Chapter 4

            A month later . . .

            The holidays had gone off without a hitch. Joanna had spent it with the rest of the staff like she had done for the past three and a half years. They exchanged small inexpensive gifts and had Christmas dinner in the mansion kitchen.

            But, most importantly, Joanna had enrolled in the New York School of Design. She was working toward a fashion design certificate. She was taking three required foundation classes currently. The rest of the classes she would take as time went on. Joanna had enrolled as a part-time student so she could keep her job at the estate. A full-time student at the design school could earn a certificate in a year.  But, since Joanna was attending part-time she had no idea how long it would take her to earn a certificate. Plus, she had to watch her money. The school’s tuition was ten thousand dollars and that did not include books and fabrics. Joanna even had to pay a hundred dollar non-refundable enrollment fee. She was making payments to her account every month so she wouldn’t completely deplete her savings all at one time. Joanna had also paid four hundred dollars for two six-week seminars on keyboarding and computer usage before she started at the design school.

            Everyone on the staff knew she was attending school, but the Hudsons didn’t. Not even Selena. Joanna had wanted to keep it from her just in case she couldn’t finish for financial reasons. The last thing she wanted was Selena to feel sorry for her because she couldn’t cut it or to give her money like she was a charity case.

            William had gone to Bruce Hudson to ask if he would cover tuition for a staff member who had decided to take classes. Bruce had said yes if the staff member was taking business classes only. Joanna had thanked the butler for looking into it and accepted the fact that the financial burden of an education was all on her shoulders. But, she was bound and determined to get a modern world education and to do it on her own. If anything she had to prove to herself that she could accomplish something tangible without help.

            Joanna polished the woodened railing of the stairs in the manor when William strutted across the floor downstairs. She looked at her watch and her heart jumped. He usually came home on a weekday from work around this time. William opened one of the front doors. Within moments, Trevor Hudson, vice president of The Hudson Group walked into the foyer.

            Joanna stopped polishing and propped her elbow on the railing and rested her chin in her hand. She was so high up on the stairs no one noticed her. She watched William help Trevor take off his long dark brown coat and matching fedora. Snowflakes shimmered on the hat and collar of the coat.  He looked so sexy in the fedora – like a handsome hero in a romance novel in search for the woman he loved.

            Trevor and William briefly exchanged words. William put Trevor’s coat in the closet as Trevor strode across the floor. Joanna fought not to get the vapors as he disappeared into the hallway.

            “Hey, beautiful dreamer,” a female whispered behind her.

            Joanna whirled around to see Courtney grinning at her like a Cheshire cat.

****

            Trevor entered the den where the family was having before dinner cocktails. “Hi,” he greeted.

            “Hey Trev,” Christopher greeted. “You want me to pour you a brandy?”

            “Please,” he said and plopped down in a brown leather chair.

            “It’s hard work being a playboy,” Bruce quipped with twisted lips

            “It is actually. So many ladies so little time,” Trevor joked. He had just left Ava’s bedside. He had left work at two to spend time with her. He was beginning to enjoy her company more and more. “But, I was just with my favorite girl again, Ava.”

            “Ah,” Christopher said with understanding as he handed Trevor a tumbler half filled with brandy. “You’ve been seeing a lot of her lately.”

            “I have,” Trevor admitted and sipped the smooth room temperature liquid.

            “What in the world do you have in common with her?” Bruce asked. “Yes, she has the right background and part of an elite family, but I can’t imagine you two would have much to talk about.”

            “I can say the same for you and Catherine Van Dyke,” Trevor spat back.

            “Catherine and I have very intellectual conversations. We talk about books, art, and history. What does Ava babble about? Clothes?” Bruce asked smartly.

            She did actually, but he wasn’t going to admit it. “When we aren’t having fun we talk about other times we had fun.”

            “Oh, how sophisticated,” Bruce quipped.

            “Ava is sophisticated,” Trevor said evenly.

In her own unique way.

“And you should worry more about your own love life than mine. Catherine isn’t going to do anything for you other than make you more of a stick in the mud with a club up your ass,” Trevor said.

“I’m glad the baby is upstairs,” Selena mumbled and sipped her drink.

“And all Ava is going to do is bore you to tears with socialite and shallow talk. And just because I don’t whore around like a dog looking for a bitch in heat doesn’t make me a stick in the mud,” Bruce said nastily.

“Damn,” Christopher said with amusement. “Did he just insinuate you were a whore dog, Trevor?”

“Honey, they don’t need any help fighting,” Selena said with a smirk

Christopher chuckled.

“You wouldn’t know what to do with a decent pussy if it jumped up and bit you in the face,” Trevor sneered. “The only ones you can handle are the dried up canals of women like Catherine. It’s a wonder your dick doesn’t catch on fire moving in and out of that desert.”

Christopher burst out laughing.

Trevor and Bruce traded insults back and forth through cocktails and all the way through dinner.