Sweet Fortune

into her arms and the two of them stood in the middle of the mall and cried until a security guard finally stopped and asked if anything was wrong.
    Jessie and Elizabeth shook their heads and walked outside to where Jessie's car was parked in the garage.

    Lilian and Constance were both waiting in the office of ExCellent Designs when Jessie drove up with Elizabeth. Elizabeth grimaced when she opened the office door. She glanced back over her shoulder. “Watch out, Jessie. They're both going to let you have it.”
    Constance frowned at her daughter. “Why don't you run outside and amuse yourself, Elizabeth? Lilian and I want to talk to Jessie.”
    “Sure, Mom.” Elizabeth gave Jessie a sympathetic glance on her way back out the door. A brief silence followed as it closed behind her.
    “Well, Jessie.” Lilian regarded her daughter with a straightforward, serious expression from the other side of her desk. “Why don't you tell us what this is all about?”
    Jessie shrugged and sat down in one of the uncomfortable Italian chairs. “There's not much to tell. The engagement party's still on for Friday. Hatch and I haven't set the wedding date yet, but it will be soon. We'll probably be moving to either Portland or Phoenix. That's about all the information I have at the moment. Stay tuned. Film at eleven.”
    “This is hardly a joking matter.” Constance leaned forward and folded her arms on her desk. “Is the deal between Hatch and Vincent really off?”
    “Yes. Hatch made it a condition that the company had to be equally divided among him, David, Elizabeth, and me. Dad wouldn't go for it.”
    “For God's sake, we all know he wouldn't go for that kind of arrangement. We've been trying to get him to do it for years.” Constance slapped the desk. “Damn that man.”
    “Who? Vincent or Hatch?” Lilian asked dryly.
    “Both of them,” Constance muttered.
    “The question,” Lilian murmured, “is what are we going to do now?”
    “Nothing,” Jessie stated.
    Lilian shook her head. “Jessie, you've got to be realistic about this. There is simply too much at stake. You can't just opt out of this mess now.”
    “I'm not exactly opting out. I've made a choice.”
    “The wrong one,” Constance snapped. She sighed. “Jessie, be reasonable. You've said yourself that your feelings for Hatch are uncertain.”
    “I never said that. They're very certain now. I've made my decision, Connie. I'm sorry if it's not the one you think I should have made, but it's the one I want to make.”
    “There are a lot of futures at stake here,” Connie shot back. “My daughter's income from Benedict Fasteners is in jeopardy. So is yours and David's. You can't just walk out.”
    “Yes, I can.” Jessie smiled gently. “I'll tell you something. It's really not as hard as I thought it would be. Besides, let's get real here. Nobody's going to starve. You may not get as rich as you once thought you would when you assumed Benedict was going to become a giant in the industry, but things won't be all that bad.”
    “Are you kidding?” Constance looked appalled. “Without you around to handle Vincent, there's no telling how bad things will get.”
    Lilian nodded. “She's right, Jessie. Things could get very nasty. Vincent will make us beg for every penny. You know what he's like.”
    “So don't ask for a cent. That'll drive him crazy in no time,” Jessie suggested dryly. “He likes the sense of control he gets from holding the purse strings. My advice is to cut the strings.”
    “Easier said than done,” Lilian said quietly. “When I think of what Benedict Fasteners could have become…” She let the words trail off.
    “You're talking about cutting off the strings of my daughter's potential inheritance which could be huge if Benedict goes big,” Constance pointed out.
    “Elizabeth will do all right. It was never Dad's money she needed. It was Dad's love and attention.”
    “Well, she'll get even less of that now that you're going to be leaving, won't she?” Constance pointed out.
    “There's your own inheritance to be considered too, Jessie.” Lilian gave her a chiding glance. “It's easy enough now to say you're going to chuck it all for love, but how will you feel five years from now when you've got children of your own?”
    “I would like my children to know their grandfather,” Jessie said. “But they won't need his money. And neither will I.” She stood up and slung her shoulder bag over her