“I don’t need your charity.”
“You sort of do, but I’m not proposing charity, and if you look at it, it’s not charity. You’ll be working for your money. I’m proposing a client and clientele relationship. That’s all. We keep the contract.”
Samantha wondered how Gordon could sound both helpful and condescending at the same time. No matter how hard he tried, he still sounded like a powerful billionaire who would usually see everyone as beneath him. She could see Gordon was making a very odd attempt at humility. If she didn’t know him, she could have fallen for it. He was right about one thing, though. She needed the money.
“You’re right, I do need the money.”
“I’m not paying you for nothing, Samantha. So take the job. Take it for Ella’s sake.”
“Don’t you dare say her name to me ever again. Don’t you dare evoke things that are important to me. You have no right.”
“I’m sorry. You’re correct. That was tasteless. If you want to find different clients, I won’t tell you what to do.”
“That’s very big of you, Gordon. Not.”
Gordon smirked. “People stopped saying that fifteen years ago, at least.”
“Don’t joke with me. Don’t try to be my friend. I want an extra five-hundred dollars on my monthly contract.”
“Done. You talk this way to all your clients?”
“Please have your workers use Google Calendar. I’ll be flexible for time. And I rather not talk to anybody.”
“That’s fine, Sam—Ms. Parker.”
And at that, Samantha got up and left.
As Samantha walked out of the café, her anger gradually waned. She had gotten better pay from the meeting, so maybe it wasn’t a bad idea after all. She decided to focus more on what the money could do for her. She could get her own place and stop being a bother to her parents, and she could expand her business and clientele. She needed to get over Gordon. It had happened such a long time ago, and the most important thing to her at the moment was her daughter.
She still thought Gordon looked attractive, though. He always had.
Things went smoothly until the company picnic. Samantha was unsure as to exactly why she agreed to go. It wasn’t mandatory, certainly not for the company staff that was as loosely under the company umbrella as she was. It was possibly because she wanted to see Ella run around in the park. She wanted to see Ella play with the other children. And, she wanted to get a little bit tipsy on somebody else’s dollar.
The sun was shining brightly in Central Park. There was a slight breeze flowing through the trees, and, when Samantha wasn’t listening to the people she had sat with, she could listen to the rustle of leaves. The people she had chosen to sit with were the catering staff. Some were serving the picnic food from giant hampers; some were simply taking the time to enjoy themselves. It was a very informal environment, where even the strung-out bankers conversed on a first-name basis with those employees that they would rarely see in a work environment.
Samantha had met a woman named Janine, who was in her forties, and who was looking to rent an apartment. While they were talking, they found out that they had enough in common to make it worth their while to plan to rent an apartment together. In particular, Janine responded very positively to Ella, an obviously crucial aspect of any future living arrangements. In fact, Janine, cognizant of Samantha beginning to listen to the leaves as the booze kicked in more than listening to her, offered to watch Ella as Samantha took a nap. Samantha desperately wanted to take a nap. She had been exhausted by the previous week, and Ella had kept her up most nights, often crying because she missed her dad or insisting on performing elaborate activities at inconvenient hours, possibly for the same reason. So, Samantha drifted off.
She was woken by the most disruptive sound she could think of, a small group of people chanting Ella’s name. Blurrily, she opened her eyes, and, to even more of her displeasure, the people chanting the name were looking up. Samantha began to resent the very trees that had calmed her earlier. As she looked up to see what the people were looking at, she saw Ella perched high up on a branch. Perhaps worse than that, she saw her holding on tightly to Gordon’s shoulders.
Samantha leaped up and yelled, “Get down from there. What the hell are you doing?”
Janine was watching the display carefully, and Samantha walked over to her, grabbed her shoulder, and turned her around.
“What the hell is he doing up there?”
“She wanted to climb,” Janine said, “Of course, I said she couldn’t, but she started to kick up a fuss. Gordon heard the fuss and offered to take over.”
“She’s been particularly impossible lately,” Samantha said, “Ordinarily, I’d chastise you for letting her get away with it, or at the very least for not waking me up. But, frankly, I’m a little grateful that you didn’t. I know that sounds terrible, but it’s true. I can totally understand why you let her go.”
“Thank you, Samantha. I won’t let it happen again.”
“Look, I’m sure Mr. Phillips is looking after her. I’m not one of those parents who won't let my child do anything. In fact, climbing trees was something else Ella used to do with her father, so there’s an extra reason why she was so insistent on going up. It’s okay. You did well.”
“I tell you what. Mr. Phillips looks natural out there, and Ella looks delighted. I’m surprised no one has snagged him up already and given him children. He seems to like them, and Ella certainly likes him.”
“I don’t know about that,” Samantha said, avoiding the revelation of Gordon’s past.
She didn’t want to make it uncomfortable with Janine and her boss. She looked up at Gordon. The smile on his face was incredible. She had never seen him smile like that before, even in the good times. The ferocity of his grip on Ella assured Samantha that her daughter was quite safe. And she admired his focus, as well as his energy. He was staying safe, but Ella was having the time of her life. Samantha even admired the solid jawline that she had become so familiar with, even if it was now more chiseled with age.
She called out, “Don’t worry about it, Mr. Phillips. Keep her up there as long as you like.”
“Mommy, Mommy,” Ella responded, “Look, I can fly.”
“I know, honey. Keep a good grip on Mr. Phillips, will you?”
“I got her, Sammy. Sorry, I mean, Ms. Parker.”
“It’s okay, Gordon. Take your time.”
Eventually, and carefully, Gordon descended the tree with Ella still holding on to his shoulders. When he reached the ground, he put Ella down, and the girl immediately ran to the embrace of her mother. Samantha picked Ella up and carried her over to Gordon, who was being brought a bottle of beer by none other than James Ramsey.
“Quite a stunt you just pulled there, Gord,” Ramsey was saying to his boss.
“She’s a great kid, Jimmy,” Gordon replied.
Samantha began to slow, to reconsider whether she wanted to speak to Ramsey. She noticed that the man seemed in an extremely different mood.
“Ms. Parker,” he said, “It’s very brave of you to approach me. I wanted to apologize for my despicable behavior. If you want to press charges, I won’t kick up a fuss. I lost control. I showed my age with a dated attitude and my lack of any kind of company. Not that I don’t take full responsibility. Just know that it won’t happen again.”