Family Pieces (36 page)

“Wake up, sleepy head.” A hand gently shook her shoulder. “You’re still here?” He questioned, noticing an intriguing familiarity about her that he couldn’t quite put his finger on.

Groggily, Karsen processed the familiar voice. Her eyes struggled to focus through her dried out contacts.

“Hi,” she said.

“I’m beginning to think you’re homeless,” Jacob replied.

She groaned as she sat up. “No, just fell asleep I guess. What are you doing back here anyway?” She reached over her shoulder to rub out the kink. Her whole body ached.

“Boss lady needs her coffee.” He lifted a travel tray with two venti-sized cups. “One for me today, too. Some girl kept me out past my bed time.” He tried to fathom why she would still be there. She seemed intelligent, not like some weirdo camping out in a public facility.

“Sorry.” She looked at her watch. “Shit!” It was already well past seven o’clock. How many people had watched her drool on herself? She slunk down in embarrassment.

“You sure you’re okay?” Jacob asked.

“Yeah. Go. I have a feeling we might run into each other again sometime.” She attempted to smile, certain she must look a mess.

“Looking forward to it.” Jacob turned to leave, thinking the chances of that happening were up there with winning the lottery.

Karsen stared at herself in the ladies’ room mirror. Her mascara had smudged, leaving dash marks around her eyes, and her ponytail holder had slid down and now dangled two-inches from the end of her hair. This was not how she wanted to present herself, certain the ‘Hi, I’m your homeless sister’ look wouldn’t make Addison long for a reunion. She changed into fresh clothes and pulled out her make-up bag, trying every trick she knew to cover the dark circles under her eyes. Two ladies entered. They grimaced at her in disgust as if she truly were living in the hotel lobby.

When she felt remotely respectable, she stuffed her belongings back into her bag. She closed her eyes and visualized a positive outcome one last time. “See it. Believe it. Receive it.” Wasn’t that the latest self-help catch phrase?

She backtracked the two blocks from yesterday. People scurried around her, glaring in annoyance at her snail’s pace. Last night, she couldn’t get there fast enough. Now, her feet felt like they were burdened by cinder blocks. Maybe Brad was right. She second-guessed her actions and for the first time she questioned her sanity. Addison had clearly pushed her away. What if she did so now? What if she had her arrested? Then what?

She entered the building, looking around her in amazement. She even double-checked the address to make sure she was in the same place. The lobby, so desolate hours ago, bustled with activity. Daylight allowed the lavish ambiance to emanate through. Marble floors meticulously shined. The black granite reception counter glistened as Karsen approached.

“Hello. I’m here to see Addison Reynolds.” She felt awkward lugging her travel bag with her.

“Certainly, Miss. Take the elevator to the thirty-seventh floor. You’ll see the
Urbane
reception desk. The receptionist will help you from there.”

“Thank you.”

Karsen boarded the elevator and squeezed in among a flock of business executives. Her casual dress appeared amiss alongside their stark black suits. As she reached for the console to push the button for the thirty-seventh floor, her bag swung uneasily into the shin of a woman, the zipper snagging her panty hose.

“Oh, I’m really sorry!” Karsen sputtered, mortified at her klutziness. The woman grimaced, giving Karsen a withering look as the door mercifully opened onto the next floor and she exited.

Karsen continued to ride up floor by floor, thankfully with no further incidents. The door chimed as it opened into the lobby of
Urbane
. In front of her, a semi-circular black, granite desk stood. Behind it there was a large glass wall etched with the
Urbane
logo.

“Hi. I’m here to see Addison Reynolds.” She told the girl behind desk, who looked younger than she did.

“Down the hall, third desk on the left is her assistant.”

Karsen stepped around the entryway and into a vast field of cubicles, quite desolate looking considering the creativeness of the publication. An incessant surge of phone calls penetrated the area, making it sound like the clatter of a casino floor.

She reeled her way around the floor as the receptionist had directed her and waited for the woman behind the desk to end her call.

“May I help you?” Marjorie asked, the phone still tucked under her chin.

“I’m here to see Addison Reynolds, please.”

Marjorie punched a few strokes on her keyboard. She squinched her nose surveying Addison’s schedule before looking up. “Is she expecting you?”

“Not exactly.” Karsen wobbled unsteadily on her feet, trying to adjust her bag strap back onto her shoulder.

“I’m sorry. She’s not in at the moment. I can let her know you were here.” Marjorie said, making a mental note to explain to the new receptionist up front that
she
is supposed to be the gatekeeper.

“Oh. Okay.”

“And you are?”

Karsen couldn’t help it. The tears welled up over the brims of her eyelids. “Never mind.” Her voice cracked as she turned and ran, retracing her path to the elevator. The door opened and Karsen kept her gaze toward the floor to avoid all of the stares. As one foot stepped across the threshold, a hand grasped her arm, whisking her around slightly. The face staring back at her was graced with the familiar features of her own. Both stood, unmoving.

“You look like me,” Addison gasped, then stared. She wasn’t expecting Karsen, but an unusual feeling swept through her and she intrinsically knew who she was as soon as she saw her.

“Addison?”

“What are you doing here?” Addison asked, knowing for certain to whom she was speaking.

“I’m sorry. I had to come. Please don’t call the police.”

“Come on.” Addison stepped into the elevator, pulling Karsen the remainder of the way in. “Not here.”

They rode silently to the lobby. As they passed the reception desk, Addison took Karsen’s bag from her and handed it to the attendant behind the desk. “Can you watch this for us?” She turned back to Karsen, “Don’t worry, they’ll make sure nothing happens to it.”

The two walked out onto the sidewalk and Addison hailed a cab. Karsen followed trustingly, zipping her coat the remainder of the way up. Climbing into the cab, she shivered more from anxiety than the cold. She knew Brad would not approve of her climbing into any vehicle with what basically was still a stranger, but she had come too far not to. The cab navigated the congested streets until they arrived at Central Park. Neither spoke along the way. Addison paid the cabbie and led Karsen down a tree-lined pathway. As they walked, Karsen marveled at the size of Central Park. She’d seen only the glimpses of it in movies. The park was more extensive then she could have imagined. Addison stopped at a secluded bench where people were still visible but not close enough to eavesdrop. They sat down facing one another. Karsen’s body tingled with nerves.

“Wow.” Addison spoke first. She scanned Karsen meticulously. The once-over would have been considered rude in any other situation, but Addison couldn’t help herself. She felt as if she were looking into a mirror that took her back eighteen years.

Karsen hesitated to speak. She stared back at her sister in disbelief. She didn’t know what to expect. At least Addison hadn’t thrown her out. Maybe there was a chance for them to connect or to at least hear her out.

“I was going to e-mail you back,” Addison finally said. “I’m sorry if I came off harshly before. It wasn’t my intention.”

“It’s okay. I guess I understand.”

“I can’t believe how much you look like me. I’m gobsmacked.”

Karsen couldn’t help but smile. “You could imagine my thoughts at realizing you were my sister.”

“How did you find me anyway?”

Karsen reached into her purse and pulled out the magazine photo of Addison.

“I saw this.”

Then she reached in and pulled the chain out from under her shirt. She held her charm for Addison to see.

“Oh, I see.” Addison paused. Her posture relaxed as the reality set in. She looked less like a businesswoman and more like a friend. She slid the glove off of her right hand and pulled her own charm out from around her neck. “Why now? Why you?” She felt a sudden surge of confused emotions envelop her. Here she was sitting in front of her sister. A sibling she always wished she’d had. But also the sister her mother chose to keep when she had been given away.

“She never told us,” Karsen said. “My mom. She never told us about you.”

“Oh.” Addison’s face reflected her disappointment. Her mother hadn’t been interested in finding her after all.

Karsen sensed her distress. “If I had known.” Her voice shook. “If I had known I had a sister, I would have found you. I’m sure she would have wanted to find you, too. I believe she thought she was protecting everyone, Addison. My mom, our mom,” she corrected, “was the most compassionate person…”

“Was?” Addison interrupted.

Karsen felt her eyes well up. “She passed away in January.”

“I see… I’m sorry” Addison didn’t know what to say. She felt deflated. She laid her hand on Karsen’s. Her heart ached with longing for the mother she’d never have an opportunity to meet. The mother Karsen had obviously deeply loved.

“Me, too,” Karsen said. She explained the details of the accident, how she discovered the missing charm, and the subsequent journey that had brought her to New York.

Addison no longer felt guarded. She justified her prior actions to Karsen. She shared her fear of hurting her adoptive parents. “I went back to find her once, when I was fourteen. I saw her…Katherine. I saw her with the two of you. You were all playing in the yard and looked like the picture-perfect family. I suppose I felt rejected. She could love you, but not me. I couldn’t bring myself to approach her.” Addison felt more tears emerge. “And now, I’ve lost my chance.”

Karsen listened intently. She could hear the pain in Addison’s voice. One she couldn’t imagine until the day of her mother’s accident.

“Karsen, I love my life. I love my family, but the money, the work. It all took away from the closeness,” Addison continued. “My dad worked fourteen-hour days. I was in bed before he came home. He was gone before I got up. My mom loved me. But she was involved in so many activities. Charity events. Luncheons. I dreamed of trading it all for a chance to have what I saw that day.”

Both sniffled as their tears faded. Karsen felt the connection between Addison and herself building as they talked. She had found her sister and within her lay the answers she needed to help make her choice. She vacillated about whether to disclose her pregnancy. She worried Addison would misinterpret her actions as an attempt for a handout. She didn’t want her money. All she wanted was to know that Addison felt her life was worth living. If that were true, she could give her child a chance at life even if that meant she wasn’t in it.

Hanna stared out the window as their flight made its descent into JFK. She had never visited New York and was a bit disappointed this trip would not allow for some sightseeing. They were on a strict mission: Find Karsen and take her home.

Hanna squeezed Brad’s hand as the loud swoosh of the brakes subsided and the plane lulled to a halt. She didn’t know what to say to ease his anxiety or brighten his mood.

Grabbing their single carry-on, they exited the plane. Brad led Hanna by the hand through the maze of the terminal and outside where they hopped into the first available taxi. Uncertain where to begin, Brad handed the driver the address for
Urbane
.

“You okay?” Hanna asked. He had been withdrawn since they landed. Brad attempted a smile and raised her hand to his lips. The kiss warmed her but his expression reflected otherwise.

His concern grew. He had tried Karsen’s cell four times since they landed, and she had not answered. He had not spoken to her since the night before. Rationally, he knew she was an adult who, for all practical purposes, should be able to take care of herself. Emotionally, she was his baby sister once again in need of protection.

Arriving at
Urbane
, Brad and Hanna entered the lobby and were directed as Karsen had been just a few hours earlier. Hanna felt more than a little self-conscious as she found herself at the center of the world’s leading fashion magazine, knowing she must look a sight after flying all night.