Kendall and Zach arrived back at his condo with plenty of time to prepare for their guests… if they intended to show up. It had occurred to both of them that Greenlee and Ryan might refuse the invitation and not show up at all – however, they were both betting on curiosity being a sufficient reason to make them arrive. A few well-placed telephone calls had arranged for their needs in hosting their guests since they had not had an opportunity to sufficiently stock the kitchen upon their return from Las Vegas. In addition, Kendall had called a few other people and invited them as well. If they kept repeating the same story one person at a time they would be exhausted and accomplishing very little. By the time they arrived at the condo, Stuart and Marion Chandler, JR Chandler, Simone Torres, and Palmer and Opal Cortlandt had been added to the guest list. Myrtle Fargate had also been invited to join them, but couldn't make it although she promised to meet for lunch before the casino re-opened.
"Zach… I need to ask you a question," Kendall said hesitantly as they were arranging the food and beverages for their guests.
He looked at her with surprise, "Go ahead… you don't have to ask permission."
"It's about… it's about… Maria," she faltered. When he didn't respond, she continued, "Have you called her? Told her about our marriage?"
He sighed softly before replying, "No… Kendall, you don't have to feel threatened by Maria. She is grieving the loss of her husband and her marriage – and she has her hands full with Sam and Maddie. There's no place in her life for me… and no place in our life for her. Calling to tell her about something she already knows serves no purpose."
"I'm… I'm sorry I brought it up," she answered quietly.
He laid down the plate he had been holding and pulled her toward him, "It's okay… You can ask me about Maria… and I'll answer if I can. I think we've progressed beyond some of those rules we made at the Valley Inn. I can tell you that the pain lessens over time…You'll find that it will get easier to let go of Ethan after a while, too."
She rested in the comfort of his arms without responding, feeling safe and secure. After a moment she lifted her face and he kissed her deeply, as if to comfort them both from the pain of their lost loves. Kendall began to realize, though, that she was feeling irritation at Ethan, not pain… the pain she felt was because of Zach's continued feelings for Maria. He said time would heal us both, so time is what he'll have, she told herself before pulling away and continuing her preparations. Zach smiled at her tenderly, and stroked her hair before resuming his own task. As they continued to make contact while they worked, Kendall began to giggle and her laughter was infectious. By the time the guests starting arriving, the two were laughing heartily as if to some unspoken joke.
"You could have knocked me over with a feather when I got the message that you wanted to have me over for cocktails, Kendall," Opal Cortlandt exclaimed. "I should have known you'd invite this old coot too!"
As Opal had been speaking from the doorway, her ex-husband Palmer had walked up behind her, "Oh, no… you again! You'd think people would have figured out by now that we're divorced. Why do they keep inviting us to the same events?"
Kendall giggled, "Maybe because you don't act like a divorced couple? How's Petey?" She asked after their son, who she had babysat one memorable summer.
"Oh, he's just fine… off causin' trouble somewhere, I'm sure," Opal answered. "It's his father's turn to watch him… so you can pretty well guess that he's up to no good."
"Now see here, Opal… if that young man has any tendencies toward trouble it's because of the example set by you," Palmer replied as they both finally entered the condo and helped themselves to food trays that had been placed strategically throughout the room. "Say… I don't think I've been here since Michael…"
"Shh… shh… you old coot! They were brothers!" Opal hissed loudly as Palmer cleared his throat and changed the subject.
"Kendall… here are your keys. I'm all packed up and moved back into my place. You might want to have Zach's cleaning lady give the place a good once over, though. I've been a little too busy to do much," Simone said before quickly helping herself to the food and drinks.
Zach and Kendall had stationed themselves just inside the door and shared a glance of amusement at the behavior of the guests who had already arrived. Considering the guest list, it was probably going to be even more amusing after the arrival of Stuart and Marion Chandler… and at that moment not caring at all if Greenlee took them up on the invite.
"Well, well, well… if it isn't the happy couple," said JR Chandler as he approached and pulled Kendall into his arms for a kiss.
Realizing that he was intending to kiss her much more intimately than she wanted, she pushed at him to quickly disengage herself before saying, "Hello, JR… and yes, we are happy."
"That's what I like to hear, Kendall… you deserve to be happy. And if your husband doesn't… ahem… make you happy enough… you just give me a call. I'm sure that I can help with anything you might need," he said in a voice dripping with innuendo.
Before Kendall had an opportunity to respond, Zach interjected, "Thanks, Junior. It's so nice of you to join us… did your Uncle Stuart bring you? Or did you borrow daddy's car?"
JR gave Zach a look of irritation before saying almost under his breath, "I came with Stuart and Marion… Hey! Simone… can you grab me one of those?" He hurried into the room followed by Zach's shout of laughter as Kendall gave him an impish glance.
Before Kendall could say anything to her husband, though, she was pulled into an embrace by Stuart Chandler, "And how's the beautiful bride today? Looks like the honeymoon agreed with you."
Marion Chandler introduced herself to Zach, "Stuart tells me the wedding was beautiful… it was so kind of you to include him."
"It was our pleasure, Mrs. Chandler. It meant a lot to Kendall to have someone from home and it made our wedding even more special."
Stuart relinquished Kendall from his embrace and pumped Zach's arm, "Congratulations again, Zach. I've never seen Kendall look so happy."
"Thank you, Stuart. I try," he answered with a fond look toward Kendall. After a moment he turned to Marion, "Mrs. Chandler, I was wondering if you could help Kendall and I find a place a little more suitable… to our new circumstances. I'm afraid neither condo is adequate to our needs…"
"I'd love to… Zach. And my name is Marion. Why don't you call me tomorrow and we'll go over your needs and then we can start looking at properties?" the older woman replied.
"Zach! That's a great idea!" Kendall exclaimed in surprise. "There you go… he's always surprising me with something."
Zach turned to his wife and kissed her briefly before returning his attention to Marion Chandler, "Thank you, Marion… I'll do that. Now please, help yourself."
Stuart acted as if he would continue to discuss their marriage until Marion dragged him into the room. However, the moment Stuart and Marion had walked away, JR came back carrying a beer and still trying to lure Kendall into an inappropriate embrace. She slapped at his arm, "JR… that's quite enough."
"Oh… I know your husband's in the room… but this is just business, right? I mean, it's easy to pull the wool over Uncle Stuart's eyes," JR whispered. "My offer still stands…"
"Hey, Junior!" Zach said loudly as he walked up behind JR. "Can I get you another beer?"
"No, Zach, I'm fine," JR said with a start. "Kendall… you good?"
Kendall looked at JR through narrowed eyes before wrapping her arm around Zach's waist and allowing him to pull her tightly against him, "I am now."
"Yeah… sure… I get it," JR said. He looked around the room at the guests before lowing his voice and saying to Zach, "I know all about this 'business' arrangement of yours… you don't have to pretend with me. I won't blow your cover."
Zach smirked as he looked from Kendall to JR, "Oh… you mean you two were…?"
Kendall snuggled tighter against her husband, "No… it's just wishful thinking on JR's part… he's wanted me for years. This is nothing but a fishing expedition."
"Oh… sorry, Junior… but I hear Simone over there's available," Zach answered before cupping Kendall's face with his hand and pulling her into a deeply passionate kiss.
"Don't you two ever stop?" Greenlee asked indignantly. "See… what did I tell you Ryan? Every time I see them that's what they're doing!"
"Well… let them show off for now… we know the truth of the situation and their little game will end soon enough," Ryan drawled lazily. "But it would be really helpful if you two quit groping each other and paid attention to Ethan's latest bombshell."
"Ethan? What did he say now? Whatever it is, you can count on it being a lie," Kendall said quickly.
"Oh… this is no lie," Greenlee said sharply. "He's decided to shut down Fusion and sell off the assets. It seems that your marriage to Zach has made him realize that it doesn't fit with his 'vision' for the future of Cambias Industries. I guess he needs capital to fight off Zach."
"No… he wouldn't… not Fusion," Kendall said with confusion. "Just last night… he wanted me back. How could he…"
"He's a Cambias, Kendall… that's what we do," Zach answered sadly. "I'll get Livia working on a stay first thing tomorrow morning. That will keep him from liquidating any assets until we resolve this thing."
"Too little, too late, Slater," Ryan said sharply. "He's already cut off funding and the access to accounts. Fusion can't even make this month's payroll. By the time the courts order him to resume operations, the company won't exist."
While Ryan, Greenlee, and Zach were engrossed in their conversation, Kendall quietly grabbed her purse and left the condo through the open door. She pulled her car out of its parking space next to Zach and headed toward the Valley Inn… and Ethan. She didn't know what she could say to make him change his mind… but she was determined that they would not lose Fusion because of her.