Page 9 of The Facilitator, Part 2

I hadn’t time to think the next day. I had meeting after meeting with Alex, HR, accountants, and Carolyn to coordinate diaries.

When I had agreed to take over from Alex, I hadn’t anticipated how much of my day would be spent working on the business and not in it.

I missed getting my teeth into a project, and I hated wasting time listening to the woes of staff, who didn’t feel appreciated, because their request for a new coffee machine had been rejected.

I sighed, not sure that was what I’d signed up for. Alex chuckled beside me.

When the boardroom had emptied and it was just Alex and me; I turned to him and relayed the conversation I’d had with Mackenzie, minus the car crash details. I kept it to the fact Addison was sniffing around Jerry. Alex laughed at my terminology.

“Yes, Gabriella told me last night. I think Mackenzie is correct, of course. Jerry is a smart man, he isn’t going to fall for her conniving ways, I’m sure.”

“I’m not as convinced, Alex. Jerry is lonely, more so since he sold the business.

He lived to work, and he has nothing to occupy his time right now.

It was a mistake for him to step completely away.

I think if there is an opportunity for him to get back into something, he will.

As for being able to see through her, I’m not so sure.

She had me fooled, and Jerry come to think of it, when we met her that one time. ”

“Then maybe you need to have a chat with him.”

“I will. I’ve been ignoring him because he stood me up, but I’ll give him a call and see if he wants to meet over the weekend. In the meantime, I have a date with your future wife tonight.”

“So I hear. Can I ask a favour of you? I hear her wonderful mother has all sorts of plans for us and our, or rather her, wedding. Can you mention you don’t think I’m the type of man to be on display to all those Southern belles?”

“Are you scared of a few women, Alex?” I teased.

“Terrified, Lauren, especially of her mother.”

I laughed as I left the boardroom. I glanced over to Mackenzie’s office. It was empty and I wondered where he was. Mary was nose deep in her book, and we all knew never to interrupt her when she was. I did give her a wave as I left the floor, though.

I sighed as I slid in the car beside Gabriella. She took one of my hands in hers.

“Long day, huh?” she asked.

“Long week. Did Alex tell you what I told him?”

“No, I’ve hardly seen him today.”

“Okay, I did something I wasn’t sure I should have. I omitted a significant part of why Mackenzie is stressed.”

I then recounted the conversation, all of it, with her. I didn’t feel I was betraying Mackenzie in any way; he would have had that same conversation with her, probably before having it with me, at some point.

“Honestly, Lauren, that woman needs a good spanking sometimes. You must warn Jerry, he’ll have no idea how poisonous she is. Forget what the men say, you and I know he’ll fall at her feet, and I’d hate for him to get hurt.”

“I’m going to. I owe him that. He’s my friend and I can’t sit back and watch her use him.

Now I have another dilemma. A certain gentleman, MBE, or Lord, or whatever he has after, or before his name, has asked me to tell you he’d much rather not be the main feature of your mother’s wedding.

His words, not mine,” I laughed as I spoke.

“Then he most certainly is in for a surprise. My mother loves him, he loves her, but yes, I can see his stiff back, or upper lip, which one is it?” She waved her hand, not actually wanting an answer. “Yes, his stiff upper lip really would be terrified at an event Mother would host.”

We pulled up outside the same restaurant we’d dined at when I’d first met Alex. Our car door was opened for us, and arm in arm we were escorted to our table.

As I scanned the menu, Gabriella ordered wine. We then got down to business.

“Here’s a list of registry offices we can marry in. I can legally work here, but I have no idea if I can marry here,” she said.

“I don’t see why not. If you have permit to work and live here, why would you be excluded from marrying? Even if you were, maybe we could organise a service of some kind, you stop in Vegas to do the necessary, then carry on down to your mum’s.”

Gabriella choked on the wine she had just swallowed. She laughed out loud.

“Vegas, hell on earth, Lauren. Although having Elvis marry us might be fun. I could imagine that would simply finish Momma off!”

“Okay, so we won’t do that. We need to ring one of these offices and ask what the procedure is. Which one do you think is best?” I asked.

Gabriella had certainly done her homework. She produced a file from her handbag with an A4 piece of paper on each venue. The one that caught my eye the most was, obviously, Kensington.

“Do you need to give notice?” I asked.

“Yes, three weeks, which is a problem. Alex thinks we are leaving in two.”

We chatted back and forth about how to convince Alex, and probably Mackenzie, he wasn’t flying to the U.S.

in two weeks. We also chose the Kensington Registry office.

Gabriella was to call them and see what was required, paperwork wise, and available dates.

The more we talked, the more we thought it might be possible to have this organised as a surprise.

Gabriella had access to the necessary documentation, and she most certainly had his trust if she asked him to sign something without reading it.

When talk of outfits started, I began to get super excited.

Gabriella wanted understated. She always dressed smartly, even when casual, but a full on wedding dress wasn’t her thing.

She pulled a couple of pages torn from a magazine to show a gorgeous cream trouser suit, it would be perfect for her.

As our evening wore on, the level of excitement rose.

“We can do this, you know,” I said, raising my glass to her.

“I do believe we can. Now I need Mackenzie to tell Alex that plans have changed and our leaving date has moved.”

“Right now, with what he has going on, and I hate to use that, but… It’s perfect timing.”

So it was settled. Gabriella would call the registry office on Monday, I’d ask Mackenzie to delay Alex’s leave, and both Gabriella and I had a date with a clothes store for outfits. All we needed to firm up was a reason to get Alex to the registry office on the day.

We ate and we laughed, we didn’t stop talking unless it was to chew and swallow our food.

We laughed so loud, we had the neighbouring tables giggling along with us.

I couldn’t recall a time I’d enjoyed myself so much.

I’d been out once or twice with the girls at my old office, but I had never connected with another woman the way I did Gabriella.

I wanted to cry. I’d found someone who I’d have a lifelong friendship with and she was moving away.

I could understand how she felt when she learned Alex was to transfer.

The table had been cleared and coffee poured.

“Can I ask you a question? Something personal?” I said.

Gabriella cocked her head to one side. “If you want to know my bust size, just ask.”

I chuckled. “I don’t need to know your bust size. No, this is probably more personal and maybe upsetting…forget I said anything.” It hadn’t occurred to me how upsetting my question would be until I’d used the word.

“Ask away, Lauren.”

“Okay. Mackenzie’s car crash. He told me the circumstances last night. Tate was your boyfriend, wasn’t he? How did you forgive him?” I asked, lowering my voice slightly.

“Ah, yes, that personal,” she said, but smiled kindly at me. “I could never hate Mackenzie, not even for that. I think if you’d known him then, you’d also know how angry and sad he was. Not only that, how easy it was for him to get in with bad people.”

She took a sip of her coffee.

“I’m sorry if I’ve upset you. Sometimes my curiosity gets the better of me,” I said.

She reached across and took my hand. “We are best friends. I was devastated, obviously. Tate got in that car for one reason only, and that was to help Mackenzie. We’d watched his decline for a few months—no matter who intervened—we couldn’t help him.

He was on self-destruct for a while. The death of his mother really affected him.

It wasn’t a case of needing to forgive him because I didn’t blame him. ”

I looked sharply at her.

“Let me explain. The car had been recalled; there was a fault with the braking system, or something. It was waiting for repair. It wasn’t even his car.

The car belonged to Addison. Even though I don’t think they were dating at the time, she supplied his drugs, she smuggled the alcohol, she was the one who dragged him down, and she was the one who gave him the car keys.

Which is why her father covered it all up.

He didn’t want his slutty daughter caught up in a trial. ”

“Was her father that powerful?”

“Absolutely. He owned pretty much all the businesses in the town and beyond. It would be a case of bribing the police with his brother’s job, for example.

I don’t know the facts; I don’t think any of us do, to be honest. One minute Mackenzie was under arrest for driving under the influence, and the next he wasn’t.

But, of course, it came at a high price. Addison had her claws in him.”

“He didn’t think Addison knew, but he’s worried that she might now,” I said.

“I doubt she did at the time. None of us knew what her father had done. All Addison would have known was the same as the rest of us. Not enough evidence to charge Mackenzie with anything.”

“Do you think her father could have left details written down, something for Addison to find?” I asked.

“I’ve no doubt he would have, he very well could have just told her. He loathes Mackenzie, Lauren. The hate is like a cancer eating him away, that and the alcohol, are the only things keeping the man alive.” She visibly shuddered at the thought of him.