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“We’ll see. Have you seen your therapist lately?”
“Jobe.” I grunt.
“At least get your yoga instructor back to the office. Stop firing everyone who tries to help you.”
I pour another drink. “I’m fine.”
“Don’t blow it with Penny.”
I whip my neck back and down the contents in one go. “Bye, Jobe.”
24
PENELOPE
Three weeks later…
At midday on Saturday,I’m standing in the foyer of the Rose Garden Tea Room at The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens, waiting for Sophia Hendricks to arrive. I had to google the tea rooms. Then, I searched for images of Sophia. As I’d expected, every photograph emanated sophistication. When a lady wearing a navy dress walks in, I recognize her immediately.
“Penelope.” Her voice is genteel. She holds out her delicate hand. Shellac nail tips match her dress. Diamonds sparkle under the recessed lights with two ringed fingers to the knuckles. “It’s lovely to meet you.” Her blue eyes are bright and sparkly, a contrast in color to Franklin’s dark brown ones. “Shall we head inside?”
I follow Sophia as she gives her name, and the staff leads us to an outside table with more privacy than in the main room. We overlook a stunning fountain, and the gardens surrounding us are surreal.
“Are you happy for us to have the Huntington Tea option?”
“Of course.” I fidget in my seat. I glance down at the cutlery and pretty plates.
The server appears, and Sophia orders for us. She looks directly at me. “Is it too early for champagne?”
I shake my head.
Am I about to get drunk with Franklin’s mother?
“You can bring them now,” she tells him. Sophia glances at me and smiles. “It will help break the ice, so to speak.”
I giggle nervously. I need something other than tea.
“Firstly, thank you for meeting me here. I wanted us to chat without the men so you won’t be nervous at the gala.”
“I’ll still be nervous,” I confess.
She reaches over and touches my hand that’s fiddling with the butter knife. “Don’t be. We don’t bite. You’ll see how my boys misbehave as much as others. And meet Charlotte. She’ll be home from college for the weekend. She is younger than you, but I’m sure you’ll get on fine.”
I smile, though I’m not convinced.
“Does Franklin know you have invited me to the gala?”
“No.” She winks. “I want it to be a surprise. This work he has in New York…” She blinks slowly. “He works himself to the bone. He’s more like his father than our other children.” Her gaze meets mine, and I sense I’m missing something.
The server places our champagne flutes in front of us, and I take mine, guzzling a couple of mouthfuls. “Can I please have some water?” I ask the server, then smile at Sophia. “I’m so thirsty.”
“You are working hard, especially in your spare time, to make the Malibu house extraordinary. Jobe is raving about you.”
“He is?”What about Franklin?
“We both came up with an idea. Next weekend you could take the jet to see Franklin in New York. Surprise him. Make him take some time away from his work.”
I’m stunned into silence.
