His Guiding Light

"I'm told that you are an expert at travel and have spent a little time in that area. If you'd like to spend what is supposed to be a cold but beautiful three-day weekend with someone that cares about you more than the people around here, then we should go together. I'm told it is one of the most beautiful capitals in Europe. If you decline, I completely understand, though I have no doubt that my mother will not, and while I'm out of the country, I'll forward all her calls to you."

Remembering what Sam had said about meddling in the lives of her children, Zach had to laugh at that.

"I'm assuming this means that if I call Frank, he will verify that he, or someone, is covering for me for the rest of today and tomorrow."

He liked the smile Cassie sent his way when she said, "Well, it's currently 3:00 am in Houston, so if you want to call your boss, be my guest, but I imagine he won't be too happy to hear from you right now."

Zach said, "So, I'm going to give you one chance out of this, before I agree. Are you sure this is what you want to be doing? I can handle your mother. Did I just say that? I should have said, I can survive the fallout."

She replied, "I'm not so certain you can, but if I were dead set against this, then I wouldn't be here right now. Give a girl a break, would ya? I know I'm not the most beautiful woman in the world, but it still hurts to get shot down."

She was making him laugh, so he thought this could be quite entertaining. She definitely wasn't her mother.

"We have to stop by my place so I can pack a bag for the weekend, which shouldn't take but a few minutes. I can have you in Vienna in four hours if we are in a hurry, or we can take the scenic route and stop for lunch at a breathtaking spot. It's up to you."

"I am in your charge for the weekend, so I'll let you show me a good time. Mom gave us her AmEx to use for this weekend, and I intend to do exactly that."

"Then definitely the scenic route. Let's go."

In the cab, on the way to his apartment he asked, "Have you eaten anything? How are you handling the jet lag?"

"I grabbed a bagel and a coffee on my way out of the airport, so I'm good on food. Thanks to your sharing your jet lag tips with your department, I've been going to bed a little earlier each night for the last week and took melatonin at the right time before my flight, along with a mini bottle of tequila. I also brought two packets of instant coffee to help me wake up on the plane, so I seem to be fine but a little frazzled. I may go to sleep on you in the car."

"Oh, I doubt that. The snow in the mountains should be beautiful. I'm sure you've seen mountains before, but after being used to flat-Earth Houston, this ride through the mountains will keep your attention, at least it did mine."

He reserved a car using their company's account and called ahead to where he planned to have a late lunch for a reservation.

She liked his apartment. It wasn't anything fancy, but she could tell that he kept it very clean even when he obviously wasn't expecting company.

At the rental car counter, the only cars available at the moment were tiny compacts or a Mercedes E-class. They smiled at each other, laid down Gabriella's AmEx, and chose the Mercedes.

As Zach mentioned, rather than taking the direct route, they headed towards Salzburg, but bypassed it and went onto Hallstatt, one of the most picturesque little lake villages in Austria. Above the town and lake sits Restaurant Rudolfsturm with breathtaking views over the snow-covered town and lake from their covered patio dining area.

Zach's German was improving, but he was blown away when Cassie started speaking to the waitress in incredibly good German, which helped with the service versus speaking in English. They could hear several diners who were speaking in English and several other languages.

He said, "I didn't know you could speak German."

"There's probably a lot about me that you don't know. The two countries in the world that lead in research for the type of technology we want to use are the USA and Germany. I studied a few courses in Aachen one semester and had to work on my German then."

He thought that was rather impressive, but he was starting to realize that she was a rather impressive person.

Sitting next to Cassie and enjoying the view of the lake was no chore. He had always seen her well dressed, and her lightly applied makeup was always an enhancement. Today she was dressed for the colder weather with a nice heavy skirt and tights with what looked like a pair of riding boots. Her dark cashmere sweater was flattering on her.

She looked a lot like her mom, though slimmer. She had a small chest and wider hips, and she was very fit.

Unlike her mom, she wore her dark hair down in natural curls, instead of up the way Gabriella did. Rather than the sultry sculpted face that Lisa had, Cassie's round face could be called sweet and innocent, more like her mom's. As she said, no raving beauty, but he had been married to a raving beauty and look where that got him.

From the overlook near the restaurant, they took a selfie together with the town, the lake and the snow-covered mountains in the background and sent it to her mother.

As they left the town, taking the more scenic and mountainous route to Vienna, he asked, "What will you be doing in Vienna?"

She replied, "As I mentioned, I'll be with our R&D partners. We are tweaking the transducer design to hopefully be more receptive than the current model, which you and our manufacturing partners are working with. Always got to be working on the next design."

"You're helping to design the transducer?"

"I am, but don't tell anyone. One of the reasons I studied in Germany was to learn and get some leads on who over here could help our company. Only a few people in the company know."

"But why keep it a secret? I would think you would want everyone to know."

"If things go well, then everyone will know anyway. As things are right now, a lot of people already think that Daddy's getting ready to hand over the company to me and my brother. We are trying to stay more low-key until we've earned our stripes. My younger brother, Tom, who you've known for a while, has been working on the software to better render the images from each new transducer we test."

"Wow. Talk about the family business."

She smiled because she knew something about him and the 'family' business that he didn't. She said, "that's right. It is a family business. Daddy would like to keep it that way."

Zach laughed and said, "I'll probably be working for you one day."

She laughed too because she thought it was more likely to be the other way around. "You may see it that way, but Daddy doesn't. He doesn't think of you as working 'for' him right now. He prefers to think that you and a handful of very carefully selected others work with him. Everyone else works for all of you."

"Wow."

"Don't be too surprised regarding me and the R&D team. I've been in either med-school or graduate school for nearly ten years. I started pieces of the design on my own while in school. I don't pretend to be super brilliant, but I've been well educated. After spending 12 years in undergrad and grad school, including finishing med-school, at least I have my Ph.D. I'll bet through either my parents or my scholarships I've spent over half a million dollars on tuition. It was time for me to put that to good use.

She certainly wasn't at the company simply 'for show.' They talked about the company, the industry, her background, and education. They spent quite a bit of time on her mother, which was fun. Cassie admired her mother and loved the way she was, but she wasn't her mother. She had tried to capture much of her manners and grace, but her mother was much more reserved. Cassie was willing to call a spade a spade. Zach could tell that she got that from Sam. Her mother might call one a gardening tool or shovel depending on the delicacy of the situation.

Until then, the only subject they didn't discuss was Zach's marriage and divorce.

As they left the mountains and drove down into Vienna, she said, "You know she misses you and is really worried about you."

Zach scoffed, "Unfortunately I have several women who are missing and worrying about me. My sister, my sister-in-law, my mother, and your mother. I'm assuming you are talking about your mom."

"I am."

"I wish she wouldn't worry. I'm getting better."

"She would have come instead of me, but Mrs. Propriety didn't think that would look very good, her being a married woman and all." They both laughed.

"That is so like her. Now she's forcing you to be the sacrificial lamb?"

"Or maybe to be your guide out of the labyrinth."

Wow. He looked over at her and she was looking out the window, or maybe she was just looking away from him.

"Thank you, Cassie. The rest of the weekend could be a disaster, but I've already enjoyed myself more today than I have the last several months combined." That was absolutely true, but the conversation had turned way too serious, so he said, "See? That alone should prove to her that I'm getting better." He knew better, though today had been a pleasant diversion.

In the reflection in the car window he could see her smile.

_________________

They were staying at the Park Hyatt Vienna, where they each had a Deluxe Park Suite for the long weekend, two luxurious rooms. After settling in, they met at the concierge table and found a nice restaurant and purchased two skip-the-line tickets for the giant Ferris wheel and arranged for a horse-drawn carriage tour for later that evening.

It was a cold but lovely evening, and from the top of the Ferris wheel they sent Gabriella another picture of the two of them together, with Vienna at the height of winter in the background.

Loving the pictures that she received, it took all of Gabriella's will power not to call them. She was more thrilled than she could have thought possible, but she knew better than to stick her nose in now. After all the planning and scheming with Sam over the last couple of months, she would wait to see how this played out. Hopefully, Zach wouldn't get any emergency MRI calls. Also, she had a charity that needed her help and tried to use it to distract herself, which she did, barely.

Zach and Cassie used their late evening carriage tour, snuggled together under a heated blanket, with two large thermoses of decadently thick hot chocolate, to help them discover some of the places they wanted to see the rest of that winter weekend. At the end of their night, outside of her hotel door, Zach was rewarded with a hug, a kiss on the cheek and a 'thank you' for his efforts.

On Saturday morning, after a sumptuous breakfast together in the beautiful hotel restaurant, they planned their weekend together with the concierge. There were a couple of spectacular churches that she wanted to see in addition to several of the palaces and markets. Zach said, "If you like cathedrals, there's one in Barcelona that I need to take you to."

She smiled at him and replied, "I may hold you to that one day."

There were no MRI emergencies and they enjoyed their weekend in Vienna. As predicted, it was quite cold, below freezing during the daytime, but the skies were spectacularly clear. They visited many beautiful and interesting places that weekend, including the Stephansdom, the Kunsthistorisches Museum, the Schönbrunn Palace, the Schloss Belvedere, the Naschmarkt, and the Café Central to name a few. Each evening he received a hug and a kiss on the cheek for his efforts. Zach bought her a snow globe to commemorate their trip.

On Sunday afternoon when it was time for him to drive back to Munich, she said, "I want to thank you Zachariah. You didn't have to come, but I'm glad you did. I've had a wonderful time, here with you."

"I did too. I'll admit I was hesitant in the very beginning, which was all on me, but it has been a great weekend. Thank you for inviting me." He hesitated to ask what he was thinking but plunged ahead anyway. "When did you say that you are returning to Munich?"

"My train arrives Wednesday afternoon. Why?" She could see Zach deliberating.

"Could you be available on Friday to help with the interviewing?"

"Zachariah, I only know a little about MRIs, and we both know that I'm not my mom. I don't see how I could be of much help."

"I know you aren't your mother but," he was trying to find a way to convince her to agree. She could see the smile spread across his face before he said, "You did tell me that it was a family business. I think it would be important to at least hear your opinion on the candidates."

"I'll see what I can do."

He hoped that would turn into a yes.

____________

During the week back in Munich, Zach found himself thinking about Cassie. He thought about her probably having business lunches or dinners with the R&D company in Vienna and discovered a bit of jealousy there. Why? He had no idea. Nevertheless, it had been a good weekend. It was just what he needed.

Wednesday afternoon, Zach met her at the train station. Cassie was pleasantly surprised. That evening, they had a business dinner with Demetrius and a couple of others. Afterwards Zach escorted Cassie back to her hotel. She asked him, "Zachariah, remember that cathedral in Barcelona you were telling me about?"

"I do."

"Do you have any plans for this weekend?"

"Uh, why no. I don't."

She asked, "I know it's last minute, but could I convince you to host me again for a short weekend, in Barcelona?"

Having immensely enjoyed the previous weekend, he replied, "I don't think you would have too much difficulty convincing me of most anything."

She smiled at his reply. "Okay. I'll arrange the tickets and hotel. Good night Zachariah." Again, she hugged him and kissed his cheek, but for longer.

"Goodnight, Cassie."

He was liking those hugs and kisses.

The interviews on Friday morning went well. They brought in four final candidates, and interviewed each, with Cassie participating in the room with Zach. They all compared notes afterward and decide a man around Zach's age named Dominik would be offered the position.

They sent all the other candidates home and took Dominik to lunch. They were all chatting away in a mix of German and English when Frank's cell phone rang. Zach could hear his weekend with Cassie getting crushed. He heard, "Okay. Where? Give me the details. Yes, I'll forward them to Zach. He's sitting next to me now."

Zach asked, "An emergency?"

"There is. In Belfast."

Zach looked at Cassie with a sad smile, and she shrugged her shoulders. He said to her, "Family business."

She nodded, "Family business."

He turned to Dominik and asked, "I know you haven't had time to think about our offer yet, but how would you like to go on a call right now? You can see how things go and how we do things before you give us your decision."

Dominik agreed and they prepared to head off to the airport together. Cassie and Zach only had a moment before he had to leave.

He said, "I'm sorry. I really would have liked to go with you to Barcelona."

She replied, "It's okay. We'll have other chances someday."

He nodded his head wondering if fate was trying to tell him something.

______________

The service call went well, as they usually do, and Dominik, who lived in Frankfurt agreed to join the company. While in Belfast, Zach thought a little more about starting a relationship with Cassie. He liked the idea of it, but he struggled with the thought that he needed to tell her about what he did to Gerald. He still felt like he did the right thing and that Gerald, a despicable human being, deserved what happened to him. However, now he needed to tell Cassie about it. He didn't have to tell her now, but he would eventually because he didn't want to keep any secrets from her. He cared too much for her, or at least for her as a member of the Ortiz family, to lead her on. Where the previous weekend had been so enjoyable, now he was in a serious funk.

He began preparations to close out his apartment and move back to Houston. It had been a week since Cassie returned when his phone rang, "Hello, Zachariah."

"Hi, Cassie. How are things in Houston?"

"Cool and humid, which is better than the typically hot and humid. I haven't heard from you. I'm just making sure you're okay."

He decided that trying to explain why he was an attempted murderer wasn't meant for a phone conversation. So, he punted and would do it when he returned to Houston. "I'm sorry. That's completely my fault. I've very much wanted to, but I've been in a bit of a funk this week. I'll explain it the next time I see you."

"Oh. Okay... Well, speaking of the next time I'll see you, have you made your plans to come back yet?"

"They aren't final, yet, but I should be home in less than a month."

"Will I see you when you get here?" She felt like she sounded desperate.

"I hope so." He felt the same way.

They talked for about thirty minutes before they both needed to go.

Their little talks continued every few days, though Zach was having a harder and harder time engaging during the conversation. It felt so pointless to him. Would his feeling this way prevent him from ever getting married?

At the time he genuinely felt that what he did to Gerald, with a little help, was justified. He still felt that way, but why was he now so worried that Cassie, or any other decent woman, wouldn't feel the same way. He thought that his self-arguing was the equivalent of a dog chasing his tail; pretty damn pointless until you either exhausted yourself, or you wind up hurting yourself.

Even though he was worried about what was happening with him and Cassie, he felt good about returning to Houston and seeing his family, including the Ortizs.

___________

On the Friday that he returned to Houston, those he cared most about were at the airport, waiting for him, including his sister and her family and Gabriella, but not Cassie. Big hugs all around, and they all ate dinner at Zach & Daniel's parents' house. Gabriella enjoyed watching Zach interact with his little nieces and nephews.

At the end of the evening, he walked Gabriella out to her car. It was just the two of them outside when he asked, "How's Cassie?"

"I think she's confused and maybe a little perturbed. She's not sure where your head is at. Do you know where your head is at?"

"No. Not really. I keep coming back to the meeting we had after I found out about Lisa's cheating, and then what I did about it."

Gabriella said, "You mean what we did about it. You had help."

"You're right. I did, but I don't plan on keeping any secrets from someone that I might get serious with. I could very easily see myself getting serious with Cassie. How do I have that conversation with her, or with anyone? Can you see me saying, 'Hey, I planned on killing a guy? It turns out that I didn't kill him, but he's been crippled for the rest of his life. He's a real scumbag, so he deserved it. Will you still want to date or marry me?' See what I mean?"

Gabriella continued to think they did the right thing, also, but she could see his concern. "Zachariah, just talk with her. I think the extenuating circumstances justify the actions, but you'll have to discuss that with her. After a little time to digest it, I believe she will be okay."

Zach replied, "And she may not."

She said, "That's true. She may not. But you won't know until you try. I do hope you'll try."

"I feel like this conversation is going to be harder than my last one with Lisa."

"Don't feel like that. Cassandra is a very mature young lady, but she cannot read your mind. Make sure your actions are communicating your intent."

He sighed. "I don't know what my intent is at the moment."