Loving You (Remembrance Series, Book 2) (12 page)

I was rendered speechless by his response.

We managed to get back to his place right at noon.

I quickly changed out of my dress suit and threw on my bikini, a t-shirt, shorts and flip flops. Even though my ribs were almost completely healed, comfortable, loose attire felt best against my skin.

He had already changed into a shirt and board shorts and had our food waiting at the kitchen table. “I ordered us chicken salad croissants and some fruit salad with vanilla frozen yogurt. I thought it would give us some energy for the rest of the afternoon, but not weigh us down; since we have a big dinner ahead of us, tonight.”

“This looks yummy. How much do I owe you for lunch?” I asked.

“Nothing, this is my treat.”

“But, you’ve taken me out so many times, already. Technically, I should be paying for your lunch.”

He just smiled, shook his head, and started eating.

“I’m wasting my breath arguing this, aren’t I?” He only nodded in response.

The food was amazing. I had never tasted such a wonderful sandwich before—the flavor of the chicken salad, along with the flakiness of the croissant, just melted in my mouth. I thought lunch could not get any better, until I tasted the fruit salad. I had never thought about pairing fruit with creamy frozen yogurt, but it was heavenly.

The remainder of the afternoon was spent lounging around the pool at his complex. He positioned us under one of the umbrellas, in the event I fell asleep. I was thankful for his foresight, as I dozed for about an hour in the coolness of the shade, while he listened to some music and attempted to do some research on Aaron and Hannah.

The sun was slowly setting and we had showered and changed for the night out on the town with our parents. Gregory wore a suit and tie, while I wore a beautiful emerald colored dress him and his mother had bought me for the occasion. It was fancier than I was used to, but one look at the smile on his face and the gleam in his eyes told me all I needed to know.

“Could you help me put on this necklace? I’m still having a little trouble with my fingers grasping the clasp.”

I lifted my hair out of the way as he pulled the necklace he’d given me around my neck to secure it. Before I could lower my hair, I felt his lips press gently on my shoulder and follow up the path of my neck. In between kisses, he whispered, “I’ll be glad when our wedding is here. You look far too tempting in this dress, tonight.”

He stepped back, taking in a cleansing breath. “Let’s go. They’ll be expecting us, shortly.”

“Where exactly are we going?” I had no clue as to the name of the restaurant, where it was located or anything else about it.

“It’s a new place called Azure. They have a large variety of food choices and preparations, but their specialty is seafood and steak.”

I watched as he drove us toward the tourist district. I was surprised when he pulled up to a hotel and handed the valet his keys. Wow, Douglas and Lorraine were sparing no expense for tonight’s dinner. I was feeling out of my element and I wasn’t even in the restaurant, yet.

Sensing my discomfort, Gregory wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me close to his side as we approached the elevator. “The restaurant is on the top floor, with a panoramic view overlooking the Lake Buena Vista area. We might even be able to see some of the fireworks from the theme parks, tonight. It’s just a restaurant, like any other; and by the way…,you look fabulous!”

The hostess was dressed in all black and asked if we had a reservation. Gregory spoke up. “We are meeting the Worthington’s here, for dinner.”

“Oh, yes. They told me you would be arriving, shortly. Your party is already seated. Right this way, please.”

I was expecting to have a regular table in the center of the room, but was surprised when she guided us toward a partially closed off area. The table was rectangular and quite large, with place settings for a few more people than just us and our parents.

Everyone stood as we entered. There was a couple seated to the side of Douglas and Lorraine. They started walking around the table toward us. The guy had familiar characteristics to Gregory, just a little older and with light blonde hair. I glanced up at Gregory and saw his smile spread ear to ear. Before I could ask anything, he released my hand and grabbed hold of the other guy in a typical man hug. “Jonathan, what a surprise!”

I was left feeling a little off-kilter, when his companion, a stunning woman with a light tan that accentuated her stunning blue eyes and a thick mane of shoulder length hazel hair, approached. She reached out to hug me. “I’m Robin, Jonathan’s wife. We are so happy to have you as part of the family.” She released me for a moment, pulling back to glance at me. “Are you feeling better? You look amazing!”

I could feel that Robin had nothing but care and love in her heart, so I quickly returned her embrace. “Thank you, Robin. I feel fortunate to have found such a wonderful man with such a loving family. I’m feeling better, still a little sore with the ribs, but otherwise good.”

I greeted Mom with a quick hug and kiss, along with my soon to be in-laws. Robin and I fell into easy conversation, talking about anything and everything. I learned that Jonathan was in town for a work conference with his Financial Firm and Robin had taken a few days off, from teaching, to join him. It was a last minute decision, since one of Jonathan’s co-workers was set to come, but had gotten sick. They contacted Lorraine and decided to surprise us.

It was obvious that Gregory enjoyed spending time with his brother. His face lit up recalling wonderful memories and they laughed. I saw him in a whole new light.

Robin was just as delightful to talk with. We shared a lot of common interests like history, reading and cooking.

As suspected, Lorraine had us sampling various dishes to see what we would like to have served at the Engagement Party. The waiters brought out small pairings of Sea Bass and Filet Medallions, along with a Chicken Kiev and Beef Bourguignon. There were also a variety of salads, noodles, potatoes and different vegetable accompaniments.

While the food was amazing, we were not prepared to make any decisions on menus or anything else regarding the Engagement Party, tonight. We were thankful when Lorraine told us, “No need to make a rushed decision. We have a couple other chefs to evaluate and see what your preferences are. I have them all on alert for your Engagement event.”

Jonathan spoke up, “Guess Mom’s going all out, now that her baby is finally tying the knot.” He looked at Robin with a questionable look, before asking, “Has there been any trouble with the announcement of you getting married?”

We were both thrown by his question. Gregory asked, “What do you mean?”

Robin was the one to speak this time. “When we announced our intentions to marry, we were met with some resistance from Gwen. For some reason, she likes to be the center of attention and the only daughter in-law. She kept causing problems and sending notes forbidding the marriage up until the time we wed. Phillip didn’t even come to the wedding because of her drama. He was afraid she would ruin it.”

She laid her hand on mine. “I hope she doesn’t do to you, what she tried to do to us.”

I nodded sympathetically. “She’s already told me to postpone the ceremony, because her pregnancy is to be the most important event of the year. I’ve been told that no one in the family will accept me and to basically call off the wedding.”

Douglas, Lorraine and Grandpa all inhaled deeply from the shock of my words. Lorraine finally spoke up. “I’m going to have to see if Phillip can talk some sense into her. She doesn’t control this family and make decisions like that for us.” She looked my direction. “We all adore you, Jordan, and already consider you a part of our family. Gwen, however, is pushing her luck at this point.”

The rest of the evening was spent with talk of future hopes, dreams, planned trips and honeymoon possibilities. Everyone had insight into where we should go on our honeymoon, especially when they found out I hadn’t been many places, yet.

We were sad to learn that Jonathan and Robin would be flying out the next morning to return to San Diego. However, they promised to come back for the Engagement Party and the Wedding. We were thankful that our parents kept the ruse regarding the ceremony still being set for late January or early February.

The evening wound down after dessert and we all hugged and promised to keep in touch. Mom promised to see Lorraine for lunch later in the week. She came to Gregory’s townhouse with us and Gregory and I quickly turned in for the evening. I hated that I still tired so easily and ended up falling asleep without dreaming that night.

The rest of the weekend was spent relaxing and watching a couple of movies at Gregory’s, and Mom drove back to Deland on Sunday. I offered to go back with her, but she insisted I still needed to take advantage of the short drive to work.

Gregory and I did spend several hours on our laptops, trying to search through historic buildings, genealogy reports and a host of other research options, attempting to hone in on the location in our dreams. Our only success was that we narrowed it down from twenty potential locations to eight possibilities of where our past was to be found.

Monday came and the mood in the office was dismal. It appeared everyone was on edge.

Outside Pamela’s office there were a couple of security guards and one of the staff doctors was waiting for her to gather her items. I proceeded to my office and began to work, knowing that I would be filled in on the events, later.

I happened to be at the copier when Pamela was escorted off the property. As she passed me, her lips curled up in a sneer and her eyes glowed a deep crimson red; the same as in my nightmares. Were my dreams becoming reality or were they a foreshadowing of things to come? It wasn’t until she was out the door that I realized I’d held my breath the entire time she was walking away.

Shortly after her departure, Caroline called all of Administration and the Department Heads into the conference room. “As many of you may have noticed, the Board of Directors has decided to relieve Pamela of her duties, effective immediately. She is to have no contact with anyone regarding the day-to-day business of this company. Anyone caught fraternizing with Pamela, may be subject to immediate dismissal.

“As of this moment, Parker Matthews is the new director of Marketing. Anyone calling to speak to Pamela is to be told, ‘She no longer works for our organization,’ and directed to Parker, instead.” Caroline then turned to Parker. “Congratulations, Parker!” she said and gave him a congratulatory handshake.

We all returned to our appropriate departments, afterward.

Within an hour, Caroline called me on my office phone and requested I close the door, so no one could hear me.

“I would rather talk with you face-to-face, but am trying not to draw any attention to anyone from the meeting on Saturday. Pamela came into work early this morning in an uproar, having already discovered that she was being let go.

“She is on the war path and there will probably be some fall-out from her followers. There are already accusations flying as to whom is involved. We are trying to figure out who is the source of this breach of protocol, and your name has been divulged as the one who brought everything to the Board’s attention.” Caroline’s voice sounded very apologetic.

“What should I do?” I questioned.

“You are a stronger person than I had initially thought, Jordan. Be the actress on the stage and act shocked at what people are talking about. If they truly believe you do not have a clue, then they should leave you alone.”

Any time I left my office to deal with issues throughout the organization, I heard “Traitor” and “Snitch”. I knew they were an attempt to anger me or force me to out myself. So I glanced at them with a puzzled look on my face, wondering why they would be saying such things. I dreaded having to lie and play a part that wasn’t me; but at the same time, I welcomed the opportunity to avoid conflict.

It was hard to ignore the comments, especially since my overdeveloped hearing could pick up even the faintest whisper from across the building. Each negative comment felt like a slap in the face. I began to question whether I had done the right thing.

The morning hours passed quickly as I began to tune out the snide remarks thrown past my office door. I would have to work on controlling my hearing; knowing that I wasn’t supposed to be able to hear the other spiteful remarks throughout the workplace. Externally, I was handling it, as though I had nothing to hide; but internally, I was a mess that wanted to curl up into a corner and cry my eyes out. But, I promised Caroline, and myself, that I would be tough and ride this out.

That night, I spent a good portion of my drive home crying on the phone with my mother and with Gregory. They both reassured me that it was just Pamela’s way of trying to fish out who was responsible for her termination.

I managed to dry my tears by the time I reached his place. Unfortunately, he had to work late, so I quickly turned in for the night, hoping to find comfort from my dreams. But, even there, my happiness turned to nightmares, placing me as an outcast, with the whole town against me. But why? My only solace was his words, “We will get through this together. Know that I will always be there for you.” It was my mantra, it continually echoed through my mind.