Chapter Two (by Mary)

The door closed behind the last of the stockholders and Kendall, Greenlee and Ryan turned as one to face Bianca, Jack and Erica. "How could you do this, Binks?" Kendall demanded. "And with no warning."

"Couldn't we at least have talked about this?" Ryan asked in a calmer manner.

"My decision had already been made so there was no point," Bianca replied. "I knew that you would just try to talk me out of it. This has nothing to do with the jobs each of you have done. You've poured your hearts and souls into this company for Miranda and me and I appreciate it. It's just not working the way that it should right now. We're too diversified. We need to figure out what it is we want to concentrate on, dump some of the companies we don't need and streamline what we have."

"We could do all of that, Bianca — whatever you want," Kendall said. "I just don't see why we need to bring Jack and Erica into it."

"I need someone to oversee the whole thing so that you three can concentrate on what you do best," said Bianca. "Someone I trust, someone I know can be objective and look at the big picture. That someone is Uncle Jack."

"Look, I don't have any problem with Jack being CEO," Greenlee chimed in. "But Erica, are you sure you're up to this? I mean, after everything that's happened…."

"You can drop the phony concern, Greenlee," Erica said. "You're just going to have to deal with this."

Jack stepped between Erica and Greenlee. "There's no reason we can't all make this work. This is what Bianca wants. I know I can count on all of you. After all, that's what families are for, right?" Ryan, Kendall and Greenlee looked somewhat abashed. "Look, as soon as I get up to speed, I'll send out an email clarifying the changes in the chain of command," Jack said. "I truthfully don't see that many changes for the three of you. Ultimately, you'll have more time to do what you really enjoy."

"Speaking of which, I have to finish the proofs for the new Fusion ad campaign," said Greenlee, heading toward the door.

"Good, then I'll be expecting them later today," Erica said casually.

Greenlee stopped in her tracks. "What for?" she asked slowly.

"Well, for my approval, of course," Erica said sweetly, savoring the moment. "Did you miss the part where I'm the President of Marketing and Development?"

"Dad–" Greenlee looked at Jack pleadingly. "Greenlee, we'll work this out," Jack said, putting his arm around her and escorting her out the door. Ryan and Kendall followed, deep in conversation.

Bianca turned to her mother. "I hope you're feeling up to this, Mom," she said. "To be honest with you, I wasn't sure what to think when Uncle Jack suggested it."

"Meaning you'd rather I hadn't agreed to it?" Erica asked.

"No, not exactly," Bianca answered. "I hope it will be good for you, I really do."

"I'm looking forward to doing something productive," said Erica. "I want to be able to help straighten things out here—for you and for Miranda."

Erica could feel the tension in the air as soon as she brought up Miranda. Bianca immediately backed away and headed for the door. It saddened Erica to have this rift between them yet she didn't know how to mend it. In all honesty, she couldn't blame Bianca for feeling the way she did. She just wished that she could think of a way to convince Bianca that she regretted what she had done and that she was ready to accept Miranda as her granddaughter.

"How about lunch tomorrow?" she asked. "We still have so much catching up to do."

"Tomorrow isn't good, Mom," Bianca said. "I'll call you. Right now I have to go over a couple of things with Uncle Jack" and darted out the door.

Erica helplessly watched her leave. Jack is right, she thought, this is going to take time. I just have to keep at it until Bianca believes me. As she gathered up her notes from the meeting, Erica was surprised at how invigorated she felt being back in the corporate world. Maybe, just maybe, this is all going to work out, she thought as she walked out the door.

———

Jack was deep in concentration when the door flew open and Erica burst in. He looked at her over the stack of files on his desk. He was pleased that she already looked more alive than she had since coming home. He could also see that she was unhappy about something.

"Jack, there is no way that I can work in that closet that they call an office!" she railed at him. "This entire floor is under construction. There isn't a single available office except that one and I absolutely refuse to work in it!"

"OK, sweetheart, relax, we'll think of something," Jack said, frowning as two men appeared in the doorway carrying a large desk.

"Right over there should be just fine," Erica said, giving them her most dazzling smile. They both stared at her, almost dropping the desk. "That's perfect, thank you so much," she said.

"Erica, what's going on?" Jack asked as the two men left the office, one of them almost bumping into the door on the way out.

"Since I can't work in that ridiculous office, I decided we'll share this one," Erica said. "Isn't that wonderful?"

"Uh, yeah, I guess so," Jack replied somewhat uneasily.

"What?" Erica asked suspiciously. "You said side by side, didn't you? This office is huge. There's plenty of room for both of us. I promise I won't get in your way if that's what you're thinking."

"I'm thinking that you'll be a definite distraction," he told her, "but I'm not complaining." He walked over to her and drew her into his arms. "I'm very proud of you for the way you handled things this morning. I know it wasn't easy."

"I actually thought it would be worse," she admitted. "I'm surprised at how much I'm enjoying this already and I owe it all to you for thinking of it." She reached up and kissed him lightly.

"Well, you can thank me later," he suggested, kissing her back. "Right now I have to get caught up on these files so I can figure out what I'm doing."

"I'll just go and get the rest of my things," she said. "Then I'll get right to work."

Jack watched her leave, amazed at how quickly she was bouncing back now that she had some purpose in her life. He knew that their family could not be whole again until Erica and Bianca found their way back to each other and he had faith that somehow this arrangement would help accomplish just that.

———

Erica precariously balanced the pizzas as she struggled to unlock the door. She breathed a sigh of relief when Reggie flung the door open and promptly grabbed them from her.

"It's about time!" he said with the enthusiasm only a teenager could muster for food. "I'm starving! Where's J?"

"He's still at the office," Erica said, setting the stack of files that were her constant companion down on the counter. "He said he'd be here as soon as he could."

"Man, we haven't seen him all week," Reggie said, already starting on the pizza.

Erica walked over to Lily. "How was your day, honey?" she asked her.

"Good," Lily replied somewhat hesitantly. "Reggie and I went to the park after school."

Erica had hoped that things wouldn't start to backslide with Lily now that Jack was spending so much time at Cambias Industries. So far Lily seemed to be adapting well. Her tutor came several days a week after school and when Reggie had basketball practice. Bianca, Kendall and Greenlee also took turns stopping by.

"Starting next week, Jack and I will be taking an afternoon off every week," Erica reassured them. "And then you'll be complaining that you see too much of us."

"I don't know about that," Reggie said. "You're both becoming a dim memory for me."

"Message received, Reggie," said Erica with a smile. "Believe me, we're on it."

Most of the pizza disappeared over the next half hour as Erica chatted with Reggie about school and with Lily about her studies at school and with her tutor. Before they knew it, it was late and the three of them were yawning.

"Lily, I'll come to your room in five minutes to say goodnight," Erica said, knowing that Lily would expect her at that exact time. Reggie hesitated in the hallway, looking back at Erica.

"Is there something you want to talk about, Reggie?" Erica asked him.

"Not really," Reggie started down the hallway and then stopped. "Are you really staying Erica?" he asked suddenly.

"What?" Erica was stunned at his question.

"You're not going to run out on us again, are you? Because if you are, I'd rather know about it now," Reggie said, completely serious.

"No, Reggie, of course not," Erica protested. "I can't tell you how much I regret everything that happened. I'm not going anywhere. I'm going to make things right with Bianca and make it up to all of you."

"I hope you mean that," Reggie said, "I don't think I can stand seeing Jack go through that again, Erica, I really don't. I mean, you're here and everything seems great and then someone will say something and we're all thinking, are we pushing too much, are we giving her enough space, is she gonna want to go off by herself again?"

Erica was flabbergasted. She hadn't thought about things from that viewpoint before. She supposed she couldn't blame them for feeling that way after what she had put them through. She had insisted that they leave her alone for so long that it made sense they would be nervous about her reacting that way again.

"Reggie, I'm here to stay," Erica said. "No more running away. This is where I want to be. OK?"

"OK." He gave her a brief smile and disappeared down the hallway.

Erica stopped in Lily's room to say goodnight and then started getting ready for bed. She hoped Jack wouldn't be too much later. As she brushed her hair, she thought about what Reggie had said. She knew that things between Jack and her weren't exactly back to where they had been but she realized that it would take time. She knew deep down in the depths of her being Jack loved her; of that she was sure. He had taken wonderful care of her since she had been back, devoting all of his time to making sure she felt safe and loved.

She had noticed that Jack wasn't completely relaxed around her though, as if he was afraid of doing or saying the wrong thing at times. Now, thinking about what Reggie had said, she wondered if he was afraid that she was going to leave again. As close as they were, the subject of their engagement had not come up again. When any serious talk about their relationship arose, Jack deftly changed the subject. The more she thought about it, the more she thought that she could be right. I have to tell him how much I love him, she thought, and that I'm not going anywhere. She glanced at the clock and picked up her book, hoping that he would walk through the door at any minute.

———

Jack opened the door to the bedroom and walked in. It was much later than he had anticipated and he was exhausted. As much as he wanted to talk to Erica about her day, he was actually relieved to see that she was sleeping. He considered it a good sign that she could fall asleep without him there and that the past couple of nights had passed without any bad dreams. He looked down at her as he removed his jacket and tie. He never ceased to be amazed by her beauty, especially at times like these. With her hair splayed out against the pillow and her face devoid of make-up, she was breathtaking as she slept. He was quiet as he bent down to kiss her but she suddenly stirred and her eyes opened.

"Hey," she said, smiling at him. She pulled him down so that he sat on the bed beside her.

"Hey yourself," he said. "I didn't mean to wake you."

"It's OK," she replied. "I didn't mean to fall asleep. I was hoping you wouldn't be so late."

"I know, I'm exhausted," Jack said. "How were the kids tonight? Disappointed?"

"They miss you but they're fine," Erica said. "I, however, missed you unbearably."

"Oh, really?"

"Yes, really," she said, bringing his mouth down to hers and kissing him softly, then drawing back to look at him searchingly. "I love you, Jackson Montgomery," she said. "I hope you know that."

"Of course I do," he said. "And I love you. Why so serious? Is there something we need to talk about?"

"Actually, I–" The ringing of the phone stopped Erica's words. "Don't answer it," she said.

"Honey, I have to. It might be the call I'm expecting from the European office," he said, picking up the phone. "Hold that thought."

Jack listened to the head of the European office drone on about the changes at Cambias, walking out into the living room to grab a file. After ten minutes of damage control, he hung up and made his way back to the bedroom. Jack smiled when he saw that Erica was once again asleep. The work schedule at Cambias was taking its toll on both of them, he thought. Whatever she had wanted to discuss would have to wait until tomorrow.

———

As she talked on the phone with the head of the Advertising Department, Erica watched Jack. He was on the phone as well but he was talking softly and Erica couldn't hear what he was saying. From the tone of his voice she could tell that Jack was being extremely charming and she knew from experience that the person on the other end of the line would have a hard time trying to resist.

That morning, Jack and Erica had left the loft in a flurry of activity, both of them running late and consequently there had been no time to continue last night's conversation. Thinking of that brought Erica back to the present and the realization that she needed to end this call so she could talk to Jack. Unfortunately, all of her facts and figures were getting her nowhere with the Advertising Department head so she changed tactics, softening her voice and pouring on the charm. She smiled as she felt the conversation turn in her favor. Watching Jack, Erica could swear she saw an amused smile playing at the corner of his mouth as he hung up his phone. Meanwhile, Erica artfully dodged the department head's dinner invitation and simultaneously agreed with him that she had been right all along. She then hung up her phone and walked over to Jack's desk.

"Why don't we go out for lunch?" she asked. "Or better yet, why don't we go home for lunch? The kids aren't home this afternoon," she added, her meaning clear.

"Sweetheart, I'd love to but I can't," Jack replied, engrossed in the file in front of him. "I've got a meeting and if I don't leave in five minutes, I'm going to be late."

Erica waited until she was behind him and then leaned over and slowly removed his glasses. "You know what they say about all work and no play," she said teasingly.

"Yes, I do," he replied, turning in the chair and pulling her onto his lap. "I know I promised you this would be fun – and it will be. We just need to get up to speed on all of this and then we can relax."

"I can think of other ways we can relax," Erica said, running her fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck and kissing him just behind his ear.

"Uh, sweetheart, I really do need to get going," he said as she kissed her way along his jaw line. "How about a nice, quiet dinner tonight? Just the two of us. I can stop at the Serving Spoon on my way home and–" he stopped when her lips reached his mouth.

"That sounds wonderful," she said, her lips just barely touching his.

"Yes, it does," he murmured, looking at her in a way she knew only too well. She was disappointed when he set her back on her feet and stood up.

"As – relaxing – as this is, I have to go," he told her. "Why don't you call Opal for lunch? You haven't seen her in a while. I'm sure she'd love to catch up." He kissed her quickly and headed out the door.

Erica sighed and walked back over to her desk. Lunch with Opal suddenly did seem appealing, another way of easing back into her old life. She could use a dose of Opal's homespun advice on how to get things back to the way they were between Jack and her. She picked up the phone and dialed her best friend's number.

———

Erica arrived at the Valley Inn dining room five minutes early and a quick glance confirmed that Opal wasn't there yet. The waiter smiled at her. "Are you meeting someone, Miss Kane?" he asked.

"Yes, I am. She should be here any minute. I'll just wait for her here," Erica said, turning to wait by the door. She suddenly caught a glimpse of a familiar blond head across the room and smiled. What a coincidence that Jack's meeting was at the Inn as well. She immediately thought that Opal and she could join him once his meeting was over.

She looked over at Jack's companion and an unsettled feeling suddenly came over her. She didn't recognize the attractive blonde woman sitting with Jack but there was no mistaking the look on her face as she smiled across the table at him. Her eyes never left his face as she listened attentively to what he was saying. Erica watched incredulously as Jack reached over to refill the woman's wineglass and she reached out and touched his hand. He smiled and they both laughed.

Erica stood as if turned to stone and then, possessed by an emotion she couldn't remember feeling in a long time, she started across the dining room toward their table.