Caught in the Middle

Chapter 26

We pulled up in front of a nice building downtown Manhattan. A doorman opened the car door and I felt jumpy when I remembered my last encounter with the other doorman in Dane's building.

"Tessa, go inside and meet Irene. She's anxiously waiting for you," Harlan told me. He smiled lightly as encouragement.

Slowly, I nodded my head.

"Alright, and tell her I'll be up in a bit. I'm going to park the car in one of the parking places." Momentarily, I forgot how hard it was to find parking downtown Manhattan. If a person didn't get parking during parking regulations, that person would have to be extremely lucky to catch a a driver moving their car.

I nodded again.

"Thanks." He turned his head back to windshield and I took it as my cue to close the passenger's door. The doorman already had the front door of the building open, waiting for me to enter.

"Welcome madam." My lips trembled to smile, but I had to remind myself I had a long day. Honestly, I was so exhausted and hungry, I felt like stuffing my face with a cheeseburger or something equivalent to a lot of fat and then curling up in a soft bed.

'Dang! I miss my novels and tea! I wish I can go back to my old life.' But my thought was just what it was, a thought.

The man led me through a vastly expensive lobby with two black leather seats, a beautiful wooden polished table with fresh flowers. Behind it was a mirror and I grimaced when I saw a reflection of myself. My hair looked like a bird's nest. My eyes had bags under them. My face was chalky white and my clothes were rumpled.

'Forget eating first! I need a good bath before I can do anything else.'

The doorman pushed a button on a panel and then moved to a desk before the elevator. "Who are you here to see, madam?"

"Irene," I paused before I realized I had to say her full name. "Irene Shover."

He moved his head up and down while he politely smiled. He picked up the phone and dialed a number. There was a ring and then he was talking to a person. "Ms. Shover, you have a guest who is waiting to see you."

She said something on the other phone before he halted and glanced at me again. "Ms. -." He watched me, waiting for me to fill in the blank.

"Ms. Tessa Black," I added.

He repeated my name and then nodded his head.

"Wait, Harlan, the man who you saw in the car with me will be going upstairs as well."

He made sure to tell Irene what I told him. When he was done relaying my message, he hung up the phone and then led me to the elevator. "6F is Ms. Shover's apartment. She is expecting you."

"Thanks," I murmured. I hit 6 and breathed in a sigh of relief when the elevator doors closed. To tell the truth, I missed doing everything for myself. Whenever I saw people who worked for the rich, I began seeing all of my bad experiences. It was a constant reminder that I didn't live their world.

The elevator door popped open and I heard a ding. Automatically, I exited the elevator and searched for the door that labeled "6F."

Locating it, I lifted my fist to knock on the door, when it burst opened and I felt slender arms wrapped around me.

"Tessa!" Irene exclaimed.

Just being in her arms made me feel safe again, like I had a piece of my old life. I returned her hug as my eyes got watery.

"I was so worried! I tried to get you but you weren't answering." I had yet to tell her I changed my cell phone.

"And when I saw that scene -."