Meet Victoria and Jack - Grand Central Station

Chapter One

It was one of the first serious snowfalls of the season, definitely not a night for a book signing. Doctor Jack Winston had been warned by others not to expect a crowd, but he still hoped for one. Born and raised in Chicago, he should have known better.

After peeking inside the Maxwell Meyers bookstore and realizing the truth, Jack decided to walk around the block. He had felt very lucky to be able to talk about his book at one of Chicago’s finest bookstores. If an author had a successful signing at Maxwell Meyers, the book had a great chance of making it to the bestseller list. Jack quickly realized that he wasn’t about to break any sales records. Hopefully, his publicist would cut him some slack; after all, she had planned the event. Jack might have learned a valuable lesson about mixing business with pleasure, and that sleeping with a publicist wasn’t always the quickest way to fame. He would remember that when his numbers came out, and then he would fire her. He had planned to change his ways when he got married, but so far the right woman hadn’t crossed his path. Or if she did, he hadn’t noticed.

As he walked around, Jack was having a hard time believing there were so few cars on the Magnificent Mile. Michigan Avenue was so quiet he could hear himself think; it was so different from the usual hustle and bustle. Restaurants were closing early, as were some of the other businesses. Jack didn’t like it when his ego was compromised, but it did make him realize he wasn’t special, and maybe he needed that. He doubted he would ever forget that night, and decided to learn from the evening rather than analyze it.

All the time he was walking, he thought that maybe it would stop snowing and the night might turn out well. So after three Starbucks coffees, two muffins, and a chocolate bar, he decided to walk back to the bookstore and live with the consequences.

He knew Agnes Blackwell, the manager of Maxwell Meyers, and how hard she worked. He hated to disappoint her, because she was one of the first moms to read his book and actually follow his advice. Agnes was in the back when he went inside, but motioned for him to join her. She was a little bitty thing, not quite five feet tall, a little overweight, and with very bad vision. Jack could tell by the thickness of her glasses. She had curly red hair and a friendly smile, and happened to be munching on Cheetos, one of Jack’s favorite snacks. Agnes offered him some, and he took a handful to be polite. He wasn’t really hungry after all of the coffee and chocolate. Jack laughed to himself, thinking that five minutes ago, the last thing he would have thought about was sitting in the office at Maxwell Meyers, consuming Cheetos with Agnes Blackwell.

“Good thing the signing isn’t tonight,” Agnes said. “We’d be shit out of luck. I’ve never seen it so quiet. This night is a record-setting one for us, and not in a positive way. Haven’t had a customer in hours. Anyway, what are you doing out on a night like this? It’s so damn lousy out there.”

Jack took a deep breath, not wanting to admit he had the wrong date. He knew he had better try harder not to make mistakes like this, because he didn’t exactly enjoy looking foolish. “I’m meeting someone for dinner at Gibson’s, and just thought I’d say hello and see how your son is doing.”

“Jack, you’re so sweet. Sit down and let me show you his progress.” Agnes yanked her shoulder bag out of her desk drawer. “Look at his report card. I printed it out.”

“Now this is terrific. I’m so glad. Were you able to get his teacher to give him another shot before she switched him to a different class?”

“Yep, you bet. I can’t tell you how happy my husband was. We kept trying and trying, but it wasn’t until I read your book that it all became clear.”

“Good to hear. Save that remark for my signing.”

“Damn right I will. And it’s okay. I know you thought the signing was tonight.” She laughed. “Am I right, Doc?”

He reached for another handful of Cheetos. “Agnes, my dear, you’re absolutely right. I’ll try not to make this mistake again. So much for my high-priced PR firm.”

Jack did have his book signing a week later for Let’s Start with Homework, and it wasn’t great, certainly not up to his expectations. A handful of people were in the store because Agnes promised them free books if they would sit and listen, but they didn’t. They were whispering, texting, or on their phones. One thing was certain; they weren’t there for him. Jack tried his best to hold their attention, but he couldn’t. He promised himself he would never let that happen again.

Chapter Two

(Two years later)

           

Breakfast was not a pretty picture at the Feingold house. There was always so much going on that it could be very difficult to concentrate. Victoria Feingold sometimes referred to her household as “Grand Central Station,” because people were coming and going at all hours of the day.

Despite the chaos, Victoria Feingold had a method to all the ongoing madness. She tried her best to ignore the noise, which was pretty easy for her because she was a pediatrician, and her office was loaded with crying kids all day long. Along with the crying came tantrums and vomiting. Her patients were scared, but she was a necessary evil for them; healthy children were her specialty. So when everyone in her house was a little off the wall, she just did what she had to do, ignoring all the commotion. That meant calling her service to see who needed her. If all was clear, she could sit down and have breakfast with her kids. If not, she was out the door, leaving her mother to handle everything.

Being both a doctor and a single mother of three was quite difficult. She always hated the word “breadwinner,” but that’s what she was. She brought home the bacon—not exactly a Jewish expression.

Not only did she have Allyson, Andrew, and Noah to raise, but she had an ex-husband who simply hadn’t grown up enough to handle responsibility. Her mother and her sister also lived with her. And, of course, what house was complete without a dog? Angus was not just any dog. He was a schnauzer with opinions, some of which he shared with humans. To Victoria, Angus was a confidant; she thought he was the only one who really understood her. Victoria and her ex, Michael, were the only two with whom Angus shared his love of the English language. Victoria acknowledged that if others found out, they might be inclined to call her insane.

Because she spent most of her day answering questions from nervous mothers and fathers trying to do the right thing, she sometimes questioned her own ability. However, her parting comment to parents before they left her office was always, “Love your children. Children need love, and once they feel your love, the rest just comes with the territory.” One of her college professors had shared those words of advice with her, and she felt obligated to pass them on. She knew they were right.

Her mother, Grace, did a lot of the hard work. Grace was good at it. Obviously, she knew how, because she raised Victoria and her sister, Ava. Well, Ava was another story; she was almost forty and still growing up. She and Michael had similar issues, which caused Victoria to fight with them pretty much all of the time. Before Victoria’s divorce from Michael, they all lived a very frugal life due to Michael’s gambling problem. That hadn’t been fun, but things were on the way up. Victoria could breathe again.

Grace loved to cook, and believed breakfast was the most important meal of the day. Every morning, she served a buffet of cereal, toast, pancakes, oatmeal, waffles, cream cheese, and bagels, just in case someone was hungry. Andrew usually ate more than the others. Grace loved that about him. What Jewish grandmother wouldn’t?

The neighborhood had quite a large community of grandparents helping their children live the American dream. After the kids went to school, Grace’s friends from down the block would join her to play cards and eat leftovers. They didn’t play for money, because most of them didn’t have much. Grace really enjoyed having her friends there, even when she just invited them over for coffee and donuts. She always believed that paying things forward was the way to go.

Noah and Allyson ran in and grabbed juice boxes and cookies. Grace removed the cookies from their hands and replaced them with whole-wheat toast, saying, “You’ll feel better if you eat better.”

Noah put the toast down, grabbed a bagel, and waited impatiently for his sister.

“This sucks,” Allyson mumbled as she loaded up on jelly, making the toast a little soggy and lopsided.

“This sucks,” Andrew repeated loudly, and then laughed. He was great at mimicking his older sister, who usually had a comment or two about everything.

The morning network news was blasting in the background. The broadcaster was Simon Barret, a young, good-looking guy. Grace loved watching him. “Quiet everyone,” she said. “It’s Simon.”

“Guess who’s at Maxwell Meyers bookstore?” the anchor said. “It’s Dr. Jack Winston, the child psychiatrist who has become a publishing phenomenon, with three bestsellers in just two years. People are already waiting in line to have him sign it.”

It was noisy in the background, and Grace was a little cranky when she couldn’t hear the whereabouts of her favorite author. She would have gone to the bookstore, but she had responsibilities and had to live vicariously by watching TV. “Quiet, everyone. Let me hear this. It will be over in a minute.” Simon continued talking and Grace, as always, listened to his every word.

Ava entered, wearing rollers and a sloppy robe, topping it off with a toothbrush in the corner of her mouth. “Oh shit, it’s the one and only Simon Barret. Quiet in the house.”

Andrew laughed. He always laughed at his aunt because, in his six-year-old world, he found her funny. Actually, Grace wanted to laugh, but she was supposed to be the voice of reason. “Shh…” she said, turning up the sound.

Simon continued, “Jack Winston was born and raised here, so this was where he wanted to launch his book, and he’ll be at Maxwell Meyers at noon.”

Victoria shut off the TV, never hearing a word of what was said. “Okay, who wants a ride?”

*                      *                      *

Michigan Avenue was beautiful during the summer. There were so many things happening on the street. Mimes were performing, hot dogs were cooking, newsstands were busy, and shoppers were sightseeing. Everyone was happy, and very thankful that summer had finally come. Chicagoans knew how short summer was, and they never disappointed Michigan Avenue by not showing up. They came in droves.

Jack Winston and his publicist picked July to showcase his new book. It’s Easier than It Looks was a parents’ guide to getting results, and it was going to be on the New York Times bestseller list. Jack’s book had the market buzzing, and his sales had already exceeded the publisher’s expectations. Parents, teachers, and grandparents were following his suggestions, with exciting results. Even though he had no children of his own, he had the pulse on how to raise them. His mother was always extremely proud of what her son was doing, and hoped he would be a parent one day—but that was not part of his plan.

There was a crowd waiting in front of the Maxwell Meyers bookstore when Jack’s shiny, black limo pulled up. His driver, Morgan, was wondering how his boss would handle the crowd. He watched closely in the mirror while Jack prepared himself by taking several long breaths.

Before he became a celebrity author, Jack had always hated crowds. He certainly never thought he would be a household name, and the fact that he had become one still shocked him. He had to learn how to publicly express his thoughts, but being personable wasn’t hard for him. He was charming and always knew the right thing to say. His smile was as genuine as the love his fans had for him.

Jack remembered his first signing, and that awful feeling when no one was listening kept him very humble. He hadn’t seen Agnes Blackwell for a long time, but he always remembered how nice she was to him, and her words of encouragement stayed with him every time he was in front of a crowd.

When he was in college, Jack had no idea where his future would lead him. He minored in journalism, but wasn’t exactly the best writer; in fact, several professors adamantly warned him not take up writing as a full-time job. However, he now made quite a bit of advance money with his books, and they certainly turned out to be a lot of fun for him. Meeting parents who loved his books was so rewarding that he continued writing, and he had no intention of stopping now.

Morgan turned back toward Jack. “So, are you ready, Doc?”

Jack smiled and took one more long, deep breath. “You got it. I’m out of here.”

“Okay, coming around. Have a good one.”

Just as Jack was about to get out of the car, a little boy of about six, with curly black hair, ran smack into him. Following him was a beautiful, tall woman. She had beautiful big eyes, gorgeous curly dark hair, and a terrific smile. There was delicacy in her face, as well as strength. Something about her seemed so familiar.

“Oh my God, I’m so sorry,” she said. “My son is a lot faster than me. His specialty is trying to run away from me, but that’s not going to happen on my watch.”

“Eventually, they all grow up,” Jack said, just wanting to stand there and talk to this gorgeous woman with an overexcited kid. Her eyes kept him focused on her, but he knew the crowd was waiting.

Luckily, Jack blocked Andrew with his leg, and Morgan blocked him with his arm, so the boy didn’t get to run any farther. He wasn’t out of breath, but his mother was.

“Thanks so much,” she said. “He’s pretty darn fast.”

“He’s just got a lot of energy. Kids are like that,” Jack said, flashing that perfect smile of his, and realizing he could have said something a little cleverer.

“This one’s got a lot of energy. Big time! He keeps me on my toes.” She stared at Jack as if she knew him, but she couldn’t place him. There was something very familiar about his voice.

Jack’s full attention was on the lovely woman standing before him, but he knew he had to move on. His agenda was supposed to be a book signing, not meeting a woman. He didn’t even know if she was single, though that had never stopped him in the past. He looked at the little boy and asked, “What’s your name?”

When the boy didn’t answer, his mother did. “Guess he remembered not to talk to strangers. His name is Andrew.”

He was about to kick Jack’s leg, but Victoria clutched his hand before he could do it.

Jack was scrambling for words. He didn’t want her to leave, but he had to go inside. “Why don’t you both come in and be my guests?”

She didn’t quite understand what he was doing there. “Your guests? For what?”

Jack held out his hand. “Dr. Jack Winston. I’m here for a book signing. And you are…”

“Victoria Hudson.” She always used her maiden name when meeting people. “I’m on my way to my sister’s office. Sorry. Have a good book signing.”

“Are you sure you won’t stay?”

“I’m sure. Nice meeting you, Jack.”

Just as she walked away, she realized who he was. Her mother loved Jack Winston. That’s why there was a familiarity—she had heard him interviewed a few times. Victoria walked on, still thinking about him.

Jack watched as Victoria and Andrew walked away. She was beautiful and he wanted to know everything about her, but he had a commitment and was going to honor it.

“I’ll get some info on her,” Morgan whispered. “I can tell you were interested.”

“That would be perfect. How do you always seem to know what I need?”

Morgan laughed. “All in my job description, Doc. Go in and have a great signing. Give them what they want.”

“You’re right. I’m going in.”

*                      *                      *

Jack was warmly greeted by the manager. He didn’t recognize her at first, because she was a lot thinner and much more attractive. But when she whispered in his ear, he knew her voice. “You’ve come a long way from the bag of Cheetos and a near-empty room, don’t you think?”

“Agnes Blackwell, is that you? You look great. I knew you found an audience for me that night. I never forgot, and probably never will.”

Agnes was surprised that Jack remembered her. “You knew about the audience?”

Jack smiled. “Of course I knew. So, are we having Cheetos today?”

Agnes couldn’t help but feel flattered. How could she not? She was standing with Jack Winston—not only a celebrity, but one absolutely gorgeous man. “No Cheetos today. This time, we’re having cupcakes with sprinkles. Everyone loves a good cupcake. Besides, you’re Jack Winston. You deserve to have five-dollar cupcakes at your book signing.”

It was time and everyone was waiting, so Agnes nodded to her assistant, Pierce Lawrence, to begin. This was Pierce’s first big event, and he was quite nervous as he walked out to the podium. He kept taking small breaths, in and out, focusing on why he was hired and what he needed to do.

“Hello everyone, and welcome to Maxwell Meyers.” Those were the only words Pierce said before he froze. Luckily, there was so much commotion that no one except Agnes noticed. Her assistant had become pale, and she could tell he was seconds away from falling flat on his face.

Agnes quickly took the podium, trying to let Pierce off the hook. “Hello everyone,” she began. “I’m so sorry we don’t have enough seats, but we are going to do the best we can to accommodate all of you. We knew today would be one of the biggest signings we have ever had, but we had no idea we would be turning people away. Chicago’s occupancy code is very strict. The good news is Dr. Winston has graciously informed me that he will come back next month. So let’s show Jack some love. He’s one of Chicago’s own—Dr. Jack Winston!”

As Jack stepped beside Agnes, he politely smiled. “How do you know I’ll agree to come back?” he whispered in her ear.

“Some things you just know.” And when he smiled at her, she knew he would keep his promise.

Just before he was ready to go on, Jack looked out at the audience, thankful to have such loyal fans. Two hours later, after a long question-and-answer session, he strolled back to Agnes’s office, where she handed him a glass of champagne. “To your career and my victory. Thanks so much for making this visit so special. You could feel the crowd loving you.”

Pierce was lying on the couch; he had fallen fast asleep right after he screwed up his welcome speech. Jack was a little concerned, so he leaned over to check his vital signs. “Well, he’s alive. His pulse is normal.”

Agnes laughed. “He’s fine. He faints when we have celebrities here. So far he hasn’t been able to speak at a signing, but I keep him because he’s a good guy. He’s smart and he listens to all my crazy ideas. He’s also very good in the sack, and very discreet. My husband never suspects a thing. Why would he? You know, it’s those quiet ones…”

By this time, Jack realized she was sharing a little too much information, and he needed to leave. So he politely took a sip of champagne and called it a day. “Agnes, my dear, thank you so much for this wonderful afternoon. I know you went to a lot of trouble to make this a great signing, and it was. By the way, the cupcakes were terrific.”

“So glad you came back. I always knew you would be a successful author.”

“I’m glad you did; I wasn’t quite sure. I promise to send you a list of dates when I can return.”

Morgan was waiting for him, parked in a loading zone. Jack never liked when Morgan got out to open his door, so he motioned for him to stay right where he was. Still, Morgan got out of the car because he liked to do the right thing. He was dedicated to Jack, having taken care of him ever since he was a little boy. Even when Jack’s father died and money was tight, Morgan stayed on without a salary until Jack’s mom landed on her feet. Even after all these years, he remained Jack’s best friend and confidant.

“Okay, here’s the skinny on your new beautiful brunette,” Morgan said. “Her full name is Victoria Hudson Feingold. She’s a divorced pediatrician and has three children, a mother, a sister, and a dog. They all live in Winnetka, in one house. If that’s not enough information to keep you from going further, I don’t know what is.”

“How did you manage to find that out so fast?”

“If I told you my secrets, you wouldn’t need me.”

“Now that’s bullshit. If I need anyone, it’s you. You raised me.”

“Let’s give your mother some credit. She did what she had to. She married Alex Wainwright, rest his soul, so you could have a good life.”

“Morgan, I’ve got to hand it to you. You always put everything in the right perspective.”

“That’s why you pay me the big bucks,” Morgan said, laughing.

Jack thought for a few seconds. “Let’s take a ride to Winnetka. It’s a nice day.”

“Maybe you should quit while you’re ahead. You know your rules. No dating women with children. She has three kids, and it looks to me like she’s got a house filled with a lot of people. You know how you like your quiet.”

“Don’t worry, Morgan. I’m just bringing her a book.”

“It’s never just a book.”

“You’re right, but this is different. There was something so familiar about Victoria. I want to know her better. It won’t be just a date or a quick hop into bed. There’s something about her. She certainly is beautiful, isn’t she?”

Morgan was amused. “Yes she is. You keep saying that as if you haven’t been with beautiful women. They’ve all been beautiful.”

Jack had made up his mind. He was paying a visit to a woman he barely knew, a woman who got to him with her smile. In the past, he always assured himself that things happen for a reason and can’t be questioned. After all, he was just dropping off a book. How serious could that be?