Chapter 20

Zach checked his watch. 11:00pm on the nose. There was a knock at the door. Amazing. He had to admire their punctuality. He opened the door. Ryan and Greenlee gazed warily at him. Ryan was in a tux, and Greenlee in an evening gown. Zach smiled superciliously. "Aww, you didn't have to dress up on my account. Come in. Everything is ready to sign." They marched into the room, along with a stuffed-shirt type that Zach hadn't noticed until he trailed in behind the couple. Greenlee indicated the man with a wave of her hand. "This is Dennis Thompson. He is one of the trustees of my trust fund, and thankfully also a very savvy contract lawyer." Mr. Thompson nodded. "I've been going over the copy you faxed me, Mr. Slater. I am much impressed, and very stimulated on behalf of Ms. Smythe's…I mean, Mrs. Lavery's trust fund. This will be a very profitable investment for her." Zach smirked. "One I'm sure you looked upon with great disdain…until you saw the bottom line." The lawyer merely smiled tightly.

Zach moved around behind his desk and pushed the contract forward. The lawyer took it and glanced through to make sure there had been no changes. "I must say, Mr. Slater, that I am still quite startled that you are willing to sell your casino for a sum so far below its worth. It made me suspicious at first, but the Laverys convinced me that there were no shenanigans." Zach shrugged. "Much like a scorned wife who sells her husband's Lotus on the internet for twenty five cents, sometimes you just want to get rid of something quickly." The lawyer gave another tight smile. Greenlee rolled her eyes and snatched the contract out of Mr. Thompson's hand. She signed her name with a flourish, and then pushed it over to Ryan, who barely scratched the page with his. The trustee handed a cashier's check to Zach.

Greenlee glanced at her watch. "Perfect timing. When we get down to the bar, we'll signal the waiters to pass the champagne around, and then make the announcement that we are the new owners." Ryan looked around. "I think I'll like the new digs. I'll like it even better having you far away from Pine Valley." Zach smiled and tapped the check against his cheek. "Have fun redecorating the office. I'd recommend my decorator, but she doesn't do 'ostentatious'" Zach endorsed the back of the check, then stuck it in an envelope that was already stamped and addressed to his bank. He stood up and slung a duffel bag over his shoulder. "I have a plane to catch. You better hurry on down to your adoring fans." Greenlee shook her head in amazement. "They have flights at midnight on New Years?" Zach glanced back from the doorway. "Two a.m., actually. I guess its to accomodate the 'start a new life in a new year' crowd. I better get going. International flights recommend checking in two hours ahead." Ryan looked thoughtful. "Leaving the country, eh?" Zach smiled cryptically and left.

Zach stood outside waiting for his taxi, his breath smoking the frigid air. He heard a cheer and some applause from inside the casino. The announcement had been made. He glanced at his watch. 11:25. The taxi better arrive soon, since it was half an hour to get to the airport. A minute later, headlights flashed in front of him, and the taxi pulled up. He opened the door and threw the duffel bag in. "I hope you're a fast driver." The driver smirked. "Don't worry. I plan to be having a drink at the airport lounge when the ball starts to drop." The taxi had gotten two feet when the driver was forced to brake. Someone had stepped in front of the vehicle. Another evening gown. The back door opened and Kendall ducked inside. "So were you planning to say good-bye at all?"

Zach sighed. He looked at the driver. "You can go ahead now." The man nodded. "Fine with me. I want to see that ball drop." The taxi continued on. Kendall's mouth gaped. "I can't go to the airport, my purse is back at the casino. And I won't be with my family at midnight." Zach raised one eyebrow. "I won't be with my family, either. I'll pay for your fare back. Its what you deserve for jumping in the cab. I don't like getting behind schedule." Kendall sighed and leaned back. "Once again my impulsive streak gets me in trouble. You're not worth it, you know. You're still the same jerk who horned your way into our lives last summer. You fall off the face of the earth for a week, and now you hijack me on New Year's Eve." Zach smiled. "You better not use that word 'hijack' at the airport. They frown on that sort of thing."

Kendall glared at Zach. "What happened at SOS? One minute you and Maria were dancing. The next minute you looked like someone shot your dog and your grandmother with one bullet. Then you disappear, and the only people you contact are Ryan and Greenlee, to sell them your casino. Now you plan to leave the country without saying goodbye?" Zach stared at her for a minute, admiring the jewel tones of her silk blue dress, and the way it draped her luscious body. "I know the town will be disappointed that they couldn't throw me a 'Hit the Road, Jack' party, but its for the best."

Kendall seemed to get that he wasn't going to talk about SOS. "Bianca will be hurt that you didn't say goodbye to Miranda." Zach felt stinging in his eyes. His voice became more gravelly. "I can't say goodbye to her. It would make it impossible for me to leave. And I have to leave." Kendall looked frustrated. "You're going to make everyone think they were right. That you are a coward and that you're running with your tail between your legs." Zach shrugged. "That's the wording that Ethan used in his last message to me. Nobody can control what people think of them, so why bother?" Kendall looked out the window at the snow on the ground, glowing in the moonlight. "Ethan acts triumphant right now, but when it finally sinks in that you are gone…that his father left without another word... it's going to devastate him."

Zach looked at her speculatively. "You have a lot of your mother in you. She's very good with the guilt trip. Don't worry about Ethan. He'll be disappointed that he no longer has his dead mouse to bat around, but he'll soon be too caught up in running Cambias to care." Kendall shook her head. "What do I have to do to get a rise out of you? Start sticking pins in my Maria voodoo doll?" Zach cocked his head. "I can think of some more fun ways to get a rise out of me. Tell me something…" Kendall laughed. "You want answers from me?" Zach ignored her. "You and Ethan didn't seem to be thrilled with each other the last I saw you. I hope I wasn't the cause of strife between you?" She raised one eyebrow. "I thought you wanted strife? You've said and done some nasty things to try and get Ethan to leave town."

Zach looked away. "I'm sorry about that. I never meant any of those things I said to you. I was desperate for Ethan to go back home and escape becoming a Cambias." She shook her head. "And in the end you were right. I was so arrogant as to think that my experiences with Erica would help prevent Ethan from going through the same hell that I went through. I guess the only way he's going to learn is to touch that hot stove himself. And to answer your question, since I am more cooperative than you are….Ethan and I broke up. We grew close because of our similarities, and in the end that was what drove us apart. Its okay, though. I cared about him, but I wasn't in love with him."

Zach contemplated her for a few minutes. "I was certainly in love with Maureen. When she left that first time, I put her up on a pedestal and prayed to her image every day. When I found her again, the poor woman never stood a chance of living up to my dreams. Especially since she had the audacity to get on with her life in the interim, while I kept mine in cold storage." Kendall smiled sadly. "I can relate. I tried to make it happen with Ryan a second time. He ended up choosing someone else, too. Except in my case I didn't make a dignified exit. I stuck around to make myself even more pathetic and humiliated." She chuckled. "Okay, I guess I understand now why you have to leave."

The taxi pulled up at the airport. It was 11:53. Zach tossed some bills to the driver, who quickly turned off his on call light. Zach pulled Kendall out of the taxi and led her into the airport. "I have the feeling that for the next few minutes, none of the cabs will be in service. Let's have one last drink, shall we?" They sat down in a curving booth at the back of the airport lounge. A waitress immediately appeared and set down two champagne flutes. "Compliments of the airport," she smiled, then disappeared.

Kendall turned to Zach. "Just one more question. Why did you want the Laverys to sign their contract an hour before midnight of the new year? Kind of an odd time to do business." Zach took a swig of his champagne, then glanced at Dick Clark pointing towards the ball that was about to drop in just two more minutes. "It was symbolic. I'm shedding all ties with my old life. When it turns midnight, I want my new year to be completely fresh. Which is why what I'm about to do needs to happen before the clock strikes." She looked bewildered. He reached out his hand and caressed her cheek. Awareness dawned on her face, and at that moment he leaned in and kissed her.

He was surprised that she didn't protest or pull away. Instead she gripped the lapels of his sports jacket. He threaded his fingers through her hair. It was as soft and luxurious as he had speculated. Her lips were even softer. The way she gave herself up to him completely made him feel both frustration and relief that they were in a public place. He pulled her tightly against him, and her hands left his lapels to run down his torso and up his back. The smooth silk of her dress was driving him crazy. He was dying to tug the spaghetti straps off her shoulders. He dimly became aware that there were people in the lounge starting to shout out the countdown until midnight. Reluctantly he broke the kiss.

Kendall slowly opened her eyes, her breath unsteady. "Now I know what you meant by that crack about making me feel like a woman." She absently focused on the television as the ball finished its descent. The crowd shouted, "3….2….1….HAPPY NEW YEAR!" Kendall looked back at Zach, her eyes infinitely sad. The taxi driver wandered over to their table. "Happy New Year, folks! That was quite a steamy kiss you gave her, fella. But you kissed her way too early!" Zach shook his head and glanced back at Kendall, sadly. "On the contrary. It happened way too late."

He stood up and pulled her out of the booth. He walked her to the row of taxis and put her in one that now had its light on. She opened her mouth, but he shook his head. "Seasons East casino," he told the driver, giving him some bills, then shut the door. He turned and walked back into the airport so that he wouldn't see the taxi pulling away.