Chapter 4
CHAPTER FOUR
DEIDRE
“A re you excited to be going home?” Mandy asks in a sing-songy voice.
“No,” I return flatly as I get situated in the window seat in first class.
“Come on.” She plops down on the seat next to me. “I’m sure you’re dying to see someone…other than Mike and Claire.”
“Nope.”
“Not even an old flame?”
“I was fourteen when I left,” I remind. “I wasn’t attracting boys at that time. I didn’t even have boobs…not that they’re much bigger now.”
“Were you a dorky kid?” she asks with a giggle.
“You’ve seen the pictures.”
“I know,” she laughs. “But you went back for Mike’s graduation.”
“I only saw Mike and his roomie, Will,” I state. “No one else was there. I left before the party due to Mom being Mom.”
“I just can’t imagine how guys didn’t pay any attention to you even when you were fourteen,” she states.
“I was just one of the other guys,” I explain. “I was a tomboy with mosquito-sized breasts and no curves. Puberty was just starting to take effect on me that year when I did leave.” I let out a heavy sigh at the memories.
“What’s your mom’s issue?” Mandy asks rhetorically.
“What isn’t?”
“What happened during that time again…Mike’s graduation?”
I’ve tried to keep everything in the past, sharing only a few small things with her over the years. Dad’s aware of only a few things. Mike and his best friend, Luke, are the only ones who know the craziness that is my mother.
“Everything revolves around her. She insisted on having the celebration dinner for Mike’s graduation at a particular restaurant and then expected Dad to pay for everyone which was over twenty people.
It’s not like he couldn’t afford it, but you know what I mean.
She was hell on wheels and half of that was because she found out that Dad just got engaged to Irene. ”
“Isn’t your mom remarried?” she asks.
“Yes. You’d think the woman would move on since she’s with hubby number four, but she likes the drama aside from trying to control everyone. That’s why we butt heads…I’ve confronted her publicly when I’m pushed enough.”
“I’m not sure if I should hate her or be scared of her.”
“Don’t be scared of her,” I insist. “That’s how she’ll control you.”
“Excuse me, ladies,” a female stewardess interrupts. “Would you care for a drink?”
“Yes,” Mandy and I answer in unison.
“I’ll have a vodka cranberry,” Mandy states.
“I’ll have a cranberry, no vodka.”
“Anything else? A snack perhaps?” the stewardess checks.
“I’ll have pretzels,” I say.
“I’m good, thanks,” Mandy returns.
“I’ll be right back, ladies.” The stewardess heads to the front.
Mandy eyes me. “You aren’t drinking?”
“Dad will kill me if I drink.”
“Why?” she asks.
“You know me when I drink…especially drink and fly.”
“Yeah, but no one knows we’re coming until tomorrow,” she reminds.
“True, but I don’t want to risk it.”
Mandy replies to a text on her phone. “I’ll do the drinking for both of us then.”
“Fine by me,” I say with a giggle. “Just make sure you don’t hit that edge where you become a pussy.”
“I’m not a pussy.”
I glare at her. “There was that one time…over a boy….”
“That wasn’t over a boy,” Mandy counters.
“I don’t care if you drink, but you’re my wing woman to deflect me away from Mom.”
“I’ve got your back.”
The flight up to the Bay is short which is nice, other than when reality sets in as we head to the baggage claim area.
Mandy and I were able to share a large garment bag to check and then had two carry-ons with us on the plane.
A driver in an all black suit holding a sign that reads D.
Lawrence is in the middle of four other men holding up similar signs.
“I’m Ms. Lawrence,” I greet.
“May I please see some identification?” he requests.
“I’ll show you mine if you’ll show me yours,” I tease.
This gets a small smile out of him. We exchange credentials and then he assists us with our bags once we point out our checked luggage.
“So, Anthony,” I call from the back seat of the town car.
“Yes, Ms. Lawrence,” he returns.
“Let’s skip the formalities,” I say. “What do you prefer to be called?”
“Tony is fine, Ms. Lawrence,” he replies.
“Tony it is.”
“Has anything changed on your itinerary since you’ve sent it to me?” he asks.
“Nope.”
“What’s he talking about?” Mandy asks speculatively.
“Tony’s not just our driver,” I inform.
“Oh, my God. Is he a stripper? A prostitute? Damn. I knew Victoria had balls, but this….”
“No,” I counter with a snicker.
“Is she sending one to our hotel room?” Mandy checks eagerly.
“Focus, Mandy,” I request.
“Is she okay?” Tony inquires.
“Just one too many vodka cranberries,” I inform.
Tony’s head bobs as he pulls out of the parking lot.
“He’s our driver…but, he’s also some muscle. Muscle no one, and I mean no one , needs to know about.”
“What do you mean muscle ?” Mandy asks nervously.
“I’m also here for Ms. Lawrence’s protection while she’s in town,” Tony shares.
“Protection? Protection from what? Are you in danger?” Mandy places her hand over her heart. “Oh, my God. Did your mom threaten you? Do you have a stalker?”
“No,” I giggle. “I’m testing the waters with a bodyguard.”
“What? Why?”
“With the success of the app, there can be creeps out there. I’ve had a few minor incidents that have made me and the company take precautionary measures.”
“What incidents? You never told me of anything.”
“Just some light stalker-ish kind of things and an attempted hacking on the app,” I say. “It’s nothing we can’t handle.”
“Ms. Lawrence is a public figure, Ms. Wallace, and she needs some bit of protection just in case,” Tony adds.
“How do you know my name?” She looks at me. “How did he know my name?”
“Tony’s going to be my security full-time,” I share. “After extensive interviews, he was chosen and was given information about everyone who interacts with me…both personally and professionally.”
Mandy sighs. “Wow.”
“He knows who you are because he’s ex-military and had to do an extensive background check on everyone close to me and who works for or with the company.”
“How extensive?” she asks nervously.
“Just a little for people like you. I didn’t let him go too far into certain people…including my family. But if anything ever could arise, usually stuff happens from someone who knows someone.”
“That’s freaky,” Mandy states.
“Tell me about it,” I huff. “I didn’t expect this kind of stuff when I started my own business, but when you go from a nobody to suddenly making millions, and especially for being in the spotlight like I am, come out of the woodwork.”
“It makes sense,” Mandy says. “Still freaky, but I understand.”
Tony pulls out of the airport as Mandy, Vix, and I settle in on the back seats.
“Why did he ask for your credentials?” Mandy suddenly asks.
“Huh?”
“You said you did extensive interviews. So why did he ask to see your credentials?” she repeats.
“Since no one other than you and Victoria knows about him, we plan on keeping up appearances as if we don’t know each other.”
“That makes sense,” Mandy replies. “He’s the here but not here kind of security?”
“Exactly,” I confirm.
Twenty minutes later, we’re pulling into our four-star hotel that is far enough away from where my mother will be staying, yet close enough where Mike and Claire live. We’ll have a decent proximity to the wedding venue for an easy getaway if needed.
Tony grabs a cart for the bags. We get out of the vehicle once he’s done a preliminary inspection of the room.
Two seconds after the door closes behind us, Mandy and I check out the view from our window.
The clouds have already burnt off, allowing the sun to shine for a little bit.
Vix jumps around on the king-sized bed, eager to get some of her pent-up energy out from being on the plane.
“What did you want to do?” Mandy asks as we play with Vix.
“Spa,” I reply.
“You don’t want to visit with your brother?”
“Nope.”
“Not even a surprise visit?” she asks.
“Nope.”
She gasps. “What?”
“I needed a day to get into a certain headspace to deal with all of the crap that’s going to unfold.”
“Good point,” Mandy agrees.
After a few more minutes of playing with Vix, Mandy, and I head down to the restaurant in the hotel for a small lunch just before our scheduled spa time.
When we get back up to the room, I take Vix out for a little walk and reply to a text message from my dad.
He says that Irene and he landed an hour ago and look forward to seeing me tomorrow, reminding me to be on my best behavior.
I get why he’s prompting me, but it’s not like I’m a child anymore.
I know he just wants me to be happy, which I am, but there are just too many raw emotions that linger with being back in the Bay Area.
I completely avoided them over the years and plan to continue.
I know he’s right that I need to forgive, not necessarily forget, but to forgive to at least set myself at peace with everything.
I’ve got to believe that I can. Knowing that he did, and he was the one who was cheated on.
Mandy and I make it a quiet night in the hotel, having room service deliver dinner while we watch movies from our childhood.
My phone stays quiet other than Victoria confirming that we’ve got a new contract in the works for another wedding marketing piece with Roxanna, the singer of Rox.
They’re one of the most popular female rock bands in the country who’s already seeing a steady rise in popularity in Asia.
Our current user market is mostly the United States, Australia, and the United Kingdom.
With Rox’s attention in Asia and other countries, our network will be spreading fairly quickly as soon as we get the contracts finalized.
By seven in the morning, my phone is buzzing, waking me up from a joyous sleep. When my eyes are able to focus just enough to see who it is, I roll over and cover my head with the pillow.
“Who’s calling so freakin’ early?” Mandy whines.
I mumble, “Dad.”
“Geez,” she huffs.
“He thinks our flight is departing soon,” I remind, pushing Vix away from my face as she tries to sniff and lick me.
“Good thing we didn’t drink, because I’d be really pissed right now,” Mandy claims.
“You did drink."
“I meant last night,” she replies, rolling over. “I don’t envy you. I know your dad loves you, but this morning stuff. I don’t know how you do it. You’re up early and up late most days.”
“I’m not sure how I do it sometimes, too,” I reply. “I like to keep busy, though.”
“I’m so glad that I’m manager of Lucy Lang,” Mandy professes. “We don’t open until eleven. With how everything is run, the staff and I don’t need to be there until thirty minutes before we open.”
“So they like the way you’ve rearranged things now?”
“Yeah,” she confirms. “It took about two weeks to get them on board…and once they saw how much easier and more efficient everything was, they’ve been more than happy. None of us has to stay much past twenty minutes after closing, either.”
“They’re lucky to have you,” I praise.
“Thanks.”
My phone goes off again.
“You know he’s going to keep calling until you set it to plane mode or pick up,” she declares, rolling towards me.
“Yeah, I know. I’m just making sure I won’t sound tired when I call him back.”
“That’s smart,” Mandy mentions. “Something I wouldn’t think of because it’s too early in the morning.”
“Shut up,” I say, laughing as I shove her.
Right after my phone finishes ringing, I pick it up, count to ten, and call Dad.
We talk for a few minutes. Afterwards, Mandy and I slowly start to stir from our king-size bed.
I get dressed to head to the gym as Mandy jumps into the shower.
Before I leave, Tony stops by the room, ready to take Vix for a walk since I just fed her.
When I get back from working out, I find Mandy partially dressed and with breakfast already delivered.
Thirty minutes later, Mandy, Vix, and I head out of the hotel to enjoy the sights and show Mandy around town a little.
Around ten-thirty, my phone vibrates. “Hey, Dad. What’s up?”
“Where are you?”
“What do you mean?”
“Irene and I are at the airport to pick you and Mandy up,” he announces.
My heart jumps, landing in my throat. “What? Why?”
“We wanted to surprise you.”
“Aw, Dad,” I say with a smile, appreciative of his gesture. “I had arranged for a driver. We’re in the car now. I’m so sorry you went all the way there.”
“It’s no big deal,” he says. “I should have known.”
“I’m really sorry.”
“Don’t worry about it, honey,” he returns. “I’m glad you girls are safe.”
“Thanks. We’ll be at the hotel soon,” I kind of lie. “How about we meet up with you after we get settled?”
“You girls hungry?” he asks.
“Of course."
“The traffic isn’t that bad, so why don’t Irene and I pick you girls up and the four of us can have lunch?” Dad offers.
“That sounds great.”
“See you soon, honey,” Dad declares.
“See you soon.”
“What’s up?” Mandy asks.
I fill her in on the details and call Tony to come pick us up.
Thankfully, he’s been following us in the rental car.
He cruises up and takes us back, giving us about five minutes to fix our hair and makeup.
The maids cleaned the room while we were out, so it looks like we just got in and started hanging up our clothes and stuff.
The four of us, and Vix, head out for lunch, enjoying one of Dad’s favorite delis from when we used to live here.
Afterwards, they join us in the hotel room and are impressed with its size and the view.
With severe hesitation, I agree to go to Mike’s for dinner when Dad, Irene, Mike, and Claire confirm that it’ll just be us—no Mom.
Mandy comes along as my much-needed arm of support.
When we get there, Mike and I hug for probably about five minutes.
I cry a little, having missed my big brother.
I can’t believe that it’s been six years since I’ve seen him in person.
It’s great to be able to chat with him through video, but it’s completely different when he’s standing right before me.