~Georgia~
That phone call rocked me, and I hate that someone can have that much control over my life. However, I can't really complain too much because I put myself in this situation. Well, to be honest, we did this to ourselves.
Honestly, at the time, we didn’t think this would end up having negative consequences. It was nothing to make the deal that we made. Jaylene was a very different person at that time, so we knew we could make this work. If you had told me back then that Jaylene would change so much, I would have said you were crazy.
In my wildest dreams, I never imagined that things would end up so messy. I guess that’s why they always say that hindsight is 20/20. If I'm being honest, I’m not sure we would have done anything differently. Things worked out the way they did for a reason. We needed what we got from this deal, and I’m not sure there was another way to get it. I just wish we had a better hold on Jaylene, and then things would have had better results.
I shift in my seat, bringing my glass of water to my mouth. I'm not really thirsty; I just need to keep myself busy while I wait. “Georgia?! How are you? It's been too long!” I smile at my lunch guest, standing up to hug her.
“Oh Martha, I’ve missed you! How was Italy?” That was enough to launch Martha into a tirade I wasn’t interested in hearing. Martha Kavanagh and I have always been close. We met at some party or another and hit it off. Our husbands got close, as well as our daughters. If anyone knows anything, it would be Martha. The best thing about it is that I can get anything out of her without trying that hard at all.
I’m not sure how long it takes, but I finally find a lull in her long-winded monologue. “So how’s Everett? How’s Amber?” Martha chuckles and takes a drink from her glass.
“Oh my, Everett is as busy as ever, actually.” I’m introduced to another rant by the Queen of ranting herself. I swallow down my drink, wishing I could end this a bit earlier. “Isn’t it something that the girls are together, but it seems like neither of us has seen them much. I guess you can chalk that up to being young and gorgeous.” I knew I would only need to get Martha talking, and she would tell me what I want to know.
“Yes, I’ve thought the same thing. I keep waiting for Lele to send her address so I can send a housewarming gift. I swear that girl is always forgetting that there’s more to life than those students of hers.” Sh.it! That inspires Martha to go on another rant, and I just can’t stomach it right now. I wave the waiter over, intending to grab a stronger drink.
“You know, we should surprise the girls! Oh my! We could grab some things and head over there!” Hmmm, and there it is. It never fails with Martha, and I’m thankful that nothing has changed. You can always get Martha to do almost anything; you just have to frame it correctly. I should feel bad treating a friend this way. If I’m being honest, friendship is an illusion anyway. You keep people around for your personal use. That’s the nature of people.
“That sounds like a great idea. I would love to see their new place.” Martha stands and collects her bag. I follow after her, eager to get this location and inform Deon. “Where are we going? Maybe there’s a*****e that we can stop at on the way.”
“I swear you’re a genius. There are a lot of great places on the way to Ivy Grove Towers.” Bingo! Now, I just need to ditch Martha and get that information to Deon. I must be having good luck today because Martha’s phone rings before we leave the restaurant. “I just have to take this.” I nod as she steps to the side. Her tone tells me it isn’t news she wanted, but it may work for me. “I’m so sorry! Maybe we can do this another time. I have a patient that I have to see.” I nod and put a sympathetic look on my face.
“I hope everything is okay. Don’t you worry about it. Just let me know when you’re available, and we will make this trip then.” She nods eagerly and hurries off. I pull my phone out of my purse and walk out of the restaurant to my waiting car.
~Deon~
I’m sitting in the boardroom, trying my hardest to pay attention to the stats and figures that are being thrown my way. I honestly do not care about anything they are discussing. I’m more interested in figuring out who this Jensen character is and how to permanently get him away from Jaylene.
The door to the room opens, and my secretary walks in. She hands me a folded piece of paper before excusing herself again. I read the note, and my mood instantly improves. “Let’s wrap this up shall we?” I meet no opposition as the meeting hurries along.
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The meeting lasted seconds longer than I wanted it to, but as soon as it concluded, I tore out of the boardroom. I hurried to my office, ignoring anyone who tried to speak to me along the way. I open my office door and find her sitting in the room.
I take a seat at my desk before addressing her. “Georgia. You came all this way so I assume you have news for me.” She nods and slides a piece of paper across my desk. I pick it up and look at the name. “How is she affording this? Are you and Benny bankrolling her life again?”
“No. She isn’t getting help from us. If I had to guess, it’s her best friend. Her name is Amber Kavanagh. I’m sure the apartment is in her name.” Amber Kavanagh, that name sounds familiar to me. I don’t dwell on it too much because it doesn’t matter.
I pull out my phone and type a message containing the apartment's and best friend’s names. I will have the information I want in no time. “Good. This is what I needed. Consider yourself safe… for now.”