Getting Some Of Her Own (24 page)

“The smaller the store, the better it will be for your nerves,” she told him. “They'll be so happy they'll drive you crazy.”

“Maybe, but I doubt it. We get on well.” Rudy and Nathan ran to them, stopped and gazed up at Lucas in wordless question. “We'd better get started,” he told them. “I promised Mrs. Price to have you home in a couple of hours.” He strapped the excited children in the backseat of the town car and headed for Market Street.

In Annie's Souvenir Shop, Nathan picked up a yellow necklace and showed it to the clerk. “Can I buy this for a dollar and fifty cents?” he asked.

The clerk shook her head. “No, dear. I'm afraid not.”

Nathan's face sagged. “How much more do I need?”

“Wrap it up nicely for him,” Lucas said. “It's for his teacher.”

Nathan turned to look at Lucas. “Thanks, Mr. Hamilton. Miss Pettiford is my friend.” He looked up at Lucas with eyes that shone with happiness. “You are, too.”

“What can I buy her?” Rudy asked. “I can spend a dollar and fifty cents, too.”

The sales woman looked at Lucas, who said, “Pick out something, Rudy.”

“I want . . . everything is so pretty,” she said.

Lucas ran his fingers over an amber bracelet that matched the necklace Nathan chose. “This looks nice.”

“Oooo. It's beautiful, Mr. Hamilton. Can I give her this one?” He nodded, and she wrapped her arms around his legs. “I love you, Mr. Hamilton.”

With their packages in little bags, the children thanked the clerk. “You are welcome,” she said, “come back to see me again.” To Lucas, she said, “They're such charming children, so well mannered and obedient. It's been a pleasure to have them here.”

“Thanks,” he said, realizing how proud of them he was and how happy he would be if he could take his own children shopping. He took their hands and headed down Market Street.

“Don't we have to be home now?” Nathan asked him

“Not yet. We have time for ice cream.”

“I love ice cream,” Rudy said. “I never got any before, but now I do. I hope I don't have to go back to those families anymore.”

Nathan's arm slid around Rudy, and he whispered something to her. “That's not likely,” Lucas said. “Mrs. Price, Ms. Pettiford and I will do all we can to make sure you're happy, Rudy.”

“Everybody loves me now, Mr. Hamilton. Before, nobody did.”

“All of us love you, Rudy, and we love Nathan, too. Don't forget that.”

Sunday afternoon at four o'clock, Lucas pushed the button at the door of Calvin Jackson's big Tudor house and listened to the chimes play the tune, “Row, Row, Row Your Boat.” He liked the warmer welcome than one received from the sound of a buzz. The door opened, and he looked into the eyes of Luveen Jackson. He knew it was Luveen, because he doubted that Enid, the older of the two sisters, would have greeted him with a smile.

“So you're Lucas,” she said with a broad smile. “I'm glad I know you're my brother. Papa's waiting for you. I'm Luveen.”

“I gathered as much. I'm glad to meet you, Luveen.”

He followed her to the den, and when he walked in, Calvin rose and went to meet him. “Welcome, Son. As usual, you're right on time,” he said in a tone that suggested he was making a point. He gestured toward the woman who sat farthest from him. “This is Marcie Jackson, my wife.”

Lucas walked over to her and extended his hand. “How do you do, Mrs. Jackson?” He waited for her to show him and everyone present what she was made of. She let him wait, and a grin altered the contours of his face. It wasn't nice, but he couldn't help it.

Visibly shaken, she extended her hand. “We met a couple of times.”

His grin widened. “Did we?” He walked back to his father.

“This is my elder daughter, Enid,” Calvin said. “You'll find that she's very much like her mother.”

“Hello, Enid. Dad has spoken of you quite a bit. I've been looking forward to meeting you.” He'd been waiting for an opportunity to slip in the word, Dad.

Her eyes seemed to bulge. “Uh . . . hello.”

“I'm sure Luveen introduced herself to you already,” Calvin said.

Lucas walked over to Luveen and kissed her cheek. “She did, indeed, and I appreciated the welcome.”

“There's only one person missing,” Marcie said, with what to him sounded like a sneer.

“Don't worry. I haven't told her about this yet,” Lucas said. “If I had, she would certainly have wanted to come.” He ignored the look of panic on Marcie Jackson's face. “But my mother has a great sense of propriety, and she would have restrained herself, just as she's done for the last thirty-five years.” A glance at his father told him that the man appreciated his ability to duel.

“You may imagine that I didn't arrange this meeting as some kind of side show,” Calvin said. “I've always wanted my children to know each other, but Lucas's mother denied me any paternal rights, and I had to live with that.” He ignored the gasps from Marcie and Enid. “I saw him in person for the first time six months ago. I'm proud of the man he's become.

“He's been running Jackson Enterprises and doing an outstanding job. Tomorrow I will retire. Lucas has agreed to add Hamilton Architectural Designs to Jackson Enterprises, and he will run the company as CEO, owner and manager.” Enid jumped up from the chair and slowly dropped back down. “Proceeds from Hamilton Architectural Designs belong to Lucas, and half of Jackson Enterprises belongs to him.” Marcie stood and turned to leave the room.

“Only those present to sign this document will get anything from this estate,” Calvin said. “For years, I have tried to interest my family in my business, tried to make them see that if I died, they would lose the company because they didn't even know what constituted it and weren't interested. Not even in those awful days when I thought I'd lose it and could have used help, if only someone to answer the telephone. When I faced that surgery and couldn't manage the business, I asked Lucas to do it. He agreed, and after six months, he knows it as well as I do and has even improved some of the properties. I am happy to place it in his hands. You may stay, Marcie, or you may leave. The choice is yours.” She sat down, as Lucas knew she would.

“As I was saying,” Calvin continued, “we will all be taken care of. Income from the other half of Jackson Enterprises will be shared by the three of you and myself.”

Lucas could see Marcie Jackson slowly shrink. “You can still hang out with the Jack and Jill folks, Marcie,” Calvin said. “For the last few years, the company's been netting about two million a year. With Lucas at the helm, it will do much better, because he won't tolerate half the foolishness from some of the employees that I put up with.”

“How could you?” Marcie hissed. “This is what you've always wanted, isn't it?”

Calvin leaned toward her. “If you had paid one-tenth as much attention to me as you paid to your clubs and charities and to any organization that asked you to be a board member; if you had spent two evenings a month at home with me; if—in those days when I was poor—you hadn't spent money I hadn't even made and kept me ridden with debts; if you had been a wife rather than an ornament, believe me, Lucas Hamilton would not exist. He's here, and he has a special place in my heart. End of topic.”

Luveen appeared to be the peacemaker when she smiled at Lucas and said, “Will I get income monthly or annually? Now, I just tell Papa I need some money, but at my age, I suppose I should organize my affairs better.”

“However Dad arranges it,” he said, “although I think it should be according to your wishes and based on the previous year's records.”

“Right,” Calvin said. “Each of you arrange it with Lucas.”

Marcie glared at her husband through pursed lips that seemed to have shriveled into a thin line. “You've got your millions, and you're cutting us loose with a measly two hundred thousand a year. How do you know this man will do right by us?”

Calvin's smile could only be described as pitying. “It's too late for pretense, Marcie. We can only deal with what we have left. Besides, I haven't said a word about cutting anyone loose. If you'd been paying attention, you'd have noticed that Lucas is a gentleman. I'd trust him with my life.”

“I want mine annually in advance,” Enid said.

Lucas didn't know why, but Enid stuck in his craw like ground glass. To show her that she hadn't struck a blow, he reached down for the briefcase beside his chair, took out a pad, and made a note of what she'd said
. “Once a year means exactly that: once a year,”
he said, looking directly at her
.

He checked his watch. A quarter to six. If he hurried, he could see his mother and get a decent meal. He stood. “I have to run, Dad. I want to have dinner with my mother. I'll see you Monday morning around the usual time.”

Calvin opened a drawer and took out some papers. “I'm going to sign this above my name, and date it, and I want each of you to do the same.” He read it aloud to assure them that the content was as he had discussed. “Is there anyone here who doesn't want to sign it?” Since he got no response, he signed it and passed it next to Lucas.

When they had all signed, he stood, shook Lucas's hand and handed him a copy of the document. “You're owner and CEO of Jackson Enterprises. As soon as I'm up to it, I'm going on a safari. I've wanted to do that for years, but I never could get away.”

Lucas didn't feel triumphant, only sad for the man whose life had churned in an unhappy marriage for over a third of a century. He patted his father's shoulder, a barely noticeable gesture, as they stood head to head. “Thanks for everything. See you tomorrow.”

“I'll walk out with you,” Luveen said.

He wasn't going to lie and tell Enid and Marcie that he was glad to have met them; he could have done without ever seeing either of them. Forcing a smile, he said, “Good-bye, all. See you again.”

“I hope we get to know each other better,” Luveen said as they walked to the door. “Your existence was a shock to me. Papa told Enid and me about you together, and he didn't spare the details. He's very impressed with you. When you were growing up, did you know about Enid and me?”

“Not until Dad told me after he and I met. Discovering sisters who are older than I rocked me a bit, I must say I'm glad at least one of them is friendly.”

Luveen's laughter tinkled like a bell. “Enid and Mama don't knock themselves out making people comfortable. Have a nice supper with your mother.”

“Thanks. She's a great cook.”

Half an hour later he parked in front of his mother's house. “Hi,” she said when she met him at the door. “I'm just putting the barbecued pork on the rotisserie. It'll be ready in about an hour. I can give you—”

He kissed her cheek. “Slow down, Mama. You know I'm going to wait for that barbecued pork. I just left Dad's house. He had a family conference with his wife, his two daughters and me.”

She clutched his arm so tightly that he felt the print of her nails. “You were at Calvin's house?”

“Sure,” he said, as casually as he could. “I go there every Monday.”

“I see. And you met Marcie?”

“Why . . . yes, and his daughters, too.”

She looked away from him and spoke in a softer than normal voice. “How did Marcie treat you?”

“She was testy, but that will be the last time. You know I can hold my own. I don't expect any trouble out of her. I'm not so sure about Enid, the older daughter, but I suspect she'll stay out of my way as long as the money's rolling in.”

“You put Marcie in her place right in front of Calvin?”

He jerked his shoulder in a slight shrug. “She got out of
her
place in front of him. Anyway, he didn't seem to mind, and if he had, that wouldn't have bothered me. Don't worry about it, Mama. I'll tell you this much. He told them in my presence that I have a special place in his heart.”

She let out a long breath. “So I didn't ruin things for the two of you after all. Thank the Lord. What did he want a family conference for?”

He went into the kitchen and got a bottle of beer for himself and a glass of wine for his mother, sat facing her in the living room and told her of his arrangement with his father. “I've managed his and mine separately and done a decent job of it, it ought to be a little easier this way.”

“You're sure you want to do this?”

“I gave it plenty of thought, and I'm satisfied that I've made the right decision.” He showed her the agreement signed that afternoon.