"Good morning," Joe greeted Rick as he entered the dining room the next morning.
"Good morning," Rick returned. "You seem to be in a cheerful mood this morning."
"Oh, I am," replied Joe bypassing his chair and going to Rick's side. He bent down as Rick looked up and kissed him on the lips
Rick reached out and pulled Joe onto his lap as the kiss deepened. "Mmm," he murmured, nuzzling Joe's neck once their lips had parted.
Joe wrapped his arms around Rick's neck. "Can we go away this weekend?" he asked.
"Christmas is Sunday," Rick reminded him. "Are you sure?"
"If Sheldon and Maisey don't mind," Joe replied.
"Okay," agreed Rick. "I'll make the..."
"Let me make the arrangements," begged Joe. "Please?"
"Okay," Rick agreed looking at Joe curiously. Obviously he had something specific planned.
"Thanks," Joe said, kissing him again. "I'll talk to Sheldon and Maisey about it."
"I'm sorry you're having to do so much work for this project," Rick apologized as he changed the subject.
"Don't be," Joe told him. "I love it!"
"You really do, don't you?" asked Rick, laughing delightedly at the look in Joe's eyes.
"I do," Joe reaffirmed. "Thank you," he added, kissing Rick's cheek. "Thank you." He kissed his chin. "Thank you." Joe started to kiss Rick's other cheek but Rick growled and kissed Joe hard on the lips.
"Stop thanking me," Rick ordered.
Joe gave him a secretive smile, kissed him once more then got up and took his own seat. The two ate breakfast then left for work. There, Rick escorted Joe to his office, kissing him goodbye and reminding him to call once he and Lani arrived at the motel.
Callie spent the day with Pat learning where everything was and how to operate the bits of equipment she was unfamiliar with in the darkroom. The next day she began working on developing pictures with Lani while Pat accompanied Joe. When Thursday morning arrived she was nervous, but ready.
Fenton and Laura had flown in Tuesday morning and Frank and Fenton had worked out a plan to get near Joe. All she had to do was make sure Joe stopped the car to help Laura as she pretended to have car trouble. Callie thought it was a lame plan. Joe would never pick Laura up once he realized it was her. He would know Frank and Fenton had planned something.
"All set," Callie said, getting into the car with Joe. "I checked the road conditions online at and there's a major wreck blocking traffic. It's expected to take a couple of hours to clear up," she continued. "But I checked for an alternate route and found one that might even get us there a little earlier than planned."
"Wow! You're not only efficient but you have a lot of initiative," Joe congratulated her, making Callie feel guiltier than she already did. "I'm just sorry you did it all for nothing."
"What do you mean?" asked Callie in alarm. Joe had to take the road they had chosen. They would miss Laura!
"This weekend is Christmas," Joe reminded her. "Tomorrow is the start of the holiday at Tyrell Enterprises."
"I know," said Callie. "And we don't reopen until after New Year's so we need to get as much done as we can."
"Gillian!" Joe snapped in mock shock. "You're a work-a-holic."
"No," denied Callie. "But won't Mr. Tyrell expect us to go to the motel?"
"Not today," Joe told her. "He wants us to go to the printers and set up arrangements to begin production on another project we've been working on."
"But I don't know anything about that project," Callie protested. "Or how to deal with the printers."
"Which is why you're going with me," Joe explained. "Look at the bright side," he added. "We'll be done by lunch and then you can take the rest of the day off with pay."
"Great," Callie said showing as much counterfeit enthusiasm as she could.
The first chance she got, Callie snuck away to 'freshen up' and used her cell to call Frank and let him know about the change of plans.
"Where are you now?" asked Frank.
"At the printers on Grand Street," Callie answered.
"How long do you think you will be there?"
"Frank, what are you going to do?" she demanded.
"We want Joe home for Christmas," Frank answered. "And if we have to actually kidnap him to do it then we will."
"Good morning," Rick returned. "You seem to be in a cheerful mood this morning."
"Oh, I am," replied Joe bypassing his chair and going to Rick's side. He bent down as Rick looked up and kissed him on the lips
Rick reached out and pulled Joe onto his lap as the kiss deepened. "Mmm," he murmured, nuzzling Joe's neck once their lips had parted.
Joe wrapped his arms around Rick's neck. "Can we go away this weekend?" he asked.
"Christmas is Sunday," Rick reminded him. "Are you sure?"
"If Sheldon and Maisey don't mind," Joe replied.
"Okay," agreed Rick. "I'll make the..."
"Let me make the arrangements," begged Joe. "Please?"
"Okay," Rick agreed looking at Joe curiously. Obviously he had something specific planned.
"Thanks," Joe said, kissing him again. "I'll talk to Sheldon and Maisey about it."
"I'm sorry you're having to do so much work for this project," Rick apologized as he changed the subject.
"Don't be," Joe told him. "I love it!"
"You really do, don't you?" asked Rick, laughing delightedly at the look in Joe's eyes.
"I do," Joe reaffirmed. "Thank you," he added, kissing Rick's cheek. "Thank you." He kissed his chin. "Thank you." Joe started to kiss Rick's other cheek but Rick growled and kissed Joe hard on the lips.
"Stop thanking me," Rick ordered.
Joe gave him a secretive smile, kissed him once more then got up and took his own seat. The two ate breakfast then left for work. There, Rick escorted Joe to his office, kissing him goodbye and reminding him to call once he and Lani arrived at the motel.
Callie spent the day with Pat learning where everything was and how to operate the bits of equipment she was unfamiliar with in the darkroom. The next day she began working on developing pictures with Lani while Pat accompanied Joe. When Thursday morning arrived she was nervous, but ready.
Fenton and Laura had flown in Tuesday morning and Frank and Fenton had worked out a plan to get near Joe. All she had to do was make sure Joe stopped the car to help Laura as she pretended to have car trouble. Callie thought it was a lame plan. Joe would never pick Laura up once he realized it was her. He would know Frank and Fenton had planned something.
"All set," Callie said, getting into the car with Joe. "I checked the road conditions online at and there's a major wreck blocking traffic. It's expected to take a couple of hours to clear up," she continued. "But I checked for an alternate route and found one that might even get us there a little earlier than planned."
"Wow! You're not only efficient but you have a lot of initiative," Joe congratulated her, making Callie feel guiltier than she already did. "I'm just sorry you did it all for nothing."
"What do you mean?" asked Callie in alarm. Joe had to take the road they had chosen. They would miss Laura!
"This weekend is Christmas," Joe reminded her. "Tomorrow is the start of the holiday at Tyrell Enterprises."
"I know," said Callie. "And we don't reopen until after New Year's so we need to get as much done as we can."
"Gillian!" Joe snapped in mock shock. "You're a work-a-holic."
"No," denied Callie. "But won't Mr. Tyrell expect us to go to the motel?"
"Not today," Joe told her. "He wants us to go to the printers and set up arrangements to begin production on another project we've been working on."
"But I don't know anything about that project," Callie protested. "Or how to deal with the printers."
"Which is why you're going with me," Joe explained. "Look at the bright side," he added. "We'll be done by lunch and then you can take the rest of the day off with pay."
"Great," Callie said showing as much counterfeit enthusiasm as she could.
The first chance she got, Callie snuck away to 'freshen up' and used her cell to call Frank and let him know about the change of plans.
"Where are you now?" asked Frank.
"At the printers on Grand Street," Callie answered.
"How long do you think you will be there?"
"Frank, what are you going to do?" she demanded.
"We want Joe home for Christmas," Frank answered. "And if we have to actually kidnap him to do it then we will."