Free Fifteen Weekends by Christy Pastore Page B

gorgeous May night was shaping up to be pretty spectacular. 
      As they drove down The FDR Amanda looked out the window of the town car towards the East River, which was pitch black except for the lights that illuminated the bridges above.  They turned onto York Avenue passing charming outdoor cafés, lovely boutique shops with fabulous summer themed window displays and old neighborhood corner bars offering happy hour drink specials.
      The car ride from the airport to the restaurant was mostly silent except for the two phone calls that Vince took in the span of ten minutes. One call was regarding a warehouse problem at one of their base hubs, the other was someone inquiring how the flight experience was to New York City. Vince remarked, telling the person on the other end of the phone, about the performance of the pilot, the two flight attendants, the extremely comfortable seats and their excellent choice in carpeting. She noticed that Vince was a serious man, very particular with details and a man of few words, or at least tonight he was. 
      Amanda had managed to strike up a conversation with Vince on the flight. She learned that he had two kids, a son, Logan, who was ten and a thirteen year-old daughter, Addie, short for Adeline, both from his first marriage. Apparently Addie was into music, which was the reason he was at the boutique the day they met. Vince was looking for vintage records because he had purchased her a turntable for her upcoming birthday. With all of today’s modern technology, this girl wanted a record player to spin the tunes.
      Amanda desperately wanted to have children of her own. She loved kids, especially her nephew Conner who would turn four this year Amanda and her sister, Julie, had always been close and would meet secretly about every six weeks to check-in on each other. However, the sisters couldn’t seem to get their schedules to work over the last few months and Amanda hadn’t seen Conner since February. When the news of Amanda’s cheating scandal broke, Julie felt like the only one who tried to help Amanda put her life back together.
      Amanda’s public indiscretion had caused all kinds of problems for the family. From what Julie told Amanda, their father, Jack, was losing business deals left and right. Their mom, Donna, was asked to resign from several boards and committees. Julie tried to keep the family together, but she could only do so much.
      After her husband Brandon threw her out of their home she had no place to go. Amanda’s parents wouldn’t even talk to her , so Julie sent Amanda on a month long South Pacific vacation assuring her that when she returned everything would be back to normal.
      When Amanda arrived back in Bloomfield Hills, Julie informed her that their father had forbidden any kind of contact with Amanda. Jack made it clear to Julie that if he found out she was in contact with her sister he would cut off Julie’s trust fund. This meant Conner’s too and any other children they might have with her doctor husband, David.  His job made for a nice lifestyle, but having the trust fund provided extra security for their family. Luckily, Julie managed to convince their father to let Amanda keep the remaining funds in her trust to live on. Her sister also told her to strap in because Brandon was serving her with divorce papers immediately. 
      When Amanda’s trust fund had completely run out last September Julie had loaned her $5,000. However, Amanda blew through that money quickly, which is why she finally had to break down and get a mall job last November. 
      The private jet Vince chartered for them this evening was very roomy and bright, far more spacious than Brandon’s family’s G200, which only seated nine. Upon entering the plane there were two sections for passengers to sit on either side of the aisle. To the left there was a white couch, with white, grey and black throw pillows on each end. Walking down the aisle on the right stood a