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“But don’t you own the café?” he asked her.
“I do. Sort of. My parents left it to me in their will but I was underage at the time and Aunt Mavis had taken over. Of course, when I reached the age of majority, I didn’t think I could run the place so I gave her control over the facility so I could go college. Aunt Mavis was all too happy to take over this place permanently. Still, if it wasn’t for her, the café would have closed down and it would have been sad since it was my parents’ dream. Right now, it’s running on a deficit. I mean most people these days head to Starbucks for their next caffeine fix. The mom-and-pop businesses aren’t exactly thriving in this economy.”
“I hear ya.”
“Besides, if my aunt wasn’t around I would have found someone else to help me run this place just to keep it open.”
“I know.” Jules knelt down beside her. “I didn’t mean to sound so…controlling earlier, Amber. I don’t know what the hell got into me. I’ve seen your old place and it was nothing like this. I knew this wasn’t you. So, Mother Amber, what do you want to do?”
She smiled. “That’s better. Thank you for your support, Jules. I would love to leave here but…”
“Consider it done.”
Before she could say anything else, Jules swiped his phone out of his pocket and made a quick call. “Hey, Dion, I’ve got you on speaker,” Jules said, giving him the heads up. “Listen, is the 1201 still available?”
“Yeah, why?”
“Good. You remember Amber, right?”
“Yeah,” his brother Dion said on the other end of the phone. Since the Romero family owned multiple real estate investments around the city and across the greater Toronto area, it wasn’t a huge undertaking to find Amber a cozy suite that would be appropriate.
“Well, she’s looking for a place. I thought that one would be great for her. Listen, I have to take care of a few things. Do you think you could have one of the girls look after it for me?”
“Sure thing, man. By the way, how did that meeting go last week?”
“Oh, it came. And went. It’s a nice facility. I had to leave the meeting early but Brenda has taken all the available info. I’m not making any rash decisions yet.”
“Good. Well, keep me posted. And oh, yeah, don’t forget the dinner next week.”
“The dinner?”
“Yeah, you know how Gramps will feel if we miss one of our family dinners. Complete with a sermon.”
“Oh, right. I wouldn’t want to miss that.”
The Romero family gathered a few times during the month for a great feast at the estate to keep everyone together. Since most of their jobs and businesses were spread out virtually all over North America. Toni Romero, the patriarch of the Romero dynasty, had instilled family values first in his grandsons and insisted they do everything to keep the family unit close and strong.
He often told them if they were too busy for friends and family, then it meant they were too busy!
“Listen.” Jules turned to Amber after he’d finished his phone call. “Would you like to come to dinner next week at the estate?”
“Oh, Jules. That’s so nice of you to offer. But I really don’t want to impose.”
“You’re not imposing, Amber. Come on. Besides, you’ve met Gramps before. He really likes you. And he appreciates what you did for Venus and Carl. He said he’ll be forever in your debt.”
Amber seemed to give serious thought to the invitation. “Okay, I’ll let you know how I feel. I mean, I do have my days, you know.” She grinned sheepishly.
“Of course.” Jules had to remember that Amber was pregnant and from what he’d seen of his sisters-in-law Lucy and Maxine, it could be one heck of a mood swing one after the other. “Anyway, you must be hungry. Let’s go get something to eat and then we’ll talk about getting you settled in your new apartment.”
“My new apartment? It’s new?” she gasped.
“Well, yes. Remember, we own quite a few condos by the waterfront.”
“I know. It sounds, great really it does. I’m just…speechless. Jules, I don’t know how I’d ever repay you.”
“That’s what friends are for, right?”
He saw the look of disappointment that flashed briefly on her face. Friends. He said the F word. But wasn’t that what she’d wanted all along? Well, maybe she was having second thoughts. Or maybe it was the hormonal changes the instructor mentioned earlier in the prenatal class.
Support, Jules. Amber needs your support. Your undivided emotional support.
And that’s what he was going to give her. Nothing less.
* * *
It was one heck of a long day, but later that evening, Jules’s soft hands covered Amber’s eyes as he stood behind her in suite 1201. “Okay, you can open your eyes,” he said, removing his hands.
She opened her eyes and her jaw fell open. “Jules!”
“You like?”
“Jules…I…I love it but…this is too much,” she refuted. The fresh leather smell wafted to her nostrils as she glanced around at a lovely set of expensive-looking soft leather couches. Movie-style recliner seats and a large screen TV filled an entire wall. It was like a mega home theatre.
“While we were dining, I had the boys at the club set this up.”
“You shouldn’t have.”
“Please. It’s nothing.”
“But it isn’t nothing, Jules. This stuff must have cost a fortune.” Amber reminded herself how Rex tried to own her in so many ways. First, it starts with the ownership thing then it leads to much more.
“Please, Amber. Don’t think about the cost of things. Having comfort shouldn’t come with a price tag.”
“That’s easy for you to say,” she teased him. Amber recoiled from her own comment. Oh, she wished she could take back her words when she saw a pinch of disappointment shadow Jules’s expression.
“Listen, Jules. I…I’m s-sorry. I really do appreciate all you’ve done. It’s just that things are moving so fast in my life right now.”
“I just want to make sure that you and baby are fine. Okay?” His voice was stern.
“Okay,” she whispered. Just then she yawned and the infectious motion touched Jules and he yawned, too.
“Oh, and what’s this?” she said making her way over to the open kitchen. It was high-end designer fridge with a TV on it and an ice-maker. No biggie since she’d seen one before. But there was a computer monitor embedded on the screen.
“Oh, it’s just a smart fridge.”
“Just? What does it do?” Amber opened the fridge.
“Well, for starters, I think every home should have one. It uses a light sensor to scan the kitchen to see if anyone is present then powers down the electricity if not. Anything that saves the environment is all good for me.”
“Hmm.”
“And it also, get this, can let you know when food expires.”
Amber whipped her head around to face him. “Shut up!”
Jules laughed at her astonishment. “Yeah, you just need to scan every item that you buy and place it inside as usual. It knows the location of the food item and will let you know it’s time to remove it.”
“Wow! I’m…just wow.”
“Yes, you are just…wow!” he repeated, flashing her a knowing grin. “You’re amazing, you know that?”
“I am?”
“Yeah, just seeing you so happy and beaming like that really illuminates a room. You deserve it.”
“Thank you,” Amber replied modestly.
Why was it always hard for her to take compliments and to accept gifts from people? Was it because of what she’d been through in her life? Having to humble herself in the care of relatives who really didn’t want to be burdened with her when she was orphaned? She needed to learn to quiet the doubts flooding her mind and simply enjoy each moment. And that’s what she was going to do.
Later during the night, Amber slept fitfully. Her mind drifted again…
She was in the backseat of the Honda Civic hatchback with her younger brother who was falling asleep and practically leaning on her shoulder, drooling.
“Yuck! Brian, wake up!” Amber had cried out, but her parents didn’t hear. Her brother, adorable as he was, couldn’t help it. She didn’t move him; she just allowed him to continue drooling all over her cool new cardigan. She rolled her eyes and shook her head gazing out at the pouring rain.
It was late at night. Cold and dark, a torrential downpour crashed down on the windows of the car as her father drove through the flooded roads. They had just spent the weekend at the family’s rented cottage up north.
“Slow down, Errol,” her mother told her father. Amber knew her mom was always cautious.
“We’ll be fine,” her father responded. “I know what I’m doing, Jacie. I’m a driver.”
“Yes, but the roads, Errol. Slow down.”
Her father turned to her mother. “Just let me drive, won’t you?”
Just then bright lights flashed in front of them, and their father careened into the other lane. The loud honking of what appeared to be a tractor trailer startled them. Her brother woke up.
