They had breakfast the next morning and went for a long walk in Central Park, around the model boat pond. They were both wearing jeans for the trip home. All of Fiona’s pretty clothes were back in her suitcase, and when she looked at Logan as they sat on a park bench and watched the passersby, she saw something different about him.
“And what’s that?” he asked when she told him, as he kissed her neck and put an arm around her.
“You look like you’re mine,” she whispered, and he smiled.
“I am. You own me forever after this weekend.”
“Me too,” she said with a long slow smile, and then they went back to the hotel, picked up their bags, went to the airport, and flew home. Fiona slept most of the way back, with her head on Logan’s shoulder. She was tired and relaxed and totally at ease with him now. It had been the best weekend of her life. And when he dropped her off at home that night, he looked into the eyes of a woman, not a CEO.
“Why don’t you stay?” she asked him, and he hesitated. He didn’t want to push his luck or intrude on her real life, the night before she had to go to work.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, I am.” She showed him where everything was, and he kept her company while she unpacked. And she grinned when she saw him in her bed. “Now there’s a gorgeous sight,” she said, and they both laughed. They brought their New York romance home to Portola Valley, and afterward they swam naked in her pool. She liked that he had stayed with her. She would have been lonely if he hadn’t, after being with him in New York.
“You’re not sick of me yet?” he asked her as they dried off and walked back into the house, and stopped in the kitchen for a snack, discussing the news and stock market trends and what they meant to the economy. “I like this,” he said, as they went back to bed, and this time slept until her alarm went off at six o’clock.
He made her a breakfast of scrambled eggs, toast, and coffee, and he smiled broadly when she appeared in the kitchen, in a dark gray pantsuit with a pale gray silk blouse and her hair in the tight bun she wore to work. She looked very different than the private side of her he knew now. But he loved her this way too.
“I love you,” he said, as he leaned over and kissed her, and she grinned as she took a sip of the coffee and grabbed The Wall Street Journal. She liked getting to her office early, so she could get a head start on her day, and he did too.
“I love you too,” she said, smiling over the paper at him. She handed him The New York Times, and half an hour later, they both left for work.
Chapter 25
On Labor Day weekend, Mark flew out from New York to see his mother. He had just gotten back from Africa, and Fiona wanted to see him before he started school. His girlfriend was on duty at the hospital, so as usual he came alone. And he was startled when he discovered that his mother had a man staying there for the weekend.
“When did that happen?” he asked his sister when he saw her in the kitchen.
“This summer,” Alyssa said, with a knowing look. “Don’t get all uptight about it, he’s nice. And he’s crazy about her.” It was obvious that Alyssa approved.
“I never thought we’d see that around here.” Mark wasn’t sure how he felt about it yet, and he wanted to reserve judgment till he talked to him for a while. He was very protective of their mother.
“Neither did I, but it seems to work. And he kind of disappears when Mom and I want to spend time together.” Mark listened and nodded, and sat down next to Logan when he went out to the pool. They talked about Africa for a while, and Logan told him about his time with Mandela. Mark was visibly impressed, particularly that Logan didn’t brag about it, he just said that it had been the most interesting, humbling experience of his life. And it was Fiona who casually mentioned that he had gotten the Pulitzer for the series of interviews. He immediately rose in her son’s esteem.
And Jillian joined them on Saturday for lunch. She brought a stack of papers with her, spread them out on the table at the pool, and told Logan she had brought him the research she promised, and they spent an hour going over it together.
They all had dinner together that night, and they laughed a lot, which seemed to be the hallmark of Logan’s relationship with Fiona. And the next day he took Fiona and her children to the baseball game. He had gotten two extra seats, and Logan sat with Mark, since they both knew what was going on, and the two women didn’t. The Giants won again, and much to Logan’s delight, the World Series was almost a sure thing. He was happy to discover that Mark was a fan too. And on Monday, Logan left them alone so they could spend time as a family together. He didn’t want to intrude, and he wanted to go back to his place in the city to work on the material Jillian had shared with him.
“I like your new friend, Mom,” Mark conceded over breakfast after Logan left.
“Yeah, me too.” Alyssa seconded the motion.
“So is it serious?” Mark asked with a look of mild concern.
“I’m not sure what ‘serious’ means at my age.” She smiled at her children. “Do I like him? Yes, a lot. Do I love him? I think I do. It seems to work, and I think that’s all we need to know for now. I’m not going to get married and have more children. You guys are it.” They both looked pleased. “How’s John doing, by the way?” she asked Alyssa. He had been spending all his time in Tahoe with his mother since his father’s big announcement, and Fiona hadn’t seen him since. Alyssa hadn’t seen him much either, although they talked and texted constantly. He said everyone was still very upset.
“They’re moving to the city, to an apartment,” Alyssa filled her in. “They haven’t seen their dad since it happened. No one wants to. They’re all pretty pissed.” It was easy to see why, and Fiona felt sorry for them. “Apparently, he isn’t going to marry the other woman now, but their mom doesn’t want him back.”
“I don’t blame her,” Fiona said quietly. “Send him my love when you talk to him,” Fiona said. “Tell him he’s always welcome here.”
Mark left for New York that night, on the red-eye, and Alyssa was starting classes at Stanford that week. The Westons were moving down from Tahoe after that weekend too, and Lindsay had to start school.
The weekend in Tahoe went better than Liz had expected. Tom had come up for the weekend, and her other two children were there too. She told John that she missed Alyssa, and he said that she was in Portola Valley with her mom and brother that weekend.
“I’m sorry this has been such a screwed-up summer,” she said to all of them. But now that the worst had happened, she felt strangely calm again. She had nothing more to fear. It had been the worst summer of her life, but they had survived it, and it was nice seeing her older son back in the fold again and at home more frequently. She had no idea when any of them were going to see their father, but that was between him and them, and she didn’t want to be involved either way.
She had heard from John that Marshall and Ashley weren’t getting married. Marshall had told him. And she wasn’t surprised, since he had tried to get her back when he saw her at the house in Ross. She wondered if Ashley didn’t want him either. She felt sorry for their children.
“When are you moving to the city, Mom?” Tom asked her over dinner.
“I don’t know yet. I’m looking at a few places next week. I want to find something big enough so all of you can visit,” she said, smiling at them. She still looked sad, but she was getting better, and Lindsay had been very sweet and helpful to her mother. They had been getting along better since Marshall had dropped the bomb on them. Lindsay had been surprisingly mature and supportive and had grown up overnight.
They knew, but didn’t discuss, the fact that their father was moving out of the house in Ross that weekend, and no one seemed to know where he’d be staying. John thought maybe the Four Seasons in Palo Alto, but he wasn’t sure, and Marshall had said he was putting whatever he was taking into storage. And he had submitted a list of what he wanted to keep for her approval.
The kids went water
skiing several times over the weekend, and Liz made an effort not to complain about it or act too worried. She was just glad that they were home, and she knew Tom was responsible, and she trusted both boys with the boat, as long as they didn’t let Lindsay drive it.
Liz still felt tired all the time, and as though she had been in a terrible accident, but slowly, day by day, she was getting better. She tried not to think of Marshall, and she never mentioned his name. He had become a taboo subject.
She stood on the dock, on the last day of the summer, before they drove back to the city, and she looked out at the lake. It was already chilly, and she knew that she would always remember that this was where Marshall had told her about the girl in L.A., their two children, and that he was divorcing her. She was going to sell the house in Tahoe too, but she hadn’t told the children yet. She thought maybe they’d rent a house somewhere else next summer. She never wanted to come back here again.
“Ready, Mom?” Tom called out to her. He had loaded up the car, and was driving her back to Ross with Lindsay, with all the things they had brought up over the summer. John had brought his own car to drive back to the city. He and Lindsay had a few weeks before they had to start school.
“We look like gypsies,” she commented, as she got in, and realized she was smiling. It felt unfamiliar, and Tom smiled at her, and at his sister in the rearview mirror. He hadn’t thought so for a while, but it looked like they were going to make it. Liz closed her eyes and put her head back against the seat as they drove away.
Geoff had driven Ashley and the twins to the Coral Casino in Santa Barbara for the day over the Labor Day weekend, and he was explaining to Kendall and Kezia that he and their mom had come here when they were kids, which made them giggle. Ashley had finally told him that week that she was ready to see him. It hadn’t taken her long, but it had seemed like forever, to both of them. He rushed right over after they spoke.
“I was beginning to worry that I wasn’t going to see you for another eighteen years,” he teased her. She looked the same as when he’d first gotten back to L.A., but she was quiet, and he noticed that she was thinner, but she was in good spirits. And he’d been fiercely busy working on the scripts he was writing for the TV show.
He didn’t say anything to her about what had happened, he was just happy to see her, and he was surprised as they walked along the beach when he felt her slip her hand into his. He turned to look at her, and she smiled at him, and he suddenly knew that all was right with the world. He had been terrified that he’d blown it with her by kissing her when she was trying to figure things out with Marshall. And he felt guilty for confusing her. But she seemed to have figured it out anyway, and now she looked at peace. He could still see the pain in her eyes, and he knew she’d been grieving the loss, and mourning Marshall, but he could see that she was a lot better. He held her hand in his, and then they ran into the water, still holding hands, to play with the girls. He splashed them, and they splashed him back, and then Ashley splashed him, and he doused her, and everyone was squealing and laughing and splashing, and Ashley’s halo of blond curls was soaking wet, and then suddenly he bumped into her and looked into her eyes as they stood close to each other.
“I missed you,” he said to her.
“Yeah, me too,” she admitted with a grin, and then she pulled him into the surf with her, and he was soaking wet, as Kendall and Kezia laughed at them from the beach.
And when they drove back to L.A. that night, they all agreed it had been a very good Labor Day. Geoff looked at Ashley when she said it, and she smiled a long, slow smile at him.
Chapter 26
The meeting got under way as soon as Marshall walked into the room. He looked dignified and serious, and he was wearing a dark suit. There were three men at the conference table, across from him, from a company in Boston that was not quite as large as UPI, but very close, and its growth rate had been remarkable in the past two years. It was well on its way to becoming the largest corporation in the country and outstripping all its competitors. And all it needed now was a powerful leader at its helm. And everyone at its base in Boston had agreed that Marshall Weston was the one. They had no idea if he would consider leaving UPI, and they doubted it after fifteen years, but they had come to California to try and convince him to do it. And he was listening raptly to what they said. It was their second meeting in two days, and they were going back to Boston that night.
Marshall hadn’t committed to anything yet, but he was interested in what they had to say. In order for him to make the move, they would have to make it worth his while in every possible way—stock options, signing bonus, shares in the company, and every possible advantage and perk he could get. He had a sweet deal at UPI, and loyalty to the company, but like anyone else in his position, he could be bought, and Boston Technology was doing everything it could.
“Well, gentlemen, it’s an interesting proposal,” he said noncommittally, but they could tell they hadn’t hit the high note for him yet. They were disappointed, but they had a few more aces up their sleeve, which they had saved for last. Just before the meeting ended, the head of their search committee who was a member of their board slipped a piece of paper across the table with a neatly typed list. He had been authorized to make the final offer. A private plane for Marshall’s use at all times. An additional ten million a year, and two hundred million dollars of stock that he could sell at any time. An additional three hundred million in five years, from the day he signed on, regardless of their profits. They were that sure of what he could do. It amounted to half a billion dollars if he stayed with them for five years. Marshall read the piece of paper, smiled, stood up, and stuck his hand across the table. “You have a deal.” He was beaming, and so were they. It was the best offer he had ever seen, and it was going to make history in the field. They agreed to keep the terms and conditions of it confidential, and no announcement was to be made until he resigned from UPI and notified the board, out of courtesy to them. Everyone concurred, and the deal was struck.
Marshall left the conference room of the neutral location they had chosen, soon to be a very, very rich man, and he was no pauper now.
He strode out of the building to the waiting limousine he had hired for the occasion, not wanting to use his own driver, and went back to his office at UPI. It was a perfect end to what had been an unpleasant summer, and just the way he wanted to leave UPI. Ever since the threatened sexual harassment suit, and their blackmail over Ashley, he had wanted to leave. He might have felt differently if things had worked out with her, or if it had been salvageable with Liz, but he had no ties here now. His children were grown and almost on their own now. His family had been shattered by the divorce. He was sure the kids would calm down eventually and come to their senses. He had gone to Malibu to see the twins once, and he was going to see them at Christmas for a few days, and take them to Hawaii. It would be easier for him to see more of them when they were older, but right now he knew they were in good hands with Ashley, and he had important things to do. And he wanted no contact with their mother, nor with Liz. He had burned his bridges behind him, and he was a free man. Free to take the best offer, and go wherever he chose. And Boston Technology was one of the most exciting young companies in the country. He was ready for a change and new frontiers. And they had suitably acknowledged what he had to offer them and were willing to reward him commensurately, according to his worth. Half a billion dollars within five years suited him just fine. In addition, they had offered him an astronomical salary, which they had just increased, and bonuses from profits, which he could multiply exponentially every year. He was sure that in five years, or at worst ten, he’d have a billion in the bank. It more than compensated him for the headaches he had had in recent months. They wanted him in Boston by October 15, which worked well for him too. It wasn’t a long notice for UPI, but it was reasonable enough, and all he felt they deserved. And his loyalty was no longer theirs. Boston Technology had won his heart, at the right price.
As the car drove him back to his office, he was a happy man.
* * *
Five days after Marshall’s meeting with Boston Technology, Fiona spoke to Nathan Daniels after their board meeting. He was abuzz with the gossip he’d just heard that Marshall Weston was leaving UPI and had been lured away by BT for an astronomical price. The story had been confirmed by a friend of his at UPI. Apparently it was true. Nathan Daniels said that rumors were running rampant about the amount, which no one knew for sure. It was the hottest piece of news in the industry in years, maybe ever. And rare for Nathan to gossip, but he couldn’t resist.
And Fiona could hardly contain herself when Logan walked in that night. He’d been spending several nights a week with her in Portola Valley, and she loved coming home to him at the end of her day. They cooked dinner together, and often took a swim in the pool before they went to bed. She liked his apartment in the city too, in the Upper Haight, but it only worked for her to go there on weekends. During the week, she needed to be close to work, which Logan understood, so he drove from the city several times a week to make life easier for her, which he seemed to do on every front.
“You won’t believe what I heard today,” she said excitedly the minute he came through the door.
“Should I guess?” He looked interested and amused. He loved coming home to her too. Their sex life was fabulous, and everything about their relationship seemed to work, even better than he’d hoped.
“It’s pure gossip I heard after our board meeting today, and I don’t want to be your source,” she reminded him. “But Marshall Weston is leaving UPI, he’s going to Boston Technology, and they are paying him a fortune to do it, and incredible perks. Possibly stock options he can sell at any time without penalty, a plane, you name it, they threw in everything but the kitchen sink and a sex change.”
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