Chapter Ten
It had been a week since Molly first arrived in town. She'd been staying at the Lakeview the entire time despite Carly's protests to have her stay with them. However, Molly had remained adamant that she stay at the hotel instead. She sat in the lounge downstairs about mid-morning with a glass of orange juice, a muffin and a bowl of fruit in front of her along with a copy of today's paper.
"Molly…right?" came a voice beside her at the bar counter.
Molly turned to her left and looked into the handsome face of the man she'd met on the plane a week ago.
"That's right. You have an amazing memory," she beamed at him. "Darren… was it?"
"Daryl," he corrected her.
"Sorry," she apologized.
"No, it's alright. You were close. Are you staying here at the Lakeview?"
"Yes, for the time being."
"I thought you had family here in town," he replied.
"Wow. You really do have a great memory," she told him, flirting with him.
"It comes with the job."
"Oh?"
"I'm a cop," he explained.
"Well that makes sense then," she grinned. "My cousin is married to a cop."
"Oh yeah?"
"Molly?" came a woman's voice from behind them.
Molly glanced past Daryl and saw Rosanna standing not too far away. Molly inwardly groaned. She'd made nice in the past for Carly's sake… however, Rosanna was not one of her favorite people.
"Hello Rosanna," Molly said putting on a fake smile.
"I thought that was you. Carly said you were in town," she said coolly.
Rosanna smoothed her hair back… something she always did when she was irritated, Molly noted.
"Here you are… I was looking for you," Rosanna said turning her attention to Daryl and giving him a kiss on the cheek.
"You two know each other?" Daryl asked confused.
"We're sort of related," Molly told him ignoring Rosanna's blatant attempt to mark her territory.
"And that means that Carly…," he began.
"Is my cousin," Molly finished for him.
"How do you two know each other?" Rosanna asked a little unsettled with their familiarity.
"We sat next to each other on the plane ride from Chicago," Daryl explained.
"Oh, Rosanna said softly.
"That's an amazing coincidence," Daryl stated looking from one woman to the other.
For being normally very perceptive, he was completely oblivious to the fact that both women wanted nothing to do with the other.
"We should get going," Rosanna told him.
Molly smiled at Rosanna knowing that she felt threatened by her.
"It was great seeing you again," Molly smiled at Daryl. "I was hoping I'd bump into you."
"Yeah," Daryl smiled at her. "It was nice to see you too."
"We'll see you around Molly," Rosanna said as she grabbed Daryl's hand trying to effectively end the conversation.
Daryl followed Rosanna and then paused for a moment before turning back around to Molly.
"Say Molly?"
"Yes," she smiled.
"Rosanna and I are having a little get together tonight. Kind of a house-warming party. Carly and Jack are going to be there. Since your family, you should be there too," he told her.
"What?" Rosanna breathed aloud.
"You don't mind do you honey? What do you say?" Daryl asked turning to Rosanna.
Putting her on the spot like that… she could hardly say no.
"No… of course not," she smiled through gritted teeth. "We'd be happy to have you there Molly. Unless you have other plans this evening?" she asked hoping that Molly would decline.
"Nope. I'm completely free tonight," she grinned at Rosanna.
"Great!" Daryl said enthusiastically.
"Perfect," Rosanna said but felt that it was anything but.
Later that day at the Lakeview…
Carly sat at the desk in one of the office suites at the Lakeview. She had a huge collection of fabrics, paint cards and carpet samples spread out all over the desk. She was mixing and matching, coming up with all sorts of different combinations trying to find the perfect match. So far nothing spectacular jumped out at her. A knock at the door brought her out of her focus giving her a much needed break.
"Come in," she grumbled.
"Is it a bad time?" Kyle asked walking into the room.
"Mr. Gregson," Carly smiled pleasantly even though she wasn't prepared for his visit.
"How many times must I tell you… its Kyle," he corrected her.
"I'm sorry… Kyle," she said as she began picking up all the samples off her desk. "Sorry this place is such a mess."
"No, no… don't apologize. That's the creative side. I was just stopping by to check in on you. Do you have everything you need?" he asked.
"Yes, I do. Everything is great. Lisa has been wonderful and it's been nice being able to work here at the Lakeview."
"Well good. I'm glad Lily and Lisa had an extra office available for you," he smiled at her as he walked around to stand behind the desk next to her.
He glanced down at the various sample combinations Carly had been playing with. He leaned a hand down onto the desk and reached in front of her to pick up one of the carpet samples. Carly rolled her chair a little to the right in order to give him some room.
"I like this one," he told her placing it in front of her on the desk.
"So do I," Carly said looking over at him. "I keep coming back to that one again and again. I really like the color and I think it will hold up well over time." "You know what they say about great minds," he grinned.
Carly laughed.
"This is the swatch of fabric I think would really work with that but I can't seem to find the right color combination for the paint."
"What about this one?" he asked picking up a sample and setting it next to the fabric.
"I think it's too dark. It might work as an accent color though," she offered.
They continued looking over samples together working side by side when another knock sounded on the door. Before Carly could answer, the door opened and in walked Jack.
"Where's my beautiful wife?" he asked walking into the room.
He stopped short when he saw that Carly wasn't alone.
"Sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt," Jack apologized.
"You're not," she smiled up at him getting up from her chair and walking over to him.
The look on Kyle's face said otherwise, however.
"What a nice surprise," she softly before giving him a quick kiss and a hug. "Jack… this is Kyle Gregson. Kyle… this is my husband Jack Snyder," she said making the formal introduction.
"It's nice to meet you," Jack told him extending his hand.
Kyle shook his hand and gave him a polite smile.
"You too," Kyle responded.
Jack turned his attention back to Carly.
"I thought I'd stop by and take you out to lunch… but if you're busy working…," Jack hesitated when he noticed the other man's demeanor.
"No, no… I'd love a break. In fact, it's probably exactly what I need," she told him. "Thanks for your help Kyle. I really think that carpet is the way to go," she told him grabbing her purse from behind the desk. "I'll see you later?" she asked him.
"I'm not going anywhere," Kyle told her giving her a smile but not before giving Jack a smug look.
Carly smiled in return as she headed out the door. Jack gave Kyle one last glance as he closed the door behind them. Something about him didn't sit right with Jack.
A little while later, Jack and Carly sat in a booth at Al's after having placed their order. Carly reached under the table and gave Jack's knee a squeeze. He glanced over at her surprised.
"What was that for?" he asked giving her a slight grin.
"For coming to take me to lunch," she smiled leaning over and kissing his cheek.
She moved to lean back again but Jack stopped her by cupping the side of her face, holding her chin slightly.
"Come back here," he whispered huskily right before his lips touched hers.
Jack kissed her softly and yet Carly could detect something more. He broke off the kiss slowly and looked into her smiling blue eyes.
"What was that for?" she whispered repeating his same question.
"For coming to lunch with me," he told her.
"I told you… I needed a break."
"I think Mr. Gregson wasn't too happy about it," he told her raising an eyebrow.
"Kyle? No, I'm sure he was fine. He'd just stopped by to check up on things. You know… to see how things were going with Lisa. Make sure she wasn't giving me any trouble."
"Has she?" Jack asked concerned.
"No, she hasn't," Carly smiled. "Actually, I haven't seen much of her. I think she's keeping her distance. Which is just fine by me."
"What do you know about this Mr. Gregson?" Jack asked as casually as he could.
"Why?" Carly asked looking at Jack. "What's going on in that G-Man mind of yours?"
"Nothing. Just looking out for my wife," he told her slightly defensive.
"There's nothing to worry about. He's been very kind and very supportive," Carly assured him.
"Still… what do you know about him?" he asked.
Carly smiled at her husband and indulged him in what she knew.
"He's from some design firm in New York. He comes highly recommended."
"Anything else?" Jack asked curious.
"Not too much. Oh… but just between you and I, I think Lily has a little thing for him," Carly grinned.
"What? Really?" Jack asked perplexed. "I thought she and Holden were trying to work things out. At least that's the story I got from Holden." "Well they might be, but I'm not so sure. When I spoke with Lily a few weeks ago, she said that she wasn't sure if they'd ever be able to get past everything. They've hurt each other a lot."
"I know," Jack said softly. "But they love each other. If they want it bad enough then they'll do whatever they need to, to fix things."
"Like we did?" Carly asked him.
"Yes. I thank God every day that I finally came to my senses and realized that living without isn't an option."
"Took you long enough," Carly teased.
"Too long," he said huskily.
"You can make it up to me later," she told him giving him a sexy grin.
"You can count on it," he grinned back.
Jack and Carly finished their lunch and Jack walked her back to the Lakeview. He walked her into the lobby and to the elevator. Carly pushed the button and turned around to face Jack while she waited for the doors to open.
"Thanks again for lunch," she smiled giving him a soft kiss on his lips.
"You are welcome. How late do you think you're going to be tonight?" he asked.
"Not too late. I'll probably even beat you home," she told him.
"Oh you think so do you?" he said wrapping his arms around her waist.
Carly laughed softly as Jack kissed her neck.
"Wanna bet on it?" she asked him.
"No," he laughed. "Definitely not."
"Smart man," she winked.
"I'll see you later tonight," he told her kissing her cheek as the elevator dinged with its arrival.
Carly stepped into the elevator and turned around and waved to Jack. He watched until the doors closed before turning around and heading back toward the front door of the Lakeview. He glanced over and happened to notice Kyle Gregson sitting in the lobby with a drink in one hand and his phone in the other. He made eye contact with Jack and gave him a smile as he continued to talk on the phone. Jack gave him one last long look before heading back to the station.
Kyle, meanwhile, finished his conversation. He took a long sip as he listened to the woman on the other end.
"Yes. I just met him. He's exactly like you described him," he answered.
"Perfect," she answered and he could tell she was smiling. "Mr. Snyder will be suspicious of you and that will work to our advantage. How are things coming on the other end?"
"Nothing much to report… yet," he added to assure her that he was still working on that.
"I think it's time to take things to the next level. You need to use your charm to break through that barrier. From what I've heard… that shouldn't be too hard."
"I don't know. I think you may have underestimated her," he replied.
"Are you questioning me?" she asked her tone sharp.
"No… of course not," he replied trying to smooth things over.
"Good. You'd better not forget who's in charge here," she warned him.
"I haven't," he assured her. "I will add that while I haven't made an in with Mrs. Snyder… it might work to our advantage anyway."
"How so?" the woman asked.
"Well… if Jack is suspicious and Carly isn't, we can pit them against each other," he suggested.
"I don't care how it's done… just make sure it is done. Are we understood?"
"Absolutely," Kyle acknowledged as he hung up his phone and headed upstairs.
The elevator opened and Kyle walked down the hall toward Lisa Grimaldi's office. He knocked on the door and waited for her answer before entering.
"Mr. Gregson… what a pleasant surprise," she flirted with him.
"Hello Lisa," he smiled warmly to her. "How are you doing this afternoon?"
"Why I'm just grand. To what do I owe the pleasure?"
"I need your help," he told her.
"Oh?" she asked. "With what?"
"We need to take the next step," he said vaguely.
"What exactly is that?" she asked still feeling slightly uncomfortable with the whole situation.
"I finally got a chance to meet Mr. Snyder today."
"Jack? He stopped by?" she asked.
"Yes. And I got the feeling he wasn't too thrilled to have his wife working with me."
"What did he say?"
"It wasn't so much what he said. I could tell he was trying to figure me out." "Well… Jack is a detective… that's his job. And he's always been protective of Carly. Even when they're weren't together." "Well, Jack thinks I'm a threat."
"A threat to what? His marriage?" Lisa asked surprised. "Has that little blond tramp been flirting with you already?"
"No. Mrs. Snyder has been completely professional with me. Too professional."
"Humph… that doesn't sound like Carly," Lisa snorted unconvinced.
"Well she has. Which is why we need to take the next step," he told her.
Across town…
A short time later, Jack walked into the station and took a seat at his desk. He immediately began typing on his computer. Daryl walked down the stairs and spotted Jack at his desk.
"How was lunch?" he asked him walking over to his friend.
"It was good," Jack said distracted.
"What did you have?" Daryl asked him.
"Food," Jack replied vaguely still concentrating on his computer screen.
"I figured that," Daryl said sarcastically. "What's going on?"
"Nothing," Jack said trying to concentrate.
"Obviously it's not nothing. What's got you bothered?" Daryl asked him again.
Jack sat back in his chair frustrated with the lack of information he was getting from his computer. He ran a hand through his hair as he glanced up at Daryl. A sudden realization dawned on him.
"You can help me," Jack smiled to himself.
"Help you with what?" Daryl asked yet again.
"I need to find out all you can about a Mr. Kyle Gregson," Jack told him.
"Who?"
"Kyle Gregson… Carly's new boss… partner… or whatever he is," Jack told him.
"Why do you want to know about him?"
"There's something up with that guy."
"Like what?"
"I'm not sure. I'm just getting a weird vibe from him. Can you do that for me?"
"What exactly do you want me to do?"
"I want to know who he is, where he comes from, what's in his past… everything."
"Don't you think you're being a bit paranoid? What exactly did this guy say to get you so determined?"
"It's not exactly what he said, its more how he was acting."
"What does that mean?"
"He definitely wasn't happy that I showed up to take Carly to lunch," Jack told him.
"Are you sure about that?"
"Yes… and don't look at me like that," Jack said defensively.
"What?" Daryl smiled.
"Like that… like you think I'm getting all possessive of Carly."
"Well? Are you?"
"No… it's not like that. Carly is my wife. I'm a cop. It's perfectly natural that I would want to make sure she's alright. I'm just looking out for her."
"Does Carly know you're checking on him?"
"No… and I'd like to keep it that way," Jack told him. "So don't go telling Rosanna anything."
"Fine. Are you sure about this?"
"Absolutely. I want to know everything there is to know about this guy," Jack said firmly.
"Alright… you got it. I'll make some calls."
"Thanks," Jack smiled weakly.
"Are you still coming over tonight? Daryl asked him.
"For the housewarming party?"
Daryl nodded.
"We wouldn't miss it," Jack smiled.
"Great," Daryl replied. "I invited someone else too," he told him.
"Oh yeah? Who?"
"Molly Conlan."
"Molly? When did you meet Molly?" Jack asked.
"That's the funny thing. We met on the plane ride back from Chicago. Isn't that crazy?"
"Yeah, that's quite a coincidence. How does Rosanna feel about Molly coming?"
"She's fine with it. Why wouldn't she be? They're family," Daryl replied.
"Well kind of. But Molly and Rosanna haven't always gotten along."
"Rosanna seemed ok with it," Daryl told him.
"Well if you're sure. Aren't Holden and Lily coming too?"
"Yes. Why is that a problem?"
"My friend… you have a lot to learn about the dynamics of Oakdale," Jack laughed.
"What are you talking about?"
"Let me explain a few things," Jack said clapping him on the shoulder and pulling him into the interrogation room for more privacy.
Back at the Lakeview…
Carly sat back at her desk once again mixing and matching samples. She was holding a few up to the light when Kyle knocked on the door and walked in without waiting for her response. Carly looked at the door and smiled when she saw him walk in.
"Hey," she said.
"Hello. Did you have a nice lunch?" he asked casually.
"I did. Thanks. I hope you didn't mind me taking off like that?"
"Of course not. Why would I?"
"No reason… I was just checking."
"Are you sure?" he asked.
"Well actually Jack thought you might have been upset." "Did he?" Kyle asked amused.
"Jack is a detective so sometimes he over analyzes everything."
"I see. Well you can tell your husband that I wasn't upset," he smiled.
"Good," she returned his smile. "I was just looking at these paint samples. What do you think about these for the hallways?" she asked him as she got up from her chair and walked over to him.
Kyle took the samples from her and gave them a look.
"I like them. But let's not settle on them just yet. We want to make sure that we find the perfect colors. We've got lots of time, let's not rush it," he said softly.
"Alright," Carly told him agreeing.
"We want to do this right," he told her.
"I agree."
"I have every confidence that you are the perfect woman for the job."
"Thank you Mr. Gregson."
"What have I told you," he laughed lightly rubbing her upper arm.
"I'm sorry. Kyle… thank you," she repeated.
"That's better," he smiled at her.
Kyle walked around to the other side of the desk and began looking through the catalogs of furniture that Carly had been going through.
"Looks like you have a lot of options here," he told her smiling.
"Yes. I want to make sure that I look at everything and make the best overall choice. I realize the kind of opportunity I have here and I don't want to blow it. If this works out… I'll be able to possibly start my own design firm," she told him.
"I hope it happens for you," he smiled. "But like I said… you have a lot to sort through. How about some help? I'll order dinner and you and I can work on this tonight. There's no sense in you doing everything," he offered.
"That is very kind, but I have plans tonight. My sister is having a housewarming party," Carly told him.
"Of course. I understand. You have a life outside of work," he smiled.
"I don't want you thinking that I don't consider this a priority," Carly told him.
"I absolutely don't," he smiled walking back over to her. "I just forget that others have lives away from their jobs."
"Are you telling me that you don't have anyone in your life? Carly asked.
"It's been difficult to keep relationships when I travel as much as I do," he confessed.
"What about family?"
"My parents are both deceased. I was an only child," he informed her.
"I'm sorry," she said sincerely touching his arm gently.
"I thank you. It's been several years… but it's still hard when I stop and think about them," he said sadly as he turned and walked toward the window overlooking Oakdale.
"Well perhaps you'll find someone soon," she said hopefully, trying to cheer him up.
"That would be nice," he said wistfully. "I have met someone recently."
"Oh?" Carly said intrigued thinking back to Lily.
"However, knowing my luck, she's already be spoken for."
"I wouldn't be so sure about that," Carly smiled secretively.
Kyle turned around and looked at her and flashed her a smile in return.
"I like the sound of that," he told her.
Meanwhile, downstairs at the Lakeview…
A woman with strawberry blond hair walked into the lobby of the Lakeview with her cab driver walking in behind her carrying her bags. He followed her over to the front desk where he set them down beside her and waited. She reached into her purse and pulled out a twenty and handed it to him.
"Thank you," she told the cab driver.
"Thank you ma'am," he said tipping his hat slightly before heading back out to his waiting car.
The woman turned back around and greeted the man at the front desk.
"Hello," she smiled at him. "I need a room."
"How long will you be staying with us… uh… Ms.….?"
"My name is Johansson… Tracy Johansson," she smiled. "And I hope to be staying for quite some time," she grinned.
