Doing the Right Thing
By Elizabeth Lennox
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Copyright 2017
ISBN13: 9781944078669
All rights reserved
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
George and Lillian’s Wedding
Excerpt from Phillip and Marie’s story: Making her Smile
On the Horizon
Chapter 1
“Spill it, woman! Why are you marrying a man you don’t love?” Becca demanded. The soft sounds of Christmas music played in the background of the beautiful hotel in the heart of New Orleans as the other hotel guests bustled around them, eager to get to their destination.
Tallia and Jane nodded in agreement, the three of them staring at the fourth member of their group. The four of them had been friends since their freshman year in college. Years later, they were all here in New Orleans, ready to celebrate Lillian’s wedding. It had always been Lillian’s dream to be married close to Christmas, loving the festive decorations as well as the extravagance of New Orleans.
But now, everything was falling apart. As they sat in the gorgeous hotel situated in the famous French Quarter, Lillian’s mouth opened and closed, but she wasn’t sure what to say. In the end, her whole body sort of…deflated.
“I messed up,” she whispered and covered her powder blue eyes with her hands. Humiliation, anger, frustration, and an increasing sense of panic consumed her. She’d been losing sleep, hadn’t been eating and now, only a few days before her wedding, she was losing weight. That wasn’t normally a problem, but her mother had chosen a wedding dress worth almost one hundred thousand dollars, an obscene amount to be spent on one dress, which meant that losing or gaining weight was forbidden.
Lifting her head again, she looked at the three ladies that were staring back at her and knew that she’d have to tell them the truth. The four of them had been through so much over the years…college, starting their careers, and all the annoying boyfriends and bosses. They even met up for long weekends and vacations, catching up on each other’s lives. So, these ladies knew each other better than they sometimes knew themselves.
“How?” Tallia asked, placing her hand on Lillian’s arm. “What in the world could induce you to marry a man when you’re obviously not in love with him?”
Lillian lifted her head and sniffed delicately. She wasn’t surprised that Tallia had figured out what was bothering her. The woman always figured things out quickly. Taking a deep breath, she patted the tears under her eyes, trying to control her emotions. Shaking her head, she finally admitted the truth. “I got angry.”
The three of them stared blankly at her, not understanding. “Honey, you never get angry,” Jane commented.
She smiled, but shook her head. “I do when George Walker is around.” She looked at her friends and knew that she needed to explain everything. “Here’s the thing, on my twenty-fifth birthday, I will inherit controlling interest in the Sousier hedge fund. It’s worth about three hundred million dollars. On my wedding day, I will also inherit approximately twenty million dollars, which will be mine completely.”
She looked at her friends, waiting for their judgment. During college, Lillian hadn’t had a huge living expense account. She’d struggled right along with the others and actually enjoyed the challenge of surviving on a budget, even though she hadn’t needed to. She knew that hadn’t been the case for her friends. So, she waited for their judgment.
So, when all they said was, “Okay, so you’re rich,” Lillian was ashamed. She should have known better. These three women were amazing and didn’t judge. They simply accepted life for what it was; complicated, messy, and sometimes glorious.
“And dull,” Tallia teased. When the others gave her a look, she shrugged. “Seriously? She’ll be managing a hedge fund? How boring is that?”
Jane and Becca mumbled words of disagreement, but Lillian laughed.
“She’s right,” Lillian agreed. “It is boring. And what’s more, I’ve been trying to learn the business for the past two years.” She looked up through her lashes at her friends, feeling the burning sting of humiliation heat her cheeks. “That’s where George comes in.”
“Who is George?” Jane asked gently. Of the four, Jane was the most gentle. As a school teacher, she believed in the goodness of everyone, had faith that each of her students would eventually find their passion. That also applied to her friends, neighbors and family. She believed that there was a passion inside of everyone, each person just needed to find it and explore.
Lillian clasped her hands together in front of her, trying to figure out how to explain. But when the words wouldn’t come, she lifted her lemon drop martini to her lips and took a long sip. When she carefully set the glass down, she looked at her friends. “George is the guy who is trying to teach me to run this stupid, boring fund!” she groaned, letting her head fall onto her propped up hands. “And he thinks I’m a complete idiot.”
The three women straightened, instantly indignant on Lillian’s behalf. “You’re brilliant!” Tallia claimed. “He’s just never seen your drawings!” Jane assured Lillian, patting her arm. These four women were the only ones who knew that Lillian’s real passion was designing clothes.
“Well, you never were very good with math,” Becca chimed in, and shrugged when Tallia and Jane glared at her. “What? It’s true! I was up helping her study for every one of her math tests in college!”
Lillian groaned. “Becca’s right. I barely passed statistics in college even though Becca spent hours going through all the rules. I got a B in calculus, but only because Becca finally figured out that using the angles on a dress would make sense to me. After that, I was able to calculate just about anything.”
“I still don’t see the issue,” Jane interrupted. “So, you’re not very good with math?”
Lillian sighed, accepting the truth. “A hedge fund manager needs to understand math.”
“So, get this George fellow to teach you,” Tallia stated firmly.
Lillian shook her head. “You don’t get it. He’s been trying. He’s been going over the details with me for months and I just…I don’t get it.” She blushed and bowed her head. “And what’s worse, I think…I might be, kind of …well, I’m painfully attracted to him.” The last was whispered with shame.
Three sets of round eyes stared at her for a long moment. Then Tallia tossed her hands in the air. “Okay, well, that explains everything! You’re bad at math, have the hots for the guy who is teaching you math, and you are going to marry some other man that you’re simply friends with.” The others laughed because…well, when it was broken down in that manner, it really made a lot of sense. Not logic, but…
“I like Phillip,” Lillian argued defensively. “He’s a good man! I can’t hurt him!” She sighed, rubbing her forehead. “Nor can I humiliate him by backing out of the wedding at this point.”
Becca patted Lillian’s shoulder. “You think he’s a nice person. That’s very different from wanting him as a husband and a lover.”
“And a distant issue from loving a man enough to make a marriage work,” Jane chimed in.
“Excellent point!” Becca nodded emphatically.
Even Jane agreed. “I’m with them. Why don’t you marry George?”
Lillian couldn’t believe they’d suggested something so outrageous. “Because I’m not i
n love with him!” she replied with horror. Her eyes shuttered and she blinked, trying to hide something that even she didn’t understand. The idea of George…well, he infuriated her! That definitely wasn’t a basis for marriage! “And because he thinks I’m an idiot. He can’t stand to be around me.”
“I don’t believe that. Not for a moment,” Becca stated emphatically, looking at the blonde beauty with her expressive, powder blue eyes. Lillian was every man’s dream woman! Her lush figure, gorgeous, blonde locks, full lips, and elegant demeanor…any man would die to possess her. Toss in that southern accent, and most men would fall to their knees to be with Lillian.
Tallia chuckled. “Besides, you’re one of the nicest people I know. And even better, you’re not nearly as prim and proper as Jane is. So, that’s even better!”
Jane gasped. “I’m not prim and proper!” she insisted, her spine stiffening with prim and proper outrage.
“Yes, you are!” all three of them replied in unison, and burst out laughing. Tallia rubbed Jane’s shoulders. “But we love you because of your prim and proper indignation.”
Jane huffed a bit, but then rolled her eyes, dismissing their comments. “We were talking about Lillian, not me.”
The women laughed, but as soon as the amusement died, Lillian’s face fell again. “I appreciate you ladies being there for me, but the idea of George and me being together,” she laughed slightly, shaking her head, “No. That’s just not going to happen. Before I became engaged, George and I were friends and laughed a lot together.” She hesitated, looking at her cocktail but then shook her head. “Maybe another time…we might…but…
She took a deep breath and looked at her friends. “Trust me. George hates me. Phillip and I make a whole lot more sense that me and George. The man…” she huffed a bit, shivering with some emotion that she didn’t really understand, then focused back on the conversation. “George becomes so impatient with me. Phillip and I have never even argued because we agree on pretty much everything. George calls me princess, and not in a nice way,” she huffed. “Phillip would never be so offensive as to call me by a ridiculous, condescending nickname.”
She lifted her lemon drop martini and took a sip, then carefully placed it back on the table, looking at her friends with a slight curl to her lips. “I went to George months ago and asked his advice and, back then, he was more than willing to help me out.” She sighed and rubbed her forehead. “He was always sweet and generous with his time back then. He would sit down with me for hours, explaining things over and over again until I understood.” She lifted her lashes to her friends, needing them to understand. “The guy really is brilliant,” she told all of them. “It wasn’t until…well, a while ago that we started fighting. Before then, he was one of the nicest, most charming men I’ve ever met.” She bit her lip and twisted the martini glass around on the table. “We used to sit and talk for hours after everyone else had left the office. Normally sharing a meal and it was always really…nice,” she sighed, unaware of the dreamy expression in her eyes.
“If I hadn’t suddenly become engaged to Phillip, I might have considered George as husband material.” She bit her lip, then shook her head. “No. That’s not true. George used to tease me all the time. He used to say things that…” she closed her eyes, shivered, then opened them again as she stared into the depths of her lemon drop. “No. George was never really husband material.” She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I think I’m just one of those women who shouldn’t get married. It isn’t required. Why am I so worried about it? Besides…”
Becca rolled her hands around each other, evil-witch-style. “Yeah yeah. Let’s go back to the part where you agreed to marry Phillip and George changed. I think there might be something important in that story.”
Lillian cringed. “Right. Well, I told George about my father’s suggestion to merge my fund with Phillip’s fund. I had no idea those two were bitter rivals. But apparently, George really hates Phillip. When I told him about the idea, George blew up. He was furious with me, accusing me of marrying an ass, of being just part of the status quo, and not thinking for myself. It was a brutal argument. But later, the next day, he came back and apologized. George told me to do whatever, that the merger idea was truly brilliant and I should just toss everything over to Phillip to take control and…” she pressed her lips together and blinked rapidly, as if she were trying to push back the tears. “Then he told me to go shopping.”
The three of them gasped in outraged fury. “He did not!” Becca whispered, horrified.
“What a chauvinistic pig!” Tallia exclaimed in disgust.
“He didn’t mean it, did he?” Jane asked anxiously, trying to give the unknown man the benefit of doubt.
“That’s exactly what he said.”
She opened her mouth to continue, but Tallia lifted her hand up in the air. “Don’t!” she glared at Lillian. “You were about to defend him, weren’t you?”
Lillian stopped and closed her mouth, causing the others to laugh for a moment. Then they turned serious. “He doesn’t know about my desire to be a designer,” she told them all. “No one but you three know anything about that.”
There was a long silence as the three of them heard that announcement. None of them could believe it, especially since they all knew about Lillian’s dream. “Not even your family?” Jane asked, her eyes worried for her friend.
“Absolutely not!” she exclaimed emphatically. “I was raised knowing that I would take over this fund. It was my role in life. So I’ve hidden my dreams of becoming a designer away, trying to get the hang of this stupid hedge fund stuff. If I’m to inherit three hundred million dollars, that comes with a lot of responsibility.” She sighed, rubbing her forehead. “Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to really understand the details.” She sighed, shaking her head slightly. “There’s so much to learn. George makes it look so natural. He’s grown the fund by an amazing rate over the past several years, but when I make a suggestion, he has to patiently explain why it won’t work.” She lowered her head in defeat. “Why is it that I can work through all of the details of making an elaborate ball gown, but I can’t figure out the issues surrounding stock trades and investment purchases?” she exclaimed with frustration. “I’m not an idiot. It shouldn’t be so difficult!” she groaned, throwing up her hands in defeat. “But for the life of me, I just don’t get all the details that seem to come naturally to George and Phillip.”
“Okay, so why don’t you just go to George and explain who you really are?”
Lillian shifted in her chair. “Because he already thinks of me as a silly woman, which pisses me off to no end,” she grumbled, ignoring her friends’ laughter at her use of the phrase “pisses me off”, which she’d never used before. “And there’s no way I would tell anyone about my dreams. Especially not a jerk like that!”
Tallia laid a hand on Lillian’s arm. “You can’t marry Phillip, Lil. You’re not in love with him.”
Becca leaned forward. “And I suspect that he’s actually in love with another woman.”
Lillian gasped, her eyes wide as she stared at her friends. “His assistant? You think so too?”
Jane looked at Becca and Lillian, not sure what was going on. “What do you know that the rest of us don’t?” she demanded. “Did I miss something significant last night?”
All of them leaned in, wanting to hear the scoop. “Last night, while Lillian was playing the lush, Phillip was across the room talking with the cute brunette.”
Lillian nodded, leaning forward as she latched onto the subject. “That’s his assistant, Marie. She’s really good at her job. It’s sort of like she has a sixth sense when it comes to what Phillip needs. It’s a bit spooky.”
The other three looked at her. “How do you mean?” Jane finally asked.
Lillian shrugged slightly. “I was meeting Phillip for lunch one day a while ago and he was going through the papers on his desk, looking frustrated because he couldn’t find som
ething. But only moments before he stood up to bellow for her, she walked in and stood by his desk, just waiting. When he turned to ask her where the file was, she was already handing it to him.”
Tallia shrugged, about to dismiss the incident. “Yeah, well, maybe he had a meeting…”
Lillian shook her head. “That’s happened several times over the months since I’ve been engaged to the man.”
Jane laughed. “So? Just because she knows what’s going on with his business meetings, that doesn’t mean anything.”
Lillian grinned, her eyes sparkling as she conveyed the other information. “I’ve seen the steamy looks that escape when neither of them thinks the other is watching.” She nodded her head. “They are into each other.”
Tallia, Jane and Becca stared at Lillian. Jane was the first to say what everyone else was thinking. “It doesn’t bother you that your future husband and his assistant are…experiencing an emotional connection?”
Lillian laughed, shrugging her shoulder delicately. “I suppose I should.” She thought about it for another long moment, and shook her head. “Nope. It doesn’t.”
Tallia blinked, then shook her head as if she didn’t understand something significant. “So, why haven’t you broken things off with Phillip? Regardless of your feelings for George, which we still haven’t figured out yet, you can’t marry Phillip. You’re obviously not in love with him. And if he’s in love with this Marie woman, then you should…”
“I’ve tried,” she sighed, shaking her head in disgust. “Seriously, guys, I’ve tried just about everything. I’ve asked Phillip about her, but he simply says that she’s a very efficient assistant. When I point out how lovely she is, or that they seem to have a strong mental connection, he brushes me off, saying that I’m making things up in my mind and there isn’t anything between them. I’ve even carefully indicated that we should hold off on the wedding so he could explore his feelings for Marie. But Phillip… he’s one of those incredibly responsible men who just won’t break a promise.”
Doing the Right Thing Page 1