Because I'm doing so well with the chapter writing (almost done 19) and I'm going to continue to stay 4 chapters ahead of myself, here's 15. I still say 17 is by far my favourite chapter though!
Rory's fingers looped and twisted in the chain at her neck, absently flipping the single gorgeous diamond around in the process. Her eyes were focused on a random spot, her mind quite obviously elsewhere and oblivious to anything and everything around her as she waited for Logan to show up for their impromptu lunch. She'd been surprised but delighted at his call and his cheerful idea that they get lunch today. It would give her eyes a break from her computer screen.
"Hey, Ace, sorry I'm late," he greeted her in exhaustion, pressing a kiss to her cheek, then her temple.
She smiled, letting go of the Christmas present he'd surprised her with. "No problem, I'm in no hurry."
"Honour mentioned something about things slowing down. Everything's okay though, right?" he asked.
Rory allowed him a few more minutes of reprieve before questioning him over his change in demeanour. "Everything's fine. I think we've always had these times, the ups and then the downs. It happens. So what's going on with you?"
"Classic boring question, Ace."
"Classic evasion of said boring question, Mac." She was glad to see a smile break over his face, even if it was small.
Logan sighed. "I have to go to London."
She tried not to let herself feel depressed at the information. After all, business was business and she travelled all the time. "England?"
He shot her a teasing grin. "Do you know of any other London?"
God she loved this game. "Ontario," she responded smartly.
"Canada?" he asked confusion.
"Been brushing up on your geography?" she teased.
Logan groaned. "Ace, I'm trying to be serious here."
She knew he was. "For how long?"
"A week, at least."
She tried not to let herself get upset. It wasn't that she couldn't live without him, it was more she was too used to seeing him everyday to allow herself to go cold turkey. "At least?"
"You never know with my father," he replied with a shrug of his shoulders. "Sometimes things can get out of hand."
This is stupid, Rory told herself, taking a deep breath. "Okay."
"Okay?" Logan knew it wasn't okay, could see it in her eyes. She was trying to be strong, trying to keep a brave face. He wasn't too happy with the idea that he'd be an ocean away from her, even for a week. When his father had called to say he was going to London, Logan had almost flipped his lid. However, not only had his father's tone brooked no room for argument, but it wouldn't be the first time they were separated for that long. Sure, it would be the first time since their relationship status changed, but they'd both been on business trips before.
"Okay," Rory reaffirmed. Her heart was beating fast in her chest, her mind reeling, but she grabbed hold of her emotions and shoved them in a box. She was being stupid. They were six months into the relationship, not a year. "It's just a week, right?"
"It could be just a week."
She ignored the gentle correction. "We've been apart for a week before, I think I'll be able to live. Why do you have to go?"
"Business. Dad's been pushing me to go on more and more trips because of the whole heir thing. Apparently this is meeting our international heads."
"Sound fantastic," she said sarcastically. Both of them hated playing to society.
"I'm over the moon about it, really," he responded before turning to the approaching waiter. Logan watched as Rory placed her order, noticing the tension in her shoulders and wishing he could find some way to make it disappear. Then it hit him. "Come with me."
Rory's gaze shot to his, her attention successfully diverted from her absent-minded people watching. "What?"
"Come to London with me. There's a huge thing at the end of the week, come with me. Come save me from the boredom!"
Rory laughed. "I can't, Logan!"
"Why not! Honour can take over for a week. You could see London!"
Rory was still grinning, her heart speeding up at his need to convince her. "And what about Sophie? You know, the cute little eight-year-old you spent a weekend with in the Vineyard?"
"What about her?" Logan asked. "Bring her too."
"Sophie's got school, Logan," she reminded him.
"She can miss a week."
Rory raised an eyebrow. "It's not a matter of whether she can or not, Logan."
"It's London, Ace, how often is she going to get the chance to see London?"
"She won't miss school," Rory said with a laugh. "We can't just pack up and go to London for a week."
In a twisted way, the regret in her voice warmed his heart. "I wish you could come."
"You'll be back before you know it. And its not like we won't be able to talk on the phone or via e-mail."
He sighed, taking her hand across the table. "I don't know why I'm having such a hard time with this one. I mean, we've both done this before, we've both gone on trips before..."
"And I've been gone since we've started our relationship…" Rory agreed, also slightly unsure as to why an uncomfortable feeling had settled in her stomach.
He sighed, though smiled tightly. "Let's just enjoy lunch, okay?"
Her smile was as tight as his. "Let's just enjoy lunch."
I am never letting my father talk me into this stuff ever again, Logan thought to himself as he looked around the large banquet hall on Friday night during the gala. He adjusted his bow tie, horribly uncomfortable in the tux he'd been forced into. He sat at the table alone, after dinner and during the dancing, counting down the hour and a half he had before he could leave.
"Thank God, I thought I was going to be all alone tonight!"
Logan looked at the blond that approached and couldn't stop the grin stretching over his face. "Amber Martin what on earth are you doing here?"
Logan had met Amber at another one of the stuffy parties his father and the company had thrown ages ago and they'd immediately bonded, both pushed into the family newspaper business without much choice. Amber had accepted it and moved into the role without much effort. Logan, on the other hand, resisted that acceptance.
"I'm here with dear old Dad. I'm assuming that's what brings you to this cheery country?"
"That would be the reason I'm invading your home country," Logan shot back.
"And dateless, that's a surprise."
"My date couldn't make it."
"And you didn't find another one?"
"I don't think she'd be to happy with that."
Then it all clicked and Amber squealed smacking his shoulder as she stood beside him. "You have a girlfriend! You! I think I've just stepped into the Twilight Zone."
Logan chuckled at Amber's enthusiasm. "I do. I tried to convince her to come."
"And?"
"She couldn't," Logan said, his tone telling his companion it was probably obvious.
Amber laughed. "I noticed."
"She's working all this week and her adoptive daughter has school…"
"She's raising a kid?" Amber asked, absently waving to the dance floor.
Logan stood and nodded, putting a hand on the small of Amber's back as they made their way to the dance floor. He groaned as the cameras started going off and subconsciously placed a little more space between him and his companion. "Sophie's eight."
"Wow. And she works too? That's a skill."
"She's good at juggling it all," Logan praised. "I met her at one of Honour's things."
"Ah, the infamous charity. I have yet to be able to make it to one of the benefits."
Logan grinned down at her, replacing his hands in the tux pockets. "I have it on good authority the events you want to attend aren't the formal ones, but the little casual ones they throw for the kids and their families. Apparently, according to Sophie, those are much more fun than the stuffy business parties."
"You know a lot about Catherine's Foundation."
"Between Rory and Honour, I should," Logan acknowledged.
"I take it Rory's the girlfriend?"
Logan nodded, his face breaking out into a small smile. "Rory's the girlfriend."
"How long?"
Amber's question made Logan smile even more. "Six months."
Amber stepped back, shock plainly written over her face. "Are you serious? You, Logan Huntzberger, self-proclaimed bachelor for life, have been dating one girl for half a year?"
"I've known her for longer than that," Logan pointed out. "We didn't start dating until the month before Christmas."
"What did you get her for that fantastic holiday," Amber asked with a sly smile.
Logan laughed. "Diamond solitaire necklace, but you know what she got me?"
"What?" Amber asked, completely enthralled by the way Logan had so quickly taken to the subject. He quite obviously had it bad for this girl.
"A first edition Charles Dickens."
Amber's mouth dropped. She knew how much Logan loved Dickens. "She did not!"
"A Tale of Two Cities too. I discussed that book with her daughter one weekend when we were in the Vineyard."
"Already doing the family vacation thing, you sure move fast."
Logan shook her head. "Sophie had been in the hospital and Rory needed a break so I offered."
"This is absolutely amazing," Amber said with a genuine smile. "Our Huntz completely and totally whipped by a single female. I'm going to need to talk to the papers."
Logan's face went white. "Please don't. We love the life we lead right now, I don't think either one of us really needs the extra attention."
Amber cocked her head to the side, both of them essentially completely oblivious to what was going on around them. "You really care about this one, don't you."
Logan sighed. "I don't know what I feel."
Amber snorted. "Liar.'
"Okay, I know what I'm feeling, but I don't know how to explain it."
"Love, maybe?"
Logan looked at her in surprise. "Love?"
"I'm listening to you go on and on about this girl and it's so obvious you've got it really bad for her, Logan," Amber tried to explain. "You've taken her kid, for goodness sakes and you're definitely not the same Logan that came her for this same gala three years ago."
"That doesn't mean I'm in love."
Amber rolled her eyes. Sometimes guys could be so dense. "Hon, you want to protect her with everything in you, right?"
"Yeah…"
"You hate seeing her stressed, hurt, upset, etc?"
"Yeah…"
"You're not afraid of the fact that she's got a daughter."
"Right."
"So now tell me this. Would you like to see her with another man?"
"No!" Logan exclaimed immediately.
"Do you spend as much time together as possible?"
"Yeah."
"Do you think about her constantly?"
"Yeah."
"Would you give everything up for her?"
It took Logan a little bit longer to answer that one, but when he did, it was with strong conviction. "Yes."
Amber smiled up at him. "I think you're in love, Huntz."
"It's been six months, I can't be in love."
"You were the one that said you guys were friends first. It's natural now you're in a relationship to feel more intense feelings than that."
Logan groaned. "Enough. Let's talk about you."
"What about me," Amber asked innocently.
"What is this new promotion I hear you managed to wrangle…?
-----------------------------------------
Shira Huntzberger watched her son and Amber Martin dance and interact and smiled. She was glad to see her son interacting with a woman more his status in society. While the Hayden girl shared his wealth, this one was more his sophistication and she made a lovely assistant.
"Mitchum, isn't that fantastic? Look at our boy and that Martin girl."
"Amber? What is he doing with Amber? Isn't he still dating Rory?" Mitchum asked, his brow knitting as he searched his son out in the crowded room. Sure enough, there they were, dancing and laughing and chatting away.
"The Martins are a much better family," Shira said with distain. "Better than that working girl."
"Shira, I suggest you watch what you say. One wrong word and you could destroy their relationship."
Shira tried to hide the scheming smile she felt spreading across her face. One wrong word could destroy her son's relationship with the scandal child. An idea was forming in Shira's head, but she wasn't sure how to go about it without Mitchum or Logan finding out right away.
"Mitchum! Fantastic, I wanted to talk to you about some business. You don't mind, do you Shira?" George Bauer, one of Mitchum's associates, had stepped up, looking to Shira for her acquiescence.
Shira smiled. "That's fine, George," she answered. "I'm sure he's bored with hearing about the fashions around the room." She watched the men walk away, waiting until they were out of earshot before approaching a group of women she knew, luckily standing by a group of reporters.
"Shira! Fantastic to see you. Look at your son and that lovely girl! They look so good together!"
"Don't they? I'm so glad he asked her here. They've been dancing around this thing for years." Shira tried to hide her grin as the women gasped.
"You mean they're together?" one of the women questioned.
Shira nodded, keeping a corner of her eye on the reporters suddenly scribbling away. "It took them long enough. Goodness, I never thought I'd get to see the day Amber Martin became my daughter-in-law."
And that was the little tidbit it seemed the reporters needed to point their photographers towards the dancing couple. Shira smiled widely at how easy they were to manipulate. If everything went well, that little Hayden tramp would be out of her son's life in no time.
Rory groaned as she woke up on Saturday morning. She rolled over to glance at the clock and sighed. 11:26. On a Saturday morning and she was still in bed. Normally, the idea of it would drive her nuts, but she really didn't feel like doing anything. Still, she dragged herself out of bed with a sigh heading downstairs to the kitchen to find Sophie already spread out across the table, a phone to her ear. Rory didn't get a chance to hear who she was speaking to or what she was speaking about before Sophie said a quick good bye and hung up.
"Morning, Rory."
"Morning, Soph," Rory said, her voice scratchy with sleep. "Coffee?"
"Done and ready to go."
Rory headed to the coffee-maker and poured herself a mug, grabbing the arts, entertainment and society pages from the table. She opened them to the beginning, heading over to the toaster for poptarts before seating herself.
Sophie watched the woman that had become her mother as she flipped through the pages, carefully monitoring the woman across from her until she came across the page Sophie had been dreading. Sophie had learned early on that destroying the paper in anyway was almost a cardinal sin and so, had been forced to leave the page in.
The picture was of Logan and a blond, dancing the night away at the gala in London. The picture could very well be innocent, and Sophie truly believed it was. The caption and headline that followed, however, was a completely different story. It outlined the dance as one between two lovers, two people who had danced around a relationship and had only recently gotten up the courage to pursue it. The quotations from Shira Huntzberger herself were the icing on the cake.
Sophie knew the exact moment Rory came across the picture and the article. Rory's back stiffened straight, her spine elongating and Sophie was sure that if it wasn't for the fact that she had coffee in her mug, the mug would have long since fallen to the floor. The popping of the toaster went unnoticed as Rory continued to stare at the picture. Sophie was just starting to get worried when Rory stood and exited the kitchen, leaving Sophie behind.
She may be eight years old, but she wasn't stupid by any stretch of the imagination. She'd known Robert had cheated on Rory and knew that seeing this picture, followed by the article and the caption, would throw Rory back to those times. She cursed Logan in her head, swearing that he was an absolute idiot. When she'd seen the picture she'd questioned the honesty in him.
The difference between her and Rory was that Sophie trusted Logan completely. She had no reason not to. Rory had been hurt by Robert's cheating, and that had hurt Sophie, but Sophie truly believed that Logan cared for Rory. Picking up the phone and hitting redial, Sophie sighed.
"Hi Honour, it's Sophie. Have you seen the paper today?"