The View from Suite 2100 by Tess Allen

terribly unethical, immoral, and unsafe to me. A real shady line of work!”
    I decided not to try to tackle all of what she’d just thrown out. I thought I’d focus on the safety issue since it was fresh on my mind.
    “We have a number of safe guards in place. Actually, just this morning I met with a local laboratory to start having all candidates provide a DNA sample as a part of their application process.”
    Drew cocked his head to the side. “Really? I didn’t know that!”
    “As a matter of fact we’re going to do a few tests this afternoon. I’m going to have him take my sample, and Carolyn is going to come over from 2100 so he can take hers too.” I smiled. Drew really seemed impressed, hanging on my every word. “Why don’t you come through too Drew if you want to see how it’s done. You can have the director, Martin Charleston, take your sample too.”
    “I’d love to. I’m fascinated by DNA, anyway. What time?”
    I beamed! I had been in Drew’s presence when his mother was around on many occasions in the past, but until today I had never seen him as openly attentive to me. I loved it. I glanced at Gabrilla to see how she was dealing with it and was startled. She was looking at me as if she’d seen a ghost. Her eyes were unusually wide, her skin had turned gray, her mouth slightly open, and her hand was clasped to her chest. She looked as if she were about to have a heart attack.
    “Drew?” I said, wanting to draw his attention to her.
    Drew turned towards her, but he didn’t notice the sudden change that had come over her. Instead, caught up in the moment, he decided it was the moment to spring our news on his mother. He reached across the table again, grabbed my left hand and guided it towards Gabrilla.
    “As I started to say earlier Mother, I’ve asked Rowena to marry me.”
    Gabrilla turned her head slightly as though she wasn’t certain she heard what he said. She really wasn’t paying attention to him at first, her focus still on me. He lifted my hand higher and literally shoved it in her face.
    “We’re getting married, Mother!” He said, this time almost defiantly.
    Both her hands shot up over Gabrilla’s head as she let out a deafening screech. The entire room came to a halt as every diner and waiter turned and stared in our direction.
    “No!” Gabrilla continued to screech. “How could you? And your grandmother’s ring? Take it back, you fool! You can’t --”
    I admit I knew his mama was a trip, but I sure didn’t know she had that in her. She bounced up out of her chair, and for a moment, the way she looked at me, I thought she was going to try to yank me up out of my seat and swing on me. All I could do was look on in amazement.
    Our little rotund waiter raced across the room to try to calm the situation. Drew looked apocalyptic, first at me, and then at his mother. He didn’t know what to do.
    “She’s unfit! Who are her people, Drew? She’s unfit, she’s a nobody. You’ve got to stay away from her. You must.”
    She was talking about me as if I wasn’t there. I was there though, and it was clear to everyone in the room I had to be the “she” she was referring to. I picked up my handbag. Drew saw me, nodded and looked relieved.
    “Go on, okay. I’ll catch up with you a little later. I need to handle this alone.” He closed his eyes and shook his head. “Baby, I’m so, so sorry. I just never dreamed…”
    I didn’t let him finish. I made my way out of the restaurant as quickly as I possibly could, avoiding the curious stares. All the way out through the lobby as I hurried to retrieve my car I heard my own mother’s voice saying over and over. “Are you sure? Are you sure?”
    No Mama, I’m not at all sure! I said aloud, once the valet had slammed my car door and I stepped on the gas and peeled out of the hotel’s drive.
     
    Chapter Eleven
     
    I don’t remember how I made it back to my office at 2-of-A Kind. It had to have been by osmosis, because