Ch10 The Dinner Party

The remainder of the week flew by.  Trigger slowly regained his strength and the vet was able to let him get back out into the pasture.  Of course, the stablehand did a thorough sweep of the grounds to make sure that there weren’t any items he could eat that would cause him trouble again.

The Thursday before the dinner party Grey called Willa up and chatted with her about some last minute details.  He didn’t want to catch her off guard and since he didn’t know her temperament he didn’t want to cause a scene in front of his clients.

“Willa, I know that we don’t know much about each other’s pasts so I just want to go ahead and give you a heads up that my ex-girlfriend is going to be attending this party.  She works for my agency and is friends with my clients.  Our relationship has been over for a year or so.  I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable around her.  I don’t think that she will bring anything up about it, but if she does you won’t be surprised now.”

Willa was quiet for a while before she spoke, “Why didn’t you mention this when you asked me to come with you last week?”

“Honestly I was not aware that she was going to be there until today.  My client and I were just talking and he mentioned her to me.  He was rambling on about some of their guests and then I questioned him about their relationship.  You aren’t backing out on me are you?”  Grey sounded disappointed.

“No, I don’t see any reason to do that.  As long as she isn’t some weirdo.  Besides we have just met and it’s just dinner amongst friends.  Right?”

“That’s my girl!  I knew I could count on you!”  Grey lightened up and was back to his normal happy self.

“Is there anything else I should know about you Grey?  I don’t mind surprises, but the ones of a personal nature are a sticking point for me.”  Willa wanted to make sure that he understood that she had her limits and she didn’t want to be in the middle of some strange triangle.  “Has your ex-girlfriend gotten over you completely or is she going to try and corner me in the bathroom or something?”

“Oh yeah!  She’s definitely over me.  She ran off with one of our clients.”  Grey laughed over the phone.

“I’m glad you are being so honest with me, Grey.  I can’t believe she left you though with your looks and wealth!  What did she find so appealing in the client?”  Willa retorted.

“She was always complaining that I spent too much time at work and not enough time with her.  I guess she found what she was looking for in him then.  I did spend a lot of time working then, but not as much now.  I have moved into a much more comfortable situation since then.”

“Good for you!  I on the other hand am just getting started here with work and taking over my dad’s company.  My days are long and I still have my MBA to complete as well.  Once I get that done things will settle down for me,”  Willa said with a sigh.

“You are doing amazing Willa!  I admire your drive and the way you are laser focused on keeping your family’s business going.  It speaks volumes about you as a person.”

“Thanks Grey I needed to hear that!”  Willa smiled over the phone as she looked forward to dinner with him the next day.

Friday rolled around in a hurry.   When Willa got to work that day her dad noticed that she was in a different mood and asked her about it.  “You seem a little tense today.  Do we have a meeting that I am not aware of?”

“Nope, I have a dinner party to go to with Grey after work.  I guess I am somewhat nervous.  I will try and get a handle on myself before he picks me up.”  Willa looked at Trevor and shook her herself.

“I see.  I don’t remember you mentioning that you two were going out again.”  Trevor stated matter of factly.

“Sorry, I didn’t dad.  We have had a rather busy week with Trigger getting sick and all.  I forgot to tell you and mom about it to tell you the truth.  He asked me to go with him to a client's dinner party here in Lawrenceburg.”  Willa glanced at her dad for approval although it was too late for that.

“You know you don’t need our approval.  You are all grown up and can do what you want.  I just wonder what his intentions are?  He seems to be moving fast don’t you think?”  Trevor furrowed his brows and looked rather intense.

“He knows that I am busy trying to complete my MBA and fall into place with taking over for you here dad.  I have made that clear to him.  I am sure that I will soon find out what his intentions are.  He’s nice and I like that he gets to the point and doesn’t beat around the bush like other guys do.”

“Willa, you have a level head on you and I trust that you will finish what you have set out to do.  I just don’t want his money and charm deterring you from the path on which you have set.  You are wealthy in your own right and don’t need a man to support you in any way.”  Trevor said all of this proudly to his daughter and hoped that she would not be sidestepped by her new found friend.

“You are right dad, but a little fun won’t hurt and I am beginning to like him as a person.  He supports me too.  You know that means a lot to me.”

“Sure, sure, I just don’t want to let you go.  Your sister will soon be married and then you will be next some day.”  Trevor shook his head and looked away.

“Oh, dad, you are getting so sentimental.  We can’t stay little forever!”  Willa walked over to Trevor and gave him a big hug.

She walked into her office and saw that Tricia had placed her dry cleaned jumpsuit on the closet door for her.  Her shoes were laying next to it on the floor.  Willa got busy with the day's work and in no time it was the end of the day.  Trevor had already left to go home with the driver and Tricia had just come by to say goodbye.

Willa decided that she better get ready so she took her things into her dad’s restroom since it was larger than the one attached to her office.  It was already 5:30 and Grey was slated to pick her up at 6 pm.  She washed up quickly and reapplied her makeup.  Next she put on the jumpsuit and did her hair again with a few pieces hanging down.  She checked her look in the mirror and thought she looked great.  She took a selfie from her office and sent it to Kaysea.

“You look amazing!”  The message from Kaysea read with a smiling emoji behind it.

“Thanks!  I’ll let you know later how it goes.”  Willa replied back with a winking emoji.

Grey sent Willa a text message letting her know that he had arrived and she sent him back a thumbs up.  She grabbed her handbag and headed down the elevator to meet him outside.  The black Mercedes was parked by the road and Grey was waiting for her with the door open.  He gave her a hug and kissed her on the cheek.

“You look fantastic!”  Grey drawled.

Willa’s face reddened and she said “so do you”.  

Half an hour later they arrived at the residence of Bill and Rona Turlington.  They were about Grey’s age and the house was huge with a large curving driveway that went around the home.  Once they were introduced to everyone and mingled for about 15 minutes dinner was served in the large dining room.  Willa was sitting next to Grey.  He held her hand as if they had known each other for ages.

Rona sat directly across from Grey and Grey’s ex-girlfriend Charlotte sat next to Rona across from Willa.  Grey was seated next to Bill who was at the head of the table.  The rest of the party was seated all around the table in pairs according to couples.

Rona spoke to Willa, “So Willa I hear you are head of Stockholm Dairies now.  That’s a big endeavor.  You must be exhausted.”

“I am still helping my dad actually.  He won’t turn over the entire company to me just yet.  I do have my hands full though working on my MBA.”  Willa replied back to her with a smile.  Grey squeezed her hand.

“Still that is a lot of work to handle.  I can see why Grey is so enamored by you.  Not only are you beautiful, but you have a great mind too.  Obviously, you are no stranger to hard work.”

“Yes, I suppose.  It’s all part of growing up in a successful dairy business”  She blushed and looked away.  She caught the look of the others at the table.  They seemed to be looking at her intently as she replied back to Rona.

Grey chimed in, “Willa is going to continue to move her family’s business into the next generation.  When her father steps away from the business completely he is leaving the company in very capable hands.”

Bill said to Grey, “It looks like you have found your match then sir.  The both of you are great business people and have the whole world in your hands.  Here’s to bright futures!”  He raised his glass and everyone else did too to cheer, “Bright futures”!

The meal continued on in courses and then dessert was served.  As the kitchen came around to pour coffee and clear away some dishes Willa excused herself.  Grey stood up to help move her chair back for her so she could leave the table.

Willa made her way to the bathroom when from the corner of her eye she spotted the ex-girlfriend.  She dashed into the bathroom and locked the door.  She thought ‘I hope she’s not coming after me to ask me questions.  I really don’t feel up to dealing with her right now.’  She flushed the toilet, washed her hands, and opened the door.  Bam!  There she was standing right there in the hall.

“Hi, there!”  Hillary was her name.  “I’m so glad that Grey finally met someone to suit him.  You aren’t quite who I’d picture him with, but you are indeed smart enough.  It’s all for the best.  He never had enough time for me.”

“Well, thank you I guess!  I suppose that is a compliment.  I heard that you met someone who is more compatible with you as well so it’s a win-win for all of us, right?”  Willa looked at her quizzically.

“Oh yeah!  Mark does spend more time with me that is for sure.  How long have you and Grey been seeing each other?  He seems very cozy with you?”  Hillary asked in a very nosey manner.

“Hmm…not very long, but I don’t see where that would be any of your business.  I don’t mean any disrespect.  I thought you left him for another person or did I get that wrong?”

“You are correct.  I did leave him.  He never had enough time for me.  I hope that he doesn’t do that to you later on.”  Hillary said this to Willa in honesty.

“I’ll take note of that, but I am very busy myself so we'll just have to see where all of this goes.  I’m going to head back now before I miss out on my coffee.”

When Willa got back to the dining room Grey stood up again and helped her with the chair and looked at her with concern.  Then he said, “Are you ok?”

She replied, “Yes, I’ll tell you about it later.”  She smiled at him then picked up her coffee and took a sip.  He grabbed her hand again and gave it a squeeze.

When it was time to head out they said their goodbyes to the hosts and spotted the Mercedes oustide.  The driver opened the door and they slid in next to each other.  Grey put his arm around Willa’s shoulders and hugged her tightly.  She felt warm in his embrace and laid her head against him.

“You were awesome tonight.  I can’t thank you enough for agreeing to come out here with me.  Everyone loved you!”  Grey kissed her on the top of her head.

“Thanks, but I’m not so sure Hillary was glad to see me.  She followed me to the bathroom and wanted to have a conversation about you when I got out.  She started out complimenting us, then it went to you not spending enough time with her, and then she finally said she hopes that you don’t do that to me.  It was like a warning of things to come.”  Willa looked up at Grey.

“She never has been one for beating around the bush.”  Grey brushed a few stray hairs away from Willa’s face.

“Grey, I do need to know what you are planning here.  Am I just another feather in your hat?  I don’t operate like that at all and my family is concerned for me when I am with you.”

“You don’t have to worry that pretty little head of yours.  I already had a chat with your dad before I picked you up tonight as I suspected that he would not want his daughter going out with me unless I had full permission.”  Grey hugged her harder.

“You sneaky thing!”  She punched him lightly in the arm.  “Why didn’t you mention this on the drive out?  I don’t need my dad’s permission, you know, but it sure does alleviate his worrying.”

“Willa, I kind of lost my mind a little after I picked you up.  You are so beautiful!  You should wear outfits like this more often.  Why do you think I can’t keep my hands off of you tonight?”  Grey leaned into her more and lifted up her chin before planting a kiss on her lips.

His mouth parted and she took him in.  He tasted of the red wine that they had been drinking over dinner.  She wrapped her arms around his neck and they kissed a long hard kiss with both of them losing themselves in each other.  Her heart raced in her chest and she felt him pull her in even more.  It felt surreal and then he let her go.

“I think we better stop and get ourselve together before we arrive at your home.”  He winked at her, but didn’t let go of her entirely.

“Yes, you are right!”  She smoothed her hair back into place and tried to calm her heart down.

Grey took a bottle of water out from the door and handed it to her.  She took a few sips and it helped to get her back to normal.

“You asked me what my intentions are with you?”  Grey looked at her.

“Yes, that’s right.  We definitely have chemistry.  So what now?”

“Like I told your dad…I can see the two of us settling down together one day.  I know that most folks only see the real-estate side of my background, but I do have some dealings in the dairy industry.  We could make a great team together in more ways than one.”  Grey was indeed bold and what he said took her for a loop.

“Oh!  Don’t you think you are moving a wee bit fast?  I’m only 22 years old.  I realize that you are a few years older than me, but we have just started going out too.  I still have two years of school left!”  She was beginning to panic.

“Calm down Willa!  I said ‘one day’.  Not tomorrow.  You can finish school and get your family’s business firmly under your control while we date and move along.  Then we can take the natural steps of progression into our relationship.  How does that sound?”  Grey smiled at her and took her hand.

“Oh, ok since you put it that way then.”  She looked at him sheepishly and forgot all her worries.  Just then they arrived at the Stockholm mansion.  Grey exited the car and held the door open for Willa.

“I’ll call you tomorrow, ok?”  He kissed her on the lips and she nodded her head as if in a trance.