A little too late

Chapter 54

The next day I wake up early and head to London’s streets. I’m standing in front of the building where Jack’s mum works and I’m as nervous as hell. What the hell am I going to say to her?

I’m already starting to regret coming here and I haven’t even gone in yet. I bite my lip nervously and decide to get it over with. I walk in the building and go straight to the receptionist. She looks up at me and waits for me to talk.

“How can I help you today?” She asks me.

Nervously, I add in, “I’m here to see... uhm... Rebecca Harries”

She looks at me strangely for a minute before asking, “Do you mean Rebecca Frayn?”

I look at her in confusion and then grab out the business card I found on Jack’s fridge. I look at it quickly and see Rebecca Frayn written on the front. I shrug and just assume it’s her maiden name.

“Yes please” I tell her. She looks at me strangely still but still grabs out her phone and calls Rebecca. Her hand is shaking a little as she dials the number which I just find strange.

I listen in to her conversation, “Rebecca, you have a young lady here to see you...” She says into the phone nervously. Eventually, she continues on, “I’ll ask her for you”.

She turns to me and asks me quickly, “What’s your name sweetie?”

My voice cracks a little as I say “St –Stella”.

The receptionist repeats my name in to the phone and the receptionist looks back at me strangely. I can’t tell who is more nervous, me or the receptionist. I interrupt the receptionist by quickly adding, “Tell her I know Jack”.

The receptionist nods and adds in what I say. I watch her nod her head while she listens to what Rebecca says. She finally hangs up the phone and looks to me.

“Wait here, she’s coming!” She tells me. I give the receptionist a nod and turn around to find a chair. Before I sit down, the receptionist tries to talk to me.

“If you don’t mind me asking, how do you know Rebecca’s son?” She asks me.

I look at her and think of what to say. I decide to just go with the truth, “I’m dating him... Why do you ask?”

She smiles and says, “It’s just that Rebecca never has guests. I mean, I’ve never even met her sons. She talks about them sometimes, but they’ve never come around and she works like 24/7”.

I give her a little shrug. I decide to take advantage of this opportunity by asking more questions.

“So, does she really work all the time?” I ask her.

The receptionist nods, “She’s here before I get here and she’s still here when I leave. And I work 9 – 5 weekdays.”

“Oh” I reply. I take a deep breath before asking, “Do you know why she works so much?”

“Nope” She says. She seems more relaxed now that she is off the phone with Rebecca. She looks at me with a sympathetic look. She finally continues to talk, “Have you ever met Rebecca?”

“No, not yet” I reply. She gives me another sympathetic look and mouths good luck.

“What do you mean?” I ask.

The receptionist quickly looks at the elevator and then looks back to me. “She’s scary” She whispers to me.

 As soon as she answers, the elevator door opens and out steps Rebecca. I’m surprised by what I find. She’s all dressed up in a tight fitting, grey work skirt that comes to her knees. Her white top is tucked into her shirt and she’s wearing amazing black heels. She walks towards me confidently. Her hair is in a tight bun and I finally see what the receptionist means. This woman looks as scary as hell. She doesn’t even give me a polite grin. The receptionist stays completely silent as Rebecca walks up to me and now I can see why.