A Fresh Start
Chapter Ninety-Five
About thirty minutes after Richard leaves his office, Cassie rolls to her side and slowly wakes up. "Richard." She says, softly. When she doesn't get an answer, she sits up and looks around the room. Surprised that he's not there, she reaches for her clothes and gets dressed. Walking over to the door, she opens it and walks out. Amelia is at her desk when Cassie walks out. "Mrs. Winslow. Can I help you?" She asks.
"I was looking for Richard."
"He's in a meeting right now. He asked that you wait for him in his office. He should be through shortly."
"Oh, okay." Cassie says, turning to go back into Richard's office.
"Ma'am, is there anything that I can get you?" Amelia asks.
"Umm, could I have some water?" Cassie asks.
"Sure, do you want bottled water or would you like a glass?"
"Umm, could I have some bottled water in a glass?"
"Sure, I'll bring it right in."
"Thank you." Cassie says, walking back into Richard's office,
She sits back down on the couch. Looking around the office, she's thinking about Richard's office at the palace and how this is so much different. A few moments later, Amelia comes in with the glass of water. Handing it to her, she asks. "Will there be anything else?"
"No, thank you." Cassie replies. Nodding she leaves the office, closing the door behind her.
Getting up, Cassie walks over to the bookshelves that are behind Richard's desk. Looking at the different photos that are there, some of them are from their time in San Cristobel and some of them look to be of places that he had gone to while being Prince and before they were married. Some of them, he had told her about. She picks up one of the pictures that she had seen in palace. She's looking at it when her cell phone begins to ring. Putting the picture back, she walks around his desk. Reaching for her purse, she pulls it out and answers on the third ring. "Cassie Winslow."
"Cassie, its Olivia."
"Hi."
"I wanted to keep you up to date on the Marshall matter. I just finished speaking with him."
"What did you tell him?"
"I told him that we're considering the offer, but that we do have reservations."
"And what did he say?"
"He's willing to answer our questions, but he's really interested in speaking to you about the deal. He wants you to handle it and not me."
"Okay, I'm not against this. From reading over the information he gave you, it sounds like a promising deal, but he's going to have tell us everything and right now I don't have time to sit down and talk to him. Is he still at the Beacon?"
"No, he checked out. He flew back to London, but he's scheduled to be back next week."
"Alright, did he leave a contact number?"
"Yes."
"Okay, give me the number. Let me get some paper. " Cassie says looking around Richard's desk for a pad and pen. Finding one, she says. "Okay, what's the number?"
"Its country code 011, city code 393 and the number is 555-8440."
"Alright, I'll call him and schedule another meeting with him."
"Okay."
"Thanks." Cassie says, taking the paper and folding it up.
"Are you going to be in tomorrow?"
"Yes, I know I haven't been there that much this week, but I should be there tomorrow."
"Okay." They hang up.
As Cassie is finishing up the call with Olivia, Richard is finishing up his meeting with Mr. Carrington. "So, you understand why that at this time we can not accept the proposal for you to build here in Springfield?" Richard asks.
"Of course."
"I want you to understand, we're not completely closed to the idea of your company building the plant. But if we were to do this we would have to have certain stipulations in place, one of them being that you and your company would be able to guarantee the environmental safety of your workers and the community."
"We understand your position." Mr. Carrington replies standing up, followed by Richard. "I'll take the matter before the board and we'll discuss your stipulations and get back to you."
"Of course." Richard says, opening the door to the conference room.
Mr. Carrington walks out, followed by Richard. "I'll be waiting for your answer." Richard says, holding out his hand.
"Yes Sir." Mr. Carrington replies, shaking Richard's hand before he leaves with Richard following him.
As he leaves, Richard turns to Amelia. "Is my wife still asleep?" He asks.
"No, she's awake now." Stacey replies."
"Okay, you can take my calls off voicemail." Richard says, walking over to his office door.
"Yes sir." She replies reaching for the phone as Richard opens the door.
Cassie turns to see who is coming in as she puts her cell phone back in her purse. Closing the door behind him, Richard walks over to his desk as he asks. "Who was on the phone?"
"Olivia, she just finished speaking with Mr. Marshall and she wanted to talk to me about it."
"How did it go?"
"He's still interested but he wants to talk to me about it and not handle the deal through Olivia. Olivia told him about our concerns and he's willing to discuss them." Cassie says yawning. "I don't know why I'm so tired today."
"We did have a bit of a late night."
"We've had later nights than that at the palace and I've been fine. I don't have any energy today." Cassie says sitting down in the chair she was sitting in before. "And I certainly didn't mean to fall asleep before."
"You can fall asleep in my arms or office anytime." Richard says, walking over to her and leaning against his desk. "Are you going to get the boys when you leave here?"
"Yes."
"Why don't you let them stay till I come home? I'll pick them up from Harley's and you'll have time to relax a little bit between now and then." Richard says, as his phone begins to ring.
"You have to go to work." Cassie says, getting up.
"Cassie, leave the boys at Harley's and I'll pick them up after I get off." Richard says, as he phone rings again.
"You need to answer that." Cassie says, reaching for her purse as he reaches for the phone.
Picking up, he pushes the button for line one "Richard Winslow."
"Richard, its William."
"Yes, William." He says, as Cassie looks up.
"I was wondering if you would mind me coming out to the farm this evening."
"I thought you would be spending this evening with Ava." Richard says.
"Well, she will probably be with me." William says, looking over at her. "That is, if you don't mind."
"No, I don't mind. Let me speak to Cassie, give me a second."
"Okay."
Taking the phone away from his ear, he says. "William wants to come out to the farm tonight, do you mind?"
"No, but how is he going to come out there tonight if he's in San Cristobel?"
"He's not in San Cristobel. He's here in Springfield. I ran into him at Company today. Do you mind?"
"No of course not, Will will be happy to see him again." Cassie says, as Richard nods, bring the phone back up.
"William that will be fine."
"What time are they coming?" Cassie asks.
"What time are you coming?"
"Umm, probably around seven or eight, we have reservations at Towers for six."
"Okay, he says about seven or eight." Richard says to Cassie as she nods. "We'll see you then."
"Okay, see you then." William says, hanging up.
"He's in Springfield, what about the vote?"
"The vote won't be for a few weeks. He's here to spend some time with Ava and I believe he's escorting her to Jeffrey and Sam's wedding."
"How does Jeffrey feel about that?"
"I'm not really sure. I think he's a little bit worried." Richard says, putting the phone back on the hook.
"Worried, why?"
"He's concerned that William is going to do something that will hurt Ava."
"I seriously doubt that William will do anything to hurt her. She's carrying his child."
"I don't think he thinks he would physically hurt her. No, I think he's more worried about her being emotionally hurt. He was in San Cristobel during the time that William first came into our lives and he knows how he used to be. And I think he's afraid that those tendencies are still there."
"William is not the same guy he was then. And I think it's a good thing that he's here and spending time with Ava."
"Where are you going?"
"If he's coming over, I've got to go home and straighten up."
"The house is fine Cassie. I want you to go home and rest this afternoon. And I'll pick the boys up after I leave here." Richard says, standing up and reaching for her.
"Yes, your highness." She says, mock saluting him.
"I'm serious Cassie. If you're feeling that tired, take the afternoon and relax. I'm sure William will not care if a few things are out of place when he comes tonight."
"I'll be fine. And I promise I'll relax."
"I want you to do more than relax take another nap if you want." He says, pulling her to him.
"Two naps in one day, whatever will I do with myself." She teases.
"You'll relax and you'll feel better." Richard says, leaning in to kiss her. "And when you're relaxed and feel better I don't worry about you."
"You don't need to worry about me now. It's probably the late night we had last night. I'll go home and I'll straighten up the house and then I'll take a hot bath and relax. I'll be fine when you and the boys get home tonight."
"Okay, promise."
"Yes, I promise. I'll relax and I won't spend the afternoon cleaning the house."
"Good, I'll see you tonight." He says, leaning in to kiss her.
"I'll see you then." Cassie says, releasing him. He holds onto her. "What?"
"I meant to thank you for distracting me."
"Umm, you're welcome." She says, leaning in to kiss him again.
"And I wanted to tell you that you can distract me anytime."
"I know." Cassie says kissing him lightly again before she leans back. "I'll see you tonight."
"Okay, I love you." He says, releasing her."
"I love you too." Cassie replies, leaning in for one more kiss as she reaches for her purse.
He walks her to the door and kissing her quickly before she leaves he returns to his desk as she walks out.
Turning his head, Jeffrey lightly kisses her before he moves off her. Laying down beside her, he asks. "What time did you tell Meagan and LaKeisha to meet us at Towers?"
"Six or Six thirty." Sam replies, moving over to him and laying her arm across his waist. "I'm glad we're having dinner tonight. I'll be able to talk to Meagan."
"Why?"
"Because I think something's going on between her and Patrick."
"What do you think is going on?"
"I don't know. But I'm surprised that he's not with her."
"She didn't tell you why he wasn't with her when you picked her up."
"Yes, she said he has to work."
"But you think it's more than that?"
"Yes, Patrick's a workaholic, I'll be the first to admit that as would he, but he's always taken time for family events."
"Maybe it's really important that he be here. Maybe his boss really needs him."
"His boss knows him and he knows Meagan and he's meet me before. I don't know what's going on but something about the way she answered me when I asked about Patrick makes me think there's more to him having to work this weekend."
"Maybe the problem isn't with them but with his boss. If he's always taking off for family occasions maybe his boss is tired of it."
"Well, tonight will give me a chance to talk to her about it."
"I'm surprised you didn't do it this morning."
"I couldn't when everyone else was here and she didn't stay long after they left, which is another reason why I think something else is going on."
"And you'll be able to talk to her about tonight at the restaurant."
"I don't know but if the opportunity arises I'm going to ask her about it." Sam says, leaning up and looking down at him. "Where did you get the idea for the song?"
"Umm, it's just been something I've been thinking about. The changing seasons and how they always come and how we've always been connected to each other."
"I like it." Sam says, leaning down to kiss him.
"You do." Jeffrey says, after she leans back.
"Yes I do." She replies, lying down beside him again.
They lay there for awhile, holding each other. When Sam starts to pull away, Jeffrey asks. "Where are you going?"
"I need to get a shower."
"You want some company." Jeffrey asks, reaching up to caress her cheek.
"We don't have time." Sam replies, turning her head to kiss his palm.
She gets up and head for the stairs. When she's at the door, Jeffrey leans up and says. "I love you."
"I love you too J." She replies, looking back over her shoulder and smiling before she goes downstairs.
A few moments later, Jeffrey hears the shower come on downstairs. Sitting up, he picks his guitar up and strums a few chords before he gets up and puts the guitar back on its stand. Walking back to the bed, he bends over and gathers up their clothes, taking over to the hamper before he walks into the closet.
Sam had a dress that she had worn several times when they had been to parties while on an assignment. She looked absolutely stunning in it and he loved when she wore it. He's still looking through her clothes when she walks in. "Are you picking out something to wear?" She asks, teasing him.
"No, I wanted to see if you had the dress you used to wear to parties when we were on assignment. The one I liked so much."
"That narrows it down a bit. I had a lot of dresses that you liked." Sam says, walking over to him.
"I know, but this was black and purple I believe. It might have been dark blue, but it had a sort of flower design on it. You wore it to the embassy party in Turkey after the peace talks."
"And you were extreme jealous of the Sheik. I remember." Sam says, walking over to her dresses. She begins to look through them. When she finds the dress she pulls it out. "Is this the one you're thinking about?"
"Yes, that's the one. You still have it."
"Of course, this cost me a fortune in Paris that year. So, I kept it and besides I like it too." Sam says, walking out of the closet with Jeffrey following behind her.
"You'll wear it."
"Of course I'll wear it. But don't you think it's a bit much for dinner with my friends at Towers."
"No, I want to show you off tonight." Jeffrey says, walking over to her.
"You do."
"Yes." He says, leaning in to kiss her.
She pulls away before things get to far out of control. "Okay, we've got and hour." She says, laying her hand on his chest to hold him back when he tries to kiss here again. "And I still have to get dress and do my hair."
"Alright, I'll go take a shower." Jeffrey says, walking out of the closet with Sam following behind him.
An hour later, Jeffrey holds the door open for her as they leave. He's wearing on of his suits and Sam is wearing the dress that Jeffrey asked her to wear."
About thirty minutes later, they pull up to Towers. As a surprise, Jeffrey arranged for a limo to pick them up at the loft as well as pick up Megan, LaKeisha and the boys. As the driver opens the door, Jeffrey gets out and then helps Sam, Megan, and LaKeisha, followed by the boys. As they walk into Towers, Jeffrey puts his arm around Sam, drawing her to him.
When the door to the elevator opens, they walk off and stop in front of the hostess, looking up, she says. "Mr. Mayor, welcome to Towers."
"Thank you. We have a reservation for six." Jeffrey says.
"Yes sir." The hostess says, checking his name off the list. "How many are in the party?"
"Six." Jeffrey says, looking around and counting everyone.
"Yes sir, if you will follow me." She says, taking their menus and walking in front of them. A few seconds later, she stops and asks. "Will this be okay?"
"This will be fine." Jeffrey replies.
The hostess lays the menus on the table as Jeffery helps Megan, LaKeisha and Sam with their chairs as the hostess says. "Your waiter will be here shortly and enjoy your meal."
"Thank you." They all reply
Jeffrey picks up the wine list and begins looking it over while the rest of them begin looking over their menus. Putting the wine list down, he's picking up his menu when he looks up and sees Ava walk in with William. He watches them until Sam asks, as she looks up. "Did you find a wine that you wanted?"
Noticing that he's not looking at the wine list anymore and that his attention seems to be focused on something else she looks to see what he's looking at and spots Ava and William being escorted to a table by the hostess. When Jeffrey puts his menu down and starts to get up, Sam reaches out to stop him, shaking her head no. "You can't." She says.
"I'm not going to…."
"You're going to confront them and they don't need that right now." Sam says, looking at William and Ava. "They need the chance to get to know each other and they can't do that and deal with you too."
"It's my job to protect her."
"And when and if she needs to be protected you will be there, but right now William hasn't done anything to warrant you interfering in that relationship." Sam says, picking up his menu and handing it to him.
He looks at her and then at the menu and then sits back down. "If he hurts her…."
"Then you have my permission to beat the bloody pulp out of him." Sam says, smiling at him.
"Okay, fine." Jeffrey says, leaning over to kiss her. "So Megan, Sam said that your husband had to work." Jeffrey says, looking at his menu.
"Ah yes, he did." Megan replies, looking at Sam.
"That's what you told me, is there another reason why he's not here?" Sam asks, looking at her.
"No, his boss wanted him to stay. He said that he was needed to help with a big project they are working on."
"What's the big project for?" Sam asks.
"What does your husband do?" Jeffrey asks. "I never got around to asking him when we met in DC."
"He's a private contractor. He's working right now for one of the construction company in Virginia, they are starting construction on a subdivision in Richmond, and he's been spending a lot of time there and on site." Megan says.
"So, he's in construction." Jeffrey says.
"Yes." Megan replies. "So, Sam tells me that you won't tell her where you're taking her for the honeymoon." Megan says, changing the subject.
"It's a surprise and I explained that to her." Jeffrey says, as their waiter walks up to them.
Ava noticed Sam and Jeffrey when they walk over to their table. And when William helped her into her chair he noticed that she was watching someone or something across the room. "What is it?" He asks, looking up. He sees Jeffrey start to stand up and then stop.
"My Dad is here with Sam." Ava says, watching the conversation between Jeffrey and Sam.
William hears her sigh softly when Jeffrey sits back down and he looks down at her. "You're worried about him coming over here."
"I don't want another scene like we had at Company today." Ava says, still watching Jeffrey.
"He's only protecting you."
"From what?"
"From me…." Ava starts to say something but William continues. "And I can understand that. I got his daughter pregnant and I'm not married to her."
"That was our decision."
"I know that, but I'm still the guy that got you pregnant."
"But until you showed up this afternoon he never acted as though that bother him. He has always been supportive."
"And maybe that's because he didn't want to attack along with Olivia."
"So he's been pretending."
"No, he's decided that it was better to not come at you when Olivia was coming at you too. He was protecting you from her. Listen, your dad has his reasons for not being to happy about you and me."
"What reasons?"
"He's afraid I'll hurt you."
"How are you going to hurt me?"
"He knew me when I first came back to San Cristobel, when Richard and Cassie were still in power and they adopted Will. He knew the circumstances, or what we thought were the circumstances around Will being put up for adoption. He knew what kind of man I was."
"And what kind was that?"
"I wasn't the prince I am now. I was care free and irresponsible and a little selfish. Cassie changed all of that, but that's what I was and your father seen me like that and he's worried that I'll do the same thing to you that I did to Camille."
"You're a good man who has made mistakes. So is my dad and he getting a second chance, why can't you?"
"I'm not saying that I can't. And your dad will realize this. I'm saying that right now he wants to protect you and he will if he thinks you're going to be hurt. Give him sometime to see us together."
"Okay, I will." Ava says, sighing softly.
"He only wants what is best for you. And that might be me that might not. We don't know yet."
"But I think we're off to a good start, don't you."
"Yes, I do." William says, leaning over to kiss her.
"Good." She says, with a smile when he releases her as their waiter walks up to them.
"Your Highness, are you ready to order?" He asks, ignoring Ava and focusing all his attention on William.
"No, can you give a few more moments. We haven't had a chance to look over the menu."
"Of course, your Highness." The waiter replies, bowing slightly as he backs away from the table, nearly backing into another waiter. "Take all the time you need." He mumbles.
He leaves as Ava starts laughing. "How do you get used to that?"
"It took me a while." William says, smiling as he looks over the menus. "Is there something you want?"
"Umm, I don't know." Ava says, picking up her menu.
About ten minutes later, their waiter has returned and William orders for them. When the waiter leaves Ava stands up. "Is something wrong?" William asks.
"No, I've got to the restroom." Ava says, reaching for her purse.
"Okay." William says, standing up as Ava leaves the table. He sits back down and nods to the couple sitting in the table beside them as he takes a sip of wine.
After the waiter brings their drinks, Sam reaches for her purse as she stands up and Jeffrey asks. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing, I need to go to the restroom. I'll be right back."
"Is it the baby?"
"No, he's fine." Sam replies, before walking away.
As Sam walks into the restroom, Ava is leaving lone of the stalls. "Ava." Sam says walking into one of the stalls.
"Hi." Ava replies, as she begins to wash her hands. "I noticed that you stopped Dad from leaving the table a little bit ago." She says, rinsing her hand off and reaching for a paper towel.
"Umm, yes." Sam replies, flushing the toilet and walking out of the stall.
"Was he coming over to William and I?"
"Yes." Sam says, looking at her in the mirror.
"Did he say why?" Ava asks, as Sam starts to wash her hands.
"He's worried about you."
"Because of William."
"Yes."
"William will not hurt me."
"And eventually your Dad will see that, but right now he wants to protect his little girl, even if he didn't raise you, he feels like he has to protect you. He'll relax once he's sure you're not going to be hurt." Sam says, drying her hands. "Give him time."
"William said the same thing." Ava says, holding the door for him.
"Then you need to listen to him." Sam replies, walking out behind Ava.
They go back to their table and when Sam sits down, Jeffrey leans over and asks. "Is she okay?"
"She's fine. She's a little confused with you though."
"So Sam, you referred to the baby as a he?" LaKeisha asks.
"Yes, it's a habit."
"So, you don't know the sex yet?"
"Of course not, I'm only a few weeks along."
"So, what do you want?" Megan asks, looking at Jeffrey
"I don't care." Jeffrey replies
"He says that, but he wants a boy." Sam says, teasing him.
"I'm serious. I don't care. As long as it's healthy and has your eyes. I don't care." Jeffrey says, as the waiter brings their food.