Dixie Ch. 02

"How shall we celebrate this?"

"Well I have an idea, but we'd have to wait awhile."

"What, tell me?"

"Tonight over dinner. Tell Melissa not to fix dinner because we'll go find that lobster that you craved so long ago."

"You are so sweet, thank you."

"I have to go so I can meet with Gordon and get my reorganization started."

As soon as Loren was in the house that evening, Holly ran to him and throwing her arms around him, kissed him and said, "I'm so proud of you."

"You know, I'm pretty damn proud of you too."

"For what?"

"For your marketing idea and the way you're diving into it and making things happen. I think that is fantastic."

"Thank you. It's scary but I'm having a great time. Now tell me about your idea to celebrate."

"Let's go into the living room. Has Melissa left?"

"Just a few minutes ago. How are you two getting along by the way?"

"Fine I guess. Well I did ask her if I could see her in a micro bikini."

"Loren..."

"Just kidding honey." He pulled her close to him and they dropped onto the couch together. He took her hand in his and said, "Okay, if you're still curious, I'll tell you my idea."

"I'm dying of curiosity."

"Well this would have to be a double celebration because we're both going to be so busy."

"Stop stalling, okay a double celebration...what's the second one?"

"Well the second one would be my promotion."

"Loren I'm going to hit you in a second."

"The first and most important reason to celebrate would be for us announcing our wedding date."

She was still staring at him as a smile worked its way across her lips and tears appeared in her eyes. "Really? Can you get enough time off?" He opened his other hand and showed her the official diamond engagement ring and then slipped it on her left hand. She put her arms around him and held him tightly as she told him yet again how much she loved him. She used her blouse sleeve to dab at her eyes and then smiling asked him, "How can you get away after the mess you've had to deal with?"

"I told the board that my only modification to their proposed offer was I had to have two weeks for my honeymoon and it has to happen soon, before either of us gets in over our heads with our projects."

"And they said yes?"

"They said yes with smiling faces."

"Two weeks? Really?"

"Really. Now we have to get with Sandy and Chuck because if you'll agree, I'd like them to stand up with us and maybe even get married on their boat."

"Oh my God, this is all too much. So...when...I mean how soon can we..."

"You talk to Sandy and let me know what you can work out. What to wear and all of those details, but better sooner than later, because I'll be putting some things on hold until I get back."

"Oh God...um...okay, I'll talk to Sandy on the way to the restaurant. Oh wait, what should I wear?"

"You're fine like you are. We'll go to Marlin's Seafood House."

"Oh honey, that isn't very fancy at all."

"It isn't bad, they even paved their parking lot. They have the best and freshest seafood this side of Maine."

"Okay, let's go," and she was speed dialing Sandy before they even got to the garage. As soon as Sandy answered, Holly said, "Put it on speaker and tell Chuck we need him there too."

"This sounds interesting, just a second." When she came back she said, "He's coming. He's in the Den talking business with a few people, but I told him it was urgent."

"I hope he doesn't get mad for being pulled out of his meeting."

"They're talking over booze so I doubt any lasting damage will be done."

"Hi, sugar," Chuck said, "What's going on?"

"A lot more than we have time to talk about right now, but Loren wants us to get married and as soon as possible."

Sandy squealed and then said, "Tell me everything."

"We're on our way to dinner now to talk about some of the details, but is there a chance we could get you two to stand up with us?"

"Of course, just name the date."

Then Chuck added, "Can we get married in the nude?"

Holly laughed and said, "Well we were hoping we could get married at the marina on your boat so you decide."

Chuck laughed and said, "I guess that would be a little tacky. Of course you can get married on the boat, but I better put Sandy on so you two can work it out." The two women talked fast until she and Loren reached the restaurant and then Holly promised to call her after dinner.

Both of them were excited and talked almost nonstop as Holly had her lobster and Loren had his shark.

Chapter Four

Whenever Loren asked Holly how the wedding plans and preparations were coming, she would always tell him they were coming along and she was hurrying to get everything ready. It was after her most recent reassurance that everything was going fine that he met Linda when she came over to talk business with Holly, and he liked her immediately. She was indeed full of energy, and though she was slightly full figured, Loren couldn't stop appreciating her flawless complexion and large clear gray blue eyes that nearly made him make a fool of himself.

Then Holly made her announcement. They could get married in ten days. Sandy had a preacher lined up and the paper work was ready to satisfy North Carolina law. Sandy sounded calm and happy as she assured Holly that she had nothing to worry about, and that all Holly and Loren had to do was get there the day before the ceremony. Now Loren was getting a little nervous, but his stress level was about to take another step up. It happened when Rita, with a smile told him, "A lady was here just a few minutes ago and asked if you would join her for lunch. She said her name was Virginia or Ginny, no last name. Would you know her?"

"You're kidding, this is a surprise."

"If you would like to join her, I'll call her and let her know."

"That would be fine."

"She said she'd pick you up right at twelve if that was agreeable to you."

"It is, and thanks Rita."

Right at twelve Rita told Loren that Virginia was there, so he smiled to himself and went out to meet her. It was appropriate kisses on the cheek and a benign how have you been, but as soon as they were out of the building Ginny asked him, "Okay, now how are you really?"

"I'm great thank you and I don't even need to ask how you're doing. I'm a little surprised that you're talking to me though."

She smiled and said, "I'm past my temper tantrum."

"How is Frank?"

"The same. Most days he knows who I am, but some days he thinks he's a kid again and he's looking for his best friend. Not a very nice life for somebody that not long ago had such a sharp mind."

"I couldn't agree more."

The short drive to his favorite restaurant didn't take them long and as soon as they had ordered iced tea, Ginny asked, "So how is Dixie?"

"Outstanding."

"My, that was an exuberant answer."

"We're getting married in ten days."

Ginny looked at him like she hadn't heard him correctly, but she recovered enough to say, "Well that knocked the wind out of me."

"You and I both know there was more between us than I was admitting to and yes even to myself."

"Of course I knew, but I didn't think I'd ever hear you use the marriage word. That must have been one hell of a vacation."

"Well if you'll remember, we were gone a whole two days before I was called home. I was going to lose Holly because she had a job offer that she had to consider. On top of that, once we were on the boat things happened so fast that I'm still in shock. But in the end, I had to accept the truth and give up on my determination to be forever single. I realized that wasn't even what I wanted and I also realized that I couldn't lose Holly."

"So it's Holly now and not Dixie."

"Most of the time. I like Holly better, but sometimes it feels good to call her Dixie."

"You are changing."

"I hope for the better."

"I haven't decided. Congratulations on your promotion by the way."

"Thank you. I'll be out of town for about two weeks, but when we get back, I'll be putting in some long hours."

She smiled and said, "Where have I heard that before. I guess you figured out that I didn't come up with fifty one percent."

"The board didn't comment on it, but I did figure it out."

"Some new player managed to get to some of the share holders and convinced them to withhold their proxies."

"Interesting, I wonder what their motive was."

"Cynic. Maybe they were just going with their personal beliefs."

"Right, I'll bet they don't even know me."

"Of course there's always the possibility that they know me and don't like me."

"I can't imagine that."

"Thank you love, but we both know enemies can be made without even knowing it, especially in the world of business." They placed their orders and ignoring her iced tea, Ginny asked him, "So about this time on the boat. You implied, or maybe you said so, but I take it Dixie managed to accept being naked on the boat."

"It wasn't easy for her that's for sure, but yes, she did and though at first she was almost crying, she went through with it. Now she can't wait to experience that again."

"So she got to see your goodies and also your friend's package."

"Oh yes."

She smiled again and said, "And you were hard as a hammer."

"Chuck and I were both hard as hammers in fact."

"I'm envious."

Rather than acknowledge her comment, he said, "Our friends have a new boat, a forty five footer with a whole lot of bells and whistles."

"Now that must be a tough life. So you left the marina, stripped naked and stayed that way."

"Well, there are areas where it's too risky to do that, but Chuck knows his way around so it wasn't long before we were bare assed."

"And Chuck's wife?"

"A very attractive woman that I love very much and have for years. And when she's naked she's even better looking," and they both smiled.

"Let me see if I can remember the things you told me before. Oh, that's right, Chuck's sister."

"Right, Gwen. She appeared just a while before I got the call to come home. A friend brought her out in a speedboat and she joined us. She was naked before she even left the speed boat by the way."

"What a life you were leading. Oh...what about Dixie, how did she handle Gwen being there, knowing that you two had warmed the sheets together."

"Like a woman that loves and trusts me," he lied.

"What else is new in your life?"

"Not much. Dixie hired a new housekeeper and she's working out great, but that's about it and that's a good thing, because I'll do best without a lot of distractions and complications when I get back. And what about you? What are you doing now?"

"Still trying to decide what I want out of life now. It's going to take some time for me to sort everything out, but with luck I have time to do that."

"I'm sure you do and I'm also sure that you will come out just fine. You're a survivor Ginny."

"That's true I am a survivor." Loren was tired of treading lightly with Ginny, so he made it a point to eat his lunch and then said he had to get back to the office for a meeting. Before they got in the car she gently kissed him and said, "And to think what you and I could have shared, had life just progressed in a slightly different way."

"I've always had a feeling that we have little say in how our lives play out."

"So we have no control over our lives?"

"Not exactly, but there isn't enough time to get into abstruse subjects like that."

She drove them back to the office where they talked in the parking lot and then Ginny smiled and after kisses on the cheek they went their separate ways. As he went inside, he had to wonder if she was really interested in how he was doing or if she was on some kind of fishing expedition. One thing he did know was he would never tell Ginny anything that he didn't want the world to know. He just couldn't trust her anymore. She had money and she still had connections, so given the opportunity she could, if she chose to, make life complicated for him if he gave her the chance.

As predicted, each day Loren was in the office well before eight in the morning and wouldn't see home again until almost seven o'clock. He'd be tired, but knowing that Holly would be waiting for him was all he needed to ease the stresses of the day.

Chapter Five

On the flight east, Loren and Holly talked almost constantly. First about her budding business and the plans she had and the preparations she and Linda were making. They talked about Loren's new position and how he saw that evolving and then went back to Holly and the subject of a third person came up to help them with research and to function as a secretary. That was when Loren said, "You're going to need a commercial location. A small group of offices, because your bedroom come office arrangement isn't adequate now and you're still in your infancy."

"I just didn't want to spend the money."

"My thought on that is go after your dream like it's a sure thing. You know what you want to accomplish and you know how to make that happen. You're doing your market research and you and Linda are busting your butts building your database. You two have already outgrown your office in case you haven't noticed."

"I know we have. Okay, I'll contact Linda and have her keep her eyes open for a nice but small office suite."

They even talked about Ginny and then on to Gwen and at that point Holly said, "You've never actually said, but I assume that you and Gwen made love a few times.'

"We're on our way to be married and you want to talk about that?"

"Why not? It happened right?"

"Of course it happened, but I'm not very comfortable talking about that."

She smiled said, "No secrets between us remember? Only gifts and surprises can be kept secret. Good things. You and Gwen screwed on Chuck and Sandy's old boat and that isn't something that should be kept secret. So was she good in bed?"

He was smiling back at her, but he asked her, "Just how far are you planning to take this?"

"How much do you have to tell me? You making love to Gwen isn't a bad thing. Neither of you were committed to each other and it was easy for me to see that you two were...are compatible."

"We were compatible. Okay, she's very good in bed. You've seen how she is, energetic and eyes that never stop flirting."

"Oh I noticed that and more. She's okay looking, but her body is impressive. I even think that she has a nice personality. I like her...assuming she behaves herself from now on."

"She'll behave."

Holly kissed his hand and holding her smile asked him, "And you?"

"You know I'll behave. That doesn't mean I wouldn't stare at her on occasion or maybe flirt with her, but that's all and I mean it."

She leaned closer to him and whispered, "Flirting and staring are allowed, but screwing is a no-no."

They settled down and even took short naps until their plane was on final approach, and as the plane touched down Holly started to get restless. "Honey I love you."

"I love you too and more every day."

"Can you believe it, tomorrow we'll be married."

"It's hard to believe that time has passed so fast. It seems like I just put your ring on your finger."

"I know and I can't wait to see Sandy and Chuck."

By the time they were entering the Albemarle Plantation Marina in a Winslow's Taxi, Loren was almost as restless as Holly was. With the bags out of the trunk, Loren gave the driver a twenty dollar tip, smiled and turned just in time to see Sandy running toward them with Chuck stepping briskly behind her. Sandy and Holly came together so hard Loren fully expected both of them to fall down, but their arms went around each other and both of them talked at the same time. When Chuck reached Loren he ignored the outstretched hand and put his arms around him and slapping his back said, "It's about damn time you did the right thing. I was afraid you were going to lose the best thing that ever happened to you." Then they shook hands and started to talk, but in a slower and more controlled way than the two women.

Sandy moved over to Loren then and with their arms around each other, they kissed, smiled at each other and kissed again. "Sandy honey, I owe you so much for waking me up."

"And I'm famous for collecting on my debts so don't think I'll forget. I'm so happy for both of you."

"Before things get wild, I want to thank you for everything, and I mean from the day you met Dixie to the wedding and so much more."

"You're welcome, and thanks to you I have a new best friend."

"I guess that means we're good for each other."

"Oh honey, I've always known that."

The women led the way to the restaurant and their bags were left along the wall while they had a late dinner and talked over a couple of drinks. Then it was on to the boat where they stowed their belongings and changed. For what remained of the evening they got comfortable on the aft deck and continued to talk, but it wasn't long before Loren and Chuck were talking business and Holly was telling Sandy about the new business she was starting.

Chuck led the way up to the flying bridge and the two men dropped into the seats. They looked out across the line of boats to their right and then Chuck asked Loren, "You ready for tomorrow?"

"I'm very ready, and I really owe you and Sandy for waking me up to the obvious."

"Sandy and I both think that Holly has been in love with you for a long time. Why else would she have stuck with you as a housekeeper? She had too much on the ball to resign herself to that life."

"The more I look back, the more I think you're right. Of course the same could be said for me. I wonder how many others could see the obvious that long ago?"

"I guess it doesn't matter really. You two are here now and tomorrow you will make it official." Loren told Chuck about Holly's budding business and he smiled and said, "See, that's what I'm talking about. She just graduated and she's already starting a business. Hell, I can see her business developing branches or franchises wherever there is a big city. It could be Tampa, Chicago or wherever. If she can make it work in Indianapolis then she's on her way."

"She's so quick to come up with things that she scares me sometimes."

Chuck was silent for a minute and then smiling, said, "The last time you were here and we were down on the deck you...well it was after Gwen appeared and stirred things up a little. You were sitting between Holly and Sandy."

"Oh, right. About that, I got a little carried away and I'm sorry."

Chuck smiled and said, "I was watching Sandy and was wondering how far she was going to let you go, but then you retreated so I didn't know. When I asked her later how far she would go she just said she didn't know. You were having a hell of a time of it with your left hand doing much the same to Holly."

"And I really expected her to stop me."

"But she didn't unless I missed something."

"You didn't miss anything. Was Sandy upset with me at all?"

"If she was, she did a great job of hiding it because she was making it very easy for you." After talking a few more minutes, they rejoined the women, but it wasn't long until they called it a night and went to bed.

Chapter Six

Holly was up before Loren, and went topside with her cup of coffee and found Sandy sitting there watching boats come and go as she sipped her coffee.

"Good morning Sandy, you look relaxed."

"Morning, I am relaxed."

"What can I do later to help you get ready for the wedding?"

"Not a thing. My decorator will be here at two to do her thing and then Reverend Carlisle will be here at two thirty to talk to you and Loren, and the ceremony will be at three. Then my caterer will provide us with a tray of tasty snacks and of course champagne to toast the occasion."

"You certainly are organized."

"It's easy when the whole wedding consists of five people not counting the Reverend. Oh and the photographer will be here."