A Long Time Coming

Alex was the eldest at thirty six years old and Jason wasn't far behind. Fortunately, he already had the woman that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. He'd hope that his sibling had found that in Francine, but now he wasn't sure.

His brother wasn't one to talk about his relationships. Still his interest in this woman was odd, especially given the fact that she had a child. There was no doubt, with the similarity of their looks, that the child was hers.

It's wasn't that Alex didn't like children; he just never dated anyone who had any. Jason knew that was on purpose. Alex once said that kids meant that there were exes attached that would have a life long presence in the woman's life. He didn't want to get involved in a drama waiting to happen.

At his age, it wasn't beyond reason to think that Alex was ready to settle down and start a family of his own. Jason knew his parents would be ecstatic if that happened. They've been hinting at grandchildren for years, however, Alex didn't seem to be in any hurry. He wasn't a playboy, but he usually only dated a woman for a few months. Francine lasted longer than most which gave his parents hope.

Jason might have continued to ponder the situation, but Cameron asked him a question pulling him out of his musings. Giving his attention to his younger brother, he asked him to repeat the question, not failing to notice the slight frown Alex bore.

Alex had seen Jason turn his attention to the woman. He had been shocked with how possessive he felt. He didn't know her, had never seen her before, and yet there was some type of pull towards her. With effort, he mentally shook himself from his fanciful thoughts; he probably wouldn't ever see her again.

Rather than putting things into perspective that thought rocked him and against his will, his eyes went back to her. She was talking to the child who seemed to be enthralled by whatever she was saying. Alex felt his heart warm, but on its tail was a moment of panic, but he quickly brushed it aside.

With a deep inward sigh he forced his gaze away from her and at least gave the appearance that he was interested in the conversation between his brothers, segueing from Cameron's car to local news. As they ate, he was still aware of the woman, but he made sure that his eyes didn't wander in her direction. Eventually, he was able to relax and become an avid participant in the conversation.

After the meal, the brothers left a generous tip and headed for the nearest exit. Since it was on the opposite side of the room from Jade they wouldn't have to pass her table, for that Alex was grateful. He'd never felt so compelled just to look at a woman in his life.

Jade noticed the trio leaving, but it was Alex who drew her attention. She couldn't help it. It was like he had a string tied to her head that pulled it in his direction. She'd seen handsome men before, but this one made her sizzle. She laughed at her foolishness. Alex McCord was as far out of her league as any man could ever be.

She wasn't in his class and she didn't mean just because of her race. Men like that wanted equally smart, beautiful and successful women who were in their social group. Although she considered herself smart she wasn't the tall blonde type that these men seemed to prefer.

With great effort, she forced her attention back to Briana who had been content to chatter without her mother paying much attention. She was still delightfully animated in her discussion of the latest episode of Phineas and Ferb. She loved that show, especially their sister Candice and her ever present desire to bust her brothers.

A while later they headed home for a night of cartoons for Briana and boredom for Jade. On the way there she tried to think of anything other than the very sexy Alex McCord. *

Saturday morning Jade dropped Briana off at her parents. He mother was making a picnic lunch for them to take to the park. Nolan's Park was beautifully landscaped with a large pond at its center. Briana always enjoyed the park, but the recent addition of a family of ducks made her giddy with excitement.

The job interview loomed large. Despite the butterflies in her stomach, Jade hoped that Carrie was right about her having as good a chance as anyone else. Worrying wasn't going to help, but she badly needed a fresh start.

*

Jade was well aware that the McCords were well off, but when she drove up to the property, she was amazed. The home sat back about a quarter mile from the road. It was behind a huge brick wall adorned with an elaborate electronic gate and security system. There was a video intercom with a camera mounted on top of one of the pillars to the wall.

When she pulled up to the gate a signal was sent to the security system alerting someone inside the home to her presence. A video screen installed in the brick wall to Jade's left came on and a woman appeared. Jade immediately rolled down her window.

"Good Morning, I assume you're Miss Harris. I'm Melanie Graham."

"Good morning. Yes, I'm Jade Harris," she replied.

"Good. There's a large parking area, just follow the winding drive and you'll find it. Park your car and walk back up to the front door. I'll meet you there."

The security gate opened and Jade thank Miss Graham before driving through.

Jade took a deep breath to calm her nerves. She even said a short prayer hoping that would be the edge she needed to get the job.

It was a bit of a walk from the parking area to the house, but thankfully not difficult with the paved driveway to walk on. She rang the door bell and waited. Within seconds Mrs. McCord's assistant appeared.

"Pleased to meet you, Miss Harris," she greeted, stepping aside to let Jade enter.

"Nice meeting you too," Jade returned noticing that Miss Graham wasn't at all what she imagined. She was fairly tall and slender with long red hair, brown eyes and fair skin with the customary sprinkling of freckles on her cheeks. Her smile was genuine and oddly comforting.

Jade was led down a long wide hallway. Half way down there was a set of French doors on the left which was the entrance to a suite of offices. Miss Graham's office took up the front space. To the left was a door that led to a file room where all the records of events were kept in addition to supplies and large office equipment, such as the commercial printer. The door to the right led directly to Mrs. McCord's office. Her assistant knocked and receive permission to enter, which she did with Jade in tow.

Diana McCord was a lovely woman with short dark brown hair. She appeared to be tall, even in her sitting position. Her make up, though minimal, was flawless, her eyes deep blue with long lashes. To Jade's mind she was almost regal. In any case, she looked like someone use to being in charge.

"Mrs. McCord, this is Jade Harris the applicant. Miss Harris, Mrs. Diana McCord," she was introduced.

The assistant then concluded by addressing Mrs. McCord.

"If there isn't anything further that you require, I'll attend to getting those invitations out."

"Thanks, Melanie," Mrs. McCord said in dismissal.

"Please, do have a seat," she said to Jade. *

An hour later Jade was floating on air. She had gotten the job pending a background check. Her appointment was the only one schedule that day because Mrs. McCord had other business to take care of that afternoon. Although she had been a little intimidated, as the interview went on she relaxed. There were a lot of questions, some personal, but not unexpected.

The information Jade researched on Mrs. McCord's foundation and the family's charitable works came in handy. Mrs. McCord seemed very impressed that she had taken the time to not only learn about her foundation, but her family's efforts to support the community in many other ways.

Since Melanie Graham was still on the job for another two weeks, Jade would have time to get her head wrapped around having a new job and a very sweet one at that. Her salary was a twenty percent increase from what she was currently earning. Her work hours were 8 am to 5 pm. She might occasionally need to work overtime, however the weekends were free and clear.

Jade was riding on a wave of excitement on her way to pick up Briana. In route she called Judy and asked if it was all right for Briana to spend the night. Judy said it was fine. After she picked up Briana, they went to Legoland in Largo where they had a great time. Then it was on to the park to check on the ducks and finally home to pack an overnight bag for the sleep over.

Before they left, Jade said to Briana, "I want you to be extra good for Judy. I'll pick you up tomorrow morning,"

"Ok, Mommy," Briana promised. "We are going to have lots of fun playing with Lisa's Barbie fun house. Do you think Santa Claus might bring me one for Christmas?"

Smiling, Jade said, "Christmas is a few months off, but we'll see. Let's go kiddo."

"Okie dokie," Briana said with a grin and took her mother's hand as they left the apartment. Jade was already looking forward to the changes to come.

*

Early Monday morning Alex received notice that the Jury in the Lexell International case had reached a verdict. He was expected in courtroom number three at 2 p.m.

Shortly before 2 o'clock, he entered the courtroom with his client. The jurors were led in and once seated, the judge asked the foreman to read the charges and the verdict.

Lexell International's executives, including the CEO Leland Howard, were found guilty on all counts. Howard ordered that the lab results be falsified by another scientist, Edward Hammond, who did so under threat of losing his job. He paid off witnesses, lied to the FDA and fired Benson without cause. As a result, the company was issued a huge fine by the FDA, Howard and the Board members were found guilty of obstruction of justice, intimidating witnesses, conspiring to endanger the public health, wrongful termination and fraud.

Alex had to admit that he was pretty pleased. The penalty phase would be held at later date, but as of that moment Benson was free to go back to his job. However, he opted for retirement feeling that the atmosphere at Lexell would be toxic.

After court, Alex went back to his office to drop off the file. While he was at it, he gave his secretary the rest of the day off.

With time on his hands, he decided to visit his parents since he hadn't seen them for a couple of weeks. His dad was no doubt playing golf, but his mother would likely be home. He called to make sure his visit wouldn't be an inconvenience.

He pulled out his cell phone and dialed his mother's mobile phone number. When she picked up he said,

"Hi, Mom, I won the Lexell case and I'm free for the rest of the day. I wanted to see if you were up for a visit."

"Congratulations! And of course I'm up for a visit," she said. "You know that I always have time for you boys. Why don't you stay for dinner?"

"That'll be great. What's for dinner?" he teased.

He was always the first to ask about dinner when he was a kid, even if it was just after breakfast.

Laughing, she said, "You'll just have to be surprised; I'm not sure what Clara has cooking. Will it just be you or is Francine coming also?"

"It'll just be me, Mom."

"Great." she said excitedly, and then checked herself. "I mean, Francine would be welcome too, but I so rarely get you boys to myself lately. Bring the other two along if you can."

"I understand, Mom. Ok, I'll see what I can do. I'll be there in about forty five minutes."

After ending the call he stopped by Jason and Cameron's offices to see if they were available for dinner with the folks. Jason said he and Kate were going out to dinner and a movie and Cameron was having a poker night with the guys. When Alex got to the gate of his parent's home he activated the remote to the security system, which opened the gate. Pulling up in front of the stately home he parked his car and got out. His mother was coming down the hall as he unlocked the door and entered the house. Smiling, he went to greet her, giving her a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"Glad you could come, Son. Where are the other boys?" she asked.

Alex explained their situation as his mother led him to the sitting room.

"Really, it's a wonder that I see any of you at all what with your careers and your women. But this is the sacrifice a mother has to make if she's going to have successful sons and grandchildren," she teased.

"I thought you'd given up the idea of having grand kids anytime soon," Alex said.

"No, I haven't given up; I've just stopped nagging you."

Then she asked, "How is it going with you and Francine?"

"It's going great," Alex offered knowing that wasn't what his mother meant. She wanted to know if an engagement announcement was imminent.

"You know what I mean," she chided.

"Yep," he replied without divulging anything further.

Sighing, she decided to leave things there. Alex wasn't going to tell her any more than he wanted.

She liked Francine. She was smart, creative, a hard worker, and anyone looking could tell she was crazy about Alex. When they were at social gatherings, she was attentive and she touched him often. She only had eyes for Alex.

Alex, on the other hand, was hard to read. He was attentive to Francine, but it always seemed that he wasn't fully engaged, certainly not as much as she was with him. When Francine wasn't around, he rarely talked about her and always gave some variation of the phrase, 'Things are going great.'

Her son didn't lack for women throwing themselves at him. He had girls after him from the time he hit puberty. If things weren't moving ahead with Francine, she knew it was because of Alex. Maybe he needed a relationship shake up. He was thirty six years old and apparently wasn't anywhere near settling down.

Shaking herself from her thoughts, Diana caught on to what Alex was telling her about the case he'd just won. She had no doubt that he would win, all of her sons were brilliant attorneys; they got that from their father.

"Where's Dad," he asked, "or should I just assume he's playing golf."

"He's playing golf as usual," his mother said with a chuckle.

If there was anything that her husband loved almost as much as her and their children, she'd have to say it was golf. Now that he was retired, he lived and breathed golf, although they always found time for each other and he was still a potent lover. They might be getting up in age, but they weren't anywhere near dead.

"Oh, by the way," she said, "I've hired someone to take Melanie's place. She'll be starting next Monday; her name is Jade Harris. I was lucky to get a replacement so soon. I can't tell you how I was dreading having to deal with everything on my own for any length of time."

"Did you do a background check?" Alex asked ever the attorney.

"Yes, I did. I got the results a few days ago. She has no criminal record, good credit and an excellent work record. She's twenty six years old, unmarried with a five year old daughter. She obviously loves her daughter who has been the sole focus of her life since she was born."

"She didn't have a reference for her last job," she continued, "but after she explained the situation, I understood. Her boss made a pass at her and she rejected him. Since then he's tried to make things as difficult as possible. She works with Francine's sister, Carrie, who backed up the story. According to Carrie, Jade's a great worker and wanted to change jobs to get away from her boss as well as have more time with her daughter."

"Well, that's certainly commendable, but it's regrettable that there are men like that." Alex said suddenly thinking of the woman at the pizza place. He wondered what kind of mother she was. She seemed attentive and affectionate with the child, but it really wasn't enough to form an opinion about her maternal dedication.

Abruptly, he wondered why he was even thinking about her at all. His mother caught his distant look and he blinked as he refocused. He knew she was curious about why he had been staring off in space like that and was grateful that she didn't say anything about it. He wasn't prepared to lie to her, but he'd rather not tell her the truth.

They spent the rest of the afternoon catching up with family doings and plans for the Fourth of July cookout that Diana was hosting. It was more than a month away, but it was going to be a big affair. Diana planned to get her new assistant started with the preparations. She thought if Francine wasn't the one her son might find someone else among their guests.