Joey and Dawson took a couple hours and caught up on each other's lives.
Dawson had met Roger at the conference they both had attended the week
before in San Diego on selling the motion picture industry. Dawson's
upcoming movie was going to be targeted at the demographic that Joey had
been told about and once he learned that Joey worked for Roger they put
together the plan for Dawson to come out to Chicago and meet with Joey.
Roger had obliged in not revealing Dawson's identity to Joey. Dawson told
Joey that he had met the woman of his dreams, Andrea, and was going to be
getting married in March out in California. Joey told Dawson about work and
life in Chicago. They exchanged the news each had heard about the others in
their group and talked a little about the good old days in Capeside, both
agreeing that leaving had been the best thing for them.
Dawson did not know any more about Pacey than Joey but said had talked to him a couple times on the phone. Both times Pacey had called Dawson and didn't tell him where he was calling from but sounded like he was doing well.
"I guess some of us just needed to escape Capeside," Dawson concluded.
'Or simply run away,' Joey thought to herself, but not wanting to tell Dawson after all this time about her thoughts on the matter she just nodded her agreement.
The two made plans for Dawson to meet Joey and Kevin for dinner. Dawson had brought along some information on the project and Joey was going to look it over before dinner while Dawson went back to his hotel room and made some phone calls. After he left Joey found herself unable to do anything but think of Capeside, a habit she had broken herself of long ago.
* * *
Vincent's was Joey's favorite restaurant in Chicago. It was two blocks from her house on an out of the way street. It was enough off the beaten path to keep tourists from finding it and was always busy with locals. The food was prepared from scratch by Vincent Lombargo and his wife, Isabella. Their three children, Lola, Nina and Vincent Jr. were always at the restaurant, helping out in the kitchen or serving food and entertaining guests in the dining area.
Joey arrived ahead of Kevin and Dawson and was greeted graciously by Nina. The 25 year old dark haired beauty showed Joey to her favorite table, a large booth in the back from which you could watch the entire restaurant. Joey loved to watch the Lombargo family in action and see how everyone interacted with each other.
"How's it going tonight, Josephine," all the Lombardo's insisted on calling Joey by her more feminine given name instead of her boyish nickname. Joey allowed this exception because they were so endearing.
"It's going great, Nina," Joey answered, "How about yourself, whose heart are you breaking this week?"
Nina blushed as Lola walked up and linked arms with her sister. Lola rolled her eyes and laughed.
"My little sister isn't aware of the effect she has on the men around her. It's a good thing or else her head might get too big. Just last week we had to talk to one of bus boys because he stopped whatever he was doing whenever she walked by, poor kid."
The three women laughed and Joey patted Nina's arm. Nina just smiled shyly and twisted away from her sister and off to take an older couple order from a table at the front of the restaurant. Lola shrugged and put a glass of red wine down on the cocktail napkin in front of Joey. Another great thing about Vincent's was that they always knew what she wanted. Joey never had to place an order and always seemed to get just what she wanted, whether it was Fettuccini Alfredo, Pasta Primavera, or a special Lombargo family concoction.
"What's this I hear about a handsome man joining you and Kevin for dinner," Lola questioned with a raised eyebrow, "Maxine said he was quite a looker."
"Oh Lord, that woman, she probably would have loved it if I had asked her to join us for dinner," Joey sighed, "He is a old friend of mine who is in town to work on a project with my firm. I couldn't let him go hungry, now"
"Oh, sure," Lola smirked, "Maybe you are showing Kevin that there is competition in the field to spur him into action. If you ask me, I think that he is getting a little too lazy in this relationship."
"Well thank you for your opinion but I can handle Kevin," Joey said, letting a hint of annoyance into her words, "Besides, my friend, Dawson, is engaged."
At that moment both Kevin and Dawson came into the restaurant. While Dawson scanned the room looking for Joey, Kevin's gaze shot to the back of the room where he knew Joey would be sitting. Joey raised her hand to wave at both men. Joey hadn't noticed until now how much they resembled each other. Both were tall and broad shouldered with the same blond hair and blue eyes on top. The difference was Dawson's eyes were full of life while Kevin's were more subdued and serious, this suited his personality and occupation as a securities manager for a downtown bank. Joey had never been bothered by the seriousness, it was most often reflected in her own eyes. But seeing them now in direct contrast with Dawson's lightness, Joey had a slight feeling that she was missing something.
Both men made their way over to Joey's table and along the way realized they were both there meeting Joey and by the time they had gotten to her table had already introduced themselves. Kevin leaned over and kissed Joey's cheek while Dawson stood smiling over his shoulder.
"I see you two have already introduced yourselves," Joey said turning to Lola, "Lola Lombargo, this is Dawson Leery; Dawson, Lola."
Dawson and Lola shook hands and Lola gave Dawson the once over and nodded approvingly.
"Any friend of Joey's is certainly a friend of mine," Lola said in her sultry voice, "It's a pleasure to meet you."
"Likewise, I'm sure," Dawson returned the flirtatious banter.
"Lola, you know what we want so place an order for us."
"No problem, Joey. What can I bring you guys to drink?"
"Gin and tonic for me," Kevin replied.
Dawson glanced at Joey's glass, "I'll have whatever Joey's having, she seems to know the ropes around here."
Lola threw one last smile over her shoulder as she sashayed over to the kitchen. Joey laughed and shrugged at both men sitting with her. Kevin was busy checking his messages on his cell phone while Dawson was taking in the atmosphere around him.
"This is a great place, Jo," Dawson commented, "Plenty of character and I'm willing to bet great food to keep you coming back time and time again."
"Yeah, I could spend hours here just watching the people come and go. Plus, the Lombargo family is wonderful, every single one of them. Lola, who you met, is the oldest child and has all the confidence that comes with that position. Her younger sister, Nina, is a knock out but hasn't a clue to that end, it's really quite endearing. Their brother, Vincent Jr, or Vin is just as handsome as his sisters are beautiful, he's getting married next month to the pretty blond who is tending the bar, Maggie. She has been working here since she was 16 and the two have been in love forever it seems. Vincent and Isabella are the proud parents, no doubt, and are both back in the kitchen preparing something delicious you can be sure. They are the life behind this place and to listen to them talk you would think they were in their 20s and newly married instead of nearing 60 and married more than a quarter of a century. They are my family here in Chicago."
"They sound great," Dawson said, giving his approval, "I'm glad you have people here in Chicago, I worry about you, you know."
"You shouldn't, I'm happy. Besides, Bessie does enough worrying to take all thoughts of doing so from everyone else. She is convinced that I am going to get attacked every time I leave my apartment."
"How're Bessie and Alexander doing? I saw them last Christmas when I was in town visiting my parents, the B&B was doing quite well at that time."
"It still is, who would have thought that the Potter B&B would be featured in East Coast Travel Magazine… Bess and Alex are great too, he's growing up to be quite a young man."
"Ah, the Potter B&B, pride and joy of Capeside," Kevin said, throwing his two cents worth in, "However did you guys get that going while you were in high school?"
Dawson laughed suddenly, "Remember that weekend we all had to pretend to be guests in the B&B because Pacey had invited a critic to stay there. Pacey was intent on making that place a success."
Joey felt a smile creep across her face remembering the fiasco of that weekend. She also remembered waking up in the middle of the night on the couch in front of the fire. Across the room from her was Pacey, fast asleep in her dad's old armchair. She had watched him sleep, mesmerized by the rise and fall of his chest. He had started to stir so she quickly closed her eyes and did her best to appear to be sleeping. Joey heard him getting up from the chair and she hoped that he was leaving just so she could stop pretending to be asleep. But she sensed that he was coming nearer to her.
"Jo, you'll get too cold out here now that the fire is out," Pacey had murmured, "We'll just have to do something about that."
Joey felt his arms slide underneath her and pull her body into his chest. Before she knew what was happening he was picking her up and carrying her into her room off of the kitchen. Pacey had gently set her on the bed and tucked her blankets in over her. Joey could hardly breathe from having been so close to him in such an intimate way. And then he did something she would never forget, he carefully brushed her hair back from her face and ran his thumb along her bottom lip and back along her cheekbone. And like a whisper he brushed his lips over her forehead.
"Goodnight sleeping beauty, sweet dreams."
Joey had to wait until she was sure he was out of her room and out of ear shot before she could let out the breathe she had been holding in. At that time she had no idea what had just happened. It wasn't until a few weeks later when Pacey had kissed her along the side of the road that she had figured out that Pacey was in love with her. And it wasn't until much later that she knew she was in love with him.
"Hey, Joey, you there," Kevin's voice snapped Joey back into the present, "Ah, there she is. Honey, I have some bad news. I just got a message from Rick, he needs me to fly down to Atlanta and deal with one of our clients who is worried about some end of the year tax bracket stuff."
"That's fine," Joey dismissed the "problem" absently, then it dawned on her that this weekend was their ski trip up to Northern Michigan, "Kev, we're supposed to go away this weekend; we've had these plans for over a month. We can't get our deposit back now."
"I know, honey, but you know how Rick can be," Kevin immediately went into troubleshooting mode, "Maybe we can reschedule the weekend and not loose our deposit. I can call there right now."
Joey shook her head, "You know that this was the only weekend that worked for the both of us until after the end of ski season. But whatever, you have go, then go."
"I'll make it up to you, I promise, maybe we can take a trip out to Colorado, you can ski until close to May out there," Kevin flashed his winning-over-the-client grin, "I'm going to go call Rick real quick and get the scoop, I'll be right back. Would you excuse me?"
Joey gave him a polite smile and accepted his stretched out hand for a quick squeeze. Kevin rose from the booth and over the hallway leading to the bathroom and telephone to make the call on his cell phone.
Dawson looked at Joey and grinning, "Trouble in paradise, honey?"
Joey grimaced at the last word, "God, he is cheesy, isn't he? No, I mean, it's a problem but typical to our relationship. And it's not ever paradise, more a joint venture in not spending the nights alone. I was just looking forward to skiing more than anything."
"Joey Potter, I do believe that you are settling for something less than utter romance with this guy. Where's the girl who used to believe in true love and all that jazz?"
"I still believe in true love but it's the 'all that jazz' part that gets me. Maybe I am settling but what's the alternative? Really," Joey rolled her eyes, "And I am not disillusioned, I know this isn't the perfect relationship and I know it won't last forever. We're fooling no one here and that is fine. Like I told my assistant this afternoon, you need someone to take to all the holiday parties who can hold their own…"
"All right, all right," Dawson threw back his head, laughing, "As long as you are all right with it then I will let it lie. Hey, I have an idea, why don't I go skiing with you? I'm here for the weekend and have other people I can see but I would much rather go to Michigan with you. There is no reason that we couldn't go together is there?"
"Dawson, that is a great idea! Are you sure Andrea wouldn't mind you taking a trip with an ex-girlfriend? Rest assured Kevin won't mind a bit, in fact he will probably feel let off the hook."
"Well then, it's settled," Dawson smiled, "Andrea has heard all about you, she won't be worried about the two of us together, so no worries there. What was the plan for the trip?"
"We were leaving tomorrow around noon and driving up along Lake Michigan to a ski resort near Traverse City. We were planning on skiing all day Friday, Saturday and Sunday and then driving back early Monday morning."
"That works perfectly with my plans, my flight back to LA doesn't leave until Tuesday evening. That way we can get some work done in the evenings if necessary and I can catch up with people on Monday and Tuesday."
By the time Kevin came back to the table, Joey and Dawson were putting all the plans together. They explained their new plan to Kevin who did look like a child who had gotten away with stealing with only a light slap on the wrist. Lola came out of the kitchen, plates stacked up her arms, and loaded the table with various dishes filled with sinful looking food. The conversation was put on hold as their filled their mouths, and stomachs, with Vincent's specials of the day. The chef himself came out to make certain their meals were all right and they assured him that the food was spectacular, as always.
After dinner Dawson bid Joey and Kevin a good night and headed back to his hotel to settle in for the night. Joey and Kevin stayed at Vincent's for a couple drinks and then walked home to Joey's apartment. As their usual Wednesday night date went, Kevin came in and immediately started kissing her, leading her back into her bedroom.
By eleven Joey was curled up on the right side of the bed, pretending to be asleep. Kevin rolled out of bed and threw his clothes on out in the living room. As soon as she heard the click of the apartment door closing behind him, Joey sighed and reached her left arm out to turn on the lamp beside her bed. She grabbed the book on the end table and focused in on the novel that was certainly more captivating than the last couple hours had been.
She giggled quietly, "Good lord, I am pathetic."
Dawson did not know any more about Pacey than Joey but said had talked to him a couple times on the phone. Both times Pacey had called Dawson and didn't tell him where he was calling from but sounded like he was doing well.
"I guess some of us just needed to escape Capeside," Dawson concluded.
'Or simply run away,' Joey thought to herself, but not wanting to tell Dawson after all this time about her thoughts on the matter she just nodded her agreement.
The two made plans for Dawson to meet Joey and Kevin for dinner. Dawson had brought along some information on the project and Joey was going to look it over before dinner while Dawson went back to his hotel room and made some phone calls. After he left Joey found herself unable to do anything but think of Capeside, a habit she had broken herself of long ago.
* * *
Vincent's was Joey's favorite restaurant in Chicago. It was two blocks from her house on an out of the way street. It was enough off the beaten path to keep tourists from finding it and was always busy with locals. The food was prepared from scratch by Vincent Lombargo and his wife, Isabella. Their three children, Lola, Nina and Vincent Jr. were always at the restaurant, helping out in the kitchen or serving food and entertaining guests in the dining area.
Joey arrived ahead of Kevin and Dawson and was greeted graciously by Nina. The 25 year old dark haired beauty showed Joey to her favorite table, a large booth in the back from which you could watch the entire restaurant. Joey loved to watch the Lombargo family in action and see how everyone interacted with each other.
"How's it going tonight, Josephine," all the Lombardo's insisted on calling Joey by her more feminine given name instead of her boyish nickname. Joey allowed this exception because they were so endearing.
"It's going great, Nina," Joey answered, "How about yourself, whose heart are you breaking this week?"
Nina blushed as Lola walked up and linked arms with her sister. Lola rolled her eyes and laughed.
"My little sister isn't aware of the effect she has on the men around her. It's a good thing or else her head might get too big. Just last week we had to talk to one of bus boys because he stopped whatever he was doing whenever she walked by, poor kid."
The three women laughed and Joey patted Nina's arm. Nina just smiled shyly and twisted away from her sister and off to take an older couple order from a table at the front of the restaurant. Lola shrugged and put a glass of red wine down on the cocktail napkin in front of Joey. Another great thing about Vincent's was that they always knew what she wanted. Joey never had to place an order and always seemed to get just what she wanted, whether it was Fettuccini Alfredo, Pasta Primavera, or a special Lombargo family concoction.
"What's this I hear about a handsome man joining you and Kevin for dinner," Lola questioned with a raised eyebrow, "Maxine said he was quite a looker."
"Oh Lord, that woman, she probably would have loved it if I had asked her to join us for dinner," Joey sighed, "He is a old friend of mine who is in town to work on a project with my firm. I couldn't let him go hungry, now"
"Oh, sure," Lola smirked, "Maybe you are showing Kevin that there is competition in the field to spur him into action. If you ask me, I think that he is getting a little too lazy in this relationship."
"Well thank you for your opinion but I can handle Kevin," Joey said, letting a hint of annoyance into her words, "Besides, my friend, Dawson, is engaged."
At that moment both Kevin and Dawson came into the restaurant. While Dawson scanned the room looking for Joey, Kevin's gaze shot to the back of the room where he knew Joey would be sitting. Joey raised her hand to wave at both men. Joey hadn't noticed until now how much they resembled each other. Both were tall and broad shouldered with the same blond hair and blue eyes on top. The difference was Dawson's eyes were full of life while Kevin's were more subdued and serious, this suited his personality and occupation as a securities manager for a downtown bank. Joey had never been bothered by the seriousness, it was most often reflected in her own eyes. But seeing them now in direct contrast with Dawson's lightness, Joey had a slight feeling that she was missing something.
Both men made their way over to Joey's table and along the way realized they were both there meeting Joey and by the time they had gotten to her table had already introduced themselves. Kevin leaned over and kissed Joey's cheek while Dawson stood smiling over his shoulder.
"I see you two have already introduced yourselves," Joey said turning to Lola, "Lola Lombargo, this is Dawson Leery; Dawson, Lola."
Dawson and Lola shook hands and Lola gave Dawson the once over and nodded approvingly.
"Any friend of Joey's is certainly a friend of mine," Lola said in her sultry voice, "It's a pleasure to meet you."
"Likewise, I'm sure," Dawson returned the flirtatious banter.
"Lola, you know what we want so place an order for us."
"No problem, Joey. What can I bring you guys to drink?"
"Gin and tonic for me," Kevin replied.
Dawson glanced at Joey's glass, "I'll have whatever Joey's having, she seems to know the ropes around here."
Lola threw one last smile over her shoulder as she sashayed over to the kitchen. Joey laughed and shrugged at both men sitting with her. Kevin was busy checking his messages on his cell phone while Dawson was taking in the atmosphere around him.
"This is a great place, Jo," Dawson commented, "Plenty of character and I'm willing to bet great food to keep you coming back time and time again."
"Yeah, I could spend hours here just watching the people come and go. Plus, the Lombargo family is wonderful, every single one of them. Lola, who you met, is the oldest child and has all the confidence that comes with that position. Her younger sister, Nina, is a knock out but hasn't a clue to that end, it's really quite endearing. Their brother, Vincent Jr, or Vin is just as handsome as his sisters are beautiful, he's getting married next month to the pretty blond who is tending the bar, Maggie. She has been working here since she was 16 and the two have been in love forever it seems. Vincent and Isabella are the proud parents, no doubt, and are both back in the kitchen preparing something delicious you can be sure. They are the life behind this place and to listen to them talk you would think they were in their 20s and newly married instead of nearing 60 and married more than a quarter of a century. They are my family here in Chicago."
"They sound great," Dawson said, giving his approval, "I'm glad you have people here in Chicago, I worry about you, you know."
"You shouldn't, I'm happy. Besides, Bessie does enough worrying to take all thoughts of doing so from everyone else. She is convinced that I am going to get attacked every time I leave my apartment."
"How're Bessie and Alexander doing? I saw them last Christmas when I was in town visiting my parents, the B&B was doing quite well at that time."
"It still is, who would have thought that the Potter B&B would be featured in East Coast Travel Magazine… Bess and Alex are great too, he's growing up to be quite a young man."
"Ah, the Potter B&B, pride and joy of Capeside," Kevin said, throwing his two cents worth in, "However did you guys get that going while you were in high school?"
Dawson laughed suddenly, "Remember that weekend we all had to pretend to be guests in the B&B because Pacey had invited a critic to stay there. Pacey was intent on making that place a success."
Joey felt a smile creep across her face remembering the fiasco of that weekend. She also remembered waking up in the middle of the night on the couch in front of the fire. Across the room from her was Pacey, fast asleep in her dad's old armchair. She had watched him sleep, mesmerized by the rise and fall of his chest. He had started to stir so she quickly closed her eyes and did her best to appear to be sleeping. Joey heard him getting up from the chair and she hoped that he was leaving just so she could stop pretending to be asleep. But she sensed that he was coming nearer to her.
"Jo, you'll get too cold out here now that the fire is out," Pacey had murmured, "We'll just have to do something about that."
Joey felt his arms slide underneath her and pull her body into his chest. Before she knew what was happening he was picking her up and carrying her into her room off of the kitchen. Pacey had gently set her on the bed and tucked her blankets in over her. Joey could hardly breathe from having been so close to him in such an intimate way. And then he did something she would never forget, he carefully brushed her hair back from her face and ran his thumb along her bottom lip and back along her cheekbone. And like a whisper he brushed his lips over her forehead.
"Goodnight sleeping beauty, sweet dreams."
Joey had to wait until she was sure he was out of her room and out of ear shot before she could let out the breathe she had been holding in. At that time she had no idea what had just happened. It wasn't until a few weeks later when Pacey had kissed her along the side of the road that she had figured out that Pacey was in love with her. And it wasn't until much later that she knew she was in love with him.
"Hey, Joey, you there," Kevin's voice snapped Joey back into the present, "Ah, there she is. Honey, I have some bad news. I just got a message from Rick, he needs me to fly down to Atlanta and deal with one of our clients who is worried about some end of the year tax bracket stuff."
"That's fine," Joey dismissed the "problem" absently, then it dawned on her that this weekend was their ski trip up to Northern Michigan, "Kev, we're supposed to go away this weekend; we've had these plans for over a month. We can't get our deposit back now."
"I know, honey, but you know how Rick can be," Kevin immediately went into troubleshooting mode, "Maybe we can reschedule the weekend and not loose our deposit. I can call there right now."
Joey shook her head, "You know that this was the only weekend that worked for the both of us until after the end of ski season. But whatever, you have go, then go."
"I'll make it up to you, I promise, maybe we can take a trip out to Colorado, you can ski until close to May out there," Kevin flashed his winning-over-the-client grin, "I'm going to go call Rick real quick and get the scoop, I'll be right back. Would you excuse me?"
Joey gave him a polite smile and accepted his stretched out hand for a quick squeeze. Kevin rose from the booth and over the hallway leading to the bathroom and telephone to make the call on his cell phone.
Dawson looked at Joey and grinning, "Trouble in paradise, honey?"
Joey grimaced at the last word, "God, he is cheesy, isn't he? No, I mean, it's a problem but typical to our relationship. And it's not ever paradise, more a joint venture in not spending the nights alone. I was just looking forward to skiing more than anything."
"Joey Potter, I do believe that you are settling for something less than utter romance with this guy. Where's the girl who used to believe in true love and all that jazz?"
"I still believe in true love but it's the 'all that jazz' part that gets me. Maybe I am settling but what's the alternative? Really," Joey rolled her eyes, "And I am not disillusioned, I know this isn't the perfect relationship and I know it won't last forever. We're fooling no one here and that is fine. Like I told my assistant this afternoon, you need someone to take to all the holiday parties who can hold their own…"
"All right, all right," Dawson threw back his head, laughing, "As long as you are all right with it then I will let it lie. Hey, I have an idea, why don't I go skiing with you? I'm here for the weekend and have other people I can see but I would much rather go to Michigan with you. There is no reason that we couldn't go together is there?"
"Dawson, that is a great idea! Are you sure Andrea wouldn't mind you taking a trip with an ex-girlfriend? Rest assured Kevin won't mind a bit, in fact he will probably feel let off the hook."
"Well then, it's settled," Dawson smiled, "Andrea has heard all about you, she won't be worried about the two of us together, so no worries there. What was the plan for the trip?"
"We were leaving tomorrow around noon and driving up along Lake Michigan to a ski resort near Traverse City. We were planning on skiing all day Friday, Saturday and Sunday and then driving back early Monday morning."
"That works perfectly with my plans, my flight back to LA doesn't leave until Tuesday evening. That way we can get some work done in the evenings if necessary and I can catch up with people on Monday and Tuesday."
By the time Kevin came back to the table, Joey and Dawson were putting all the plans together. They explained their new plan to Kevin who did look like a child who had gotten away with stealing with only a light slap on the wrist. Lola came out of the kitchen, plates stacked up her arms, and loaded the table with various dishes filled with sinful looking food. The conversation was put on hold as their filled their mouths, and stomachs, with Vincent's specials of the day. The chef himself came out to make certain their meals were all right and they assured him that the food was spectacular, as always.
After dinner Dawson bid Joey and Kevin a good night and headed back to his hotel to settle in for the night. Joey and Kevin stayed at Vincent's for a couple drinks and then walked home to Joey's apartment. As their usual Wednesday night date went, Kevin came in and immediately started kissing her, leading her back into her bedroom.
By eleven Joey was curled up on the right side of the bed, pretending to be asleep. Kevin rolled out of bed and threw his clothes on out in the living room. As soon as she heard the click of the apartment door closing behind him, Joey sighed and reached her left arm out to turn on the lamp beside her bed. She grabbed the book on the end table and focused in on the novel that was certainly more captivating than the last couple hours had been.
She giggled quietly, "Good lord, I am pathetic."
