The following Sunday, they had dinner at Mike’s parents’ spectacular apartment. Beverly and Max invited Spencer to bring the twins with her, and Mike brought Zack to see his grandparents. They had a home theater, and Max put on a movie for the kids, and they loved it. And Beverly made popcorn for them. Overnight, Spencer and the twins had inherited a family, with older siblings and grandparents, and Max gave his son a thumbs-up of approval while Beverly was explaining to Spencer about her internet business, and how it had started, small at first, and mammoth now. Some of her best markets were in Asia.
It came as a shock to Spencer in July when the realtor emailed her and said they had a serious prospect for the store. He was willing to pay their full asking price. The prospective buyer was from Singapore and wanted to turn the building into an exclusive boutique hotel. He intended to add a large security staff and set up a night patrol, which would benefit the neighborhood and make it safer. And so far his financial references had checked out, and he had agreed to their terms and was going to buy all the fixtures they were willing to leave behind. Spencer wanted to keep the iconic, historical ones. She had mixed feelings about the sale as soon as she read the email. On the one hand, she wanted to sell it, and needed to, but on the other hand, it would be bittersweet when it sold.
In mid-July, Zack’s casts came off, and he had to do rehab for his wrists and his leg. He was stiff from being unable to use them. He was diligent about the rehab so he could play sports again. The five of them went to the park, and he threw a ball around with the twins, and Mike joined them while Spencer watched and lay on a blanket on the grass. They had brought a picnic with them and spent the day there before they went back downtown.
And it was cause for celebration when Jennifer finally came home in July and met Spencer. Spencer took her to see the new store in progress, and Jennifer was in awe when she saw it, and loved spending time with her. They went shopping together and Spencer took her to lunch. Mike loved to see them get along. He was doing better with Maureen these days, who was in a much better mood. She had a new boyfriend, and was happy about the divorce now. She had forgotten what it felt like to be happy, after years of being married to a man she didn’t love anymore.
And at the center of it all, Spencer and Mike were happy and in love. They were worthy opponents, lovers, partners, and friends. The relationship gave them each what they wanted and had given them a new life. And his clever structure of their association made it feel like a partnership from the start.
“I really like her, Dad,” Jennifer told Mike shortly after she got back from San Francisco. She was staying with Mike more than with her mother. She and Maureen had a relatively peaceful truce for the moment, but she didn’t want to push it.
Spencer took both Zack and Jenny with her to the Free Love garage when they asked her to, and they helped her hand out the bags. Zack even volunteered for an evening of filling them, and said he really liked the crew. Mike came with her every week when she went there.
They had decided to keep the old store closed for the summer while they focused on the new one. The HR people were busy hiring additional employees for the larger store, while the ones who had worked in Chelsea were off for the summer on half pay, and most of them were happy to have the time off. A few complained, but not many.
And for Spencer and Mike, the future was glittering ahead of them, beckoning them forward like stars in a brightly lit summer sky. They had fought hard for their dreams, as opponents and allies, and they had both won in the end.
Chapter 16
On the fourteenth of September, the car parkers in starched white jackets were lined up ready to take charge of the cars on Fifth Avenue. Most of the guests arrived with their cars and drivers. Two hundred people had accepted the invitation to discover the new store. The women emerged from their cars in short cocktail dresses and high heels, with impressive jewels. They were among the most elegant women in New York, wearing big-name designers and Parisian haute couture. They were all desperate to come inside and see the store. Liveried waiters were serving champagne on silver trays, with hors d’oeuvres by the best caterer in New York. The flowers in enormous urns placed in effective locations were spectacular, and people were in awe of the magnificent mansion with well-chosen furnishings in inviting groupings. There was soft music playing and the scent of delicate perfume in the air. People were going up and down the staircase, and stopping at every floor to discover where to find their favorite items.
Marcy was wearing a chic black dress, the men were all in coats and ties. Spencer was wearing a short red lace dress with long sleeves and a plunging back to the waist. The mayor had come, the editors of Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar, and all the right journalists from WWD and The Business of Fashion online. There was a photographer from the New York Post combing the crowd for famous faces, of which there were many. Rappers wearing all their bling, politicians, writers, movie stars. The crowd was even more exciting than the clothes, and the details of the house were enhanced by being freshly painted. No one was disappointed by what they saw that night. For those who had forgotten that Brooke’s existed, it was a lively reminder, and for those who had never known it, it was an introduction they wouldn’t soon forget. There were TV reporters and members of the fashion and mainstream press.