Chapter 22: Spaghetti
"We're drawing up a plan for world domination."
"If Ellen Beals thinks that she can run this show," Kelly hissed. Payson glanced quickly at the door. For two weeks Adam had been lurking around every corner and Payson was terrified that if he heard the things Kelly was saying, he would run off to Beals and get Kelly fired.
"Careful," Payson warned. Kelly rolled her eyes.
"If that little lap dog wants to run off and tell Beals what I think of her, let him. Hell, call her and I'll tell her myself," Kelly said dismissively. Payson sighed.
"Look, Ellen Beals has a reason for putting Adam here to "observe" and until we find out what it is I don't want you, or Sasha, saying anything she could use against you," Payson said. Kelly was about to speak when Adam appeared in the doorway.
"Speak of the devil," Kelly muttered. Payson shot her a warning glare.
"What's up, Adam?" Payson asked. Adam looked over his should, toward the floor, uncomfortably.
"There's some little kid on the floor. Really little." Payson frowned as Kelly leaned around him to see what was going on.
"It's Harper. Your mom is down there too," Kelly said with a smile. Payson pushed herself out of her chair and swept past all of them.
"That's my daughter, Harper," Payson said by way of explanation. Adam swallowed roughly and nodded.
"Oh." Payson and Kelly made their way down the stairs to greet Kim and Harper, and for some reason Adam decided he should follow them.
"Hey Mom," Payson said, hugging Kim tightly.
"Hi sweetie. I know you don't usually pick her up for another couple of hours, but Becca's car broke down so your father and I need to go pick her up," Kim explained. Payson shook her head.
"Don't worry about it," Payson said.
"Harper, want to go play on the beam?" Kelly asked, swinging the little girl up into her arms.
"Yes! Yes!" Harper shrieked. Kelly laughed and looked to Payson for permission.
"Just be careful," she reminded them. Adam cleared his throat loudly and Payson rolled her eyes. He was like a gnat in her ears, buzzing around, never letting her forget his presence. "Mom, this is Adam. He's going to be coaching the Olympic Team with Sasha, Kelly, and me," Payson said through her teeth. Kim frowned, glancing back and forth between them.
"What happened to Austin?" Kim asked, her eyes narrowed at Adam.
"I'll tell you later," Payson promised. Kim snorted, knowing exactly what Payson wasn't saying; Adam was not there by Sasha's invitation. "Give Becca a hug for me."
"Will do sweetie. Love you."
"Love you too, Mom."
"I didn't realize you're a mom," Adam said from behind Payson as she watched Kelly and Harper at the beam. Kelly was help her learn cartwheels and Harper's face was lit with joy; somehow Payson suspected her daughter would be competing in 2032 whether she liked it or not.
"For four years now," Payson said, her eyes landing on the gymnast working her beam routine. "Commit, Julie!"
"You're a good coach," Adam said, closer than he had been just a moment before. Payson felt a shudder run down her spine and took a step away.
At the same time, Sasha walked through the main doors, back from running a few errands. Harper shrieked and insisted that Kelly help her down from the beam before she flung herself at him.
"Daddy!" Sasha swung Harper into his arms, planting a kiss on her cheek and tickling her. Payson smiled, until she heard Adam suck in a breath.
"So it's true?" he hissed. Payson rounded on him, her eyes narrowed at the accusation.
"Is what true?" Payson growled. Adam's eyes ticked to where Sasha was carrying Harper up to the office and it was clear, Adam believed that Harper was Sasha's biological daughter, and that the rumors back when Payson had been a gymnast were true.
"You and Sasha…"
"Shut up," Payson snapped, invading his personal space and shoving her finger into his chest. "Harper is my daughter from my first marriage. In two weeks, she will be Sasha's step-daughter. You think you know something about us, about this gym? You don't know anything."
"I'm just saying what it looks like," Adam said, holding his hands up in surrender.
"To you, what it looks like to you. But it's none of your business is it? Excuse me."
Payson shoved past him and ran up the stairs to join her family in the office, Kelly following closely on her heels. Harper was smooshed into a corner of the couch coloring while Sasha was on the phone. By the sound of it, he was on the phone with GK discussing a few minor changes to the design of Team USAs leos. He smiled and winked at Payson.
Without waiting for him to end the call, Payson pressed herself to him, slipping her arms around his waist and holding tightly. He frowned, but wrapped his free arm around her shoulders and held tightly.
"What's wrong, love?" He asked when he hung up.
Payson debated telling Sasha about what Adam had said. Part of her wanted to, but another part, and bigger part, knew that if she told him Sasha could make a scene and possibly hurt his reputation with the NGO. They all knew Adam was a mole digging for something, and Payson didn't want to give him any ammunition.
"Nothing, I just needed a hug," Payson said. Sasha stared at her like he knew she was lying, but let it go.
Payson met Kelly's eyes across the room and she knew they were thinking the same thing; they needed to get rid of Adam.
#
Spruce Juice hadn't changed much in the eight years since Payson had been a competing gymnast; it still looked exactly the same, and it was still the coolest place in town. So when Lauren and Kaylie insisted on a wedding-planning date, Spruce Juice was where they went.
"When do I get to see my dress?" Payson asked the second Lauren and Kaylie sat down. They'd had a long "concept meeting," as Lauren had called it, about the type of dress Payson wanted and then Lauren had taken more measurements than were probably necessary. But since then, Payson hadn't seen anything Lauren was working on.
"Um, when you put it on," Lauren snorted, like it was something Payson should have known.
"What if there are last minute adjustments? What if I don't like it?" Payson asked, verging on a shriek. Her heart hammered in her chest; Lauren was going to single handedly ruin her wedding.
"You'll love it, I promise," Lauren insisted. Kaylie nodded fiercely in agreement.
"I have to say Payson, you're going to. It's very you," Kaylie promised. Payson looked at Kelly with a raised eyebrow, daring her to agree. Kelly just shrugged, unwilling to get into the argument.
"On to other business," Kaylie said before Payson could really start an argument about the dress. Payson sighed and leaned back in her chair, waving for Kaylie to keep talking. "We've got Le Privilege for the rehearsal dinner, just like we talked about. If you're going to force us to plan a wedding in your back yard we at least get to glam it up for the rehearsal dinner."
"It's not in my backyard," Payson said defensively. Kaylie and Lauren rolled their eyes.
"Your backyard, your parents' backyard, whatever," Lauren scoffed.
"I'm letting you guys host the reception in Kaylie's backyard," Payson groused. When Payson had suggested having the entire wedding, ceremony and reception, in the Keeler's backyard, Kaylie had nearly lost her mind. Apparently backyard wedding weren't fancy enough, but Payson thought it was perfect for her and Sasha.
"Okay enough, listen we only have two weeks until the big day and we still need to pick out the bouquets. We need to do that today."
"Well the florist is like two blocks from here, let's just go now," Kelly suggested.
"Exactly," Lauren said. "Come on."
"Emily isn't here to give her input. She isn't flying in until next week," Payson reminded them. Lauren, Kaylie, and Kelly groaned in frustration.
"Emily will trust our judgment," Kelly promised. Payson glared.
"Traitor," Payson muttered.
"Come on, Pay, we'll let you pick them," Kaylie assured in her therapist voice, one that became more and more pronounced every time she came back from NYU. Payson narrowed her eyes at her, not completely trusting that Lauren was even capable of letting Payson actually make the decision, but followed them to the florist shop anyway.
The overwhelming sweetness of the shop nearly made Payson gag, she'd never gotten over her dislike of intensely sweet smells, like vanilla, though Jeffrey had always asked her to try. He loved the smell of roses and sugar. Sasha loved the spicy citrus perfume she wore.
Swallowing past the urge to throw up, Payson followed her friends into the shop.
"Afternoon! Can I help you ladies?" A tiny old woman appeared from the back room as Payson, Lauren, Kaylie, and Kelly approached the counter. Payson noticed her hands were gnarled with arthritis and wondered how she could possibly work anymore. She must have had help.
"My friend Payson here is getting married in two weeks and we need to pick out some bouquets for her and for the bridesmaids, us," Lauren explained. The old woman nodded.
"Two weeks? That is not much time for flowers," she warned. Lauren gave her that same smile she'd always used when she was planning to get exactly what she wanted, no matter what.
"I'm sure you'll find a way to make it happen. Payson and her fiancé are pretty famous, as am I, and if you pull this off we will tell the whole world that Emilene's Flower Shop is the best florist in Boulder." Payson rolled her eyes, she did that a lot when Lauren was around, but it seemed to have the desired effect. The old woman pulled out a thick binder full of samples.
"Well then I suppose we'd best get started," she said with a smile.
#
"Payson, I need you!" Annabelle shouted from the beam, in the middle of an aerial cartwheel. She landed solidly on the four inches, flicking her hands with flair and tossing the imaginary judges a smile.
"For what, Annabelle?" Payson asked, jogging across the floor. Annabelle had been back for a couple of days and she was going at her training like gangbusters, coming in early and staying late trying to make up for the time she'd lost.
"I'm ready to try my new dismount without the pit to catch me, but I think I need the harness," Annabelle said. Payson nodded.
"Yes you do, I'll go get it. Work through the routine one more time and focus on the little things; extensions, expressions, etc," Payson reminded her. Annabelle gave her a salute and hopped off the beam to start again from the beginning.
"Annabelle," Adam said as soon as Payson was out of sight. "Can I talk with you for a second?"
Annabelle narrowed her eyes at the NGO guy who'd been skulking around the Rock. There was something slimy about him, about the way he was always just…there, and she didn't like him one bit. The farther he stayed away from her, the better.
"If you can do it while I work. We only have six weeks until Trials, I'm not about to take even one second away from training if I don't have to," Annabelle told him.
"You were suspended last week, what for?" Adam asked. Annabelle faltered, landing her switch leap with shaky legs.
"I did something I shouldn't have. It was a one-time mistake, won't happen again," Annabelle said firmly. Adam studied her for a moment, obviously wondering if he should push for the specific reason or just let it go. He dropped it.
"Payson and Sasha, they good coaches?" Adam asked.
"The best," Annabelle replied. She launched herself into an acrobatics series that took her the length of the beam. "I wouldn't be where I am if it wasn't for those two crazy kids. Plus, they're awesome pseudo-parents."
"Pseudo-parents?" Adam pressed.
"Yeah," Annabelle said, jumping down to the mats. "I'm really close with their family and they've done a lot for me. I love them like crazy." Adam nodded and backed away as Payson reappeared with the harness.
"Thank you for your time, Annabelle." Payson frowned as he walked to the other end of the gym.
"What was that about?" Payson asked. Annabelle shrugged, stepping into the harness and letting Payson tighten it for her.
"Nothing really. He wanted to know why I got suspended but I wouldn't tell him," Annabelle assured her.
"Good. Don't, okay? We have no idea what he's up to."
"Yes ma'am!" Annabelle chirped. She let Payson hook her into the cables and then hauled herself onto the beam.
"Okay, Belle, let's see it."
#
"What do you think?" Sasha asked Kelly as they stood together in the office, watching the floor. They wore identical scowls, their arms crossed over their chests.
"I think we've never been able to trust Beals before, why start now?" Kelly said darkly. Sasha nodded.
"What can we do about it? He hasn't done anything, as of yet, to warrant me kicking him out on his arse," Sasha reminded her. The worst Adam had done was annoy all of them, at least that they had proof of.
"Didn't you seem him interrogating Annabelle earlier? He's digging, looking for a single chink in our armor, a way he can tears us all apart," Kelly said. Sasha's frown lines deepened.
"How do you know?"
"How easily you forget. Before Payson and I got all buddy-buddy, I was evil, remember? I did what Adam is doing to every team I came up against, and I did it better," Kelly said, a hint of pride in her voice. Sasha snorted out a laugh.
"Ah yes, the devil horn days," he teased. She reached out and elbows him gently.
"No mocking," she chastised.
"Of course, of course. So how do we get him to stop digging?" Sasha asked. For a moment they were both silent, until Kelly took a deep breath, blowing it out slowly.
"We start. There has to be something on this guy, right? And if we can find it, we can use it to distract him from whatever mission Beals has him on."
"How do you want to do it?" He asked.
"You, get Googling. I'll come up with a way to distract him until we have something," Kelly said. Sasha smiled coldly.
"Let's go to work."
A/N: Thanks a million to explamation points forever, JTellersOldLady, Egyptian Kiss, SunStar123, Kiwiflea, JCI, 4321-G-R-A-C-I-E-1234, poppetrussell, LauraW89, Barrel of Monkeys, and lakessler for your amazing reviews!
Now, are you all ready for a super long author's note? Good, buckle up. First, I know this chapter is short, and I'm sorry for that. Sometimes that's just how the cards fall. Second, the title and "lyrics" that go with this chapter are not my usual format. The song that conveyed the mood I wanted is instrumental and is indeed called "Spaghetti" and it's from a television show (bonus points if you can tell me which one). Since it has no actual lyrics, I pulled a fitting quote from the episode it was featured in. Hope that makes sense. Also, double bonus points if you got the reference at the very end of this chapter.
One FINAL bit; I have started writing a new MIOBI fic. I have the first chapter and not much else, and I probably won't have the second chapter done for a little while. That said, would you all like me to post the first chapter now (or soon)? Let me know if you do and I'll post it sometime this week.
REVIEW!