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  Sherry, on the other hand, was as close to a nemesis as Madeline was going to get. Don couldn’t see a time in the foreseeable future when his mother was going to accept Sherry into the Mitchell family. It had been almost thirty years since Sherry had married his father, but to his mother it seemed like yesterday. Regardless of the problems that had prevailed in his parents’ marriage prior to the infidelity, Madeline was determined to blame Sherry for the rest of their days. In spite of his mother’s vehement protests, Don had forgiven Sherry and had offered her a job not long ago. Madeline had pitched a fit, and needless to say, Sherry had ended up not working for Don at the Mitchell family’s multimillion-dollar company, DMI. He hadn’t bothered pleading her case on appeal. Don didn’t have sufficient firepower. Even if he were accompanied by the entire United States Marine Corps, it wouldn’t be enough force to change Madeline’s mind. One day there might be total healing in his family, but it wasn’t today. Yet Don wasn’t complaining. Other than the discord with Sherry and a mild disregard for her offspring, Joel, Madeline, and the family were in a respectable place. Don relished the tranquility. It was rare in the Mitchell family and most likely fleeting.

  “It’s good to have you back.”

  Madeline moseyed over to the windows after tossing her bag onto one of the chairs situated in front of Don’s desk. “It’s good to be back.” She folded her arms and leaned against the window frame. “When I agreed to walk out those doors a few months ago, honestly, I didn’t know if or when I’d return.”

  Her voice dipped, and Don knew why. His mother had made one of the greatest sacrifices of her life. She’d agreed to step down from her executive position at DMI, the second greatest love after her children, and to leave the city of Detroit at Tamara’s request. His sister had been estranged from the family and wanted to come home on her own terms. Her number one request was that Madeline couldn’t be in town. Don actually had tried pleading his mother’s case to Tamara, but the stubborn gene was too deeply rooted in her. His sister wouldn’t bend. So, without fanfare or opposition, Madeline had quietly walked away. The few months she was gone were somber days for him, but the trauma was behind them. She was within arm’s reach, exactly where his mother belonged.

  “How are you and Tamara getting along?” he asked.

  Madeline ran the palm of her hand from the front of her head to the back while peering at the floor. “We’re getting there.”

  Don swung his chair around to face Madeline. “Well, it’s going to take time, but at least the two of you are talking.”

  “I don’t know how much time. She was gone fourteen years. You’d think that would be enough time,” she said, clearly agitated, with her eyelids widened and her neck rolling. “At least she’s staying with you, which makes me feel better,” she added, seeming calmer.

  “Uh, not any longer.”

  “What?” she shouted.

  “She packed her bag and moved out last week.” He’d begged her to stay with him longer, but Tamara wouldn’t hear of it.

  “And why am I just hearing about this?” she barked at him with her fists pressed against her sides. “Where did she go?”

  “I’m not sure she wants me to tell you.”

  Madeline’s concern was evident to him, but Don was afraid she’d zip over to the new place and start an argument with Tamara. He knew them too well to wonder what would happen next.

  “I’m her mother. I have a right to know.”

  Don conceded a bit, hoping to ease his mother’s concern without violating Tamara’s privacy. “I can tell you that she moved not too far from her last building.”

  Madeline began pacing. “I know that crazy boyfriend of hers is long gone and no longer presents a threat, thanks to your uncle, but what was the hurry in her moving out? I don’t understand that girl. She was safe with you,” Madeline said, rubbing her face but not wiping away the worry. “What was she thinking, moving out?”

  “I’m not sure, but I checked out her new place, and it seems okay.” Don went to his mother and gave her a hug. “Don’t worry and don’t press her about this. Let her come to you.”

  Madeline pushed away from Don and walked back to the windows with her arms folded. “We’ll just have to see if that day ever comes when she lets me in on what’s happening in her life. I wonder if she’s ever going to let me be her mother again,” she uttered softly.

  “Mother, give her time. You can’t push her. She has to work through issues at her own pace.”

  Madeline meandered away from the windows, keeping her arms crossed. “But I don’t have forever. I’m sixty-five. I’ve already lived out most of my days. I have to get your sister back into this company.” Madeline leaned on the conference table located off to the side in Don’s office. “Your father and I built this company from nothing. I have poured my heart and soul into this place. This is your legacy,” she said, rapping her fingernails on the table. “You and Tamara are the rightful heirs. Both of you belong here, running this company.”

  Don didn’t agree or disagree. So he let her continue without interruption.

  “My dream is to have both of you here, together. I am determined to make my dream a reality before I die.”

  “Nobody is going to die, Mother. Don’t you think you’re being overdramatic?”

  “Nope. Somebody has to get this family on track and keep us from losing what your father and I have busted our behinds to build. If I ease up now, Sherry and Joel will whizz in here and snatch DMI right from under our noses like they own the place. You know it, and I know it. Heck, Joel already made his attempt to snatch the company, and he had it for several years. But right wins out every time.” She strolled over to Don and rested her hands on his shoulders, facing him. “He spun his little web and got caught up in his own mess. Now my children are in charge, just like it’s supposed to be. This is a good day for me.”

  “Not so fast, Mother. Tamara hasn’t agreed to stay at DMI if you’re going to be here too. The original agreement was for you to stay away.”

  “I know, I know, but that was before we did our little reconciling thing,” she said, with her hands moving in circular motions. “As long as she doesn’t have to live with me, I’m sure she won’t mind me being here in the office. Besides, I’m sure you need help around here. We have a lot of work to do. After your father’s bumbling son lost half the company, our first step has to be getting the West Coast and Southern divisions back under the DMI umbrella.”

  The plan wasn’t as clear for Don. A lot had happened. He needed time to sort out exactly where DMI was, where he was. “Wait, Mother. You’re moving too quickly. First, we have to figure out how you and Tamara are going to work here together,” he said, resting his arms on the desk.

  “Oh, don’t worry about your sister. I’ll take care of her.”

  “That’s precisely what worries me, Mother,” Don said as he dropped his gaze and closed his eyes momentarily. He was praying for his words to be taken seriously by his mother, but the probability of that was low. “You can’t push her, or Tamara will be on the first plane, fleeing the country. She’s done it before, and if you push, Tamara might do it again. Is that what you want?”

  “Of course not. I love my daughter.”

  “I’m not talking about love, Mother. I’m asking you to give her space. Can you do that?” Don could tell his mother was fretting, but he was okay so long as she was hearing him.

  “What you’re saying makes sense, but you have to understand how much the two of you and DMI mean to me. Having all of us here together is my dream. After your father passed, I vowed not to let Sherry and Joel get their hands on anything else belonging to me and my children. I aim to keep my vow. If it means giving Tamara more time, fine. I think I can. But don’t think I can wait forever. I don’t have years to waste. Your father didn’t, and who knows? I might not, either.”

  Don wasn’t feeding into the mortality rant his mother was on. She was too stubborn and outspoken to go anywhere anytime soon
. God had too many repairs left to do on her heart. She had time. They all did. He was convinced of it.

  Chapter 4

  Joel crept along Lake Shore Drive, unable to absorb the city view along the waterfront. He was too weighed down with confusion to concentrate on simple pleasures. He eased in front of a tall residential building and parked. Joel would have sat there longer, but the valet approached his door rather quickly, so he got out.

  “Good afternoon, Mr. Mitchell,” the valet said as Joel stepped around the car and went inside.

  He received greetings and nods from both the doorman and elevator operator as he made his way to the penthouse suite. He reached the private lobby while being consumed with unrest. Joel stood in front of the double doors leading into the unit, not ready to enter. He gobbled up an ounce of solace, attempting to corral his thoughts. Partially successful, he knocked on the door. His friend opened the door, which was sort of surprising, since the butler usually answered.

  “Why didn’t you use your key?” his friend Sheba asked.

  “Oh, I don’t know. I wasn’t even thinking,” Joel said, plopping into the first seat he saw. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt whatever you were doing.”

  “Come on. You’re never an interruption. Surely you know that by now,” she said, taking a seat next to him on the love seat situated in the long entryway.

  Joel nodded in affirmation and let his head flop back.

  “What’s going on?” Sheba asked.

  Joel didn’t bother concealing his despair. Sheba was the one person with whom he could openly share his concerns without feeling pressure. She got who he was, both his complicated and simple characteristics. Their two-year friendship had seen him at the pinnacle of success during his reign as head of DMI. She’d also been Joel’s source of compassion during his journey through the bowels of failure. She didn’t judge. She didn’t ask questions. She just didn’t. Sheba was exactly what he needed when he needed it. When he sought professional advice, she was insightful, having successfully built an international chain of designer boutiques. He basked in her presence, soaking up each snippet of whatever it was she provided. Joel rested his forehead against the back of his hand and breathed heavily.

  “Are you all right?” she asked with such sincerity that he had to respond.

  “I have a situation that has come up with Zarah.” He paused and then told her the news. “She’s pregnant.”

  Sheba pulled away from him. “When did that happen?”

  He couldn’t imagine what she was thinking, but he figured it wasn’t good. “I guess you’re wondering why I asked Zarah for a divorce if she was pregnant.” Joel buried his face in the palms of his hands and then let the fingers trickle down his cheeks until he could speak.

  Before Joel said another word, Sheba rested her hand on top of his and said, “I’m not wondering anything.” She squeezed his hand. “You’re a good man. That’s what I know for sure.”

  “Yeah, well, you might be the only person who thinks so . . . you and maybe my mother,” he said, smirking. “I can’t seem to dig myself out of this hole I’ve created. I was so close to breathing fresh air here in Chicago, and then, bam, here comes this situation.” Joel clasped his hands together as his elbows rested on his thighs. “Boy, do I have a mess. How long do I have to keep paying for my mistakes? Is there no end?”

  Rage attempted to rise up in him, but who would be the recipient? Not God, certainly not Sheba. Then who? There was no one else to blame, which forced him to calm down.

  Joel rubbed Sheba’s neck. “I’m sorry to dump my troubles on you. You’re the last person I want to burden. You’ve been so good to me.”

  “Mi casa es su casa. Anytime you need a place to crash, I’m here.” She squeezed his hand tighter. “You have your key. Come anytime.”

  Joel leaned over to give Sheba a peck on the cheek. “What would I do without you?”

  “You’d be lost,” she said, earning a heavy roar of laughter from him. “I realize things may be out of sorts for you right now, but you always land on your feet. You’ll work this out.”

  “I wish I was as confident as you are.” Joel leaned backward. “Not only is my personal life jacked up, but my professional one is too. I don’t have a job. I don’t even have a prospect lined up.”

  “Then I have some investors you should meet,” she told Joel. “With your business mind, you could get a new venture off the ground in less than six months.”

  “Coming up with the seed money may be a problem,” he said. “Remember, I sank so much of my personal assets into saving DMI after the merger with Zarah’s father went sour. I’m strapped for cash.”

  “I’ll gladly toss in twenty million as your first investor.”

  Joel laid his arm across Sheba’s shoulder and gently pulled her as close as he could. “I can’t have you give me any more money. I can’t ask you for more. You’ve done plenty for me already. Just letting me crash here without any strings attached is more than I deserve.”

  “I believe in you.”

  He nodded in affirmation. She always had, which was what had drawn him to her from their initial meeting. Joel vividly remembered the day she walked into his office and handed him an eighteen-million-dollar donation to put toward the memorial library he was building in his father’s honor. Ever since their initial encounter, they’d spent days upon days together, mostly talking and being open—no games, no pretending, and no maneuvering. This was one of those visits.

  “I should probably head back to Detroit today, but I’m not going to. I’m not ready to face Zarah. I’ll need a few more days to figure out my next step.”

  “I’m sure she’s anxious to see you.”

  Joel stood and paced the room. “There’s my problem. She wants to see me, but I’m not eager to see her. Nothing has changed as far as my feelings are concerned.” He slid his hands into his pocket and hunched his shoulders. “I’d be lying if I said she’s the one for me.”

  “But you are married and expecting a child. That could sway your vote.”

  “What’s weird is that it doesn’t. I just don’t have the kind of passion for her that I want for my wife.” Joel felt empty when Zarah’s name rolled across his lips. There wasn’t a sense of longing or love, or a desire to caress her in his arms. There was nothing, which was sobering. He stopped pacing. “I never had it for Zarah. You know that.”

  “Maybe not yet, but in time, you can grow to love her and have a wonderful family together.”

  “It’s not easy. My mother and father loved each other, but it wasn’t enough. I’m sure my dad tried loving my mother completely, but I know he never did. She knows it too. Staying with Zarah for the sake of a child isn’t an easy decision. I’d basically be giving up my shot at happiness by settling into this arrangement.”

  “Well, it was an arrangement from the beginning,” Sheba gently reminded him. He didn’t take offense, because she was right.

  “How can I forget? I married Zarah as a favor to her father so he’d sell me their family business. At the time, I was making a sound business decision, or so I figured. I didn’t care if she believed in a totally different religion than I did. She worships a higher power, and it isn’t the same one you and I know. Isn’t that crazy? With my father being such a religious man, who loved God with his entire heart and built DMI on those principles, it’s inconceivable for me to marry someone who worships many gods. What was I thinking? Really, what was I thinking?” He slammed the palm of his hand against his forehead. “This marriage couldn’t help but to end badly.” He chuckled and then abruptly stopped. “And you think I’m smart. Right? Okay.”

  Sheba went to Joel and hugged him. “Don’t worry. The right decision will become clear for you.”

  “I hope so.” Nearly half a foot taller than Sheba, Joel leaned down and hugged her in return. “There is some good that has come out of this already,” he said. “Zarah forced me to say a prayer in the car while I was downtown.”

/>   “Really? My, my, my, now, that’s good news.”

  Joel rested his arm on Sheba as they strolled into the living room, where the sea of windows displayed the untamed beauty of Lake Michigan. “Sheba, it’s been a very long time since I actually prayed to God. He was probably thinking, Joel who? when I reached out to Him.” The two of them laughed and laughed. Joel felt the heaviness melting slightly. He kept Sheba close.

  “God hasn’t forgotten you. You might not have spent much time with Him, but He definitely remembers you.” She patted his chest. “Who can forget you, Mr. Joel Mitchell?”

  Joel was amused. “I sure hope He gives me some advice.”

  “Don’t worry,” Sheba said, laying her head against his chest. “I know you’ll do the right thing.”

  “Perhaps, if only I knew what the right thing was,” he said, soaking in the warmth of Sheba’s touch, the aura of the evening sky, and distancing himself from the problem Zarah represented. Morning would force its way in soon, but tonight belonged to him and Sheba exclusively. He wouldn’t waste a single second.

  Chapter 5

  Thursday morning looked like Wednesday and Tuesday and Monday, and so on. Zarah sat alone at the kitchen table. She’d suffered through several mornings of nausea, but the inconvenience didn’t compare to the joy blossoming within her. She was carrying Joel’s child. It was like a fantasy come true. The marriage hadn’t been good for him, but their troubles were going to fade. They were starting a family together. Zarah rested comfortably in her seat. Finally, she was going to be validated as a wife and a mother. She couldn’t imagine any satisfaction greater than what she was feeling at this precise instance. She sipped her tea, wanting to remain calm.

  “Would you like more tea?” the cook asked.