Full Circle (15 page)

“She’s fine.
Listen, I don’t know how to say this so I’ll just spit it out. She’s been going
out with Todd Lambert, and I think it’s getting serious.”

Bella’s heart
plummeted. “Todd Lambert? Jeffrey’s son?” She didn’t expect an answer. “How did
that happen?”

“She met him
in the usual way, Bella. I was introducing her to Jeffrey, and he walked in.”

“Jeffrey?”
Bella stood up, walked around her chair and sat down again. “Why were you
introducing her to Jeffrey, of all people?”

“Bella, come
on. Jeffrey’s the Economic Development Officer. He’s been an amazing help in
getting this project off the ground. She had to meet him sooner or later.”

“I know, Carla.
I didn’t mean to snap at you. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I actually
didn’t see this coming. What was I thinking?” She gave a harsh laugh. “This
makes my other problems seem trivial by comparison.”

“Well, there
you go.”

“It’s all my
fault. I never should have given her that year off.” Bella looked bleakly
around her office. “They’ve actually been dating?”

“If I’m not
mistaken, they’ve seen each other every day since they met. Todd’s into
internet marketing.”

Bella
groaned. “What is Jeffrey thinking of? Can’t he do something to break them up?”

“Why would he
do that?” Carla spoke quietly and firmly. “Jeffrey doesn’t know she’s his
daughter, remember?”

“Oh My God.”
Bella’s eyes flooded with tears. “She’s never had a serious relationship that I
know of, and now she’s going to have to break it off. She’s going to hate me
when she finds out.”

“You don’t
know that.” Carla wished she could comfort her friend. “You’ve raised an amazing
daughter. Give her a little credit.”

Bella dabbed
at her tears. “She
is
amazing, isn’t she?”

“Yes, and she
has a good head on her shoulders.” Carla sensed that Bella was beginning to
think more clearly. “You’ll be here tomorrow. Let’s give them the benefit of
the doubt. By the way, I broke a promise to her by calling you. I hope you
appreciate that.”

Bella dabbed
at her eyes. “Thanks, Carla. By the way, did she like the new iPad I sent for
her birthday?”

Carla hadn’t
heard about the gift. “She loved it.”

“Good.”

There was a
moment’s silence from Carla’s end. “I can hear you thinking. What is it?” asked
Bella.

“I was remembering
that day I took you to the bus station in Atlanta, and now here you are coming
back in a private jet.” She gave her head a brisk shake. “But enough of that.
I’m going to make myself cry. You’re going to be okay?”

“Rafael comes
home later this afternoon. Things always seem better when he’s around.”

“Don’t get me
started on that. You know how I feel about you and Rafa. For crying out loud,
you guys are perfect for one another.”

Bella gave a
short laugh. “That’s all I need right now...a romance. Let’s sort out this
thing with Melissa first.”

“Oh, by the
way, I might as well spill all the beans at once.  Melissa has planned a
pre-opening party on Thursday night. She’s invited the main players; the owners
of the retail stores at the mill, the Mayor, Jeffrey and Todd, that sort of
thing. Then Friday will be the grand opening. So bring your party dresses.”

Bella’s head
was spinning. “Tomorrow’s Wednesday, right?”

“Right.”

“Okay, then.
See you tomorrow.”

Bella lowered
her head into her hands. This was a disaster. In all of the planning for the
new facility, the one thing she hadn’t anticipated was that Melissa would
become involved with Todd...her half brother. Was she being punished for not
telling Jeffrey that he had a daughter? She raised her head and looked around
her office. Decorated by one of Los Angeles’ top designers, she had been
photographed in it often. Hailed as a visionary in her field and a role model
for up-and-coming women, she had graciously smiled, giving credit for her
success to her team of employees.

But what had
she given up along the way? Her gaze fell on a photograph of Melissa on a
nearby credenza. Her daughter was everything to her. In that moment, she knew
that she would give anything to safeguard her daughter’s heart. But was it too
late?

* * *

“Bella, I’m
at the airport.”

Bella smiled.
His voice could still make her heart flutter, even after all these years. “How did
it go?” she asked. “Did you hire someone?”

“Yes.” He
sounded tired. “How are you,
Cara
?”

She couldn’t
tell him over the phone. “Are you busy tonight, Rafael? Would you like to come
over for a drink? I could have Esperanza make us a couple of salads.”

“That sounds
great. One of Esperanza’s salads would be perfect.”

* * *

Bella was
waiting for him by the pool. He’d gone home and changed into his usual
after-work attire of faded jeans and a crisp white shirt with the sleeves
rolled up.

She smiled up
at him as he poured himself a glass of wine. “You look just as good now as you
did the first time I saw you in that outfit.”

He nodded,
took a sip of wine and then sat down opposite her. Dark eyes probed into hers.
“Something is bothering you.” He placed his glass of wine on a nearby table.
“Tell me.”

Tears pooled
in Bella’s eyes. She’d promised herself that she wouldn’t cry and now look at
her!

Rafael
reached into his pocket and offered her a white cotton handkerchief.

She took it
with a nod of thanks. “It’s Melissa,” she said finally.

He narrowed
his eyes but waited for her to continue.

“I don’t know
where to begin.” She looked everywhere but at Rafael. How was he going to react
when she told him the truth?

He was no
help. He picked up his wine and continued to watch her.

“Do you
remember when you asked me about Melissa’s father?”

He nodded.

“Well, I
didn’t exactly tell you the truth.”

Something
moved in his eyes, but he remained still.

Bella forced
herself to look at him. “Jeffrey Lambert is her father.”

She wished he
would say something; he wasn’t making this easy for her. “Say something,
Rafael. Please.”

He took a
deliberate sip of wine, then set the glass down again. “I take it she has met
him?”

“Yes.”

He thought
for a moment. He’d met Jeffrey Lambert several times, and had liked him. “What
is the problem?” A sudden thought struck him. “Did she hear from someone else
that he’s her father?”

“No, it’s not
that.”

He continued
to watch her.

“It’s worse.
Much worse.” She drew in a deep breath. “The day that I was going to tell
Jeffrey I was pregnant, we met down by the river.” Her thoughts drifted back to
that day. “Just as I was about to tell him, he told me he had to get married,
because he’d gotten an old girlfriend pregnant. I was angry. Angry and proud,
and I didn’t tell him I was pregnant. I left town shortly after that so I
wasn’t around when they had their child, but I subscribed to the newspaper and
learned that they’d had a son. They named him Todd.”

He tilted his
head, anticipating more.

Bella
swallowed. “Melissa and Todd have been dating. Carla thinks it’s getting
serious.”

Rafael pressed
his fingers into his eyes. It wasn’t the reaction she’d been expecting, but at
least it was something. When he looked at her again, it was as if his eyes had
been washed clean of emotion.

“Let’s back
up a bit and go over the facts. Melissa has a good, decent man for a father,
but you’ve kept that information from her.”

“But
Rafael...”

He held up a
hand, cutting her off. “And Jeffrey Lambert has a daughter. A beautiful, intelligent
daughter that he doesn’t know about.” His jaw tightened. “And now she’s
involved with her half brother and you don’t know what to do.” He stood up and
walked to the edge of the pool.

Bella nodded,
even though he couldn’t see her. He was angry; she could tell by the set of his
shoulders. He stood there for what seemed like forever, then came back and
slumped down into the chair beside her, his head lowered.

“I’m no
better,” he said finally. “You told me a long time ago that Melissa had a
father. I should have insisted then that you find him and tell him, but I was too
much like you. I was so desperate to prove myself that I was willing to let it
slide. All my energies went into building up the business instead of doing what
was right.”

He raised his
head and looked at her. Really looked at her. “What have we done, Bella? I love
that child as if she were my own daughter.” Something dawned in his eyes. “God
forgive me but maybe deep down I didn’t want her to know her own father. Maybe
I was jealous that he would take her away from me.” He rubbed a hand over his
face as though to scrub away the negative thoughts. “I know you probably want
to talk this over but I can’t think right now. I do know one thing though; I
need to take a good look at myself.” He took a few steps toward the house. “I’m
not hungry any more but please thank Esperanza for her efforts.” He looked
back. “What time do we leave in the morning?”

“Wheels up at
nine.” Rafael usually responded with a smile to this kind of jargon, but he
simply nodded and walked out. Bella clutched his handkerchief in her hand and
watched him leave.

* * *

It was late
afternoon when Carla met them at the airport. She watched Rafael stop at the
bottom of the steps and turn to offer a hand to Bella. They seemed stiff with
each other and Carla wondered what had happened; there was usually a
comfortable camaraderie between the two partners that Carla sometimes envied.
But today the tenseness could be spotted even from a distance.

“Hey, you
two.” She gave each of them a brief hug. “How was the flight?”

“Fine.” Bella
looked around. “Melissa didn’t come?”

“No. She’s
busy working with the Bistro, making sure everything is ready for tomorrow’s
party. Do you want to go over there?”

Bella turned
to Rafael and he nodded. “I’d like to see it for myself. It’s been three weeks
since I was here.”

Late
afternoon sunlight filtered through the trees around the parking lot, streaking
the new pavement with shade. The rich green canvas of the umbrellas in front of
the Bistro matched the awnings over the individual retail outlets. Bella
smiled, recognizing Rafael’s vision in its finished state. “It’s beautiful” she
said, and chanced at look at Rafael. It was the first time she had seen him
smile all day.

“Mother!
Rafael!” Melissa ran down the steps as they pulled up in front of the Bistro.
“I’m so glad you’re here.” She was holding a tea towel and waved it at them
excitedly. “The wine glasses for the party arrived this afternoon and Todd and
I have been helping Jeremy and Ashley polish them.” She urged them up the broad
steps, her eyes bright with enthusiasm. “Come on in and meet everybody.”

Carla slipped
away as introductions were made. Bella tried not to stare at Todd. He looked
much as he had at the funeral thirteen years ago...only older. Rafael shook
hands with Todd and the Bistro owners and then excused himself. “I’m going to
look for your father,” he murmured to Bella, and sauntered off.

Melissa
insisted on introducing Bella to each of the retail tenants. Most of them were
still working, putting last minute touches on their premises, getting ready for
the grand opening.

“Now come and
see where the real money is made,” she said, pulling her mother aside. “You
wouldn’t believe what Carla has done already. They even have some finished product.”

“And what
about the computer area?” Bella had been having second thoughts. “Do you think
we made it big enough?”

“Oh yeah.”
Melissa opened the door proudly. The equipment didn’t look large enough to
handle their volume; Bella hadn’t realized that such compact computers could do
the job. “Besides, this room can easily be enlarged.” She wandered out to the
shipping department. “Every station has its own computer and they’re all
linked.”

“I’m
impressed.” Bella stifled a yawn. “Sorry, it’s been a long day.” She looked
around. “Where’s your grandfather?”

“I think he
and Rafael are looking at the air handling system.” She beamed proudly. “It’s
state of the art.”

“Oh.” Bella
braced herself against the door. She hadn’t slept last night, and exhaustion
was beginning to take its toll.

“Shall I take
you home?”

“I think
perhaps I should go. Are you coming?”

“No. Todd and
I are going out later. Mrs. Andersen said she’d make something for dinner in
case you’re hungry.” Bella had encouraged Melissa to hire the woman next door
as a housekeeper for her father. “The first couple of days she was there I
thought Grandpa would bust a gut, but it didn’t take long. Now he says he
doesn’t know how he got along without her.” She slipped her arm through her
mother’s. “Come on, let’s go find R and R.”

Ronald and
Rafael were right where Melissa had predicted they would be. Ronald’s eyes lit
up at the sight of his daughter. “Hello Girlie” he said, enfolding her in a
hug. “Two more days to the big day, huh?”

Bella’s eyes
met Rafael’s. He smiled at the sight of them together. “Yes, Dad, but I’m going
to go home now. I’m exhausted.” She turned to Rafael. “You’re going to stay at
the hotel?”

He nodded.
“They’re holding a room for me. Melissa arranged it.”

“Okay then,
I’m outta here.”

“Don’t wait
up for me,” her father called. “I might be late.”

Bella turned
to her daughter as they pulled up in front of the familiar house. “I’m sorry we
won’t have time to talk tonight but I understand if you have a date. Maybe
tomorrow, okay?” She climbed out wearily and dragged her suitcase behind her.