Adjournment (The Fate Series) (17 page)

“This says missed calls…” she says, looking down at me from where she sits against the head board, hair still in mouth.

“What? Who the hell is calling me this early!?”

Checking my missed calls I see Jacob called me five times in a row. I begin to call him back when my phone starts ringing again. 

“What?” I whine out.

“Well, good morning to you too,” he huffs, but then bounces right back into his normal enthusiastic self “Okay, so you know how they have to do a last minute cast replacement?” I can’t tell if he’s excited or nervous.

“Yes, I heard they found a replacement,” Lexi says, pressing her head against mine so she can hear Jacob.

“How did you find out?” My brows lower in confusion at her.

“Kate,” she shrugs.

How am I always the last to know?  

For obvious reasons Jacob would be one of the first to find out since he has to fit their costumes, but how are Kate and Lexi always the next to find out?

“Okay so don’t freak out but it’s your boyfriend’s cousin.”

My whose, what, what’s?

“Who?” I ask.

Lexi is mouthing to me to ask him who it is while she drags my laptop on to the bed to Google him.

“Are you serious? You have worked with the man for like seven years, and you don’t know who his cousin is?” he sasses me.

I hardly pay attention to my own life.

“First of all, you said it was his cousin, it’s not like it’s a brother, and second it’s more around four years… so… yeah,” I sass back.

Lexi is holding up six fingers while mouthing six years…

I need to figure that out… but not now.       

“Oh…
cousin
,” Lexi’s hair falls from her mouth, her eyes widening.

“Fine, whatever… his name is Josh Anderson, just wait until you see him. He is–” Jacob starts but I now remember something about the guy a few years ago. There was a sex scandal with some actress.

He is the exact opposite of GQ… Josh is a male whore.

“Josh is so secretive since rehab,” Lexi mumbles.

She gives me that look, you know the one that says basically “we’re screwed”.

I don’t know much about the man because GQ doesn’t talk about him. They had a falling out back when the whole sex, drugs, and partying broke out. GQ said he needed to focus on his career and let Josh sink or swim once and for all.

It’s a shame because…

“I’ve heard he is difficult to work with, he’s a huge womanizer,” Lexi continues.

Visions start to play through my mind. I can hear Jacob and Lexi, but I’m not listening.  

“I can’t wait to stare at him with his shirt off all day.” He can’t contain his giddiness.

I remember seeing him sitting on the side of the balcony, laughing as I walked into the party…

“Isn’t he not allowed to work with women… who the hell is going to want to do his makeup?” Lexi snaps, pulling Jacob out of his daydreams since he can hear her but she can’t hear him.

I lower the phone from my ear, hitting speaker so they can talk as I walk through the night my sisters got their first PFA. 

“Oh no, it’s fine, the director already has someone in mind. I haven’t met him but the director loves his work,” Jacob says.

“Sidney, are you okay?” Lexi moves her hand to my shoulder giving it a firm shake.

My eyes lids flicker, pulling me back to the present just as the screen turns toward me, and I catch a glimpse of
him
.

I was hoping I was wrong.

“Oh no, that’s the guy my sisters caught on fire,” I gasp.

I suddenly remember GQ saying he still has a restraining order against them.

Now I wish this was one of those times that I hadn’t listened.

My world is becoming too familiar and small for me.

Lexi gasps, and I know she remembers this conversation too. “This just gets better and better,” she says, with a deep menacing laugh. She reaches over to the nightstand next to her, grabbing the bag of peanut butter cups then tosses it at me.

Tearing open the pack I begin to peel the foil off one frantically.

“Sidney, is this going to be a problem?” Jacob says, his voice filled with concern.

“No, I’ve never met him, and I don’t have to work with him.” I try to calm him down.

Shoving more candy in my mouth, I eat the stress away.

“I’m just worried he might mistake you for one of them. Frankly, of the three of you, you have the worst temper.” He continues to worry. “Are you medicating?” he asks.

No…

“If by medicating you mean pounding candy likes it’s alcohol, then yes, yes she is,” Lexi muses.

Okay, maybe I’m medicating a little. 

“It will be fine. I am in control, and there won’t be any problems.” I make sure to smile so he can hear it through the phone.

I look over at Lexi who is still doing internet searches for Josh but is only coming up with the information we already know.

“Just make sure they don’t come and visit you at work.” Lexi gives a small shrug.

She holds her hand out for a cup, and I look back and forth from it to her face.

“I’ll open a new bag if you don’t share… I’m sure you have another one in the drawer or hidden somewhere in this room.” She snaps her fingers at me.

I hate that she knows it’s in the drawer of the side table.

“Fine.” I toss one at her.

“So what are you girls doing today?” Jacob quickly moves on. Lexi snatches the phone from my hands to talk to him so I can get up and get ready.

“I am free but Sidney has to go with
Momsy
.” She makes sure to put proper emphasis on the name as the edges of her mouth pull down in sympathy.

Everyone knows how my mother is.

“Oh? Well—that. Sounds.
Fun
,” he forces himself to say.

I won’t let years of hard work be destroyed in one day. I’m sure it will be fine.

“Yeah, according to her she can handle it, but the way she’s clutching her hands together makes me worried.” She leans away and slowly slides the bag of candy toward herself while watching me. She tosses a piece in the air, and my hand snaps up to snag it like a frog catching a fly.

“I’m officially scared,” she whispers into the phone.

A half hour later my mother is already here waiting in my living room for me.

I still have ten minutes until she is supposed to be here.

This is going to be a long day!

Just breathe, you’re fine. It’s just her, just a little one on one time.

“Oh dear, I was thinking after we meet with the caterer we could stop by that bakery on Columbus and Sixty-Ninth?”

See… cake! That’s fun. Now go. Move your feet and go.

Now—right now.

As I come out I see her walking to her favorite spot in the apartment.

“Yes, Mother, I know the one. That sounds fine, I am free for the…” She interrupts me.

“Oh, you are? Well, then we can go shopping for something casual to wear,” she says while staring at herself in the mirror by our front door. “I think a nice pink skirt suit would be stunning on you. It would really bring out your figure and add some color to your life.” Her hand waves in my general direction. She’s talking to me while pulling at the corners of her eyes in the mirror. My face turns in horror.

Oh my big mouth! Why not just ask her to move in with you? Please let her be kidding.

I would like to tell her…“You can’t flatten your wrinkles by pulling on them mother.” But right now I’m upset with her wanting to play look alike. It wasn’t cute when we were kids, and it isn’t cute now. We were that family who all matched. It’s no wonder my sisters love designing clothes, they needed to find their own style. Me? I’m impartial to them. I need them therefore I wear them, if you haven’t figured that out by now.

“How about we leave the wardrobe worrying to your other daughters.” I smile at her. “I’ll just wear whatever they had planned to send me.”

Since I’m sure they will just send me what I should be wearing.

“Oh darling, what a great idea. I will run the skirt suit past them!” She claps her hands.

Dammit! Just stop talking…

My sisters have done a lot of mean things to people over the years, but I don’t think they would dress me in
that
… ever.

I’m not sure when it was that my mother had her head injury that left her completely void of how life used to be and how we were raised. I love her to death, but she is bat shit crazy if she thinks I am ever going to dress in that. Let’s just put me on record as saying that. I’m not an Upper East Side socialite, nor do I have the desire to be. Now I’m not against people wearing—her style. But let’s save it for the cast of
Gossip Girl
or the royal family is all I’m saying. I dress for myself, for… comfort.

Yes, stilettos are comfortable for some people. 

I die a little inside as I slip on the flats that just so happen to match my bag… guess who bought them for me. Yup, that would be the woman giving me a well-controlled smile.

What is that face? Are the paparazzi about to leap out from a closet?

My toes move around in the shoes, unsure of what to do now.

See even my feet hate flats.

It’s like Brian Atwood said, “Life is short, heels shouldn’t be.” Amen to that! I’d rather be barefoot than in flats, and I haven’t enjoyed being barefoot since I was a teenager. But according to her my shoes make me look like a call girl. I personally think it’s because they make me as tall as her, which prohibits her from looking down on me.

“I’m going to put in a quick call to the spa, we can have a relaxing spa day after we are done! You need your nails done, and your hair. It also wouldn’t hurt to get a massage. Darling, you are absolutely stiff and frigid. What on earth has you so stressed out?” She steps in front of me squeezing my arms. 

Really? 

Her poised smile falters slightly, and just as quickly, she retains control of herself. It’s one of those things that, had I not been paying attention, I wouldn’t have seen it. I let it go and act as I didn’t see it. 

She lets go of me to put the call in and just like that we are booked.

I sigh and try to act excited, but I suddenly feel sick.

Now, before you think my mother is the regular socialite, let me just defend one thing, because I have to give credit where credit is due. She isn’t or wasn’t like most of her friends. Well she is, don’t get me wrong, but she has always worked hard at making their business successful. My parents equally own one of the top accounting firms in the city, and that’s about all I can say since numbers aren’t my thing. Dinners used to be agonizing when they start talking about work. Mergers and accounts gained, who is worth however much and who just lost it all.

WHO CARES!

Oh, right, my mother’s pain-in-the-ass friend, and the mother of the devil spawns, Judith. That is where my mother is like them, always gossiping.

We leave the apartment to get onto the elevator and take it down to where I’m sure Stanley has a scared smile plastered to his face.

“Good morning Ms. Chandler, Mrs. Chandler,” he practically stutters.

“Stanley.” She nods back.

Covering my mouth I try not to laugh at him since I can tell she clearly makes him uncomfortable. There is a wickedness about her that makes it hard for people to look her in the eyes. It was one of the things I used to admire about her when I was younger.

Shaking the thought away, I follow behind her. She steps out and walks down the steps.

“
So
proper, Stanley… Maybe I should have her come over more often.” I grin at him.

“And here I thought you liked me,” he whispers, giving me a pat on the back that says “You poor girl, what did you do to deserve this?”

Taking a deep breath I walk down the steps to see my mother waiting next to the car for me. When I walk over, her driver Ryan opens the door and greets us “Good morning, Miss Sidney. It’s nice to see you again.” This man has serious bedroom eyes, but I think that is just the way he looks.

“Ryan, honestly; put your tongue back in your mouth and let’s get a move on, I don’t want to be late because you can’t keep it together around my daughter,” she scoffs.

So I was wrong.

Rubbing the back of his neck he gives me a weak smile and I politely smile back at the young man who can’t be that much older than I am as I get into the car.

Her phone begins to ring, and after letting it go for the appropriate amount of time, she answers it with a fake but hearty laugh and her best impersonation of excitement that she can muster up while she tells the person “she can’t wait to tell her girls this exciting news!”

Fantastic!

I try to ask her what’s so exciting when I get the “one minute finger” so she can call my sisters.

That might be the most annoying move known to mankind. Wait a second… She has a full on evil smile. I don’t think even Botox could stiffen this face. This can’t be good.

While talking to Morgan, she lets her know we’ll be meeting with the caterer and tells her and Molly to meet us there in fifteen minutes. 

How the hell did my father get out of this? It’s his anniversary party!