Chapter 7

            Regina had woken two hours ago. She had a slight headache and felt groggier than she usual would waking up. She had popped two aspirin and called Uber to take her back to the bar to get her car.

            She had just finished taking a shower when the doorbell rang. It was a few minutes after nine. She wrapped a cotton robe around her and headed downstairs. As she walked to the door, she wondered who it could be. When she peeked out the door, her head jarred back. It was Scott. It was Saturday, and he didn’t work on the weekends unless he was behind on a project, so she wondered what he was doing there.

            Regina opened the door. “Hi.”

            He was holding a white paper bag. “Hi. I came by to check on you. Are you all right?”

            “Oh yes. I’m fine. I can’t remember if I thanked you for the ride, but if I didn’t . . . thanks,” she said with a bashful smile.

            “No problem. I stopped by a little shop I like getting breakfast sandwiches from. Do you like bacon and egg on bagel?”

            She gave him a soft smile. He meant well, and she was hungry. “Yes.” She opened the door wider to let him in.

            They went to the kitchen. She had started the coffeemaker before she had gone upstairs to jump in the shower. “Would you like some coffee?”

            “I would love some.”

            She poured the java as Scott took the sandwiches out of the bag and put them on the white wood table.

            She sat the mugs down and grabbed the cream and sugar. “I really appreciate you checking on me and for bringing me breakfast,” she mumbled as she sat down.

            “No problem at all.”

            “It had to be a little bit of an inconvenience for you. Where’s Clay?” She unwrapped the sandwich.

            “He’s with his grandfather this morning. Dad wanted to take him to Epcot for a few hours.” Scott bit into his sandwich.

            “Aw. That was nice of him.”

            They made small talk as they ate. Regina poured them a second cup of coffee and sat back down.

            “So . . . do you want to talk about it?” he asked with slight seriousness.

            She softly exhaled. She wasn’t going to play dumb. He had found her in rough shape last night, and she had run off yesterday afternoon like the plague had broken out in the backyard. She figured it wouldn’t hurt to talk to Scott. He had bad relationship experience himself, according to Mika. Maybe he had some words of wisdom “The papers that were served to me yesterday . . . they were separation papers from my husband. Before I came down here . . . he packed up his things in our home in New Jersey and left me for another woman. We’ve been through this before. He . . . he has cheated on me before. The first time when I found out and confronted him, he begged for my forgiveness. He was even willing to go to counseling. We worked through it. When he left, I wasn’t worried. I was confident he would be running back to me when he figured out that the woman he left me for had no substance.” She looked down in her coffee cup.

            “Do you know the other woman?” he asked.

            “No, but the PI showed me pictures of her. She had on designer clothes, and she has no job. I suspect she’s a gold-digger.”

            “Either way, um, what’s your husband’s name?”

            “Sidney.”

            “Sidney - left you for her. I am sorry. I know divorce is difficult. Look at it this way. At least you don’t have to worry about your kids getting caught in the middle. Clay was almost two years old when his mother and I got divorced. Granted, he was too young to know what divorce meant, but he did know that his mother was gone, and as time went on, I had to explain to him that she wasn’t coming back — and that was not easy to do or watch, trust me.”

            “I bet it wasn’t,” she mumbled as she looked up at him.

            His brown eyes were soft, full of empathy. “I . . . I know the betrayal you feel. You see, Marlena, my ex-wife, left me for another guy. I was mad as hell, but I got over it. And you will too.”

            “I suppose,” she said softly. “But it still feels so . . . unbelievable. We have been married for thirteen years. We’ve built a fortune together. Granted, we’re not Steve Harvey rich, but we’re not hurting.”

            “Are you afraid you won’t get a fair settlement?”

            “Not really. I can’t see him wanting my salons, and he said I could keep the house in Jersey. The only thing he would probably want are the rental properties.”

            “What about this house?” he asked with concern.

            “Hmm, I don’t think he would want it. He was born and raised in Orlando like I was, but he never wanted to be here permanently. That’s how we ended up in New Jersey.”

            “Nevertheless, you should get yourself an attorney. You need to get on top of this. I know a guy who is damn good. He’s a little expensive, but he’s worth it. He’s gotten me out of some scrapes in the past. I would be happy to call him for you. He’s pretty exclusive. He only takes clients that another client refers.”

            “Yes, he does sound expensive and exclusive,” she mumbled. Deep down, she didn’t want an attorney. She didn’t want this to happen at all.

            “I can call him this afternoon,” Scott said nonchalantly and sipped his coffee.

            “It’s Saturday,” she stated.

            “I know. I have his cell number.”

            “Oh. Well, I’m usually pretty independent, but I’m not going to refuse your help. The way this is looking, Sidney wants to move fast. I don’t think I have time to shop around. Our attorney has decided to represent Sidney.”

            “Good. You’re an attractive woman, Regina. Something tells me that you’re not going to be alone for too long,” he said with a little smile.

            She lightly scoffed. “Thanks, but I’m thirty-six. I’m not an old geezer, but most men want the new, hottest . . . and youngest thing. Then again, it doesn’t really matter. I’m done. I don’t want another guy with money because — well, look at where I’m at now; rich guys are always looking to upgrade. And I don’t want a young man who’s a bum who expects me to pay for everything.”

            “I seriously doubt that you would entertain a bum,” he said with a small smile. “And not all rich guys are pigs.”

            “I’m sure you have worked for some seriously wealthy people, but—”

            “There are still good guys out there – trust me,” he said and winked at her.

****

            Scott drove his truck to Kissimmee to his father’s house to have dinner with him and Clay. He had called his attorney on Regina’s behalf. The lawyer was more than happy to review her case. Scott scoffed. Hell, he better, considering the money I pay him to be on retainer.

            He thought about Regina as he drove. The white cotton robe looked good with her skin tone. He hated seeing the sadness and disappointment in her eyes. Her husband was a fool as far as Scott was concerned. He let his mind drift, wondering if he should make a move toward her. Not now while she was so distraught, but maybe in a few months. He liked her a lot, and he was attracted to her.

            Scott pulled into his father’s driveway. Clayton F. Kelly lived in a modest, middle-class house like his son. Scott’s father was a retired contractor. When Scott had turned eighteen, he had started working at his father’s business. He had seen so much room for growth. Scott started networking with business owners who needed contracting services. Word of mouth got around about Scott’s work ethic and dependability. When he had landed a multi-million-dollar contract with a bank for three new locations in Orlando, his father had mixed feelings. On one hand, Scott’s father had been proud of him. On the other hand, his father didn’t want to be what he called a big-time contractor. He wanted to stay small because he feared that if the business became too prominent and serious, he wouldn’t enjoy it anymore. Scott didn’t completely understand it. Yet being an upstanding man and father, Clayton Kelly took his crew and did the bank job to the client’s satisfaction.

After that, Scott had formed his own construction company, Kelscot, and continued to score top-notch clients. His reputation had gone beyond Florida. He has offices in Los Angeles and Chicago. As his fortune grew, he thought it would be a good idea to make smart investments. He had asked a client for a recommendation for an honest and reputable financial advisor. Scott had almost stopped breathing when the client had introduced him to Warren Buffett. Between his growing business and his growing investments, Scott had accumulated $1.5 billion dollars.

Scott used his key to enter the house. He called out for Clay and his father, but no one answered. He figured they were in the backyard.

He walked through the kitchen and opened the paned double doors. Sure enough, Clay was playing in the small round pool, and his father was sitting in a lawn chair.

“Hey, boy,” his father said with a grin.

“Hi Dad,” Clay said.

“Hey,” Scott said and sat down in the chair next to his father.

“You want a beer? Grab one out of the cooler,” his dad said.

“Maybe in a minute. You two have fun at Epcot?”

“Yeah, we went on a few rides and came back here before it got too hot.” Clayton Kelly had silver hair, and he was in his late sixties. He was the same height as Scott. With the exception of high blood pressure, Scott’s father was in good health.

“So, where have you been?” his father asked.

“Oh, just running some errands,” Scott said.

His father scoffed. “Was one of the errands a woman?”

Scott looked out at Clay, who was busy playing battleship with his boat set. “What makes you ask that? I haven’t been interested in a woman in seven years.”

“Because you haven’t been interested in a woman in seven years. It’s not natural or healthy, boy. Plus, little Clay told me that you have been spending some time with the blonde who lives across the street from you.”

“We’re just friends,” Scott said. “Her son and Clay are best friends. They like to spend time together.”

“You don’t have anybody in mind? Hell, your love life is so bad Clay said something to me about it.”

Scott’s eyebrows shot up. “What did he say?”

“He said he had asked you if you could get him a mom. He also said he had mentioned his teacher to you as a candidate.”

Granted, every boy should have a mom, but Scott didn’t like that Clay was becoming a little too concerned about it. “Perhaps I should have a talk with him.”

“Why? There ain’t nothing wrong with the boy wanting a woman around. Hell, that’s natural,” his father said with a smirk.

“I don’t think Clay means in that way,” Scott said with a small grin. “I just don’t understand why he’s so concerned about it now.”

“He’s getting older, Scott, which means he’s noticing a lot more. He sees happy families with a mom and dad and siblings, and he wants that to. That’s all. There ain’t nothing wrong with him, so don’t take him to no fancy head doctor. That’s what will screw him up.”

Scott chuckled. “I’m going to tell you this to put your mind at ease. I’m considering getting back into the dating pool.”

“Good,” his father said with vigor. “You have anyone in mind?”

“If you promise not to mention it to Clay, I’ll tell you.”

“I ain’t gonna say nothin’ to that boy. This is grown-up stuff.”

“All right, my current client is a very attractive black woman. We’re the same age. I like her, and I would love to get to know her better, but . . . there’s a catch.”

“What is it?”

“She’s married, and she just got served with separation papers from her husband.”

His father was quiet for a moment. “So what’s the problem? Sounds like she’s available to me.”

“Not if she’s crying over her marriage. I don’t want to be the rebound – and that’s if they don’t get back together.”

His father chuckled. “You have my looks and my charm, boy. With that said, you’ll have her eating out of your hands in no time.”

Scott and his father laughed.

When his father’s laughter subsided, he said, “And your one of the richest men in Florida. No woman in her right mind would say no to you.”

“She might. Even if she wouldn’t, I’m not going to tell her that until . . . I’m sure about her.”

His father nodded. “Well, I can’t say I blame you for that, but don’t lie to the woman. That could screw up your chances with her.”

“Hey, Dad,” Clay shouted. “Get in with me.”

Scott smiled. He and Clay kept extra clothes and swimwear at his father’s house. “All right. Let me change.”

“You two staying for dinner? It’s a nice day to cook out on the grill.”

“Yeah, that sounds great,” Scott said.