Kevin stood next to the window in his office, watching the endless flow of the traffic.
He needed some fresh air. He left his office and signaled to Georgia that he was stepping out for a break, and made his way outside to the street.
He crossed the street. He usually walks along the other side, but the jewelry store advertising engagement rings in the window would have been too painful to pass.
Thinking about Lalie, his daydream was interrupted when he heard the screeching of someone's brakes in the street.
"Watch out!" Kevin yelled, running to the street and pulling a woman back. "You're only supposed to go 35 miles an hour down this block! This is a business district!" he yelled at the driver.
Kevin turned the woman around and he immediately recognized the brown eyes behind the glasses. "I know you."
The woman dropped her jaw as she saw who saved her life from that car. She nervously looked down and fixed her glasses. "I have to go," she said, pushing her away around Kevin and quickly walking down the street.
Kevin watched in confusion as the woman that he rescued walked down the street in a panic.
Vivian sat up slightly, hearing his son's footsteps approach from the other side of the room. "Where are you headed to?" she asked him.
"To the store," James replied, walking closer to the couch. "Is something wrong?"
"Something is always wrong," Vivian answered with a sigh.
"What now?" James asked, tired of all this nonsense.
"Go to the store," Vivian prodded him along. "I'm sure you'll hear about it later."
James wasn't hesitant as he headed for the door and left for the store.
Vivian heard the roar of James' car engine as she stood up and thought about that confrontation that she just had with Lalie.
Lalie walked into her house and angrily kicked off her shoes by the door.
Carole jumped as she heard the crashing of Lalie's keys hit the countertop in the kitchen. "What are you doing here?" she asked.
Lalie threw her head back in frustration. "Don't I still live here?" she asked. "Or, did that change just like everything else?" "
I don't understand what you mean!" Carole cried out.
Lalie took a deep breath, controlling her temper. "I'm not getting married to Kevin after all," she replied softly.
"Why aren't you?" Carole wanted to know.
Lalie took a step around the kitchen countertop, looking outside at the backyard. "People change," she answered. "People stop believing in the power of love."
"Kevin feels like that because of his parents breaking up?" Carole asked in reply.
"Yes," Lalie replied. "All couples are destined to fail because of Robert and Vivian."
Carole stood there in silence for a moment. "It's hard to believe that the engagement would be completely off just because he's having a hard time coping with that divorce."
Lalie turned around and looked into her mother's eyes. "You're right," she replied. "Kevin isn't the only one with a problem."
"You have one?" Carole asked.
"I accidentally called Kevin by Phil's name," Lalie quickly said in embarrassment.
"Why would you do something like that?" Carole asked her, very confused.
"Lately," Lalie started. "I've been having these images."
"Images?" Carole asked her, not following.
"Images of Phil, and the time that we spent together in that basement," Lalie replied, walking to the other side of the kitchen.
Carole widened her eyes. "Oh," she managed to reply. "Can you discuss these images of Phil with me or are they indecent?"
"Mom!" Lalie screamed with a slight smirk. "They're not anything like that!" she assured her. "I don't know why I'm having them."
"You and Phil went through a lot in that basement," Carole began.
"He said some of the nicest things to me," Lalie told her.
"Where does this leave you and Kevin?" Carole wanted to know.
"It leaves us confused," Lalie concluded. "We just need some time apart to deal with what's on our plate, and I don't think it's going to be a very short process."
A little while later, Vivian heard the doorbell ring and walked over to the door to answer it, hoping it wasn't Lalie coming back for round two.
"Hello, Vivian," a woman's voice greeted her, an Italian accent was present.
"Bettina," Vivian replied. "Please come in," Vivian welcomed her inside.
"Thank you," Bettina replied as she looked to the side where the bushes are and nodded her head.
Vivian noticed Bettina's eyes looking toward the bushes as she subtly glanced over there.
Suddenly, a young woman appeared with a less than enthusiastic look on her face.
"Don't be shy," Bettina encouraged as her eyes traveled back to Vivian. "Vivian, you remember my daughter Francesca, don't you?"
"Of course!" Vivian exclaimed. "Do you still go by Frankie or did you graduate from that name?" she laughed.
"I still go by Frankie," she replied. "I'm trying to work through my shyness. I'd say it improved a little bit."
"Come in," Vivian welcomed Frankie and Bettina into her home.
Georgia sat in her office looking over some reports that were faxed over from Saint Paul.
She knew she had an important role that was very important not only to her, but to her father as well.
As she flipped through the stack of papers and signed her name on the bottom line, a knock on the door interrupted her train of thought.
"Yes, come in," Georgia called out, jumping a little by the sound of the knock.
James' figure walked through the door, sitting down in one of the comfortable red chairs in front of her desk.
Georgia smiled at him, as she remained seated on her side of the desk. "I don't remember a meeting scheduled with you this afternoon, Mr. Neelan."
"You know I always like to surprise people, Ms. Caldwell," James teased.
Georgia stood up and laughed as she made her way over to James, he stood up as well. "I'm surprised Brenda Romans let you up here," she said, sounding impressed. "She told me about all the schemes that Heather Mills pulled to get up here."
"I'm not Heather Mills," James told her, kissing her gently.
"Obviously," Georgia laughed. "What's on your mind, James?"
"Can't I just come to say, 'hello'?" James wanted to know. "I told my mother that I was going to the store."
"What are we, teenagers?" Georgia asked him in a teasing manner. "You have to lie to your mother to see your girlfriend?"
"I've seen how my mother has acted around Kevin, Heather and Lalie," James started. "I'd like her to stay out of my relationships, all due respect to her, of course!"
"Well, of course," Georgia replied with a smile.
"I really wish there was something I could do to help Kevin," James began, his expression becoming more serious. "I think it hit him harder since he had just proposed marriage before we found out."
Georgia sighed as she walked behind her desk. "I guess you didn't hear," Georgia assumed.
"Hear what?" James wanted to know.
"Kevin and Lalie had a falling out this morning," Georgia told him. "One of them called off the engagement."
James looked speechless as Georgia's words shook his body. "That's awful," he simply replied. "I need to go talk to him," he said, heading for the door. "James!" Georgia quickly called out. "I'm not sure if that's a good idea," she lowered her a voice a little. "He's not in the mood for company right now. Besides, he stepped out a little while ago."
"His door was shut when I came up here," James told her.
"He must have came back then," Georgia figured. "I know he went for some fresh air a while ago. I've been held down with all this paperwork."
"Why don't we go for dinner tonight?" James asked her, noticing how tense she is. "I think you need some time out."
"I can attempt to make something," Georgia suggested. "I put a border up around the penthouse that I wanted to show you."
"Attempt to make something?" James asked with a laugh. "I was thinking of taking you to Table For Two," he suggested. "I can always stop by the penthouse later to see that border."
"Table For Two?" Georgia had never heard of that restaurant before.
"That's right," James started. "You're an out-of-towner," he teased.
"Shut up!" Georgia yelled out, jokingly, of course.
"Tonight then?" James asked her.
"Sure," Georgia replied.
"Go ahead, Heiress, get back to work," James teased as he walked out of the door.
"Oh, you!" Georgia yelled as she crumbled a piece of paper and threw it at the door as he walked out. She laughed to herself as it hit the floor. "If Father knew what was going on…" she laughed, before looking back down at her work.
Chapter 4
Hosted {Fiction}
I'll Never Stop {Fiction}
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