A Memory Unchained (14 page)

As he approached her table, she caught her breath. Keep

cool, remember, he’s a thing of the past. She kept repeating that phrase as the handsome Jeff Desmond came closer.

Jeff didn’t stop to say hello to anyone, he walked directly to her, bent down and kissed her. He wasted no time trying to explain the beautiful blonde in the restaurant! “You left, you didn’t let me explain,” he said quickly.

“You don’t owe me any explanation!” Pamela replied

sharply.

“But I want to explain!” A stern look crossed his fore-

head.

“Not now, I called you on business. I want to talk to

you about that first. Then we’ll get to us.”

Jeff could see she was serious and agreed, half-heart-

edly.

“Okay, shoot, what’s this all about?”

“Better get comfortable, it’s a long story, but one that

A Memory Unchained___________ 127

I think will interest you.”

“You are what interests me. But go ahead.” He smiled

but he caught her chastising look.

“Okay, okay,” he muttered. “I’ll listen.”

It took Pamela a while to get to the real proposition.

Finally, she finished by saying, “It really boils down to this: Grant needs a silent backer, financial help to be more specific, so that he can market Rex Dupar originals in his European chain!”

Jeff had listened intently. Then he asked a question.

“It would seem strange to put money, silent or not, into

someone else’s department store and not my own.”

“That’s where I come in,” she said. “I’m the agent for

Rex Dupar and a partner of Grant Mondane’s.”

Jeff looked shocked. Then he asked the real question.

“What’s in it for me?”

“Thirty-five percent and a partnership in Dupar’s

creations, and exclusive rights to marketing in the United States.”

“Sounds interesting. Who’s this Grant anyway?”

“Are you familiar with the chain ‘Le Mondanes’ of Eu-

rope? They are his. He has some financial problems but this venture could cure all that. He’s young and disgustingly

ambitious, and wonderful!” She was bubbling over.

“You sound impressed.” Jeff looked at her. The look

in his eyes seemed to be filled with questions he wanted

to ask.

“So, you’re not going to talk to me about us yet?”

“Not yet, business is business,” she said.

Jeff hesitated but listened to Pamela’s presentation. He

liked what she was saying. It was impressive.

128 __________________Gloria Graham

“When can I meet these two men in your life? Sounds

like you haven’t been lonely in Europe!” he snapped.

“Grant and Rex will both be arriving this week. We can

meet Thursday evening. Is that alright?”

Jeff nodded in agreement.

He walked with her to her car.

“You’re not being fair to us, you know, but I’m a patient man.” He grinned. His eyes sparkled. A wisp of hair the

wind had caught hung slightly over his forehead. Pamela

caught herself staring.

“Goodbye for now,” he said as he turned and walked

away.

Pamela watched him. She touched her lips. She could

still feel the tingle of his kiss when they met.

“Why couldn’t it be different. He could so easily sweep

me off my feet, take me in his arms, carry me away.” She

wiped a tear from the corner of her eye.

“If,” she whispered. She wondered why she had been

so stubborn. They could have talked. She had been stub-

born and selfish.

“I blew it,” she grumbled. “I really blew it this time!”

Pamela sat for a moment. She decided to add Jeff’s

name to her Thursday calendar.

She glanced at the arrival schedule.

Grant – flight 210 – 2:00 PM Thursday

Rex – flight 923 – 2:30 PM Friday

Jill – flight 423 – 2:23 PM Thursday

She wondered how she would manage to meet both

Grant and Jill at opposite ends of the airport!

Thursday came quickly and Pamela hurried to meet

Grant in the airport lobby. He quickly grabbed her and

A Memory Unchained___________ 129

twirled her around, kissing her on the cheek.

“You did it,” he yelled. “He’s going to meet with us!”

“It’s up to you and Rex now!” She patted his shoulder.

She rushed him to the ramp where Jill’s plane was due

in.

“There’s Jill’s plane now.” Pamela waited anxiously for

her to enter the waiting room.

“I can’t wait to meet your little girl” Grant waited pa-

tiently beside her.

Jill waved and ran to hug Pamela while Grant stood by

with his mouth open.

Pamela introduced them. “I can’t believe this is your

not-so-little girl.” He smiled.

Jill’s face expressed shock when she saw him.

“She’s every bit as beautiful as you said she was.” Grant smiled.

Jill smiled, but she was visibly disturbed.

“Mom, can I talk to you a minute, alone?”

“Excuse us, will you Grant? We’ll be right back.”

He looked puzzled. “Sure,” he said. “I’ll be at the bag-

gage ramp.”

Jill whispered urgently, “I’ve seen him before, Mom.

At school. He spoke to the fashion department last year,”

she said breathlessly.

“Really, he told me he did some speaking tours, but I

never asked where.”

“He’s handsome. I adored him then, I think you’d call

it a school girl crush!”

“Well, let’s keep it our secret. Just calm down and be

yourself.” Pamela put her arms around Jill.

“He doesn’t remember me, that’s for sure!” Jill re-

130 __________________Gloria Graham

torted.

“Did you meet him in person?” Pamela asked.

“I sure did. He dated my roommate! I was very envi-

ous.”

“That’s in the past my darling.” Pamela smiled and

squeezed her hand. They walked arm in arm back to the

handsome, smiling young man. Pamela watched Grant’s

face. She wondered if he remembered their last night to-

gether in Paris.

Pamela insisted that Grant escort Jill to the baggage

room while she checked on the time schedules for the

next day.

Rex would be arriving for their meeting on the two

o’clock flight from Paris.

When Pamela finally caught up with Jill and Grant

they were laughing and talking with each other like old

friends.

Jill had put on her most sophisticated, lady-like façade, and Grant was trying hard to impress her, as Mr. Big.

Pamela laughed to herself. It would only be a matter

of time, she thought.

Jill insisted that Grant stay at their apartment for the

night, at least until Rex arrived. Pamela agreed.

As the evening progressed, all the false pretenses went

their way and Jill and Grant began to relax and show their true selves. It was evident they liked what they saw!

The morning passed quickly as they prepared to meet

Rex’s plane. Pamela was excited about Rex’s arrival. She

felt proud to be his “chosen one.” It was a responsibility that she didn’t take lightly.

They arrived at the airport ahead of time, just in case

A Memory Unchained___________ 131

the plane was early. They waited in vain as the passengers exited the plane.

When he didn’t get off the plane, Pamela went to the

arrival desk.

“I’m concerned about one of your passengers we are

meeting today. Could you check to see if Mr. Rex Dupar

was on board from Paris?” The attendant scrolled the pas-

senger list.

“I’m sorry, he is not listed.” She said.

“Are you sure this is the entire list?” Pamela’s voice was filled with emotion by then.

“Let me check to see our cancellation list.” She of-

fered.

“I’m so sorry ma’am, there was a last minute cancella-

tion from Mr. Dupar in Paris.”

Pamela looked at Grant, then to Jill, she was visibly

disturbed.

Pamela was upset that Rex was not

aboard the flight. Her throat tightened, her hands were

clammy. Her imagination ran wild. He knew how impor-

tant this meeting was. He wouldn’t just miss his plane! Her heart pounded as she choked with emotion.

She called Jeff to explain what was happening. “He’s a

big boy. Probably missed his plane for some good reason,

don’t worry!” He sounded irritated at her concern and not the least bit upset. “Our meeting,” she stammered, “we’ll just...”

Jeff interrupted her quickly. “I’ll meet with the boy

– what’s his name – Grant?”

“Yes, Grant. Do you think that will work out?” She

hesitated.

134 __________________Gloria Graham

“Sure, you come too. We need time to talk privately!”

he added.

Pamela agreed as she hung up the phone. A feeling of

nervousness and depression came over her. She closed her

eyes and paid a silent prayer for Rex wherever he was.

Pamela had to tear Grant away from Jill. Trying to

turn his attention from her beautiful daughter to business wasn’t easy!

“Do you think I can present this deal to him?” Grant

seemed a bit nervous as he questioned Pamela.

“Just be yourself,” she advised. “Jeff likes ordinary

people! Remember, we have something he’s interested in.”

She smiled.

Grant expressed how disappointed he was that Rex

would not be with him on their first meeting. “I just

hope nothing bad has happened or that he has changed

his mind!”

Pamela nodded in agreement. Her face was visibly

shaken by the absence of Rex on the plane.

In his office, Jeff was an entirely different man. He was not at all the dashing, carefree playboy he appeared to be after hours. He was to the point and very businesslike. He projected the business tycoon that he was known to be in

the industry.

His office was immaculate, organized and elegant.

Pamela was so impressed. This was her first visit into his business world.

“You like it?” he asked. Jeff had been watching her

scrutinize the surroundings.

“I’m overwhelmed,” she responded, looking into his

silvery blue eyes that hadn’t left her for a minute.

A Memory Unchained___________ 135

Grant reached his hand out to shake Jeff’s. Grant was

nervous, but shook his hand with confidence.

Pamela stayed with them just long enough to introduce

the two men and to state her position in the pending

corporation.

As she spoke, Jeff watched her closely. At times he had

a wistful, faraway look in his eyes. Pamela noticed but

she tried to ignore it and keep her mind on the merger at hand.

“I must leave you two, but I’ll be back in a couple of

hours. I’m going to try and find out what has happened

to Rex.” She smiled at the two very attractive men look-

ing at her.

Pamela hadn’t planned on leaving them at all, but she

was concerned about Rex and her heart overcame the

business venture.

“Will we have time later on?” Jeff questioned her as

he helped her put her soft white angora sweater around

her shoulders. She looked like something out of Vogue in

her burnt orange Shantung dress that clung softly to ev-

ery curve of her beautiful body. A dress she had designed herself for just such a moment.

“Later,” she agreed and smiled with a promising look.

A knot in her breast made her feel she and Jeff were playing a cat and mouse game with each other and she didn’t

know why. She calmed her feelings by reminding herself,

“God is in control, relax Pamela!”

At the airport, Jill helped her mother search for different telephone numbers to call and check on Rex. Every call

ended in desperation. No one seemed to know anything

except that he left his office with plans to fly to the United 136 __________________Gloria Graham

States.

“How far did he get?” she questioned. She was becom-

ing more concerned with each call.

Finally, after a bevy of calls, she reached Rex’s secretary, the woman she met the afternoon Rex had given Pamela

her own fashion show. She realized immediately they were

not going to be able to communicate. His secretary knew

very little English and Pamela’s French was atrocious!

“Say that again.” Pamela thumbed rapidly through

her French dictionary. His secretary repeated her sentence slowly – Pamela caught one word – hospital – her heart

sank. Rex’s secretary gave her a phone number to call.

Pamela’s hand trembled as she dialed the operator. Jill

stood close to her, holding her tightly. Tears streamed down Pamela’s cheeks.

“I’m afraid of what I’ll find out.” Her eyes showed the

agony she was in.

The phone number was located in England. Pamela

had no idea who she was calling.

Jill squeezed her mother’s hand. “Try the number – you

must,” she urged.

A woman’s voice, very clear and audible, came over

the line.

“I’m a friend of Rex Dupar’s – in America. Can you tell

me anything about him?” Her voice choked up.

The woman cleared her throat. “Yes. I’m his Aunt Lydia.

And who are you please,” she questioned.

Pamela tried to explain hurriedly, but had to stop. She

was so upset she couldn’t think of the right things to say.

She finally made Aunt Lydia understand who she was.

“Pamela Thornton you say?” she asked again.

A Memory Unchained___________ 137

“Yes, in the United States. I must know, is Rex alright?”

Pamela was tired of all the explaining she had done and

now she begged for answers! Her voice sounded of irrita-