By way of greeting him that evening, Grace strolled into the office, much more exuberant than he'd seen her of late and chimed, "I have an idea of how we can improve your image and get folks back on side with you again."
He looked up from his paperwork attentively. "I'm all ears."
"Well, I think it's worth recognizing that on the two occasions you've lashed out at people and have been reported on, it has, unfortunately happened to be young people and I'd say that has played quite a big part in why the public have taken such offense. Children being bullied is not something a lot of people will tolerate."
At the look of reproach he gave her, Grace held up her hands, urging him not to argue with her just yet. "I'm not saying that's what you've done, I know especially well how badly you were taunted by that boy outside Doctor Connell's surgery, but the public will believe what they read, what they see in black and white. Right?"
"Right", Oliver conceded, unsure where she was going with this.
"So, in that case, what we really need is for a very good deed done by you, ideally directed towards a younger person, to somehow be captured and publicized."
"I'm following, but how do you suggest we do that exactly? If it's pre-planned, won't people be able to tell it's simply for publicity?"
"Unless…we arrange something with a young person wherein you'll have multiple opportunities to show acts of kindness, but to also have them be spontaneous."
He shook his head. "OK, now you've lost me."
"What I'm proposing is that we invite an orphan to stay here for a short period of time…"
"An orphan?" He scrunched up his face. "They're dirty and…they have no manners."
"Yes, and therefore the last kind of person the public would expect you to welcome into your home. But just imagine how much joy we could give to a child who's never experienced life like this. Why, just walking in the front doors of this house would be an unparalleled experience for them."
He narrowed his eyes at her. "And the main purpose of this would be to create good publicity? Nothing else?"
Grace blinked. "Well, of course, I expect the child will simultaneously have a very happy time here."
Oliver's jaw tightened. Despite her hesitation to carry a baby, he was sure she hadn't stopped longing for a child of her own. Was she wanting to do this partly to have some sort of practice run? To "trial" a kid, to see how she'd fare as a parent.
It had to at least be part of her plan, surely.
"What gave you this idea exactly?" He asked her suspiciously.
Grace bowed her head. She didn't want him reading into the reasons behind it too much, for fear that he might question her intentions. There may have been the slightest part of her that desperately longed to have a child around, but she wasn't suggesting this arrangement would be long term. Her interests were second to the need to build a better image of her employer.
"My friend Gloria has just adopted a little girl. I asked her for the number for the New York Board of Orphans and she gave it to me."
"Gloria is your friend who recently…suffered a tragedy?" He really didn't want to use the words "pregnancy" or "baby" around Grace.
She pursed her lips. "Yes, that's her."
"Well, I'm pleased for her that she's managed to find an alternative way to have a family."
Their eyes met and Grace sighed. "Look, I know what you're thinking, but I swear to you this is not about me and what I want. Having an orphan here would merely serve a purpose and it wouldn't be for long."
"How long?"
"A week? A fortnight perhaps?"
He exhaled deeply. "That's a lifetime in the business world. I couldn't be expected to devote so much time to…entertaining a child."
"Oh, you wouldn't have to. Not all the time they were here, just pop your head in on whatever the child is up to while they're here, from time to time. Join in while they're enjoying certain activities, show your humanitarian side, at least for a few minutes a day, for photographs."
The corner of his lips twitched slightly. "And I suppose it will be you who will take charge of the orphan while they're here?"
Coyly, Grace shrugged. "Maybe some of the time, but I know I'll still need to work. We have a whole household of people who can look after him…or her."
Oliver stroked his chin in contemplation.
"I haven't even taken the proposition to Mr. Donatelli at the New York Board of Orphans yet. I'm only just bringing the idea to you for your approval."
"Alright. Call Mr. Donatelli and put your idea to him. I'm not sure how much he's going to like it anyway."
"Well, I was thinking a significant monetary donation might help."
Oliver looked at her, aghast. "Not only are we offering to take an orphan off his hands for a whole fortnight but we have to pay for the inconvenience as well?"
Grace frowned. She didn't like hearing him thinking of a child as an inconvenience. She knew it was probably more his prejudice about orphan children that made him feel that way though, which in itself was interesting considering he himself had become orphaned at quite a young age.
She met his eyes sternly. "What you're paying for is the opportunity to gain some semblance of your reputation back. How much is that worth to you?"
He looked back at her and wilted slightly under her stare. "I'll let you come up with a figure. Whatever it is…it's approved", he waved his hand in the air.
"Great. I'll call Mr. Donatelli in the morning", she responded softly.
"Grace…", he called to her as she went to leave the room.
He gave her a pointed look. "Two weeks only."
"Of course."
…
Oliver was correct in his assumption that Mr. Donatelli wouldn't think highly of the idea of an orphan being 'loaned out'. The substantial donation Grace offered him did indeed sway his decision however.
It was decided that the orphan child would be selected in person on the day that they were to come and stay at the Warbucks mansion. Again, Oliver decided to leave this to Grace's own discretion. Grace had a feeling, or at least she hoped, that when she saw the picture-perfect child who would serve their purpose, she would just know it.
As hectic as things would be that day, they decided to wait until the day Oliver arrived back from his trip to bring the orphan to stay with them. After all, with Oliver's absence, what would be the point in having the child present?
On the 8th of November, Oliver was busy tying up all the loose ends he needed to from his office before he would leave for the tour.
Grace helped him pack all the things he would need for the trip. Not just his office supplies and other business related items, but his clothes and toiletries too. He'd always been a bit useless at organizing himself in that way, which made Grace often marvel at how he could have become such a successful businessman.
Sometimes she thought he only pretended to be hopeless at certain things because he enjoyed being looked after.
Despite the recent tension between them, she still couldn't deny how much she enjoyed being the one he turned to for those things.
"Everything you need is here", she said to him assuredly yet with a note of sadness in her voice as she brought him his suitcase.
"Thank you, Grace", he replied. As upset as he was at her decision to reinstate their professional boundary, he did still respect her and care for her very much and he was learning to act professionally yet respectfully around her once again. It had taken time and it had not been easy for him. Not when all he wanted to do every day was to take her in his arms and kiss her.
Grace was, quite honestly, feeling similarly about him, but she was still so scared of what could come from their physical intimacy. Plus, she knew she couldn't toy with him like that, it wouldn't be fair of her to go back on what she'd already decided about allowing him the chance to move on.
Her voice shook slightly as she looked into his eyes and said, "Be careful out there in those airplanes. Now that I've been in one, I can attest to how frightening they are."
"Well, you'll be happy to know that I won't be the one piloting the plane", he replied lightheartedly.
"Thank heavens for that", she said, giving him the merest hint of a playful smile, which then faltered into a look of heartache and longing. "Take care of yourself", she murmured gently.
"You too", he replied sincerely.
They both so badly wanted to reach out for one another, but were both acutely aware of the boundaries they had agreed to stick to.
Slowly, Grace backed away from him and left the room. As she walked swiftly to the back of the house, needing a moment to herself as Oliver went the opposite way to the front door to leave the mansion, the staff all looked mournfully between them, wishing the pair could somehow find their way back to one another.
The household had been so happy and so unified when they had briefly been together. Their contentment and happiness had radiated throughout the entire place. Now, everybody could feel the tension and discomfort.
Perhaps, they thought hopefully to themselves, these six weeks apart might do them some good. Maybe, just maybe, absence might very well make their hearts grow fonder.
—-
Because of the situation in Delaware being so emergent, Oliver made that his first port of call. The trip was short but his plane did have to make a stop along the way.
Once Oliver arrived in Wilmington, he carried out a thorough inspection of his Wilmington factory and sat with the supervisor crunching numbers, trying his very best to find a way through. Sadly though, it was determined that production was simply too low and the factory was working in deficit, which, as much as it pained him, was not viable.
The factory would have to close.
He went to his workers personally the following day to break the news to them. Letting his staff go was truly one of the hardest parts of his job.
If there was any way he could've, he would have saved everyone in that factory their jobs. For the good of the company as a whole however, this particular branch needed to be cut off.
After a very long, stressful and upsetting couple of days, he went to his hotel room that night and called Grace to fill her in.
Grace accepted the call from the operator quickly, knowing it would be him. She'd been anxiously awaiting to hear from him since he'd left.
"Sir?"
"Hello, Grace", he answered, his voice sounding hoarse.
"How're things in Wilmington?" She asked, though she could tell by the tone of his voice that they were not good.
"I'm afraid we're going to have to shut down. Revenue is just far too low. People are working damn hard but there just isn't enough of an industry here right now to see production through."
"Oh dear. Have you told the workers?"
"Yes. I delivered the news today. It was awful."
Grace winced in pain for him, as well as for all the souls who had just learned of their redundancy.
"I'm so sorry."
For a while, he was silent as he struggled not to become emotional. "I know that some people think of me as ruthless and cut-throat, but really it's the state of the economy, not me."
His words broke her heart. "I know, Sir. I know how much you do, how much you care."
"I may have climbed on my fair share of shoulders to get to the top but I never did anything purposefully to the detriment of somebody else."
He may have been able to hold back his tears but Grace couldn't.
His morals were very high and she had always respected him so much for that. She knew that each closure, each job loss was something deeply personal to him.
She swallowed, blinking away her tears and willing her voice to remain strong as she said, "I'll put the paperwork through. Inform the bank, the property manager and notify the board."
"Thank you."
"Are you still moving on to Maine tomorrow?"
He sighed. "Yes, I have to keep things moving or I'll be in even worse trouble."
Grace's heart broke for him. Despite his heartache, he had to remain so stoic and carry on around the country, potentially facing even more factory closures and the dread of informing even more people of their dismissal.
"I wish there was something I could do to help."
"You are helping. Contacting the people who need to be informed, keeping things going at home, you help tremendously, Grace."
"I know, I just wish I…", she stopped herself from saying anything further, from voicing what was in her head. She wished she were by his side, she wished she could console him in person, to hold him in her arms.
"Well, I…appreciate the phone call", he said, sounding quite forlorn.
"Please. You know you can telephone me anytime. Even if there's nothing to update on. Even if you just want to talk. I'll listen."
God damn it, he was trying not to love her but she made it so very impossible sometimes.
"I should get to bed. My flight up to Portland leaves fairly early in the morning."
"Of course. I hope you're able to get some sleep."
"Thanks. We'll see."
Not knowing what else she could say to console him, she rasped, "You're in my thoughts, Sir."
Without revealing too much, there was no way he could express how all-consuming his thoughts of her were. So he merely whispered, "Goodnight, Grace."
…
Things in Portland weren't quite as bad, the local economy was quite a bit better than it was in Wilmington, however there were a couple of workers at the plant who were underperforming.
In past, more affluent times, Oliver possibly would have let it slide, but unfortunately, the company just couldn't afford to keep people who weren't working to acceptable standards.
Despite the fact that Oliver was gentle and kind when letting them go, the two workers abused him dreadfully as they were asked to leave the plant.
Even though he didn't appreciate being spoken to that way, he understood why the men were so upset. Not wanting there to be bad blood between them, Oliver chased them both out of the building and called, "Gentlemen, wait!"
The two men froze and turned to look at them with angry, ashen looking faces.
"Look, I'm sorry, alright? These are tough times for the company and tough decisions have to be made."
One of the men sneered at him.
"I don't want to completely leave you out on your ears. I know you both have wives and children."
"That's right. It's oh so very easy for you, isn't it? You have no idea what it's like to slog all day just to feed your family."
Aside from the fact that the man's words hit him in a sore spot about not having a family when he wished more than anything he could, there was another reason why his assumption was incorrect.
He shook his head. "You're wrong. I may not have a wife and children, but when I was young, I did indeed slog to provide for my family. My mother and brother. Sadly, it wasn't enough to keep them alive."
The man bowed his head in sympathy, though he was still feeling resentment towards Oliver.
"So I do know what it's like to struggle and to go without. I bear neither of you any ill. In fact, I want to help you, at least until you are able to find new employment."
He reached into his breast pocket and pulled out his checkbook.
The two men watched with interest as he wrote on two separate checks and ripped them out.
"Here. Severance. It should help, at least for some time."
It wasn't a requirement of Oliver to give these men any kind of monetary compensation for letting them go. He was doing it purely out of the goodness of his heart.
The two men's jaws dropped when they saw the $5,000 amount on each of their checks.
"Thank you, Mr. Warbucks."
"Thank you, Sir!"
He gave them a small nod of his head. "All the best to you both."
They both took off at a run, lest he change his mind.
They didn't know just how good it made Oliver feel also, to know that he could still help them somehow.
…
That night, he called Grace again to update her on the day's events.
"Sir! That's a whole year's wages!" She exclaimed in surprise when he told her about the checks he'd written out for the men he'd let go.
She was equally as shocked as she was impressed with him.
"I know. It didn't come from company funds though, it came from my own personal account."
She was so touched by his generosity.
"Well that's incredibly charitable of you."
"It's what I wish I could've done in Wilmington but there were just so many."
"Well, we both know that you can't serve anyone by putting yourself into financial ruin. You did the right thing, in both instances."
Her words warmed him so much. He wanted nothing more than to be able to reach through the phone and simply hold her hand.
"I miss you", he sighed into the phone. He knew she didn't want to address their personal relationship but it could have been taken either professionally or personally speaking.
Grace closed her eyes, her heart, her whole body in fact, aching for him. She didn't want to feel this way. Heaven knows she'd tried not to, for both of their sakes. But without pressuring her for anything more, he was still so warm and wonderful towards her.
She had failed to stop loving him. She doubted she would ever be able to.
Tentatively, but truthfully, she said back, "I miss you too."
On the other end of the phone, Oliver made a fist in triumph.
Even to hear her admit to that, he felt, was a step for them. "If only things weren't so busy in New York and if only the company weren't in so much trouble, I could've flown you out to see me at least once while I'm on this dreaded tour."
Grace bit down softly on her bottom lip. He was teetering on the edge of their already rather precarious boundary. Truthfully, she wished she could be with him too. Perhaps not in the way she was with him in Michigan, but even just to be able to hug him, she knew would bring them both so much comfort.
"Well, if the company wasn't in such strife there mightn't be a need for this tour at all, mightn't there?" She replied, wanting to express to him how much she yearned to be by his side, but not forgetting the rule she'd made to herself about trying not to encourage his advancements.
"Well, that's true", he agreed flatly, accepting that she wasn't interested in indulging in even a fantastical scenario where they could be together.
He supposed it was better that way, not allowing hidden thoughts or desires to fill their minds and distract them.
Even if it wasn't possible for them to be carried out whilst they were 300 miles apart, which is what he thought Grace's main concern was.
"You've had a hard couple of days. You should get some rest", he heard her gentle, caring voice say.
"Yes, you're right. Goodnight, Grace. Sleep well."
"You too", she replied tenderly.
As they ended the call, she sat back in her chair with a sigh.
She really did miss him an awful lot.
…
Two days later, Grace was enjoying a night cap with Mrs. Pugh and Mrs. Greer in the kitchen.
The women were all swapping stories and laughing over past indiscretions. With Mr. Warbucks away, they all had a little more time to relax and take their days at a slightly slower pace.
Her friends had noticed these past couple of days that Grace's mood had seemed to have improved a bit. She appeared freer and lighter somehow. It made them all very happy to see it.
"Well, I'd better return to the office. I'm expecting Mr. Warbucks to call very shortly."
"Ohh", Mrs. Pugh tittered. "Do say hello from us, won't you?" She grinned conspiringly, her face a little flushed from the drink.
Grace raised an eyebrow at her in response to her suggestive tone. "I shall, and should I also tell him you've been depleting his bottle of sherry?"
"No, no I think you can leave that part out", Mrs. Greer supplied. "Besides which, I'm sure the two of you have much better things to discuss."
The two older women began to giggle and Grace shook her head at them. "Go upstairs and sleep it off, you two."
They merely continued to laugh as she left the room.
It wasn't very long at all until his call came through.
"Miss Farrell?"
"This is she."
"Mr. Warbucks wishes to connect with you from New Milford, Connecticut. Do you accept the call?"
"Yes, I accept", Grace found herself smiling.
"Guess where I am", his cheerful voice greeted her.
She laughed. "I know where you are. The operator just told me. And you do know I have your entire touring schedule in front of me, don't you?"
"Oh…drat."
She chuckled again. "How is my old hometown?"
"Oh, just fine so far. I hope I'll still be saying that tomorrow after I visit the warehouse."
"Mm, yes I hope so too. How's your accommodation? I booked you a room with a view of the lake. Can you see it?"
"Yes, I can. Nice to have someone with some local knowledge to book it. It's very picturesque."
Grace sighed wistfully. "I'd love to see it."
"I'd love to see it with you", he murmured softly.
Grace pursed her lips. How romantic it would be to be sitting watching the sunset over Candlewood lake with him…
She kicked her foot against the desk. She wasn't supposed to be having these kinds of thoughts about him. About the two of them.
Not helping matters, he then added, "You could drive up here in a couple of hours. It's only half the distance we drove to get to Lake George."
Memories of their weekend together at his cabin immediately entered her mind and that really didn't help matters.
"You know I can't", she said, almost mournfully.
"I know. It doesn't mean I don't wish it were different."
Grace bowed her head, knowing he was referring to the entire status of their relationship and not just the current distance between them. "I know you do."
"It doesn't mean I don't wish with every fiber of my being that I could be holding you right now, kissing you."
"Sir…" She warned him.
"I can't impregnate you over the phone, Grace!"
Grace's eyes widened at his statement and at the desperation in his voice. She realized then how frustrated he must be. She couldn't say that she too wasn't feeling a certain level of tension.
And he was right. He couldn't touch her over the phone. This was all theoretical, posing no real risk.. It hadn't worked for her to try and push him away anyway - not for either of them. To stave off their aggression, would there be any harm in allowing themselves this one hypothetical fantasy?
"What else would you do?" She croaked.
"I would try to make you feel so spectacular that every other thought in your mind, every other worry would simply disappear."
Grace's chest heaved with labored breathing as images of being with him reminded her that he did in fact have the power to vanquish her insecurities and all her other thoughts - if she let him.
"Maybe in another life", he muttered sadly.
"You already have…in this life", she confessed hoarsely. "I may not have ever told you explicitly but being with you was…incredible."
As well as the huge boost to his ego, her words actually made Oliver feel rather moved.
"I agree, Grace, so how could you not want that ever again?"
"It's not that I don't want that, I want that part of it more than I can explain, it's the other things that come with it, you understand, don't you?
"I'm trying to, but…there is risk in everything, Grace. Do you think I would have gotten anywhere in my life if I hadn't taken a few risks along the way?"
Grace mulled over his statement and found she understood what he was saying and did, to a certain degree, agree with him.
She sighed into the phone. "Look, we have all of this time apart for me to think about things. I…I can't promise anything but perhaps it's not right to say it can never happen again. Truthfully, I don't think I could bear it."
His voice lifted in hopefulness. "Really?"
"Allow me this time we're apart to think about it, please."
"I will, Grace. Of course I will."
Her heart was pounding thinking about all the things that could go wrong but at the same time it pounded with excitement over everything she already knew would be wonderful about it.
"I need to go. I…I have a lot to ponder over."
"Grace…you know I will always do everything I can to take care of you."
His words made her tear up. "Yes, I do", she sniffed. Not wanting to end the call on such a heavy note, she cleared her throat and added playfully, "You take it easy up there, won't you? Those Nutmeggers can be a wild bunch."
He chuckled. "Oh, I know what you mean. I'm quite well acquainted with one and she's a real pistol, I'll tell you that much."
Grace smirked into the receiver. "She sounds like a handful."
"She's the most wonderful person I know." His voice was soft and sincere.
His words made Grace choke up again instantly. "Well, she's very lucky to be held in such high regard by you", she croaked.
"I am most definitely the lucky one."
Wiping away a tear, she whispered. "Good night, Sir."
"Sweet dreams, Grace."
As they both hung up, the operator who had been listening for the end of the call, fanned herself with her hand.
…
A/N: Somehow, this chapter, which is mostly dialogue, has become the longest chapter so far!
I guess my Grace and Oliver had a lot that needed to be said!