Chapter 9

Ed came back from Hong Kong a week before Christmas. And as soon as he landed, he called Sydney with good news. He had met with his father and uncles, and after some debate, they had agreed to finance his clothing business. He had an excellent track record, and had held design jobs with important, responsible firms. He knew the business and was capable of pulling together a talented design team. He had presented Sydney’s CV and credentials to them as well. They had given him the green light, and he wanted to get started as soon as possible. His goal was to have his first fashion show on the runway during Fashion Week in September, nine months from now.

“It’s a go!” he said when he called Sydney, and then told her all the details. He wanted to look at the Chelsea location with her in the next few days and rent it immediately, if she liked it as much as he did and thought it could work as a home for their fledgling business. It was an exciting time for him. At last he wouldn’t be working for someone else, and could do everything the way he wanted. He had no investors to satisfy, only his family. “Do you have time to look at the Chelsea location with me tomorrow?” he asked her, and she said she did.

“This is so wonderful!” She was as thrilled as he was. He sent the realtor an email that night, and they made an appointment for ten o’clock the next morning. When Sydney got there, he was relieved to see that she looked much better and more relaxed than when he’d left. Her four days in jail had been harrowing and taken a toll on her.

They went over every inch of the location, and tried to envision where they would put everyone and how it would work, and by their estimation it was perfect. The realtor promised to have the lease to him by that afternoon.

“Let’s go to IKEA tomorrow and buy furniture,” Sydney said enthusiastically. The place had been freshly painted, and there was no construction work to do. It was in move-in condition. Ed wanted to start hiring people as soon as possible. He had already made a list of his dream design team, with Sydney and himself as the lead designers. But they needed design assistants too, preferably recently out of school so they wouldn’t be too expensive, or too inflexible, and would have fresh, innovative ideas.

They went to buy desks, tables, chairs, file cabinets, and shelving the next day, and outfitted a small kitchen. They bought comfortable desk chairs, and Ed was going to buy the computers. They had rented a truck to bring everything back from IKEA, and unloaded most of it themselves when they got back to Chelsea. They had hired someone to put the furniture together. They sat back and admired the results at the end of the day, and then Sydney got ready to leave to buy a small Christmas tree for her apartment.

“What are you doing on Christmas Eve, by the way?” she asked him before she left.

“Nothing much. I haven’t had time to think about it.”

“Why don’t you come to dinner with me and the girls? Just casual, at my place.” Sophie had already said that her boyfriend would probably join them, if he was up to it, and there was room for six people at her table, if they kept their elbows close to their bodies and used her narrow chairs.

“I’d love it,” Ed said, smiling broadly. After that, she went to buy her tree, which took up a corner in the living room, but looked festive, and she had bought decorations. She didn’t allow herself to think of the fourteen-foot tree they’d had in the living room in Connecticut every Christmas, or the garland of white flowers over the main doorway, or the wreath on the door. She had bought a tiny one with bells and pinecones on it, and attached it to the front door. And even though the tree was small, it smelled like Christmas, and filled the apartment with the scent of pine. The ornaments she’d bought for the tree were all red and gold, with some tiny teddy bears and toy soldiers. It looked cheerful and happy when she was finished.

Steve Weinstein called her after that, to give her the date of her next court hearing in April. It was months away, but would give them time to pursue their investigation of Paul Zeller and what he might have known about the stolen purses. And the grand jury investigation would go on during that time. After Steve had told her about her hearing date, she decided to invite him to dinner on Christmas Eve too.

“I usually go home to Boston for the holidays,” he told her, touched to be asked to their family Christmas dinner. “But this year, my brother and sister are with their in-laws, and my parents are in Florida. They might be moving there.” The invitation sounded warm and friendly to him, and he liked his new client and the idea of getting to know her better. He had already told her that he had never been married, had no children, and was thirty-eight years old. And she thought her girls would like him. “My family is Jewish,” he added, “but we’re not religious, and we always celebrate Christmas. We get the best of both worlds that way.”

“I love Christmas too.” She sighed softly then. “It’s our first one without my husband.” She was trying not to dwell on it, but the memories haunted her, especially late at night, which had become her least favorite time of day. Her worries loomed large at that hour.

“Your children’s father?” He was curious about her, and sensed heartaches she was too polite to mention.

“No, he died twenty years ago, after we divorced. He had moved to Texas with a new wife and they didn’t see much of him, but he was still their father. I remarried sixteen years ago, to a wonderful man. He died in an accident this summer. It’s been a big adjustment.” In more ways than she was willing to disclose to him. “There have been some complications with the estate.” Two greedy, nasty stepdaughters, and nothing for the widow. She was still angry at Andrew about it at times. It was hard not to be, for dying, and for not taking care of what he should have. If he had, everything would have been different. She wouldn’t have had to work and she wouldn’t be facing jail. But, on the other hand, she had met Ed Chin and was going to have the thrill of starting a business with him. She tried to maintain a glass-half-full outlook, except in the wee hours when she was terrified of running out of money and going to prison. “It’s been a difficult year,” she acknowledged, topped off by her recent arrest for trafficking in stolen goods. “You really never know what’s going to happen in life. The last six months have taught me that.”

“That’s true in a good way too,” he reminded her. “You never know what fantastic event or person is going to come along and change your luck and life forever. Is your daughter going to be there for dinner, by the way? I had a nice conversation with her, when you were…being detained,” he tried to find a gentle way to express it without saying “when you were in jail.”

He knew how shaken she still was by it, and frightened of the future. The possibility of prison was horrifying. And once or twice she wondered if she had the right to start a business with Ed. What if she was convicted and went to prison? She didn’t want to leave him in the lurch, nor miss the opportunity he was offering her.

She brought it up with Ed that night, when they were talking on the phone about their plans. He had texted her all evening before that, every time he had an idea or a name to share with her. They’d been trying to come up with a name for their business and were leaning toward Sydney Chin. It was distinctive, and she wanted it to have an Asian feeling to it, out of deference to him and his family, who were making their new venture possible. She was grateful for their willingness to include her in the plan, despite her current problems.

“What if I go to prison? Have you thought of that?” she asked him seriously. Steve had told her it was a real possibility if things went badly for her at the trial. And he assumed there would be one. There was too much evidence against her for the charges to be dismissed. Paul Zeller was a powerful man, and had covered himself well. He had begun lying to everyone, and the press, from the moment it happened. He had spoken to the U.S. attorney, who had made it clear they were not going to go easy on her, and they wanted to question her in depth about Paul Zeller.

“You can’t just sit there for the next year, waiting for the other shoe to drop,” Ed admonished her. “You have to go on living. I don’t think they’ll convict you, but if they do, we’ll deal with it when it happens. I’m not going to miss out on building something really important with you because Paul Zeller is an asshole and we’re scared. I’ve waited my whole life to do this. And I want to do it with you.” He had profound respect for her after working with her. In fact, he’d been waiting seven years to start his own venture since he graduated from design school.

“Does your family know about the case against me?” She hoped he’d been honest with them about her arrest.

“I told them what happened. They were very sorry to hear about it, but it didn’t scare them off. They checked out your lawyer again, by the way, and he has an excellent reputation.”

“I like him.” She was grateful to Ed and his family for that as well. “He’s coming to dinner on Christmas Eve too. He’s smart and seems like a really nice guy.” And then she thought of something. He never talked about it much, and was alone most of the time, and working, but she thought he might like to bring someone with him to dinner, so she asked him.

“You’re sweet to ask. I’ve seen someone a few times, but there are no major heartthrobs in my life. I don’t have time for that. I’m too busy to engage in a relationship and do it justice. Maybe in a few years when we get our business off the ground, but not now. Thanks anyway.”

“You sound like Sabrina. She says exactly the same thing. And Sophie has a boyfriend, officially anyway, but they hardly see each other and he’s very eccentric. Fashion isn’t fertile ground for romance. No one has the energy or the time.”

“How did you manage to design and date and marry Andrew?” He had wondered about that for a while.

“It was a race against time every day, with work, him, and two little girls. He convinced me to give it up when we got married. He wanted me free to travel with him. And not working gave me a chance to be with my kids. I missed working for a few years, but then I was glad I’d done it. I enjoyed the time I could spend with him and my girls. Your family life is very different when you’re working full-time. There’s never enough of you to go around, and do a good job at work too.”

“Well, just make sure you don’t do that again,” Ed said, sounding worried. “I mean get married and quit your job with me.”

“You have nothing to worry about. I’m not planning to get married again, and I don’t have young kids at home anymore,” she reminded him. “My girls don’t have time to see me either. They work as hard as we do, and Sabrina is crazy. She loves what she does more than she’s ever loved a man.”

“That’s how I feel about it,” he said comfortably.

“And I’ll never give up my work again for a man,” Sydney said with determination. She couldn’t imagine being with another man now. She’d had what she considered the perfect relationship and a great marriage with Andrew. It was only now that he was gone that everything had fallen apart and cast a shadow on her memories. But when he was alive, she’d been happy. They had rarely argued, were kind to each other, and shared many of the same interests, and he’d been wonderful to her girls. But after the way it had ended, she never wanted to be dependent on a man again.

“Just make sure you stick to that,” Ed warned her. “If Prince Charming comes along after we start the business, tell him you’re a working woman, and you won’t give it up.”

“I promise,” she said fervently, and meant it.

They said good night to each other then, and she knew they’d be texting and talking constantly in the coming days and months. They had a lot of decisions to make, and she already had some ideas for sketches and designs for their show in the fall. She wanted to do a predominantly white collection, since the clothes they would be showing to the trade would be in stores for the following summer.

The guests arrived on Christmas Eve at seven-thirty. Sydney offered them a choice between hot toddies and eggnog laced with rum. It was one of their Christmas traditions. The apartment looked pretty with the Christmas decorations she’d bought, and there were candles lit everywhere. There was just enough seating for the six of them, with some effort, and it was very cozy. Sydney was wearing a long plaid wool skirt and a red sweater, which she’d worn on Christmas before and had brought with her, with her hair straight down her back. Sabrina came in a short black cocktail dress of her own design, which showed off her long, sexy legs. Her dark hair was shining and she’d worn it down like her mother. She was wearing bright red lipstick and high heels and looked beautiful as she hugged her mother. She was the first to arrive and had brought two bottles of good French wine. She was in a celebratory mood about her new job. She had only been employed there for a week, and already loved it. Her previous boss’s impulsive reaction to fire her, over the knockoffs of her designs by Lady Louise, had proved to be an extraordinary blessing. She had leapt in at full speed at her new job and was designing additions to their collection for February’s Fashion Week, she was working harder than ever and had never been happier.

“Who else is coming, Mom?” she asked, as she followed her mother over to the kitchen counter. She could smell a turkey in the oven, and she peeked at the vegetables on the stove. Sydney had been working on the meal all day with her only cookbook, and it had turned out well. She had made all their favorites. The dishes that came with the apartment weren’t pretty, but she had managed to set a nice table anyway, with candles, a few gold angels, and some pinecones. The whole apartment was fragrant and smelled like the holidays.

“I told you I invited Ed Chin,” whom she and Sophie had met once. “Sophie is bringing Grayson, making a rare cameo appearance.” They both laughed at that. He was phobic about families and commitment, and said he hated holidays but had agreed to come after Sophie had begged him to for weeks. He was a talented graphic designer, and an unusual person. He had lost his parents as a child and had grown up in foster care, and had moved around a lot. He and Sophie loved each other, but he didn’t want marriage, children, or long-term commitment. Sydney thought Sophie was young enough to put up with his limitations, but she didn’t think the relationship would go far. They had been dating for a year, and anytime he thought the relationship was getting too serious, he stopped seeing her for a while, and then wandered back when things had cooled off. Her mother and sister were surprised she was still with him, but Sophie insisted he was a good guy, and saw virtues in him that others didn’t. He was a prickly porcupine at times.

“And I invited my lawyer, Steve Weinstein. He said he didn’t have any plans. And, Sabrina,” she said, looking seriously at her older daughter, “I want you to know how grateful I am for your arranging my bail and paying his retainer. I intend to repay you as soon as I can.” She was planning to sell a piece of jewelry if she had to, although she didn’t have many and had been trying to hang on to everything she could, to sell in the future if she needed to. But this was one of those times. She had depleted Sabrina’s savings, and she wasn’t going to let it stay that way for long.

“I don’t need the money right now, Mom. And there was no way I was going to let you stay in jail, or not have a decent lawyer. Do you think he’s okay?” She had liked him when they spoke, and he seemed competent.

“I think he’s very good, and Ed’s family checked him out.” She knew that didn’t mean he would be able to get her off. There were variables in the case and, as Steve had told her, once a matter went to trial, the results were unpredictable. It wasn’t going to be a shoo-in, but it wasn’t a lost cause either. And hopefully they would find damning evidence on Paul Zeller before they went to trial.

They were still talking about it when Ed Chin rang the buzzer, and when he came in the door he greeted Sabrina, pleased to see her. He congratulated her on her new job, and they launched into animated conversation immediately. He admired her dress, she admitted that the design was one of hers, and he told her he loved it. Ed had worn jeans, a black turtleneck, a black cashmere jacket, and suede loafers, and looked as chic as Sabrina. He had the wardrobe and the style to wear it, and had all his clothes made at his tailor in Hong Kong whenever he went home. They were talking about her new job and the people he knew there, when Sophie and Grayson arrived.

Grayson walked into the apartment looking nervous in jeans and a sweatshirt he’d had since he was at the Rhode Island School of Design, where he’d gotten a full scholarship and had graduated eight years before. He was thirty, had brown hair, was sporting five days of beard stubble, and wore battered high-topped sneakers with holes in them. He glanced around the room and spoke to no one in particular as he cautiously accepted a cup of eggnog.

“I don’t normally do holidays, but Sophie insisted,” he said as Sydney smiled warmly at him and kissed her younger daughter. Sophie was wearing a black leather miniskirt, a black sweater, black tights, and high-heeled black suede boots that reached her thighs. She looked sexy and young, and more casual than her sister, and had a more voluptuous figure. Her whole style was younger and less sophisticated than Sabrina’s. She wore her hair wild and loose and long in a mane of curls she’d had since she was a child.

“We’re glad you could come,” Sydney told Grayson graciously, and managed to keep a straight face when the eggnog coated his mustache and turned it white. Then the doorbell rang again and it was Steve, carrying a big baker’s box and a bottle of good California wine. His offerings were gratefully received, and when Sydney peeked inside the box as she set it down, she saw that it was a beautiful yule log for dessert. She’d been planning to serve Christmas pudding, and instantly decided to serve both and thanked him. She introduced all the young people to each other as they came in. And the chatter of conversation reached a comfortable level, except for Grayson, who sat quietly on the couch, watching the others. If nothing else, he always seemed odd, and Sophie explained that he was shy. Ed commented on his sweatshirt when he sat down next to him, and said he had always wanted to go to RISD, but hadn’t been accepted, and had gone to design school in London instead. Grayson relaxed a little after that, and it amused Sydney to realize that of the six people in the room, five of them were designers, in one form or another, and four of the six were in fashion.

“You’re the only sane grown-up here, not in fashion or design,” she teased Steve, and she liked being able to count herself among the designers again. It gave form and purpose to her life, aside from feeding her and helping to pay her rent for the past five months.

“It’s definitely intimidating,” he admitted. “I changed shirts four times, and jackets twice before deciding on an appropriate outfit. Having dinner with a bunch of fashion designers definitely puts the heat on.” In the end, he had opted for a blue collared shirt, a tweed jacket, jeans, and brown suede oxfords that were very stylish.

“You did just fine,” Sydney complimented him, impressed by how nice he looked. He was more handsome than she’d realized in court, when she’d been distracted by more serious preoccupations than how he dressed.

“I just wore my old school sweatshirt,” Grayson said, looking nervous again, as he helped himself to more eggnog, and Sophie watched him. She didn’t want him to get drunk because he was ill at ease with people.

They made it to the table at nine, when the turkey was done, and Steve opened the wine and poured it. They were drinking Sabrina’s bottles first. Sydney had seated Sabrina next to Steve, and she was on his other side. And she put Ed on Sabrina’s other side, with Sophie and Grayson between Ed and herself, and the conversation at dinner flourished, aided by the excellent wine Sabrina had provided. Steve complimented her on it.

Steve’s yule log was a big hit for dessert, with the Christmas pudding, which Sydney poured brandy over and lit. And they all talked about how they had spent Christmas as children. Sophie and Sabrina’s warm description of their family traditions brought tears to their mother’s eyes. Ed said that his family had always celebrated Christmas and Chinese New Year’s, and gave big dinner parties with family and friends for both events. “My family loves a party!” he said, and everybody laughed.

“We celebrated Chanukah when I was a kid, but pretty loosely,” Steve commented. “My parents let me have a Christmas tree too, because my friends did. They always envied me because Chanukah lasts for eight days, but they got all their presents at once, which I thought was cooler. And I’m happy to be with you,” he added. “My family is all away this year, and I’d be sitting in my apartment feeling sorry for myself tonight if I weren’t here, so thank you, Sydney, for inviting me, and to all of you for having me.” He raised his glass and smiled at his new client.

“I’m an atheist,” Grayson announced. “I don’t believe in Christmas,” he said, and there was silence at the table for a minute, “but I’m having a good time, thank you,” he added, as everyone exhaled, and he raised his glass too.

Sophie suggested charades after dinner, and after several glasses of wine, Grayson was the best one at it, and could guess nearly anything before anyone else could, and his pantomimes were hilarious and made them all laugh. And although she hadn’t expected it to be that way, Sydney thought it was one of the best Christmases she’d had in years, despite Andrew’s absence. The atmosphere was warm and cozy, and it was a special night among friends who genuinely liked each other, and were glad to be together.

She noticed that Steve and Sabrina had engaged in conversation repeatedly, when she wasn’t talking to Ed about fashion. Ed and Sydney talked a little about the new business they were starting. And no one had the bad taste to mention her recent legal difficulties or the threat of an upcoming trial. They had put it aside for the night, and so had Sydney. She was just enjoying everyone. No one made a move to leave until after one in the morning, and when Sabrina stood up, Steve offered to take her home, since he didn’t live far from her. They all said goodbye reluctantly, and Ed stayed for a few minutes after the others left.

“What a lovely evening you gave all of us,” he complimented her, as he sipped the last of his wine. “And I think you may have started something tonight.” He looked at her mischievously and guessed that she had done it on purpose.

“Steve and Sabrina?” He nodded, and they both laughed. “I thought that might work. At least I hoped so. I like him. And poor Grayson looked like he was going to fall apart when he walked in, but he rallied. I think the eggnog helped. He’s a sweet kid and a very good designer. He just had a lousy childhood, and has a lot of issues.”

“I liked him,” Ed said easily. “I liked all of them, and your daughters are fantastic. I could have talked to them all night.”

“They’re good women. I’m very proud of them.”

He offered to help her clean up and do the dishes, and she told him she’d do it in the morning and he didn’t have to, and he left a few minutes later. She sat alone on the couch after he was gone and thought about the evening. It had been perfect and just what she wanted it to be, for all of them. Even Grayson had joined in the fun with good humor. They had managed to blend traditions, and the lack of them, between Christians, a Jew, a Buddhist, and an atheist, and shared a warm and wonderful evening, which was what Christmas was all about. And she hoped that wherever he was, Andrew was at peace too.