One Special Moment - Brenda Jackson [15]
It was apparent her husband did not know about her first husband and the child she’d left behind, and she was determined to keep it that way. But the icing wasn’t put on the cake until the following year when Sterling had come face-to-face with her for the very first time. He had gone to Charlotte, North Carolina, with a youth group, not knowing that his mother, her husband and their one-year-old child were there. He had recognized her immediately in the lobby of a hotel, and with the innocence of a child, he had walked up to her and asked when she was coming back to him and his daddy.
Unfortunately, Edward thought, he had been one of the group leaders and hadn’t realized what was happening until it was too late. He didn’t know such coldhearted selfishness could exist in any person. In front of all of Sterling’s friends, his mother had denied even knowing him, and had gone so far as to summon hotel security claiming Sterling was harassing her and her family.
That night Sterling had cried himself to sleep. But upon waking the next morning his small face had been expressionless, and in a solemn little voice he’d said, “Mr. Edward, I’m okay now. Some kids don’t need mothers anyway. It’s just gonna be me and my dad, just like always. All I need is my dad. And I want to go home now.” That day Chandler had made a special trip into Charlotte to get his son to take him home.
“Mr. Stewart?”
Colby’s voice invaded his memories of the past. “Yes?”
“You aren’t eating.”
He smiled. “I got lost in my thoughts for a moment, dear.”
During the next half hour, they talked about a number of things, but Colby couldn’t help noticing how Edward Stewart stayed clear of any conversations regarding Sterling. He suggested places for her to see while she was in town and provided her with the names of a number of good restaurants.
“I really enjoyed having breakfast with you,” Edward finally said, when breakfast was over and they stood to leave the dining room. With a smile he took her elbow and started to guide her toward the elevator.
“Going back to what you said earlier, about certain decisions you have to make, I strongly suggest you think Sterling’s proposal over very carefully before making any decisions. Once you sign that contract, there’s no turning back. And trust me, it’s airtight. Sterling made sure of it. He doesn’t want to encounter any problems later on.”
Colby nodded, knowing she wasn’t going to get much more out of Edward Stewart than that little bit of advice. After all, his loyalty was to Sterling. When they arrived back on the tenth floor, he paused outside her hotel room door. A wry smile touched his lips.
“I happen to think, Ms. Wingate, that you could possibly be the best thing to happen to Sterling in a long time.”
Colby was taken back. “What! How can you even think such a thing?” she protested.
Mr. Stewart held up a hand to silence her. “Just listen to what I have to say for a moment.”
Colby conceded and he continued. “Have you ever heard the story of Samson and Delilah?”
“Of course.”
“Then I suggest you think about it. Samson was bigger than life but all it took was a woman like Delilah who eventually had him eating out of her hands.”
Colby frowned. “I don’t want Sterling Hamilton eating out of my hands. I don’t want to have anything to do with him, period.”
“But to save your brother’s company, you’ll have to have something to do with him,” he replied simply. “Goodbye, Ms. Wingate. If I don’t get the chance to see you again before you leave California, I hope you have a safe trip back to Virginia.” He turned and headed back toward the elevator.
An hour later, Colby found herself pacing the confines of her hotel room after reading the report once again. She’d hoped she had misread the document last night, but, unfortunately, that hadn’t been the case.
Time was running out. Sterling would probably be returning to his