Chris held onto her tight as he finished and then she fell on top of him, with him still inside her.
‘Nice shoes,’ he whispered in her ear.
‘Nice cock,’ she whispered back.
‘That’s disgusting,’ he said, and laughed as she bit his shoulder.
25
Spencer, New York – May 2000
Spencer visited New York only to see the triplets and Birdie. Leon had come to terms with his visits, albeit reluctantly. Birdie had received a broken wrist fighting for it but she stood her ground, and Spencer was granted visits to the city but not to the house in Connecticut.
It was the most pleasurable time of his life, when he and the girls and Birdie would explore the city a few times a year. He would lavish them all with attention and gifts, and for the brief time they were together, everyone was immersed in their own fantasy of how life would be without Leon. None more than Spencer, though.
Birdie hadn’t aged at all, he thought, beautiful, patient with the squabbling children, all so different. Spencer saw parts of Leon in each of the children, in Carlotta’s brave attitude to life, in Violetta’s lack of care and restraint, in Grace’s ability to learn. But mostly he saw their mother.
Birdie and Spencer were careful to never find themselves alone without the children. They met in public places and went to events designed to keep the children busy and talked of old times and the people they knew, but never of her time back in Atlanta. When Birdie had rung him out of the blue in the office, he fell under her spell again and there was a sadness in her voice that helped him understand. She had done the right thing for her family. He had stayed away until she asked him to come back, as he knew she always would. He would always be there for Birdie. Always. Now the triplets were nearly fifteen. Perhaps too old for visits to the city and touristy attractions, but Spencer and Birdie relied on these times to keep the connection between them.
Spencer felt that things weren’t right in Birdie’s home. Violetta and Carlotta had mentioned it to him when they were briefly alone over the years. Leon was a tyrant, from what they said, and Spencer could believe it. Birdie had been divided from her family, never visiting; instead her parents were allowed up to Connecticut for birthdays and Christmas and then they were sent on their way again. The once strong familial bond between Birdie and her father was broken and Spencer didn’t know why. Birdie’s father and Spencer were close in a way. He was an odd man, Spencer had thought over the years. Of course he had heard the rumours of William’s predilection for young boys, but nothing had been proven as far as Spencer was aware, and until it was he would remain a non-believer. He often wondered if Birdie knew but then how could she? She was so far away from that life now.
Now Spencer sat in the coffee shop waiting for the arrival of the most important women in his life. There had been no one else since Birdie. A few lovers, but no one he considered rebuilding his house for. Instead he did it up for Birdie; slowly, painstakingly he created the home he once thought he would share with her but now he lived there alone. He had never told her about it; it would bring up the last time she saw it, when she shared his bed, and that would be painful for both of them.
Birdie knew of his work on the Blanchard home, however. Her mother had told her and Birdie listened, knowing it was for her. She wondered if she would ever see it again.
Birdie’s parents were getting older and frailer. Her father was forty-five when Birdie was born and now he was close to eighty-five. He was an old man and her mother, at seventy-nine, took on the responsibility of his care. It had been a long time since they’d come to New York; too far to fly now. Spencer checked on them whenever he could get away from his busy law practice and Susie seemed to be coping, but for how long? He wondered if Birdie knew how hard things were for her parents at home.
He heard the door of the coffee shop open and the triplets and their mother fell inside the door, pushing and fighting.
‘Don’t do that, Carlotta, you’re such a bitch,’ he heard Violetta trumpet her own arrival.
Birdie pulled off her hat; her red hair tumbled about her face and Spencer felt himself draw in his breath at the sight of her. I have loved you my whole life, he thought, as she walked towards the table.
Birdie sat down next to him and kissed his cheek hello, breathing in his scent of lemons and mint. ‘Hello,’ she murmured into his ear.
Spencer felt himself want to cry.
The girls threw themselves at their beloved ‘uncle’ and each one started to tell him simultaneously about their news. Spencer felt himself relax. And then he felt a hand creep into his under the table and he looked at Carlotta sitting on the other side, her hands on the table and he looked to his left, and saw Birdie looking at him, questioningly. He squeezed her hand back; it was the most intimate of gestures and it forgave the years of silence.
Under the table Grace reached down to pick up the book she had dropped and saw her mother’s hand in her pal Spencer’s. She was holding his hand tightly. Grace sat up again and beamed at both of them. Perhaps her prayers would come true and one day soon they would become a family.
26
Flying to LA, Grace was in work mode, with three of her team beside her. She didn’t have time to think about Frank as they discussed the last minute details of the shoot. By the time the plane landed, Grace was off to the studio to meet the stylist, with bags of clothes that Violetta had sent over.
The afternoon was filled with the level of panic that Grace had felt before a big auction but it was a relief to feel something other than distress or anger. She finally arrived at her hotel in the evening and collapsed onto the bed. She had avoided the Four Seasons after her time with Frank there, and had instead booked everyone into the Peninsula.
She lay on the bed and thought of Frank. She felt the tears start and she cried until she slept, fully clothed, until her wakeup call the next morning.
The studio was already busy when Grace arrived, bleary eyed. Calypso was sitting in a makeup chair while the makeup artist worked on her beautiful face.
‘Hi Grace,’ called Calypso from across the room, and then she said something to the makeup artist who glanced at Grace.
Grace’s heart sank; no doubt Frank had told TG that she had dumped him because he was a bike courier and now she was telling her makeup artist about it. Grace put on a brave face and walked over to Calypso.
‘Good morning, how are you today?’ she said politely.
‘Great, actually. TG got up to tend to August so I had a full night’s sleep. Grace, this is Kelly, she is one of my best friends and also knows Frank really well.’
