.’s head.
I marveled how, even in his profile, Jr. looked so much like my brother. Even their hairlines were shaped the same.
“This will be you one day soon.”
I knew I had to be hearing incorrectly. “What?” I shrieked, causing little Amalia to jump in my lap and look at me with fearful eyes. I cupped her little face and kissed the tip of her nose. “I’m sorry, baby. It’s okay,” I assured her before turning back to her treacherous mother.
“Are you crazy?” I questioned in a whisper. I wanted to fight her when she just gave me a sideways grin. I was about to tell her where she could shove her premonitions when we were interrupted.
“Chanel, I apologize for my absence. I was late from work today,” Marjorie rushed, explaining her lateness.
I picked Amalia up from my lap so that I could stand and greet Marjorie. She looked beautiful in a sleeveless dark blue, polka dot dress that stopped a few inches below her knees. The outfit was topped off by a pair of black strappy heels, and her golden tresses had been pulled back into a bun at the nape of her neck.
“Don’t you look pretty,” she complimented.
I smiled. Marjorie was often complimentary, but it never seemed forced or fake.
“Thank you, Marjorie, you look beautiful as well. No worries about being late. Tori and I were just playing with the kids.”
“Where’s Xavier?” Marjorie’s eyes searched the living room. “For that part, where are your father and Jason?” Her eyes darted between me and Tori, who was still seated on the floor helping Jason Jr. put one of his shoes on.
“They’re in Elliott’s office,” Tori called out, but her head was still turned downward at her son.
“Doing what?” Marjorie wondered.
I shrugged. “I’ve been told Dad and Jay are giving Xavier the third degree about me.” I looked down at Tori. “But they’re probably just discussing business or something.”
Marjorie raised a perfectly arched eyebrow up at me, then looked over at Tori, who I heard give a derisive snort. I shot her a hard look.
“Chanel here doesn’t believe her father or her brother would bother being protective.”
My lips turned downward hearing those words come out of Tori’s mouth. Sure, I’d said them, but they sounded even worse coming out of someone else’s mouth. To add insult to injury, Marjorie gave me a remorseful look as she came closer to stand in front of me, reaching out to grip my shoulders.
“Chanel, you cannot possibly think that, after all that’s happened, your father and brother don’t care.”
“I didn’t say that, nor did I imply it,” I interrupted. “I’m just not used to it. That’s all. Can we drop it? It’s no big deal.”
She gave me another look, staring into my eyes for a few heartbeats before nodding and dropping her hands. Thankfully, as soon as she did, we heard a barrage of footsteps making their way up the hallway.
My father appeared first at the entranceway of the living room. His eyes lit up once he spotted Marjorie. For once, noticing his demeanor change as he looked at his wife, my heart didn’t ache. I actually felt my lips form a smile. When my father broke eye contact with Marjorie, he found me, and his eyes held a similar sparkle.
“Chanel,” he greeted, coming over to plant a kiss on my cheek and pull me into a short embrace that felt natural.
Next, Jay, dressed in dark slacks and a light blue button-up came over to greet me before kneeling to play with the kids a little. Finally, my gaze collided with a pair of dark brown irises I’d been missing since we’d arrived. It hadn’t even been that long, maybe fifteen minutes, but in that short period, I’d missed his presence. And that same look I saw my father give Marjorie just a few seconds prior, I would’ve bet my life, was the same look Xavier gave me when he stepped into the room.
I didn’t even realize my feet were moving until I was a few inches away from him. Silly as it sounds, I sometimes felt like there was a magnetic pull between us, invisible to the naked eye, but powerful.
“Everything okay?” I asked him.
He leaned down, pressing a kiss to my cheek and taking my hand in his. “Why wouldn’t it be?” That question told me he wasn’t about to say what’d been discussed. I angled my head and looked at him through slanted eyes, and his ass had the nerve to grin, causing that dimple that always made my knees a little wobbly, to emerge.
I hated him.
I loved him.
I sighed.
“I hope you all are hungry,” Marjorie began. “Tonight’s dinner is starting off with fried calamari salad, followed by lobster risotto, and dessert will be gelato. I’m going to check to see if they’re ready for us. Elliott, could you come with me?”
Sure enough, my father followed her.
The rest of us made conversation about work, Tori asking Xavier about his restaurants in Vegas. I loved the way his face brightened as he spoke about his progress in Vegas. My chest tightened a little bit when he mentioned that he’d have to fly out there again this Sunday evening, for at least a week, and then he’d be on the east coast for another few days, doing some business. Like I’d told Wanda, I adored his ambition and drive, but I did hate how it took him away so often.
I remembered something my mom had told me early on. “If you don’t want to settle for a broke man, you’re going to have to settle for a busy man.” She’d shared that little tidbit when I was about eight years old and asked yet again why my father rarely ate dinner with us. I know now he wasn’t always working, but her advice wasn’t a fabrication. Both my father and Xavier owned wildly successful businesses that pulled their attention in a lot of different directions.
“You okay?” His whisper in my ear caused a trail of goosebumps down my arm.
I stared up at him and gave him the same answer he’d given me earlier. “Why wouldn’t I be?”
He raised an eyebrow. “Touché.”
“We’re ready,” Marjorie called as she and my father returned to the living room.
Xavier’s hand went to the small of my back as he escorted us down the long hallway to the dining room. My nose was hit by the different aromas in the kitchen, and my stomach began to growl.
“Someone’s hungry,” Xavier chuckled low in my ear.
“I haven’t eaten since a late morning snack,” I said.
His face turned serious, and his lips formed a frown on his beautifully masculine face. “You didn’t have lunch?” he asked as he held one of the black wooden dining room chairs out for me.
I waited for him to take his seat next to me before answering. “I kinda forgot,” I admitted.
“What’re you two whispering about over there?” Jay asked as he sat across from Xavier.
“Your sister hasn’t eaten since this morning. She skipped lunch.” He had the nerve to look at me accusingly.
I gave him a glare right back for ratting me out.
“That’s not good, Chanel.”
My mouth nearly dropped open at my father’s interjection.
“Leave her be, Elliott. I know there are days either you or Jason are running so much, you miss lunch or have it extremely late,” Marjorie defended.
“Yeah, well at Combs and Combs we take care of our employees,” Jay interjected.
Soon enough, the caterers Marjorie had hired served our salads, and conversation of my missed meal drifted away. Tori told us about the art classes she was taking, and their idea to hire a part-time, Spanish-speaking nanny. And despite Marjorie’s rule of no talking business at the dinner table, discussion of Xavier’s restaurants in Vegas came up as Marjorie asked about the design of the restaurants.
She talked about how her love of design almost made her pursue a degree in interior design, but ultimately it was her love of engineering and the challenge that’d won her over. The conversation easily flowed, even at one point coming around to the dance classes I took twice a week with Gabby. I’d invited Tori some time ago, but one of the kids had gotten sick that night, and she couldn’t make it.
By the time dessert was served, I’d encouraged both Tori and Marjorie to come one Wednesday night when they were available. I could barely believe my ears, but those words had definitely come from my mouth. And the most surprising part was that I didn’t regret inviting Marjorie. I genuinely liked her.
Maybe the best part about my realization was that I wasn’t questioning it either. I didn’t need to figure out what it was about her that won me over, or have to make up a story in my mind about devotion to my deceased mother as an excuse not to like Marjorie. The past was the past, and I was working on letting it go. In the back of my mind, I believed my mother wouldn’t have wanted me to hang on to old stuff anyway.
****
“Chanel, can I speak with you in my office?” my father asked as we continued our conversation and dessert out on the patio.
I blinked, a little surprised. Meanwhile, everyone around us continued with what they were doing, making me think most of them had already known my father would be asking to speak with me. I looked over at Xavier next to me, who tossed me an encouraging nod before returning to his conversation with Jason.
“Sure,” I agreed, standing and following my father into the house and down the hall to his office.
He waited for me to enter before closing the door behind me.
“Please, take a seat on the couch,” he requested, indicating the brown leather couch on the left.
He smiled when I gave him a wary look.
We both sat on opposite ends of the couch, facing one another.
“No sense in beating around the bush. Xavier’s already told me that he told you I requested your presence tonight.”
“He did.”
“He’s honest and direct. I’ve always liked that about him. I just wanted to officially ask you to work for the family firm.”
I sat back, blowing out the breath I’d been holding. The usual tension I felt whenever he or Jason asked about my joining the firm didn’t appear. My father and I had talked more lately, but he hadn’t brought up my joining the firm in a while. I remained silent, my mind working.
“It would be a big transition. I’m in the middle of a handful of cases right now, and I’ve only been with my current firm for about a year. I don’t want my clients to see me as a flake or feel like I bailed on them.” I was just thinking out loud about all the details I would have to consider, but my father responded.
“You would be more than welcome to bring over your clients. And you’re too good of an attorney to be seen as a flake. You’ve built a solid reputation in the nearly six years you’ve been practicing.”
I looked over at him. “I’d still practice under mom’s maiden name,” I warned.
He inclined his head. “That’s fine, but clients and much of the legal world already know you’re my daughter.”
I sighed, agreeing. Using my mother’s maiden name worked well enough in L.A. and when I first began practicing in Houston, but after that article, it was no secret any longer. I didn’t resent that either. As my father stated, I’d made a decent enough reputation on my own without use of the name Combs.
“How about this? I will give you until the end of next week. We’ll meet again, just you and me, and maybe Jason. We’ll have lunch and hash out the important details. Then, you can give us your answer?” The look of hope on my father’s face is what struck me.
“Why?” spilled from my lips without warning. “I mean, I know I’ve asked you this before, but it’s still difficult for me to wrap my head around it. Why now? Why do you want me to work with you guys? Jay’s there, and he’s doing a hell of a job. You reared him for this his whole life, practically. So what is it you gain from having me come on board?”
“I want my family together.”
That answer stunned me. My mouth nearly flopped open.
“One of my biggest regrets was not supporting your decision to attend law school and your subsequent career. I want to change that. I want you to feel part of our family.”
My mouth worked as I tried to speak, but a lump in my throat had formed. I’d wanted to hear these words from my father for years. I looked around his office as I tried to settle my unruly emotions. His desk and bookshelves caught my attention.
“You know I used to sneak into your office as a kid?” I looked over at him, but I didn’t give him time to respond. “At first, I wanted to see the world you never let me be a part of but showed to Jason. I would pull a random legal book from the shelf and could barely understand the words in it, but I kept trying to read it, hoping it would give me a better understanding of you. I thought if I knew something about law, you’d like me just a little more. I stopped hoping after my tenth birthday.”
His gaze lowered to the floor.
“After that, I stopped reading them for you and started reading them for me,” I continued. “I found that I had an interest in the legal jargon. It was still difficult to understand, but I would ask teachers and go to the library to look things up. I did it to teach myself, not to endear myself to you, but because I loved it.” I don’t know why I felt the need to share that, but I did.
“Did you ever love my mother?” I asked unexpectedly.
He looked at me surprised. “I…of course I did, but over the years things changed.”
“Did you miss her after she died?”
“I did. I felt lost for a long time after her death. Lost and guilty.”
“Is that why you decided to go to therapy?”
“It took a while for me to get my head out of my own ass, but eventually I knew I needed help. About a year a half into it, I met Marjorie. I would never be able to sustain this type of relationship, had I not sought help in the first place. That’s why I’m glad you’ve made the decision to see a therapist.”
“I am too.” There was a beat of silence.
“I’d have to give my current job two weeks’ notice,” I added.
My father’s eyes began smiling even before his mouth did. “That’s standard.”
“And we’d have to negotiate my salary.”
“We’ll double what you’re currently making, and of course, you’d get part ownership of the firm, just like Jason.”
“Double my salary? That’s a lot.” I already made well into the six-figure range.
“You’ll earn it. Eventually, you will be leading the family law division.”
“I want the ability to take on at least two pro bono cases a year.” I’d had more than a handful of clients who’d been victims of abuse and could barely afford to pay for a decent attorney, which often led to them being abused even more by their spouses.
“That can be arranged,” my father agreed.
I lowered my head, pondering. “It’s a deal.” I stood and stuck out my hand. But my father surprised me as he stood and pulled me into a hug.
“Two hugs in one night. That’s got to be a record for us,” I joked.
My father laughed as he walked to the door to open it for me. I came up short, almost bumping into Jason, who was standing in the doorway.
“Did you agree yet?”
I laughed.
“Jason, meet the newest family attorney at Combs and Combs,” my father stated, pride filling his voice.
“Fucking finally!” Jason clapped and pulled me into a hug.
If someone would’ve told me a year ago that I’d be laughing with Jason and my father in his home, after just agreeing to work at the family firm, I would’ve laughed in their face. But that had become my reality and it felt good. I didn’t even have to question whether this was what healing felt like. I knew it.