Ryan looked at her in shock as Shane entered the room.
“Simmer down, Chloe, what’s wrong? I can hear you all the way in the dining
room.”
“Chloe offered Katy a job as the O’Grady chain full time
decorator. I was simply pointing out a few facts to Mrs. Barron about what
taking the position would mean.”
“Which were?” Shane asked.
“I told her she’d have to give up any other clients she had,
except for Angie, as that was a commitment made before she met us. I pointed
out she may as well give up her new business and join the O’Grady payroll and
she’d have to move to Dallas. And I mentioned that she would be answering to me
if she took the position. All true. And all things she needs to consider.”
“All crazy! You are going to run her off. Just because you
don’t want a relationship with her, you don’t have to treat her like an idiot.
She is perfect for the job, and a good friend,” Chloe spouted.
“I have never said I didn’t
want
a relationship with
her. I said it wasn’t going to happen.”
“Both of you calm down. Let’s let Katy think about it and
reach her own decision. You two will accept whatever she decides. If she takes
the position, you, big brother, will in no way make her life miserable. If she
declines, you will accept it graciously and wish our friend well, Chloe.
Is
that understood?”
Shane spoke in a stern voice.
Both Ryan and Chloe nodded.
There had never been animosity between his wife and his
brother before, and Shane did not like it.
Meanwhile, Marianne drove Katy home. She decided to forego
the movie as she got the feeling Katy needed to vent. When they arrived at the
house, Katy went out to sit by the pool, while Marianne went into the kitchen.
She carried a tray of iced tea and sandwiches out and set it on the table.
“Eat some lunch, Honey, and then for goodness sake, tell me
what happened there today.”
“I just don’t get it. He doesn’t want anything to do with
me. But he wants me to give up my life in Chicago, move to Dallas, and go to
work for his company, reporting directly to him. He expects me to make those
decisions.”
“He offered you the job? I thought Chloe did.”
“Originally she did, but then he told me all the details as
he saw them. I don’t get it. And I more or less told him I didn’t know if a job
was enough reason for me to uproot and move to Dallas.”
“Good for you, give him something to chew on for a while.
But seriously, would you really consider moving out here and working for them?
I mean it would be a great opportunity. They are really growing and going
places and you’d be getting in basically from the ground up.”
“I have no idea, Mari. I’d have to speak to Alex, and
there’s the house to think about. What if I moved here and it didn’t work out?
What if we couldn’t work together after all?”
“Want my opinion?”
“Do I have a choice?”
“No, not really.” Mari laughed. “Seriously, I think you
should go for it. You said you were ready to start a new life. Alex doesn’t
live at home anymore. You just started your business, it isn’t even really off
the ground yet. You don’t need that big house to take care of alone. You have
friends here… And then there’s Ryan… Need I go on?”
“You make it sound so easy.”
“It is. You just make the decision and do it.”
Katy met with Chloe the next day. She told her in confidence
she was going home to finish her work with Angie, speak to her son and place
her home on the market. She was taking the position with the O’Grady chain and
she was moving to Dallas. Ryan was not to know until it was a done deal. Chloe
breathed a sigh of relief and promised not to say a word to Ryan. The women
hugged, shook hands, and Katy went to Marianne’s to pack for her flight home.
The next two months were spent in a flurry. Thanksgiving
came and went. Alex was home on holiday break and helped her pack up the house.
He was, as always, supportive of his mother’s decisions. He was hoping she and
Ryan would work out their differences.
Katy finished ordering everything for Angie’s hotel. The
only thing left to do was be there when it was time to get ready for the opening
and make sure everything went smoothly, and Chloe had already agreed to give
her the time off to go to Iowa.
“Ryan can suck an egg,” was Chloe’s reply when Katy reminded
her that Ryan would be her boss.
One night in early December, the phone rang. It was Angie.
“Hey, Katy.”
“Anything wrong?” Katy asked.
“No, everything is right on schedule. I won’t need you for a
few months, but I had a great idea.”
“What’s that?”
“Michael is going back out to Dallas for a few days and I
was thinking about a trip back home for a few days while he’s gone. I’d like to
hang out with Mom and discuss the wedding. Would you like to ride down with me?
You could visit your folks. We can get some holiday shopping done and there’s a
place I want to see.”
“Actually that sounds great. I need to get down and see Mom
and Dad before I move.”
“Really going through with it, huh?”
“That’s the plan. Where’s the place you want to see?”
“Remember the old Sheraton Hotel over in French Lick, and
the dome that was all run down and empty for years?”
“Yes, I vaguely remember that.”
“Someone bought all that and renovated both hotels. I hear
the Dome is gorgeous. I saw pictures in one of my casino magazines. They’ve
built a casino between the two hotels. I would love to see what they’ve done
with the place.”
“That would be fun. Yes, I’ll go. Just tell me when and
where to meet.”
They made their plans to meet and drive to southern Indiana
together the following Tuesday. They would stay until Saturday and then drive
back home. Katy was looking forward to getting away and to seeing her parents.
She had told them her plans. They told her they hated to see her move even
farther away, but felt it was good she was doing something for herself after
all these years.
It’ll be good to see them
, she thought.
The trip was all Katy could have hoped for. The visit with
Jackie and with her own parents was delightful. She was able to complete her
Christmas shopping while there, and had even won a little money at the casino.
Angie had been right about the Dome. It was beautiful. It was sad saying
goodbye to her parents, but they promised to fly out for a visit once she was
settled.
Christmas was a quiet affair. She and Alex had dinner out
and exchanged gifts afterward. The house was pretty well packed except for the
things she used on a daily basis. A lot of her excess furniture had either been
put in storage for Alex to use later or had been sold. The house was on the
market, and the day after Christmas an offer was made. Katy and Alex accepted
the offer, and in thirty days Katy would be homeless.
She called Marianne, who immediately began the search for an
apartment for her friend with the help of Chloe. They were able to secure an
attractive two bedroom apartment for her not far from Marianne’s house.
Katy’s friends and neighbors in Chicago had thrown a party
in her honor. She had said her goodbyes as they all wished her well on her
venture.
Things had gone too smoothly, too quickly, Katy thought as
she packed the last suitcase. The furniture she was keeping and the boxes were
already on their way to Texas. She would be driving the car out with the rest
of her things. Alex was driving out with her to help her get settled over the
weekend, before he had to fly back to school. She looked around the bedroom one
last time.
It was time to turn the keys over to the new owners, a young
couple, much like she and Bill when they had bought this place. Her thoughts
wandered to the day Bill had brought her here for the first time. They had been
so happy as together they had planned their future. She could almost see him
standing in the middle of the empty room, beckoning for her to join him. Bill
had kissed her and told her he wanted to raise a family with her in this house.
She remembered him carrying her to the bed and making love to her the first
night they had lived in the house. She blew a kiss into the air and said,
“Goodbye, Bill, I love you and I’ll never forget our life together.”
Katy walked into the hallway and stopped outside the room
that had belonged to her little girl, recalling the day she and Bill had
brought their baby daughter home from the hospital. Walking into the room, she
thought about the many times Bree had sat on the floor playing with the
dollhouse Bill had built for her. Alex and Bree had played hide-and-seek in
this room, with Alex always letting his sister find him. Even though she had
been two years older than Alex, Bree had always let him be the protective one.
The four of them had been a happy young family and in an instant, it had all
been taken from them. Katy had not only lost the husband she adored, but the
daughter she cherished. And her son had lost his father and beloved big sister.
Wiping a tear as she turned to go, Katy looked back one last time. “My little
angel, you’ll always be with me, no matter where I go.”
Alex was waiting for her downstairs. She stood in the dining
room, recalling the dinners they had shared as a family, discussing the day’s
events. As she turned, she handed the keys to the realtor, took one last look
around and walked to the car, her son following with her bags. They were
planning to drive outside the city for a few hours and then stop for the night.
They wanted to get an early start in the morning and drive as far as they could
the next day.
It was late January, the start of a new year. She had said
goodbye to one chapter of her life and was driving toward the next. She had an
exciting new job, a new home, and friends, but she did not have the one thing
she desired most in the world. Ryan O’Grady.
Sure, I’ll see
him every
day, but it won’t be the same.
Katy resigned herself to the fact and
accepted the terms. She could work with him and be his friend. Her decision had
been made and it was too late to back out now.
Texas, ready or not, here I
come.
Katy and her son arrived two days later in Dallas. They
found the apartment easily. Marianne was already there and had readied it for
movers, who should be arriving with Katy’s belongings later that day.
“Alex, it’s so good to see you.” Mari gave him a hug.
“Glad to see you again, Aunt Mari. Thanks for taking such
good care of Mom. I know she’s in good hands.”
“I’m delighted she’s here.” Mari showed Katy around her new
home. It was much smaller than her old house but it was perfect. There were two
bedrooms with two adjoining bathrooms, a laundry area, kitchen, dining room,
and a living area with a fireplace. French doors opened onto a balcony. The
kitchen was very modern and sported oak cabinets, granite counters, and
stainless steel appliances. The carpet in the living room and bedrooms was a
neutral buff color. The floors in the kitchen, entryway and bathrooms were
ceramic tile and the dining room floor was hardwood. She began to imagine where
she would place her furniture, when Alex announced that the movers had arrived.
The rest of that day and the next were busy ones. Soon, with
the help of Mari, Jon, Jordan, and Alex, everything was in place and it was
time to take Alex to the airport. They said their goodbyes, and Alex headed
back to school and his mother to her new life.
Katy placed a call to Chloe the next morning to let her know
she was in town and settled.
“The plan is going into action. Report to the restaurant at
ten and we’ll go from there.”
Katy dressed with care, applied her makeup and did her hair.
When everything met with her approval, she grabbed her briefcase and Coach bag,
went to her car and drove to meet her destiny. If this plan did not work, at
least she could say she gave it one last shot. But she had to try. It was too
important.
She walked into Chloe’s office and was immediately hugged by
Chloe and Shane.
“Where is he?” she asked cautiously.
“I made an excuse to send him on some errands. That should
give us some time.” Shane answered. He was in on the plan, and admired Katy’s
spunk.
“You will eventually have your own office. The corporate
offices next door should be completed by late summer. But for now, we all just
kind of share,” Chloe explained. “If there are no customers in the private
dining room, we work out of there at times, too.”
Katy put her things down and sat in the office, going over
details with Chloe while they awaited Ryan’s return. About an hour later, Shane
came in to give them the “all systems go” cue.
“Are you ready?” Chloe asked, hugging her for luck.
“As ready as I’ll ever be.” Katy took a deep breath and
walked into the dining room.
Shane was keeping Ryan occupied in conversation. He winked
as she approached.
“Well, look who just walked in off the cold streets of
Chicago, Ryan.”
Ryan turned and paled as he saw Katy. “What are you doing
here? I didn’t realize Chloe had a meeting scheduled with you. The party room
is done and we aren’t ready for anything else yet.”
“She didn’t.”
“I see…” He really didn’t see, but waited for further
explanation. “How have you been?”
“I’ve been quite busy since I last saw you. I’ve been
working hard with Angie to finish her hotel.”
“And how is that going?” he asked politely.
“I’m quite pleased. And I believe Angie is as well.”
“I never doubted it for a minute. You’re good at what you
do, Katy.”
“I’ve also been busy in other areas, Ryan.”
“Oh, so you’ve taken on more clients. I guess that means you
are turning down our offer?” he asked, not quite sure if he was disappointed or
relieved.
“Not exactly, Ryan. Actually I’ve been extremely busy
packing up my house and selling it. Alex and I’ve spent the past week driving
across country and moving me into an apartment in Frisco. I hope you’re not too
disappointed, Mr. O’Grady. I took your advice. I sold my house, gave up my
business, moved to Dallas and am taking a chance. Today is my first day on the
job,
boss
.” She extended her hand to him.