Lalie was just about to pick up the phone to call James when she felt Phil place his hand over hers, preventing her from picking up the phone.
She turned around. "Is something wrong?" she wanted to know.
"I just want to make sure that you're fully aware of what you're doing before you make that call," Phil pointed out.
Lalie nodded, as she gave him a reassuring smile. "Of course I am," she affirmed. "Why wouldn't I be?"
"It seems like Vivian is going to great lengths to keep you... us... away from that wedding," Phil mentioned.
"Oh, that Vivian," Lalie huffed. "She really does need to get a new hobby, don't you think?"
"I could think of a lot of people who need to get new hobbies," he replied. "I just don't want anything to happen to you by us showing up there."
"What's the worst Vivian could do?" Lalie rhetorically asked. "Besides, I'm not ashamed or embarrassed about anything in my life... especially, not you. What I feel for you is real and I wouldn't have it any other way. I hope you feel that way, too."
"Of course, I do," Phil let her know. "Make that call."
Lalie smiled, as she felt Phil kiss her hand, before she picked up the phone.
James held the phone up to his ear, as he heard his father's voice come through the other end.
"I had a copy of the invitation faxed to me," Bob told him. "I wouldn't miss it for anything."
James smiled that he agreed to go. "When you said that you had it faxed over to you, does that mean that you're not in Vermont?"
"I'm here in town," Bob informed her.
"You are?" James asked, in shock. "Stop by the penthouse!"
"I can't tonight," Bob replied.
James sighed. "Another meeting?"
"No," Bob answered, firmly. "I'm just tired from the traveling. I promise that I'll stop by the penthouse real soon. Besides, I'll definitely see you at the wedding in your mother's backyard."
"How do you feel about that?" James wanted to know. "About the wedding being there, of all places."
"I don't know if she set the location there on purpose to keep me away, but her attempt failed because no matter where it was could keep me away from seeing my son and Georgia Caldwell get married," Bob explained.
"I'll see you soon, then!" James exclaimed, as he heard his father hang up. No sooner did he hang up, the phone rang again. He picked it up once more. "Hello?"
"Hi, James!" he heard Lalie's voice come through.
Lalie winked at Phil, as she heard James greet her on the other end.
"How are you?" James wanted to know.
"I'm fine," Lalie replied. "Listen, I'm calling to RSVP about the wedding. Who's in charge? You or Georgia?" she laughed.
"Georgia's not here, but I'd be glad to take your response," he informed her. "Will you be attending?"
'You will decline,' Lalie heard Vivian's voice echo through her head. "I will attend," she defied. "Phil and I will be, that is."
"Great!" James exclaimed. "I just wrote that down. Your cousin called earlier, too. He'll be there."
"I'm glad!" Lalie exclaimed. "I wonder if he'll be bringing Frankie."
"That, I do not know," James informed her.
"Well, I guess we'll all find out who's coming with who on Saturday, right?" Lalie replied. "I'll see you then!" she told him, as she hung up the phone, and then walked over to the couch and rested her head on Phil's shoulder. "I just defied Vivian."
"How does it feel?" Phil wanted to know.
Lalie rose her head, and looked directly into his eyes. "It feels absolutely fantastic!" she exclaimed, as she kissed him passionately. "I can't wait for Saturday."
Georgia stood outside Grant's hotel room and just as she was about to knock, the door opened and Marietta was standing there.
"Mother," Georgia acknowledged. "Is Father here?"
"I'm right here," she heard Grant call out.
"I need to speak with you," Georgia informed him, as she turned to her mother. "Could I speak with him in private?"
"I was just on my way down to the café," Marietta explained. "Grant, just a cinnamon bun if they have one?"
"Yes, darling," Grant replied.
Georgia waited for her mother to leave, as she turned to her father and walked up to him. "How could you, father?"
"Let's see, it would help if I knew what I did," Grant replied, seeming confused by her vague question.
"You sent Trey away this morning," Georgia reminded him.
"And since when is that a bad thing?" Grant wanted to know.
"He had to tell me something important about the company, something that could effect our nationwide expansion project," Georgia slowly told him, as the words seemed to click with Grant. "Does the name Darryl Lake seem to ring a bell?"
"Isn't he the one who was going to help set up corporate offices in Arizona, Texas and Maine?" Grant wanted to know.
"That's the one!" Georgia exclaimed. "Well, he was waiting in my office today to hear some of my input. Trey came up to get me but you wouldn't let him get a word in to explain why he was there!"
"I always assume the worst with Trey Clemens," Grant let her know. "Did he tell him that you'd get back to him?"
"No," Georgia replied, matter-of-factly. "In fact, Trey took over and now Mr. Lake says that Trey is so much more creative than I am, and much more reliable."
Grant put a hand up to his head. "Georgia, I had no idea," he muttered. "Why would he listen to the likes of Trey? He's just a clerk!"
"Not anymore," Georgia cautiously muttered, as she looked away from her father.
"What do you mean 'not anymore'?" Grant demanded to know.
"I'm letting him act as president while I try and find a replacement for Kevin," Georgia explained, as she watched Grant's eyes widen. "It's kind of hard to do that right now, obviously. I'm actually taking off from Tuesday on to devote all my time to the wedding preparations."
"Georgia!" Grant shouted. "Do you realize hiring Trey as president could have been the biggest mistake of your professional life ever?" he demanded to know. "Are the wedding plans clouding your judgment?"
"Excuse me, but I haven't devoted nearly enough time as I should have to these wedding plans!" Georgia shouted. "All I've been thinking about is this company, Trey and this damn stalker," she let him know. "And you know what? I'm sick of it!" she shouted. "I want to enjoy this time of my life, not worry about who's in control of what, and who's ransacking my office or sending me terrorizing maps!" she shouted. "I'm getting married in one week, Father… one week," she reiterated. "I will be working tomorrow, but I'm taking the rest of the week off to concentrate solely on James and the wedding. I will deal with Trey after next week."
"And what about Darryl Lake?!" Grant demanded to know.
"Since my judgment is so 'clouded' right now, I'm sure you could handle that," Georgia let him know. "But, then again, that wouldn't have even been an issue, if you just gave Trey a minute to say what he needed to! What did you think he was going to say, anyway?"
Grant seemed to become silent at that last question. "I don't know," he muttered. "Georgia, I want you to concentrate on that wedding, it's important to me. You are great at what you do and you deserve the best. While I don't support your decision to make Trey acting president, I understand that was your last resort."
"Thank you!" Georgia exclaimed in relief. "I'm sorry that I got a little out of control just now, there are just so many things going on at once."
"I understand," Grant assured her, as they embraced.
The next morning, Frankie stood in front of the penthouse, as she felt the guards' eyes staring at her. She knocked on the door and turned around at them before they had the chance to look away.
"I'm not a bad person," she warned them, as she heard the door open.
"Hi, Frankie," Georgia greeted her. "Trey's not here. In fact, he never is!"
"I'm not here to see Trey," Frankie let her know. "I'm here to see you. I came to give you my answer regarding whether or not I'll be at the wedding."
"Will you be there?" Georgia wanted to know.
"Of course I will, darling," Frankie affirmed.
"Oh, dear," Georgia muttered, as Frankie felt Georgia's hand press against her forehead.
"What the hell are you doing?" Frankie tried to back away, and removed Georgia's hand from her forehead.
"Do you feel all right?" Georgia asked, sounding concerned.
Frankie looked at her with skepticism. "Yes, I feel perfectly fine," she declared. "Why did you do that?"
"Because I think you've contracted that contagious disease," Georgia replied. "You know the one where you start talking like Trey, after you spend far too much time with him… darling."
Frankie folded her arms in anger. "And what's my prognosis, Georgia?" she sarcastically demanded to know.
"I'm afraid it's not good unless you come to your senses and realize that Trey is nothing but trouble!" Georgia warned her. "I learned, and you will, too."
"I've heard enough," Frankie declared. "I just came by to let you know that I will be attending the wedding," she reminded her, as she turned to walk away.
"Frankie," she heard Georgia's voice call out.
Frankie turned back around. "What is it?"
"I'm serious when I say Trey is trouble," Georgia once again reiterated. "Stay away from him!"
"And why should I take something his ex-girlfriend says into account?" Frankie wanted to know. "It sounds more like jealousy to me than concern."
"I'm not jealous," Georgia firmly told her. "But, I am concerned," she let her know. "I'm relieved that I am an EX-girlfriend, I'm no longer being used or cajoled. Get out while you can, Frankie!"
Frankie listened to the words, but she didn't want to comprehend them. "I'll take your words to heart," she let her know, as she once again turned around and headed to the elevator.
Georgia shook her head slightly, as she watched Frankie head towards the elevator. Warning Frankie of Trey was the only thing she could do. The rest was up to Frankie to make the right choice.
Lalie gently graced over Trey Clemens' nameplate on the door, which used to be Kevin's office.
A lot of things had changed since she began working at the bank: Kevin was no longer working in his office, she had been in and out of love with him several times, Marcia was no longer a friend nor was she working alongside her.
She knocked on Trey's door with the same nervousness she felt when she knocked on Kevin's door a few days before Heather's wedding, proclaiming her love to him.
"Come in," she heard Trey's voice call out.
Lalie slowly turned the doorknob and walked in. The office looked basically the same. Trey had repositioned the desk and some of the chairs, otherwise it was still the same office.
"You're Layla Mills, aren't you?" Trey asked her, as she watched him stand up and extend his hand.
Lalie walked over to the desk and looked down at his hand, before shaking it. "I am," she affirmed. "I don't know what you did to make this office your own, but I know you didn't act fairly. Tell me, Trey, what did you do?"
Trey seemed taken aback by her words. "What have I done to generate so much anger from you?"
"You know, maybe I shouldn't be angry at you," Lalie began. "Maybe I should be thankful," she told him, as she nodded her head.
"Thankful for what?!" Trey demanded to know.
"For not paying for Phil's room when you promised him that you would," Lalie gave him an answer. "You might have thought that you pulled one over on him, but Phil and I were both winners in the end. If you didn't send him out into the night that night with no where to go, he might have never shown up at my door and we might not know each other as well as we do right now."
"I like feistiness in a woman," Trey commented. "Why don't we get to know each other well?" he proposed. "I'll be sure to leave my hotel door open for you all night."
"Excuse me?" Lalie asked, in disgust and shock.
"Oh, is that too long of a wait?" Trey wanted to know. "Then, I apologize. How about right here and right now? Let's get to know each other, if you know what I mean."
Lalie's jaw dropped in complete and utter shock, as she heard the office door open, and turned around to find Frankie standing there.
Chapter 27
Non-Nsync Fiction
I'll Never Stop {Fiction}
Email Tracia