Episode 12

Time: Next day, Morning

Location: Chancellor Mansion

Harmony lay in bed thinking about the things she had to do today.  Or better yet, the things that she should be doing if she hadn’t been forbidden to go back to work for the next couple of days.  She tried her best not to think about Tucker and the things he had said to her last night.  But no matter how hard she tried, she just couldn’t get him out of her head.  Her phone rang and she noticed Devon’s number before she answered it.

“Hi baby.”

“Mom.  How are you feeling?”

“Great.  I knew I should have gone to work today.” 

“I don’t think that was necessary.”

“I just started working there.  I can’t take days off like this.”

“Uhm, I am sure that Chris doesn’t mind.”

“All the more reason not to do it.” And she meant that.  She didn’t want other employees thinking that whatever success she had wasn’t earned.  She wanted to prove that she belonged there.

“Okay.  But just don’t overdo it and rush back to work when it’s not necessary.”

“I won’t. But have you heard from the doctor yet about your surgery.”

“I didn’t know I was supposed to hear from him.  This was all on you and Tucker. Remember?”

“Okay.  I’ll talk to Tucker about it.” She didn’t really want to talk to Tucker but she would do it for her son.  His future was at stake.

“I guess you two are getting closer?”

“Why do you say that?”  She hoped she had not given herself away too much.  The last thing she wanted was for people to expect her and Tucker to be together now.  Because when they realized that she and Tucker weren’t together, people would speculate on what went wrong.

“Just some things that I have noticed. “

“What things, “she asked curiously.

“How you are around him.  I can see that you have feelings for him. You know that I don’t really trust Tucker.  I just don’t.  But we had a conversation the other day about your past.  And I could tell that he has feelings for you.  If you want to be with him then I won’t give you are hard time. He had just better treat you with the respect you deserve.”

She knew that she should tell Devon that they were not together but then he might probe further.  And she refused to outright lie to her son.  Even for his relationship with Tucker.

“Thanks baby. Bye.”

“Bye.”

Location: Nate Winters Condo

Nathan knew that the board would probably meet in the next couple of week so he needed to contact Eve now to see if she would be willing to fly out for a couple of weeks to represent him.  It wasn’t customary to have representation at these hearing but he felt like he needed it.  A doctor was all he had ever wanted to be and he was not about to lose everything he had worked for over someone else’s mistake. He dialed her number.

“Hey baby doc,” she said as she answered the phone.  For some reason, she and the rest of his family insisted on calling him by that nickname.  Sometime it annoyed him but it never did coming from her.

“Hey there,” he said.

“Uh oh, I know that voice.  What’s going on?”

“Well, a patient died and I think that they are going to try to make it my fault when I did nothing wrong.”

“What happened?  Give me all the details,” he could hear the change in her voice.  She went from sweet, loving cousin to sharp take no prisoner’s lawyer on a dime.

“The gist is that the young man died of sepsis which he got from pneumonia. The diagnosis from pneumonia took a while to be made because his original chest x-rays didn’t show it.  They are saying that I didn’t order x-rays because they can’t find them in his charts.  But I did. I am a good doctor.  That was the first thing that I did.”

“I believe you.  Now we have to make sure that the board does too. I won’t gamble with your career.  I will just fly out there for the next couple of weeks. Make sure you don’t get railroaded for something you didn’t do.”

“Thanks.  Justin is here.  But he specializes in corporate law.  Not criminal or civil law.  And this has those implications.”

“Oh is he now,” she said.  Nate could hear the smile in her voice.  He knew that Justin and Eve always had a friendly rivalry.  It had been going since he was old enough to recognize it for what it was. 

“Yes.”

“Well this will be a fun trip,” she said laughing. I should be out by Wednesday.  I want to meet with the members of the board and be a part of the process.  Just to ensure it is fair.  I don’t want them to make an example out of you because of your mother.”

“Me either.  Thanks for doing this.”

“Of course.  I’ll let you know when I am scheduled to arrive.  I will even give you the honors of picking me up from the airport.  You’re such a lucky boy. Bye.”

“Bye,” he said smiling. 

Location: McCall Unlimited Offices

Tucker sat in his office staring at the ring he had bought for his Songbird. He held the box in his hand with the ring still inside.  It represented everything that he wanted. That he thought that he should have. He lay awake all last night thinking about her having another man’s child. It hurt.  But the more he thought about it, the less it hurt.  He had found somewhere between 4 and 5 am that he didn’t care.  He loved her. He still wanted her.  And he wanted this baby. One thing he had learned with Devon was that when it came to love and children, biology didn’t matter.  And this baby’s biology didn’t matter to him.  He would love him or her just as much as he loved his Songbird.  Just as much as he loved Devon.  He also thought about Anna. Another child that he had been cheated out of because she should have also been his.  The way he figured it was that he could hold onto his pride and let some other man swoop in and take his family again.  Or this time he could man up. Nothing was standing in his way. Except for Winters. But if his Songbird wanted him then Winters wouldn’t matter.  And Tucker was sure she still did.  When he had initially found out about her pregnancy, all kinds of thoughts went through his head.  But he knew her.  She wasn’t vindictive. She wasn’t liar.  And she wouldn’t have told him she wanted to be with him and that she loved him if it wasn’t true. He had seen the look in her eyes. The way her body responded to his. Those things couldn’t be faked.   But Winters would still need to be dealt with.  He had gotten his Songbird pregnant.  He had tried to steal Tucker’s life.  He would still need to be punished.

Tucker knew that the cousin Winters had ambitions higher than owning just Bell.  Eventually they would want to branch off. And they would probably use Bell as capital for a loan.  He located the number for the bank that held Bell’s assets from the file that they had accumulated when McCall was looking into purchasing it.  He dialed the president’s personal number.

“Tucker McCall, what can I do for you?”

“The question is what can I do for you?”  Because the previous owner was so family oriented, he always chose to deal with others that had the same mindset.  The bank was small and family owned. Very reputable and secure but still looking to grow.

“Okay.  So what can you do for me?”

“I can move half my personal assets to your bank.”

“I think that would be a good idea.  But why would you give us the management of over a billion dollars?”

The guy was smart, Tucker thought.  This made his decision to trust them with his fortune easier.

“Because I want a favor in return.”

“What kind of favor?”

“Bell Communications.  I am still looking to get into that market.  And I want part ownership.  If ever the owners take out a loan using the business as collateral.  Let me know.  Sell the debt to me.”

“Whether they default or not?”

“Glad you understand.”

“I think it is worth it,” the president said matter of factly.

Now these are the types of men that Tucker liked to deal with.  Sometimes integrity was over rated.  And sometimes it could be bought.  Even it had a price.  You just had to figure out what it was.

“I’ll have my lawyer contact you with the details within the hour,” Tucker said and hung up the phone.

He immediately called his lawyer and gave him the bankers contact information. As he hung up, Sophia walked in.

“Goodmorning Tucker,” she said without her usual smile.

“Wow, you seem sad. That’s not like you.  What’s up?”

“I left Neil.  I moved out this weekend,” she said glumly.

“Why.  I thought things were going well.”

“They were.”

“So why did you leave?”

“Because we are newlyweds, it should not be going that well.  I want more from a marriage than that.  There is just no passion there,” she said wistfully.

“I see.”

“Do you?”

“Yes I do.  Spare me the details okay,” Tucker said. He did not have the stomach to listen to stories about Sophia’s love life.  He’d like to think that Moses came from immaculate conception.

“Fine.”

“Soph, I won’t say that I am sorry.  I think you can do so much better.”  He never really liked Neil for her anyway. Besides, this would make his plan go smoother.  His right hand woman wouldn’t have divided loyalties and effected sensibilities.  

“But what about you.  I hear that you and Ashley are divorcing?”

“Correction. We are divorced.”

“What.  I thought that it was going well.  You seemed happy.  At least up until a few months ago when you got distracted.”

He knew she was referring to his Songbird coming to town.

“Well.  It was going well.  But she decided that I was not what she wanted. She would rather be with someone else.”

“Now Tucker.  I find that hard to believe. As long as I have known you, no woman has ever been able to walk away from you.  You have always been very smooth with the ladies.”

“Well it was brought to my attention that I wanted her to leave me.  That I wanted someone else in the spot she was occupying.”  And it had turned out to be true.  He smiled at the small amount of time it took him to buy an engagement ring.

“Oh my goodness Tucker,” she said rising and pacing the floor. “I can’t believe you.  After all this woman has done to deprive you and Devon of a relationship, you forgive her. You leave Ashley so that you can be with her.  Knowing that your already shaky reputation would take a hit. And the company along with it.”

Tucker couldn’t fault Sophia for overstepping. She had always been loyal to him and McCall.  Even as a little girl she had been this way.  He loved her like a daughter.  She protected him like he was her father.  He was grateful for her affections.  At times, she and his niece Callie were the only people he could trust.

“What happened in the past was not exactly all her fault.  I do share some of the blame,” he said.  “Besides, I love her.”

“You love her?  Just a few days ago, you loved Ashley. Forgive me if I find that questionable,” Sophia said softly.

“I know it seems unbelievable.  But I remember her now.  And I remember who she was to me.  What she meant to me.  I was stupid enough to walk away from her.  Now that she is back in my life, that won’t happen again.”

“There will be scandal.  You do know that right?”

“Yes, I am aware of it. But neither one of us is stranger to that.  Are we?”

She sat down and laughed. “No we are not,” she said. “Tucker, I am going to be honest with you. I don’t like the woman.  I don’t trust her.”

“You just need to get to know her. That’s all. And if things go according plan, you will have plenty of time to do just that.”

Location: Jabot Cosmetics Offices

This was Ashley’s first time back in the office since Rickey’s illness.  She had been working on a new Shampoo and Conditioner that she thought would be a great addition to their Tuvia line of products.  She just needed to discuss it with Jack and put the finishing touches on the formula. She decided to stop by Jack’s office to tell him about it.  When she arrived, his door was open.

“Jack,” she said walking in.

“Morning Ash.  It’s nice to see you back in the office.”

“It’s nice to be back.  I didn’t realize how much I missed being in my lab until I walked in the building.”

“When were you going to tell me about you and Tucker,” he asked abruptly.

“Well, it happened so fast.  With Paul losing Rickey, I hadn’t really had the time.”  And it was true.  She hadn’t really given him or Billy much thought.

“Imagine my surprise when you walk in Delia’s party hand and hand with Paul Williams. Not that I have anything against Paul, but Tucker was a good ally for Jabot.”

“Jack, Tucker doesn’t seem too broken up about us.  I doubt if he holds a grudge about it. He would have to really care for him to do that.  And I honestly don’t think he does.”

“He’s a man Ashley.  No man likes to be cuckolded by their wife.”

“Typical Jack.  All you think about is Jabot and the implications for Jabot.  What about my happiness?  Or does that not matter?” Jack had always been this way.  The only thing he had ever put ahead of Jabot was his vendetta against Victor Newman. 

“Of course you matter Ashley.  But I was just pointing out that-“

“I get it Jack.  Just let it go.  Tucker and I are done.  And I am happy.  Just be happy for me.”

“Fine.  But I just hope this doesn’t bite us in the ass.”

“Well, we have survived worse,” she said.  He knew she was referring to him losing the company. She didn’t have to clarify it.

She was getting side tracked.  She came to talk about her new products.

“Jack, I came to tell you about what I have been working on in the lab.”

“Go on,” he said as he walked around his desk and sat down.

“Well, I want to expand out Tuvia line. There is the new trend for African American women going natural.  Meaning no chemical straightening.  Our other products are still selling but the sales are down.  Not enough to discontinue the line.  But enough I think to warrant these new products.  I have been working on organic Shampoo and Conditioner.  I am almost finished with that.  But my coup is a styling cream. I think it will be a big seller.”

“Well, you know I am out of touch with the trends. I trust your judgment on this. It sounds good.  When do you think you will have it ready for roll out?”

“I am thinking maybe a month for the shampoo and conditioner.  The styling cream will take a little longer due to more testing needed.”  She wanted to make sure the styling cream worked properly before putting it on the market.  The other products would also need testing but they contained ingredients she was very familiar with and that they had used in other natural products.  So they required less intensive trials.

“Okay. We need to get on a marketing strategy.  Start getting a buzz on the product before the roll out date. “

“I had planned on talking to Abby about it today.”

“Okay. Let me know what you come up with,” Jack said.

Ashley was somewhat shocked that Jack was taking such a hands off approach to this.  It wasn’t like him.  But she wouldn’t push him.  He might decide to get more involved and that was the last thing she wanted.

“Okay. We’ll talk later.”

Location:  Newman Enterprises Offices

Adam had finally gotten back to work at Newman.  His siblings still didn’t like him very much but at least his dad respected him. Nick had decided that he would no longer stand in the way of him and Sharon being together. Although he didn’t support them either, not standing in the way was enough. 

Now Adam had an idea he wanted to run by the board to see if he could get it approved.  He thought that he would get Nick on board for support first.  He knocked on Nick’s door.

“Come in,” he heard Nick say.

Adam opened the door and walked in.

“Hey Nick. I have an idea I want to run by you.”

“What? You’re running an idea by me and not taking it to dad to score points. Shocking.”

“Well, I am a new man this year.  Life is good.”

“Hhmm.”

“So, I was thinking about expanding Safra line with organic products for the AA women who are going natural.  Apparently there is a trend with that.”

“How do you know this?”

“I read brother.  Something I am not even sure you know how to do.”

“I guess the new man didn’t last 2 minutes in my office.  He just couldn’t resist a dig.”

“That wasn’t a dig.  Just an observation.  Every female magazine catered to AA women has discussed this.”

“Since when did you become so interested in Black women that you would read magazines catering to them?”

“You gotta keep up with what’s hot to all women. Not just fiery red heads who lack a conscious and empathy.”

“Whatever.”

“So I want to take it to dad and to the board this week.  We need to jump on this as soon as possible.  Do I have your support?  Will you help me pitch this?”

“Well, you need to show me some numbers first.  Then I will let you know.”

“Why am I not surprised?  I should have known that you would use your vendetta to look past this huge opportunity.”

“It’s business.  I need facts and hard numbers before I make a decision.  Things must add up. One would think a Harvard grad would understand this.”

“What? GCU grads can add.  Learn something new every day.”

Adam realized he was getting nowhere with Nick, so he decided to take it to Victor on his own. He walked out the office without a backwards glance.

 Location:  Fenmore’s Offices

Roxanne sat her in her new corner office at peace with her decision to take the job at Fenmore’s.  When she arrived this morning everything was set up for her.  In processing with Human Resources had gone smoothly and when it was complete, she was shown here.  Her computer and phone were set up.  There was even a nameplate bearing her name and title on the door.  She was looking through a few files that had been left for her preparing for her morning meeting with Lauren, when she heard a knock on her door.  She looked up into Lauren’s smiling face.

“Morning Sweety,” Lauren said.

“Good morning,” she said standing.

“So how is your morning going?”

“It’s great.  Thank you again for the opportunity.”

“I think the company is lucky to have you.  I just want to talk to you a little about expectations.”

“Oh yes, thanks.   I was expecting that.”

“Okay.  Let’s sit down.”

“So, I am sure you are fully versed in this job considering what you have been doing.  However, I just want you to know that I am not a micromanager. I will allow you to do your job without any interference.  So which products we decide to sell, which one’s we don’t sell, product placement in the store, store advertising decisions all rest on you.  It’s your call.  And I trust you.”

“Thanks Lauren.  I appreciate the confidence.”

“Well, we are expecting big things from you, you know.”

“I will try to live up to that.”  And she would.  Roxy knew that most people would be intimidated by all the responsibility.  But she was looking forward to it.  She had the experience to do this job so there was no need for her to be nervous.

“So I will just get out of your way and let you get started.  You have all the files and contacts you need to get going,” Lauren said standing and walking towards the door. “So let me know if you need anything. Smooches.”

“Bye,” she said as Lauren turned the corner.

The first thing on Roxy’s agenda was to call a meeting with her staff.  There were only three people.  But she needed to touch base with them and introduce herself and find out the most pressing tasks.   She sent out and meeting notice for 1:30 pm to the list of people that she knew reported to her.  That would give her enough time to at least scan the files so that she could at least be familiar.

When she picked up the next file, her cell phone rang.  She looked at the caller ID and saw that it was Devon.

“Hey handsome,” she said as she answered the phone.

“Hey there.  How’s my gorgeous girlfriend.  Who just so happens to be this smart executive.”

“She’s great.”

“How’s the job so far?”

“It’s going well.  I just have a lot of catching up to do.”

“Okay. I won’t hold you then.  Just wanted to let you know that I was thinking about you.  As always. And I wanted to see if you were available to go out to dinner tonight to celebrate starting your new job.”

 “Oh you’re so sweet.  That would be great.”

“Okay.  At 6.”

“How’s your mom feeling this morning,” she asked.

“Great.  She wants to go back to work. Like now.”

“I think she should wait at least a week.” In Roxy’s opinion, there was no need for her to rush back to work. 

“See we are always in sync.  That’s what I said.” 

On everything except on getting married Roxy thought.

“But she said no,” she said out loud.

“Yep.”

Roxy wasn’t surprised.  She seemed just as strong willed as Devon. 

“But hey, I don’t want to keep you.  I’ll let you go,” he said. “See you later tonight. Love you.”

“I love you too. Bye.”

At that moment she received another knock on her door.  This time it was a delivery man carrying a vase of flowers. 

“Delivery for Roxanne Davis,” he said.

“Okay. Can you just put those down right here,” she said point at an end table in the corner of her office. He sat the flowers down, she tipped him, and he left.  The arrangement was a dozen long stemmed white Calla Lilies. She figured they were from Devon. She opened the card and read it out loud.

Call me if we are still on for lunch (555-1911)

Have a great first day

~Chance

Roxy smiled to herself as she picked up her cell and dialed his number. 

“This is Chance,” he said in a deep voice as he answered.

“Hey there man with the powerfully strong right hand.”

“Oh hey, how are you?”

“Great. Thanks for the flowers.  They’re beautiful.”

“No problem.  Every woman deserves flowers on her first day as an executive,” he said laughing.

“I like how you think Chance.”  As she said it, she found that it was really true.  Chance seemed to be a really great guy.  “So how is your day?”

“It’s totally different from the military. But that’s  a conversation for another time. So, are we still on for lunch?”

“Yes, 12 at Eve’s right?”

“Okay.  I will see you then. Bye.”

“Bye,” she said as she hung up the phone.

She sat down and once again began to read through files.

Location:  Bell Communications Offices

Bell had retained all their previous clients from before the sell.  Now Neil felt like it was time to expand WinterCorp.  And he knew just the area that they could excel.  So he sat in his office with Justin and Chris discussing his idea.

“So, let’s talk about the expansion of WinterCorp,” Neil said.

“Yes, let’s talk,” Chris said eagerly.

“Here’s my idea.  I am thinking a new media productions company.”

“Hhhm, I am not sure how that fits into our other line of business,” Justin said skeptically.

“Well, it doesn’t.  But I think that there is a market for it.  All of our current clients do TV and radio commercials and print adds.  I think we could leverage our relationships with them.  Besides, Justin’s connection with Spencer Publications would be an added bonus,” Neil said. 

“I have no doubt that it could work.   But I know that marketing is a dog eat dog business. It’s –“

“Oh no.  I am not suggesting we do marketing.  Just productions.  We let the marketing firms fight and compete with ideas.  We just produce whatever they come up with.  Besides, one of my closest friends is the president of one of the biggest firms in New York.  We could get all their business.  He has already agreed.”

“Well now that you put it like that,” Justin said with a smile.

Chris had remained silent while allowing him to talk it out with Justin.  He wondered about his thoughts.

“Chris,” Neil asked.

“Well, I think it is a good idea.  Especially when you have connections like those of yours in New York and Justin’s at Spencer Publications. But what about start-up capital and staffing,” Neil said.

“ I am thinking about putting up part of some of my part in Bell as collateral.”

“How much,” asked Chris.

“15%”

“Not bad,” Justin said.  “Even if things go sour, you will still be majority owner of Bell with 55%.”

“Yeah, but you do know that when we decided to buy Bell together that the documents I drafted stated that any decisions have to be unanimous between owners.  This is our company.  Not just mine,” Neil stated.

“Well, this means that we are possibly opening ourselves up,” Justin said.

“I think it is a no lose situation for us. We would be able to pay the loan back within a year’s time,” Neil said.

“Nothing wagered, nothing gained,” Chris said.

“Let’s do it. This is an informal meeting for Bell. We will call a formal meeting of the owners on Wednesday. We will have to do it that way for the bank after I secure the loan this afternoon,” said Neil.

“Let me make this clear. This new company will be a subsidiary of Wintercorp the same way as Bell.  Even if someone is able to get a hold of that 15% by some strange stroke of bad luck for us, they still wouldn’t own a part of any other company we start,” Justin said.

“Alright, let’s make it happen.  I think we need to put out a job requisition for a president of this new company.  And we need to come up with a name for it,” Chris said.

“I think I have just the man for the job,” Neil said. “I think this will be perfect for Devon.  He has a great business mind and he already works in production.  You should have seen how well he performed when he was interning at Newman Enterprises a few years ago.”

“I don’t know if he will want the job. He has this path set for his career and it doesn’t include working for his family’s media and production company.  I just think he wants to focus on being a music producer,” Justin said.

“But his little foxy is ready to get married,” Chris said.  “I am sure that will make him rethink his position.”

“I am not so sure.  He is stubborn like Dru. If he has to choose between his career and love…,” Justin said leaving the sentence hanging.  Neil knew that he was thinking of when Dru chose her career over being a housewife.  He still regretted putting her in a position to make the choice.  They had lost so many years because of it.

“He may be stubborn but I think he also loves deeply like Harmony.  And he clearly loves Roxanne.  I think he will be willing to make some concessions,” Chris said.

“Maybe.  If he turns it down then we will advertise.  By the way, Sherri tells me that we are expecting John Jacobs within the week.  I think the Arts Gala would be a good forum to introduce him and his wife to town.  I think the company should secure his ticket.”

“Great idea,” Chris said.

Location: Law Offices of Whitcomb and White in New York

Eve was in her office at Whitcomb and White trying to figure out what to do about her cases so that she could make the trip to Genoa City. She was the best attorney in the firm so she only had a few high profile cases on her desk.  She decided to run it by the partners at the staff meeting coming up five minutes from now.  She stood and walked to the conference room across the hall. She took her customary seat at the immediate left  of Whitcomb’s chair at the head of the table.  Each partner sat at each end.  Her seat was at the end farthest from the door.  As each lawyer came in, she smiled as she always did at her being the only woman.  There was another black man but besides that, everyone else was a white male. 

White stood as the meeting began.

“So, are there any new issues that we need to discuss?”

This was her opportunity. “Yes,” she said.  “I need to go out of town unexpectedly for a family emergency.  For at least a month.  Someone will probably need to take over my cases.”

“That’s not possible at this time. Request denied,” said Whitcomb.

“Oh, I am sorry. That was not a request. I am needed elsewhere.”

“You are needed here Eve. Have you forgotten the motto here: Clients before all else. This is non-negotiable,” he responded.

Eve was taken aback. She had worked for this firm for 13 years. And not once had she needed to take time off. A month sabbatical should not be that big of a request.

“I am firmly aware of the motto. I made it my mantra over the past 13 years. Which is how I helped build this firm’s reputation.  And why I am always requested by the clients who patronize us.”

“So then, why are we even having this conversation,” he asked abruptly.

“This can’t be helped.”

“Everything can be helped.  It’s what we do here,” he said.  “We help people.  There are clients counting on you.”

At that moment, Eve knew that it was time to move on from this firm.  They seemed to not be able to spare her but had promoted others who had lesser win percentages and had a lesser case load.  She was tired of fighting the sexism and racism.  She had always thought that if she worked hard and was good at her job, then it would be valued.  She would be valued. She had finally realized that this was not the case.  This firm would use her.  But not reward her.  She stood up and walked towards the door. When she reached it she turned around to face the room.

“Consider my exit as a resignation.  It is non-negotiable.”

She went to her office and packed her family pictures, awards, and degrees and walked out the door.

Location: McCall Unlimited Offices

James was still curious about the mystery woman that he had met at Delia’s birthday party.  He figured Tucker would know her since she seemed to be on such unfriendly terms with his mother.  He knocked on Tucker’s door.

“Enter,” he heard Tucker say.

He walked in to see Tucker closing what looked to be a ring box and placing it in a drawer.  He knew exactly what it was but if Tucker didn’t bring it up then he wouldn’t either. Obviously, he wasn’t ready to share.  Maybe he was still trying to work things out in his head. James figured he’d just help him along by being his sounding board.

“So, you and Harmony seemed to be on very good terms this weekend. Both of you looked ready to explode.  And I mean in a good way.  You must have been making progress.”

“You could say that,” Tucker said with a gleam in his eyes.

“Oh ho. So it finally happened huh.  You finally got over those moral hurdles and went after what you wanted. How was it?”

“Hey. Gentlemen do not kiss and tell,” Tucker said with a chuckle.

“From my experiences, that’s all that gentleman ever do.  Sometimes they tell and haven’t even kissed.” Sad to say, but James had known quite a few men that liked to lie about their sexual exploits.

“True. Well, I will say this.  I have never tasted anything or anyone that delicious,” Tucker said closing his eyes and shaking his head.

“Ha,” James said smiling.  “Good for you son.  Good for you. Well, that brings me to someone I thought looked delicious this weekend.  But she refused to tell me her name.  I figured you would know it.”

“Yeah, I know her name very well,” Tucker said as he wiggled his eyebrows.

James knew what that meant.  Tucker more than likely had slept with this woman.  He loved his younger friend but he hated when his sexual promiscuity stepped on his toes.

“Don’t tell me.  You slept with her.”

“Why? Are you interested?”

“Well I was.  But I have no desire to share in your left overs.”

“It wasn’t like that. She’s a good woman. Just wasn’t for me. I think you should go for it. You would hit it off.”

“What’s her name?”

“Jill Fenmore.  She lives at my mother’s house.  They have this sordid, convoluted history.  I will leave her tell you about it.”

“Thanks. So back to business.  What are we going to do about losing Bell?”

“I think that we may be getting Bell soon,” Tucker said with a smile.

“Are those Winters cousins willing to sell it now?”

“No, but their banker is willing.  I just placed a call to him. Told him that I would buy it if they ever used it as collateral for a loan.  He agreed,” Tucker said bitterly.

James knew that Tucker was still smarting from losing Bell. But the tone of his voice suggested something deeper than just losing out in a business deal.

“Tucker, I thought that we agreed this weekend that if you wanted things to work out with Ms Delicious, not to mention forging a relationship with your son, you needed to walk away from Bell.  Because neither one of them will appreciate your underhanded tactics against the cousin Winters.”

“Oh, I think that they both will totally understand why I feel the need to teach Winters a lesson.”

“Did something happen recently?”

“It’s not important,” Tucker said slowly shaking his head.

James knew when Tucker had made up his mind.  And this was one of those times.  So he decided discussing it further would be a waste of energy.  Besides, he would eventually find out what happened.  Tucker and Harmony seemed to be a recent favorite of this local blogger of this gossip magazine.

“Well, I will leave it alone. What was this banker’s price?”

“Management of half my fortune,” Tucker said shrugging.

Now James knew something was up.  That bank was reputable and solid.  Very old institution but still small time for someone with Tucker’s wealth.  He must want Bell bad if he would give them a billion dollars of his assets. Which meant that this was personal.   James pitied anyone whom Tucker had such a grudge with.  Those in the past never fared well.

Location: Jabot Cosmetics Offices

Abby walked into Jabot feeling really good about her future.  She had spent time this weekend with Devon.  And without Roxy.  This seldom happened when Roxy was in town.  Devon hadn’t said anything but she knew that they must be having problems. She would just continue to bide her time.  One day, she knew that Devon would see that she was better for him than Roxy. 

She decided to go see if her mom was in this morning. She had not come to work since Rickey collapsed.  She opened the door to her mother’s lab and found her working.

“Mom, you’re back to work.”

“Yes.  And I happy to be her.  I am glad that you stopped by.  I wanted to talk to you about something.”

“Okay.  What’s going on.”

“I have a new product that I want to roll out. It’s an extension of our Tuvia line.  I have been working on it for a while.  It is for those AA women who have stopped straightening their hair.  I have a Shampoo and Conditioner about ready to go.  But my major product is a styling cream,”  Ashley said excitedly.

“Sounds exciting mom.  And I can see you are very proud of it.”

“I am.  As our new head of marketing, you will need to prepare a marketing strategy and get some buzz going before the roll out.”

“Okay.  I am on it.  But I will need to hire someone.  Just in case you haven’t noticed, I won’t be using those products.  I am going to need some help with this.”

“Already got it covered. I was thinking of Lily to assist you in Marketing and as the spokes model.  She has worked for us before. So she knows the job.  Besides, this line was Dru’s baby. It only exists today because of her ideas.  Hiring Lily pays homage to that.  It’s a way to honor Dru and her contributions to Jabot.  Besides, we can play that up in our campaign.  What do you think?”

“Mom, I think you are a genius,” Abby said.  The ideas were phenomenal.  Especially the part about hiring Lily.  It would also score her more points with Devon.

“I will get on it right now. Later,” she said walking out the door. 

Once outside in the hallway she dialed Devon’s number.

“Abbs,” he said as he answered the phone.

“Hey Devon.  I need to talk to you about something.  Can you meet me for lunch.”

“Sure.  What about Eve’s?  I could use a grilled ham and cheese sandwich.” 

“Okay,” Abby said laughing.  She found his craving for ham and cheese sandwiches endearing.

Location:  Newman Enterprises Offices

Victor Newman looked up from reading a contract when he heard a knock on his door. 

“Come in,” he said.

His son Adam walked in.  He had decided to let Adam come back to work at Newman.  He had built this company for his family.  He wanted all his kids to work there.  He didn’t trust Adam all that much but he was still his son. And he loved him.

“Adam, how are you adjusting to being back?”

“It’s great.   Been looking over some data and trends to come up with new ideas.”

“Good.  So what have you come up with?”

“I want to add some new products to Safra.”

“Go on.”  This sounded interesting.

“Well, the trends for AA women show that many of them have stopped straightening their hair.  So there is a market for products catering to that.  I am thinking organic Shampoo and Conditioner.  Styling cream and maybe a holding spray.”

“Hmmm.  Sounds interesting.  But you know we don’t have a full time chemist.  We would need to hire someone to create these products.  That might take a while.”

“I am no chemist but if we hire someone who has lots of experience, I am sure it wouldn’t take that long.”

“Hhhmmm, I know a guy.  He used to work for Safra when it was Satine.  His name is Damon Porter. “

Victor scrolled through his rolodex and found Damon Porter’s card.  He pulled it out and handed it to Adam.

“Call him and see what he says. Get back to me.”

“I will sir,” Adam said as she walked towards the door.

“Good work.”

Location:  Bell Communications Offices

Neil was content with how things had gone with Chris and Justin.  He didn’t really expect much opposition and he was happy that he didn’t get any.  He wasn’t at all worried about getting the loan from the bank.  It wasn’t very large but it was reputable.  The institution didn’t really have many large accounts.  He was sure that Bell was one of the largest.  He dialed the banks president.

“Hello Mr Winters,” the president said.  Neil wasn’t surprised that he knew his name and number.

“Hello.  How are you,” he asked.

“Great.  Tell me what I can do for you today.”

“Well, I need to take out a loan.  We are attempting to expand into a new area here.  I am prepared to use 15% of Bell’s assets as collateral.”

“Done.  I will fax over the papers as soon as possible.  Sign them and send them back.”

“Okay.  Just so you know, we will have an owner’s meeting every Wednesday afternoon.  Feel free to send over a delegate if you choose,” Neil said.  He didn’t actually think that the bank would but he wanted to give them confidence in the company and that they were not a risky loan.

“I don’t think that will be necessary. Look for those papers within the hour.”

“Great. I will have my contracts guy look them over, sign them, and send them back.”

“Look forward to hearing back from you. Bye.”

“Bye.”

Time: Noon

Location: Eve’s Bistro

Roxy had decided to walk over to Eve’s for her lunch with Chance.  Although it was cold outside, the sun was shining and she felt energized.  It was only two blocks and she used the time to think. 

She walked into Eve’s and immediately spotted Chance sitting at a table.  She walked over and he stood.

“Hi,” she said as she began to take off her coat.

“Hey,” he said taking it from her shoulders and draping it over the back of another chair.

“Thanks,” she said as he pulled her chair for her to sit down.

“So,” he said looking at the menu. “What are you going to have?”

“A cobb salad.”

“A salad.  Come on.  You can’t survive off that bird food,” he said smiling.

“Well, what should I have then,” she asked smiling back.

“Steak and potatoes.”

“What? No.  I would be way too sluggish.  Probably would fall asleep at my desk.”

“Well, if your job is as boring as mine then I don’t doubt it,” he said widening his eyes as he signaled the waitress.

After the waitress took their orders and left, he turned back to her with a smile.

“So honestly, how is it going?”

“It’s going pretty good.  Lauren has given me a lot of responsibility.  I like that.  It makes me feel like my work matters.  You?”

“Well, my grandma is a real micromanager.  But I knew that before I took the job,” he said laughing. “But I do worry that I may not be taking serious by subordinates.”

“Why,” she asked.

“Well, when your name is the one on the building and all letterheads, I think that people have a tendency to question whether you deserve your job. Or whether you are there because you have the right name,” he said thoughtfully.

“Hhhmm, never had that problem,” she said jokingly to lighten the conversation.   He smiled in return.  “But seriously. You can’t worry about that.  Just work hard and do your job to the best of your abilities then everyone will see that.  If you are always prepared and thorough, confident, make commitments and deliver on those, people will respect you.  Even more so because your name is on the stationary,” she said with a smile.

“Thanks,” he said. “Were you born this way or did you develop this skill over time?”

“What do you mean?”

“The ability to put people at ease and make them feel better.  Instill confidence. “

“Is that what I am doing,” she said laughing.  Roxy was having a great time with Chance. 

“Yes. Beautiful and friendly.  A girl after my own heart.”

Roxy wondered if Chance was flirting with her.  She knew that he was aware that she had a boyfriend.  But she felt the need to remind him.

“Are you flirting with me?”

“Yes, is it working,” he said raising his eyebrows repeatedly.

“Yes it is,” she said honestly.  “But you are aware that I have a boyfriend.”

He reached across the table and picked up her hand. “But you are not married.  I don’t see any rings on this slender finger.”

Why did Chance have to bring that up, she thought.  She had managed to go a full 20 minutes without thinking about marriage and the issue between her and Devon.

“No,” she said sadly. “No rings.”

“But I see that you want there to be.”

“What makes you say that?”

“You seemed so sad just now.  What is the problem?”

Roxy didn’t like telling strangers about her problems but Chance was so likable and friendly.  She felt like she knew him already.

“Devon says he is not ready.”

“Not ready?”

“Yeah, he has this laundry list of things he feels he has to have completed before he gets married.”

“And he wants you to wait.”

“He didn’t say that but I assume he does.”

“Hhmm,” he said thoughtfully.

“Okay.  Just say it.”  It’s not like she hadn’t already heard it all from her sister anyway.

“Well, let me just say that you have so much going for you.  Beautiful, funny, smart, and friendly.  Did I say beautiful? You can have any guy you want. You don’t have to sit around and wait on someone to make up his mind about whether he is ready to move forward with your relationship. There are guys out there who are willing to give you what you want right now.”

She smiled at Chance. There was nothing for her to say. She knew he was right.  She didn’t have to wait around.  Maybe it was time for her and Devon to see other people.  She wanted to marry him but she was about tired of waiting.  At that moment the waitress brought their food.

Location: Genoa City Athletic Club

Nikki sat with Lily having lunch and discussing her tasks for the upcoming Gala. 

“So Lily, here is the list of vendors I need you contact,” she said handing Lily the folder. “Just check with them one last time to make sure that they are up to speed.  A sanity check.”

“Okay.  I will get right on it,” Lily said. 

Nikki had every confidence that she would.

“I know you will.”

“So tell me.  Have you given any thought to what you want to do now?”

In Nikki’s opinion, Lily had been throwing herself away the last few years on Cane.  He seemed to just have been a born liar and was not going to change.  Nikki knew better than anyone what it was like to waste your life away on a man that would never learn and would never change.  She loved Victor but she had accepted his flaws and learned to live with them.  But there was a price to be paid for that.  One she didn’t want to see any other young woman pay.  Maybe that is why she felt an affinity to Lily and wanted to see her happy.

“Well I think I am going to go back to school this semester and finish my degree. “

“That’s a great start honey.”

“And I always wanted to be a jewelry designer.  I think I might resurrect the hobby.”

“I have an idea.  If you think you can have a few pieces done by the weekend.  We can do a silent auction at the gala.  I think that would be fun.”

“Wow.  I don’t know what to say.  School doesn’t start until next week so I will have the time,” Lily said excitedly.

By the way, the night of the event, we both will need to arrive at least 4 hours early.”

At that moment, Nikki noticed Lily’s face light up as she looked past her shoulder towards the door. She turned to see what had caught her interest.  I turned out to be a very handsome young man who was waving in their direction.

“I will provide a suite for us to get dressed because we won’t have time to go home and change.  I hope your date doesn’t object.”

“Date?  I don’t have a date,” Lily said looking back at her.

“I think you should rectify that.”

Location: Chancellor Mansion

Neil knocked on Harmony’s bedroom door.  He hoped she wasn’t sleeping. He would have known if he had called first.  But he didn’t call because he didn’t want her to tell him it wasn’t necessary to come.   He had noticed that she was like that.  She was always willing to do things for other people, but had a hard time accepting praise or help for herself.

“Come in,” she said.

He walked in to find her curled up in a chair watching TV.

“Hey,” he said.

“Neil.  Hi. Sit down,” she said gesturing towards the couch. “This is an unexpected surprise.”

“I brought you some lunch,” he said sitting the bag down on the coffee table.

“Oh.  That’s so sweet.  Thank you.  But totally unnecessary.  I know that you are probably really busy,” she said smiling.

“Not too busy to take care of you. We did miss you at work today.  But I want you to take off the rest of the week.”

“No, I don’t think that is necessary.  I am totally bored here. I have never watched so much reality TV in my life.  And it has only been half a day.  No.  I will be back on Wednesday.” 

“If you insist.  But there is no rea-“

“I insist,” she interrupted. “I love my job.”

“Well you are good at it.  So has there been any news on Devon’s surgery.”

“No, I haven’t heard anything from Tucker about it.” 

Neil thought that was odd.  He half expected Tucker to be camped out at her door after the things he had said this weekend in this very room.  “You haven’t spoken to Tucker today?” he questioned.

“No,” she said with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes.

“Tell me. Did something happen between you too?”

“Nothing important.”

So something did happen. She just didn’t want to share.  He would respect that and not push her.

“Well just know that I am a good listener if you need one. “

“Thanks. I will take you up on that some time.”

“So have you spoken to Anna lately?”

“Yes, she called me this morning to check on me.  Someone told her that I had been in the hospital,” she said smiling at him.  “And I think that someone’s name was Neil.”

“Well, I felt like she needed to know. Besides, I talk to her at least once a week.  She asks about you every time. I know she told you that she wasn’t ready for a relationship but I think that she is.  You should start attempting to communicate with her regularly.  See where it goes.”

“Thanks Neil.  I will.  You know, you have been so nice to me.  I really appreciate how you have treated me with respect after what I did the last time I was in town.”

“Everyone deserves second chances.  And if your name is Neil, you might need a third, a fourth, and fifth chance before you get it right,” he said laughing.

“What?  Are you telling me that Neil Winters is not perfect? Did you feel that? The world just stopped rotating,” she said laughing. 

He liked her laugh.   He hadn’t heard it often.   He suspected that she hadn’t had a chance to use it often. “You know you should laugh more often.  It’s good for your soul.”

“I haven’t had all that much to laugh about.  But with this news about Anna, I think that might be changing.”

Location: Eve’s Bistro

Devon  walked into Eve’s and scanned the dining room looking for Abby.  He wasn’t surprised that he didn’t see her being that she was always late.  But his heart skipped a beat when he saw Roxy sitting at a table laughing at Chance who seemed to be telling some animated story.  He knew that Chance was interested in her by the way he had acted all possessive at Delia’s birthday party.  He took a minute to gather himself before he walked over.  He didn’t want come across as a jealous fool. 

As he approached, Roxy looked up and noticed him.  She smiled broadly.

“Hey Foxy,” he said bending down and kissing her on the cheek in greeting. 

“Chance,” he said smiling and holding out his hand for a handshake.

“Hamilton,” Chance said shaking his hand.

“Winters,” Devon corrected. “The name is Winters and has been for the last 5 years.”

“I stand corrected,” Chance said shrugging. 

Devon couldn’t believe it.  The guy was challenging him for no reason.  Chance seemed to have an issue with him and he didn’t know why.  It could have something to do with Kay and him keeping his distance.  But his gut was telling him it was because of Roxanne.

“So, how was your lunch sweetheart?”

“Great,” she said looking at her watch and pushing back from the table to stand up. Devon pulled her chair out for her as she stood.  “But I have a meeting in 30 minutes so I should head back.”

“Did you walk,” he asked.   He hoped that she didn’t ride with Chance.

“I did.”

“Okay, I will walk you back.”

“Thanks,” she said kissing him softly on the lips then wiping the lipstick off with her thumb. “But first let me go to the ladies room.  I will be right back,” she said walking off. 

He and Chance both watched her walk away.  When she turned the corner, he turned back to Chance and said calmly, “What’s your problem?”

Chance stood and said, “the question is what’s your problem?”

“What does that mean?  You’re the one acting like my girl is your girl.”

“Your girl?  I don’t see any rings on her finger.”

“Keep looking. You’d be shocked at what you’ll see. And soon.” And it had nothing to do with the feelings of jealousy that he was experiencing right now.  He had decided yesterday at the hospital that he would propose to Roxy within the week.  And after he had made the choice he felt lighter.  Now he was excited about it.  He hadn’t said anything to her because he wanted the proposal to be a surprise.

“I hope it isn’t too late for you, bro?” 

Devon wondered what that meant.  He hoped Roxanne hadn’t been telling this self-righteous prick their business.

“Too late for me?  I think it is too late for you.   About 3 years,” Devon said calmly.  He would not give Chance the satisfaction of knowing that he was upset.

“Well it isn’t too late until the vows are said.”

“I don’t even get where this is coming from.  You don’t even know Roxy.  You just met her a couple of days ago.”

“I like what I see.  And I think she likes me too. I know one thing.  She’s tired of waiting on you.  I think she is about ready for something new.  Something different. I think she might be curious.”

Was that a sexual reference, Devon asked himself.  Just in case it was, he wanted to let Chance know. “Let me tell you something, Phillip.  Just in case you didn’t know.  I have been her one and only.  And I plan on staying her one and only.”

This guy was delusional if he thought he had a chance at sleeping with Roxy.  She was not that type of woman and never had been.  If he knew her then he would know that. But he would let him find that out on his own.  So Devon just smiled at him and picked up Roxanne’s coat and headed in the direction of the bathroom.  He took out his phone and texted Abby to let her know that he wouldn’t be able to meet her.

Location: Genoa City Athletic Club

After Lily finished up with Nikki she headed to the bar to talk to Trevor.  Every time she saw him he became more handsome.  She also had not forgotten the feelings that he had elicited from her at the park.  They were totally inappropriate but felt so good.  She had not been with anyone since Cane died.  She admitted that was one of the best parts of being married.  All the bedroom fun and no guilt.  Apparently, the celibacy she was living under was starting to wear on her.

She walked up beside him at the bar.

“Hey,” she said as she leaned in towards him

He looked towards her, stood, and smiled as he said in a deep voice, “Hey my beautiful damsel. How are you?”

“Great.  You,” she asked looking up into his face.

“Hhhm. Not so great.  I have been staring at my phone for days willing it to ring. Someone was supposed to call me,” he said jokingly raising his eyebrows at her.

She knew that he meant her.

“Well, I hadn’t really needed that extra pair of hands just yet,” she said smiling back. And she hadn’t.  She had thought to call him for Delia’s party.  But when Devon volunteered to take her and the kids and much of her family being there, it really wasn’t a need for him.

“Lily,” he said seriously looking at her.  “Although I would love to spend more time with the kids, they don’t have to be the only reason we see each other.”

She had been out of the practice of dating for some time.  So it was taking her a while to get back into picking up on signals.

“I see,” she said looking down.   She hoped he wasn’t angry with her for not calling.

“Good,” he said.  She felt his hand cup her face and she felt that familiar tingle in her body.  The same one she had felt in the park. He rubbed her cheek with his thumb then ran it down her jawline to lift her face up to his.  She looked in his eyes.  “I am not going to subject myself to waiting anymore.  I promised myself that when I saw you again, I would ask for your number. So please put me out of my misery. May I have your number,” he asked smiling.

His closeness and the feel of his hand on her cheek had her spellbound.  She wanted to respond but she couldn’t.  Her reply seemed to be stuck in her throat. 

“Lily, stop looking at me like that or else I might just forget myself and give in to the temptation of kissing you in this crowded room.”

“That wouldn’t be such a bad thing,” she thought to herself. But then she heard him sigh and knew she had said it aloud.

“Oh,” he said huskily as he lifted his hand to rub his thumb across her lower lip. “A temptress too.”

“Oh, did I say that out loud,” Lily said shakily.   “I’m sorry.” 

“Yes, you did say it out loud,” he said lowering his head closer to hers.  Her heart beat faster in anticipation of a kiss. “I would –“

“Sir, your food is ready,” the bartender interrupted him.

Trevor removed his hand from Lily’s face and straightened up.  He squinted his eyes at her in wonder before looking towards the bartender.  “Thanks,” he said reaching for the bag.

Lily was disappointed.  She hadn’t realized how bad she wanted the feel of his kiss until she was denied it. 

“Lily, I have to get back to work.  Can I call you later?”

“Yes.”

“Okay.  I will call you,” he said as he walked off with his bag. 

She watched him walk away. When he reached the door, he turned around to look at her.  He smiled and left.

Lily sat down at the bar and fanned herself with her hand.   The bartender sat a glass of ice water in front of her without request.  She looked at him and noticed his sly smile.  She felt herself blush. 

Time: Afternoon                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

Location: McCall Unlimited Offices

Tucker sat in his office looking at the ring he had bought his Songbird when his phone rang.  He looked at the Caller ID and it was the president of the bank that he had spoken to earlier.

“Hello, I didn’t expect this call so soon.”

“Honestly, I didn’t expect to make it at all when we struck our deal. I actually didn’t think that they would use the company as collateral. But it seems you were right.  They have taken out a loan using 15% of its assets“

“Well this is good news,” Tucker said.  It seems he had read the cousins right.

“I will fax the papers over later.”

“And I look forward to receiving them.”

“One more thing,” the banker said.  “There is an owners meeting every Wednesday afternoon at 2 pm.”

“Thanks for the information.”

“Congratulations sir.”

Tucker hung up the phone and smiled.  He would have Bell Communications, his Songbird, and his family.  And that included this new baby.

Location: Newman Enterprises Offices

Adam sat at his desk at Newman excited about his new idea.  Granted he had help with it but no one needed to know about that.  He picked up his phone and dialed the number on the card that his father had given him.

“Hello,” he heard a deep voice say.

“Hello.  May I speak with Damon Porter.”

“Speaking.”

“Damon. Hello. This is Adam Newman from Newman Enterprises. I was wondering whether you would be interested in coming to work for us here.”

“What do you have going on at Newman that would require my services Adam?”

“We are looking to expand our Safra product line. We know there is a new trend with AA women who have stopped straightening their hair.  We want to develop some products catering to that.” 

“Hhmm.  Interesting .  I am not really in a position to move right now.  However, I do have someone that I think would be interested.  She is a recent graduate but she is a really good.  She developed the types of products that you are looking to create as part of her research for her doctoral research.  It’s one of the reasons that I hired her.  But the company has decided not to pursue that line of business.”

“Oh.  I see. Do you think that she would be interested?”

“I think so.  She has a special bond with these products and would be happy to get them out in the market.”

“What’s her name?”

“Tyra Hamilton.”

“Tyra Hamilton? Tell me.  Why are you so eager to get rid of her if she is such great talent?”

“I don’t want to hold her back.  She has great products that I think should be on the market.  She has worked hard to get where she is. She deserves to have some pay off.”

“Alright.  Fair enough. What’s her contact?  I will give her a call and see if she’s interested.  A glowing recommendation from you is worth 20 years of experience.”

Adam wrote down the information that Damon provided.

“Thanks Damon.”

“I hope it works out.”

Location: Jabot Cosmetics Offices

Jack sat at his desk reading over the latest sales report.  But he couldn’t get into it. His mind kept going to Olivia.  He had planned to just show up at her home to eliminate her saying no to their date.  He knew how she operated.  If he gave her half the chance, she would probably back out on him.  But now, he just wanted to hear her voice.  He decided to call.

“Hello,” she said when she answered the phone.

“Hey beautiful.”

“Jack.  How are you?”

Jack smiled at the pleasure he heard in her voice.  He hoped he was the reason for it.

“Better. Now that I am speaking with you. How is your day?”

“It’s okay.”  She said laughing. “Jack, your flirting never gets old.  You know that?”

“I would hope not.  So are we still on for dinner tonight?”

“Sure.  But I will be on call though.”

“No. The hospital is just going to have to do without its’ Chief of Staff tonight.  She’s mine.”   After Jack had called her his, he realized he liked the idea more than he thought he would. 

“Sorry.  Some things just can’t be helped.”

“We’ll see about that.”

“Okay. So where are we going?”

“Not sure.  Shall I pick you up?”

“No.  I told you that I am on call. I’ll have to meet you.”

“Okay.  Just meet me at home and we will decide.”

“Okay Jack.  See you later. Bye.”

“Bye.”

Location: McCall Unlimited Offices

Sophia sat at her desk reading through research on other Communications companies trying to figure out which one would be a good replacement for Bell.  She was still surprised that Neil had bought them company from under them but she was no longer upset about it.  It was time for McCall Unlimited to cut its’ losses and move on.  Much the same way she had in her personal life.

She heard a knock on her door and looked up to see the delivery man.  

“Yes,” she said smiling.

“I have a delivery for Sophia Winters.”

“That’s me,” she said rising to meet him.

“Can you sign here,” he asked holding out the clipboard. 

She signed and he gave her the package.

“Thanks ma’am,” he said and left.

When he left Sophia opened the packaged and noticed that it was the DNA test that she had ordered.  Her stomach began to hurt.  She was still apprehensive about knowing the truth.  But Victoria was right.  Moses deserved to know the truth.   She would go home tonight and prepare it and send it off with tomorrow mornings mail.

Time: Evening

 Location:  Cold Winter Records

Nate was at Devon’s studio listening to his latest song. 

“So, I spoke to Eve and she is going to come,” he told Devon.

“That’s good.  But I still don’t think you will need her.  You didn’t do anything wrong. “

“I wish I had your confidence.”

“Well, I will have enough for us both.”

“How’s things with Roxy? “ Nate still didn’t understand Devon’s reluctance to make it official.

“Still Good.  But I caught her having lunch with Phillip Chancellor IV today,” Devon said.  Nate could hear the disdain in his voice.

“Caught?  What was she doing?”  He couldn’t believe that Roxy would cheat on Devon.

“Nothing inappropriate.  Just talking and eating.”

“So why do you use the term caught?”

“Because he made it clear that he wants her.”

“I told you th-“

“Yeah.  I know. I know.  But I have news.  I have decided that it is time. “

“What happened?  Just a few days ago you were not ready.”

“Well, my mom going into the hospital was a wake up call. When I thought I could lose her I was reminded that life is fleeting .  Why wait to have the life I want.  I can have it now.  And the only life that I really can’t live without is one with Roxy.  I love her.  I couldn’t imagine having a child whose mother is not her,” Devon said. 

“Well, I am happy for you.  Now, do me a favor.  Call Roxy to come by here and bring Tamara.”  And he was happy for Devon.  It was about time he woke up before he lost her.  But he had his own love life to think about.

“Hey. I am not your wing man.  And neither is Roxy.  Besides, if you want to see Tammy you should have gone upstairs to Restless Style.”

“What?  Her job is at Restless Style.  I have been sitting here for hours and Tamara has been right upstairs.”

“Yes.”

“Why didn’t you tell me,” Nate said rising and heading towards the door.

“I’m sorry. I thought you knew,” he heard Devon say as he closed the door.

Nate went directly to the elevator and went up to Restless Styles office space.  He got off the elevator but didn’t see Tamara anywhere.  But he did see Billy Abbot, someone he had never liked, head his way. 

“Nate Winters, what brings you up here?”

“I am looking for Tamara.”

“Oh, looking for Tamara. I wonder why.  Isn’t she too much woman for you,” Billy smirked.

Nate considered himself a civilized man.  He wasn’t a fist fighter but Malcolm Winters was his father so he knew how. And he would of he had too.  But he liked to hit people where it really hurt.

“You mean like how Chloe was too much woman for you?” Nate knew that Billy thought that his divorce from Chloe was his decision and that he could have her if he wanted.   But he knew better.  Billy was scared. He had seen men like that many times.  On the outside they appeared to be so self-assured.  But on the inside they were worried that they didn’t have what it took.  And Chloe was very intimidating.  Kinda like Tammy in that way.  It was probably why they were such good friends. 

“Whatever Nathan.  Here’s the difference between us.  I have had Chloe. But I don’t think that you are anywhere near having Tammy.”

“But look at where you are now,” Nate said said calmly.

He noticed Billy’s face drop before he recovered.

“And look at where you are,” Billy countered.

“Where am I?”

“Unemployed we hear. But don’t worry.  We won’t print it just yet,” Billy said with a smile.

“Don’t push me Billy.  And don’t think I am not aware of nor care about your little love fest with my family in your paper.  You’ll pay for that.”

“Oh, I am so afraid,” Billy said in mock fear.

“You should be,” he said seriously.  Before he could explain to Billy why, he heard a familiar sexy feminine voice.

“Nathan,” Tammy said and walked briskly towards him. Both he and Billy watched her approach.

Right before she reached him he opened his arms and enveloped her in their usual hug.

“Mmmm,” he said as they hugged with his arms around her waist and hers around his neck. As they parted, she rested her hands on his shoulder for a second as she leaned up and kissed him on the corner of his mouth. “Hey beautiful,”  he said as she pulled away.

“Are you looking for me Nathan,” she said mischievously.

“How’d you know,” he asked.

“Lucky guess,” she said laughing.

He heard Billy snicker.  It was the same sound that Devon had given at the church.  He didn’t know what about his interactions with this woman that other people found so funny.

 “I actually wanted to take you out to dinner tonight.”

“Oh, I can’t.  We will be here all night putting the magazine to bed,” she said.

Tammy also heard that snicker.  She looked at Billy and rolled her eyes.

“But what about tomorrow night,” she said. “If you are free.”

“I’ll make myself free,” he said smiling. And he would  but he didn’t have too.  He had absolutely nothing going on.

“I figured you would,” she said with a smirk. “Call me. And I will see you tomorrow night.”  She stepped closer to him again and kissed him on the same spot on the corner of his mouth.  “I gotta go. Bye,” she said turning and walking off.

He and Billy both watched her until she turned the corner.  Then they looked at each other. Nate didn’t feel the need to say anything.  Tammy’s reaction to him spoke for itself.  So he turned and walked into the elevator.

Location:  Chancellor Mansion

Harmony sat curled up on the sofa in her room watching television.  When she heard a knock on her door. She assumed it was Kay coming to check on her for the 20th time that day.

“Come in,” she said with a smile.

The door opened and Tucker walked in.  She was a little surprised to see him after what had happened at the hospital and not hearing from him all day.  But only a little.  Just as Chris had said, she knew that Tucker loved her and only wanted her.  She could feel it. But she didn’t think he would seek her out so soon.

“Hey Songbird.  Esther let me in and told me you were up here,” he said. “How are you feeling?”

“Better. I am surprised to see you.”

“No you are not,” he said walking towards her.  “May I,” he said gesturing to the seat next to her feet on the couch.

“Sure ,” she said sitting up straighter and placing her feet on the floor.

“So, I got a call from that doctor today.  He will be out tomorrow to take a look at Devon.  If all goes well, he said he can perform the surgery this week while he is in town.  But if not then Devon will have to fly out to Denver.”

“Have you spoken to him about it?”

“No, I thought we could do it together.  Devon is more likely to do it if the information comes from you.”

“Okay,” she said picking up her phone and dialing Devon’s number.

“Hey mom,” he said. “How are you feeling?”

“Good baby. I wanted to talk to you about this surgery.”

“Okay.  But I am still apprehensive about taking Tucker’s help,” Devon could be so stubborn.  

“Do you want to hear again or not,” she said getting upset. “Because from where I am sitting, this a golden opportunity that you shouldn’t pass up just because you want to be stubborn.” She looked towards Tucker and shook her head.  He smiled back at her.

“Okay. Okay,” he said.  “I will do it.  You don’t have to get upset about it.  I don’t want you relapsing or going back into the hospital.”

“Great,” she said smiling.  Who would have thought that passing out and being hospitalized would have such perks as getting one’s son to fall in line and do whatever one wanted. “The doctor will be here tomorrow to examine you.  Tucker will call you with the details.”

“Okay.”

“Bye baby.  I love you.” 

“I love you too mom,” she heard him say before she hung up the phone.

“Wow, you handle him so well,” Tucker said impressed as he laid his hand across the back of the couch behind her.

“It’s a woman thing,” she said with a laugh looking into his eyes.

“I see,” he said as he stared back.  He lifted his hand from the back of the couch to her hair and began wrapping curly strands around his finger.  “I love you Songbird,” he said softly.

“You have a funny way of showing it.”  Because she knew that when you loved someone you didn’t repeatedly walk away.  It’s something that she had to learn herself.  And she had. But it seemed that Tucker had not.

“I’m sorry.  I had a momentary lapse in judgment. Only momentary.  But its’ one thing that I have learned about this situation with Devon is that DNA does not matter,” he said softly.  While still playing in her hair with one hand, he reached out the other hand to lay flat against her stomach. “I will love this baby just as much as I love you.  I don’t care whose DNA she or he has.”

Harmony was shocked and humbled that Tucker still wanted to be with her while thinking she carried another man’s child.  While thinking she had lied to him. This confirmed what she knew in her heart.  That Tucker really did love her.

“Baby,” she said smiling while lifting his hand from her stomach.  She brought his hands to her lips and kissed the palm.  “I am not pregnant.”

“What,” he asked surprised.  He also seemed disappointed.

“I am not pregnant. And I don’t even know where you got that.  It’s not true.”

“I was at the hospital to see you and I heard Neil discussing with someone that they were shocked when the doctors announced it.”

“And this is why you said those hurtful things to me.  You didn’t even ask me.  You just assumed it was true,” she said dropping his hand.

“Well if Neil said it, I figured-“

“So what if Neil said it,” she cut him off angrily.  “You should have at least asked me about it.  To at least see if it was true.”  And then it came to her.  He didn’t trust her.  She gasped, “You don’t trust me do you.  You don’t trust my word.” And he had every right not to do so.

She couldn’t sit down any longer.  She stood and began pacing.

“I do trust you,” he said with his voice rising.

“Not true.  If you trusted me then nothing Neil said would have mattered.  I certainly wouldn’t have had to lie in a hospital bed and listen to you call me a liar. Especially since I have never lied to you.”  At least not about anything of real importance she thought.  Little white lies didn’t count.

“Calm down,” he said standing. “I am so sorry.  I made a mistake.”

“No. I am the one who made a mistake.  I knew that we were rushing this.  Us.  But I love you so much,” she said as she began to cry. “Oh god, I love you so much Mick. But we just have too much baggage.  I knew it.  But I wanted to be wrong so badly,” she said closing her eyes.

He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her to his body.  She was surrounded by his smell and warmth.   “Don’t cry Songbird.  Please. I’m sorry. I screwed up. I was an asshole.”

She lay her head on his chest trying to get control of her emotions as he rubbed her back tenderly.  This made the second time in as many days that Tucker had reduced her to a sniveling mess. And she didn’t like it. 

After a few minutes, she pushed back to look into his face.  He smiled.  She couldn’t help herself.  She found herself smiling back.

“Feel better,” he asked. 

“Yes.” Oddly enough she did.

“Forgive me?”

“Yes,” she said as she stepped from his embrace and put a few feet between them.  She needed this space for what she was about to say.  If she continued to allow him to hold her, she wouldn’t be able to say it.

“Tucker, I don’t think it is a good idea for us to see each other anymore. “

“I said I was sorry.  I admitted I screwed up. Come on,” he said taking a step towards her.  She put her hand out to stop him.  His touch was the last thing she needed if she wanted to remain strong.

“I know.  And I forgive you.  But I can’t go through this again. When you said those things to me I started to feel those old feelings of self-doubt.  I’m sorry.  I just can’t risk this.  I just shouldn’t be in a relationship right now.”

“You don’t mean that,” he said reaching out a hand to touch her face.  She stepped away before he could make contact.

“I do,” she said turning her back to him.

“Are you really going to do this to us. To me. Again,” he said angrily. 

“Again,” she asked turning back around to face him.

“Yes, again. You have a very bad habit of walking away from me when I make the least mistake.”

She was taken aback.  He couldn’t possibly be laying the blame for what happened between them  back in the day on her.  “Are you saying what happened was all my fault.  That it was my fault that you slept with me and turned your back on me. That is was my fault that you wouldn’t give me the time of day.  That it is my fault that you ignored me. That it was my fault that you were so preoccupied with all those other women that you couldn’t even spare me a glance.  And I wouldn’t call these little mistakes,” she yelled.

“Okay. Fine. I admit it. I reacted badly.  But you could have given me time to come to terms with what was going on between us,” Tucker said yelling back. “Time to adjust to a new reality.”

“How long was I supposed to wait huh? How long?  I waited three damn months. That’s forever when you are 19, alone, lonely, pregnant, and being ignored.”

“Like I said Songbird. I screwed up.   But you could have stuck around.  Instead, you ran away like the dreamy eyed little girl that I knew you to be.”

Little girl, she thought. She obviously needed to remind him that the little girl he remembered was now a woman fully grown.   “Not so little anymore,” she said intentionally lowering her voice to a sexy whisper. “I think I proved that a few times the other night and twice again the next morning.”

His eyelids immediately lowered halfway as he slowly looked down her body and back up to her face to look into her eyes. 

“This so called little girl had the great Tucker McCall with all his vast experience screaming her name. Over and over and over again,” she said with a smirk.

He opened his mouth to respond but at that moment the door to the bedroom opened and Kay walked in.

“What is going on in here?  I can here you two screaming all over the house.”

“I’m sorry Katherine. But Tucker was just leaving,” Harmony said calmly as she continued to stare into his eyes.

“Uh uh. I am not going anywhere until we resolve this,” he said lowering his voice back to normal.

“It’s resolved. I’m done.”

“I love you Yolanda,” Tucker said in a soft voice.

It reminded her of what he had said the other night right before he had entered her. She felt her resolve slipping away.

“Don’t walk away from me.  Please,” he said never breaking eye contact.

Harmony could tell that she was hurting Tucker.  She hated to see that look in his eyes.  Maybe they could still spend time together, she thought.  Just not in a romantic capacity.

“I. Maybe –“

“Tucker,” Kay interrupted her. “Harmony just got out of the hospital.  She doesn’t need this undue stress. Why don’t you just  go.  If you love her like you say you do, then you would respect and accept her decision.”

Finally, Tucker looked at Kay. He had not done so since she walked into the room. “I do love her. And I respect her decision.”  Then he looked back at Harmony. “I just will never accept it. Ever,” he said as he turned and walked out.

Location:  Abbot Mansion

Olivia stood outside of Jack’s house and rang the doorbell.  After a minute Jack opened the door with a dish cloth on his shoulder. 

“Hey come in,” he said kissing her on the cheek as she walked in. 

“Uhm.  Jack, have you been cooking?”

“Yes.  For you,” he said with a big smile. 

She was surprised.  As far as she knew, Jack didn’t know how to cook.

“Really,” she said heading into the living room

“You seem surprised,” he said following close behind her.

“Just a little.”

“Have a seat.  You said that you were on call.  So I thought this would be better than going out.  More relaxing.  Just in case you have to go back to the hospital.”

“Thanks,” she said sitting down.

He poured her a glass of wine and handed it to her.  He then sat down beside her proceeded to stare with a broad smile.  If she didn’t know better she would think that he was trying to date her.

“Jack, what’s going on?”

“What do you mean,” he asked innocently.

“What’s going on here,” she said pointing between them. “You want something.  Just tell me.  You don’t have to cook. I am pretty sure that I will give it to you without all this,” she finished while taking sip of wine.

“Regardless of what it is,” he said lowering his voice.

“Well, it couldn’t be that big of a favor.” She chose to ignore his vague sexual reference.

“You might disagree when you hear it.”

“Just ask me,” she said sipping her wine again. “By the way, this is good wine.”

“Only the best for you.  Let me ask you something first.”

“Okay,” she said reluctantly.

“Why is it that you have never remarried in all these years?”

“What,” she said shocked.  She didn’t know where this was coming from and her instinct said that wherever it came from she wouldn’t like it.

“You heard me,” he said smiling.

“ Are you serious?”

“Yes.  I am curious.”

“No reason really.  Other than I haven’t met anyone that I wanted to marry.”

“That’s a decent answer.  So what would someone you wanted to marry be like?”

“Okay Jack. What is this all about,” she said curiously. 

“Well, I will come out and just say it.  I am thinking of running for US Senate.”

“And how does this relate to my marital status.”

“A strategist says that I need a wife.”

“And?”

He raised his brows and smiled.

“Are you kidding me Jack,” she said standing up. “You want me to enter a marriage of convenience to give you a better chance at winning.  Unbeleiveable,” she scoffed walking over to the side board and sat her glass of wine down. 

“Convenience,” he asked rising following her.  “No. Convenience implies that the marriage wouldn’t be real,” he said stopping just inches away from her turned back. He placed a hand on either side of her blocking her exit.  “I fully expect the marriage to be real.”

“Jack,” she said turning around.  She didn’t expect him to be so close. Looking into his eyes made her lose her thought.   She never noticed before but they were vividly blue.  Beautifully so.

“Yes,” he asked lowering his voice and looking at her lips.

He breathing became labored. She was totally taken off guard.  As long as she had known Jack she had never been drawn to him in this way.  Oh, she had thought he was an attractive man but this erratic heartbeat at his nearness was something new.  She looked down breaking the eye contact and slowly shook her head in an attempt to get her bearings. “I am not going to condemn us both to a loveless and passionless marriage just so you can possibly be Senator Abbot.”

“As I said, I am not proposing that,” he whispered leaning in.  She thought that he might be smelling her hair and was shocked at the behavior.  “I think you and I would work well together.  In every way.   And you can’t tell me that there is nothing between us. That there is no passion. You’re eyes are dilated and you are breathing hard.  You appear very excited.  I know you feel what is happening between us right now so don’t attempt to deny it.”

And she couldn’t deny it. Her lack of response prompted him to continue.

“As for loveless.   I have known you almost 30 years.  We have been friends that same amount of time. I don’t think that lends itself to indifference.  I care about you. And I know you feel the same way.”

Once again, she couldn’t argue with the rationale. 

“I am not expecting an answer tonight.  Think about it.  Let me date you.  Seriously.  Then make your decision.”

“And what will you do if I say no.  Will you move on to the next woman on your list,” she asked looking up and into his eyes.

“Sweetheart, you are the only woman on my list,” he said with a smile.  And her heart fluttered.  Another shock. 

She looked into his eyes and silently weighed her options.  What did she have to lose?  A good friend in Jack.  Her best friend Ashley if things ended really badly. But he had only asked her to think about it.  She could do that.

“Okay. I will think about it,” she said.

“Yes,” he said. “So how about we seal this agreement with a kiss.  And then I will finish our dinner.”

“Not necessary,” she said.

“It’s necessary. I need to disprove this no passion theory,” he said lowering his head. 

She closed her eyes in preparation for the kiss.  It seemed like an eternity before his lips touched hers.  At the initial contact she felt a jolt in her body.  He lightly pressed his lips to hers and she couldn’t help herself she pressed back. 

“Hmmm,” he said against her lips.

She raised her hands from her side and placed them on his shoulders.  They were broad and muscular. Another shock.  As many times as she had hugged Jack over the years she had never noticed his shoulders before.

She felt his hand on her face as he broke the kiss.

“Can I kiss you.  I mean really kiss you,” he said looking into her eyes.

“Yes,” she said without thinking.

He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her body to his. He bent his head and fused his lips to hers again.  This time she opened her mouth when their lips touched and he plunged his tongue into her mouth rubbing his tongue against hers repeatedly. 

Olivia felt dizzy and her nipples ached.  She couldn’t believe what was happening.  But there was no denying it.  She wanted Jack Abbot.  In that way.

“Mmmm,” Jack moaned then broke the kiss and looked into her eyes.  “That was better than I thought it would be.”

Jack was right.  The marriage, if she chose it, wouldn’t be passionless after all.

“It was good,” she admitted licking her lips.  She noticed him look at them again when she did so.

“You know what.  I think I better finish our food.  Give myself something to do or I might just try to take this further than a kiss.  And I know that you don’t want that,” he paused.  Then added “Do you” in a hopeful voice.

“No Jack.  I don’t.  You are right.  We had better eat,” she said taking her hands from Jack’s shoulders.

He slowly released her and stepped back. “After you,” he said gesturing towards the dining room.

Location:  Devon’s House

Devon had just received a call from Roxy saying that she would be here in a few minutes.  So he plated their food and put it on the table.  He lit the candles for their centerpiece and waited.  He had decided that they should stay in instead of going out.  So he picked up some food on the way home.

A few minutes later she walked in the house. 

“Hey,” he said hugging her around the waist. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” she said breaking their hug and walking further in the room. 

Devon thought that was odd but he didn’t think much of it.  Maybe she was tired.

“I picked up take out from your favorite restaurant.  I thought you might be tired from your first day at work.”

“Oh, that’s sweet,” she said sitting down on the couch without taking off her coat. 

Another anomaly, Devon thought.

“Sit down,” she said as she patted the couch beside her.  “We need to talk.”

Devon’s heart dropped.  Every man knew this tone and that phrase. This was not going to be good for him.

“Okay,” he said sitting down beside her and picking up her hand to intertwine their fingers.

She looked at him for a while and he noticed that she had tears brimming in her eyes.

“Baby, what’s going on?  Why are you on the verge of tears?”

“Because I have to tell you something and it’s breaking my heart,” she said as she pulled their hands into her lap.

“Just say it.  It can’t be that bad,” he said calmly although he was feeling frantic.

She took a deep breath and said, “I love you.  And I want to be with you.  But I think that we are at an impasse with the marriage thing. I think it’s time for us to see other people,” she said softly then kissing the back of his hand.

“Roxanne no,” he said. “I disagree.  And we are not at an impasse,” Devon wanted to ask her to marry him right now to prove the point but she deserved better than a ring less proposal. 

“We are.  You are not ready.  And it is understandable.  You have a plan for your life.  And it is wrong of me to ask you to change it for me,” she said on a sob.

“It’s true that I do have a plan for my life.  But every plan that I have ever formed since the day we met has included you.”

“I don’t doubt that.  I know you love me.  It’s just that we are on two different time tables. And I have come to realize that there is nothing wrong with that. I love you too much to see you sacrifice your happiness for mine.”

“Roxy.  Please. Just trust me. It will work out,” he said in a hoarse whisper.

“I am not saying that we can’t still see each other.  We can. But just that maybe we need to open ourselves up to the possibility that we may not be meant to be.”

“I don’t want anyone but you. And I know you don’t want anyone but me.” Then the picture of her sitting with Chance laughing and having fun entered his head. “Unless you do want someone else,” he said pulling his hand away from hers.

“What does that mean,” she said.

“Maybe you were being more than friendly when I saw you with Phillip Chancellor today.”  When he said it, he knew it was the wrong thing to say.  And he wanted to take it back.

“What, so now I am the cheater,” she said shocked.

“No. I am not accusing you. But it just seems that all of a sudden now you want to see other people.”

“You know what Devon.  If this is what you think of me, then it is obviously for the best that we don’t get married,” she cried as she stood and headed towards the door.

“No, I don’t think it.  I am just trying to figure out where this is coming from.  Don’t go,” he said walking behind her. “Please.  Stay. Let’s finish talking.”

“I think we’re done. In more ways than one,” she stated flatly as she opened the door and walked out. 

Devon walked out behind her.  There was no way he would let her walk away like this.

“Wait,” he said.

“No, I have said what I came to say,” she said as she reached her car and opened the door.  He caught it before she could get it all the way open.  He pressed the front of his body to the back of hers and buried his face in her hair.

“Please.  Just listen to me,” he whispered. “You don’t have to say anything.  Just listen.  Then I will let you go. Okay.”

“Fine,” she said still crying.

“Can you please turn around so I can see your face,” he continued to whisper.   He felt on the verge of tears himself.

“No.”

“Okay.  I am sorry that I said that. I know you would never cheat on me.  It’s not who you are.  I’m hurt.  That’s all.  But I shouldn’t have made that stupid statement.  I love you. I don’t want anyone but you.  And you’re right.  I do have dreams about a career.  But it’s not my only dream.  I have another one that is more important.  One about a beautiful brown skinned wife named Roxanne and the family that we will create with our love.   And although you may be willing to let it go, I am not. I have dreamed it way too long for that baby. It’s etched on my heart.”

He could feel her body shaking with tears.  He knew what he said had affected her.  He stepped back to give her room to think. 

He saw her open the door further and then hesitate. He hoped she would turn around and throw herself in his arms.  Tell him that she didn’t mean what she said about seeing other people.  After a few seconds, she opened the door and got in. She started her car and pulled away from the curb. All without ever looking back at him.