"I am here in town for an art auction, sweetheart, so I thought I would come see if my favorite daughter wanted to have dinner with me".
"I'd love it!"
She walked over and hugged him.
"So, this is the paper that Loretta left me. Come on, I'll give you a tour".
She gave him a tour of everything and introduced him to everyone and then they headed back to her office.
"Well, you've done really well, sweetheart. I know Loretta would be just as proud of you as I am".
"Thanks, Pa".
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.
Jennifer looked up and saw Jonathan standing there.
"Hi, come on in. You're just in time".
She walked over and kissed him.
"Darling, this is my father, Stephen Edwards. Pa, this is my boyfriend, Jonathan Hart".
"Nice to meet you, son".
"Nice to meet you too, sir".
"Pa surprised me and dropped by to see if I wanted to go to dinner".
"Well, I am here for the same reason. What if I take you both out to dinner?"
"That would be lovely. Pa, what restaurant did you have in mind?"
"I had my heart set on that new restaurant that just opened, Formaggio's. But I called and they aren't taking reservations for 4 months".
"Jennifer, may I use your phone?"
"Certainly".
Jonathan picked up the phone and called the restaurant.
"Hi, this is Jonathan Hart. I was wondering if I could reserve a table for 3 tonight, at 6 or 6:30?...yes, that will be fine, thank you".
He hung up.
"We have a table for 3 at 6:45".
Stephen looked at him in amazement.
"How did you do that?"
"Pa, have you ever heard of Hart Industries?"
"The Electronics conglomerate? Yes, I have".
"He's Jonathan Hart. It's his company".
"Well, my thanks to you for getting us a table, son".
"My pleasure".
Jennifer sat down at her desk after Jonathan and Stephen sat down and began talking. She loved hearing them get to know each other and find common ground in the areas of politics, sports, and Jennifer.
After about an hour, she began packing her briefcase.
"Well, it's almost time for our reservation. Shall we?"
"We shall".
"Darling, can I ride with you?"
"Of course, you can".
"Pa, did you rent a vehicle?"
"No, I've been taking taxis".
"Well, let's all ride together".
They all got in Jonathan's car, and headed to the restaurant.
Jonathan and Stephen easily talked about history, baseball, and about Jonathan himself.
Finally, after a glass or two of a fine white wine, they turned the conversation to Jennifer.
"So, Mr. Edwards, was she always so fiercely independent?"
"Oh yes. Just like her mother, through and through."
"I do believe I got my stubbornness from you, Pa".
"So you did".
"You? Stubborn?"
"I don't show it often, but I can dig my heels in when I choose to or need to".
"I love that".
They stayed at the restaurant, eating and drinking and talking for close to three hours.
"Well, sweetheart, this has been so nice, but I better head to the hotel. I have an early flight tomorrow".
"Boo. I wish you could stay longer".
"Me too, but such is life, such is life. You should come for a visit home, and when you do, bring this fellow with you".
"I'll do just that".
Jonathan asked the waitress for the check, and Jennifer excused herself to the bathroom.
"Sir, while I have a moment alone with you, I would like to ask you something. I am very much in love with your daughter, and she is the smartest, most capable, kindest, most generous woman I've ever known in my life. I don't have any set plans or anything but sometime soon, I plan to ask her to marry me, and I know that it would mean a lot to both of us if we could have your blessing".
"You more than have my blessing. I can see very easily that she loves you a great deal, and you are the smartest and most mannerly boy she's ever introduced me to, so you had my vote from the jump, son".
Jonathan chuckled.
"Glad to hear it".
Jennifer came back and joined them, and they headed out.
They dropped Stephen off at his hotel, and then headed back to the paper so Jennifer could get her car.
"Want to stay at my place tonight?"
"Yes, I do."
"I'll follow you. You can pull up in the garage when we get there".
"Ok". She kissed him and then got out of the car.
***Jonathan's House***
Jennifer pulled up into the garage and Jonathan parked behind her.
They walked in the house together.
"Hey Mr. H., Miss Edwards".
"Hi Max".
"Hey Max. How was the track?"
"Washout, Mr. H."
"You'll get em' next time, Max".
"Where you twos been?"
"We had dinner with Jennifer's dad tonight. He surprised us by coming in town, so we took him to dinner".
They sat on the sofa and Jennifer linked her arm through Jonathan's.
"Were you on your best behavior, Mr. H.?"
"He was a perfect gentleman Max, and my dad absolutely loved him".
She leaned over and kissed him.
"He's an interesting guy himself. I can't wait to hear all his war stories".
"Well one day, I will go riding all day and you can sit at his feet and listen".
"You've heard them before, have you?"
"Many times".
Jennifer scratched Jonathan's arm while he and Max finished watching the baseball game and then went and changed for bed.
When she was out of earshot, Max leaned over.
"Did you ask her?"
"No. I've got an idea in mind for that. But I asked him and he readily gave us his blessing".
Max gave him a thumbs up.
When the game was over, he and Max turned out the lights and headed to bed.
Jonathan quickly changed for bed and crawled in next to her and wrapped his arms around her.
"You never told me about your meeting today".
"Well, it was with a guy named Joshua Baker. He owns a paper in San Diego and wants to buy mine. He offered to buy it, and keep all of us, and give me a salary and I answer to him, but everything stays the same. Or he could buy it, give everyone a severance that he would pay for in the purchase price, and then they can all reapply for their jobs. In the end, his bid was too low and I told him so".
"If his bid had been high enough, which option would you have selected?"
"Not sure. Probably the second one. I like the idea of my employees being protected".
"That's what makes you a good boss".
He kissed her temple.
She scratched his chest some.
"How were your meetings today?"
"Good. We made progress on the Lotus deal, and I set up a meeting with Treadwell Valley, LLC on Monday."
"I'm so proud of you".
She leaned up and kissed him and then they made love before falling asleep together.
***The Next Morning***
Jennifer and Jonathan slept in, and had a leisurely breakfast.
"Darling, we have a dinner party tonight. It's entirely casual and it's more of a game night. You'll love them, and I'm sure they'll love you".
"That sounds fun".
"I'm supposed to bring a side dish. Got any ideas?"
"How about a pasta salad?"
"Great idea."
"I'll make it this afternoon. How many people?"
"About 20".
"Ok no problem".
Jonathan focused on yard work while Jennifer focused on going to the store and getting the pasta salad together.
Late afternoon, they headed to the party.
They walked to the door hand in hand and rang the bell.
"Jonathan, hi! Come on in".
"Thanks. Darling, this is Dr. Susan Kendall. Susan, this is my girlfriend Jennifer Edwards".
"Hi, It's lovely to meet you. Thanks for having us".
"It's wonderful to meet you. Thanks for coming".
She set the pasta salad down in the kitchen and then found Jonathan at the bar, making her a cocktail.
"Darling, this is James and Laura Radcliffe, and that is Susan's husband, Drew. He and James and I play golf every other week or so. And this is Bill McDowell, who had the good fortune of serving in the Navy with me. Everyone, this is my girlfriend Jennifer Edwards".
"Hi, it's lovely to meet all of you".
"Welcome."
"Jennifer owns the The Los Angeles Gazette, here in town."
"I love that paper! Did you used to write for the New York Times?"
"Yes, I did".
"I read all of your columns. I was so sad when you left".
"Thank you. My writing is very important to me".
They all sat down and began to play some games and pretty soon it was the boys vs. the girls.
Everyone had a nice, relaxing time, and then finally, they called it a night.
"It was lovely to meet all of you. Thank you for such a fun night".
"Sweetie, you are the nicest, kindest, most darling girl he's ever introduced us to. You are always welcome here no matter what."
Jennifer and Susan shared a hug and then Jennifer and Jonathan left.
As they drove home, he laced his fingers through hers and kissed the back of her hand.
"So, what did you think?"
"I loved them. They were so nice and welcoming".
"They loved you".
"Have you taken many women around them?"
"Not really. I think you're the third one they've met. And the only one they liked".
"I see".
***Later that Week***
Jennifer was at the office, waiting on a meeting to show up.
She was about to head to the break room when she looked up and saw Jonathan in the doorway.
"Hi, what are you doing here?"
"Hey. I just found out I have to fly up to Seattle for a meeting. We are meeting tonight, and all day tomorrow. So, I came to say goodbye and tell you so you didn't just show up at my house".
"Oh, I see."
"Want to ride with me to the airport?"
"I wish I could but I have a meeting".
"Oh, ok. Well I love you, and I promise I'll call you tonight before I go to sleep".
"I love you too. Travel safely".
She gave him a few kisses and then he left.
Her meeting showed up about 20 minutes later.
"We are a small company known as Lancaster Press, Inc. We are a family-owned company that purchases small companies and grows them into bigger companies. So, if we bought your paper, we would turn into a magazine. Los Angeles has 3 other papers already, but they don't have a magazine that reports on the elite side of living in Los Angeles. We would report about the ballet, the art galleries, the fundraisers. No more sports, weather, crime reports, none of that. All of your employees would be given a severance, that we would include in the purchase price. All benefits would stay the same through the end of the year, at which time they would be grandfathered into our benefits program. We will purchase everything from you-the building, the equipment, and any leases you have. Each employee will be guaranteed a job of their same type, but they might have to interview for each position".
"I'm sorry, I don't follow that".
"For example, your reporters will all still be reporters. But they might have to interview for the position of lifestyle reporter, or culture reporter".
"I see."
"And finally, we don't want you to decide this today. In fact, we insist that you take at least 4 weeks to think about it. We realize that this isn't a decision that can or should be made lightly. Nor is it one that can or should be made without truly giving it some thought. So, in a month, we will meet again and hear your decision".
"I can do that".
They scheduled the meeting and then shook hands. Jennifer headed home soon after.
She had a lot to think about.
***A Week Later***
Jennifer and Jonathan had spent every night together at his place since he returned from Seattle.
Today, they were flying to New York so that she could cover the Carter Soren trial.
She was excited to get out of the office for a bit, and put Roxanne in charge.
They had an easy flight, and picked up dinner from a steakhouse that Jonathan loved before they headed to the penthouse.
"Darling, are you coming to the trial tomorrow?"
"No, I have meetings set up that should take me all day".
"Oh. Well, I plan on going to the courthouse and coming home afterwards. I imagine I'll be there pretty much all day".
"Well, I'll see you when you get home, I suppose".
"I can't wait".
***The Next Day***
Jennifer rode with Jonathan to the office, and kissed him goodbye.
"Have a good day, I love you".
"I love you too. Enjoy the trial".
A few kisses later, she was headed to the courthouse.
She found the courtroom easily and took a seat behind Carter and his lawyer.
His lawyer waived a reading of almost everything, and they began the trial right away. In their opening statement, the prosecution outlined that Carter and Andrea had a torrid affair, and that it ended badly. In order to keep her from exposing him to the press, he killed her. His fingerprints were found at the scene. She had been strangled with a scarf he had given her. A neighbor had seen him leaving there in a hurry. The only logical conclusion is to find Carter Soren guilty of first-degree murder.
Carter's lawyer stated that he did in fact, have an affair with Andrea James, but that doesn't mean that he killed her. Yes, his fingerprints were found at the scene, because he had been there more than 100 times over the last several months. And finally, just because someone is killed by a piece of clothing, that doesn't automatically equate to the gift giver being the killer.
The prosecution put the neighbor on the stand first.
He admitted that he thought he saw Carter Soren leaving her house that night, but really and truly, he wasn't positive. After they were unable to get a definitive answer out of him, they stopped asking. The defense had no questions, so he was dismissed as a witness.
The prosecution went through what the crime scene was like, complete with photos. Just before lunch, they questioned the lead investigator.
They took a short lunch break, which Jennifer spent alone, and then went back to the trial.
The defense questioned the lead investigator. He admitted that they didn't find any bodily fluids or fingerprints on the body that could be traced back to Carter Soren. Their main clue was a letter she wrote to someone else talking about how she was afraid he was going to come after her.
The judge dismissed them at 4, and Jennifer headed to the penthouse without speaking to the Soren's at all.
She had just finished typing up her thoughts when Jonathan came in.
"Hey beautiful".
"Hey handsome".
They spent a relaxing evening together, and then headed to bed.
As she fell asleep that night, she couldn't help but feel the other shoe was about to drop.