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Chapter 9
"Did you need anything before I leave?" Abby came into Diane's office to ask. It was Friday and like a lot of Port Charles the firm was shutting down early. Tomorrow night was the Nurses' Ball and the salons would have back to back appointments for the next twenty-hours as folks got ready.
This year Abby would not be part of the craziness. She was heading to the airport to catch a flight to Tucson. Her childhood friend was getting married tomorrow night and she was in the wedding. On Sunday there was a mini reunion with several more friends taking place. Not attending the ball wasn't painful because Jason never went, so she wouldn't be missing out. If he was going you could bet that she would not be leaving. Him in a tux would be something.
"No, thanks." Diane said with a smile. "You can go." She liked Abby, but the attorney would be happy when Gina returned. They just worked like a well-oiled machine, and with Abby that didn't happen. It wasn't her fault, it was just that Gina had Diane spoiled. "Have fun at the wedding."
"I will. I'm also going to take the opportunity to get a tan." Abby thought the color might be another way to catch Jason's eye. She would stand out against all the pasty women in this town. "I am looking forward to the warmer temps. Enjoy your trip. Everything will run smoothly while you are away." Abby promised her boss.
"I don't doubt that, and I will." Diane had handled anything pressing, her staff was more than capable of doing the rest. "I'm going to have to find a good position for you when Gina returns. It seems a waste to send you back to the pool." Which was the group of clerks, researchers, and other support staff who did things like type up briefs or anything else that was needed. When a temp was needed, that was where they pulled from. "You have a lot of drive and work well unsupervised." This wasn't the first trip Diane had gone on since Abby started.
"Thanks." The perky blonde stated. She wasn't overly concerned with where she was placed. Once she was Mrs. Jason Morgan, working wouldn't be happening. Not that she wanted him for his money. Nothing could be further from the truth. They were soulmates, and that was why they belonged together. "I'm heading out now." Her luggage was in the closet with her coat. Today the skies were clear so she shouldn't have to deal with any delays. In ninety minutes she would be flying west, and planning how she was going to snag a certain blonde's attention next week.
"Safe travels." Diane said a bit absentmindedly. Around her offices were shutting down, but she wasn't leaving. Her mani/pedi had taken place yesterday, and her hair was the definition of low maintenance. A few hot rollers while she did her face, followed by some hairspray and she was done. When you started with fabulousness the rest came easy.
"Same to you." Abby said grabbing her luggage and whistling as she went to her car.
"Thank you." Liz took her dress and handed the delivery person a tip. Unable to resist a peek she lowered the zipper and tried not to fangirl. Snagging a Chloe Morgan original for the ball was a check in the win column. While it was true she could have just asked Lila to call her cousin, Liz hadn't gone that route. She had hopped a train and treated herself to a weekend in New York where finding a dress had been the main goal, but getting in some touristy stuff was on the docket as well.
She was dancing in place as she zipped the bag shut. Liz couldn't wait to see what Sarah was wearing. They never shopped together because that moment of reveal was just too much fun. Her sister would look amazing, of that there was no doubt. The Webber sisters, even if one was now a Drake, always brought it.
She would also not be in the same color as Liz because Sarah was blonde and had more of an olive complexion. Liz liked to tease that her sister sucked all the color genes out of the DNA pool. She took after their mother's family, while Liz favored the Webber side. Sarah got all the height too. But her sister didn't have the curls, nope Liz got those.
"I'm heading out, are you leaving?" Georgie was leaning against the doorjamb. She acted as Liz's assistant as well when it was needed, but Lila had already said someone was coming on full time before the summer to work for the Public Liaison department. Which was really just Liz at the moment.
"Nope. I'm going to hide here and then scurry home." Liz said with a grin. "Traffic is going to be a nightmare, and being anywhere near the shopping district is taking your life in your hands." The last minute rush to get a dress would be in full effect. She had no idea why people did that. "Same is true of any salon today or tomorrow. You all set?"
"I am." Georgie had lived here long enough to know how to avoid the mania. She had gone with Liz and Diane yesterday to get her nails done. She was wearing her hair in a chignon that she had been practicing for the past two weeks, and her dress had been picked up on Wednesday. She didn't even have to shop, Maxie just shipped something over to her. "We will both put in a couple of hours of work but still won't look as good as Lila."
"She'll top the best dressed list again this year." Liz said with a nod. "Diane will be a close second because she crushes it every year."
"I consider it goals to aim for." Georgie told her friend. "So what will you bribe me with to tell Lila that you left when everyone else did?" Their boss was not in the building today.
"Ah, now we get to why you are really here." Liz replied laughing. She knew Georgie was joking. "I will bring you a souvenir from Ireland."
"Will it have a brogue?" Georgie asked with a smirk. "Irish guys are hot."
"I think that is considered human trafficking." Liz pointed to the chair in front of her desk so that her friend would sit down. "Besides I thought Maxie was express mailing you a French guy."
"No. She's not even dating a French guy. She's dating an American guy at the moment." Georgie said with a shrug. "Before that she was dating someone from Britain, and before that her boyfriend was Greek." Keeping up with her sister's love life took a flowchart. "So if I lay claim to Ireland now then I don't have to worry I'm dating one of her exes."
"Good strategy." Liz hadn't ever met Maxie but the other woman sounded like a whirlwind. From Georgie's stories the two sisters seemed to be polar opposites but still managed to get along well most of the time. "I'll see if there is room in the cargo hold for your Irishman."
"Are you excited for the trip?" Georgie had only ever been to Paris to visit her sister. The rest of the world was waiting to be explored.
"I am." Liz admitted leaning back in her chair. She was hoping the hotel they stayed in had a pool table somewhere on the property. Another lesson from Jason would be nice. She had been tingling by the time they called it a night. Who knew there could be so much touching while playing the game?
"I bet you're already packed." Georgie said with a little bit of disgust. She was a night before getting on the plane type of traveler.
Liz nodded while grinning.
"Since when?" Georgie wanted to know.
"Since Wednesday night." Liz confessed laughing. "I like to make sure I don't need anything. Running out to the twenty-four hour pharmacy at eleven at night to get shampoo is stressful."
"I only had to do that once." Georgie said before sticking out her tongue. "Although I've learned to not even bother bringing most things. Maxie always has a ton of everything in her place." Free samples were a perk of the job. "She collects items I might like and stores them for my annual visit."
"Big sisters are the best." Liz was certainly spoiled by having one.
"That they are. Things with us were a bit rough during the teen years. Mostly because Maxie was a nightmare. I'm not just saying that, you can ask around. I thought Uncle Max was going to actually kill her a few times but we made it through with no bloodshed." Georgie said laughing.
"Sarah and I have always been close. I think it's because our parents worked a lot. They didn't ignore us, I don't mean for it to sound that way." Liz had grown up in a loving and tight knit family. "Being a doctor takes a lot of commitment. They found a balance to make that work. Still when they weren't home a lot of the times it was just us." Sarah was fairly shy and Liz didn't want her sister sitting home alone so she often invited her along on group outings. Since they were close in age it wasn't at all awkward. When Sarah got her driver's license first that became a real bonus. "That closeness made the move to Port Charles a lot easier."
"I can't imagine pulling up stakes and moving across country. I guess I'm just a homebody." Georgie said with a shrug. "A New York girl at heart."
"I think there is a country song in there somewhere." Liz poked fun at her friend.
"Probably." Georgie conceded, she did sound a little schmaltzy. "Have all the vendors checked in?"
"They did. I shouldn't hear from anyone unless a disaster strikes. I was at the hotel this morning to walk through the ball room." It was all set up and would stay that way until the gala was over. "I've reviewed the short film that is going to be played. I checked in with Lucy, who checked in with all the performers as well as the band. The food is all set, so are the bars." Liz went down her list. "Photographers are good." She was using her fingers to mark off each item. "We are ready. It helps that we do this every year and folks know what is expected of them."
"It also helps that no one wants to let Lila down." Georgie added on a comment.
"That is true. I know I say this every year, but I think this will be the best ball to date." Liz always said, and it always turned out to be true.
"Folks just come to see Lucy end up in her underwear." Georgie said cracking herself up. "I remember when I was younger my mom covering my eyes." Lucy was actually Georgie's godmother because she was close with both Mac and Felicia. It was still funny though, Lucy in her underwear was the unofficial logo of the event.
"I've stopped trying to prevent it from happening." Liz just shook her head. "It's like an act of nature or something." It never happened the same way twice. Lucy ended up in her underwear no matter how many precautions they took.
Georgie stopped laughing and suddenly narrowed her eyes at her friend. "I just realized something. You'll be gone on your birthday!"
"I will, this is a first for me. I've never had a birthday where I wasn't with a member of my family." Liz told her friend. "Not that I expect to celebrate it while we are in Ireland." No one she was traveling with even knew it was coming up because Liz didn't make a big fuss over the day. Sarah and the rest of the family did, so a gathering of some sort would take place when Liz returned.
"Your birthday isn't about you." Georgie said being dramatic. "It's about the staff getting cake. With you gone there won't be any in the breakroom. How is that fair?" She asked with her saddest face on. Lila ordered Liz's cake and it was always amazing. "We will be suffering while you are living it up."
"Where did you learn to make that face?" Liz was laughing so hard she almost didn't get the question out.
"Maxie." Georgie replied smiling now.
"Put my picture in the breakroom and have cake in my honor." Liz found a solution to the problem. "Or you can wait and we'll have cake when I get back. I know where Lila gets it from."
"Or we can do both." Georgie made no apologies for her love of cake. "I'm leaving." She said getting to her feet. "Don't stay too long."
"Only about another hour. I want things to be as easy for you as possible while I'm out." Liz was answering emails and rescheduling a few meetings. "See you tomorrow."
"See you then." Georgie waved and left the office.
Liz turned her attention back to her screen to finish up. Things would go faster if she stopped thinking about a certain blonde.
Francis walked into Jason's office and took a seat. "All the arrangements are made. The plane leaves late in the evening on Sunday, and we'll arrive at roughly eight in the morning their time." Ireland was five hours ahead of Port Charles and that was taken into account when the travel plans were made. Jason was the only one of the crew who wouldn't be affected by jet lag. Unless it didn't bother Elizabeth either. "That first night there will be an early one for the crew."
"Where are you staying?" Jason wanted to know. They wouldn't be in the same hotel. Taking the same plane over and back was enough of a risk. Normally if they had to travel at the same time they did so separately. If the plane went down it might take them both out, but Jason wasn't going to think too hard on that.
"The Merrion in the penthouse suite. It's in Dublin 2." The city was broken up into postal districts each with a number. It was helpful to know which one you were in, so you knew how to navigate the area. His security detail, which would include Sal was staying there as well.
Jason would look it up just so he knew where his partner was located. When it came to things like lodgings they usually didn't send emails because computers could be hacked. Spinelli made it almost impossible to get into their systems, but their tech guy said that nothing was perfect. Johnny's assistant would have called Phillip and done everything over the phone.
"Are you going to ask where you are staying?" Francis wanted to know. Jason's lack of curiosity still took some getting used to.
"Where am I staying?" Jason asked being a smartass. He already knew what hotel he was booked into, but it was fun to irritate Francis.
"Smartass." Francis picked up on the fact that his friend knew where he was staying.
"I'm at The Clontarf Castle Hotel in Dublin 3. We won't be too far from each other." Jason hadn't ever stayed there before. "I'm told that Elizabeth will love it. I need to check in with her and make sure she got that information." Jason wasn't a huge fan of broadcasting where he was staying when away, but Elizabeth had the right to share this with her sister. "I will also tell her about the flight."
"So things are going well?" Francis was guessing yes if Jason was going to go to the Nurses' Ball. The older mob boss knew Liz and liked her. He wouldn't say they were close, but if he saw her on the street he would stop and say hello.
"The date the other night was a lot of fun. Using that as a yard stick, it's going great." Jason was very much looking forward to seeing her again.
"Good." Francis got up. "See you Saturday night." He had some things to wrap up before they left.
"See you then." Jason said getting back to work and trying to keep his brain off of Elizabeth.
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