Episode 18

Time: Same day of last episode, Midmorning

Location:  Jabot Cosmetics

Jack sat behind his desk thinking about all the ways he could make love to Olivia.  It’s something that he had been doing for a few decades now. And it never got old.  It seems that his imagination had gotten more vivid since it became possible that his fantasies might become a reality.  He was startled out of his own thoughts by his phone ringing.

“Jack Abbot,” he said as he answered the phone.

“Jack, this is Joseph from McGill and Associates.”

“Oh, Hey there.  Tell me that you’ve got some good stuff for us for this new line.”

“We have some good stuff for you.  But it would be better if we knew your strategy for marketing.  Abby told us that you still don’t have a spokes model.”

“We’re still working on that.”

“How hard can it be Jack?  Just find a beautiful black woman with gorgeous natural hair.  I see one that fits the bill every other step I take on my lunch run.”

“Genoa City, Wisconsin is not New York.  We have a limited pool.  Besides, Jabot is a family company.  We prefer someone that we know and can work with.”

“Understood,” Joseph said.

“What I wouldn’t give for Drucilla to be able to handle this,” Jack said.

“That was very tragic what happened to her.  And they didn’t even find the body I hear.”

“No they didn’t.  So the family hasn’t really been able to put her to rest.”

“Yeah.  I know her husband Neil.  We interned at the same company when we were in college.  Considering that you like to do business with people you know, I am sure you will like this. Neil and his media production’s company, Indigo Productions, will be handling all the commercials for TV and radio.  Even print. “

“Really,” Jack said.  “You’re right.  I like that.”

“I am going to send him what we have come up with and see how he brings it to life.  And since he is local, Abby can have a hand on approach. But remember, there is only so much that can be done without a model.”

“Agree. And I will handle that model situation soon.  I can’t wait to see what you have come up with.”

Location:  WinterCorp

Neil walked into the conference room smiling at Harmony as she sat around the table with Justin and Chris.

“Well, well,” he said. “Looks like Bell has yet another owner.”

“Another one,” Justin said. “We definitely need to get another banker.  One that is more loyal to us.  Let me right that down as priority number one.”

“Actually, we only have the one.  It seems that Tucker has given his portion of Bell to a Yolanda Hamilton,” Neil said looking at Harmony.

“Impressive,” Justin said.

“What’s so impressive about that,” Harmony said.

“Well, let me see.  You have convinced Tucker McCall to walk away from a company that he wanted.  One that was stolen from under his nose by us. This is the same man that took his mother’s company.  I would expect him to have no qualms about taking ours. Not just that.  But he gave it to you.”

“Since you put it like that I can see how you would think that I did something out of the ordinary.  But I didn’t really.  We had a talk and I made him see how his attempts to ruin Bell were not in anyone’s best interest.  Least of all his own,” Harmony said smiling.

“I see,” Neil said. “And how does that ring you’re wearing fit into this.”

“Neil, can we talk about this later,” Harmony said pleadingly.

“Okay. But just answer the question. Are you engaged to Tucker now,” Neil asked.

“Yes,” she said.

“We will definitely need to talk about this later.  But right now, I need to brief Devon for a meeting we will have later today.  So I have to go.”

Neil stood followed by Justin.

“I also need to find that new banker,” Justin said as he and Neil headed for the door.

Location:  Keemo Abbot’s Apartment in Seoul, South Korea

Keemo lay in bed tossing and turning.  He couldn’t get comfortable no matter how hard he tried.  And every time he closed his eyes all he could see were the sad eyes in the gorgeous face of Tammy Davis.  It must have been his father calling him and asking him to move that had sent him travelling back in time 3 years.  They had met when he was in New York visiting Billy and had dated long distance for a year.   They would see each other at least once a month.  Either she would visit him there or he would go to New York.  After a while, the travelling got old.  And he had wanted her to move there to be with him but she refused.  At the time, there was no way that he could live in New York and run Jabot International.  He had responsibilities to his family and wanted to make his father proud.  And she wanted to be a journalist.  He tried to convince her that journalism was one of those careers where you weren’t tied to a specific city but stubborn Tamara wasn’t having any of that. He smiled as he remembered their passionate arguments.  And even more passionate make up sessions. Finally he gave her an ultimatum.  One that he had regretted everyday it came out of his mouth. Move there or they would move on.  She didn’t respond well so they moved on.

He never asked Billy about her when they spoke.  And Billy never brought her up. He wasn’t sure if Billy really had known how serious he was about Tammy.  Most of the time when he and Tammy had spent time around Billy, he was too focused on Chloe to even notice them.  Besides Billy was somewhat of a cad.  He probably assumed all the attention he gave Tammy and all the visits were just something he was doing to just pass the time.

After a while, Keemo gave up on sleep and got out of bed to sit before his computer.   He located the file on his laptop that said Tammy and clicked on it.  He spent an hour looking at picture after picture and reliving every moment that he had spent with her.   He wondered where she was now.  What she was doing.  Had she gotten that job that she wanted?  He decided that he would send an e-mail.  Just to let her know that he is thinking about her.

Location:  WinterCorp

Chris stood and Harmony followed suit by standing and facing him.  He hadn’t said a word earlier. He was speechless.  He figured that she could get Tucker to back off, but he didn’t think that he would give her the company.  He admittedly had set Tucker up to fail in her eyes when he called her into the meeting yesterday.  But that little weasel passed the test. He must really love her. Chris suspected as much anyway.  But he didn’t think he was capable of putting her before his vendetta.

He lifted her left hand high so that he could see her ring.  And what a ring it was. He wasn’t into jewelry by any stretch and even he could tell that the ring looked priceless.

“So, its official Dimples.  You’re going to marry McCall.”

“Yes,” she said.

“And I see that you are happy about it,” he said lowering her hand.

“Yes,” she said smiling at him.

There went his theory that she was sacrificing herself for them. He reached out a hand and laid the pad of his pointer finger inside one of her dimples.

“Are you sure you are not just doing this to protect us,” he asked anyway.  Because Chris could just tell how it went down. It was just too convenient that after she said that she could convince Tucker, she turned up engaged and owning Bell the next day.  She probably asked him to back off and Tucker, like a true raider, wanted something in return. Her. He wasn’t mad at Tucker’s tactics.  In his situation, he would probably do the same.

She gave a guilty look then broke eye contact by looking down at the floor.

He cupped her cheek and with his thumb under her chin, lifted her face back up so that he could look into her eyes.

“So that is the reason.  You’re marrying him to keep the peace between Devon’s two daddies.”

“That’s part of it. But it’s not my only reason,” she said looking him in the eye. “It’s not even my number one reason.”

“Okay then.  What is tops on your list.”

“Tucker is tops on my list.  I love him Chris.  You know that,” she said softly.

“I do know that,” he said remembering the hospital confrontation. “So tell me.  What else was a part of this deal? Because I just know there was one. So it was you and-“

“Nothing,” she said.

“Okay.  But just promise me that you won’t let him control you,” he said rubbing his thumb over her cheek.

“Tucker would never attempt to control me.”

“He’s a powerful man in love. Of course he will try to control you dimples. Don’t let him do it.”

“You know Chris, although you say otherwise, I do believe that you think me weak. It started with my fainting spell and has gone downhill ever since,” she said laughing lightly.

“A weak woman wouldn’t be standing here owning part of Bell.  Nah.  I think you are quite powerful.  And I like having you around here.  I think that Tucker will want you to quit and stay at home to be his trophy wife. And I would miss you. So it’s selfish on my part.”

“Trophy wife. Yes, that’s what it is.  Because surely an ex addict who abandoned her kids is a woman that every man covets as a partner.”

“That may be what you did but it’s not who you are. Besides, you’d be surprised at the things men covet,” he said looking at her lips.

“I’ll bet,” she said laughing. “Either way, I need to be here to protect my investment.”

“So can I kiss the bride,” Chris said moving his thumb from her cheek to rub her bottom lip. Since he had officially lost, the least he could do was get a consolation prize.

“No,” she said stepping away from his hand with a smile. “I am not a bride just yet.”

He lowered his hand to his side and smiled at her.

“Well, the newly affianced then. Just a brotherly kiss,” he said coaxingly.

“Christopher Winters.  You don’t strike me as the kind of man who has ever given a woman a brotherly kiss. I doubt if you have ever even kiss your sister’s cheek for that very reason.”

“You know what. I think you may be right,” he said laughing.

“Uh huh, now let’s go.  You have a meeting in about 10 minutes,” she said.

Location:  Chancellor Industries

Jill walked into Chance’s office and smiled at him as he looked up from reading files.

“Hey Grandma.”

“Hey Chance.  How’s the eye?”

He smiled wryly and said, “It will heal.  I can’t believe I let Devon surprise me like that.  Only a few days in this office and I am already getting soft,” he said laughing.

“If you are going to keep going after taken women then you had better stay battle ready.”

He laughed.

“Seriously though.  I wanted to talk to you about that,” Jill said.

“About what,” he asked innocently.

“About why you continue to feel the need to go after women that are already taken.”

“Like Chloe,” he said. Neither acknowledged that Billy and Chloe were divorced when he began pursuing her.  Anyone who cared to look could see that Billy and Chloe had unfinished business.  Divorced or not.

“And Roxy sweetheart.  There is never anything in that course of action but heartbreak.  One way or the other you will get let down.”

“It’s not like tha-“

“Trust me Chance.  It will always end badly.  It took me a few years to figure this out but you can’t get your happiness off the back of someone else’s pain. You understand what I am saying here?”

“I think so.”

“Besides, you are a great catch.  I would much rather see you with a woman who loves you.  And not as a second choice because she can’t have who she really wants. Chance Chancellor is no woman’s consolation prize.”

Although he laughed again, Jill could tell that he was thinking about what she had said. So she figured it was best to just leave it alone for now.

“Now get back to work,” she said playfully while walking out.

Location:  WinterCorp

Chris had found it harder than he thought seeing Harmony wearing Tucker’s ring.  Although he had conceded defeat days ago in a battle for Harmony’s affections that had never really been.  It still bothered him to know that she was going to marry that short little weasel when she could have been with him.  He just hoped that Tucker treated her right.  As a matter of fact he would make it his personal mission in life to remind Tucker periodically what he had in Harmony.

He opened his phone and stared at the sweet nanny’s number.  He had been putting it off but he knew the gentlemanly thing to do would be to call her and break the ice.  To have one or two phone conversations before Saturday night so that she would feel at least somewhat comfortable around him.  And Chris, like all Winters males, was ever the gentleman.  Regardless of whether he wanted to or not, he dialed her number.

“Hello,” he heard a clear feminine voice say.

“Hello. May I speak with Callista?”

“I prefer Callie.”

“Callie,” he said smiling. “This is Chris Winters.  I think I am to be your escort for the gala Saturday night.”

“Oh. My escort,” she said laughing softly. “That sounds so formal.”

He found himself laughing along with her.

“Chris, let me tell you just in case the wind blows it your way.  I did a background check on you,” she said.  He could hear her smile in her voice.

“Really,” he said in a similar tone. “What did you find?”

“Oh I heard all sorts of things.  However, it would not be wise of me to disclose any confidences.”

“I see. Then I am at a disadvantage.  Because I don’t know anything about you,” he said leaning back in his chair.

“A little mystery in a woman is a good thing,” she said.

“I agree.  So tell me.  When are you arriving in town?”

“We were set to come tomorrow.  But we were able to get everything packed and ready so we will be arriving this afternoon.”

“I am sure that John is excited.”

“Yes, he is.”

“And what about you,” he asked wondering if she was possibly leaving someone behind that she cared about.

“I am also excited. I have family and friends in Genoa City already.  So it will be nice to live in the same city with them.”

“I understand that.  I recently moved away from a city where I didn’t have any family to here where I have plenty.  It’s such a pleasant change.  It’s nice to be around them every day.  And my sister is moving here also.  As a matter of fact, she will arrive this afternoon.”

Chris didn’t know why he was revealing so much about himself to the sweet nanny.  Maybe it was because he felt so at ease with her.  He was actually enjoying their conversation.  And what was even odder was that he wasn’t flirting with her and still enjoying talking to her. 

“I am sure it will be nice having her in town to add to your list of relatives.”

“You don’t know my bossy sister,” he said jokingly.

She laughed heartily at that.  Chris liked the sound. 

“Women are bossy. We’re born that way,” she said.

“Hhmm,” he said thoughtfully.  “Maybe it is in the DNA. However, you don’t seem very bossy at all.”

“You haven’t gotten to know me yet,” she said laughing.

Get to know her Chris thought.  Before speaking to her he had decided that he didn’t really want to know her all that much.  But now, even knowing that she was probably unattractive physically, he felt that he did want to know her.  Maybe he was getting old and physical attraction wasn’t the beginning and end of what made a woman valuable to him anymore.  Or maybe he was just lonely.  Either way, the sweet nanny seemed worthwhile. 

“How about we change that?  I know that you will be busy unpacking today.  But how about we have lunch tomorrow.  Meet and get to know each other before the big event Saturday. Despite having performed a thorough background check, I am sure that you have some reservations going out with a total stranger.”

“A gentleman too I see.  That was not in my report. And I would like to meet beforehand.”

He felt himself smile broadly at her acceptance of his invitation.  And despite the words she said, he noticed that she was more teasing than flirting.  He found the fact that she was able to achieve that interesting

“Great.  I will contact you later with the details.”

“Works for me. And Chris, I appreciate you agreeing to do this.  I am sure there are plenty other women that you could take.  I know that Pamela can be quite a handful and is accustomed to getting her way.  I hope she didn’t threaten you to get you to do this.”

“Not at all,” Chris said smiling as he thought of the reason that he did say yes to Pamela.

Location:  McCall Unlimited

Billy walked the building with Chloe at his side.  He knew that he didn’t have to walk her in but he wanted to prolong the time he spent with her.  He had always liked being around her but he hadn’t always appreciated what she brought to his life.  He noticed that with her he felt good about himself.  Even with her knowing about Chelsea, she didn’t hold it over his head.  Not that that she couldn’t be a ball busting little dictator when she chose.  But she also knew when to massage them.

“Billy, I think that you should ask Olivia about performing the DNA test.  I think she would keep it discreet for you.”

“That’s a good idea.  I will go by the hospital today and discuss it with her. Thanks.”

“I’m sure since someone’s got to think for you because you obviously are not capable of running two thoughts together at times,” she said with a stoic face not looking in his direction as they approached the closed door to her office.

He had the urge to pin her against the door and kiss her senseless to remind her that he wasn’t the only person that had trouble stringing thoughts together at times.  But decided against it.  She probably wouldn’t go for it anyway.  So he went another route.

She grabbed the doorknob.  He covered her hand with his before she could open the door.  She looked up at him with a questioning look.

“Hey,” he said lowering his voice to a whisper and looking into her eyes. “Thank you again for standing by me.  Especially after everything that I have done.”

“Billy,” she said softly. “I still care about you. Regardless of what has happened between us in the past.  That has never changed nor will it.”

Against his own volition, he lowered his forehead to touch hers and closed his eyes.  He knew it was never a good idea for him to touch her. Especially in an intimate way. She had always been able to get to him.  Even when he had been certain that he didn’t want a life with her.  She had gotten to him. Gotten under his skin in a way that no one ever had before or since.  

“I care about you too Chloe,” he said.  “I wish thi-“

“Uh hum,” he heard someone intentionally clear their voice across the hall.

He stood up straighter and removed his hand from Chloe’s.  He looked over to see Sophia Winters with a frown on her face. She was one of Victoria’s best friends and knew that she would tell her what she had seen.  Part of him didn’t care.

“Good morning Sophia,” Chloe said opening the door and walking into her office without a backwards glance.

“Chloe.  Billy,” Sophia said in greeting as she turned and walked away.

“Morning,” he said to her retreating back.  Then turned and followed Chloe into her office.

She walked over to her desk that had an arrangement of two dozen long stemmed white roses. He felt himself getting upset.  Who would be sending Chloe flowers?  Per his knowledge, she wasn’t dating anyone.  Unless it was that detective he saw her with a while back.

“You aren’t going to run behind Sophia to explain yourself,” she said as she reached for the card.

“No,” he said. “Who sent you flowers Chloe,” he asked.

She read the card and smiled. “Just someone thanking me for being a friend,” she said.

“Well whoever this person is should know that you don’t even like roses.  They obviously don’t know you very well. Or doesn’t care enough about you to find out that your favorite flower is the daisy.”

“It’s the thought that counts Billy,” she said looking at the card again.

“Who sent the flowers,” he asked again.  He needed to know so that he could let them know that Chloe had a child to raise.  She was too busy being a mother to their daughter to date anyone.

“Through process of elimination you should be able to narrow it down and find that it wasn’t you.  Which is really all that you need to-“

Before she could finish, he took the card from her and looked at the hand written script.  He read aloud:

Thanks for the advice to Tamara,

Nate

When he saw that it was from Nate, he breathed a sigh of relief.  That was probably the only man in this world that he knew was not interested in Chloe.  He only had eyes for Tammy.  Which as far as Billy could tell was a waste of time because she clearly wasn’t going to ever be with him despite the games she played.

“Nathan Winters is such a dweeb.”

“No, Nate is dependable, attentive, and charming. I also hear that he is an excellent lover and has a real Jonah Falcon type thing going on.”

“Jonah Fal,” he began but cut himself off. “You’ve got to be kidding me right.”

“Nope,” she said snatching the card back from him.

“How do you know that,” he asked.  He knew it was childish but he wondered if Nathan’s dick was bigger than his.

“Oh I didn’t tell you.  Tamara and Nathan are together now.”

“What. Tamara settled for Nathan’s boring ass.”

“He sounds quite exciting to me. Besides, she’s in love with him.”

Location:  Restless Style

Tammy tried hard to work on her article but her mind kept going back to Keemo coming to Genoa City. 

“Tammy,” she heard Phyllis yell just a foot away from her.

“Yes Phyllis.”

“Didn’t you hear the phone ringing?”

“If I had I would have answered it,” Tammy said. She must have been so caught up in her thoughts that she tuned it out.

“What are you doing over here that has you concentrating so hard that you can’t do your job?”

“If you must know, I am writing the cover article for our next issue.”

“Cover article,” Phyllis said with a confused look.

“Yes.  Cover article.”

“I have no plans of allowing you to write the cover article of any issue. Let alone the next one.”

“Luckily for me, you don’t have the power to stop me.”

“Says who. In case you have forgotten, I am the editor of this magazine. ”

“Says Billy when he told me that I would be writing the cover article.  He owns this magazine.  And I concede that you are the editor.  For now.”

“For now.  Little girl, are you after my job,” Phyllis said laughing.

“No Phyllis.  I am after my job.  The one that I have worked my whole life to have.”

“Let me explain something to you just in case you didn’t know.  I started this magazine.  Regardless of who owns it, it’s mine. Mine.”

“Well if it is yours then you have nothing to fear in me.  Now if you don’t mind, I have a cover article to finish,” Tammy said looking back her computer monitor.

“We’ll see about that,” Phyllis said walking off.

Tammy noticed that she had gotten several e-mails while she had been daydreaming. Most of them were junk mail.  She began deleting one after the other as she read the names of the sender.  Then she caught her breath and held it for a few seconds as she read Keemo’s name. She let out the breath slowly and her body began to panic.  Why was Keemo contacting her now she wondered?  Did it have something to do with him coming back to town?  Part of her wanted to leave well enough alone and just ignore the e-mail by deleting it unread.  But then the part of her that demanded retribution from the break up wanted to read it.  The latter won as she opened the e-mail and read it to herself:

Tammy,

I just wanted to send you a note to say hi.  I know it has been a while since we have spoken but I wanted to let you know that I was thinking about you.  It would be nice to hear from you.  If for no other reason than to know that you are doing well.

Keemo

He was thinking about her, she thought.  Her heart rose up to her throat as she painfully struggled to hold back her tears.  He was still as selfish as ever.  She knew that he was only contacting her now because he was seriously giving consideration to moving back to States. And what was worse was that if he came back he would be living in the same small city as her.   There is no way that she would want to see him every day.  And Nathan.   Should she tell him about Keemo or just let him find out on his own? She wanted to be honest with him but she knew that he would not understand.  He would think that the reason that she held him off was because of Keemo.  And honestly, she couldn’t say that it wasn’t partly true. She had learned from her relationship with Keemo.  Enough to know that long distance never worked. But Nathan would not think it was due to lessons learned. He would think it was because she was still in love with Keemo. 

She forwarded the e-mail to Chloe and Roxy with an introduction:

Is it now safe for me to over react?  See forwarded e-mail below.

P.S. Meet me at my apartment at noon. Please.

Location:  Charlie and Maddie’s Daycare                      

Trevor walked into daycare and was met by the director.

“Sir,” she said. “May I help you?”

“Yes.  I am here to check on Charlie and Maddie.  Just to see how their day is going.”

“They are doing fine.  But let’s go look.  I know that you would want to see for yourself.”

They walked to do the door of the classroom and looked through the glass window on the door.  Charlie and Maddie were both sitting with the rest of the children on the carpet.

“They are currently having circle time.  We are all surprised at how very well behaved they both are considering they have never been in a school type setting before.  Not one temper tantrum today.”

“Yes.  They are very well behaved children,” he said continuing to watch them through the door. “They have a wonderful mother.”

“I am sure that you had something to do with it.  I can see how much you care.  Not many fathers would come in the middle of the morning to check on their kids.   I can tell that you are wonderful father.”

Father, Trevor thought as he smiled broadly.  A father to Charlie and Maddie.  He liked the way it sounded.  But more importantly, he liked how it felt.

“Thank you,” he said instead of correcting the director. He looked into the class room once more then took out his phone.  “Can you excuse me?  I need to make a call to their mother to let her know that they are doing well.”

“A considerate and attentive husband as well as a good father.  Someone is a very lucky woman,” the director said with a smile then walked away.

Husband. Trevor liked the sound of that even better.  He laughed to himself as he dialed Lily’s number.

Location:  WinterCorp

Devon sat listening to Neil and his college friend Joe exchange a few jokes as they relived their college days. It was always fun to attempt to picture Neil so young and enjoying his youth.  In the recent years, he could count the times he had seen Neil really, truly having a good time. Where the sad look that had been a permanent fixture since Dru’s accident seemed to be gone.  The entire family still missed her presence every day.  There was a time when he had thought that the feeling would lessen with time.  But it had not.  And he was sure that Neil felt it worse than he did.

“So. Enough of this.  You’re making my son think I was some party animal,” Neil said.

“Oh no.  There is no threat of that,” Devon said laughing.

Neil bumped his side with his elbow and smiled.

“Okay.  On to business.  Your client is Jabot cosmetics.  I spoke to Jack Abbot this morning and he assured me that he was very much acquainted with you.”

“Yes.  We are old friends,” Neil said.

“Great. So there won’t be any problems there,” Joseph said.

“None,” Devon responded.

“Great.  We have come up with some good concepts and would like to see how Devon pulls it together.  It’s for their Tuvia line.”

Devon looked at Neil at the mention of the name.  The line had been Dru’s baby.  Her brain child. 

“We’re familiar with the line,” Neil said in a pained voice. “What are they planning on doing with it?”

“They are expanding the line.  Organic products for Black women who have stopped straightening their hair.”

“That’s a good idea,” Devon said.

“I thought so too.  But they haven’t found a model yet.  So a lot of the work will be limited until one can be found.  I told Jack to go out and find a gorgeous black woman with beautiful hair.  He assured me that it was harder than it sounded.  Are the picking so limited in that city.”

“I don’t think that Jack is looking in the right places,” Devon said smiling.  He knew quite a few women that fit the description.

“Neil. Opinion?”

“It’s not so much a matter of not being able to find one.  But finding one that has that special something is what is difficult,” Neil said sadly.

“Hhhm.  I see,” Joe said. “Glad that I am not in that city.   So.  I will e-mail you all the information you will need to get started.”

“Looking forward to it,” Devon said.

“Thanks Joe.”

When Joe hung up, Neil turned to him and smiled.

“So son.  Are you ready for your first assignment?”

“I am.  But I was hoping it would have been something I could finish soon.  Remember that I am having surgery next week.   I won’t be able to hear until I heal and they turn the new implants on.”

“Don’t worry about it.  Your health is more important than this project.  Besides, from the sound of things, you ears will be healed before they even find a model.  I have every confidence that you will make it work.”

“Thanks Dad.  I appreciate that.”

“Hey.  It’s true.”

“I saw the look on your face when you heard that it would be Tuvia that we are working on.”

Neil smiled softly. “I think about her every day. Miss her every day,” he said in a hoarse voice.

“Me too,” Devon said returning Neil’s smile.

“There are just some wounds that time will not heal.  But we learn to live with it.  We have no other choice.”