Chapter 6 Understanding The Situation #4
Billy hesitated just long enough to matter, then gave a small shrug.
“I’ll clear out,” he said. “You two probably don’t need an audience.
” There was something restrained in the way he said it—not reluctance, not quite neutrality either—but he didn’t let it linger.
He moved past Greg, heading for the door, pausing only briefly as Veronica’s voice approached from the hall.
He started to open the door when she appeared.
She didn’t slow when she saw Greg. If anything, she adjusted toward him.
Focused. Certain. The moment the door closed behind Billy, she crossed the space, joining him on the couch then kissed Greg—deep, immediate, intentional. Not greeting. Claiming.
Greg didn’t pull away, rather he leaned into it and wrapped her in his arms. He held her close just long enough to match the expectation—then eased it to a stop, his hand settling lightly in the middle of her back. “Hey,” he said, voice steady.
Veronica studied him for a half second, reading the difference. Not rejecting—redirecting. A faint smile touched her lips. “You came to see me?” she asked with a tone soft but aware.
“I did,” Greg replied. “Didn’t mean to interrupt your session.”
“You didn’t,” she said smoothly. “We got what we needed.” She leaned past him slightly, grabbing the water bottle on the table, completely at ease in the space.
“So,” she added, glancing back at him, “what couldn’t wait?
” She opened the bottle that Greg hadn’t even touched, and quickly downed about a third of the contents.
She put the lid back on and looked into his eyes, waiting for his response.
Greg didn’t answer right away. He let the question settle further into the room. He allowed his eyes to move—not aimlessly, but observant. The setup. The control. The same precision he’d just watched through the glass. “Busy morning,” he said instead.
Veronica gave a small, knowing smile. “That’s one way to put it.”
“Your Veronique campaign’s moving fast,” he continued, tone even. “Much faster than I had expected.” He leaned in, looking into her eyes with a smile.
That got a slight tilt of her head. Interested in why he was moving in. “Opportunity doesn’t wait,” she said. “You know that.” She didn’t wait any longer, but kissed him again.
Greg sounded faintly out of breath after the kiss. “Yeah. I do know that,” he said softly. “You just gave me the best evidence of that.” He let a second pass, just enough space to keep it natural. “Just seems like everything lined up… all at once.”
Her eyes stayed on him now. Sharper, but not closed off. “Sometimes it does,” she replied. “When you’re prepared.” She looked in trying to see what he was wanting, but not quite able to read his face.
Greg’s gaze held hers. “Prepared… or positioned?” That landed. Not hard—but precise.
Veronica didn’t react outwardly. If anything, she seemed to settle into it. “Careful,” she said lightly. “That almost sounds like you think something wrong is happening.”
Greg let out a quiet breath, shaking his head slightly. “Not suspicious,” he said. “I’m just trying to understand this.” He paused, then added, “I’ve just been looking at timing. Carry leaving. Your offer. The rollout.” His eyes didn’t move. “That’s not coincidence.”
Veronica leaned in a little closer—not closing distance aggressively, but deliberately. “No,” she said. “It isn’t.” A faint pause. “It’s awareness, and execution.”
Greg watched her carefully. “Awareness of what?”
“Of potential,” she answered without hesitation. “Of a moment that wasn’t being used the way it should be.” Her tone stayed calm, controlled. “Carry was standing at a crossroads whether you saw it or not. I simply made sure she didn’t miss it.”
Greg’s jaw tightened slightly—but not in anger. Processing. “And the pressure she was under?” he asked. “Was that part of the ‘moment’ too?”
That was the first real shift. Not visible to anyone who wasn’t looking for it—but Greg was.
Veronica’s expression didn’t harden. It refined.
“Pressure exists whether I’m involved or not,” she said.
“The difference is what someone does with it. Yes, Greg, I encouraged the girls to speak with Carry about this opportunity and to try to convince her to come over.”
Greg held that. Measured it. “And you were just… there to help.”
A faint smile returned. “I was there to offer her something better.” Silence settled—but not empty. Calculated. “You recognized her talent, and so did I.”
Greg nodded once, slow. “You always did know how to step in at the right time.”
Veronica’s eyes didn’t leave his. “That’s why I succeed. I’m not going to let talent like hers slip through my hands when it can mean that I can finally achieve my dream.”
He knew that she wasn’t vindictive and the pressure wasn’t the question anymore. Greg shifted slightly, easing the tone just enough to keep the door open. “She looks different,” he said. “On camera.”
Veronica’s expression softened—genuine this time, or close enough to it. “She is different,” she said. “She’s stepping into who she’s meant to be.”
Greg studied her for a second longer. “And you’re shaping that.”
“I’m refining it,” Veronica corrected. “You should appreciate the difference.” Another small silence. This one didn’t need filling. “You started shaping her at Pimico.”
Greg gave a faint nod, like something had clicked into place. Not everything—but enough. “Yeah,” he said quietly. “That makes sense. But I missed something.”
Veronica watched him carefully now. “Does it make sense to let talent slip away?”
Greg met her gaze. “More than it did this morning,” he sheepishly admitted. That answer lingered between them. No conflict or agreement, just something in between.
Veronica pressed in again, full contact this time—but not for another kiss. Just enough to reestablish presence. “Good,” she said softly. “Then you won’t get in the way of it.”
Greg didn’t move. “Depends what ‘it’ is.”
Her smile returned—but there was edge behind it now. “It’s success, Greg,” she said. “For her.” A slight pause. “For all of us.” Greg held her gaze. Then, just slightly, he nodded.
“Success?” he pondered quietly to himself. He cleared his throat. “I guess…We’ll see.”