Lacey then turned to Mollie and asked, "Do you mind taking the kids outside to swim? They have been begging for it all morning, and Marnie, you can go with her. I need to talk food ideas with Callen before he leaves and then I'll come get you to start working."

  "You have to leave already?" Mollie asked, coming over to me and placing her hands on my side. Nodding my head slowly, I sighed, "My dad is very upset about me skipping out yesterday and now I only have an hour to talk with Lacey before a car comes to take me to the airport. Oh, and my dad will be on the plane with me."

  "Oh," Mollie said and I kissed her forehead softly. I caressed her face with my thumb and said, "I'll come say goodbye when I'm done talking with Lacey."

  "You better," she said, standing on her tiptoes and kissed me. I smiled against her lips as I kissed her back and then she stepped away to take Mara and Jace outside with Marnie. I turned to Lacey, who was beaming at me with joy on her face. I gave her a sheepish smile as I asked, "What?"

  "You two are just so cute together. I love seeing that lovey dovey look on your face, who knew you could be that sweet?" Lacey teased and I rolled my eyes, shrugging my shoulders. She chuckled and said, "I know that I said it to you before, but I am so happy that you are happy and I hope that you hold onto her with all you've got."

  "I plan on it," I said firmly. I held her steady gaze and said, "Look, you know that I am not an Eli fan, but I think you need to work it out with him. He realizes that he made a huge mistake and is regretting ever getting involved with Sophie. I'm not telling you what to do, but if there's still enough love there, then I think that maybe you should use that as a way to get past this. Sophie isn't worth ending your marriage over. Be like Mollie's attitude and don't let her win."

  "I fired her," Lacey said calmly and I gave her a confused look. "I called her agent last night and told him all the trouble she has been for us. I also told him that I didn't want someone like that to represent my line that I've worked my ass off creating and if she expected to get work anywhere else on the East Coast that she needed a lesson in proper behavior. I have a lot of designer friends who would think twice about bringing on a troublesome model, high fashion or not."

  "Is that why Marnie is here?" I asked and Lacey half shrugged, half nodded saying, "I wanted her for her design skills because she's amazing, but with the loss of Sophie, I needed another model for the show. I'm torn though because I need someone fast and I don't have a lot of options."

  A light bulb went off in my head and I looked through my phone, hitting the call button when I found the name. She answered on the second ring asking frantically, "Is everything okay? Did Sophie come back?"

  "No, Rita," I said and saw Lacey's eyes narrow in curiosity as she listened. "I had a question, well, more of a favor to ask."

  "Sure what's up?" Rita asked and I asked, "How are your modeling skills these days?"

  "Oh, you know, a little rusty since I've been out for awhile, but it's like riding a bike," Rita laughed and then asked, "Why?"

  "Lacey is in need of a model and who better to ask than you to represent her line. Would you be willing to meet with her?" I asked and Rita replied enthusiastically, "Yes of course! I love Lacey's stuff!"

  "Great, then here she is with the details!" I said, then handed the phone to Lacey who look flabbergasted. I chuckled to myself as she took the phone and started talking to Rita. I went over to the window and watched Mollie swim around with Jace while he giggled. Lacey got off the phone and joined me as she said, "Thank you."

  "You're welcome," I smiled, giving her a hug and kissed her on top of her head. Even though she was older than me, I still towered over her, a trait I got from our dad. Speaking of my dad, I sighed and said, "I better go get my stuff ready to go, the car will be here in a half hour."

  "You need to tell him, Cal," Lacey said looking seriously at me. "You need to make him listen to you and tell him that you don't want the company. He can't do anything to you like cut you off or anything. You have a trust that you'll be able to get into next year that will keep you set for a while and you are more than welcome to stay in the guest house since I own it. You deserve to follow your dream and something that you are amazing at; like cooking amazing food."

  I nodded in understanding. She was right, I needed to make him listen and I decided to use the plane ride as the time to do it. He couldn't run, he couldn't shut me out. I was prepared to tell him that after the Toller account was done in a few weeks that I was finished. I had looked into a culinary school in Boston last night while waiting for Mollie and decided to send in a request for admission. I was hoping that I'd be able to get in as soon as possible.

  "Speaking of amazing food," I said. "I didn't get to show you anything."

  "That's okay, I trust you," Lacey said, smiling and I gave her a grateful smile. "Besides, just run whatever you are going to make past Mollie, she'll tell me if it's good or not."

  "True," I said, mulling it over. It gave me an idea of something to do Saturday night while I had a few extras in the townhouse in New York. Looking at my watch, I knew that I had fifteen minutes to change into a suit and said, "I better go. Love you sis."

  "I love you, too, little brother and I'll cross my fingers for the plane ride," Lacey said, kissing my cheek and I breathed in a deep breath. I left and hurried to the guesthouse, scrambling to find a suit to wear. We would land at JFK and then get whisked to the office. I had just finished tying my tie when I heard my phone ring.

  "Callen Grey," I answered and heard my dad say, "I'm at Lacey's."

  "I thought you were meeting me at the airport?" I said, my voice turning the statement into a question. My dad let out a frustrated sigh as he said, "I wasn't sure if you would show up, so I thought that I would escort you. Don't keep me waiting."

  He ended the call and I glared at my phone. It was going to be a long plane ride. I closed my eyes, thinking of the only person who could calm me down and when I saw Mollie’s beautiful face, my frustration left my body.

  Mollie

  I saw Callen run out of Lacey's house to the guesthouse. His time here must be coming to an end. I tried not to be sad about it. I knew that it would only be a few days until I saw him again. I saw Jace was starting to get tired, so I told Marnie that I was going to take him inside. She nodded and said, "I'll hang out with Mara for awhile until you come back."

  After drying off and slipping on my t-shirt and shorts, I wrapped Jace into a towel and carried him into the house. Lacey smiled when she saw me and asked, "He's done already?"

  "Yeah, he was starting to fall asleep on the lounge chair. I'll get him changed and into bed," I said and she kissed his head, telling him to have a good nap. Jace practically dozed while I changed his clothes and instantly fell asleep as soon as his little head fell onto his pillow. I quickly went to my room and finished drying off, then slipped into a new set of clothes. I twisted my hair up into a bun and left my room. At the top of the stairs, I heard a male's voice. It sounded like a deeper version of Callen's and when I came around the corner into the kitchen, the man turned around and he was an older looking version of Callen.

  "Dad, this is Mollie," Lacey said and I felt my heart leap in my throat as all of a sudden I got nervous. I wasn't sure if she was introducing me as the nanny or Callen's girlfriend. I plastered on my best smile any way and stuck out my hand, saying, "Hello."

  He promptly shook it with a firm, yet gentle grasp and I returned it with a firm grip. He looked me over and gave me an amused expression as he said, "You've got a nice grip, young lady."

  I gave him an easy grin as I said, "Thank you sir, and it's nice to finally meet you."

  "You as well," he said, letting go of my hand. I gave him a soft smile. Turning to Lacey, I said, "Jace is out for the count. Did you want me to bring Mara in or give her a few more minutes?"

  Lacey sighed, looking out the window and then said, "Lunch will be ready in about 15 minutes, so I'd just let her play for awhile. It'll help her take a long nap this afternoon."

  I nodded. My eyes drifted over to Mr. Grey, then slowly looked back over to Lacey and asked, "Is there anything you need help with?"

  She shook her head and smiled, "You better go say goodbye to Callen, he'll be leaving in a few minutes." She looked out the window again and said, "Never mind, he's here."

  My heart pounded and I was afraid that Callen's dad could hear it. When Callen walked in, his face lit up when he saw me standing there, but then his eyes changed when he saw his dad. There was almost a cold look in them. He passed him and took my hand, leading me away from the kitchen and pulled me into the den, setting down his bags.

  "So, that's your dad," I said, letting out a breath that I hadn't realized that I was holding. Callen pulled me into a hug as he nodded, holding me close for a long time. I loved just being in his arms, just him holding me like this made me feel warm and safe. He let go slightly, cupping my face in his hands and said, "I love you and I can't wait to see you on Friday night."

  "I love you too," I smiled warmly at him as he brought my face close to his, planting a long, gentle kiss on my lips. We heard a deep clearing of the throat and Callen pulled away reluctantly, hugging me close once more. I felt him sigh before he kissed my forehead and stepped away saying, "Bye, beautiful."

  "Bye," I said and noticed his dad looking at us in amusement. I wished I knew what he was thinking, but I'm sure that I would find out soon enough. I held my hand out to him and he looked taken aback as he slowly shook it. I smiled warmly at him and said, "Have a good flight, Mr. Grey, and again, it was nice to meet you."

  "Thank you Mollie and I'm sure that I will be seeing you again soon." Mr. Grey winked as he let go and headed for the door. Callen gave me one last quick kiss and whispered, "Love you."

  "Love you," I murmured against his soft lips before they left mine. The sad look in his eyes tugged my heart as he waved goodbye. I waved back and watched the door close behind him. Lacey sighed, "I'd like to be a fly on the wall in that plane."

  I gave her an inquisitive look and she said, dryly, "Callen's telling my dad that he's quitting after the Toller project is done. He's going after what he wants to do in life and I know that my dad isn't going to take it well, but I'm hoping that he'll listen."

  Callen

  Dad's silence on the ride to the airport was almost too much to bear, even though I didn't make any attempt to make small talk. Still, I expected something since my father was never at a loss for words. We made it through check in and situated ourselves in our seats on the plane while we waited for it to taxi down the runway.

  I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket and my face warmed with a smile as I read Mollie's text: "lace told me. good luck and know that no matr what i <3 u! c u fri nite!"

  I texted her back: "love u 2, beautiful. talk soon!"

  I could see my father looking at me out of the corner of his eye, an unreadable expression on his face. I didn't care. I had an amazing girl that made me feel like I could conquer the world. I smiled at the thought of her and felt myself relax.

  "She seems like a nice girl," my father finally said, breaking the silence. I smiled a warm smile as I said, "The best."

  He eyed me with curiosity as he asked, "You really love her?"

  "All my heart, Dad," I smiled, taking in a deep breath. I thought of Mollie's face and said confidently "I'm going to marry that girl and have a long and happy life with her by my side."

  He just nodded at me. I took another deep breath and said, "I'm done after the Toller project, Dad. I'm not cut out for this and the more you push me into it, the more I want to rebel. I don't want your life, I want my own."

  My father's face turned sour and I could see the fumes start to rise. His head was about to explode and I quickly continued, "There was a time when I wanted to be like you, but as I got older, the more I knew it was impossible. I don't have the thick skin that you have when it comes to these business dealings or takeovers. I wasn't born for this and I don't want to wait for it to build up. I want to marry the girl of my dreams and live my life doing what I want to do. I'm tired of fighting with you and having this deep seeded anger because you are trying to force me into this square hole."

  My father started to open his mouth and I held up my hand, knowing that if I didn't continue, I would never have the chance. I quickly continued, "You used me, Dad. You went after deals and drug me through it as a pawn to gain advantage. If one of the people you were dealing with had a daughter, you sent me there to charm them just so you had a leg up on the competition. I never had a steady girlfriend because I never saw the value."

  "Until Mollie." I smiled as I thought of Mollie and chuckled, "When I met her, she didn't fall at my feet or even like me. I had to work hard to get her to even look at me. Soon, I found myself wanting to see her smile, hear her laugh, listen to her voice. She changed me from this guy who just used women to get what he wanted to a guy who wanted to prove to her that he was worthy of her time. By doing so, I realized that I don't want to be CEO of Grey Enterprises, Inc. It's not that I don't care about the company, it's because I do care. Putting me in charge because of some birthright isn't a good decision on behalf of the company; everyone on that board of directors knows that."

  My father sat silent and a long awkward pause hung in the air. I wanted to say more, but at the same time, I knew that I had said enough. It was his turn to speak and whether or not he took that opportunity was his choice. I turned my head to look out the window while I waited for the dust to settle. Finally for what seemed like an eternity, his voice was soft but firm as he asked, "What do you want to do with your life?"

  I gave him a serious look and with full confidence in my voice, I said, "I want to be a chef. I want to marry the woman you met today. I want to spend the rest of my life making her feel like the luckiest woman in the world and give you more grandchildren than you can handle. I want to own my own restaurant and make people happy with my food."

  My father let out a soft sigh as he said, "Then do it."

  I felt my jaw hit the floor as I was taken aback by those three words. I looked at him bewildered and he cleared his throat before he said, "I've been waiting for you to figure out what you wanted to do with your life. I only forced you into my footsteps because you never seemed to have an idea so I did what my father did and made you choose. All those times that I asked you what you wanted to do with your life, you always gave me a blank look. I've never seen this much confidence exude from you until today when you said all of that to me."

  "I want you to succeed and yes, I would have loved for that to have been at Grey Enterprises, but I knew it was like putting a round peg in a square hole as you stated earlier. However, you acted like a playboy without a clue. I know it is mostly my fault. I used you to seal the deal on numerous occasions and I want you to know that I am deeply sorry for that."

  I nodded silently at him as he continued, "In my old age, I've come to realize that all I want for my children is for them to be happy. When Lacey came to me, adamantly requesting you to be her chef, I was already prepared to let you follow that dream if that's what you wanted. Lacey became a designer because she asserted herself early on and I knew that standing in her way would be impossible."

  "I never realized I had a choice," I said, interrupting him and his eyes were apologetic. He sighed, nodding, "I know and I'm sorry. I thought that pushing you into the company was the right thing, but I didn't want to be like my father and have regrets when it came for my time on this earth to be over. Your grandfather admitted that he wished I could have had a different path, although I was okay with being his successor. I enjoyed it, but I worked my way up and that was the difference between you and me. You never had that drive and after a time, I knew why, but you never stated what you wanted to do so I pushed you into the company while waiting for you to grow up."

  My father's face broke out into a warm smile as he said, "This Mollie is something else. I've heard about her through Lacey, through Elly, and now through you. When she stood in front of me today, she had no fear and a firm handshake, even offered to shake my hand first both times. I was impressed and you know, your mother is going to love her."

  I grinned, letting out a soft chuckle as I nodded. My mother was going to love her just as much as I did. My dad patted me on the back and said, "You're off the hook with the Toller project, but I'd appreciate it if you at least finish this week. Next week, I'm turning you over to Lacey and if you thought that I was tough, you have seen nothing yet."

  28

  Mollie

  After the kids went to bed, Lacey joined Marnie and me in the den where we were opening a bottle of wine and a big bowl of M&Ms mixed with popcorn. We had chosen to watch some chick flicks and have girl talk, all of us looking forward to it.

  "Okay, so spill lady," Marnie said after Lacey got situated in one of the plush chairs. Lacey nodded eagerly, grinning at me and said, "I want details too, but not too detailed since you are talking about my brother and there are certain descriptions about his body parts that I don't wish to know about."

 

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