“You don’t know me,” Leigh said. “I don’t give up.”
“After everything Alicia told me about you, I would assume you wouldn’t. I have some suggestions if you’re interested.”
Alicia stepped between them. “Please.”
“I don’t have any money, but I know some guys in construction who can give us a discount and we can pay anyone in the neighborhood here to help clean up and paint. That will save us more money for equipment.”
“Then there’s marketing, advertising, insurance.” Alicia sighed.
“There are a lot of places who will do that stuff pro bono for a clinic like this. We’ll have to weed them out. You didn’t expect Mommy and Daddy to do everything, did you?”
Leigh watched his unflinching smile, thinking that he better be a good doctor if he wanted to join this group, because he wouldn’t get in on charm. “I was relying on them because our family’s foundation does exactly this type of thing.”
“Her mother is known for her fund-raising expertise,” Alicia added.
“Alicia told me they refused to help you.”
Leigh’s tone gave away her embarrassment. “They want me to join a prestigious practice.”
Alicia rubbed Leigh’s arms. “Leigh’s family is very—”
“He doesn’t care what my family is like,” Leigh interrupted. “Besides, he’s living in L.A. now. He’ll find out soon enough.”
“I read about your sister in the paper earlier this week,” he said. “Is she okay?”
Leigh was taken back. She expected judgment, gossip, ridicule, accusations, and pity like she’d gotten from everyone else, but not genuine concern. “Yes, she’s okay. Thank you.”
“If your parents know all of the right people,” Richard said, “then don’t you know them, too?”
Leigh shrugged. “I guess, but not as well as my mother.”
“Then you don’t really need her,” he maintained. “You have the contacts. You have the last name. You be the fund-raiser.”
“I don’t know how to do that,” Leigh said.
“You just came back from Africa. Your experiences must have been incredible.”
“They were life changing.”
Richard took a step closer, smiling. “I can’t wait to hear about them.”
Alicia cleared her throat, but it failed to distract Leigh and Richard from each other.
“You’re right,” Leigh said, getting her second wind. “I’ve got to go.”
“What?” Alicia called after her. “I thought we were going to go over—”
“Not now,” she yelled back. You can’t put inspiration on hold.
Chase Beauty now took up four full floors at 777 Tower in downtown L.A. Steven’s corner office was, in size, almost equal to his ego, and was undergoing its third redecoration by Janet. Its current style was Manhattan minimalist. He wasn’t crazy about it, but he would rather suffer anything than disappoint his queen. Right now he was more focused on Carter who made it a practice to show up late to every scheduled meeting. He knew Carter treated his other clients better even though they didn’t make him ten percent of what Chase Beauty made him.
He looked at Michael, leaning back on the leather sofa, the only soft piece of furniture Janet allowed him to keep. Michael, greatly lacking in the art of sensitivity, always reminded him of how undesirable his office was. All that mattered to Steven was that Michael wanted this office and would do anything to get it. A lesser man would be threatened, but Steven was proud. He had to be on guard against his own son and he liked that.
“Hey.” Carter rushed into the office. “A client lunch got away from me.”
“Does that client pay you as well as I do?” Steven asked.
“So,” Michael said. “How’s it hanging, Cassius?”
Carter sat across from his brother, a thin smile on his face. “Word travels fast in this town.”
Steven got up, leaning against the edge of his desk. “One of the men with Flay was a WKLA reporter.”
“I did what I felt I had to do.”
“I only wish I could have done it,” Steven murmured. “I’ve been trying to reach him, but he’s been covered like he’s the president.”
Carter wasn’t sure, but he thought his father had just given him a compliment. “Is this why you called me here?”
“I called you here for business,” Steven said.
“I got Performance to agree to our terms today,” Michael said. “They’re signing the contract tomorrow.”
“That was fast,” Carter said. “Care to share with us how you did that?”
“I don’t want to know,” Steven said. “All I know is it’s been a week since I gave you Avery Jackson, Carter.”
“Well, since I can’t lower myself to kidnapping family members, I think it might take me a little longer.”
“It’s just two stores,” Michael teased. “Two little stores.”
“I’m using her partner to get in.” Carter socked Michael in the left arm. “She’s clean, but he has a lot of skeletons in his closet.”
“I already did a background on him,” Michael said.
“I did a better one.”
“Are you being careful?” Steven asked.
Carter didn’t answer that and Steven knew he wouldn’t. He could see the resentment in his son’s face at his questioning. He should feel guilty about it, but he didn’t. Besides, if Carter didn’t want this tension between them, he knew what he could do to change things. Come work at Chase Beauty. “I’m giving you one more week.”
“Or what?” Carter asked. He wasn’t going to be threatened by anyone.
Michael wondered why in God’s name Carter pushed their father like that. This was the one thing he envied about his brother. He watched as the two men stared each other down, knowing he could never have the nerve. Carter would blink first. He always did, but each time he lasted longer and Michael wondered if it were possible that one day, Steven would be the first to blink. He didn’t think so.
Carter blinked.
“Get out,” Steven said, satisfied. “I’ve got work to do.”
Carter was fine with leaving, but Michael never let him just walk out.
“Why haven’t you checked in on Haley?” he asked.
“Who are you now, Mom? Haley might not want to see me after she finds out what I did.”
“You think she actually cared about that guy?” Michael asked, laughing.
“I lost my head for a second.”
Outside of Michael’s office, Carter stopped and grinned at his little brother. He had been ready to tell him everything he had going on with Craig, but not now. He would slap him with it a few days from now.
“Come in,” Michael said.
Carter knew why Michael always invited him into his office when he stopped by Chase Beauty. He enjoyed the momentary affliction of envy Carter felt when he saw Michael’s throne. Carter did love his father and he was proud of Chase Beauty. Here