Close to You, page 13
“It looks brand-new.”
“It is. We bought if off the lot this weekend.” Seeing the expression on Mrs. Garcia’s face, Eliza added, “Don’t be concerned about that. It’s just a car that happens to be new. I’m not worried about you driving it at all. The only thing I care about is your and Janie’s safety.”
“Of course, senora.” But the housekeeper didn’t look convinced.
Eliza turned to her daughter who had quietly followed behind them. “Janie, why don’t you show Mrs. Garcia where your room is?” Eliza suggested brightly.
The child didn’t look too enthusiastic about the idea, but she nodded solemnly and led the way upstairs. Eliza made the conscious decision to remain behind. The two of them had to work it out.
Brainstorming with Keith about possibilities for FRESHER LOOK pieces, Eliza had proposed that they do one on “commuter relationships.” Statistics showed that they were on the rise, as more and more dual-career couples followed professional advancement opportunities in different cities.
Eliza had suggested that Keith try to find a couple that was doing a United States-to-Great Britain commute, hoping that shooting it would entail her making a trip to London and provide a chance to see Mack. Unfortunately, her producer had found exactly what she had asked for.
Keith held a manila folder open on his lap as he sat in a chair across the desk from Eliza, enthusiastically explaining the elements he had lined up.
“She’d just been promoted to a vice president’s slot at a Madison Avenue advertising firm, when his investment bank offered him the chance to head up their London office. They are alternating flying back and forth between cities every other weekend. They’re willing to be interviewed and let us shoot them at their workplaces and homes. We could even go along for the plane ride and shoot her the next time she flies to London.”
Keith looked at Eliza with an expectant smile upon his face. This was just what she had asked for and he wanted Eliza to be enthusiastic.
Her dull expression told him otherwise.
“What’s wrong?”
Eliza shifted uncomfortably in her chair. “I’m sorry, Keith. I don’t want to do this story anymore. Not a London-to-New York version anyway.”
He felt like asking Eliza why the change of heart, but he didn’t dare. If the Evening Headlines anchor didn’t want to do a piece a certain way, the piece wasn’t done that way. End of story.
Keith tried to keep any trace of anger or disappointment from his face. He had spent hours and hours trying to get this story lined up and now she didn’t want to do it. He felt he was owed an explanation, but Eliza would have to offer it; he couldn’t demand it.
“I see,” he said. “Well, should I look for another couple?”
Eliza shrugged. “Yeah, I suppose so. See if you can find a couple who are commuting within the United States. I’d still be up for that. I want to avoid going out of town as much as possible right now. See if you can find a pair who are commuting along the Eastern seaboard, will you?”
Keith nodded as he made a notation in his folder.
“Are we all set with this week’s FRESHER LOOK?” Eliza asked.
He handed her a piece of paper across the desk. “Here’s the script. Range has already looked at it and likes it. See what you think. If you’re satisfied, we can track it this morning and start cutting right away.”
Keith rose to leave. As he got to the door, Eliza called out.
“Thanks, Keith. I appreciate all the work you must have done setting up that story. I’m sorry I nixed it.”
“You’re welcome, and don’t worry about it. It’s no big deal.”
It was only later, at lunchtime, as he sat with two other producers who told him the latest gossip, that Keith understood why the story he had worked so hard on had been killed.
Mack McBride was a fool.
How appropriate that this week’s FRESHER LOOK was on depression. Eliza carefully read the script Keith had written. He had done a good job on it and there was nothing of substance that needed to be changed. Eliza amended only a few words here and there to reflect her speaking style.
She laid her head back in her chair and her hand absentmindedly played with the antique charm that dangled from the gold bracelet on her left wrist. She thought about finding another psychiatrist. She so wished that Dr. Karas was still alive. He had seen her through her depression after John died and Janie was born. He had accompanied her through the worst of it when she needed to be hospitalized.
Eliza had learned from that painful experience and she was determined not to let herself slide again. If she felt she really needed to go for help, she would. But she dreaded having to find another doctor she could trust—and with whom she would feel comfortable. It wasn’t an easy combination to come by.
It was normal to be sad over the death of a relationship, she rationalized to herself. The end of things with Mack hurt, deeply. But she wanted to see if she could tough it out herself. Her life was very full, and she would have no problem keeping busy. Throwing herself into work and Janie would get her through.
The intercom buzzer rang.
“Yes, Paige?”
“Mr. Connelly is on line two.”
“Okay. Thanks.”
She took a deep breath before pushing in the button on the phone panel.
“Hi, Joe. Why do I have the feeling you’re not calling with good news?”
“I wish I were, Eliza.”
“What is it this time?”
“Another letter.”
Eliza felt her chest tighten.
“From the same guy?”
“Yeah. It’s our friend Meat.”
“Great. And what’s he selling now?”
“Want me to read it to you?”
Protect yourself, the inner voice warned.
“No thanks, Joe. Just give me the highlights.”
“He wants you to get him a job at KEY News so he can be near you and give you some pointers on how a lady should conduct herself.”
Eliza laughed in spite of herself.
“Did he send in a r6sum6?”
Connelly didn’t answer.
“Okay, Joe. I know this is no joke,” Eliza said, turning serious.
“It really isn’t, Eliza. I don’t like the fact that he is suggesting that he come to KEY. I don’t like it at all.”
When her driver dropped her off at the curb in front of her house that evening, Eliza braced herself for what she would find inside. Eliza dreaded a scene of Janie running up to her and throwing her arms around her, crying that she didn’t like Mrs. Garcia.
She slid her house key into the lock and opened the front door as quietly as she could. The delicious aroma of roasting chicken greeted her in the empty hallway and she could hear voices singing happily from upstairs.
Thank God.
She dropped her tote bag on the hall table, kicked off her shoes and tiptoed up the staircase. As she passed by the bathroom, she heard water draining from the tub. The strains of “Cielito Lindo” came sweetly from Janie’s bedroom.
“Mommy!” screeched Janie as her mother entered. The child’s scrubbed face beamed. Dressed in her pink nightgown, and smelling of Mr. Bubble, she ran to Eliza and hugged her.
“Hey, my pumpkin pie. It looks like you had a good day!”
Janie nodded emphatically. “I did, Mommy. Mrs. Garcia is teaching me Spanish.”
“I heard.”
“And we walked Daisy around the pond and we made chocolate-chip cookies together.”
“I hope you saved me some.”
“We did. We made lots.”
“And how was school today?”
“Good. James came over to play after lunch.”
Eliza looked over her daughter’s head to Mrs. Garcia. The housekeeper was gathering up Janie’s clothes to carry down to the washing machine.
“Janie, you take your clothes from Mrs. Garcia and go put them in the hamper in the closet in the bathroom, please.”
As the child complied with her mother’s request, Eliza sank onto the corner of her daughter’s bed and smiled. “Looks like you two got off to a good start.”
“Janie is a good girl. I think we get along fine.”
“I’m so glad, Mrs. Garcia,” Eliza said with relief.
The housekeeper started to leave the room. “I make your dinner before I go.”
“That would be great. Thank you.”
Mrs. Garcia turned as she reached the doorway. “There was one thing I didn’t like today, Senora Blake.”
Eliza’s elation sank. “What?”
“This man come to the house today. He say he gave Janie the puppy and want to know if Janie likes the puppy. I have no good feeling about that man. I told him not to come here if you not home. I hope that is all right.”
“You did the right thing, Mrs. Garcia. I don’t like that man, either.”
Chapter 66
Larson hadn’t been returning his calls, and Augie didn’t like it.
He wanted his money out of the pizza deal. He was sick and tired of waiting for the payoff that never came.
The summer was ending and so was vacation time. That meant there would be fewer opportunities in the months ahead to. score in the empty houses. The influx of cash that Augie had reaped over the last three months was over, probably until Thanksgiving or Christmastime when residents would next be going away.
He had a huge overhead and the income from the garage wasn’t enough, not if he wanted to get Helene primed.
He dialed the number to Richards’s office again.
“Mr. Richards is in a meeting right now, Mr. Sinisi. I’ll give him the message that you called.”
“He’s always in a meeting and he never calls me back,” Augie growled.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Sinisi. I’ll tell Mr. Richards that you called,” the secretary repeated.
“You tell your boss that if he doesn’t call me back, I’m coming up to that big office of his to speak to him in person.”
Larson had his assistant screen his calls carefully. There were very few he wanted to take these days because most of them were from disgruntled investors. But when the secretary buzzed to say that Eliza Blake was on the line, Larson picked up immediately.
“Eliza! How nice to hear from you. How is Janie liking her puppy?”
“She’s crazy about her, Larson.”
“Great. I thought she would be.”
“I’d be more enthusiastic if you’d checked with me first.”
“Oh. Well, I guess I should have, but I thought it would be all right with you.”
“Larson, you don’t know me well enough to assess whether it would be all right or not.”
Bitch. Two hundred dollars on that damned dog . . . But go easy, fella. You can’t afford to alienate Eliza Blake.
“Gee, I’m sorry, Eliza. I thought I was doing a good thing. Forgive me.”
She ignored his request. “Actually, I’m calling because Mrs. Garcia told me that you came to our home yesterday.”
“Yeah, I wanted to see how Janie was doing with the dog. Is that a problem?”
“To tell you the truth, Larson, it is. I would prefer it if you didn’t do that again. Mrs. Garcia is just starting with us and I want to keep things as controlled and peaceful as I can.”
“Eliza, it was really no big deal,” Larson protested. “And if you want my opinion, I think you should be glad to have someone stopping by once in a while to check on things when you are at the office. You know there is a big colony of those Guatemalans living around here and most of us think they’re pretty skeevy. I see the Guats waiting on street corners for landscapers to pick them up for day work and there is a crew of them working at the car wash. Filthy. You may like your Mrs. Garcia, but you don’t know what her friends are like. And you certainly wouldn’t want them stopping by to visit when you’re not home.”
Eliza could not contain her contempt for the man. “The Guatemalans are lovely people, Larson. Their culture, maybe because it is so poor, values cleanliness, dignity and politeness. We could all learn a lot from them.”
“You’re saying I could learn a lot from them, aren’t you?”
“As a matter of fact, yes, I am. Please don’t stop by unannounced at my home again.”
As she hung up the phone, repulsed by his bigotry, Eliza remembered the safe. Larson still hadn’t gotten the combination to her.
To hell with it. There was no way she was going to call him back.
Chapter 67
Cornelius watched out the bus window as the soot-covered tiled walls of the Lincoln Tunnel passed by. Once he got to the Port Authority terminal, he would take a quick subway ride uptown to the KEY Broadcast Center. He could do what he had to do and get back to Moonachie in time for his shift at the bar.
Meat was tired of watching her on TV. It wasn’t enough anymore. He needed to get a glimpse of Eliza in the flesh. He was prepared to come into the city every day until he got what he wanted.
He had to get a handle on her schedule. When did Eliza arrive in the morning? Did she go out to lunch? The best time to get her had to be after the Evening Headlines, as she left the Broadcast Center. But at seven o’clock Meat had to be at work and he wasn’t ready to give up his hours at the bar. At least not yet.
Dressed in jeans and a blue New York Giants sweatshirt, Meat waited for the A train on the subway platform, looking with disdain at the other straphangers standing around him. Some of the women, dressed in tight pants and short skirts, particularly disgusted him. Sluts.
The train dropped him off at Columbus Circle and he trudged up the steps with the masses to the sunlight above. He bought a hot, salted pretzel and a Coke from a vendor’s steel cart and wolfed it down as he headed west. He glanced at his watch. It was after eleven o’clock. He had gotten a later start than he should have. Eliza was probably already in the office by now.
But as he reached the long brick building that housed the Broadcast Center, he had hopes of spotting Eliza as she went out to lunch. He stationed himself across the street, where he had a clear view of the entrance. He watched carefully as dozens of people went in and left through the heavy revolving door. After half an hour, he walked forty feet up the block to a pizza parlor, went inside and ordered a slice with sausage and pepperoni, keeping his eyes trained out the plate-glass window while he waited for the pizza to heat. He paid for the slice and a can of cream soda and took a seat in one of the white plastic chairs at a bistro table out on the sidewalk.
More people were coming out of the Broadcast Center now.
“You are a miracle worker! I can’t believe you got this organized so quickly.”
Keith smiled sheepishly. “I can’t take all the credit on this one, Eliza. I mentioned the story to my wife and she happens to have a girlfriend who is a literary agent and feels she has to stay in New York while her husband has an opportunity in Dallas he didn’t want to pass up. He left six months ago. It’s been wreaking havoc on their relationship, but they are determined to work things out.”
“You’ve talked to them, of course.”
Keith nodded. “Yeah, and they’re willing for us to do their story. In fact, she’s flying to Texas this weekend. We can accompany her on the plane and then shoot them together in Dallas. I was thinking it would be cool for you to interview her on the plane ride Friday night, get her feelings of anticipation and then get the letdown as she flies back on Sunday.”
He watched Eliza’s face for reaction.
Eliza knew Keith was right. This would be a good way to do the story. She didn’t want to be away for the weekend, though. Yet after killing the New York-to-London idea, she couldn’t be a prima donna now and say no to this plan. That wouldn’t be fair.
Eliza glanced at her watch. “Are you hungry? Let’s go out and grab some lunch and talk about it.”
Meat was accustomed to waiting.
In fact, he enjoyed the anticipation—and the reward for his patience. He waited for his bats to emerge. Now he waited for Eliza.
There she was, coming through the revolving door! A man followed behind her and together they walked onto the street. The man raised his arm to hail a cab
It took awhile for an empty taxi to come. Time for Meat to fume. Eliza still wasn’t listening.
Her brown hair gleamed in the midday sunlight. Her navy business suit, if it could be called that, showed way too much thigh.
She laughed at something the man said as they got into the cab.
Whore.
Chapter 68
When she got home from work, Eliza announced that she was going to have to go away for the weekend. Janie didn’t seem to mind at all if her mother went out of town when presented with the option of going into the city to stay with KayKay and Poppie for two nights. She knew that meant a trip to see the monkeys at the Central Park Zoo, a movie and, maybe, if she was good, a visit to FAO Schwarz for the toy of her choice.
“How do you feel about driving Janie into New York after school on Friday afternoon?” Eliza asked Mrs. Garcia. “Janie’s grandparents live right off the Harlem River Drive.”
“Whatever you want me to do is fine, señora. I know how to get into the city. I have relatives who live in Washington Heights and I see signs for Harlem River Drive. It is very easy.”
“Good, then. It’s settled. I’ll leave for work Friday morning and after the broadcast I’ll be flying to Texas. I’ll be back Sunday night. Janie’s grandparents will bring her home then.”
The logistics of balancing her career and child care were relentless. Yet Eliza knew she was one of the lucky ones. Most people didn’t have the means of support, both financial and personal, that she did.
Knowing that Janie would be with Katharine and Paul made it easier for her to go and do her job. She hadn’t even wanted to broach the subject of the housekeeper staying through this, her first weekend with them. It would be too much for Mrs. Garcia and too much for Janie. They were getting along splendidly, but Eliza didn’t want to rock the boat. It would be better if they had the weekend break from one another.
