Crossroad to Love (Fab Five Series)

chapter 10

When the two friends returned to the suite, they were so excited that it was hard for Mari and Angie to get them to stop both talking at once. When they had finally calmed down, they shared their wonderful news with the other two, who were visibly elated for them.

“I told you they would love your ideas,” Angie said with a knowing look, proud of Katy and Lizzie for their determination and hard work.

“And to think I helped this little enterprise by making the coffee to keep you two awake all night.” Marianne laughed as they all turned to look at her. It was good to see her smiling again.

A little while later, Katy had excused herself to go into the bedroom and call Alex to tell him her news. While she was gone, Lizzie worriedly told the other two about the scene she had walked in on with Ryan and Katy at the restaurant. “You don’t think she’s getting in way over her head with this guy, do you? After all, isn’t he a confirmed bachelor?”

“Maybe they have more in common than you think, Liz. They have both been alone a long time. It could be just the thing they both need,” Angie replied, with a thoughtful smile. “Maybe at heart he is not the confirmed bachelor that the gossips make him out to be. And on another note, why can’t they just have a fling, if that’s what they both want? It doesn’t have to be a match made in heaven for all time.”

“Let’s just wait it out and see what happens for now. After all, she just met the guy. We may by worrying about her needlessly,” Marianne offered.

“What did you two do while we were out?” Lizzie looked at her friends, changing the subject.

The two of them laughed as Angie replied, “We enjoyed the peace and quiet. You two were driving us bonkers this morning before you left.”

Lizzie rolled her eyes at her friends and said, “Let’s see about dinner. Afterwards, I need to call Rex and break the news to him that my ads have just gotten a client for us in Texas and he has to fly out here to do the paperwork. I wonder how he is going to react to all this.”

“You stick to your guns, Lizzie. You worked hard for this and you have earned his respect and undying love,” Angie advised her friend with a grin.

Katy came out of the bedroom with news, “Alex was very happy for me. He is very supportive of my newfound career ideas.” Her son was in her corner, as he always had been.

“Katy, that’s great,” Lizzie said. “Now let’s order dinner. I am starved. Working makes me hungry for junk food.”

The other three laughed. Everything made Lizzie hungry for junk food. It was a mystery how she had stayed thin all these years. They decided to order room service and stay in that night since they had been up late the night before. And Lizzie still had an important phone call to make. They called in their order, Lizzie of course ordering a burger and fries, opened a bottle of wine, and sat down to relax. They went over the events of the day and began to make their plans for the next day. Tomorrow was already Tuesday. The week was going to go much too quickly. Lizzie and Katy were going back to the restaurant in the morning and the other two would ride along. From there, they planned to do some sightseeing. They were going to tour the old ‘South Fork’ ranch from the TV show ‘Dallas.’

Marianne remarked, “I heard they are going to resurrect the show and will be filming there soon, so tours will be halted when that starts.” She also wanted to take them downtown to see some sights, such as the Sixth Street Museum and a few other places of interest. And of course, there would be more shopping and lunch.

“Sounds like a plan to me,” Angie said as she opened the door to let the waiter in with their dinner. “Lizzie, dear, your junk food has arrived.” She signed for the check, adding a generous tip for the waiter, and proceeded to dole out the food. Lizzie was the only one who had ordered a burger. The rest of the group opted for salads.

“You guys don’t know what you’re missing,” Lizzie teased as she dipped a French fry into her ketchup and took a bite. “Yum, yum, this is so good.”

“I’ll pass, thank you very much. My grilled chicken salad is fine for me.” Mari laughed as she speared a piece of chicken with her fork.

“I’ll take my Cobb salad any day over that greasy junk,” Angie agreed.

“And I am content to stick to my Caesar salad,” Katy chimed in.

“Now back to the plans for tomorrow. We’ll get to see the sexy Ryan again and meet his brother,” Marianne gushed as they were settling down to eat. “You didn’t say what Chloe’s husband was like.”

“He is a younger version of Ryan, but not quite as striking. Chloe did well,” Lizzie answered the question. “He was very nice and he knows his business.”

Katy’s cheeks turned a slight pink at the mention of Ryan’s name. Why did this man have such an effect on her? She knew it would not lead anywhere. He was a confirmed bachelor since the death of his wife. Had he loved her that much that he could never share his life with another woman? But a little harmless flirtation wouldn’t hurt anything, would it? As long as Katy kept her wits about her and did not get too attached, she would be fine. Once she got to know Chloe better, maybe she could ask her about Ryan’s wife. Besides, flirting with Ryan would be good practice for her to get back into the dating game. Katy wondered what it would be like to be in Ryan’s arms… to feel his lips on hers. She unconsciously shivered.

“Get the lovesick look off your face, Kate.” Angie laughed as she smacked her friend with a pillow from the couch. “Honestly, what is it about him, other than his obvious sex appeal and good looks has you so mesmerized?”

Katy grinned at her, embarrassed at having been caught daydreaming about Ryan. You would think they were in high school the way she was acting. Get it together, Katy.

They finished eating their dinner with more lighthearted teasing aimed at Katy until the time had come for Lizzie to make her phone call. The group once again became serious. This was a big moment for Liz.

“Just tell him like it is, girl,” Angie encouraged her friend as Lizzie headed for the bedroom to use the phone.

“That’s right, stand up to him,” Katy added. “He can’t be angry. After all, you landed a huge account for him that is going to expand his business even more.”

“You may be surprised at his response.” Marianne thought that maybe she should follow her own advice. Maybe I would be surprised at Jon’s response if I confronted him about Jennifer.

Lizzie thanked them for the encouraging words and, taking a deep breath, walked into the bedroom. She sat on the edge of one of the beds and dialed her home number. As she waited for Rex to answer, she thought of what she would say. Katy was right, as usual. He could not be angry with her, maybe just with her methods.

“Hello.”

Lizzie never grew tired of hearing Rex’s deep, husky voice on the other end of a telephone line, even after all these years. He could still make her heart flutter just by saying hello. Not as dashing as some men, he was the cuddly teddy bear type, and she loved that about him.

It was now or never, she thought as she mustered the courage to begin her story.

“Hi, Rex, it’s me.”

“I didn’t expect to hear from you until midweek, Lizzie. How’s it going out there? Is everything okay?”

“Great, it has been so good to see everyone again. We are having a really good visit. There are a lot of exciting things going on with our friends, can’t wait to tell you all about it next week.” Lizzie’s hand shook as she held the receiver.

“Are you sure everything is all right, honey? You sound odd. Nervous, maybe?”

“In fact, everything is really good. I have some wonderful news for you. Please don’t say anything until you hear me out. I have something to tell you that is going to blow you away.”

“Let’s hope not,” he joked.

She began, “We met some really lovely people at dinner last night. They own a restaurant here in Dallas. It’s two brothers and the wife of one of the brothers. Anyway, we got to talking and they told us how they are planning this expansion of their business. They mentioned they needed an interior designer. Well, Katy has been thinking about opening a design business, so right away, they asked her for some input. She worked on some designs for them and they were pleased. They’ve offered her a contract.”

“Honey, that’s great. Tell Katy I’m happy for her. Something like this will be a good first client for her. It will really get her started off on the right foot, although Dallas is a long way from Chicago.”

“Actually, second client, Angie is going to have her do some work for her, too.”

“Wow, she is really starting off with a bang, isn’t she? Does she need us to advertise for her?”

“I hadn’t thought of that, but funny you should say that, honey. Are you sitting down?”

“Yes, but why do I need to be, Lizzie? What in the world is going on with you?”

“Well, the O’Gradys, they are the people who own the restaurant, also mentioned they need a new ad campaign for all the changes they’re making, and one of the girls suggested our agency.”

“Whoa, do you know what a boost to the business that would be to get an account in Dallas? Honey, it could lead to more accounts there. We could really branch out. Colt would have to consider coming into the business, then. I really will have to consider adding more staff.”

“There’s more.”

“Do you want me to start on a campaign right away? I am swamped, but I could stay up late and get started. Let me know a little bit about the place.”

“I am way ahead of you, darling.” Lizzie took a deep breath.

“What do you mean?” Rex asked warily.

“I have already come up with a campaign, pitched it to them today.” She held her breath, waiting for his response.

There was dead silence on the other end of the line. Finally, he said, “And what happened?”

“That’s the best part of it all. They loved it. We worked together on it and changed a few things, but they liked my overall concept and it’s a go. They want you to fly out this week and sign the contract.”

“Wow, Baby, I don’t know what to say. I didn’t even know you were interested in working on ads after all this time.”

“I wanted to talk to you about that. What would you think about me coming to work at the agency with you?”

“Are you serious?” Rex could not believe his luck.

“What, you don’t think I can do it? Didn’t I just prove to you that I could by getting this account for you, for us?” Lizzie was getting upset.

“I didn’t say that. I was thinking about asking you to come to work to help out in the office. I knew you used to be good at it, but didn’t know if you really wanted to do the old nine to five thing.”

“Really?”

“Yes, I was going to talk to you about it when you got home. But first things first, let me juggle my schedule around. I’ll call you back with my flight plans. We need to get this contract signed and let me take a look at your ideas. We’ll talk more later about the rest of it, Partner.”

“You mean that?”

“Yes, Lizzie, I mean that. Now let me see what I can work out and I will call you back when I get things arranged. And Lizzie…I love you. I can’t wait to see you.”

“I love you, too.”

Lizzie hung up the phone and stared at it in disbelief. That had been easier than she had thought. She had underestimated herself as well as her husband. They had always been a good team and she knew they would be a great team in the ad business as well. She sat on the edge of the bed for a few minutes longer, pondering the entire conversation. It was unbelievable. She could not believe that she had had doubts about this. She went out to the sitting room of the suite to join her friends and fill them in on the crazy, wonderful phone conversation she had just had with her husband.