Chapter 20 Meeting Carry On Tour #8
Greg paused, looked at Veronica then turned back to the reporter. “I am back in a limited capacity, as I am still not completely recovered from the event in Kansas City, but Pimico fully supports Veronica LaFayette and Veronique.” He waved and backed away, letting Veronica step forward.
“We are happy to have Greg back with us, but I must acknowledge the fine staff at Pimico for being there every step of the way. You’ll not find a finer business to trust your investments with,” she said with a big wave and smile.
“I owe you,” Greg whispered.
“Yes, you do,” Veronica whispered back. “Maybe you will agree to more than just dinner tonight?” she asked, still smiling for the cameras.
“Miss LaFayette, wouldn’t you kiss your man for the cameras?” called another reporter. She didn’t hesitate to turn and kiss Greg deeply on the lips. “YES!” the reporter called as more flashes went off.
“Please excuse us now as we have a closed photo shoot to do,” Veronica called and security started moving in. “Thank you for coming for the announcement.”
Greg was stunned as it hit him. ‘She planned this?’ he thought to himself.
‘She’s completely amazing,’ he thought as he stepped up beside her, took her hand in his and waved to the reporters as they started leaving.
“I am right here beside you,” he said firmly.
“But tonight is going to be special. Before your concert, I’ve got something for you. ”
“I can’t wait, Greg,” she said, lifting their hands up and waving goodbye.
“Ouch!” Billy said from beside Carry. “That has to sting.”
“Billy,” she said in full composure. “Greg’s learned how to perform for the cameras now. I’ll speak to him tonight while you are doing the concert.”
“I’m only on until half an hour before sunset, Carry. It’s Friday and the Sabbath begins at sunset.”
“I forgot. Are you going to synagogue in the morning?”
“Absolutely. We have a local congregation,” Billy confirmed.
“I’d like to join you,” Carry said resolutely. “I need to learn more about my own faith if I’m going to win Greg back.”
“I’ll be more than happy to escort you again,” Billy confirmed. “You’ve been studying well and coming with me to synagogue when it didn’t conflict with your Veronique schedule. It’s nice to see you finally starting to embrace your faith.”
“I’ve been learning the lessons, slowly. Right now, I see Greg behaving like Sampson with Delilah,” she said through gritted teeth. “I don’t want to be angry about this. He’s been through so much, and I did make the mistake of walking away from him and Pimico.”
“You told me you had to walk away or you’d be stuck in his shadow forever,” Billy said softly. “Did I miss something.”
“No, Billy. I missed something. I missed what Greg was trying to do when the entire world was on his shoulders. He was trying to protect me and give me a future at Pimico.” She turned and looked Billy closely.
“Now, I have to know if that choice can be reversed, or if the damage done is too great to be repaired. He’s torn between her and I, and I’m not giving him a good enough reason to choose me. Veronica is.”
“Cousin?” Cassie interrupted. “We’ve got to get on stage for the photo shoot.”
“Right!” Carry replied. “Sorry Billy, we’ll continue this conversation later. Tonight I’m speaking with Greg, then afterwards you and I will talk. I need your counsel.” Then she turned to Cassie. “I want you there too. I need advice.”
“My advice is simple, Carry. Don’t wait for him. Show him!” Cassie said firmly.
The photo shoot had gone off without a hitch and the girls were exhausted from being under the bright lights and the high heat on the rooftop.
They decided to relax in the pool while the afternoon finished.
Greg spent the afternoon reviewing things with Keith as they game-planned how to deal with Millard if he showed up.
Matt and Eddie had reported that by making their presence known, they were sure they’d seen Millard drift back into the crowd.
Danny had arrived, bringing more assets to bear as they made final preparations for the concert.
Once that was all hammered out, Greg relaxed with Aunt Janet, preparing for dinner.
It was almost five pm when he reached over to Aunt Janet.
“It’s time to surprise your daughter,” he said softly.
“I’ve been looking forward to this all day,” Aunt Janet replied with some excitement in her voice. “I can’t wait to see the look in her eyes.”
“I’m ready to go,” he confirmed. “Shall we?”
“Absolutely, my child.” She stood up and followed Greg out of the suite.
They had taken their seats at the private dining table, waiting for Veronica to show up.
Greg was nervously going through emails and text messages.
His jaw dropped when he saw Veronica entering in wearing a bright yellow gown with sequins, split to mid-thigh in the skirt.
He stood up, making sure he was between Veronica and Aunt Janet.
Smiling broadly, he shook his head back and forth.
“That’s more than I deserve to see,” he said, then whistled long. “Oh my don’t you look radiantly splendid tonight,” he continued then moved to intercept her. He wrapped her in his arms and kissed her deeply.
“Why didn’t you kiss me like that at the photo shoot?” she softly demanded.
“I was completely lost,” he admitted. “My mind was still processing everything you just accomplished with Veronique while I was recovering, and I could see Carry down below.”
“Oh? So you didn’t want to upset her?” she protested.
“No, that’s not what I mean.” He took a breath. “She reminded me that I had to stay professional, and my heart and mind were split. I didn’t know how to react.”
“And now you do, do you?” she said in a taunting tone.
“I think so,” he said cautiously. “But I know my heart is still in two places. I want to make the right choice, but I can’t rush it.” Greg shook his head. “I’m not even making any sense because I’m so twisted up inside.”
“Greg, it’s simple right now. I love you, but do you love me?”
“Yes but not only you, and that’s my problem.” He shook his head. “I’ve got to figure out where my heart truly belongs.”
“What does your heart tell you right now?”
“That I really want to please you, which is why I have a surprise for you.” Aunt Janet stood up from the table. “I’ve brought your mom.”
“Mom?” Veronica said, stunned.
“Yes daughter!” Aunt Janet said as she moved forward. Veronica leapt upon her. “I’ve been waiting all day for this. I love you, my child.”
“Oh, mom!” Veronica said as salty tears streaked down her cheeks. “I’ve missed you so much.” She kissed Aunt Janet on the forehead, then looked at Greg. She smiled brightly. “Thank you so much for this.”
“You deserve this,” Greg said. “If you’d like to dine alone, I can dine elsewhere.”
“No, Greg. Please stay and dine with us. It’ll feel like family,” she said. Greg embraced them both. “I love both of you so much. This is a wonderful gift.”
“Do you mind if we get something to eat?” Aunt Janet asked.
“Of course, I’m sorry,” she replied. “Let’s sit down and enjoy a good meal.”
The meal went as Greg had planned. Wine, fine food, good conversation and even a single waltz with Veronica.
She stopped him in the middle of their dance, pulled him to herself and kissed him deeply.
‘This incredible woman truly loves me,’ Greg thought as he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her back.
She pulled back from the kiss and gazed into his eyes, not saying a word with her mouth.
It was all communicated in how she looked at him.
‘She wants me right now, in this very moment,’ he thought as he read her eyes.
‘I want her too. OMG, I’ve got to stop this before I destroy this.
’ He kissed her again instead of separating from her.
“Veronica,” he whispered after the kiss.
“I know we both want this, but we can’t. ”
The kiss on the dance floor kept replaying in his mind the rest of the evening.
She’d agreed to stop, but it was clear that she didn’t want to stop.
She wanted to make the full commitment, and he had realized that he was the one not ready.
At least not yet. ‘Greg, if we make a baby, Daddy will have to accept us. Please, trust me. It’s the only way he’s ever going to accept that you and I belong together.
’ The memory of that pleading by Erica also flooded his mind.
He was turning things over in his mind repeatedly now.
‘Did I make a mistake in accepting Erica and turning Veronica down?’ he was asking himself when Billy came up to him.
“Greg?” he said. “You look really troubled.”
“Billy?” he said snapping out of his thoughts.
“The concert begins in a few minutes,” he observed. “I was just heading backstage to get my guitar, and I saw you over here. Why are you in this corner completely alone in the dark?”
“I wish you had time, there’s so much that just happened that I can’t make sense of, and there’s nobody else who could possibly understand this. You know about both Veronica and Carry and even somewhat about Erica.”
“Well, if you can wait, I’ll do my preshow for Veronica, then come talk with you,” Billy started and saw Greg’s hand come up in the stop motion. “Or, I can listen for a couple of minutes.”
“Thanks Billy. I really need to get this off my chest and outside of my crowded head.” He paused as he tried to assemble the jumbled questions.
“I had dinner with Veronica. We dined, had great conversation, and danced. But in the middle of the dance she kissed me and suddenly I found myself wanting to take her to bed. It scared me so much I barely stayed in control.”
“So, you said no?”
“Barely, Billy. Barely,” Greg somberly admitted. “Carry pops in my mind every time this happens and I am confused if that means that I love her more or if I am just feeling guilty about how that would betray her while we are trying to figure out where we stand.”