“Wow, did you girls check out those eyes of his?” Angie asked.
“Eyes, schmeyes, I was too busy checking out the rest of him,” laughed Lizzie.
“No wonder he’s Dallas’s most eligible bachelor,” Marianne added.
“What did you think of him, Katy?” Angie nudged her friend, who had been very quiet. The wink had not been missed.
“I think that I have never been as attracted to a man in all my life,” Katy quietly answered.
The other three looked at her in surprise. Katy had not so much as shown the slightest bit of interest in a man since Bill’s death, other than the occasional casual date. Maybe she really was ready to move on.
“Well, on that note, let’s think about ordering some food, because, honey, I don’t think Ryan O’Grady is on the menu tonight,” Lizzie said as they all burst into yet another fit of girlish giggles.
The waiter soon brought their drinks and they placed their orders. Marianne ordered the filet mignon, Angie a seafood dish, Katy a shrimp salad, and Lizzie the prime rib.
As they settled back to enjoy their drinks and each other’s company, a woman walked toward their table. Katy noticed her first-she was strikingly beautiful, probably in her mid-thirties, with short, blonde, bobbed hair.
The woman greeted them with a genuine smile as she stopped at their table and introduced herself, “Hi, I’m Chloe O’Grady. Ryan said there was a lively bunch of gals that I needed to meet sitting in this corner. Welcome to our restaurant.”
“Are we being too loud? We’re sorry, we haven’t seen each other for a long time and have a lot to catch up on,” Angie answered, slightly embarrassed.
“Oh, no, quite the contrary, Ryan thought y’all were having a good time, so I thought I would come over and chat a minute. What brings y’all to Dallas?” she asked with the typical Texas drawl.
“Well, we’re childhood friends who live in different states now. We decided to drop everything and get together for a week,” replied Lizzie.
“I think that’s wonderful. I would love to get away like that, but we are so busy right now.” Chloe O’Grady had a way about her that could draw you into her world with her smile.
“Yes, we heard that you are doing some expanding. That sounds great.” Marianne remarked. “You must be doing very well here.”
“It is great, but very time consuming to try and plan all that and run this place, I’m afraid.” Chloe smiled as she spoke, the same sweet smile she had on her face when greeting them.
“I hear you. I work in a resort-casino and we are planning a huge expansion too. When I get back to work, I will certainly have my hands full,” Angie piped in, understanding in her voice.
“We have hired an excellent architect. We’ve seen preliminary sketches and are meeting with him on Tuesday morning. He really had some good ideas. Now if I could just decide on a new advertising campaign and hire a decorator, I would be halfway home.” Chloe sighed.
The girls looked at each other and laughed.
“I’m sorry, why was that funny?” Chloe asked in a surprised manner.
“No, it wasn’t funny, but Lizzie’s husband owns an ad agency and Katy here is thinking of starting an interior design business. I have already offered her a job helping me with decorating our new hotel expansion,” Angie answered, the wheels spinning in her head already.
“You have got to be kidding. It has to be fate that brought you to us tonight. I am so excited. You don’t know how much this has been weighing on me to get these things done. I feel like a hundred pound weight has been lifted off my shoulders. Shane and Ryan will not believe this in a million years.” Chloe could not believe her luck and even Marianne, the great believer in fate, was dumbstruck by the sudden turn of events.
“What will I not believe?” Ryan had returned to the table. He seemed to be drawn to the table with the petite Katy from Chicago and her friends.
When Chloe related her latest findings to Ryan, he was shocked. “Well, indeed, that is interesting. Katy, why don’t you drop by tomorrow after the lunch rush and we’ll discuss some of the decorating ideas with you?” he answered, not quite believing his luck in getting to see her again so soon.
“This place is so tastefully done, who designed it?” she replied, not giving an immediate answer to his suggestion.
“I did, but I just don’t have the time to do it this time around, what with running this place and planning the new projects,” Chloe answered wearily.
“Well, it certainly is beautiful. You did an excellent job on it, Chloe.” Katy appreciated taste and Chloe certainly had shown good taste in decorating the restaurant.
“Thank you, Katy. But seriously, would you be interested in stopping by tomorrow or will you be too busy with your friend’s hotel to take on a second client so soon? We would love to have your input.”
She is seriously asking me to do the job, Katy thought excitedly.
“We could really use your help if you are serious about starting a design business.” Ryan was looking at Katy, smiling, and she was captivated by it. How could I refuse anything this man asks of me?
“We don’t want to cut into your vacation time, though. I’m sorry, I didn’t even think of that.” Chloe had forgotten for a minute that the girls were on vacation, disappointed that things may not work out after all.
“No, that’s not a problem, I can drop by around two if that works for you.” Katy decided to go for it.
“And Lizzie, why don’t you have your husband work on some ad ideas for us?”
“Actually,” Lizzie said thoughtfully, “why don’t I come up with some ideas of my own and come by with Katy tomorrow? Sound good to you?” The wheels were turning in Lizzie’s head. If she could win this account, it would be a big feather in Rex’s cap to expand his business as far as Dallas and it would gain Rex’s confidence that she could do the job. Wouldn’t that be something? She could kill two birds with one stone, as the saying goes.
“Sounds like a winner to me, what do you think, Ryan?” Chloe looked up at her handsome brother-in-law questioningly.
But Ryan’s gaze was fixed on Katy. She was such a petite, pretty little thing. He wondered if she was married. Rein it in, big boy, never going down that road again, remember? What in the world is happening to me? Meet one cute and smart little lady and the resolution made so many years ago was going by the wayside. Keep this strictly business if you know what’s good for you.
“I’m sorry, what were you saying, sis?”
Chloe looked at Ryan closely. “I was asking would it be okay with you for Liz to bring by some ad ideas tomorrow when Katy stops by?” she asked again, wondering what was wrong with him. He seemed to be a million miles away tonight.
“Sure, sure, that would be great. I need to get back to work. I will bid you ladies farewell.” He bowed to them as he turned to leave. “See you at two tomorrow.” And with that, Ryan O’Grady walked away from the table, leaving all five women staring after him.
“I need to get back to work, too. It was great meeting y’all, and I look forward to seeing both of you tomorrow. Marianne and Angie, it was great meeting you too. Have a good evening and enjoy your meal.” Chloe turned and walked across the room, stopping to say hello to a couple at another table, before walking back into the kitchen.
The four looked at each other silently for a few seconds until Marianne broke the silence. “What do you make of all that?”
“Your good old fate at work, Mari,” answered Angie as she took a sip of her drink. They all giggled. Marianne’s belief that fate has a hand in all things had long been a source of good-natured ribbing.
Their dinners arrived shortly and true to legend, it was delicious. The steaks were tender and perfectly cooked and the seafood was seasoned to perfection.
They ordered coffee and for dessert a heavenly cheesecake drizzled with caramel topping. As they lingered over the coffee, discussing the evening and the opportunities it had brought, Katy was silent, thoughts wh
irling in her head. Thoughts of decorating the restaurant, the hotel, and in the back of her mind, as if too timid to make their way forward, thoughts of a tall man with the gold flecks in his eyes.
They finally decided it was time to go back to the hotel. Lizzie and Katy had a long night of work ahead of them, if they were going to be ready for their important two o’clock meeting with the O’Gradys tomorrow. They were both already deeply engrossed in their ideas.
Lizzie had decided not to mention anything to Rex until she was sure this was going to work out. After all, she may find out that she really did not have any talent, after all. Then, she would have her answer as to whether or not to pitch her idea of joining the agency to Rex. Or, it could go the other way, which would be the answer to all her prayers. Oh, he could still create the ads for the O’Gradys and possibly expand his business to Texas, but she hoped it was her ads that did the trick.
Katy was thinking about how ironic it all was. Two days ago, I was wondering what I was going to do with the rest of my life. Now I have two possible clients for a design business I haven’t even opened yet, and I have met the most amazing man. Actually, amazing was not a strong enough word to describe Mr. Ryan O’Grady and the effect that meeting him was having on her. She knew he was a widower, that he had lost his wife in the same manner that she had lost Bill. She knew he had lived in the Midwest before moving to Dallas. They had those two things in common, but what else did she know about him? That he was a confirmed bachelor, he had many lady friends and Katy probably did not stand a snowball’s chance in hell with him. Maybe Angie had the right idea earlier. I should just have a vacation affair with him. What am I saying? Deal with it later, she told herself, you have work to do. That’s what I’ll do. Concentrate on the work and not the man. But could she do that?
She wondered what surprises the rest of the week would bring as the waiter stepped over to the table to see if they would like anything else. They conveyed to him how wonderful the meal and the atmosphere of the restaurant were, much to his obvious pleasure.
When Angie asked if they could have their check, the waiter replied, “I have been instructed to tell you that your dinners are on the house tonight, compliments of Mr. Ryan O’Grady. Enjoy the rest of your evening, ladies.” They looked at each other and laughed. What a strange night this had turned out to be. They had met two wonderful new people and a whole new chapter could be starting for some of them. And now, the most eligible bachelor in Dallas had treated them all to dinner.
How could they have known their lives would be changed forever by that one simple visit to ‘Chloe’s Place’ on that fateful autumn night?
They arrived back at the Prava to begin a long night of work for Lizzie and Katy. Angie and Marianne had the job of keeping the coffee pot going and offering opinions when asked for them. It was just like old times, once again, with the four of them working together as a team.
CHAPTER 9
Monday morning dawned with hazy, overcast skies in Iowa. As Michael Gray prepared for his trip to Texas to meet with the restaurant owners, he was deep in thought. Well-prepared for this meeting, he had studied the background of ‘Chloe’s Place.’ He’d done his homework, so to speak, and knew everything there was to know about the place.
It was quite an impressive operation, really. Started nearly ten years ago by two brothers and the wife of one brother, it had done exceptionally well. Frankly, he was surprised they had not made the decision to expand sooner. He had sent preliminary sketches ahead of him, and the owners had seemed to be pleased with Michael’s work. He expected the meeting to go well, and when the day was over, he would be free to surprise little Miss Angela with his presence in Dallas. He had a good excuse to be there, of course, but never the less, he worried about her reaction. She had been hard to read the other night at dinner. She was available, but that did not mean that she wanted to start over with him. He would just have to play it by ear and see how things progressed. Hopefully, by working together, he would be able to convince her that the problems they’d had in the past had nothing to do with the confident, successful people they had both become. It seemed to him they had needed the time to get themselves settled into good careers, and now it was time to end the nonsense and get back together. But convincing feisty little Angie of that might not be an easy task. She was very good at her job. He could tell that from the brief meeting last Friday. She was certainly going to be a challenge and a joy to work with. She knew her stuff. He had to give her that.
As he headed for the airport, he was hoping the weather in Texas would be better than the weather in Iowa this morning. He spent his time in the air going over last minute preparations for his presentation to the O’Grady family. It’s time to concentrate on business.
He landed at DFW, rented a car, and drove straight to the hotel. He had booked a suite at the Prava also. He was hoping he could slip into his room and back out of it without any of the ‘Fab Four’ spotting him. He was not yet ready for them to know he was in town. His meeting with the O’Gradys was not until tomorrow morning so he would order room service and stay in this evening, relaxing and preparing his next move. By tomorrow evening, he would have figured out the best way to let Angie know he was in town. One step at a time, boy, don’t rush her. You don’t want to scare her off. By the time he picked up the phone to order his lunch, he was smiling to himself, confident that this trip to Texas was going to be a good one, both professionally and personally.
Meanwhile, one floor up, Katy and Lizzie were busy gathering all their materials together for their meeting at ‘Chloe’s Place.’ They had finally both given it up around three o’clock that morning and had fallen asleep on the sofa bed in the living room of their suite. Marianne and Angie had retired to their bedroom around one, leaving their friends to finish their work.
Katy had been amazed at the adrenalin flowing from both Lizzie and herself all night. They were both really getting into this. For two people who have not worked for several years, I think we were both full of good ideas. I’m hoping this will turn out to be a good thing for both of us. And who knows, maybe I will get more out of this than a job! That is highly unlikely, she thought, but a girl can dream, can’t she?
They had decided to order salads from room service for lunch, so Lizzie and Katy could get ready for their meeting in plenty of time. Both were very excited and neither one of them could sit still for more than a few minutes all morning. Katy was like a high school girl getting ready for her first date. Lizzie was not much better.
“Would you two get a grip? You are driving me crazy,” complained Angie when Lizzie jumped up from the couch for the twentieth time.
“I just want to make sure this all goes well, there is so much riding on it for both of us. I don’t want either of us to blow the opportunity we’ve been given,” Lizzie shot back nervously.
“Relax. You can’t be this fidgety when you’re at the meeting, you know.”
“What did you really think of our ideas, Angie?” Katy asked with a frown.
“I think you both did an excellent job on such short notice. It will be fine. All you have to do now is relax and present your ideas. I am confident they will love your ideas as much as we do. And if they don’t, it will be good experience. If there is something they don’t like, it’s probably fixable. Calm down. I mean it, calm down. You can’t go in there like two cats on a hot tin roof.”
“She is right,” Marianne added. “Not to mention the fact that Chloe and Ryan seemed like such nice people. I am sure they will give you a fair chance. After all, they are the ones who suggested the meeting. They could have turned you down when we mentioned the two of you doing the work, but they jumped on it, even knowing you are new to the game. So relax.”
“I don’t know what Chloe’s husband will think. I wonder if he will be at the meeting?” Lizzie worried.
“Hopefully we’ll get to meet him today. I wonder if he is as breathtakingly handsome as his brother is,” Katy said wistfully.
They all looked at Katy in shock. She was really getting into this Ryan guy.
Marianne hoped Katy was not leading herself into heartbreak, that would be the worse thing that could happen to her now, after all these years of waiting. Although, maybe it was all harmless. Disturbing as it was, it was kind of exciting for Katy to be so attracted to a man after all these years of widowhood.
Angie’s thoughts went back to their conversation before dinner at the restaurant, when they had teased about Katy having an affair with him. Who would have thought she would actually fall for the guy? She’s the level-headed one of this bunch.
The salads and iced tea arrived. The girls had another pleasant lunch together and then it was time for Lizzie and Katy to leave for their meeting with the O’Gradys. Marianne had given them directions to the restaurant in case they forgot how to get there. The two women left for the meeting that would change both their lives forever.
“I’m glad they are finally out of here, they were driving me bonkers,” Angie said to Marianne, laughing.
“Yes, they were pretty hyper. I hope it all goes well for them, though. Both of them deserve this break. Isn’t it weird how it all happened?” Marianne answered her with a smile.
“Fate,” Angie answered simply and they both collapsed in laughter as they sat back to relax and enjoy the quiet. They knew when the other two got back it would be crazy again. Both Katy and Lizzie would be anxious to tell the story of the big meeting.
“Do I look all right?” Katy asked Lizzie as she checked her makeup in the visor mirror for the third time.
“You look great, you are going to knock old Ryan’s socks off in that outfit, you little vixen.” Lizzie laughed as she responded. She was thinking how nice it was to see Katy so interested in something besides Alex for a change. Alex was a great kid, but Katy needed a life. She had been lonely for too darn long. Now she had two possibilities to look forward to, a chance for a new client for her business, and a possible chance with a new guy. Although, Lizzie thought, the business deal is probably more of a sure thing than the guy. But time would tell. It did seem like fate had drawn them to ‘Chloe’s Place’ for a lot of reasons last night. There was their old friend fate, helping them out again. Maybe Marianne had been right about it all these years.
Crossroad To Love (Fab Five Series) Page 5