Chapter 6

Tuesday morning had come at a torturous pace. Having slept very little at all, Gina found herself curled up on her couch staring out the window overlooking the river. She hurt all over. She was hurt all over. She hadn't sobbed like that in years. She hadn't felt her lungs burn in anguish like that for eight years.

And for what? So some man could rake her over the coals again. So he could belittle her life and her pain, so he could make light of her loss. She steeled herself again and held her knees tightly to her chest. Her physical response to his being there had been overwhelming, and not the least bit disconcerting. It had felt as if her body were reacting almost on instinctual memory alone...the way her heart had sped up, the way her breath had caught in her throat, the unexplained urge to wet her lips.

Dammit! This was NOT happening. She was not this girl anymore. She was not a toy to be played with, a pawn to be bandied about. She had to talk to Lauren. There was no way in hell she was going through all of this and through him again. She had barely survived with her heart intact the first time. She had herself, her family, and her company to look out for now, and she wasn't about to go through the DiMera gauntlet of death and desire again.

As if on cue, keys rattled the front door swung open to reveal Lauren barreling through laden with packages and what appeared to be two large steaming coffees. "God bless that woman!" Sami's decaffeinated nerves sang.

"Hola Chica!" Lauren called out in an overly chipper voice.

"'Morning Lauren." Gina curmudgeonly obliged.

"Morning, my sweet tookas, peaches. It's nearly noon. Time to shake it off and greet the day. And while we are at it, you can fill in the blanks for your good pal, Lauren." She plopped onto the sofa and extended the coffee to her sullen cohort.

"First things first. Caffeine ala Rondelet and all the complimentary pastries that your little heart desires." she said nodding to the box of pastries that she had deposited on the low coffee table. She snagged the chocolate croissant and sat back looking at Gina expectantly.

"I think I'll stick to coffee this morning. I'm not sure what my stomach is going to tolerate yet." Gina gave a wistful glance at the pastry box, before taking a swig of her java and readying herself for interrogation.

She took a deep breath and then dove right in. "We have got to call it off Lauren. I know it's a sweet deal, but I cannot do this...not with him."

Laurens head quirked to the side appraisingly, dreads flopping over her left shoulder. "By him, I am assuming we are referring to the infamous Mr Wells." She hesitated and then slowly, "Gina..Here's the thing. Ummm, he didn't know, hon. About the wreck, I mean."

Gina's head snapped up suddenly. "What do you mean he didn't--"

"I'm telling you the man had no idea", she cut in. "Your obvious distaste for his person this morning is nothing compared to how I went off on him after you left last night."

Eyes growing wider, Gina gaped, "you what--?"

"Hell yeah! I raged on his cute British ass—what? I'm simply stating the obvious --but what I didn't expect was his reaction. Evan is the one who figured it out before I did. He honestly didn't know, Gina."

Gina's eyes narrowed in suspicion as Lauren babbled on.

"Yup he looked like someone had run over his puppy. He was all big with the apologies and the 'had i knowns' stuff. So as much as you dislike the man, I'm pretty sure the slight was accidental. He went from rakish hero to stricken zero in half a heartbeat. It was all very 'Days of our Lives', if you ask me."she said taking a bite out her croissant.

Rolling her eyes, Gina shot back avoiding the issue. "You have got to quit watching that crap Lauren. Its rotting your brain."

"Hey bite me Mother Theresa; to each his own. We all have a right to our guilty pleasure, and speaking of which, can we get back to yours?"

Gina reached for a poppyseed muffin and quickly took a bite, biding her time, as she took it all. He hadn't known. Sure, he was smug, but that was par for the course, considering their parting. Gina didn't know why, but she had assumed in her own mind, that EJ Wells had kept tabs on her life. That he hadn't wasn't nearly as comforting as she supposed it should have been.

Good grief! What was she thinking? It had been nine years since they last spoke. He had moved on with his life, as she had. Those paths, once intricately entwined had gone in polar opposite directions. Their collision last night had been a bizarre coincidence, not planned, and surely not fate.

Gina's head buzzed with ten million questions and yet, she could put no voice to them. It was as if Samantha Brady, long dormant, had suddenly invaded her psyche again. Pensive, expectant, moody, mouthy, uncontrolled...all things she had worked so hard to suppress in her recent years.

Lauren cleared her throat expectantly, signaling her reprieve was officially over. "Soooooo...what IS the story? Because call me crazy, but I haven't seen you so flustered since Collee glued the bottle caps to the soles of your Manolo Blahnicks after seeing Chicago."

Quirking her lips at the memory of Collee's home-made tap shoes, Gina sighed. "Oh Gods Lauren, I don't know where to start. It's complicated."

"Lucky for you, I have a brilliant mind. Now spill."

Gina's brow furrowed in confusion, as she struggled with an explanation. DiMera's were not an easy subject, nor was her past.

"EJ and I were friends...good friends. We sort of dated, well dated isn't the exact word, but...but it was a weird time in my life. I was engaged--"Gina faltered.

"To Lucas--?" Lauren supplied.

"No to his brother, Austin, actually..."

"Wait, your sister's husband Austin?"

"Yes, but Carrie was married to Lucas at the time..."

"Ok, wait...your Lucas?"

Gina winced and nodded.

"Jesus woman, where are you from, Arkansas? Ok, losing the judgment thing. So, how does EJ fit into this mess?"

"Well after I broke off the engagement," Gina said, avoiding the whole 'Black gloved Andre' explanation, "EJ and I were...close. He actually helped me realize that Austin and I weren't meant to be. He found out about Austin and Carrie's affair, and told me I deserved to be someone's first choice, that I deserved someone who loved me the way I was."

"Uh-Huh..." Lauren interjected, "And this freindship...Are we talking buddies, co-workers, horizontally mambo-ing co-conspirators? Because, you've lost me here."

"Lets just say, our families were not exactly chummy. In fact, without sounding dramatic, they were mortal enemies. It would never have worked out, that's all. Then, Lucas was free and suddenly I've got him proposing to me, and apologizing, and I've got Will looking at the both of us...it just all sort of happened very fast. Lucas was what I has wanted my entire life. I wasn't about to give up the life I had imagined since I was 16 for a passionate fling with a DiMera, no matter how charming."

"A DiMera?" Lauren queried.

"His family...long story. Anyways, so next thing I knew I was pregnant with the twins, married Lucas, and EJ and I just parted company, if you will." Too many details in an already complicated story, she chose to put aside a more detailed explanation for the time being. It was hard enough retelling it in it's abbreviated form.

"Parted company, eh?" Lauren pried, " I'm assuming it wasn't on the most pleasant terms. From EJ's reaction, though he was contrite, I take it that he had no great affection for your late husband."

"Yeahhhhh...those two really didn't gel." That was an understatement.

"So you haven't seen this guy for eight? nine years? Hmmmm, interesting, very interesting..." Lauren mused as Gina looked off into space.

"That's about right."

"Uh-Huh."

"What?"

"Oh nothing, nothing at all dearest," she chortled.

Lauren sat up and went into lawyer mode. "So, okay, this begs the question, what to do now that we have determined that, at least outwardly, EJ Wells and ACF are not Satan Incorporated?"

Gina looked up helplessly, and Lauren went for the kill.

"Look sweetie, I can see your buggin, and I get it...I really do. But the offer is a good one.

As your friend, I sympathize. As your lawyer, I'm telling you to deal. Take the meeting tomorrow. See where it goes. Hell, if he feels so damn bad, let's use that to our advantage. No sense wasting perfectly good misdirected remorse!" here she paused to gage Gina's reaction. "If you still want to back out after the meeting, than we'll do it, OK?"

Gina nodded her head slowly, and after a beat, "Ok Lauren, you win this time. I am too drained to argue. It was a misunderstanding. We have worked well together before. I am sure EJ and I will have no problems getting through the transaction. It's all in the past anyways."

Lauren sprung out of her seat. "Okey dokey Smokey. I'll get on the horn. Don't worry. It'll be fine. I promise."

Lauren gathered her things and then leaned to give Gina a quick squeeze before making for the door.

Gina called out quickly, "Hey Lauren—umm Thanks."

"Not a problem. Get some rest." Before squeezing out the door she stuck her head back in and smirked, "see ya later Sa-mahhn-thaaaaaa." She closed the door quickly, and giggled as she heard the sound of the throw pillows hitting the door.

She grinned maniacally to herself while waiting for the elevator. Yup, Gina Roberts was screwed, alright, and she didn't even see this one coming!