White Chocolate Moments (5 page)

"How is your hip feeling?"

"Good"

"Not stiff?"

"A little in the mornings sometimes:'

Arcineh's eyes stayed on him, and she knew he had something on his mind.

"What's wrong?" She minced no words.

"I was just wondering if you want to go to your father's office tomorrow?"

"When?"

"Whenever you want:'

"I have a math test in the morning, but then I think I could leave:'

"Do I call or send a note that I'm coming for you?"

"Could I maybe just go and take the test and leave?"

"Will they allow that?"

"Sure Arcineh answered easily, knowing that kids left for far less significant reasons. "Will we go to the cemetery too?" Arcineh suddenly asked.

"I wasn't planning on it, but we can:' Sam said, though he didn't want to.

Arcineh swiftly shook her head no, and Sam knew that on this

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matter they agreed. The following day's events did not come up again, but they proceeded just as Arcineh had predicted. Sam took her to school long enough to take her test and then took her to see her father's office.

"How did it go?" Violet asked Sam when they returned. Arcineh had gone directly to her room.

Sam shrugged a little. "She didn't say much, but I think we'll bring all of his effects here. That way if she wants to see them or have them, they'll be available'

Sam could still see her in his mind. Her face horribly pale, Arcineh slowly lowered herself into her father's desk chair and shivered as though she were freezing. Sam didn't speak; his own heart felt frozen in his chest. His son was gone. He couldn't remember the last time he'd told Trevor that he loved him or was proud of him, but he'd felt all of that and more. And now he was gone.

"Should I check on her?" Violet asked, cutting into Sam's reverie. "I'll do it," Sam told her, starting that way, but Arcineh beat him to it. She was already coming down the stairs.

"Can I have my dad's desk chair?" she blurted as soon as she saw her grandfather.

"Certainly"

Sam didn't know what she had expected him to say, but he could see that she was fighting tears. In his opinion, everything in the office already belonged to her.

"When can I have it?" she choked out.

"Today. I'll put it in my car and bring it to you:"

Arcineh nodded, but the trembling was back.

"It's all right:' Sam soothed as he went to her. "I didn't take you there so I could start getting rid of things. We'll bring it all here and tuck it away for you:'

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Arcineh clung to her grandfather, so desperate to hug her father that she didn't think she would make it. Her little body trembled with the intensity of her feelings, and Sam closed his eyes in equal pain.

Violet came from the kitchen just then to check on them both, spotted their embrace, and backed away. At the moment she felt as they both did: Life would never feel normal again.

"Mr. Bryant?" his secretary, Carlee, said, ringing him in his office midmorning the next day. "There is a Ms. Geneva Sperry here to see you. She says she's Arcie's dance teacher:'

"Please tell me you're joking," Sam said in a voice that told his secretary that he was in no mood for laughter.

"What do you want me to do?"

Carlee heard her employer sigh and waited.

"Send her in, but beep me with something in about 20 minutes:' "Will do:'

Carlee put the phone down and smiled at the interesting woman at her desk.

"You can go right in:'

"Thank you:' Geneva said sincerely, not having realized until she was in the building just how unlikely it was that Sam Bryant would agree to see her. Bryant Marble was on the top three floors of a huge office building, and Sam Bryant's own office was immense. The woman in the lobby had been hard enough to get past, but when Geneva spotted Sam's own secretary, she had all but given up.

"Come Sam greeted, suddenly at the door. "I'm Sam Bryant:' "Geneva Sperry. Thank you for seeing me:'

"Have a seat:' Sam invited without returning the compliment. He barely waited for Geneva to get settled in the sitting area of his office before saying, "What can I do for you?"

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"I'm here about Arcie. She told me she doesn't want to dance anymore, but I must admit that I rather hoped she wasn't serious:'

"And so you came to see me?" Sam asked, not rudely but with no enthusiasm.

"Yes. I don't know if you realize Arcie's talent. She just can't give it up:'

"You speak as though you've forgotten what she's lose

"I haven't:' Geneva's voice and face were most sincere. "But I feel that dance is very therapeutic, and when someone with Arcie's natural gift understands that, it's also healing:'

"Would it be just as healing if she were forced?"

Geneva, as sure and polished as she was, did not expect this question. However, she answered honestly. "No, it wouldn't be healing at all. I guess I just wanted to be heard:' She stopped for a moment, but made no sign of leaving. "I've been dancing since I was three, and teaching for almost 30 years. Arcie's talent is remarkable:'

Sam had heard the same from his son and believed it to be so, but he also knew dancing had to be his granddaughter's choice.

"If you want my honest opinion, I think Arcineh will dance again, but I don't think she'll make a living with it as I suspect you are hoping:'

Geneva nodded. He had read her very well. But Sam was not done.

"I would wish for her to return to your studio, Ms. Sperry, but I need to know from you that whether it be next week or two years from now, she'll be welcome:'

"What makes you think she'd be anything but?"

Sam smiled a little. "The more time that goes by, the more she loses. Indeed her hip might have made that decision for her. If she doesn't return to you soon, I do not want her greeted with guilt or regret that she didn't come back sooner. Or passed over out of malice

Geneva was impressed, and nodded her head a little. "I'm glad you've made that very clear, and I'm also glad to tell you that's not

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who I am. It's true that in some schools in Chicago she would never be allowed in again, truly allowed:' Geneva qualified. "But not with me. Arcie will always be welcome at my school and given parts that match her skill." She shrugged a little. "You are correct in your assessment that she may have lost or will lose something with this absence, and her parts in performances will reflect that, but there will be no malice. Not from me, and not from anyone on my staff."

Sam nodded, pleased that he'd been understood. A moment later, the intercom on his telephone beeped.

"That will be my secretary getting me out of this meeting as I asked her to do:' Sam said, one corner of his mouth lifting. "As it was, I did not need to be rescued, Ms. Sperry, but if we've covered everything, I do have work:'

"Certainly, Mr. Bryant. Thank you for seeing me:'

"Thank you for your care of Arcineh. May I tell her you stopped?"

"Absolutely. I would want her to know."

Sam saw Geneva to the door, had a word with Carlee, and went back to work. He planned to tell Arcineh all about the visit, but a call came in at the end of the day that sent the dance instructor's visit from his mind.

"Tonight?" Arcineh question again. "You have to leave tonight?"

"Yes, but I should be home on Friday:' he said, packing all the while. "Violet will be here

Arcineh did not look comforted. She knew her grandfather's work took him far and wide, but it never once occurred to her that he would leave her.

Sam saw Arcineh's pale face at that moment and stopped what he was doing. He sat on the bed, his gentle hands on her shoulders as he brought her to stand in front of him.

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"If I could send Mason, I would, but I've got unhappy people in Italy, and I've got to handle this myself."

"What if something happens? What if you don't come back?"

"I'm going to come back:' Sam said with extreme confidence. "I'll call you when I get there. I'll call you with my hotel number, and Violet will have all my flight information. I'll be home before you can miss me."

Arcineh did not look convinced.

"Why don't you ask your friend over? What was her name-- Daisy?"

"She lives far away from here"

"I'll call before I leave and see if she can come home from school with you tomorrow and, just this once, spend the night on a school night."

"Really?" Arcineh perked up a bit.

"Really"

Arcineh nodded. Her face was still pale, but her heart was willing to take the proffered olive branch.

"I don't have to leave for an hour, so as soon as I'm done packing I'll call Daisy's house, and then you and I can sit and talk'

Arcineh nodded again, seeing that he
was
going to leave. She would have preferred him even to Daisy, a fact that was confirmed by the way she remained within inches of his side until he exited for the airport.

CREVE COEUR, MISSOURI

Quinn snapped at Austin during dinner, an occurrence that wasn't all that strange, but she was short even with her father. Tiffany took all of this in stride, but when it didn't stop and bedtime neared, she decided to confront her daughter.

"Who is it?" Quinn barked when Tiffany knocked on her door.

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Tiffany opened the door, feeling a headache coming on. "I've come to talk to you. What's going on?"

"I don't know what you mean:' Quinn said obstinately, not meeting her mother's eyes.

"Yes, you do. Now, let's have it."

Quinn was not silent for long. Holding her feelings in had never been a strong point of her personality, and she was simply too frustrated to even try.

"I don't want to show my horse this weekend. I want to see Grandpa. We haven't talked in months:"

This was not true, but Tiffany was used to such exaggerations from her children.

"You can't miss this performance:' Tiffany reasoned. "I wish you'd said something earlier. We could have called:'

"It's not the same by phone, and he's probably doing something with Arcie."

Tiffany heard a tone in her daughter that not even she could ignore.

"I won't have that attitude, Quinn. That's nothing but selfishness:'

Quinn did not take the rebuke well, but Tiffany didn't care. She told her daughter in clear terms that they would get her to Chicago as soon as possible, but that no one was going to live with her attitude.

Tiffany did not wait to see what Quinn had to say. She went to her own room to find something for her headache. She then readied for bed but became wide awake when Jeremy made an appearance. She told him all about Quinn's attitude, wondering all the while where her daughter learned such self-centered tendencies.

ebb.

CHICAGO

"We're going to Europe this summer:' Daisy told Arcineh when the hour was very late.

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"When?"

"Not until July. It'll be beastly hot, my mom says, but that's when Dad has business and that's when we'll go."

"For how long?"

"I think for two weeks:'

"Where exactly?"

"I don't know."

"My grandpa's in Italy right now:"

"Have you been?"

"No:'

Arcineh felt lonely for Sam just then, but Daisy didn't notice. She was also starting to feel sleepy and said, "We're going to be so tired tomorrow:' her voice scratchy with the late hour.

"Yes, and my mom will say, 'Never again:"

"Moms always say that:'

The comment was not all that funny, but both girls laughed until they were red in the face. It seemed to be just what they needed. Not even bothering with the light, they both drifted off to sleep. Only after Violet checked on them some 30 minutes later was the room left in darkness.

CREVE COEUR

"Oh, Grandpa!" Quinn pulled the emerald necklace from the box, just about squealing in delight. "I love it:'

Sam smiled with love at her, never letting on about his little secret. Violet had been buying the gifts for his children and grandchildren for more years than he could recall. Certainly the credit card was in his name, but Violet did all the work while he took the praise.

Looking on, Arcineh smiled from her place in the room, but in her heart she knew something was wrong. She had not seen Quinn since her last visit to Chicago several weeks earlier. They had tried to arrange a visit but could manage nothing but phone calls, and all the

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calls had been to her grandfather. Nevertheless Arcineh had been sure that they would pick up where they ended, but from the moment she arrived, Quinn had been a bit cool with her. Arcineh had never seen her like this, and she was nothing short of crushed with how often Quinn wanted to do things with just their grandfather. They were both finally done with school, and Arcineh assumed that they would be making every sort of plan to be together in the next few months, but Quinn said not one word about wanting to see Arcineh.