Achieving Goals -Chapter 4
Logan pulled up to the Huntzburger Manor. He left Rory in the shower and Finn out the door. He gave the doorman strict instructions not to let anyone up without calling first. At least until he returned.
Logan rang the doorbell. Evelyn the Huntzburger's only long-term maid answered the door.
"Mr. Logan, your father is in the study. He said for you to come on in. Would you like some coffee? Maybe a muffin?" Evelyn asked.
"Good morning Evelyn. Yes, a coffee and muffin would be wonderful. Thank you." Logan told her. As he was walking down the hall to the study, he could hear his mother yelling at Evelyn. She wanted to know who was at the door at this time of the morning. He just shook his head as he walked down the hall. Just like his dad, not to tell his mom that he would be stopping by.
He knocked as he entered the room. His dad was on the phone. Lord only knows who he woke up this early on a Saturday morning to yell at. He motioned for Logan to have a seat. He put up one finger, showing he would only be a minute. Yeah, Logan was sure it would only be a minute. It has been his experience that only a minute could turn into an hour.
Evelyn knocked before entering with the coffee and muffin. Logan made himself comfortable, drinking his coffee, eating his muffin, and scrolling through his phone, waiting on Mitchum to get off the phone.
He could hear his mom's heels clicking on the hardwood floors. She was headed his way. He knew that meeting with his dad at the Manor could mean having to interact with his mom, but he had hoped that at 8 am she would still be in the bed. No such luck.
"Logan," she said as she burst into the study. Logan closed his eyes. He knew what was going to happen and he would rather be anywhere but here. "Here you are. Evelyn told me you were in the house." Logan doubted that. When he opened his eyes, he saw the look on his father's face as he ended the phone call.
"Shira," Mitchum's loud voice echoed through the house. Shira had not closed the door behind her. "I am trying to conduct business. You could wait until the meeting is over before barging in and ambushing our son." This causes Logan to sit up a little straighter. He can't remember his dad admonishing his mother about ambushing him.
"Well, if OUR son would stop by more often, I would not have to AMBUSH him to talk with him. Logan, please come find me when you are finished with your little meeting." Shira said as she turned and left the room.
Logan turned back around from watching his mom leave the room to see his dad rolling his eyes. Hum. Another first. Maybe he should start taking these meetings sober. There is no telling what he has been missing.
"Son, sorry about that. It would have been better if we could have met at the office, but I had a few calls early this morning that I needed to make…." Mitchum said. He took a deep breath. "So you wanted to talk with me. I haven't heard of any trouble you are in, so tell me, son, why the meeting this early in the morning?"
"I'm not in any trouble, and as far as the meeting being this early, this was the only time you could meet with me, according to your secretary," Logan told him. Mitchum nodded his head.
"Next time, just call me directly. You will graduate soon. You should meet with me directly." Mitchum told him as he sat back in his chair, waiting for Logan to speak. This was new.
"Well, as you said, I will graduate soon. I would like to make plans. Could you tell me what office I will work out of?" Logan said.
Mitchum sat there with his hands steepled in front of him. He was watching his son. He had a confidence about him he had not noticed before. Could it have always been there?
"What office would you like to work out of?" Mitchum asked. "I assume you will want to work out of the office closest to where the lovely Miss Gilmore will be working. Or, is this just a college fling, and will be over at graduation?" Mitchum was watching him. He saw him flinch when he asked about it being a fling. He hopes his son had enough sense not to let her go.
Logan was confused. His dad has never asked his opinion on anything. He wasn't sure how to answer him. If he told him the truth, would he use it against him?
"Rory will be in New York. She will continue her education at Columbia." Logan said. "I would like to work out of the New York office or for one of the New York papers." He was watching his dad.
Mitchum scooted up and leaned up with his elbows on his desk. He had been debating on what to tell Logan. Even before he asked for this meeting.
"You will have to be in London for a year," Mitchum told him. Logan's face fell. He knew it was too good to be true. Before Logan could comment, Mitchum spoke up. "It does not have to be now. We can work out a schedule. Maybe three months at a time. Maybe the lovely Miss Gilmore would like to attend Oxford at some point." Mitchum told him.
"How long do I have to complete my London stay?" Logan asked. Mitchum studied Logan. He expected more resistance.
"I'll give you two years to complete the London project," Mitchum told him. Logan nodded. He was thinking.
"Give me a couple of weeks, and I will have an answer as to when I want to be in London," Logan told him. This was too easy, Mitchum thought.
"You will have to at least stay a month at a time," Mitchum told him. Logan nodded.
"I figured as much. Will I be staying in the London apartment?" Logan asked. Mitchum nodded. Logan nodded back. Logan was thinking. He needed to ask his dad for a favor, but he was not sure how to go about it.
"What about New York?" Logan asked. Mitchum sat there. Not saying anything. Logan could not tell if he was thinking or just waiting to see if he said anything else.
"Logan, tell me what you see happening here," Mitchum told him.
"What do you mean?" Logan asked.
"If you could sit down and describe what you hoped your next year or two would look like, tell me how you see it playing out," Mitchum told him.
Logan sat back in his chair. Should he tell Mitchum how he had been picturing his future? If he told him, would he be his dad and help him achieve his goal or would he be the man Logan grew up knowing, the man that squished every plan he ever had? Logan decided to take a chance.
"I see me working. Coming home after a hard day to Rory, who had also been working or going to school. I see us enjoying life. I see us married. Not this year or the next, but at some point. I see us having kids." Logan sort of trailed off. He was getting lost in his own dreams.
"Logan," Mitchum said to get his attention. "Do you plan on proposing to Miss Gilmore?"
"Yes, but as I said, not now. I want her to find herself before she becomes Mrs. Logan Huntzburger. I'm not even sure she will take my last name." Logan told him.
"Just a few things to keep in mind before you propose," Mitchum told him. He sits back, smiling at Logan. This could be fun. Giving his son advice, maybe he should have tried this earlier.
"1st, when you get ready for your grandmother's ring, let me know in enough time to get it from the vault." Mitchum said, watching Logan. Gauging his reaction to his advice. "I suggest you take the ring and have it cleaned, maybe even have the stones put in a more traditional setting. Talk to Lewis at Henry Winston's in New York. He can advise you." Mitchum was enjoying this. The look on Logan's face is priceless. You can tell he is trying to figure out what I am up to and understand what I am telling him.
"2nd," Mitchum continued, "Keep in mind that a society wedding takes anywhere from a year to a year and a half to plan. With the names involved in this wedding, it might be done sooner. The type of society wedding, which I am sure her grandmothers will insist on, will be costly, aggravating, and will test your patients with Rory and her with you."
"3rd, this is the thing that couples in love do not want to talk about, but hear me out, Prenup." Mitchum said, then held up his hand to a protesting Logan. "Here me out. You and Rory can use this to your advantage. I am not sure when Rory's Trust Fund will go into effect, but when it does, I am sure you and her could go toe to toe on the amount of money the two of you will have access to. This can make the prenup interesting. I am sure Richard and Chris will insist on a prenup. Be sure to add things both of you want. Mandatory 2 weeks vacation. Fun stuff." Mitchum was smiling. The look on Logan's face was priceless.
Logan sat there, listening to his dad. They discussed some things to put in the prenup, fun stuff. After a while Logan got to thinking.
"Dad, what is going on?" He asked. "I really appreciate the advice…. Also, I appreciate you listening to what I want and not just telling me what is going to happen…. but Dad, this is not you." Logan sighed. He hoped he had not stepped off in the big one.
Mitchum studied his son. He knew he needed to have this conversation with him and Honor. He just hadn't figured out how to go about it. Maybe talking to them one on one would be better. He took a deep breath and let it out. He begins to tell his son what was going on.