CHAPTER 47
I'm still wondering what Eva is planning as I empty my suitcase. We are now back home and I am exceedingly glad to be back here.
"You know Gail will do that baby".
I turn towards Christian and smile, he knows that I won't ask Gail to do something I'm perfectly capable of doing myself.
"I know she can, but I can do it as well" I retort and with that he comes up to me and wraps his arms around my waist.
I pause as I feel the heat from him as my back is pressed against his front. He leans down and nuzzles against my neck and presses a small sweet kiss behind my ear which makes me shiver.
"Are you ok baby, you are very quiet?" he asks me with obvious concern in his tone.
I nod, and turn in his arms so I am facing him. I run my hands down his chest and then I look up at him and smile.
"I'm fine, I'm just worried about Elliot. He seemed so down on the flight home, I know he achieved what he set out to do with Frank and he got his closure, but as Eva said it has highlighted the fact he hasn't totally got his closure with Sadie. Plus, I think Eva is planning something. What it is, I don't know but something is going on with her" I say.
Christian squeezes me and pulls me even closer. "I know, did you know he also called that girl… the one who works with Eva… erm…"
"Megumi?" I finish giving him the name he is searching for.
"Yes, Megumi" he says.
I shake my head, "No, I didn't. When did he do that?" I ask as I know Christian doesn't like people using phones whilst flying. Admittedly we were onboard one of Gideon's jets but that wouldn't make any difference to him.
"Before we took off, do you remember he disappeared for a short while. I went to look for him and heard him on the phone talking to Megumi. He told her he'd met his birth father and that he now had his closure, I had no idea they were that close" he says.
I shrug, "To be fair neither did I, but I did know he has called her a number of times since we left New York. I think he likes her more than he lets on" I reply.
"Hey Ana… Oh sorry am I interrupting?"
We both turn to see Eva standing awkwardly in the doorway, and Christian smiles brightly at her.
"Not at all, we were just discussing Elliot. I mentioned that he was talking to Megumi before we took off. I had no idea they were that close" Christian explains, and Eva nods.
"Yeah, I know. I talk to Meg quite regularly, I mean she is one of my friends and she said she really likes Elliot and that she thinks the feelings are mutual, but she is also fully aware that the distance between them is such that nothing could really come of it unless one of them decided to relocate and that is a big step for anyone. So, having said that I think she is resigned to the fact that they are just going to be friends. Plus, there is the fact that it's all pretty new between them to even begin thinking about making life altering decisions like moving to the other side of the country".
"But she is considering it?" Christian asks.
Eva shrugs, "I don't know. I don't think so, not yet anyway" she says vaguely.
"But maybe at some point in the future?" Christian pushes and Eva shrugs again.
"She told me that they had agreed to be friends and that they would be there for each other at the end of the phone or via Skype and they would see how it went and play it by ear, you have to remember that it is a huge thing for Meg to even be doing that much. I mean, you saw for yourself the issues she has".
Christian nods thoughtfully and I look up at him, and I get the impression from his expression that he is also plotting something. However, unlike Eva I have a pretty good idea what he could be planning. I am guessing he is probably thinking about ways he could bring Megumi to Seattle.
I turn towards Eva who is still waiting patiently, "Did you want to speak to me?" I ask and she nods, before shooting a glance at Christian.
Christian grins and plants a swift kiss to my lips before stepping away. "I'll leave you ladies to it" he says and with that I watch him disappear. Eva reaches out and squeezes his hand in a gesture of thanks and she smiles gratefully at him as he passes her.
Once he has gone, she steps into the room and closes the door.
I sit down on the bed and pat the space beside me, "Ok, spit it out as I know you have something on your mind" I say.
Eva sits down beside me and lets out a loud sigh. "It's El" she says.
"I guessed that much" I reply sardonically and Eva grins.
"I wanted your opinion on an idea I have" she continues, and then pauses.
"Which is?" I urge as I turn to face her.
"I'm thinking about writing to Sadie, and trying to arrange a meeting between them. It is obvious he wants that face to face thing with her, like he had with Frank but he is respecting her wishes. Wishes which I think are just selfish on her part".
I stare at Eva in surprise, "Don't you think that's a little bit harsh?" I ask.
Eva sighs again, "I… possibly… I mean… Oh I don't know; all I can see is Elliot turning himself inside out and I want to do something to help and that is all I could come up with" she says.
I think about everything for a moment, "What if we both wrote to her? A joint letter signed by both of us. What if we wrote, explained that Frank is now out of the picture and I mean totally out of the picture and unable to cause any trouble. Explain how we managed to meet each other without alerting the media and trying to reassure her that Gideon and Christian could and would help to ensure that if she really wanted to meet El they could make it happen without the media finding out. I know that Elliot practically said that already when he wrote to her but it wouldn't hurt if we reiterated that. But apart from that, we can't force her to meet him. We can do all we can to make it easy for her to do so, but we can't demand she does it or anything like that. Nor would we want to, I mean we wouldn't like it if someone was trying to force us to do something we didn't want to. This needs tact and we need to handle her with kid gloves as we don't want her thinking we are manipulating her either. Plus, there is also the point to consider that she may refuse on the grounds that she might think we believe she is only agreeing now that she knows who Elliot's family are". I stop and wait while Eva thinks about everything I have just said.
She nods and I can see ideas forming in her head as to where this is going.
"Ok, so if we write to her. We introduce ourselves; we explain how Frank is now locked up and we could explain how we all went with El to meet him and what happened. We could explain how if it wasn't for Frank the media would've been none the wiser about us and that if she really wanted to meet El we could help make that happen for her without her family or the media finding out… because I think another issue she has, is the fact her other kids know nothing about him. If we could persuade her that we could guarantee her privacy I'm pretty sure she would go for it… I mean she said in that letter that she thinks about him often and what was it she said… that she always thinks about him on his birthday. That says to me she cares and loves him, but is just afraid to be linked via Frank to us. Frank is now out of the equation so If we can reassure her of that I'm fairly certain she may agree… finally we make it totally clear that if she does agree to do this that we won't think she is only doing it because of the money thing with Christian and Gideon, or something like that. What do you think?" Eva says looking at me expectantly.
I nod, "I agree, but are we interfering where we really shouldn't?" I ask warily.
Eva thinks about that, "Possibly, it could be construed like that but I prefer to think we are just trying to help".
I can't help but agree with that and I nod.
"I mean he is our brother; he is miserable and I don't know about you but I don't want to see him miserable and when there is the possibility that we could do something to make it stop I want to do it".
I nod more firmly "You're right, let's do it. We don't really have anything to lose here, and if it helps Elliot get whatever closure he is searching for then it's a no brainer, we really have to try and do whatever it takes for him to get it" I say adamantly.
Before Eva can respond her phone buzzes and she reaches into her back pocket and pulls it out, glancing at the screen as she does so.
"It's Meg" she states as she quickly answers, "Hi Meg!" she says brightly.
I watch and see the surprise on her face and she quickly puts the call on speaker so I can hear. "Just repeat what you have said Meg. I'm with Ana at the moment and I'm sure she will be able to give some input on this, I'm putting you on speaker" she says.
A moment later Megumi's voice fills the room. "Erm… hello" she begins nervously.
"Hello Megumi, how are you?" I call and wait for her to respond.
"I'm very well thank you. I was just telling Eva; your husband has just called me. He asked me if I was serious about Elliot and that if I was, he could help us be together… he was offering to fly me to Seattle and help me relocate there".
I let out a loud snort, not surprised in the slightest at what Megumi is telling me. "Why doesn't that surprise me?" I say.
Eva grins at my lack of a response to this news and returns her attention back to her phone, "What did you say?" she asks.
"I asked him if I could think about it. It means uprooting and starting afresh somewhere where I won't know anyone other than Elliot so it's a massive thing… especially considering… everything. I'm terrified at the thought, but part of me is telling me to go for it. You see, I felt safe with Elliot… I trusted him and that is a really huge thing for me to be able to say".
Eva smiles kindly, "I know it is Meg" she says gently. "If you want my opinion, I say do it. You won't be alone; Ana will look out for you" she says glancing up at me and I immediately nod in agreement. "My sister will be here for you; you'll have Elliot and also the rest of the Grey family. They are all lovely people who will love you. What about the details, I mean you will need somewhere to live and a job?" Eva says.
"Christian said he would help me with that if I agreed to this. He said he would help find me somewhere to live and that there was a position opening up at his company which I would be suitable for" she says.
I nod my head remembering that Andrea was still looking for an assistant to help her with her massive workload after Christian had finally lost his patience with Olivia and fired her. Nobody had seemed too keen to take up the position knowing what Christian was like, how he demanded exceedingly high levels of near perfection when it came to work. Not that it wasn't a level that he wasn't prepared to hold himself accountable to though.
My attention is brought back to Megumi as she speaks again.
"Do you think I should talk to Elliot about this? Tell him what Christian has offered me and get his opinion on it?" she asks.
Eva glances at me her eyebrows raised and I shrug.
"I think that would be a good idea. If you do that you would be able to gauge from the response he gives you, if it is something he would be keen on you doing" Eva says.
I frown as that sounded to me like she is worried that Elliot isn't as into Megumi as she is with him. But then I realise it is only because Elliot has only recently broken up with Kate and may not be ready to jump into another serious relationship. Plus, he also has Ava to consider.
"You should definitely talk it over with Elliot as it is a big step for both of you and you both need to be one hundred percent on board with it before you commit" I say.
"Ok, I'll do that. Thanks for your advice" she says.
"No problem" Eva quickly responds.
"When will you be back in New York?" Megumi asks Eva. She looks up at me before answering.
"I'm not sure, Gideon has to be back in New York the day after tomorrow so I'm going to say then" she says.
I know for a fact that when Gideon goes home, Eva will go with him despite the fact I am fairly certain she would like to stay in Seattle a bit longer.
oooOOOooo
(CHRISTIAN)
I look up from my laptop as there is a knock on my study door. I had just taken a moment to log in to the office and check a few things and bring myself up to speed before I go back to work.
"Come in" I call and the door immediately opens.
I smile as I see Gideon step inside, "Hi, do you have everything you need?" I ask and he nods.
"I do thank you, and thanks for letting us stay here. I'm finding it increasingly hard to take Eva home to New York after each of these visits as it is clear Ana and Eva have become incredibly close. Also, now that Elliot is in the equation as her brother it is going to be even harder… especially as he is so obviously struggling at the moment".
I nod soberly, "I know, which is why I have just been on the phone to that girl he likes… Megumi, the one who works with Eva. I have made her an offer to relocate to Seattle, told her I would help her by finding her somewhere to live and give her a job".
Gideons eyebrows rise significantly at that and the look of surprise on his face is startling.
"Is it really that serious between them? I thought they were just friends?" he says as he sits himself down on the sofa near my desk.
I immediately stand up and rounding my desk I go and join him. As I sit down beside him, I clasp my hands in front of me and shake my head, "I'm not entirely sure, I think the fact they live on opposite sides of the country is a factor holding them back. Eva said that she has never seen Megumi so trusting of anyone. I have no idea of the details of what happened to her but something significant clearly did. So if she trusts Elliot as much as it appears she does, and he obviously trusts her as apparently he has made a point of talking to her regularly since they met, and from the conversation I accidently overheard on the plane before we left California it seems they have confided a great deal in each other".
"So, you have decided that you would smooth the path between them to help them find happiness" Gideon says with a grin.
I can't help but smile at that, "It's no more than what Eva and Ana are doing, I believe they are thinking about contacting Elliot's birth mother and trying to persuade her to meet him face to face. After what Eva said on the plane and the fact she and Ana have been upstairs talking for a significant time, it doesn't take a genius to work out what they are up to" I say.
"I just hope Elliot doesn't think you are all interfering in his life" Gideon says after a moment.
Before I can answer that my phone buzzes and I see Elliot's name on the screen. "Well considering this is him now, I think we are about to find out" I say wryly.
"Elliot" I say by way of greeting and wait for him to respond.
"Bro, I've just been talking to Meg" he begins.
"And?" I say slightly defensively.
"You know you don't have to do this" he says after a moment's silence.
I let out a small snort, "Do you want to be with her?" I ask.
"Yes" he states simply.
"Does she want to be with you?" I ask.
"It seems so, she called me to ask me that if she was to take you up on your offer would I be offended or would I be happy… and for the record I told her I would be incredibly happy".
I smile at that, "So, having said that, what is the problem here? You want her and she wants you. All I have done is merely facilitated that to happen quicker than it otherwise would have" I say.
I hear a small chuckle and then a sigh, "I just never took you as a match maker Christian, but this is the second time you have stepped in and helped to push Meg and I together" he says.
I let out my own sigh, "El, you have to remember that all I want for you is to be happy. You have been through hell with Kate, but thankfully now she is out of the equation. If Megumi Kaba is your ticket to happiness and you are hers and I can make that happen for you then I am going to do everything within my power to make it happen. You are my brother El, I want to see you happy. I want to see you and Ava settled as a family and if you want Megumi as part of that family then so be it". I don't mention that I don't want the risk of seeing him slipping back into his playboy ways, sleeping his way through endless women as it wouldn't be good for him or Ava if he was to do that.
"Thanks Christian" Elliot says after a moments silence and the slight break in his voice as he says it tells me he is quite emotional about this.
"No problem… oh and while you are here, I'm going to give you a heads up. I believe Ana and Eva are planning something. After what was said on the flight back, I am certain they are planning something with regard to your birth mother – but you haven't heard it from me" I say.
"What could they possibly do? Sadie made it quite clear she didn't want to meet me. She never replied to my response to her letter so I took that as the situation was now closed to her, so I don't see what difference they could make, or what they could do to alter that. But back to Meg, she said that you have offered her a job at Grey House. Do you really have a position or are you going to manufacture one for her?" he asks.
I smile, "I actually do. You know I fired Olivia, well Andrea needs an assistant and she is finding it difficult to find someone to fill the vacancy. I also have a temporary vacancy opening up on the main switchboard as I have someone going on maternity leave, so I believe either would be suitable for Megumi. It's just a case of seeing where she fits best… so am I to take it that I will be receiving a call from her shortly accepting my offer of help with relocation to Seattle?" I ask.
I hear another laugh, "I think that was never in any doubt, where did you have in mind for her to live?" he asks.
"As you know I own a couple of apartment buildings in Seattle so there shouldn't be any difficulty finding her an apartment in one of those, and they are all in good, safe areas and reasonably close to your own home so I don't foresee any problem getting her settled here" I say dismissively.
There is another brief silence before he responds to that, "Thanks Christian" he says eventually.
"No problem" I reply, "You are my brother, you have no need to thank me" I say.
With that we end the call and I look up at Gideon who has been sitting listening to the one-sided conversation.
"So, Megumi is coming to Seattle then?" he says.
I nod, "It would appear so" I reply.
