Chapter 1
Hailey Donaldson stared at her reflection in the mirror critically. She had just turned forty-five a few days ago on April third and she was looking to see if there were any indications that she was going downhill! Her best friends, Marge and Hillary, always told her that they hated how young she looked and she could pass for someone in her early thirties or late twenties. She smoothed her hands down her slender hips and gazed at her smooth coffee and cream complexion. Hailey was a curious mixture of Indian descent from her father and a touch of white from her mother. She was tall and slender with gentle curving hips and small breasts. She had cut her black curls short so that they hugged her scalp closely, highlighting her high cheekbones. She had large dark brown eyes and tapered eyebrows and her full lips drew attention from men all around. She was proud of her accomplishments as a lecturer at the art institute where she was required to mold young people’s minds. Her mother, a seventy-five-year-old retired high school teacher, had been a great influence in her life and her greatest supporter.
She stepped back from the mirror and walked into her bedroom where she reached for the silk robe at the foot of her bed and put it on. Usually she was oozing confidence but turning forty-five was kind of getting to her. Her friends wanted to take her to the new club that had opened uptown, but she was not sure. She had a full work schedule and with the ending of the spring break coming next week, she had several new ideas she wanted to engage her students’ minds in. She had planned on going to Paris for the break, but her mother had taken ill so she had decided against it. Henrietta Boland was a single parent and had raised her daughter without a father. Hailey did not know her father and her mother had told her that he had been a drifter who she had opened her legs to and gotten pregnant. He had been gone before she knew she was pregnant.
“You never thought of getting rid of me?” Hailey had teased her.
“I did,” she had said seriously. “But a good Catholic girl knows that God is always watching so I kept you. And am I happy I did,” she had added gently.
“And you never considered getting married?” Hailey had asked her. “Were you in love with him?”
Her mother had considered for a moment and then shook her head. “No, but in those days if a man saw you with a child, they would run the other way and I became busy getting my career and taking care of you.”
She glanced at the clock and saw to her surprise that it was almost seven p.m. Where had the time gone? Her phone rang just then and she picked it up.
“Mom, I was just thinking about you!” she exclaimed as she took the phone with her into the kitchen to get a glass of wine. Marge had brought her a butterscotch cake that was still sitting in the fridge. She was no longer in her twenties or even in her thirties and she watched her calories like a hawk! She exercised feverishly and went on runs early in the mornings and sometimes in the late afternoons when she got home. “How are you?”
“I am outdoors in the garden so you be the judge.”
“Mom, I thought you were going to take it easy.”
“When have I ever?” her mother asked mildly. “I am transplanting a few bulbs right now and Sally promised to come over and keep me company. What are you up to?”
“Having a glass of wine and then having a look at what I have so far. I cannot believe that I have classes next week. The time flew by so fast.”
“I wish you would get out and have some fun. You are still young, honey. Find yourself a man and have sex or hook up or whatever they are calling it these days.”
“Mom, are you putting me out there?” Hailey asked with a laugh.
“Somebody needs to,” she muttered. “You are too much like me.”
“And that is a good thing,” Hailey pointed out.
“At least I have you.”
“And I have you.”
“For how long?”
“I have a feeling you are going to outlive me.”
“Not something a mother wants to hear.”
“I am okay, Mom. I have my career and I am pretty passionate about it.”
“That’s what I am afraid of,” she said with a sigh. “Ah, here comes Sally. Goodnight, honey; talk to you tomorrow.”
Hailey took her glass of wine with her and went into the small study she used when she was at home. She had idly contemplated being a writer after she left college but could not bear to be confined to only one aspect of the creative arts! She loved them all and had been fascinated by the works of Picasso and Mozart since she was a little girl. She would devour books that kept her mind active and often engaged her students in very serious reflections about one artist or another. She also taught modern arts and they were now doing a series on reggae artists, the main topic being Bob Marley. She had brought a whole lot of albums and enjoyed playing them in her classes and doing the interpretive dances as well. She was unorthodox and energetic and she had a feeling that was what made her so popular with her students. She selected a ‘Chronix’ mix and closing her eyes she swayed to the soothing sound of the man’s voice. The music washed over her as she walked over to her desk and took a seat. She sipped her wine and stared at her laptop for a moment. With a shake of her head, she sat forward. She had work to do.
*****
David dove into the deep end of the pool and felt the coldness of the water envelope his body. He sank down to the bottom before coming up, his dark head breaking the surface. He stifled a groan as he saw who was standing at the edge of the pool. “I thought you had gone out for the day,” he said, treading water and pulling himself up and out of the pool.
“We had not finished the discussion,” his older sister, Marilyn, said with a firm look on her slightly attractive face.
“There is a reason why I am out at the pool right now, Marilyn. I am taking a break from everything work related today.”
“You are on a constant break,” she pointed out. Marilyn Snyder was thirty-eight years old and was a confirmed spinster. She was the CFO for the billion dollar sporting industry that their parents had started several years ago and took her job very seriously. Their mother, Martha Snyder, was the CEO and had taken over when her husband had died from a skiing accident five years ago and was constantly waiting for her only son to take over from her. The youngest, Marissa, was twenty-seven and was engaged to be married to a pro basketball player who was the face of their newest line of ‘Air Light’ sneakers and gym wears. David ran away from responsibilities, preferring to enjoy his life. He was constantly partying and his name was in the papers almost every day. It did not help that his looks put him in league with some of the most handsome men in the world! He had been on the cover of several magazines and used and discarded women with a frequency that left their heads spinning!
David ran long fingers through his wet hair and reached for a towel. “You are aware that today is Saturday right?” David asked her mildly.
“Does that make a difference where you are concerned?” his sister asked as she took a seat and folded her denim clad legs with the documents she had in her hands. “Snyder Sportswear, Inc. has your face on it. The new designer perfumes are coming out in June and we want you to make a statement.”
“I already make a statement when I wear the scents,” David said impatiently. “You are crowding me, sis, and I don’t do very well with that.”
“If you would just stay home for one night and let us work together on this then I would not have to crowd you,” she told him in exasperation. “You are gone every night, David! When are you going to settle down?”
“When I get all uptight like you.” David tossed the towel carelessly on one of the chairs and got to his feet. “I will make the damned statement if that gets you out of my hair.”
“Thank you. That’s all I ask.” She got to her feet. “Mother is expecting you for dinner. She has some people coming over.”
He sent her a fulminating look from his dark blue eyes and without a word walked away from her. Marilyn watched him, her grey eyes fond and exasperated. He was too handsome for his own good and even though the looks had passed her by she had never felt a bit of resentment for her brother and sister who had inherited the stunning looks from their mother. She was her father through and through and that meant that she had inherited his thin dark brown hair, grey eyes, and angular face. Her siblings had inherited their mother’s stunning dark beauty and amazing skin tone. With a sigh, she got to her feet and looked around noticing that some of the hedges needed clipping. She was going to have a talk with the gardeners.
*******
“I am overrun by sisters today,” David said dryly as he went into his suite and saw his younger sister sitting in his sitting room. “It’s times like these that I wished I was an only child.” He reached for a robe that he had left hanging on one of his sofas and put it on. “What is it this time, Marissa?”
“I need your final tally on the amount of people you are inviting for the wedding.” Marissa uncoiled her long legs and stretched them out. Her blue eyes quite like his glimmered in amusement as she stared at him. “I know you were seeing that actress from the sci fi movie a week ago, but I am wondering if she is still the one.”
He looked at her dryly. “You make me sound like a whore.”
“Darling, that’s because you are,” she said with a grin.
“I am just a man who likes variety.” He grinned back at her. “I am still seeing her, but I will not be having a plus one for the wedding. With all those single ladies going to be present, I would not want to deprive them of my company.”
Marissa looked at him dryly. “You are going to be the death of our mother.” She got to her feet and stopped in front of him. She was tall, but he topped her by a foot or more. She touched his chest briefly. “One day you are going to meet a woman who will tame those wild ways of yours.”
“Hopefully not any time soon.” He kissed her cheek. “Now get out, I have to get dressed.”
David waited until she had left and closed the doors behind him. The maids knew enough not to enter when he was around, but his sisters had no problem in barging in. He had an apartment in town where he took the women he was currently seeing so he had absolute privacy. He glanced at the watch on his wrist and saw that it was almost three. He had a game at the club where he belonged and dinner date with Moira. He was beginning to get tired of her and wondered if he could let her down with a piece of expensive jewelry. He never said anything to anyone, but he was becoming bored with his lifestyle!
*****
“I think that guy wants to come over,” Hillary said, motioning to the man who was sitting by himself at the bar and glancing over at them. “And I think he is looking at you which make sense since you are the looker in this group.”
“I am not here to pick up guys,” Hailey said firmly as she sipped her martini. “I am here to spend some time with my best friends and forget that I turned forty-five. God! Where did the years go?”
“Times fly when you are having fun!” Marge said with a grin as she looked around the crowded room. Club Hopping was the latest trendy place to be and the crowd was getting thicker by the minute. “I am the mother of three children who are more pain than they are worth! Hillary is an upcoming fashion designer-”
“Two times divorced,” Hillary piped up as she lifted her glass.
“I was going to say that,” Marge told her. “And you, honey,” she looked at her beautiful friend, “you are the expert on creative arts. We have come a long way from being straggly teenagers wondering if we were ever going to fulfill our dreams.”
“I always knew what I wanted to be,” Hailey pointed out. She could see from the corners of her eyes that the man who had been eyeing them had finally decided to come over.
“Of course you did,” Hillary said dryly. “With a mother like yours you had to be.”
“Ladies, how about I buy you another round?” he asked with a charming smile. He looked like he was in his early forties with patches of grey at the sides of his ash blonde hair. “I know I am probably the oldest one in this club, but I am from Florida and thought I would drop by.”
“How old are you?” Hillary asked him curiously.
“Just turned forty in March.” He looked at Hailey, the admiration evident in his gaze. “I am probably about fifteen years your senior, but I sat there admiring your beauty and decided to come over. I know you are used to more attractive men than me, but I would not mind having a dance. It would certainly make my trip.”
Hailey’s eyes glinted in amusement and her friends just about stopped the laughter from escaping. “You think I am twenty-five?”
“Oh, I am sorry!” he said sheepishly. “Twenty-two?”
This time the girls laughed.
“You have certainly made my night,” Hailey said as she slid off the stool and took his hand. “A dance it is.”
*****
Martha watched her son throughout the evening and realized that he was chafing to get out of the room. She had been at him to take over the chair from her ever since his father passed away, but the boy refused to stop flitting around the place. She loved him so much and secretly envied him his lack of responsibilities, but at some point he was going to have to settle down. She watched as Grace Ann sidled up to him and placed her hand on his arm. The woman was divorced for the second time and was probably looking for husband number three. Martha knew that she had been throwing herself at her son for years and that David had probably slept with her in the past. The only reason why she had been invited over was because of her contributions to sports. Grace Ann had been a champion skater in her time and still held sway with the public. They were putting out new skating gear and were wooing her to model the outfit for them. She watched as David extricated himself from her and walked over to where the liquor was being served. She excused herself from the group of people she had been talking to and went over to him. “I see you managed to escape.” Martha plucked a flute of champagne from the passing waiter as she looked at her son.
“And I see you were watching me as usual,” David said in amusement as she turned to her. “Grace is like a snake but I have the repellant for her.”
“I take it she is one of the women you tossed aside?” Martha murmured, smiling at a group of people.
“Mother, this is not a conversation for this occasion,” he chided her.
“I can look through the room and see most of the women you have been to bed with, darling. It’s not a proud moment for me.”
He linked his arm through hers. “I can spot one or two that I have not been with.” His eyes lighted on a slight blonde sitting in the corner as if she badly wanted to leave. “She is one.”
“She is not your type,” his mother pointed out.
“True. She is probably afraid of her own shadow and besides she is married to Val the banker.”
“And thank goodness you stay away from married women,” his mother said feelingly.
“I have my morals after all.”
“Barely,” she murmured as she looked at him. He had on expensive denims and a black silk shirt complete with a red jacket. The ensemble should have looked ridiculous but on him it looked dashing and made him even more handsome. No wonder women found it hard to resist him! “We have a meeting first thing Monday morning at the office.”
“Does first thing mean eleven?” he asked her.
“It means eight, darling, and if you are late I will never forgive you.”
He leaned forward and kissed her cheek. “I would not want that.” He squeezed her hand and walked away. She watched him for a moment and then went on to mingle with the others.
*****
“Just one more round!” Hillary protested as Hailey insisted on leaving. It was already one in the morning and she was starting to feel wilted. “I am going home to my empty apartment with the memories of my recently failed marriage and I don’t think I can stand it.”
“So you are thinking that another round of drinks will give you the fortitude to endure the loneliness?” Hailey asked with raised brows.
“Of course,” Hillary said with a grin as she signaled the bartender to pour them another round of what they had just finished.
“I have church a few hours from now,” Marge protested. “I promised the women’s group that I would help to share the meals this time around.”
“Maybe I should come to church with you and try and find me a good God fearing man who will not leave me for a younger woman,” Hillary said as she gulped her vodka cherry.
“I don’t think that is a good reason to go to church,” Hailey said as she sipped her martini slowly. She was starting to feel lightheaded and remember that she was driving herself. Her friends had come by cab and she was thinking that she should have probably done the same.
“How do you do it?” Hillary asked her.
“Do what?”
“Stay single and not mind one bit.”
“I bury myself in work. Remember how broken up I was about Todd and Andrew?”
They both nodded.
“Todd wanted to marry you,” Marge pointed out.
“And make me be a stay-at-home wife.”
“Maybe that would not be so bad.” Hillary saw the expression on her friend’s face and laughed. “Marge does it. How do you do it, honey?”
“I do laundry and cook and everything in between. I love being a stay-at-home mother. I love having the children come home to me and I help them with homework. Ricky and I have not had sex since the past month, but that’s okay.”
“Wow!” Hillary stared at her friend. “Scratch what I said. I am so happy I never had kids. Aren’t you horny? I am just sitting here and thinking about sex.”
“I am too busy and tired at the end of the day,” Marge admitted.
“Okay, gals, this is it for me. I am starting to see two of everything.” Hailey got to her feet and made sure she was steady before moving forward. “Thanks for tonight.”
“You are welcome, girl.” Marge hugged her and then Hillary. “Drive safe.”
She waved at them and wove her way through the crowd. She smiled at a couple of guys who stared at her but did not stop. She had several hours to recover and then get some work in and she planned on going to visit her mother later in the afternoon and then on Monday she was back to work and she was looking forward to it! The valet brought her car around and she handed him a tip before driving away.