Chapter 5 BROKEN PIECES PART 2
She got to Westbrook Elementary with five minutes to spare and parked right next to the curb as the doors opened and kids started to come out. She saw Noah right away. With his messy dark curls and bright red backpack that was almost as big as he was, it was hard to miss him.
"Mom!" He ran toward the car with the energy that only nine-year-olds seem to have, and his face lit up with a gap-toothed smile. "Guess what happened today!"
Vivienne's shoulders finally relaxed. Noah got into the back seat and started telling a story about something that happened at recess. His words were all over the place because he was so excited.
"And then Lucas told me I couldn't do it, but I did, Mom. I climbed all the way to the top of the jungle gym without using my hands at all for the last part. Okay, I used them a little bit, but not all the time, and..."
Vivienne gently reminded him, "Seatbelt," and caught his eye in the rearview mirror.
"Oh, yeah." He clicked it into place without stopping his story. "Mrs. Peterson saw me anyway, and she said I was very brave but also that I should be more careful. I guess that's fair because Jacob fell off last month and broke his arm. But I was very careful, Mom. I promise."
She pulled away from the curb and listened to him talk, letting his voice wash over her like a balm. This was her life, and she wanted it to stay that way. Noah with his wild imagination, bad jokes, and Lego pieces all over the house.
He was the most important thing to her. Not Alex. Not his plan to be a tyrant or the past coming back to get her. She only wanted a quiet life with her son.
The screen on her phone lit up in the cupholder. Then there was the buzzing sound. Again. And once more.
"Are you getting a lot of texts?" Noah asked, stretching his neck to see the phone screen.
"Probably just work stuff." She kept her eyes on the road, but her gut was unsettled. "How did the test on spelling go?"
"Got a hundred!" Noah proudly said. "I even spelled 'necessary' right, and that's a really hard word. You know, C-E or S-E? But I remembered the trick you showed me."
"That's great, honey."
Again, her phone lit up in the cupholder.
Twenty minutes later, they got home to a big three-bedroom apartment in a neighborhood that was nice enough for some people to call fancy. She had been able to make that much for herself and her son.
Noah ran up the stairs in front of her, already talking about what he was going to do that afternoon. He wanted to do his homework first, then work on the spaceship drawing he had started the day before. And asked if they could they have tacos for dinner?
"We'll see about tacos," Vivienne said as she pulled her keys out of her purse. She unlocked the door and pushed it open. "Definitely do homework first."
Noah threw his backpack on the couch and went to the kitchen to look for a snack. Vivienne finally let herself look at her phone.
Four new messages. Marcus sent three. The first line screaming at her, "PLEASE RESPOND TO THEIR EMAIL IF YOU HAVEN'T YET." The second, "You're going to the meeting with Hunt tomorrow, right?"
And one email from an address she didn't know at first: [email protected]
Her hands got cold.
She opened it before she could talk herself out of it.
Subject: Request for a Meeting—Time-Sensitive
Dear Ms. Cross,
I hope this message finds you well. After our brief meeting at CrossLight Entertainment earlier today, I wanted to get in touch with you directly about the opportunity we talked about.
I get that you might have concerns, and I respect that. But I think it would be good for both of us to talk. Hunt Enterprises is actively looking for talent agencies that share the same vision and professionalism as your team.
I'd like to set up a meeting to talk about this possible partnership in more depth. I can meet with you this Thursday at 2:00 PM or Friday at 10:00 AM if tomorrow doesn't work for you. Please tell me what time works best for you, or if neither of those times works, please suggest another one.
I really hope you'll think about it again. I think we could make something beautiful together.
Best wishes,
Alexander Hunt
CEO, Hunt Enterprises
Vivienne read it two times. And then a third time. The words were well-chosen and professional. But the way he said it—"I really hope you'll think about it again"—made her stomach drop. He wanted to have this meeting. So bad that he sent a personal email instead of having his assistant do it again.
When Bianca came up to her this morning, she wished she had never agreed to see him. She wished she had called in sick today, taken a different route, or done anything else that would have kept her from seeing his face again.
"Mom? Can I watch TV now?"
She looked up and saw Noah standing in the kitchen doorway with a granola bar in one hand. He was watching her with that look that was too smart for his own good. His eyebrows were drawn together.
"No, baby." The words came out without her meaning to, and her vision got blurry. "It's a school night."
"Mom, are you crying? Why are you sad?"
She blinked hard to hold back the tears. "No, baby. Just sleepy. It's been a long day."
Noah, on the other hand, didn't move. He kept looking at her with those dark eyes, seeing right through her.
She put her phone down on the counter, face down, and walked across the room to hug Noah. He let her, even though he had decided that he was too old for hugs in public. His hair smelled like dirt from the playground and apple shampoo, but she needed that hug.
"Mommy isn't sad, baby," she said softly against the top of his head. "I've got you. How could I be sad?"
But her phone was still on the counter. Waiting. Like a bomb.
She could deal with Marcus and the bills that seemed to keep coming in month after month. She always found a way to get by. She had that spirit in her when she built this career, and she still did. If anything, she has learned how to stay alive when that was the only choice.
But this was not the same. It wasn't just about money or keeping the lights on.
This was Alexander Hunt. The man whose family almost got her killed.
The father of her son who didn't even know Noah existed.
What was she going to do?