A Long Time Coming Ch. 02

"I'm Mrs. McCord's personal assistant," she answered.

"Oh, yes, you're that nice young woman I spoke with about the up coming fund-raiser. It's so nice to put a face with the voice. Is this your little girl?" she asked, looking down at Briana.

"Yes, this is Briana," she confirmed with a smile.

"Briana? What a perfectly lovely name," Mrs. Madden remarked.

Looking at the woman, Briana said proudly, "Thank you. I like my name." Both Jade and Mrs. Madden laughed at that.

After the encounter with Mrs. Madden, Jade relaxed a bit.

The barbecue was in full force, as expected.

After she filled plates for herself and Briana, they sat on one of the wooden picnic table benches. Among those at the table was an elementary school principal who started up a conversation with Jade.

The food and conversation were great and it was much more casual and relaxing than Jade had thought it would be. Briana was certainly having a good time. She had no trouble talking to the children at the table, though they were a bit older.

As soon as Briana finished eating, she was champing at the bit to be let loose. Jade was concerned about her daughter's safety, but reasoned that they were on private property and there were of plenty adults around. Besides, she couldn't keep her corralled all day.

Without Briana, her thoughts turned back to Alex. She hadn't seen him, but with the extensive grounds it wasn't a surprise. What was a surprise was her disappointment. She knew that fantasying about him was silly, but she couldn't seem to help it.

Some distance away Alex was purposely avoiding Jade. However, he couldn't help thinking about how close she was.

There were still things that he needed to work out; chief among them was what he wanted from her. As he told Francine, this wasn't just about him or even Jade for that matter; there was the child to consider. He understood how fast kids became attached and he didn't want to hurt either of them. He had to be damn sure of what he wanted.

To get his mind off of Jade, he decided to find Jason to get their game of horseshoes started early.

On the way, he came upon a group of kids taking turns on a large slide a short distance from the crowd. Jade's daughter was at the top of the slide starting her descent. When she didn't come down fast enough, the kid behind bumped into her and pushed her to the ground, landing on top of her.

Before Alex realized it, he was rushing forward.

Brett, the boy who landed on top of Briana, helped her up and apologized, but Alex could see the rain clouds gathering as he hurried over. Sure enough, she started crying. Brett was patting her back trying to soothe her, but having little successes.

As he got closer, Alex realized that she was whimpering more than crying now. He suspected she might just need the familiar comfort of her mother. He walked over and bent down on his knees to talk to her.

She was rubbing her eyes with the back of her fist.

"Are you ok, princess," he asked.

Briana's head came up when she heard the word princess and she stared at him. She always wanted to be a princess and the nice man called her princess. She nodded her head in response, but she was still whimpering a bit. Picking her up, Alex hugged her. He didn't know what made him do that, but he just needed to comfort her. She put her little arms around his neck and squeezed.

"Better?" he asked.

Again she nodded, this time without the whimper.

The other kids got back to the business of playing while Alex talked to Briana.

"What's your name?" he asked as he walked away from the slide.

"Briana," she said looking into his eyes.

"Your eyes are pretty," she said shyly.

"Thanks. My name's Alex," he said smiling at her.

Just as Alex was about to put her down, Jason came upon them.

"Hey Alex, what's going on?" he asked.

"Briana just had a little tumble, but she's all right now," he said.

"Isn't that right, princess?"

Leaning her head on Alex's shoulder, she looked at Jason cautiously and nodded.

"I'm going to take you to your mother," Alex said, intending to put her down so that she could walk.

But Briana clung saying, "I want to stay up here, please."

God, he was a goner and he knew it.

Jason grinned at the look on Alex's face.

"Later, Brother; don't forget our game," he said before trotting off.

Briana talked to Alex the entire time he carried her.

For a five year old she showed unusual intelligence and had an opinion about almost everything. He wondered if all women started out like that. The thought almost made him laugh out loud.

Diana McCord was the first to see Alex approach with Briana.

"Oh, my," She thought, "he looks perfect holding a child."

Then she realized that it was Jade's little girl; she'd seen a picture on her assistant's desk. Right then a thought began to form in her mind which caused her to smile and shake her head. She loved her son, but she wasn't going to become an interfering mother.

When Jade caught sight of Alex with Briana, she rushed toward them.

"Is something wrong?" she asked anxiously reaching for Briana, but her daughter wasn't ready to let Alex go.

"I fell down Mommy and Alex made me feel better," Briana explained.

"He's tall. I like it up here," she said with a grin.

"Ok, Missy," Jade smiled at her, "but you can't stay up there forever. Let him put you down."

"Ok, Mommy," Briana sighed clearly not wanting to leave her perch.

"Thanks for helping her," Jade said, suddenly shy as she tried to avoid looking into Alex's eyes.

"No problem," he said. "I think she was more scared than hurt. She doesn't seem to have any injuries and she said she isn't sore."

"I'm tough," Briana said grinning.

"I bet you are, even for a princess," Alex stated.

"Oh, by the way, I'm Alex McCord," he said extending his hand to Jade.

"Jade Harris."

Although she only shook his hand briefly, Jade couldn't help the slight tingle that crawled up her arm. Pulling herself together, she said, "You probably know that I work for your mother."

"Yes, I do," he confirmed. "Mom says you've been a great help to her."

"That's nice of her to say. I really like the work. I was just plain lucky to get this job."

"No, it didn't involve luck. My Mother is shrewd when it comes to people. She knew she was getting someone that she could trust and depend on."

Jade felt her face warm at the compliment, but before she could reply he cleared his throat and said, "I'm late for a game of horseshoes with my brother; not that he stands a chance."

"You sound sure of yourself," she teased, feeling more comfortable with him.

"Most of the time, but I've had a few moments lately," he said in a serious tone.

"Goodbye, princess," he said to Briana and, "Nice meeting you," to Jade. Turning, he headed off to the match.

"Bye," Briana whispered.

Jade kept Briana with her the rest of the day. She also kept Alex on her mind. On the way home the little girl couldn't stop talking about Alex. But by the time they arrived at the apartment complex the activities of the day had taken their toll and she'd fallen asleep.

She didn't bothering waking her daughter; instead she undressed her and slipped a night gown over her head. With a damp cloth she washed her off and then tucked her into bed.

Jade stayed up a while longer, thinking. This time she didn't berate herself for dwelling on Alex; he'd been so sweet with Briana. But she was a little worried. Alex was the only man other than family that Briana had shown any interest in. She just hoped her child didn't get too attached.

*

Kate was having lunch with Francine at Milan's, a popular upscale Italian restaurant. Although they were sisters, they had full lives and hadn't spent much time together in the past few months. Kate was busy with her job as a newscaster and when she wasn't working, she spent most of her time with Jason.

This was the first time in a while that they could catch up with what was going on in each other's lives. Kate knew that Francine and Alex were no longer seeing each other and wondered how her sister was adjusting. She felt sorry for her, but didn't want to get in the middle of any drama on that front.

"So, how have you been Frannie? Are you seeing anyone?" she asked casually.

"I'm as well as can be expected," Francine answered with a touch of sadness. "I'm seeing Tim Bane. You remember him, don't you? He works at Lewis and Crawford. Anyway, he's not anyone serious and we've only been out a few times."

Wanting to shift the conversation, Francine quickly changed the subject.

"What about you; have you and Jason set a date yet?"

"No, not yet," Kate said, "but we are thinking about next June. There is a lot to do between now and then. We've already talked about the important issues. Things couples sometimes forgot to discuss before marriage like kids and finances. Jason and I want to be together the rest of our lives, so we need to get this right."

"Sometimes things just happen in a marriage or any relationship," Francine said. "How can you prepare to get it right?"

Kate knew that her sister was thinking about Alex and although she was curious as to what went wrong, she didn't want to probe what was obviously still an open wound.

"Of course there will be challenges and some unexpected things like there are in any long term relationship," she answered. "However, we've hashed out the big issues. We've even talked about a prenuptial agreement."

"A prenup?" Francine said with a distasteful look on her face. "He wants you to sign a prenup? I hope you told him no."

"Jason wasn't the one to bring up the subject, I was," Kate declared.

"What?! Why would you do that?" Francine asked, stunned.

"I did it because I don't ever want money to be an issue between us. I've worked since I was sixteen years old and I've saved and done very well with investments. I can take care of myself."

"But still..." Francine tried to interject, but her words trailed when Kate continued as if she hadn't spoken.

"The prenuptial agreement would benefit any kids that we have. Jason is very generous and he would be generous with or without the prenup, I just want everything dealt with now. I'm not looking for a bankroll if we divorce; therefore, a prenuptial agreement is a no brainer."

"I guess you're right, it just stunned me. It wouldn't have crossed my mind," Francine stated.

"Well, it's becoming the norm for a lot of couples, especially when there is substantial money and property involved. I wouldn't fault anyone for wanting one. It has nothing to do with a lack of trust or love," Kate said.

"I suppose you're right. I wouldn't marry anyone for their money," Francine said wistfully.

She knew that nothing would have been more important than being married to Alex. Remembering what he revealed the night they parted ways, Francine thought Kate might be able to clear up something for her.

"Do you know if Alex is seeing anyone?" she asked.

"Not that I've heard. Why do you ask?"

"Well, Alex said there was someone he was interested in. He did clarify that he hadn't met her and she didn't know he was interested. Who could that be?" Francine quizzed.

"I don't have a clue," Kate answered; "and before you ask, I'm not going to ask Jason. Anything you want to know about Alex, you have to go to the source."

"I was just curious, that's all," Francine assured her.

"Well, I'm not comfortable with the subject, so why don't we order now and talk about the upcoming Minske Ball next month," her sister suggested.

Francine reluctantly agreed.

The Minske Ball was an annual charity ball given by the Minske Fine Art Foundation. A great way to network and meet eligible men and women, it was one of Francine's favorite events of the year. Last year she walked in the door on Alex's arm, but this year she wasn't all that keen to go.

*

Jade's cousin Cheryl was getting on her last nerve. She was once again bugging her about going to some hot club that she heard about. She had just put Briana down for a nap and was thinking she'd get a little time to herself when Cheryl showed up unannounced.

"Really Jade, you need to get out and meet people. You're getting stale. You'll forget how to interact with adults in social situations if you keep going down this road," Cheryl said seriously concerned for her cousin.

"I'm getting stale?" Jade repeated with a snort of derision.

"That's funny, but I'm not a damn piece of bread."

"It's not funny," her cousin retorted. "You know what I mean. You're still young; you need to get out and have some fun. I'm not talking about being a party girl, just get out once in a while and meet people, make new friends."

"Oh, and I'm suppose to do this in some juke joint?" Jade countered.

"It's not a juke joint," Cheryl assured her. "I wouldn't take you to one of those places. It's called The Grove. It's a very nice, classy social club. I've heard even the mayor and his wife kick up their heels there. My boss told me about the place. They have a cocktail hour, dining and dancing. Not hoochie dancing, real dancing like they use to do back in the day."

"It does sound nice," Jade said, relenting on her hard stance. "Are you sure that it isn't restricted?"

"I'm sure it's open to the public. What do you say? You don't need a date, singles and couples mix there. It's only one night and you'll have a good time," Cheryl promised.

"Oh, all right," Jade agreed reluctantly.

Cheryl was right, not that Jade would ever tell her. In taking on her responsibilities she was losing her sense of self. She wanted Briana to have the best mother possible and that required having a parent who was happy with her own life, apart from her child.

"I'll have to call Mom to see if she'll babysit."

"Instead of doing that, why don't you take her to Judy's; she's taking care of Gina and Trent for me, she won't mind Briana too," Cheryl suggested. "Besides, Briana will have someone to play with. I'll even call her for you."

"Ok. Let's do it," Jade agreed.

Judy was Cheryl's sister and didn't required any cajoling to take on another little one. As for Briana, she was over the moon to be spending the night with her favorite cousin, Lisa.

*

Jade donned a royal blue chiffon dress which was banded at the waist with embroidered material of the same color. The skirt of the dress, which ended just above her knees, was form fitting, but not tight. She had on a darker shade of blue shoes and 18k white gold chandelier earrings as her only accessory. Sadly she realized that she'd only worn the dress once, three years ago at a relative's wedding. She just hadn't had many opportunities to dress up in the past few years.

Cheryl wore a hot pink long sleeved silk blended dress with a tiered ruffled skirt and a pearl beaded bodice; a pair of newly purchased matching shoes and drop earrings completed the outfit.

On the way to The Grove, Jade started having second thoughts, but she shoved them aside. She wasn't sure she was ready to be out there again, but she knew her life was becoming stagnant. Though supremely happy with Briana, her personal life was a big fat blah. With Alex being a frequent player in her dreams, she'd become even more dissatisfied with her single status.

Briana still asked about Alex, but Jade hadn't so much as caught a glimpse of him since the cookout. Somewhere in the back of her mind she thought that he might be too busy with a new woman in his life and that made her depressed. She needed something to take her mind off him and this outing might be the thing to do the trick.

When they got to The Grove, the parking lot was full, so they had to park on the street and walk up a block. Jade didn't mind, but Cheryl had on those very pretty brand new high heels from hell.

Shaking her head, Jade asked, "Didn't anyone ever tell you not to wear new shoes to a dance?"

Grimacing, Cheryl replied, "I hadn't planned on doing much dancing, let alone walking this far. Ouch! I'm definitely rethinking my shoe choices."

"Yeah, you say that now when you're in pain," Jade stated, "but the minute you go shopping and see a pair of cute shoes, you won't remember tonight."

"Ok! Ok! You're right," Cheryl said exasperated which made Jade giggle and draw a glare from her grumpy cousin.

When Jade walked into the club, she was pleasantly surprised. It really was more than a step above most clubs.

Cocktails and Hors d'oeuvres were being served by wait staff dressed in crisp white uniforms. Some people were dancing, but many were just talking, mostly in small groups. The song Always and Forever was being played by a live band.

Jade and Cheryl mingled and stopped periodically to talk to some acquaintances. Jade hadn't seen Cheryl in social situations like this before, but she had to admit that her cousin knew how to work the room. She just wished that she had that kind of confidence.

Although Jade missed out on a lot over the past years, she knew it wasn't all because of Briana. The main reason that she wasn't in a hurry to have a personal relationship again was because she'd made such a bad mistake with Jackson.

Of course she had to think about how any relationship would affect her daughter. She couldn't take the chance that Briana would be hurt again. Then there was the sad truth that some men weren't interested in having a serious relationship with a woman who had a child.

She knew it would be hard navigating dating with her circumstances, but she needed to bring some balance to her life.

*

Jade was moving slowly through the crowd in search of her wandering cousin. They were supposed to meet at the bar precisely at twelve thirty and it was just shy of that time.

After having trailed behind Cheryl for a good portion of the evening, Jade had cut loose to find her own way for a while. Now she was trying to avoid the seemingly horde of men seeking partners for the night. After one encounter where she had to squash the man's not so veiled attempts at a hook up and another who thought to woo her with his bank account, she was done. She didn't know how to even pretend to be interested. She was beginning to wonder why she bothered to leave home.

The truth of the matter was that Cheryl was right yet again.

Jade was rusty on the parry and thrust of flirtation and maneuvering in that type of social situation. Unfortunately, if she was ever going to date again, there would be awkward hurdles to overcome. She began to doubt that she was ready for a relationship and she wasn't one to play the field.

On the heels of that thought, a picture of Alex materialized in her mind, suffusing her body with warmth.

"Damn." she groaned annoyed that just the thought of him could make her want for things beyond her grasp.

Jade willed Alex's image out of her mind and headed purposely toward the bar where she thought she'd seen a flash of hot pink. But when she drew near, Cheryl was nowhere in sight.

She turned to get her bearings when her eyes landed on the object of her wayward thoughts. He was dancing with a lovely tall red headed woman who apparently had said something amusing.

They were close enough for her to hear his deep sexy laughter.

Jade felt a slight pang in the vicinity of her heart, and silently admonished herself for being foolish. She was about to turn on her heels when Alex looked up and held her gaze. Quickly, she dropped her eyes and sped in the opposite direction.

She was making a beeline through the crowd when someone grabbed her wrist. She was about to tell whomever it was that she didn't want to dance, when she heard Alex's husky voice.

"You aren't leaving already, are you?"

Jade closed her eyes briefly and sighed before turning around where she found herself much too close to him. She could feel the heat of his body through his suit, the woodsy scent of his cologne gently teasing her senses.