Chapter Nine
Vivien sat at the table of the little French bistro where Liam’s meeting was scheduled, silently seething without her phone to check. Liam had given it to her driver before he headed off to MT, and the former linebacker refused to give it back to her. So now she was waiting to meet someone—a Faith Warner—without any of her normal backups to get out of a meeting fast. She could strangle Liam Hale.
For the tenth time in two minutes, she glanced toward the door, hoping to see the hostess leading someone toward her table. Thankfully, this time, she spotted the perky college student leading a petite woman with hair the color of honey through the maze of tables. She wore little makeup, the better to work in conjunction with the gray of her sweater and the black of her boxy slacks. And Vivien would know her anywhere.
“Vivien. I’d heard you were in town. I…I didn’t expect to see you.”
“Faith Nolan?” Vivien stood to exchange an awkward hug with the woman she’d spent nearly every day with from ages five to eighteen. She frantically tried to remember the last time they’d talked. They’d emailed back and forth the first few years of college, but that had slowly become more sporadic as they drifted apart.
“Faith Warner now.” The other woman’s cheeks went a little pink as she fiddled with the simple wedding band on her left ring finger.
“You’re married? That’s right. I think I remember hearing about that,” Vivien said. “That guy you met your freshman year, right? A football player at UT?”
Faith ducked her head, long bangs falling forward to hide her eyes. “Widowed, actually. Three years ago. I thought Jed would have told you. He was so kind to me after the funeral.”
Vivien’s cheeks burned with shame. God, she was a really, really shitty friend. Faith had been there for Vivien after her mom’s death when no one else was. They’d been attached at the hip at one point, and she hadn’t known that Faith’s husband had died? “No, he didn’t. I’m so sorry for your loss. I…I would have been here, if I’d known, Fay. I really would have been.”
“I know you would have,” Faith assured her. “I meant to reach out to you a thousand times, especially before the wedding, but I knew things were rough with your dad, and then time sort of got away from me. It’s so good to see you, but I thought I was supposed to meet Liam Hale.”
Vivien briefly explained the events of the last few days before the waitress stopped by to take their orders.
“So, tell me about this fundraiser. Liam was a bit light on the details.” It was so odd to sit here with her childhood friend, both of them so different from the last time they’d been together.
“Here’s the invitation,” Faith said, pulling out a thick piece of vellum from her oversize bag.
Vivien’s breath caught in her throat as she read.
Monroe Tech invites you to a gala fundraiser benefitting the Clara Monroe Foundation for Childhood Technology Studies.
“The Clara Monroe Foundation?” Vivien murmured. How long had it been since she’d seen her mother’s name written out like that? And why had Jed never told her he started a foundation in her mother’s name?
“Yeah. Jed started up CMF to encourage kids to get involved in STEM–related activities,” Faith explained. “He focused in on the inner-city neighborhoods that get ignored in favor of districts like Southlake-Carroll and Highland Park ISD.”
Her mom would have loved that. Vivien remembered Clara dragging her and Faith around to local after-school programs where she volunteered a few afternoons a month. Clara hadn’t believed in nannies, so where she went, Viv wasn’t far behind. Tears stung Vivien’s eyes as she studied the name over and over again, but she blinked them back. “So, what were you and Liam supposed to talk about?”
“We were supposed to finalize the details for the gala.” Faith pushed a file across the table. “Here. I have everything organized and laid out in these. Jed preferred to discuss everything without formalities, but this helps me consolidate my thoughts and makes everything easier to understand if you’re not familiar with the organization.”
“Thank you for this,” Vivien said, scanning the folder. “You always were good at organizing everyone around you. It’s what made you such a good student council secretary and stage manager for the drama club in high school.”
Faith gave a self-deprecating laugh, accepting the glass of sweet tea the waitress brought her. “I think that’s what got me the job, if you want to know the truth.”
They placed their orders before returning their attention to the folders.
“So, tickets are being sold for the gala at a thousand dollars a plate,” Vivien remarked.
“Right.” Faith proceeded to go over the details, talking about TV with footage from their main facility—The Hub—where kids were bussed in for classes. “We’ll also have displays of the programmable robots the older kids developed for people to interact with.”
Vivien leaned back in her chair, sipping her tea, intently studying the files Faith had given her. “This is…quite a program. I don’t think I’ve seen anything with the success rate you’ve had in only three years. Most of the foundations in New York would kill to have the ability to marshal volunteers and garner this level of interest from the community.”
The years yawned between them, the guilt of it almost overwhelming Vivien. She hadn’t realized until she saw her how much she’d missed Faith. She’d been a calming influence, always encouraging Vivien to slow down and enjoy little things like movie nights and shopping that normal teenage girls did. All of Vivien’s friends in New York were busy career-oriented singles like her. They met periodically to unwind, but she’d never bonded with them like she had with Faith.
“I’m not the one who’s impressive,” Faith protested. “Look at you. Running your father’s company, taking Wall Street by storm. I can’t imagine being dropped in as the leader of such a big company with no warning. I would probably fall flat on my face the first day.”
“It’s been a challenge, but Liam’s been great about stepping up to help me find my feet.” Vivien waited for the server to put their food in front of them before she continued. “I’m really sorry I lost touch, Faith. I was mad at my dad and tired of this place, but I shouldn’t have let you fall by the wayside along the way.”
Faith’s turquoise eyes bore a sadness that tore at Vivien’s heart. “It went both ways, Vivi. I… Life got away from us, and we both could have done a better job. You’re here now, though. Maybe we can spend some time together now that you’re back.”
Now that you’re back. From anyone else, that statement would have made Vivien’s skin crawl. “Oh. Um. I’m not sure how long I’ll be here. I… There’s a board meeting tomorrow, and I haven’t decided if I’m going to stay on beyond tomorrow.”
“You’re probably anxious to get back to New York,” Faith said softly. “It must suit you. You always did love the sophisticated things. I mean, look at you. You’re so much like your mother. Do you remember how we used to want to dress up and be just like her when we were little?”
“She had the best clothes.” A half smile tugged at one side of her lips as she ate a spoonful of lobster bisque. “And Mom was much prettier than I am. Jed met her when she came in to model for an ad agency in his building, remember?”
Faith grinned, taking a bite of her salad nicoise. “He saw her in the lobby, right? And couldn’t take his eyes off her.”
“And instead of going to the big meeting he had with some investors, he stayed in the lobby, watching until she came back down, so he could ask her out. He waited for three hours, and ‘bumped into’ her when she came out of the elevators. Instead of apologizing, all he could do was stare at her. Mom thought he was cute, so she dug out a bubble gum wrapper and wrote down her number. She kissed him on the cheek, stuffed it into his shirt pocket, and walked away.” Vivien’s heart warmed at the memory. How many times had her mom told them that story before bedtime during their biweekly sleepovers?
“They were so in love. I still miss her, you know,” Faith admitted. “And you. I think part of the reason I took the job with CMF was so I could be closer to both of you. This place has been my saving grace since Wyatt died.”
Vivien reached out to squeeze her friend’s hand briefly. “I couldn’t think of a better person to honor her, Fay. She would love that you’re in charge of this. And she would love this party you’re throwing. Elegant, but unpretentious, just her style.”
“Well, even if you don’t stay, I hope you’ll come back for the gala. It would be good to spend more time with you,” Faith said. “And Lord knows it would be nice to have an ally there. I’m great at the planning thing, but this event can get overwhelming. If my mother-in-law can give me a moment’s peace, maybe I can even come see you in New York sometime. We can have one of our patented girls’ nights.”
While she put up a good front, Vivien didn’t miss the doubt in Faith’s eyes. It was the same she’d seen in Liam’s and Greer’s a hundred times over the last few weeks. They didn’t think she would stay here. And they weren’t entirely wrong. New York was her home now. She had a life, a job, friends, and not to mention the excellent food, the real seasons, and the non-geeky people she surrounded herself with up north. And best of all, it was far, far away from the ghosts that lurked around Dallas.
She couldn’t stay in Texas forever, but the more she thought about it, the more she hated the idea of leaving so soon. Bad enough that she’d leave Liam and Greer in the middle of this mess, but now she’d also be leaving Faith behind again. Guilt tightened her lungs, and for a second, she worried she’d have another panic attack. Staying could risk her job—probably her entire career. But sitting here with Faith, she realized that MT wasn’t just Jed’s legacy, it was Clara’s as well. Could she turn her back on that?