Against the Odds (21 page)

Leah

Mom and Margie come over, and I leave to run
to the shop for a few hours. It’s the first time I’ve been away
from Gracie. I need a few things, but I also just need some time
away. So much has happened and I just need to get out and breathe
some fresh air.  

I pull up at the shop and
admire my cute sign with Jamie’s name written on it:
Jamie’s Cozy Corner: Books, Coffee, & Sweets.
It’s Your One-Stop Shop
. I wonder if I’ll
need to change that to say;
Jamie,
Madison, and Grace’s Cozy Corner:
Books, Coffee, & Sweets. It’s Your One-Stop
Shop
. I smile.
I
may change it anyway.
  

I walk into the shop passing by patrons who
are sitting outside at the bistro tables. Although it’s hot, people
still enjoy sitting outside. The shop is extremely busy on this
Friday afternoon. I say my hellos to Bethany and Dove before I
start cleaning up and helping out. I answer a few questions about
the baby from the regulars who ask and I also fill Dove and Bethany
in on Grace. I smile and I can feel the grin all the way to my
eyes.  

After I gather what I need, I begin towards
the door. I look over and in the seating area is Madison and
Chelsea. I look back to Dove and Bethany and they are attending
other customers. I can’t move but stare at Madison. She is so
beautiful. I swear I think I can see Gracie in her small features.
She looks up at me and smiles. I smile back and give her a small
wave. Chelsea sees me and stands to leave.  

I quickly gather my thoughts and walk over to
them. “Please don’t go,” I plead. 

“
We shouldn’t be here. I
thought…” 

I interrupt. “I would be out on maternity
leave?” 

“
Yes.” She looks down at
Madison and not at me. “Please, stay. I just want to talk to you.”
I look from Chelsea to Madison and say, “How are you,
Madison?” 

Madison looks to Chelsea before answering me.
“I’m fine.” 

“
Mommy, can we get this
book?” I look behind me and a little boy is standing there. I have
to hold on to the back of the couch to keep from
falling.  

“
Are you all right?”
Chelsea asks concerned. 

“
I need to sit down,” I
whisper. I don’t want to draw attention to myself. She helps me and
I take a few deep breaths. The little boy looks just like Jamie. I
run my hands up and down my arms to warm the cold chills. I feel
like I just saw a ghost.  

“
Momma, is she all right?”
Madison loudly whispers to her Mom, I mean Chelsea.
I’m her Mom. Will that ever sink in? Will I ever
get to call her my daughter? I want to get to know her and to see
her. 
 

“
I’m fine,” I finally say.
I look to Madison and Chelsea, and then to the little
boy.  

“
Leah, this is my son,
Caden,” Chelsea says. “And you already met
Madison.” 

I try to not stare, but I can’t help it. “Hi,
Caden,” I say with a small smile. It takes everything I have to not
touch him, or kiss him, or hug him. He reminds me so much of Jamie
and it breaks my heart. I miss her so much. And I look at Madison
and she looks so much like Robert and me.  

He doesn’t say anything but hides behind his
mother instead. Chelsea finally sits down beside me. “Madison,
would you please get Miss Leah some water? Caden, can you help your
sister, please?” 

“
Yes Momma,” they say in
tandem before they dart off.  

When they are gone Chelsea says, “This is a
mistake, I shouldn’t have come.” 

I look at her and try to stay focused on her
and not the children. “Don’t say that. I’m glad you’re
here.” 

“
Drake won’t be happy
about this.”  

I remember Drake’s anger and I shiver. “We
need to talk.”  

“
I don’t think we should
be talking without our attorneys.” She looks at me and I can see
the fear in her eyes. “We like your shop,” she admits. “As you
said, I thought you would still be out on maternity
leave.” 

I change the subject and say, “I saw that you
visited Jamie’s grave. You left things there for her.” 

She nods and her lip quivers. “I needed to
see her,” she cries softly. 

“
I can help you.” I take a
deep breath and say, “I can help you to know her. We have pictures,
and videos, and artwork. Please, let me help you.” 

Madison and Caden
come back with a small bottle of water. My
fingers lightly graze his as I take it from him. “Thank you,” I say
before taking a small sip. I feel like at any second, Chelsea is
going to leave. This may be my only chance to talk to her and to
Madison. 

“
Are the kids hungry? We
usually have food in the back. I could make us some
sandwiches.”
Please says yes.
I can see that Chelsea is thinking. I can’t let
her leave. “Please, stay,” I beg. 

“
Momma, can we stay? I’m
hungry,” Caden asks.  

I don’t wait for Chelsea to answer. “Just
give me a few minutes.” I stand and walk to the counter where Dove
and Bethany are. “Would you do me a huge favor, please?” 

Bethany says, “If I can.” 

“
Would you made me five
sandwiches with some fruit salad and cookies?” 

“
Is that who I think it
is?” Dove asks. “Is that your daughter?” 

“
It is. I’m trying to keep
them here so we can talk. I’m scared they’ll leave and I may not
get another chance to talk with them.” 

“
Just give me a few
minutes to make your lunch,” Bethany says as she walks into the
back room.  

“
Thank
you.”  

I walk back over and Chelsea is talking
quietly to Madison and Caden. “It’ll be just a few minutes.” I
cautiously sit down and say. “Madison, if you and your brother want
to pick out a book or two to take home with you, you
can.” 

“
I want this one, can I
have another one, too?” Caden asks
excitedly.  

I look at the book he is holding and say,
“You sure can.” 

“
Caden?” Chelsea says
sternly. 

“
Please, let me do this
for them.” I look at Chelsea and I hope she can see that I mean no
harm. My eyes are pleading with hers in unspoken words. “It’s just
a couple of books.” 

“
One
more.” 

“
Thanks Momma. Thanks Miss
Leah.” Caden says walking off with Madison. Madison doesn’t say
anything. I watch until they are out of
sight.  

“
He reminds me of Jamie,”
I say sadly. “She loved books and he looks so much like
her.” 

“
I looked at the pictures
you sent of her. Her pictures reminded me of Caden, too.” She looks
through the shop and adds, “That was very sweet of you to send
those for us. Thank you.” 

“
You’re welcome. I wanted
you to know how much we loved her and know how heartbroken we are
over losing her.” I look up and Bethany is holding a tray of food.
She sets it down on the counter and I nod to her in appreciation.
“Jamie was my heart,” I admit. 

“
This is a mess, isn’t
it?” 

“
It sure
is.” 

“
Drake… I don’t know. I
think he’s losing it. He doesn’t know how to cope with all of this.
I don’t know how to cope with all of this,
either.” 

“
I think if we can work
through this together, it’ll be better for
everyone.” 

She looks at me with tears streaming down her
eyes. “We don’t want to lose her.” 

“
I’m sorry, Chelsea. I
don’t know what to say.” 

“
Nothing. There’s nothing
you can say.” She looks up at me with tears cascading down her
cheeks. “Don’t you get it? We’re going to lose Madison. The courts
are going to rule in your favor and we’ll be left to mourn Madison
and Jamie. We raised her and we love her. I don’t want to lose
her.” 

I can relate to her completely. Just thinking
about the pain of mourning Jamie is excruciating. To mourn two
children. I can’t begin to imagine. “I’m sorry. I wish there were a
better way to fix this.” 

She stands and wipes her tears. “There isn’t.
It’s just a matter of time before Madison is removed from my life,
forever.” Her lips quiver and a steady stream of tears flow. “I
can’t stand the thought of not having her in my life. I don’t know
how I can live my life without her.” 

Robert

The mystery man laughs, collects his few
chips, stands and says, “Bobby, you’re much better than I gave you
credit for.” Surprised that he knew my name I just watch him. He
removes his glasses and it’s Drake Sinclair standing
there. 

He begins to walk away, laughing, and I
decide to go after him. “Watch my chips,” I say to Gus as I run to
catch up with Drake. “Look,” I say as I spin him around. “I don’t
know what kind of game you’re playing.” 

My hand is still on his shoulder. He looks
down at my hand and I promptly remove it. He brushes his shoulder
where I had touched him. “Oh, this is anything but a game, Mr.
Grether.” 

“
Why are you following me?
What do you want?” 

“
I want my daughter, but,
of course, that is impossible.” 

“
So help me, God, Drake.”
I take a step closer to him and he holds up his hands and
laughs.  

“
Relax, Bobby, I’m here on
business.” 

When he holds up his hands, I am reminded
that the room is surrounded by cameras. I take a small step back
and try to relax my shoulders. “And what business is
that?” 

“
Actually, I’m a primary
sponsor of a championship boxing fight coming up next year.”
Can it be? Is he sponsoring my fight with
Kennedy?
“It’s true. Didn’t you read your
itinerary?
I did read it, but I didn’t see
anything that was a red flag.
It looks
like we’ll be seeing a lot of each other this weekend,” he says
smugly.  

I square my shoulder and say, “If I didn’t
know better, I would say that you are stalking me.” 

“
Stalking you?” he asks.
“No, not stalking. This is strictly business.” 

I can see Gus walking up to join us. He looks
furious. “And the hospital? What was that?” 

“
Pure coincidence.” He
smiles and says, “It’s a small town we live in Bobby. Surely we are
going to run into each other from time to time.” In fact, I
remember seeing you in the past. You do have a certain amount of
fame.” He looks at his watch and says, “Please, if you’ll excuse
me. I’m late for a meeting.” 

He leaves before Gus reaches us. “What in the
hell was that?” 

“
He said he’s one of the
main sponsors for the fight,” I say walking out of the casino
towards the main entrance. 

Gus pulls the itinerary from his jacket
pocket and begins to look over it. “I have no idea how we
overlooked this. Here is it, Sinclair Enterprises in bold
letters.”  

I look over and sure enough it’s on there. “I
bet he had sponsored this fight before he met me. I need to make a
phone call, can we meet up later?”  

“
No
problem.” 

I call Leah to check in on her and it goes
right to voicemail. I also call Bruce and he answers immediately. I
tell him about my trip to Vegas and about running into Drake. There
are just too many strange events to be coincidental. I’m standing
in the corner of the vast lobby and watch as Abel Kennedy is
escorted in with his team. I turn slightly so as not to draw
attention to myself. I watch as he follows the concierge in. “Hey,
I have to go. Something's come up,” I say, disconnecting the call
from Bruce.  

I study Kennedy’s gait as
his team follows behind him towards the numerous elevators. When
they are out of site, I head to my room. I search YouTube and watch
the most recent video of Kennedy working out. He hasn’t fought
since we entered into a contract for the champion fight. However,
when you use a public gym, anyone can
and
will make a recording. The
latest video is very amateurish, but I can see what I’m looking
for. I try Leah again with no luck. I open a beer from the bar and
decide to stay in for a while. My mind drifts from Kennedy to
Sinclair. I cannot seem to be able to process Drake being
here.
Am I paranoid? Is this just
business?
I down the first beer and decide
on another. 

Dad, Gus, and Tim walk in laughing. I can
tell they’ve been drinking. I’m sitting at my computer shifting
from watching Kennedy on YouTube and researching Sinclair
Enterprises. “Well, there he is,” Tim says. 

“
Are you guys having a
good time?” I ask, looking up from my computer
screen.  

“
Tim’s a little
inebriated,” Dad slurs. 

Gus holds up a beer and I nod. “Just Tim?” I
ask.  

“
I may have had
one…”  

Dad begins to say and I interrupt, “One too
many,” I laugh. I close my laptop and stand. My legs are stiff and
I realize I’ve been sitting in the same spot for several
hours.  

“
Working on something?”
Gus asks in a low voice.  

“
I’ll explain later,” I
say to only Gus. “I’m hitting the tables. Who’s with me?” I
announce loudly enough for every to hear. 

Chapter Six: Coincidence or Strategy?

Leah

I cry as Chelsea, Madison,
and Caden leave the shop. I stand there, speechless. She’s right.
One family will lose everything.
If they
lose Madison, will it feel like death to them?
I put my hand over my heart at the memory of losing Jamie.
The pain is still there and the memory is still vivid. I slowly sit
down as her words replay in my head.
It’s
just a matter of time before Madison is removed from my life,
forever.