“She didn’t speak to you yesterday or today.”
“Would you?”
“No.” Isaac stated “You were a jerk.”
“I know. Mom says she comes by or calls her every day.”
“When she spoke of Micah, she seemed ….” Isaac paused looking for the right word.
“They always got along. Way better than she and I did.”
“Was she cute back then?”
“She hasn’t changed much except for that scar on her cheek. She hasn’t gained any weight either.”
“You seemed to know that Faith person too?”
“She was in my graduating class and she’s always been friends with Cori.”
Isaac teased “I’ll be calling her frequently for an update on my order.”
“How do you know she’s available?”
“No ring” Isaac answered.
Seth laughed “Good luck then.”
“I think Millie needs a visit next weekend too.”
“How about two weeks? My high school reunion is then; maybe I’ll come for it.”
“I’ll be packed and ready to go.” Isaac teased. Both men laughed and enjoyed the rest of the evening.
Chapter 5
Cori smiled and shook the hand of television host. The interview had gone well and they had promised her anonymity. They had recorded film all over the housing complex, the warehouse and the restaurant. At all times, Cori walked with them and made sure that no faces of anybody were seen. It was too great a risk for her women.
“We appreciate this Cory. Your facility is amazing.”
“I appreciate you giving it a good story. Unfortunately, there is a great need in this state for our services.”
“You are correct. We have to head out but it should air tomorrow night on the ten o’clock news.”
Cori nodded and spoke “Thank you for coming.” She waited until the news crew was on the highway again before she relaxed her guard. I am glad that’s over. Cori thought to herself as she re-entered the housing complex and went to find her mother.
“You were fabulous, Cori.” Her mother said as they hugged.
“No, Mom. I was scared to death.”
“Well, you didn’t show it.”
“Thanks.” Cori answered. “I’m going to go for a run and see Millie at the same time. I’ll meet you at John’s for dinner. I stashed my bag in your car so I can change clothes.”
“Alright, be safe.”
“I will. I time my run with the sheriff’s patrols, remember.”
“I know but caution never hurts.”
“See you later.”
Cori’s mother, Frances, waved goodbye to her youngest child before heading towards the rooms of their latest arrivals to change their bandages and help them with food for the evening.
It took three days but Isaac finally had the information that Seth wanted on Warm Comforts. Seth had nagged him hourly until he finally stopped answering his phone calls. Isaac’s assistant handed him the folder then left the office.
He had hired an investigator to do most of the work because he was involved with other duties and now he finally had the report. After opening the folder, he started to read then burst out laughing when he finally read the name of the owner. Seth was not going to believe this.
Seth’s phone rang just once when Isaac called him “What’s up?” Seth questioned.
“Are you available?”
“Yep, just reading some reports.”
“I’m on my way.” Isaac hung up then picked up the folder from his desk. He stopped and had his assistant make a quick copy then walked across the hall to Seth’s office. Abigail directed him on in. He tried to keep the smile off his face but he doubted that he was successful.
“Aren’t you looking like the cat that ate the canary?” Seth commented at the cheesy grin on Isaac’s face. “Knock it off, it is creepy.”
“Just read the stupid report.” Isaac grumbled handing Seth one of the copies. Seth took the report and flipped to the first page and began to read. He was delighted that it was the information on Warm Comforts that he needed.
“You got it.” Seth breathed a sigh of relief. He could now work on the next phase.
“Keep reading.” Isaac encouraged without looking up from his copy. He only had to wait a few more seconds until Seth got to the interesting part.
Seth gasped “oh my word, that little fraud…” he grumbled “Cori Lewis is a fraud. She knew that was her bear that Mindy showed her. She was working that booth like she was an employee not the owner.”
“Why didn’t your mother say anything?”
“Because Cori is her friend. Maybe another trip to Catesville is in order after all. I was taking the next two days off anyway.”
“I’m free, let’s go in the morning.”
“Deal. Mindy has a doctor’s appointment in the morning first thing and then I’ll swing by to pick you up. Stay until Monday?”
“At least.”
“See you in the morning.”
“Tonight. Mindy has t-ball tonight.”
“I doubt it. She had a slight temperature this morning.”
“Where is she?”
Seth pointed to his second office. “She’s sleeping.”
“Do you want me to take her home?”
“I’m leaving shortly anyway. I just wanted to read this report while she slept.” Isaac nodded and headed out the door. Seth finished reading the report on Warm Comforts then went to check on his niece.
Her temperature seemed to be normal again but she was still sleeping. Seth gathered up her blanket, bear and then her as he headed out the door.
“See you or talk to you on Monday.” He whispered to Abigail. She nodded and waved goodbye. Mindy slept all the way home in the car but she woke up when he stopped the car in the garage.
“Uncle Seth”
“Hey cutie, how do you feel?”
“I don’t know.”
“Well, I’m going to fix you some soup and read you a story before you go to sleep. And tomorrow, we are going to see Grandma again for a few days.”
“Okay” she answered slowly as she laid her head against his shoulder again. “I love you, Uncle Seth.”
“I love you too, you are my best girl.”
Seth and Isaac decided to not call for an appointment with Cori at Warm Comforts; Seth was going to try to appeal as an old friend to see her. They dropped Mindy off with Grandma for the afternoon and headed to Hannah’s Crafts store. In their research they had learned that Hannah’s Crafts and the restaurant were all part of Warm Comforts so they headed there first.
“Hi Faith” Isaac greeted when they entered the craft store early afternoon on Thursday. He had called her a couple of times during the previous three days to check on his order but also to talk to her.
“Hi. What are you doing here?” she questioned both Isaac and Seth.
“I want to see Cori.” Seth answered.
“Did you drive all the way from Houston to see Cori? You wasted your time.”
“Why?”
“Cori’s busy.”
“She’s a fraud.” retorted Seth unknowingly setting a spark to Faith’s temper.
“Get out. Now!” Faith exploded pointing to the door “Both of you. Get out and if I see you here again, I’m calling the sheriff.”
“Whoa” Seth tried to soothe “I’m sorry. I just meant that she pretended to be an employee instead of the owner at the fair the other day.”
“I don’t care what you meant. I meant get out of this store.”
“I have some business with Cori.” Seth countered. “It is important.”
“Does this involve your mother?”
“No, it is business.”
“Then it doesn’t involve Cori.”
“This is her company isn’t it?” Faith nodded. “Then I have business with her.”
Faith steppe
d away from the counter to the phone behind her and made a call. A customer walked in and Faith went to help them leaving Seth and Isaac waiting at the counter. Before she could return, Seth heard his name being called.
“Seth Reynolds, are you taking up crafts?”
“Hi John, no I’m not. I want to see Cori.”
“You get to see me instead. Come with me.” John said leading them to a back room “this is the craft teaching room but it will do for you to tell me what you want.”
“This is my chief legal counsel and friend, Isaac Walters. Isaac, this is John Lewis, Cori’s brother.”
“Pleasure to meet you.” greeted John and Isaac returned the greeting. “Sit down if you want too.”
Seth sat and began his business. “John, I want to meet with Cori. I want her bears and other animals in my Christmas catalogue and marketed under Beaches Toys.”
“It won’t happen.”
“Let me talk to Cori and make it happen.”
“It is a waste of your time and hers. She won’t do it.”
“I still want to present my plan to her.”
“I can try to schedule you some time with her in a few weeks but I’m telling you she won’t meet with you or put her products with you.”
“I want to hear from her why she won’t. I can present my plan tomorrow or Monday.”
John pulled out his phone and checked Cori’s calendar. She had a free spot in the morning. “I’ll tentatively schedule you for nine in the morning but if she says no, I’ll call and cancel on you. But I’m telling you that it is a waste of time.”
“We’ll be here.” Seth said rising and shaking John’s hand. He handed him a business card with his phone number on it. “You probably don’t need this since you know where I’ll be staying but if you need to call, here’s the number.”
“It would be faster to walk next door.” John teased. Seth shrugged and laughed as John continued “Go next door to the restaurant and have a piece of pie on Cori. It is the only thing you will get from her.”
Isaac smiled “I love pie.”
“You are a bottomless pit.” Seth grumbled. John laughed. “John, thank you and we will see you tomorrow.”
“Maybe” he answered showing the men back through the shop. Isaac stopped to talk to Faith quickly before heading out the door with Seth.
“What do they really want?” Faith asked John when they were out of range.
“Seth wants Cori’s stuffed animals for Beaches Toys.”
“Poor Seth. He is in for a rude awakening.”
“He is going to pitch his plan to her at nine in the morning.”
Faith winced then joked. “He only remembers the Cori from high school. He hasn’t met the new version.”
“She may not even agree to the meeting.” John stated heading back out the door and up to his office. He was surprised when he told Cori of Seth’s idea and she actually agreed to the meeting. John had Pearl call Seth’s phone and confirm the meeting time.
Seth went to his mother’s home and spent the afternoon with Mindy playing Chutes and Ladders and Candyland as Isaac worked on the final details of the presentation. About dinnertime, Joycelyn had him run back to Warm Comforts to pick up her take out order. When Seth arrived, he saw Cori sitting in a corner booth but bent over the table working on something.
“You are a fraud.” He said quietly from behind her. She didn’t acknowledge him in anyway so he spoke at the same time he sat down across from her in the booth. “You are a fraud, Cori Lewis.” Cori jumped and let out a small screech of surprise. Her hand flew to her chest.
“You scared me to death.”
“Sorry. You didn’t hear me the first time.”
“Oh, sorry. What are you doing in Catesville?”
Seth was surprised by the question “We have a meeting in the morning.”
Cori consulted her calendar on the PDA. She had already forgotten John mentioned it to her. She improvised an answer “I’m a little tired today, I just forgot. Why did you call me a fraud?”
He pointed at her but wasn’t really showing any anger. “You knew Mindy was showing you your own bear and then at the fair you worked as an employee instead of the owner.” Cori bit her lip to keep from laughing.
“Does it really matter?” she asked with a smile. Seth contemplated her question for a moment and then shook his head no.
“What are you working on?” he asked pointing to the pages in front of her. She quickly turned them over.
“Just doodling while my food cooks. Why are you here?”
“Picking up dinner and dessert.” He said sniffing the air and smelling apple pie.
“How is Millie?”
“I’m trying to get her into see a doctor but she is being stubborn.” Cori nodded in agreement. “You’ve tried too I take it.”
“I even threatened to tell Micah on her.”
Seth laughed at the thought. “I may just make an appointment and drag her without her consent.”
“She would have done that to you as a kid so now it is your turn.”
“Good point.” He agreed then the waitress called his name. “Ah, my dinner. I’ll see you in the morning Miss Lewis.” Cori looked at him confused again. “Our meeting?” he questioned again. Once again Cori consulted her PDA.
“Yes, nine am. Good evening, Mr. Reynolds.” Cori stated. Her waitress was bringing her food at the same time so she turned to thank her and missed Seth’s confused glance at her.
As he returned to his car, he wondered how she could forget a meeting they had talked about a few minutes prior. He watched her through the window go back to the “doodling” she was doing instead of eating her food. No wonder she is a stick. Seth thought to himself as he pulled out of the parking lot and headed home.
Cori sat with her mother in her mother’s apartment at Hannah’s House and watched the story on Hannah’s House that night. She watched and listened and hoped they got the story right. Cori was pleased that they hadn’t given her real name and that her face was blacked out during the one on one interview. During the footage of the housing complex and the other buildings, Cori was behind the camera and so only her disguised voice was heard.
“Mom, don’t cry. This isn’t news to you.” Cori argued.
“I know but it is still hard to hear. You are my girl and you were hurt for so long.”
“It is over, Mom. It will never happen again.”
“I know.” Frances said blowing her nose. “It was a great piece. I’m proud of you.”
“Thanks. Now, I’m going to bed. It was a long day.”
“Good night, daughter.”
“Good night, Mom. Sleep well. Good dreams.”
At Millie Reynolds’ house across town, Millie was watching the news with her son and Isaac and she didn’t even try to stop the tears as she listened to the story about Hannah’s House. She felt so sorry for her friend, Cori and all that she had endured during her marriage. Millie’s marriage had been so full of love and happiness but Cori’s had not been. Cori had not told her all of the details of her marriage but she had told her mother, Frances, enough of them and Frances had shared a few with Millie.
“That’s Catesville.” Seth exclaimed as the beginning of the story started. “That’s Hannah’s House.”
“Shhh” Millie grumbled. Seth sat forward in his chair as did Isaac. They listened intently to the piece on the news. It was enlightening. Millie didn’t recognize the voice in the interview but she assumed it was Cori. Never in the piece did they mention the name of the place but at the end, the announcer encouraged those who needed this sanctuary to go to their local police and they knew about this wonderful place or to call the number listed on the screen if they had a crisis.
After the story was over, Millie dried her tears. When she looked up, Seth and Isaac were watching her closely. She started to rise from her recliner but Seth pointed
at her to sit back down.
“Explain please. Was that Cori?”
“I didn’t see, Cori.”
“Don’t evade, Mom. That looked like Hannah’s House as you drive into town.”
“It was.” Millie answered “I would assume that was Cori only it wasn’t her voice.”
“It was electronically distorted.” Isaac interjected. “Why does Cori have a house for abused women?”
“Isaac, I love you like a son but I won’t give you that explanation. It is Cori’s business and only Cori will tell you.” She rose from her chair and left the gentlemen in the living room wondering about Cori Lewis.
Isaac rose from the couch “Well, we can’t solve this mystery tonight. I’m going to bed.”
“Me too. But I’m really confused now.”
“Yeah, me too.”
Seth watched Cori’s face as he made his presentation the next morning. She had no expression either good or bad as he went along. She glanced at the proposal when he mentioned something about it. At the end of his presentation he asked her if she had any questions.
“I don’t have any questions, Mr. Reynolds. I appreciate your wanting to meet with me and your presentation is excellent.”
“I think we could have a good business together.”
“Faith and John both told me that they told you that I wouldn’t agree to this. They are correct. I won’t agree to this.”
“Will you tell me why?”
“You’ll just have to live with my no. Thank you for your hard work on the presentation.” She said rising from her chair. Cori moved to shake hands with both Isaac and Seth then headed to her next meeting. John remained behind in the conference room.
“I’m sorry, Seth. I warned you though.”
“Will she rethink it if we up the offer?”
“No, she won’t. She’s more likely to just get mad.”
“Well, I’ll give it another try probably anyway.”
“It is your time to waste but it will be a waste. Let me show you out.” John led the two men back through the craft store where Isaac stopped to talk to Faith again. Seth went on out to the car after shaking John’s hand one more time.