Carpe Bead'em (29 page)

“Hallie.” Sam gives me an enthusiastic
greeting. He hugs me. “When did you get back?”

“Late last night. It feels good to be
back.” It is good to be back. The welcoming of the weather, the familiar feeling.
“The marathon is soon.” I take a cup of water from him.

“Will your friend be joining you anytime
soon?” He refers to Bo.

“I don’t think so.” I shake my head and
walk toward the street. Bo hasn’t tried to contact me and I’m going to put it
out of my mind. “See you later.”

The feeling I get from running starts to
quickly fade once I look at the boxes I still need to unpack. I get my Buddha
out and put him back on my bedside table. My thoughts are cut short by the
phone with a number I don’t recognize.

“Hello?”

“Is Hallie there, please?” the mystery
voice asks.

“This is her.” Which bill did I forget
to pay now? I start thumbing through my calendar. Chase is already due?

“I am calling on behalf of Judith Light
with Nordstrom. She is curious to see when you will be back in Chicago to
meet?”

Now! Right now!

“I got in last night. I’d love to come
by today.” Knowing it is Saturday, I’m sure she isn’t in, but I want her to
know I‘m eager to meet her.

“Fine. Let’s say one hour.” The
assistant doesn’t give me an option. “What’s your address?”

“One West Superior,” I utter. I’m
curious. Is she coming here?

“Great. A car will be waiting for you in
one hour.” The mystery voice hangs up the phone. Is this really happening? Do I
need to call Prudence?

Panic, I dial, hating to bother her love
week with Wilson. But I need her.

“Thanks.” Prudence sounds frazzled on
the other end of the phone.

“For what?” I hope I didn’t wake her up.

“A fistfight. That’s what.” She sounds
really mad. “Or haven’t you heard?”

I must be living in the Twilight zone.
Nordstrom is in one part of my brain and Prudence in the other. I rub my
forehead.

“No I haven’t, but I have a meeting in
one hour with Nordstrom. Can you come?”

“Yes, only because you are going to make
millions, not because I am a little mad at you.”

“What the hell happened?” I ask.

“We went to Bo’s bar last night and Bo
punched Wilson.”

Oh, shit!
I didn’t think
their paths would ever cross.

I lay back on my bed, putting my pillow
on top to escape the thought.

“He accused Wilson of cheating on you
with your best friend and what type of guy Wilson is. Then he punches him
breaking his nose. We’ve been in the emergency room the entire night.”

“I’m so sorry, Prudence.  Did Wilson
tell you what happened?”

“He told Bo visited you in Cincinnati,
and when you came up here, you caught him and Piper in a hug. Then you came up
with some crazy plan in your head that he agreed to it.” Prudence isn’t
laughing. “I will be there in forty minutes.”

I put the phone down, pondering why Bo
would do that to Wilson. I’m sure he and Piper are together, and that he
doesn’t care about me or my feelings.

Chapter
Fifty-Six

“What have you been doing in Cincinnati
to warrant this?” Sam is checking out the limo sent by Judith Light. Prudence
gets in like a champ as I dance around on how to enter. With my head first or
feet first?

“What?” I cast my eyes on Prudence.

“Feet first.” She twirls her finger,
pointing to my feet. “Didn’t you learn anything from Carrie Bradshaw all those
years?”

I step in one foot after the other.

“We’re going to go into this with the
same deal we did Saks.” She shows me one of the spreadsheets.

“Do you think that’s a good idea?” I
question her tactics because I haven’t heard from Saks and maybe her deal isn’t
the best deal.

“Got us the deal.” She hands me a
contract for a two season deal. “Surprise!”

“Prudence!” I scream so loud that the
window between me and the chauffeur comes down. “Oh, sorry.” I put my hand over
my mouth and look into his eyes glaring back at me from his rearview mirror.
The window rolls back up.

“When?” I ask. My heart is sinking down
to my feet.

“Two days ago. I told them I wasn’t
going to tell you until all ties with the boutique were cut.” She has her
finger on a very large number. “This is a big number, Hallie.”

I can’t stop saying the number in my
head.

“Don’t screw it up.” She warns me.

We walk in Nordstrom with our heads held
high.

“Nice to meet you.” Judith is much older
than I had pictured. She’s at least in her seventies. “I have to admit when
Grace told me about your line, I had no idea how lovely it really is.”

“Your aunt?” she says, reading the
confusion in my face.

“My aunt?” I question. And it clicks.
“My Aunt Grace. She called you?”

“Yes. She helped me get my start in
fashion years ago.” She pulls a frame from her bookshelf of a much younger Aunt
Grace, sporting a vintage Gucci. If I know Gucci and I know Gucci, she is
holding the 1960s pale taupe calfskin bag. “We were sad to lose her when she
had to quit and take custody of her twelve-year-old niece.”

My heart is breaking. I can’t believe
she had a life like mine and gave it all away for me.

“I’m that twelve-year-old niece.” I feel
shame.

“Yes, I know.” Judith took the frame and
put it back on the shelf. “I must say, I was taken aback when I heard she
passed last week.” Judith pulls that 1960s bag from a Gucci dust bag, “Grace
sent me this just a few days before her passing.”

Judith hands me the bag. I open it to
find Aunt Grace’s letter to Judith and a few Beadnicks sample bracelets she
must’ve taken when she stayed with me. The letter told Judith my life story,
about Gucci and my jewelry line.

“She loves you.” Judith props herself on
the edge of her desk and crosses her arms. “And I love your work.”

I think Prudence is as shocked as I am.
She doesn’t even try any lawyering.

“I went ahead and showed your line to
corporate. I know you have a couple seasons with Saks, but we want to jump on
with four seasons.” She gives the paperwork to Prudence.

Prudence gives her approval. With papers
signed and the 1960s Gucci on my arm, I can’t believe it. Aunt Grace completely
stuck her neck out for me. She is the reason I am sitting here with Judith
making the deal of a lifetime.

Chapter
Fifty-Seven

That night, everyone gathers at
Flatwater to celebration by beading success. I even invited Monk, since he gave
me wonderful advice.

Next week, and, for the next twenty-plus
years, my life begins and ends with beading.

Staring out at the boats coming and going
from the canal, I look up at Al Capone’s mysterious office and get a calm
feeling blankets me. Three months ago I would’ve never dreamed I’d be standing
here with my three best girlfriends celebrating my new hobby that’s turned into
a big success.

The least successful of the four has
become the most successful. Talk about irony.

“Congratulations,” Monk says, leaning
over the balcony.

“Thank you. You up for the task of being
my accountant?” It is the least I can do for all the advice he’s given me.
“Wait, how did you hear?”

“Bo.” He looks around. “You know he’s
not the same since you’ve been gone. Actually, I’ve never seen him so wiped.
It’s funny not seeing him at the bar every night.”

“What do you mean?” I don’t want to hear
that he’s been spending all his time with Piper.

“Since he came back from Cincinnati, he
doesn’t come to work at night. He hired a night shift manager. Something I’ve
been trying to do for months.”

“There you are.” Piper, of all people,
walks up behind us. I wince at the thought of Bo following behind.
“Congratulations, Hallie. I was telling Monk about it.”

What? My brain that’s going one hundred
miles per hour has slammed into my skull.

I bend down and pick my bottom lip off
the Flatwater patio when Monk leans over and kisses Piper on the cheek.

“Didn’t you know Monk and I?” Her finger
wiggles between the two. “Didn’t Bo tell you?” She laughs and rubs her hand
along Monk’s chest.

“No.” I’m blown over, I’m so floored. “I
thought you and Bo….”

“What?” She looks appalled at the
thought. “What gave you that idea?”

“The day you were in Gucci, you had on
Bo’s Wednesday t-shirt and you wanted me to go to Cincinnati .…”

She interrupts me. “You think
I
sent
you away? Hallie, I was going to quit Gucci to be with Monk, but they asked me
about a replacement and I suggested you. It was their final decision. As for
the t-shirt, I’d stayed the night with Monk at the bar and the only thing there
for me to wear was Bo’s t-shirt from his laundry basket.”

Oh my God. I faintly remember Bo telling
me that he and Monk do their laundry at the bar, using the washer and dryer
there.

“I wondered why you were so mean to me
that morning.” She is satisfied, while I’m still miffed.

“Piper, I am so sorry.” I can’t believe
how shallow I was, and how stupid I’ve been. Talk about crazy.

“I think you have some explaining to
Bo,” she says. and Monk agrees before they walk off hand and hand.

“What was that all about?” Prudence
points in Piper and Monk’s direction.

“I think I really messed up.” I can
hardly eat my favorite braised short-rib dinner.

“What are you thinking?” Georgia
suspiciously takes in my face. She sees my wheels turning. “Don’t do anything
to make it worse.”

I have a hard time falling asleep. I
really need to talk to Bo, and explain my side of the story. I only hope he can
forgive me. I must’ve fallen asleep from worry, because I jump up as soon as my
alarm goes off.  Quickly, I get a shower and put my hair in a low pony. I put
on my forever 21 short running shorts and Bo’s Sunday t-shirt. Since it is
Sunday, I might as well keep up the tradition.

Looking in the mirror, the t-shirt is a
little long. I tie a knot in the back just above the elastic band of my shorts.
I think I’ll start down by the fountain where the real race is going to start.

“Hallie, you’re back.” I’m relieved to
see a couple of people from my running group, stretching out. This means Bo is
around.

“I am. I didn’t know you would be here.”
I lie, yet again with my fingers crossed.

“We’ve been running the route. Looks
like you need to catch up.” Bo is standing behind me with a new Sunday shirt
on. “Nice shirt. Funny, I lost it in Cincinnati.”

“Funny, I found it in my drawer.”

The group starts without us.

“I heard about last night.” His eyes are
much softer at this meeting. “Piper told me everything.”

I can’t bring myself to look at him.
It’s hard to face him. Harder than I thought it was going to be.

“I told you that I can’t stand a liar.”

I’ve completely lost him. What a fool I
am to wake up and think “Oh, I’ll put on his shirt and run into him and
apologize.” I haven’t apologized.

“I know I lied about a few things, but I
had good reason to believe you were seeing Piper. She was wearing your
Wednesday shirt. The shirt I have ran behind  every Wednesday for two years. I
show up at your bar several times and you were uninterested. Suddenly you come
to Cincinnati and .…” He put his hand up to my mouth. His eyes brighten,
dropping his hand, he takes me into his arms and gently kisses me.

“What did we say?” He asks nose to nose.

“Ummm.” I have no freakin’ clue what we
said. My mind or body isn’t quite itself right now.

“No commitment until you get back.
Right?” He reminds me of the night we made that stupid rule. “You’re back. Can
we talk about commitment?”

“Are you saying you forgive me for
thinking Piper moved me to Cincinnati to get you away from me and I pretended
Wilson was my boyfriend?” I want to make sure I have everything up front.

“About Wilson.” He bit his lower lip.

“I heard you beat the shit out of him.”
I fold my hands and put them under my chin, I bat my eyes. “My hero.”

“I thought he was cheating on you with
Prudence. I almost hit her, but I don’t hit girls.” He wraps me in his arms.
“What about that commitment thing?”

I show him my answer by taking his head
in my hands and giving him a million little kisses.

Chapter
Fifty-Eight

I carefully wash the china and polish
every piece of Aunt Grace’s silver she gave me. With each wipe, I laugh at a
new memory I had with her. Things I had forgotten. Good memories. Like the time
she took me to Skyline Chili for dinner when it was my birthday and the time
she let me skip school because I stayed up to watch an awards show the night
before. She even let me wear one of her furs and a fake tiara during the show.
That night, we pretended to be at one of the parties. Good memories. Memories
I’ve forgotten about.