Good News!!! With a lot of hard work and a lot of coffee, I’ll be sending out all of the personalized copies of Nails for a Billionaire today and releasing it for sale! I’ll post here when it’s available, so come back this afternoon.
She decided to go upstairs to change. It was a conversation for normal clothes and not lacy negligees. She heard him say hello as she reached the stairs. To her surprise he said, “Marie? Yeah, she’s right here.”
With a curious expression in his eyes, he held the phone out to Charisse. She took it and said, “Marie?”
“There you are. I’ve been freaking out calling you all morning. Daddy’s had a heart attack.”
“A heart attack?” Charisse went numb. “Where is hee
“We’re at Mount Sinai hospital. Can you get over here?” Marie sounded on the verge of tears.
Conor placed an arm around her and kissed the top of her head. She should be emotional like Marie, but at the moment she felt nothing. “I’m in the Hamptons, but I’ll leave right now.”
“There’s something else you should know,” said Marie, sounding calmer—almost detached.
“What else?” Charisse heard panic in her own voice. At least she didn’t sound like a robot anymore.
“Mother’s here. She showed up at Daddy’s favorite breakfast place. And then he had the heart attack.”
Charisse swayed. Conor tightened his grip on her. She didn’t know how long she stood there without speaking.
Marie said, “Are you still there? Did you hear me?”
“What is Mother doing there?”
Conor’s body tensed against hers.
Marie said, “I don’t know. Mother’s either in the room with us like she’s a worried wife, or she’s out getting coffee. She hasn’t really spoken to me. I need you here.”
Charisse took a deep breath. Anger and fear started to battle inside her. Maybe it’d be better to stay in shock. “I’ll be there as soon as I can. Hang in there.”
“Okay. Mother’s coming back. Maybe she’ll talk to me this time.”
The line went dead.
Charisse stared up at Conor, dropping the hand holding the phone to her side.
He cupped her face. “Are you okay? Did Roy have a heart attack?”
She nodded. “I, I have to go.” She turned away from him and headed up the stairs.
He followed her and said, “I’ll have Raul bring the car around. Do you want me to go with you?”
She stood in the doorway of his room, unable to think where her clothes were. “You have to go to China.”
He slipped the phone out of her hand. “I can send my lawyers ahead and stay with you until you see Roy’s going to be okay.”
She recalled all her clothes had been unpacked and put into drawers. She headed over to the dresser, opened a drawer and pulled out underwear, jeans and a top. Her mother was back without warning or explanation.
She tossed the clothes on the bed, sat down on it and started unbuckling her sandals.
“Did you hear me, Charisse?”
She dropped a sandal to the floor. It hit with a thud against the hardwood.
“My mother’s here,” she said.
Conor ran his fingers through his hair and sat on the edge of the bed, appearing nervous.
When he didn’t say anything, she went back to changing her clothes. “She won’t even talk to Marie. Why did she suddenly show up if she’s not going to talk to us?” She yanked her jeans on and shoved her arms into a black t-shirt.
“It might not be as sudden as you think,” said Conor slowly.
Evelyn Aster 