Tag: Ada Burke

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Kingsport #10

“Miss Wilkes, come in. Mrs. Taplin said you wanted to speak with me. I assume you’ve come here to hand in your notice.”

Barbara gave Dane Hurley, the household manager of the Montgomery Estate, a coy smile as she walked into his office. She deftly sat in a low chair across from his desk. “Oh, I haven’t. Actually, I wanted to thank you for taking me on and giving a chance to prove myself. It’s been an absolute joy.”

Dane couldn’t hide his shock. He was aware that Barbara hadn’t complained or asked for anything to make her job easier. However, in his experience, three weeks in was when reality set in amongst the lowest paid staff members which sent them running for freedom. “I’m glad I’m wrong.”

“You took a chance on me. I’ll always be grateful, Dane.” She cleared her throat. “I did want to know… Oh, I don’t know if it’s possible, but I’d like to know if there’s any chance of possibly being put in the running for another position that suits me…if one were to open up. I do love working here…and I think I’d be an asset to the ongoing running of the estate.”

Dane was taken aback. In all of his years at the Montgomery Estate, few people had ever wanted to move up. Most wanted the distinction of working for this illustrious family on their job resume and that was it. “Miss Wilkes, I appreciate your honesty. At the moment, we don’t have the need for anyone in a front facing role.”

Barbara let her head fall with marked disappointment. “Oh. I knew it was a long shot. Thank you for your time.”

As Barbara stood up, Dane replied, “There may be something…”

She turned to him, her big eyes shimmering. “You don’t have to make an exception for me.”

“I’m not,” said Dane, quickly. “Whenever a member of staff goes on vacation, it be a hassle for me if someone can’t cover their shift. The family doesn’t like it when we aren’t fully staffed. It bothers them. If you’re willing to do it, I can make you a temporary fill-in on an as needed basis. Your pay would remain the same, but we always have a few more maids than we need, but if someone needs to work in Miss Montgomery’s office, then you can easily answer the phone and whatnot.”

“Thank you so much for the opportunity! I’d love to help when I’m needed.” Barbara thanked Dane again before she left his office. Her appreciative smile twisted into a satisfied grin as she walked down the brightly lit corridor. However, her joy was short lived when Ada rounded the corner pushing a large drink’s trolley. “Ada!” exclaimed Barbara “Is everything okay?”

Ada wiped the sweat from her forehead. “The family was supposed to have lunch in town. Now they want to have lunch in the Orangery. Gotta get this there and help Chef. Old Taps is in a frenzy. They’ve been looking for you.”

“Oh. I had to speak to Dane.”

“Oh.” Ada’s eyes fell. “It was nice working with you…”

“No!” corrected Barbara. “I’m still employed. I just wanted to run some things past him.”

“Got it. Well, you’d better see Old Taps and make sure you know what’s going on this afternoon. Word is Will is moving into one of the guest cottages. You’ll have to prep it after we set up lunch. Don’t just stand there, Barbara! We got work to do!”

“Will, are you sure?” Connor sat on Will’s bed as he watched his boyfriend stand by the large windows which overlooked the estate’s English garden. “This is your house, too.”

Will inhaled the scents of primrose and hollyhock which wafted into his bedroom from the garden below. He closed his eyes as he imagined himself anywhere else in the world. It’s not that Will couldn’t afford to rent an island in the Caribbean for as long as he liked, but he had the polo club and his relationship with Connor to consider. He just wanted peace. He couldn’t get that at home. “Connor, I can’t live in this house with India lurking around every corner. I always feel like her eyes are on me. It’s creepy.”

Connor surveyed his boyfriend carefully. He hadn’t told him about India’s little stunt last week, but he felt that it was time that Will knew the truth. On the other hand, Connor realized that now wasn’t the right time. He’d save that little nugget for just the right moment. “Your sister is unhinged on her best day, but you’re safe here. Moving into one of the cottages will only make you more of a target. At least if you’re in the main house, you have the staff to keep an eye on you.”

“That doesn’t solve my problem, Connor. My sister shouldn’t even be here. India is inserting herself into my life to undermine me.”

“Will, that’s a bit much.”

Will turned to Connor with fire in his eyes. “It’s true!! I know her better than any of you!” Will walked over to Connor, sat on the bed, and said, “We had this dog when we were little… It was an old English Setter that Warren named Ponderosa. I loved that dog. Anyway, India didn’t like it. She said it smelled bad even though we had a groomer on staff. One day, the dog doubles over in pain. Two days later, it’s dead. India had been prescribed pain killers when she broke her leg the previous summer. No one ever found those pills. We wound up getting a dog she wanted which terrorized all of us. She’s dangerous, Connor.”

Connor saw the fear in Will’s eyes. This was the first time in his relationship with Will that he saw him terrified. “Will, if it’s that bad, tell your father.”

“I’ve tried. My parents play dumb. Our mother knows what India is capable of, but I don’t think she wants to believe it. Dad just ignores her antics.”

“She broke into my house the other day,” said Connor, softly.

Will let out a guttural cry. “You should have called the police!! I told you she’s dangerous!”

“India didn’t do anything,” lied Connor. “Furthermore, I can’t call the police on Charles Montgomery’s daughter. They’d laugh me out of the station.” Connor laid on the bed and took Will in his arms. “I think she’s very unstable… It’s like her obsession with me is starting all over again.”

“That’s why I want to get out of here. I’d feel safer in the cottage.”

“Let’s go to Maine. We can stay at my cottage…”

“You have work. I have things to do… I should call down to the kitchen for our drinks…”

“Don’t deflect. I think you should go see your mother in Paris. I’m sure she’d love to see her favorite child.”

“Warren’s her favorite child,” stressed Will. “Warren’s everybody’s favorite.”

“You’re my favorite goofball.” Connor gave Will a passionate kiss which led to them making love in the glorious light of day.

From deep inside the servant’s stairwell, India listened as her brother and Connor talked about her and made love. India knew all too well that Connor was thinking about her. She knew that he would always think about her. After all they’d been through, she wouldn’t stop until he was back in her bed. If Will wanted to avoid her, she’d make sure he never came back to town. After hearing Warren and Connor climax, India turned around and vanished down another corridor.

Out of the darkness, Barbara carried the tray with the drinks Connor and Will ordered half an hour ago. She couldn’t place why India Montgomery was lurking in the servant’s stairway, but she was intrigued to have stumbled upon such a titillating scene. Whatever was going on with the glamorous India Montgomery, Barbara knew she may have found an answer to her prayers…

In our next installment, Charles gives India a few hard truths…

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Kingsport #9

Barbara Wilkes pushed a laundry basket through the bowels of the Montgomery Estate as she followed the housekeeper, Mrs. Taplin, into the vast folding room. Although she was glad to have found work on the Montgomery Estate, Barbara hadn’t counted on feeling tired, achy, and old so fast. The one thing she couldn’t do was age fifteen years in six months because she was doing work for people that they could very well do these tasks for themselves. At least for this afternoon, she was being sent to the folding room to press, scent, and fold bed linen. It was a thankless job which is why she kept reminding herself that her plan superseded all else.

“Don’t be too long with folding everything,” snapped Mrs. Taplin. She was a stern birdlike woman who smiled with glee whenever a task seemed just miserable enough. “The family likes to have new sheets on their beds every night!”

“I’ll be as fast as I can.” Barbara watched as Mrs. Taplin marched off to leave Barbara to her task.

“Need some help?” asked Ada from the doorway. “Mark told me that Old Taps sent you in here and told me to help you out.”

“Old Taps?” laughed Barbara.

“Yeah. She’s like a drill sergeant or something. Thinks she’s big stuff because she once worked for the Viscount of Hornbly.” Ada helped Barbara dump the laundry bag onto a giant table. She quickly explained to Barbara how to get the linen just so before saying, “I saw you in town on Monday. Called out to you, but I don’t think you heard me. You were going into the Kingsport Arms.”

Barbara immediately smiled because she didn’t want to admit that she had heard Ada, but she couldn’t risk her ruining her plan. “Oh, Ada, I’m so sorry I didn’t hear you,” lied Barbara.

“Can’t believe you could afford to stay at the Arms. It’s so expensive.”

“I just went for breakfast,” said Barbara, kindly.

“I went for a Mother’s Day breakfast years ago. My kids saved all year to treat me. Those snobbish waiters were above themselves, but my Tony told one of them that his ma worked for the Montgomery family! Well, service got a whole lot better after that, let me tell you.” Ada swiftly handed a pillow case for Barbara to scent and fold.

“They were very nice to me,” lied Barbara. “The food was wonderful. I enjoyed it.”

Ada chuckled. “Don’t let the family find out that you’re dining where they eat. They don’t like it.”

“It’s a free town. I can eat where I please. Anyway, I haven’t even met the family. Well, the daughter, India, snapped at me when we were waiting on their dinner party. I doubt she remembered my face.”

“Still. Don’t be getting high above your station, Barbara…”

“I’m not!”

“Look, I know you’re a nice girl,” sighed Ada, “but there are a lot of nice girls who like to pretend they’re something more than what they are in this town and it blows up in their faces. Going to the Arms once is fun. Going all the time is dangerous. Just go to Zelda’s or the Rusty Nickle. Good honest places. Meet a nice boy who works at the docks or in an office. You’ll be much happier that way, Barbara.”

Barbara listened and nodded with a compliant smile. However, deep inside her soul, she wanted to scream. Ada sounded like every fish wife she’d known until the day she arrived in Kingsport. If she wanted to eat breakfast at the Arms, she would! If she wanted to better herself and not get locked down with some loser on an hourly wage, she would! The last thing Barbara wanted for herself was to work for the Montgomery family for twenty years, never meet them, and go to the Arms once after saving for a year like Ada and her little brats. No, thought Barbara, she would have to begin to quietly distance herself from everyone in order to ensure she could rise in the world. She knew it would take a little bit of time, but little did Barbara know, her luck would change in a way she couldn’t predict.

Dylan Davenport finished his beer while he contemplated how he would spend the rest of the day. Since he stepped down last year from the role of CEO at Davenport Technology, the publicly listed company still controlled by his family, his days were spent in idle contemplation instead of hurrying to get to the next challenge. As the oldest Davenport child, Dylan was told from birth that he had to be someone special…someone superior. Now, at forty-five, he had become special, but he didn’t think anyone noticed. His mother and siblings never thanked him once for keeping the stock price of the company stable which ensured quarterly dividends flowed into their trust funds. While he didn’t seek the approval of his family, he would have appreciated it. Dylan glanced at his watch when he saw his sister, Lisa, walking over to him. “I thought you were in New York.” Dylan stood up to greet his sister. “This is a nice surprise.”

Lisa took in the sight of the Kingsport Country Club’s grille restaurant with a slight smile. “I came back last Sunday for the Memorial Day party at the country club and Oliver started school on Tuesday. Jackson is still in New York on business.”

“Huh. I’m surprised you trust Jackson alone in New York City with his roving eye.”

Lisa took a deep sip of her brother’s beer. Everyone knew that her husband was a serial cheater, but it didn’t bother her. That was his issue. Their finances were separated which meant that none of his angry lovers could ever come after her money. “I’ve accepted Jackson for exactly who he is, Dylan. He’s a great father and a great provider for Oliver, so I have no complaints. He keeps his affairs a secret. I have someone I call upon when I need him and the world is a happier place.”

“You do you, Lisa.”

“Actually, I’m glad I ran into you. I went over to Mom’s house on Monday before I went to the country club and she was in a mood about Eli.”

“What’s he done now?”

“Mom is concerned because India is back in town. She thinks Eli will leave San Francisco and move back to Kingsport so India can spend time with Faren.”

Dylan shook his head. He knew all too well how much their mother loved to control every situation which came her way. It was part of the reason why Dylan had resigned as CEO of Davenport Technology. Sheila’s constant meddling was her biggest character flaw. “Eli will do whatever suits him. We know that. I don’t know why Mom gets herself into a bother over him.”

“She blames him for Daddy’s disappearance.”

Dylan took a long sip of his beer. “Still?”

“Yes. She hasn’t mentioned it in years, but she did the other day. Dylan, you remember more about that time than I do… Mom isn’t right, is she?”

The last thing Dylan wanted to think about were the events which transpired thirty years ago. Their father, Larry, vanished one day and no one had heard from him since. There were rumored sightings in Monaco and Manila, but nothing concrete. As far as Dylan was concerned, they were better off without Larry. “No, I don’t think Mom is right. Just because Eli was the last person seen with Dad doesn’t mean he was the last person with him.”

Lisa considered her brother’s statement. “I suppose… It’s always struck me as odd that Mom is so insistent that Eli stay away. She barely sees Faren because of this grudge. Oh, and she nearly jumped down my throat when I mentioned that I’d spent time with Eli in Switzerland.”

“Mom has her reasons, Lisa. It’s not for me to say. I will say that a lot did happen back then, but I think it’s best if we just let it go. Eli will stay in San Francisco. I doubt he wants Faren around India on a consistent basis. To be honest, I don’t think there’s anything to worry about.” Even as Dylan said the words, he didn’t believe them. He knew all too well some of the things that had happened thirty years ago between the family and Larry. Dylan also knew that Eli was being blamed for something that anyone could have done because there was a darker reason why Eli stayed away. There always had been. Dylan thought he knew way… He thought he knew Sheila knew way, too. However, Dylan knew that the only person who could shine some light on the ugliest part of the Davenport family’s history was Eli. And Eli had kept his mouth shut since that fateful night thirty years ago. Dylan knew Eli held the answers they were seeking. But, Dylan also knew that keeping a secret buried is the only way to move on…

In our next installment, Barbara takes a risk…

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Kingsport #5

 

Barbara Wilkes pushed open the hidden panel which gave the servants access to the library in the main house of the Montgomery Estate. She knew she shouldn’t have been in there, but after delivering lunch in there the other day, she was in awe of the objects around her. Priceless paintings hung on the wall. Sculptures, pictures, and family mementos filled the space. Barbara felt as if she were in a fine museum, the type which never would have existed in her old world. She stepped into the darkened room, glanced around, and drank in the enormous wealth all around her.

Even though she’d only been in town for a full week, Barbara felt like she’d finally made it. While everyone from her past told her she’d never amount to anything, she would finally prove them wrong. She had made it into the home of one of the wealthiest families in America. It didn’t matter that she worked as their maid, what mattered was that she had access to them. Standing in the vast library which was ten times the size of any library she’d seen before, Barbara closed her eyes and let the smell of money, privilege, and elegance wash over her.

“What on earth are you doing in here?!”

Barbara’s eyes shot open. “I… Uh…”

“Are you crazy?!” Ada grabbed Barbara by the arm, pushed open the panel, and pulled Barbara into the servant’s stairwell. “If one of the family had seen you, you’d be out of here like that!” Ada snapped her fingers with a shake of her head. “You’ll never get another job in Kingsport. Don’t mess it up by going above your station!”

“I… I just wanted to see the library again. I love books…and…when I delivered Will’s lunch the other day, I was mesmerized.” Barbara hung her head with noticeable sorrow and regret. A stray tear fell down her cheeks. “Please don’t tell Dane. I really am very sorry, Ada.”

Ada eyed Barbara with motherly concern. “Next time ask someone or go to the public library. Ain’t no use in getting yourself fired over some books.”

Barbara held her hands up to her eyes in a vain attempt to stop her ice-cold tears. “I didn’t mean to cause any trouble, Ada. I’m so, so sorry…”

“I know… I know…” Ada led Barbara down the servant’s staircase and into the staff room. “Don’t even give the people who live here any thought. You’ll probably never meet them…most of the times, you’ll only see them in passing.”

“I understand. You won’t tell on me, will you?”

Ada squeezed Barbara’s hand. “Of course not. Just don’t go poking around where it’s none of your business. It’s frowned upon in this town. They like to keep everything separated. We’re down here and they’re up here. Remember that, Barbara.”

Will Montgomery stood in the middle of the polo field as he surveyed the sight of three new polo ponies. He inspected them closely as his broker intoned about their lineage, statistics, and potential. Will’s mind should have been concerned about the topic at hand, but he was otherwise preoccupied about Connor and his sister, India. He bade the broker goodbye, instructed his business manager to purchase the ponies, and made his way into his office at the King’s Polo Club.

Charles had purchased this club for Will ten years ago as a way to keep Will focused on something other than his army of fly by night boyfriends. Although he loved playing polo, Will had no interest in running the day to day activities of the club. However, as time marched on, he grew to love the business and practical sides of the polo business. He instructed his assistant to have his horse, Sir Galahad, ready for a ride in an hour. As Will turned around to check his e-mail, the door to his office swung open. “Sorry, I don’t have time…”

“You should make time for me, Billy.”

Will froze. His blood ran cold. He felt a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. Will took a deep breath as he looked up to see India glaring at him from the doorway. “India…” he croaked. “I…”

“Give me a hug, Billy.”

Will remained seated in his chair, unable to comply with India’s demand.

“Give me a hug,” she seethed.

“India, I don’t have time to talk to you right now.”

Never one to be blown off, India Montgomery removed her fifteen hundred dollar sunglasses and dropped them into her thirty thousand dollar purse. “Billy, I’ve decided to come back to town for good. It would be wonderful if we could be friends. We’ve never been close…”

“You tried to kill me when I was six. I remember you locked me in the guest house and started a fire.”

“You lived,” sighed India. “Besides, you picked dare.” India loved to taunt him. “You got out unscarred. Mother sends her love from Paris.”

“I’m surprised she let you leave.”

“No one tells me what to do. It was time to leave, Billy. I didn’t want to wind up stuck in Kingsport like you and Warren,” sighed India, curtly. “I do think this will be a wonderful time for the family to reunite. I even think Mother will visit us from Paris in the next month or so.”

Will eyed his sister carefully. While she was a vision in a floral Pucci dress with nude heels and a trim body, he couldn’t shake the feeling that behind her façade was a woman on the verge of losing her mind. No matter what, Will knew that he had to keep his distance from India. “Well, we’ll sort it out as it happens.”

“I want to have a dinner at the house. I’ll have Chef whip up a rustic Tuscan feast! You, me, Daddy, and Warren. I would invite Jill and the girls, but I don’t like Jill. Warren won’t mind…”

“You have to invite Jill and the girls. Dad won’t stand for it otherwise. You know that. India, you’ve only been in town for five minutes and you’re already looking to ice out Jill.”

India narrowed her eyes. “Everyone knows she doesn’t like me.”

Will bit the inside of his cheek. “Jill is a lovely person. You have a problem with her.”

“Oh, so now everything is my fault, Billy?”

“India, I didn’t say that!”

“You implied it! Everyone in this family hates me. Even Mother tried to send me away because I didn’t fit into her perfect Parisian fairytale!”

Will stood up defiantly. “I’m not listening to this anymore.”

“You’ll have to, Billy. I’m staying at the estate in the main house.”

Will felt like a knife had been shoved into his gut. “Stay in the guest house!”

India let out a cool laugh. “If I stayed there, I couldn’t have fun, Billy.”

Will watched as India’s eyes narrowed followed by a dark cloud which engulfed her whole being. “Get out,” croaked Will.

“Billy, I…”

India spun around to see Dr. Connor Windsor standing in the doorway of Will’s office. She watched as his eyes went wide at the mere sight of her. How she hated this man more than life itself. “What are you doing here?!”

“India… I… I didn’t know you were back in town.” Connor felt like he was going to be sick.

India’s eyes darted between Connor and Will. She knew something was up… She knew they were keeping something from her. Somewhere in the depths of her soul, India knew that something was wrong. Something was off. She knew she’d been betrayed.

“Tell her,” said Connor, quietly.

Will took a deep breath, climbed out of his chair, and walked over to Connor. He took his hand in Connor’s and stared at India, his big brown eyes glistening with tears. “Connor and I have been together for two years.”

“Of course, you’d date the man who raped me,” spit India.

“You’re a crazy liar!” shouted Connor.

With that, India pushed her way past Will and Connor and made her way outside. Her heart was racing. Her mind was spinning. She climbed into the idling town car and ordered the driver to take her to the Montgomery Estate.

India couldn’t believe that Will was dating Connor. Connor was hers. Connor belonged to her. After all of the years she’d spent trying to get him to love her, she was so close to getting him. Now this. Now Will was in the way. One way or another, India knew that she would stop at nothing to get Connor for herself. She didn’t care how many lies she had to continue to tell or how many lives she had to ruin in the process, but she was going to get Will out of the picture and have Connor to herself. She’d done it before…and she was ready to do it again.

In our next installment, Jill Montgomery must face the past… 

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Kingsport #4

Sheila Davenport wasn’t in the business of inserting herself into the affairs of others. Although she shared Dr. Connor Windsor’s worry about India Montgomery, the last thing she wanted to do was offend India and, by extension, her best friend, Alison Montgomery, and their shared granddaughter, Faren. Sheila knew all too well that when it came to the Montgomerys, it was better for them to sort out their assorted issues rather than get involved.

In that moment, Sheila looked around the well-appointed library at her home, the Davenport Mansion. It sat on ten acres of exquisite grounds on the same road as the Windsor Mansion and the other great, old families of Kingsport. The mansion which had eight-bedrooms, ten-bathrooms, six formal rooms, a swimming pool, and guest cottage had been in the Davenport family for nearly a century. They were one of the wealthiest black families in America who preferred living under the radar. The Davenports had a lineage which went back centuries and their wealth, though it was much newer than the Montgomerys, now earned interest on interest and kept the family in comfort and understated grace. Sheila glanced around at the assorted family photos carefully placed around the library of herself, her late husband, Larry, and their children, Dylan, Elijah, Lisa, and Nicholas. Her eye then fell on a picture of India with Faren and Elijah on the occasion of Faren’s second birthday. It seemed like a lifetime ago. They were, indeed, quite happier times…before everything became so complex where it concerned India.

With Connor’s plea ringing in her ears and wanting to ultimately protect her granddaughter, Sheila took a deep breath, picked up the phone, and dialed a familiar phone number. As the phone rang, Sheila wondered if she was doing the right thing because, once she made this call, nothing would be the same again.

Barbara Wilkes glanced at the clock in the huge chef’s kitchen on the Montgomery Estate. She was only two hours into her shift, but she felt like she’d been there for years. When the agency and Dane told her that this would be a tough job, Barbara should have believed them. She’d already carried several heavy breakfast trays to the Morning Room before being told to vanish before the family entered. On top of that, she’d already cleaned six bathrooms and brought bags full of dirty laundry to the onsite laundress. In that moment, Barbara knew that any family that employed its own laundry person was a family she wanted to know more about.

“Day dreaming again?”

Barbara snapped back to reality as Ada Burke, one the of senior housekeepers, walked over to her with a cup of tea. “No… Just thinking.”

Ada sipped her piping hot tea. “The family is out right now, so it should be quiet for a while. Nothing worse than when they’re all here ordering this, wanting that, pressing buttons like we ain’t got nothing better to do.”

Barbara smiled tightly. She wanted to be friendly with her coworkers, but being friends with them wasn’t in her plans. However, she knew that sometimes plans change in such a way which can work to your benefit later on. “What’re the family like?” asked Barbara.

“Just people who haven’t worked since the Revolutionary War,” cracked Ada. “The nicest one is Will. They call him ‘Billy’. He’s high strung and in love with love, but he’s nice. I’d say the worst is Alison, the Lady of the House.”

“I’ve seen pictures of her in magazines. She seems so elegant.”

“Elegant and high minded about everything. She doesn’t even live here full time; Paris is her home.”

“Paris…” Barbara uttered with a lilt to her voice. That seemed to be the most exciting, glamourous place in the world.

“She’s lived there for twenty years or so. From what I’ve been told, she never really liked it in Kingsport. Anyway, she’s old money. Older than the Montgomery family. Royalty on both sides of her family, related to dukes and whatnot. She’s what they call a six-times heiress. Inherited money from both parents and four grandparents. More money than god, that one. I read she gets a billion dollars in dividends. Imagine! She’d be tolerable if she didn’t lord her money and breeding over everyone,” scoffed Ada. “Anyway, you liking it here?”

Barbara nodded. “It kinda feels like a fantasy. Say, Ada, is it possible to move up at this house?”

“You mean has a maid ever become a secretary or something? Girl, don’t get your hopes up. Everyone has dreams when they come in here…and they die here. That’s why so many people leave.” The cell phone clipped to Ada’s waist chirped. She glanced at it with a groan. “Gotta get lunch ready for Will in the library. Thought it would be an easy day.”

“I can do it for you,” offered Barbara.

Ada gave her a curious look. “I can manage…”

“I don’t mind. Honestly.”

“Fine. Come with me. I’ll show you what needs to be done.”

“I’m sorry I missed your call.”

“This isn’t a social call,” said Sheila, briskly. “I need to talk to you.” Sheila fiddled with the sapphire ring on her right hand. “It’s about India…”

“I’m going to stop you right there. I don’t want to discuss her with you or anyone else.”

“I know,” snapped Sheila. “It’s just… I’ve heard that India is planning a return to Kingsport. She’ll be back this week.”

The line went silent.

“I said…”

“I heard you. She hasn’t told me anything. I spoke to her two days ago and she never mentioned it.”

Sheila took a deep breath. “Has she been well…?”

“I’m not discussing that with you!”

“I’m only concerned because Connor Windsor met with me… He wants someone to talk to India…make her see that she should stay in Paris.”

“I don’t give two craps about Connor Windsor. He’s done more harm to India than any of us realize. If she thinks she can handle coming back to Kingsport after all of these years, then it’s not for us to stand in her way. Connor will have to get over himself.”

Sheila nodded in quiet agreement. “I suppose he will have to deal with whatever happens next on his own… I’ll let you go now.”

“Mom, I…”

“I have to prepare for a meeting,” lied Sheila.

The line went dead as Elijah Davenport stared at his cell phone, more heartbroken than furious. He hadn’t spoken to his mother in two years and now, in what he thought was an extension of an olive branch, was nothing more than his mother trying to get him to warn India to stay away of Kingsport. Eli sank into the leather chair behind his glass desk with the cityscape of San Francisco glittering behind him. It wasn’t easy for him to feel like an utter fool, but in this moment, Eli felt rejected and dejected by his mother. Had it not been for the fact that he and India had a daughter together, he knew his mother would never have called him. She didn’t love him. She never did. She blamed him for something so horrific, but if she knew the truth it would tear their family apart. That’s why he moved his life, his daughter, Faren, and his company, Davenport Investments to San Francisco. It’s why he never went home. In a way, he and India were two outsiders who found each other and thought they were happy until they realized they couldn’t find lasting happiness together. Eli closed his eyes, counted backwards from one hundred, and did everything he could to stop the onslaught of tears.

In our next installment, Barbara is put in her place…

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