A/N: Thanks for reading. Enjoy!
"I understand. You have my word all will go well.", I hear Sawyer saying from inside Christian's study where Christian pulled him upon his arrival. I creak open the door and see Christian sitting behind his desk with his business face on while Sawyer sits in the chair across from him.
"Is everything ok?", I ask, making both men's heads jerk up.
"Everything is fine. I was simply reminding Sawyer how important it is for him to do his best when it comes to protecting you and Oliver."
"And I was giving my word that I'm going to make sure nothing happens. I only just got here, but it already feels great to be back. I've missed being here."
"We've missed having you here.", I tell him. "Right Christian?"
"Right.", Christian nods, getting to his feet. "I've got to get to work, but I hope you guys have a nice day." He places his hands on the small of my back and leads us out of the study while Sawyer follows. "I've got a meeting with the CEO of McNabb Corporation. It's not until four, but it shouldn't be too late when I get home so we can go out for dinner if you'd like."
"Have you forgotten? I'm going to make that new chicken and bacon casserole I showed you the recipe for." Stopping by the sofa where Gail's sitting, I fold my arms. "You said it sounded like it would be delicious."
"Baby, you're right. I forgot you were going to make that tonight. It's not that I don't want to try it, but you can make it another night. Tonight can be a night of just relaxing."
"We can relax afterwards. I'd rather stay home and have dinner here."
"All right. It's settled. We'll have dinner here." He eases over to the Oliver's bouncy seat where the baby is resting peacefully. Slowly, he bends and places a delicate kiss on Oliver's forhead. "Have a good day little man. I love you." When he raises up, he kisses me. "I love you."
"I love you too."
"You look perplexed.", Gail says. I look up from the list of ingredients for my casserole and growl. "It can't be that bad."
"I was going over the list and making sure I have all the things I need for the casserole I'm making tonight. I've got everything except bacon." I set the recipe down and climb on to one of the breakfast bar's stools.
"I'm sure it'll be ok without the bacon."
"Considering it's called chicken and bacon casserole, it would simply be chicken casserole. I still have plenty of time to go to the store for some bacon.", I shrug.
"I noticed earlier we're almost out of coffee which could be a potentially dangerous situation in the morning. I can go to the store and get both the coffee and the bacon."
"Thanks Gail.", I say as I see Kate walking from the living room and into the kitchen. "Kate, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at work?" Gail grabs her purse from the counter and slinks out of the room.
"I should.", she mutters. "But I needed to get out of that office in order to think. My head has been spinning so much that I can't concentrate." I notice that her eyes are red as if she's been crying. Noticing me, she opens her purse and takes out a tissue, dabbing her eyes. "My allergies are out of wack."
"Allergies...right."
"Ana, I feel guilty for being here. You believed I was the right person to take over your position at work, yet here I am, a mess. I shouldn't be your replacement."
"Let's not get ahead of ourselves. Have a seat, and tell me why you feel you're a mess." She settles at the table while I remain standing.
"Last night, Elliot went out with some guys from work which was fine with me. After midnight, he came home barely able to stand. I helped him into bed."
"I'm with you so far.", I tell her.
"He's just finished a job and has a window until his next job begins so I let him sleep in this morning. I set a hangover kit on the nightstand just as I heard his phone ringing. It was loud so I answered it. When I said hello, a woman's voice was on the other end. She asked for Elliot. I told her that he wasn't able to come to the phone, but I'd take a message. I was thinking she might be a client or someone wanting to have some work done. She said her name was Jill, and she was glad Elliot gave her his number last night." At the first sign of tears, I move into the chair next to Kate, placing my hand on her shoulder.
"I can see how it might look, but Elliot loves you. He'd never cheat."
"I confronted him when he woke up. He said he did meet her last night at the bar, but he said all they did was talk. When I asked how she got his number, he claimed he didn't know."
"There has to be an explaination.", I sigh. "I can't see him throwing away his life with you over random girl."
"I'm not buying it." My gut is telling me Kate's being paranoid. "I went to work, but I couldn't concentrate even though I was ahead of schedule with my work. Elliot called once, and I told him not to bother me. I needed to be left alone so I could think. He hasn't called me back."
"Remember all those times I've vented to you, only to have you turn around and give me your two cents even when it was painful to hear? It's now my turn. You're being paranoid over what very well might be nothing. Before you go shutting down the only guy who in my opinion has ever truly loved you, you need to face the situation head on. You can't avoid Elliot forever. You need to sit down and listen to him."
"What if listening to him only ends up hurting me worse?", she asks through tears.
"If so, then you're not alone. You've got a lot of support behind you."
"I used to never be the girl who allowed a guy to intefere with her work. Look at me now."
"It's going to work out."
"Hi.", Christian says. He closes the front door and immediately pads over to the sofa where I hand him Oliver. "How was your day?" I do my best to crack a smile. When Kate left, she seemed to be feeling better, but she was still emotional. "Does your failed attempt at a smile have anything to do with Kate?" Considering I haven't told Christian about Kate's visist, I'm wondering how he knows. "Elliot paid me a visist today."
"That answers my question of how you knew about Kate. She thinks Elliot cheated on her last night while he was out with friends."
"Elliot told me nothing happened with the girl who called him. As he was recounting everything, I sensed he was telling the truth. Elliot would never betray Kate."
"I don't think he would either, yet Kate is having a difficult time believing him. The girl claimed Elliot gave her his number."
"People can be manipulative. You and I both know that. She could have gotten the number some way without it being given by Elliot. He said he called Kate said she needed some time to think. He was going to give her until the end of the work day, and then he was going to make her listen."
"Since her work day was cut short, they may very well be talking now.", I sigh. "Avoiding Elliot isn't going to do either of them any good. Kate's my best friend who I love, but she needs to be more trusting of Elliot."
"I love my brother as well, and I want things to work out between him and Kate. However, Kate needs to ease up." He smiled down at Oliver who's yawning. "I don't want to deal with their issues right now."
"Me either." I lightly touch Oliver's hand. "Our concentration needs to be on the three of us."
"In relation to us, I can't wait to try the casserole." I go to my feet and nod for him to follow me into the kitchen.
"It hasn't been out of the oven long so it's still warm. I'll let you try it before dinner in case you don't like it, and we'll have plenty of time to go out for dinner." He tightens his arms around Oliver and stands, following me to the kitchen. I grab a small plate and a fork, and then I place a small amount of the casserole on the plate. "Here you go." I take Oliver from Christian and stand back to watch Christian taste the new recipe. He takes a small bite and chews.
"It's delicious.", he grins.
"Are you just saying that to avoid hurting my feelings? If so, you can tell me the truth, and I'll handle it." He waves his fork and takes an even larger bite. "Christian."
"Ana.", he smirks. "The truth is...this casserole is more than delicious. It's one of the best dishes I've ever had. You shouldn't doubt yourself."
"Does that mean you're going to eat a plate full at dinner?"
"It means I'm probably going to eat two plate fulls at dinner." As he's going for a third bite, his phone rings. "It's Elliot. Maybe he's calling with a positive update."
"Answer it.", I say.
"Elliot, hey." I sit down with Oliver while Christian listens to Elliot. "I'm glad to hear that. Ok. No problem. Bye." He sets his phone down and rubs his eyes. "Elliot and Kate just finished having a long and promising discussion. Kate apologized for not giving him the chance to hear him out. He still has no idea how the girl got his number, but Kate now believes he didn't give it to her. They've still got some issues, one being the absence of trust and communication. However, they're going to work on improving things."
"I'm glad they talked." I smile slightly while becoming lost in my own thoughts.
"But?"
"But I have this feeling things aren't going to be easy for them.", I murmur.