Chapter 20
Roberts and Diaz rushed the small group toward the elevator to the penthouse. Jo, confused, asked, “Why are we hurrying to the penthouse? Didn’t someone just try to break in? Is it safe?”
Roberts shook his head. “I apologize, Miss Becker. Your other penthouse was the target of the break-in. As far as we know, very few people knew about this penthouse belonging to Mr. Hartford since he had just recently purchased it before his death.”
Jo breathed a sigh of relief, and realized all her friends were doing the same. “So this penthouse is still secure.”
“Yes, Ma’am,” Roberts replied. “There will always be two agents with you when you are here, but we secured access even when you aren’t.” Roberts pointed to a camera in the corner of the elevator as it rose to the top of the penthouse. “That camera records anyone entering this elevator.”
The elevator stopped at the top, and opened into the entryway revealing the two doors as before. “That camera records anyone leaving the elevator on this floor,” Roberts pointed to a camera across the hallway pointed at the elevator. “And that camera shows anyone trying to enter the penthouse.” Roberts indicated a third camera mounted on the wall adjacent to the penthouse doors. “No one can get into this hallway without us seeing them.”
“What about a fire escape? Is there a stairwell somewhere?” Sam thought to ask.
“There is a one-way exit from the terrace that connects to the fire escape on the side of the building, but it is locked from the inside, and it is, of course, watched as well. I will show you all in a moment, but first I believe Miss Becker wishes to give the Allen family a tour of the penthouse.”
“Yes! I want to see it!” Charlie pushed Jo to the door of the penthouse. “I can’t wait!”
“Me either,” Kyle said, right on their heels.
Jo laughed. “I don’t have the key. I can’t open it.”
Roberts nodded. “Miss Becker, you will always have someone with you, and therefore, will never need keys. The door will be opened for you by a member of your security team.”
“What about me?” Charlie asked, “If I’m living here with Jo, do I get keys? And some kind of access code to get on the elevator?”
“You will be issued keys, yes, Miss Allen. As for the elevator, it is keyed as well. No code is necessary.”
Jo pondered the information she knew about the apartment, and asked Roberts for clarification as he unlocked the door.
“Roberts, let me get this straight. No one knew about this penthouse, and the only keys to the apartment and elevator are in the hands of the security team and the concierge? No one else ever had keys? What about Mr. Hartford’s keys? Didn’t he have any?”
“No, Miss Becker. The work had just been finished on this apartment when Mr. Hartford died, remember. One of the things Mr. Hartford had done was to have all of the locks changed out, so he hadn’t received a set yet before he died. Even the elevator key was changed. Once the work was complete, all those workers left their keys with the concierge. Three complete sets. None are missing.”
Roberts flipped the light switches and ushered the group into the luxurious living room. Charlie caught her breath. She gasped as she took in the view. Though it was dark out by this time, the lights of the city took her breath away. Then she rushed from one chair to the next, touching, sitting, feeling the comfort. Kyle headed straight for the remote for the entertainment system. He figured it out quickly, and said “Whoa!” as everything came into its place.
Sam took Brad into the study, and they occupied themselves while Kendra showed Mindy the kitchen. Charlie checked out each of the three bedrooms, then joined Alex and Jo on the terrace. Charlie squealed with delight over the spa and sauna.
“Jo, I can’t believe you own this place! And I can’t believe you want me to live here!” Charlie hugged Jo. “This is the best place I have seen, hands down. The home was lovely, of course, but I agree with you that the distance is a problem, but this is perfect.” Charlie waved her hand toward the city skyline. “Just gorgeous.”
The two mothers joined the three girls out on the terrace. Charlie’s mom hadn’t seen the view yet, and was just as thrilled as Charlie was with the amenities of the apartment.
“Jo, I can’t thank you enough for letting Charlie stay here. This is much more than we could have done for her. You are a blessing, Jo Becker.” She gave Jo a grateful hug. Charlie gave her another one as well.
Soon Kyle ventured out, followed by the two dads. Roberts walked over to a corner of the terrace and, after getting the group’s attention showed them an eight-foot wall that was actually a door. When opened, you could see it led to the fire escape that continued down into the heart of the building. He pointed out a camera mounted above the wall that would capture anyone using the door in either direction.
Brad turned to his wife with a smile. “I’m satisfied if you are, Mindy,” he told her. She returned his smile and then looked at Charlie and nodded.
“Yes! Yes!” Charlie hugged her parents. It seemed to Jo that everyone was grinning. It was a happy day all around.
Jo looked at Alex. Alex was smiling, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes. She was sad, too. The three of them had always been together, and Jo wondered if Alex was feeling the separation already. She knew she was, but she was unsure if she even had the right to ask such a thing of Alex – to give up California and working with her parents and move three thousand miles away just so her friends wouldn’t miss her so much. Was it fair to Alex to ask her to do that? She had wanted to all afternoon. Then suddenly Jo thought of something. If Alex’s parents moved to New York, then Alex would too. What if she could get the Turners to move their business to New York? Jo got excited. It wouldn’t matter where a travel agency was located, really. All the business was done over the phone, to airlines and cruise companies. That might work. Also, what if her company, BeckFord, used a travel agency to book company travel? Couldn’t she request they use the Turners’ after they relocated? It was something she would look into immediately. Meanwhile, it was dark outside, and Mindy was already nudging her husband toward the door.
“I was wondering if I could have Charlie and her mom tomorrow? I need some help shopping, and I want the best,” Jo asked Brad. “I promise I won’t keep them more than all day,” she smiled.
“Of course, dear. We would love to help you obtain an appropriate wardrobe,” Mindy responded for herself and Charlie. “I think Kyle wanted his father to take him to a ball game while they were here anyway. It would work out perfectly.”
“Yes, that would be just fine,” Brad replied. “In fact, Sam, why don’t you join Kyle and me, and let all the ladies do their shopping thing?”
Alex’s dad let out a huge sigh of relief. “Phew, I thought you’d never ask!” Everyone laughed. Even Roberts chuckled a little.
Arrangements were made to pick up the Allen family at nine o’clock the next morning and the Allens left in the limo for their motel.
“Since I dragged you all here from California, it is my responsibility to put you up for the night,” Jo stated to the three Turners after the Allen family left. “I was wondering if you would mind staying here, in the penthouse. There’s plenty of room for all of us, and Roberts mentioned that room service will deliver breakfast in the morning.”
Alex looked at her mom and dad to gauge their response, and seeing they were agreeable said, “This would be wonderful, Jo. We would love to stay here tonight.”
Roberts saw that his charge and her companions were ready to turn in, so he quietly asked for a short meeting with her before he left. She followed him into the study, and he updated her on the break-in at the other penthouse.
“Apparently, someone had a set of keys to Mr. Hartford’s penthouse that we were unaware of. It was reported that a woman used keys to access the elevator and was entering the exterior hallway when a team we had placed there noticed her. They searched the penthouse but didn’t find her. She must have exited using the fire escape off of the terrace. The set up there is similar to this penthouse; however, there is no camera on the fire escape door. As far as we can tell, nothing was taken or disturbed. We don’t know yet who she was or why she wanted in the apartment. We will continue monitoring to see if she returns.”
Jo wasn’t sure what to say, but she thanked him, he told her good night and left.
Jo and Alex gave the Turners the room with the extra large bathroom, then they each took one of the remaining rooms and settled in for the night. A few minutes later, Jo left her room and knocked on Alex’s door. She couldn’t stand it any longer; she needed to talk to Alex.
“Come in,” Alex called.
Jo entered wearing a nightgown Charlie had helped her purchase back in California. “Alex, I need to talk to you,” Jo began.
Alex smiled, and patted the bed next to her. Jo went and sat down, propping a pillow behind her and blurted out, “I want you to live here with Charlie and I.” Alex’s eyes danced. Jo realized instantly that Alex had been waiting for this, and rushed on.
“I know you want to go to college back home, and your parents are there, but I have a plan. I want your parents to move here, too. I figured that my company probably has to book a lot of travel for business things, since there are branches all over, and until your mom and dad got their business re-established, I would make sure they stayed busy.”
Alex nodded. “I thought the same thing, Jo! And I know that most of bookings only require phone calls. That can be done from anywhere, even New York.”
“So you’re not mad at me for wanting you here? What about you being a hometown girl and all of that?”
“Well, so far, New York doesn’t seem so imposing. Granted, a lot of that has to do with the armed escort, and the fact that I’ve been riding around in a limousine, but, I got to thinking about it, Jo. There are colleges in New York, and if my parents really have no desire to move here, I’m sure I have a friend in high places that can get me a menial job somewhere,” Alex smiled at Jo.
Jo grinned back, then her eyes lit up and she gasped. “That’s it! That’s perfect!”
Alex sat up, “What? What is it?”
“You can be my personal assistant! They told me Tammy was a temporary one until I find the one I want. She could train you. You already have all the organizational skills and planning from working at the travel agency so long. You could do this easily.”
Alex smiled. “I could, couldn’t I? And then I could take night classes somewhere.”
“I want to do that, too. I want to take as many business courses as I can. I have a lot to learn, and now I can actually afford to learn it.”
Alex hugged Jo. “And I can live with you and Charlie here in the penthouse?” she asked.
“Of course, Alex! I want both of my best friends with me as much as possible. If you become my personal assistant we will be together all day every day, though. Will you get bored with me?” Jo asked worriedly.
“Probably,” Alex responded with a laugh. “So then we take a day off or go do something fun, right? We will let Charlie be in charge of making our lives fun. She excels at that.” They both laughed.
“Okay. We will talk to your parents in the morning. Then, if they are willing to do this, we can have Roberts take us to all the other properties I own and have them pick out a place to live.”
“That’s a great idea, except we are shopping tomorrow, remember.”
“Hmm. I wonder if the guys can hit a few places before their game. Maybe we can ask.”
“That might work. Although, you know, neither of the men would pick a place until his wife sees it,” Alex pointed out.
Jo laughed. “They wouldn’t dare, Alex. You are right. Okay, maybe we can look at some of them in between stores.”
Alex nodded, “That would be the best idea.”
Jo went back to her room then and climbed into the luxurious bed. She hadn’t closed the blinds and could see lights all over the New York skyline. It was beautiful. She wondered if she would get any sleep at all since her excitement level was so high, but she drifted off quite quickly.
In the morning, Jo woke to the brightness of her surroundings temporarily forgetting where she was. The beauty of the room reminded her of her new life, however, and she showered quickly and dressed in the second business dressy outfit that Charlie had chosen for her back in California. She slipped on sensible shoes that would be easy to take off and on, considering she would be trying clothes on all day. She sighed. Shopping was not her favorite thing to do, but she knew it was necessary. Even if her entire wardrobe hadn’t burnt up in the house fire, she would have had to go shopping today.
Out in the dining room, Jo found a menu placed standing up in the center of the table. She could hear Alex moving around when she passed her room, and thought she had heard the Turners talking as she passed theirs. She wandered into the kitchen to see what was in the fridge. She didn’t expect to see Tammy sitting there.
“Oh,” Jo exclaimed, startled. “Good morning, Tammy.”
“Good morning, Miss Becker. Roberts let me in. I see you found the breakfast menu. I understand you will be doing shopping today? What time do you want me to have the limo ready?”
Alex joined Jo in the kitchen. “Alex, this is Tammy Reid, my personal assistant. Tammy, this is one of my two best friends, Alex Turner.”
Tammy nodded at Alex. “It is nice to meet you Miss Turner.” Alex nodded and smiled, then turned to Jo with her eyebrows lifted.
“Tammy is here to order our breakfast and call the limo to take us shopping,” Jo informed her.
Alex could tell by the tone in her voice that Jo was uncomfortable with this. She leaned over and whispered, “Why can’t we do that ourselves?”
Jo whispered back, “I have no idea. I guess most rich people don’t know how to use a phone.” They giggled.
“Have you had a chance to look at the menu yet, Miss Becker?” Tammy interrupted the giggling girls, all businesslike.
“No, not yet, Tammy, but I was wondering how you would like to have the day off? I can call in the order myself, since the number is here on the menu. Besides, I know how to get hold of Roberts. He will bring the limo around, he told me, so why don’t you just take the day off today? I have my phone and will call you if I need help with anything.”
Tammy stared, astonished at Jo. “Are you sure that is wise, Miss Becker? It would be most inappropriate for you to do such things yourself considering your position.”
“What position?” Jo asked annoyed. “Three days ago I was a penniless, motherless girl. I’m just me, Tammy, and I want to stay just me. I consider us equals, so anything you can do, I can do, or I will learn to if I don’t know how.”
Tammy seemed unsure of herself. “I am glad you feel that way, Miss Becker. I have never met someone like you, though, and I’m not sure how to do my job because of it.” She stood up. “Please call me if you need assistance of any kind, Miss Becker. Thank you for the time off.” She left.
Jo watched her leave, troubled. “Alex, was I mean to her?”
“No, Jo. I think she just expected you to be a normal rich person, and treat her like a servant. She probably doesn’t know how to handle a person who wants to do things for themselves.”
Jo sighed. “I hope you’re right, and I hope you want her job. She makes me feel like a snob the way she talks to me, and you should have seen her reaction yesterday at the office when I asked her to call me Jo. She about had a fit.”
Alex grinned. “Yes, I can see how she would be disturbed by that, and yes, I can see why you want me to take her job. If you’re gonna have someone underfoot all the time, it might as well be a friend, right?”
“That’s exactly what I was thinking.” Jo nodded. “I would love to have Charlie work with us too, but I think she wants to do the full time college thing. It will be enough to have her share this place with us.” Jo looked around. “I still can’t believe this is mine.” She sighed happily.
“Let me see the menu, I need to order breakfast for us, Miss Becker,” Alex reached for the menu Jo was holding and avoided the playful punch Jo aimed at her arm.
“If you start calling me that, I will find embarrassing unimportant things for my ‘assistant’ to do for me. You don’t want to go there,” Jo warned playfully.
Alex laughed. “All right. It would feel weird anyway.”
The two girls looked over the menu as Alex’s parents appeared in the kitchen.
“Was there someone else here? We heard a voice we didn’t recognize.” Kendra asked.
“It was Jo’s personal assistant. Jo gave her the day off,” Alex grinned. “She will have plenty of assistance from Charlie.”
“Yeah, way too much assistance,” Jo grimaced.
The Turners laughed and Alex handed over the menu. A few minutes later, after inquiring of their choices, Alex’s mom placed a call and ordered breakfast for all four of them.
“Mom, Dad, can we go in the dining room to wait? I want to talk to you about something.”
Her parents looked at each other knowingly. “Yes, let’s go sit down,” her father agreed.
Once all four were seated, Alex opened her mouth to speak, but her dad interrupted her.
“Yes, Alex. We talked about it. We are okay with it,” he told her.
Alex, astonished, asked, “Okay with what?”
“With you living here in the penthouse with Jo and Charlie. Oh, and working with Jo at her company most likely, but we have one stipulation,” Kendra replied. “You must get a college education. If your day schedule doesn’t allow it, take night courses. Whichever you do is fine, as long as you keep at it.”
Alex and Jo both stared gaping at the Turners. “How did you know?” Alex finally asked her parents.
“Once we saw Charlie’s reaction, we knew you wouldn’t be happy until you were living here with them, Alex. It would be impossible to keep you apart from them. Besides that, since it had already come up about frequent visits home with Charlie, your father and I knew you would be more open to moving here with that available to you.”
“So you talked about letting me move here even before Jo asked me to?”
Kendra looked at Jo with a smile. “I knew it was only a matter of time before Jo decided she needed you at her side, Alex. You two are close, even more so than you are with Charlie. I knew she would be imploring you to move in. Especially since there are three bedrooms.”
Jo smiled. “You know me well. I have to admit. So,” she grinned mischievously, “what am I going to ask you next?”
Sam Turner looked at Jo, a little surprised. “You want us to move our business here to New York?”
Alex and Jo gasped. “No way! How could you know that?” Alex exclaimed.
Her mom laughed, and her dad just shook his head. “You were right, honey. I didn’t believe you, but you were right,” he said to his wife.
“I figured you would want us all nearby, honestly, Jo. This is a huge move you are making, and a difficult responsibility. Being surrounded by your friends is important. We all are your emotional support system. I realized you would want us and the Allens too, if we were willing to move here,” she explained.
“I didn’t believe her when she told me that,” Sam said. “I told her that you just needed your two best friends, and not to expect the request.” He was truly astonished.
“Thank you, Kendra, for knowing how much you mean to me. You have helped me through a lot, both you and Sam, and the Allens, and more than anything I want to be surrounded by people whom I love and trust. Alex and I discussed that since most of your business is telephone calls and Internet orders, it might not be too difficult for you to move.” Jo explained hopefully. “And finding a place to live would be a breeze. I have lots of places for you to choose from.” Jo smiled.
Kendra gazed amazed at Jo. “Okay, that one I didn’t expect. You are offering us a place to live? Just pick whichever one we want?”
Jo nodded, “Well, except for this one. Charlie, Alex and I called dibs on it first,” she retorted.
The Turners laughed, and a buzzing came from the intercom. A waiter from the downstairs restaurant wanted access to deliver their food. Just as Jo was going to buzz them in, Roberts’ image appeared in the intercom screen.
“Miss Becker, I’m sorry to interrupt, but we aren’t in the habit of letting anyone we haven’t thoroughly checked out into the suites. It would be better if you allow one of the security agents to go down and retrieve the order. Maids and room service personnel are the most obvious disguise for a suspect, so unless they have been checked out, or unless you know them personally, we don’t allow anyone upstairs. This is standard protocol.”
Jo, taken aback, replied, “I see. I suppose you are right, Roberts. I’m sorry for not asking you. Yes, do whatever you would normally do here. I really don’t care how I get the food, we just want to eat,” she laughed.
Roberts told her it would be taken care of, and he disappeared off of the screen. Jo went back to the table and sat down. A few minutes later, Diaz entered with a rolling cart containing several trays of food.
While they ate their breakfast, Jo continued her conversation with Alex’s parents. They agreed to consider seriously her offer, and went so far as to consent to look at all the other places they hadn’t seen yet, to choose one to possibly live in. After eating, Jo found the phone Tammy had given her, and pressed the star button to call Roberts.
“Is this the best way to get hold of you?” she asked him when he answered his phone.
“Yes, Miss Becker. Or you can use the intercom system if you are inside the penthouse, but this will reach one of the team always.”
“Okay. I wanted to tell you what I wanted to do today, so you can get the cars ready or whatever you have to do.”