Chapter 6: Regret
******Saturday******
Thea and Wallace met up with Jason and Jazmin at Duncan's soccer game.
Wallace smirked at Jason. "So I never thought you of all people would be interested in cheering on Duncan Kane!" he teased.
"You know very well I could care less about Duncan's soccer game," Jason said dryly. "Daisy is going to be here."
While Wallace snickered knowingly, Thea gave him a sympathetic look. She looked at the stands and spotted Daisy. "She's already here with her brother," Thea said, pointing. "So is Dick." He was sitting next to his fraternity brother.
Jason nodded and walked determinedly to sit in the row directly behind her. Jazmin sighed, following behind him. She hoped this went well. "I wish Eli was here," she said as they made their way to the seats. "Jason may need a distraction if Daisy's bent on tormenting him."
Wallace laughed. "Like Weevil would come to Duncan's soccer game," he said. "No way!"
Jazmin gave him a disgruntled look. "He would if he didn't have to work. He told me so himself," Jazmin insisted.
Wallace just grinned, not wanting to ruin her delusion. Although he did know Weevil usually worked on Saturday, there wasn't much he wouldn't do for Jazmin when she asked. However, Wallace also knew Weevil had never stayed for a full basketball game of his or Jason's, and he liked both of them!
Jason was determined to try and get Daisy to pay attention to him. He'd thought carefully about how to play this. She'd expect him to try and engage her attention. When she either gave him the cold shoulder or deemed to barely talk to him, she'd have all the power. Therefore, he had decided on a new approach. She wanted him to respect her boundaries and give him space, so that's what he'd do. He sat down behind her. Chip looked back at him, glowering. However, Wallace, as always, smoothly stepped in and chatted congenially with Chip and Dick, distracting him.
Thea gave Wallace an admiring look. He was so good with people. She watched him all the time, and he made everything seem so effortless. People just liked him. He didn't come across as too smart or too funny. Or even too charming. He had just the right amount of everything to make him the most perfect man. She sighed. How was it that he had picked her? He looked at her and really saw her. Finally, she was more than a brain. A part of her worried that he'd wake up one day and see another girl on campus and realize how many other prettier girls there were. Or girls that weren't awkward and sometimes off putting. But then he'd smile at her in that way he had. The way that let her know she was special to him. Even now as he was talking to Chip, he was reaching for her hand, wanting her to know that he hadn't forgotten her. One of the things she loved the most about him was how he didn't even seem to be aware of how amazing he really was. She was very lucky.
"Yo, dudes! Dudettes!" Dick acknowledged Thea, Jazmin, and Jason with a grin. Daisy finally looked back at them. She smiled and said hello, barely looking at Jason. The players took the field to warm up. Daisy waved at Parker, cheering on the sidelines with the cheerleaders and clapping for Duncan as he came into view. Dick let out a loud whistle and rang his cow bell. Daisy laughed and allowed Dick to keep her mind off the man behind her.
Daisy had spotted Jason's arrival the minute he came into view of the stands; her body filled with tension. Both trepidation and excitement filled her. However, she was determined to not give him an opening. When he sat down, she expected him to being talking to her, and she braced herself for it. However, he did not. As the game progressed, her shoulders stayed tense as she anticipated him making a move to get close to her, to gain her attention in some way. Yet he failed to even attempt to say hi. She didn't acknowledge the fact that she hadn't said hi to him either. As the game progressed, she began to get angry. How dare he ignore her? Who did he think he was?
When the game reached its halfway point and her brother and Dick left to get them a snack, she turned around and glared at Jason.
"So you don't even say hi to me after declaring your undying love just a few days ago?" she asked him with a cold arch of her eyebrow.
Jason bit back a grin. He gave Jazmin a look, and she quickly got up to give her brother privacy. Thea and Wallace had already left to get drinks and talk with Duncan on the sidelines. "I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to be rude. I was trying to respect your feelings. Every time I try to talk to you lately, you don't seem happy to talk to me," he reminded her.
"No one likes to be ignored, Jason," she said with an annoyed sniff.
"I could never ignore you," he said quietly, giving her a heated glance. She looked particularly cute today. Her mass of curls was in two messy pigtails. "You look very cute today."
Predictably, his comment served to dim her anger a bit. "Thanks," she said, preening a bit.
He smiled but said nothing more. It was in her court. He could only apologize so many times. At some point, she had to decide if she loved him enough to forgive him and move forward with him.
She turned back away from him as Dick and Chip arrived with food and drinks.
Jazmin came behind them and handed her brother a pretzel and a bottle of water. "How did it go?" she whispered to her brother.
"As well as I expected," he said. Since he didn't look upset, Jazmin relaxed. The game resumed. This time Duncan scored a point.
Down on the sidelines, Parker cheered as Duncan scored a point. When he jogged by her to reset his position on the field, he flashed her a smile. She waved her pom-pom at him, smiling back. It was good to see him smile at her again. For a while there, Parker wasn't sure he ever would again. She knew that she had hurt him deeply. It had never been her intention because she did care for him. A part of her loved him; however, she'd never allowed herself to let go of Piz. How could she give Duncan her whole heart when a part of hers had been with Piz?
Piz reappearing in her life when he did made things so confusing. Piz had been the first guy she had ever truly loved. In high school, she'd had boyfriends, but none of them came close to Piz or what she felt for him. When he came back to town, she knew she owed it to them both to give their relationship another chance. She was glad she did because now things were great between them. Even though he'd been gone a week now, they talked all the time, video chatting nightly. Parker didn't regret the choice she had made. If a part of her felt a lingering regret occasionally when she looked at Duncan, she figured that was normal. He was a billionaire with many other qualities that made him a catch. It was perfectly normal to feel something when he smiled at her.
When the game was over, Parker cheered loudly. They had won by one point. A point Duncan had assisted in making happen.
"Great game!" she said as he approached the water cooler on the sidelines. He smiled.
"Thanks. It's good to win even if it's just a scrimmage. We may have a good season this year," he said.
"It looks like it," she said.
Duncan debated on whether he should make an overture. He looked up at the stands when Dick yelled his name.
"Duncan! Party at my place to celebrate your win! Okay?" Dick suggested with a grin and two thumbs up. Duncan waved and nodded. Thankfully, Dick had taken the choice out of his hands.
"Looks like there's a party happening," Duncan said.
"Like Dick needs an excuse to throw a party!" Parker said with a laugh.
"Very true. You'd think with the wedding and New Years and his trip with Mac, he'd be partied out, though," Duncan said with a fond glance up at Dick, who was quickly inviting everyone in the vicinity of his eyesight. Some things never changed.
"I don't think Dick will ever tire of throwing parties. I expect to get an invite to Mac's 90th birthday someday if we're still alive," Parker said.
"Can you imagine when he has his own kids? The parties will be insane!" Duncan said, grinning at the thought. He'd seen Dick with his own daughter enough to appreciate what a big kid he was. Duncan knew he'd be even more so with a child of his own. "So are you going to go?"
"Probably. I don't have any other plans," Parker said with a shrug.
"Piz not here this weekend?" Duncan asked.
"Well, this was our first weekend a part. I thought it'd be best for him to settle in there. He'll be up next weekend," Parker said.
Duncan nodded. "Well, I'm going to hit the locker rooms. I'll see you later at Dick's," he said. He turned to go. Maybe Dick was right. Maybe Parker should see him move on with someone else. He regretted that he'd let her go back to Piz without more of a fight. He'd wanted to respect her wishes and hadn't want to upset her. However, that had only succeeded in making it easier for her to move away from him. Now, though, he was so sick of his own company. Something had to change.
Back in the stands, Jason made his way down the steps behind his sister. He had resisted his impulse to engage Daisy throughout the game. It had been enough to simply be close to her again. He watched her and not the game. Watching her smile and laugh made him happy. He regretted that she never did that anymore with him. However, he couldn't change what had happened. The only thing he could control was what he did next.
*****Faces*****
Logan sat in his office trying to focus on work, but all he could think about was the heavy feeling that filled him and the guilt that grew daily. He'd not said anything to Veronica about Trina's idea. He'd talked to the Goldsmiths, and they were excited about the idea. Both loved Broadway and any excuse to go to New York. They both thought Trina was ready for more responsibility and believed with her contacts in New York City, she could make a new branch a success. Logan told them he'd discuss it with Dick and Mac and let them know his decision. However, he'd not done either yet. Telling Dick would be almost as hard as telling Veronica. Dick adored his namesake almost as much as Logan did. Moving out of the beach house had been hard for Dick mainly because he got to see Richie less, but he still made bi-weekly visits to their place. Sometimes, he came more. Logan knew Dick would not be on board with this. Logan realized he had to first talk to Mac. He would depend on her to be the voice of reason as she so often was in the past.
He got up from his desk and went across the hall to her office.
"Hey. Do you got a minute?" Logan asked as he knocked on her open door.
She looked up from her computer and smiled. "For you, always. Did you get Dick's message? Duncan won the game, so he's throwing a party for him and the team at his house tonight," Mac said.
Logan's phone buzzed, and he glanced down at it. "Looks like he just sent me my invite. I guess, it's good that he now calls you first, huh?" Logan said with a grin. He sat down in the chair across from her desk.
Mac laughed. "Yes, that is a sure sign of his devotion! I've supplanted you! It took a while," she said.
"Not that long. Before you began dating, he was already looking to you as if you were the fountain of all knowledge," Logan said with a smirk.
"So what's up?" Mac asked.
"I have some news. I've been sitting on it a few days because I feel ill when I think about it. I haven't even told Veronica yet. Dick won't take the news well either," Logan announced.
Mac sat up in her chair, alarmed. "What's going on?" she asked.
"Trina has convinced the Goldsmiths that now is the best time to open a New York office. They want her to manage it," Logan said without preamble. He knew Mac would understand the implications.
Mac blinked, trying to absorb the news. "She wants to move to New York? What about Richie?" she asked.
"I don't know. She says it won't be quickly. It'll take several months. She feels we'll work it all out. You know Trina," Logan said.
Mac began to feel more than a little pissed. "I can't believe she'd do this! I thought she'd been happy here. That she was finally rooted. Things have been so great with her and Richie. Not to mention, her birth mother," Mac said. Mac recalled all the time she'd spent with Trina when she was pregnant with Richie. They had taken ASL classes together and everything. Now she was feeling let down and regretting the trust she'd put in Trina.
"Yeah. I think this new guy has a lot to do with it. Her trip to New York with him last weekend went a little too well," Logan said sourly. "No good deed goes unpunished."
"Veronica and Dick will be devastated," Mac said.
"That's the thing. You, me, and Dick are equal partners. We have the power to kill this deal," Logan pointed out. "However, is it wise to base our business decisions on our emotional fears? Trina has worked up a sound business plan. I just emailed it to you before I came in here. Take a look at it."
Mac tapped some keys on her computer and found the email he'd sent. Logan waited silently as she took several minutes reading Trina's proposal.
After she finished reading, she leaned back and sighed. "It's a good plan," she admitted. "Has our accountant looked over the numbers?"
Logan nodded, looking more than a little sad. "It's a solid plan. New York is where the most fashion in America takes place. There's an unlimited number of potential clients with all the nearby universities and colleges. Trina does know a lot of people. She can pour on the charm when it's needed. She could probably make it highly successful and lucrative," Logan said.
"But do we want an expansion at all? Neither you nor I am business majors. Only Dick wants to do this kind of thing for the rest of his life. Do we want this kind of commitment? That's something we should consider outside of the Richie factor," Mac pointed out.
"Good point," Logan said. "However, Dick would be the first to tell you that hiring good people means less work for us. Training people we trust is key. We never have to be more involved than we want to be. We are owners. We chose to be managers. However, we can give that part up anytime. I think Trina will ask to buy in as partner eventually. At least with the New York office."
Mac was thoughtful a moment. Then she closed her eyes picturing the look on both Dick and Veronica's face when they found out about this. Finally, she faced Logan. "We can't support this. How can we?" Mac asked, looking upset at the thought.
Logan didn't feel the relief he thought he'd feel at Mac's words. Trina was his sister. He knew how much she wanted this. How happy she was for the first time in her life. How could Logan be the one to tell her no? Hurting the women in his life was not something he would ever willingly do. Yet if he said yes to Trina, this would hurt Veronica. However, saying no in no way guaranteed Trina wouldn't still leave. She could leave in anger and disappointment, keeping Richie from them.
What was he going to do?
******More to Come******