Stay with Me

by Sheryl Wright

  She saw Zoe as her friend. Sitting on the edge of one of the large casement windows, she felt a moment of overwhelming pain. No wonder Georgie creates crazy algorithms trying to figure this stuff out.

  “There you are!”

  “Lori!” Aydan stood, strolling over to meet her halfway. “How are you? Tyler sent a text telling me you were coming over later today. I’m sorry I didn’t know when or I would have been waiting for you next door.”

  “Whoa there, princess,” Lori offered with a charming smile that always worked to ease her concerns. “I’m just trying to make myself useful. I kind of screwed the pooch this morning. Any chance you might be interested in helping me make things up to Georgie and Ty?”

  Not understanding what she was talking about and uncomfortable asking, she simply smiled her interest. “What have you got in mind?” That answer brought a smirk to Lori’s face and Aydan almost colored at the pleasure invoked by just being nice to this woman. It was such a contrast to her reaction to Zoe and unlike the warning bells the young woman set off, Lori’s indomitable spirit just seemed to lift her from all corners.

  “Well, let’s see. Have they got anything scheduled for this evening? I mean, we could take them to dinner or…”

  “We?” Aydan teased.

  “Uh, oh, well I…”

  It was sweet to see Lori get so tongue-tied. She loved doing that, rocking the boat with this handsome and confident woman, and she never got upset. If anything, she seemed to enjoy the challenge. Aydan said, “Yes, we can take them to dinner, but I think they would be just as happy with a home-cooked meal and us for company. What do you think? Actually,” she added before letting Lori answer, “there’s a movie I’ve been wanting to watch. Tyler said they have it in their library and would love to see it together. It’s called Carol.”

  That idea drove a bigger smile up Lori’s face. “Good plan, just one hitch. I can’t cook.”

  Aydan took her arm, casually steering her across the foyer to Georgie and Tyler’s living room and kitchen. Proud of her boldness in actually taking Lori’s arm, she explained as they walked, “Let’s take a look at what we can put together without having to ask Leslie to bail us out.”

  “That’s always an option.”

  “I know, but Georgie and Tyler don’t like fancy stuff all the time. Maybe some old-fashioned comfort food is exactly what they would enjoy.”

  “Hmm.” Lori nodded, and watched as Aydan began opening cupboards and mentioning ingredients. “I don’t know what to do with all that stuff.”

  Aydan, turning to her, was enjoying her discomfort way too much. “Your sister is an award-winning chef, one of the best in western New York, and you can’t figure out what to do with sweet potatoes?”

  Shaking her head, Lori pulled out one of the stools at the large kitchen island. “I’ll have you know, I grill a wicked steak.”

  Taking in her infectious grin, Aydan challenged, “Okay then, how about we put that new barbeque to good use. I remember Georgie mentioning how she’s looking forward to the warm weather and getting up to the new roof patio. It certainly looks like it’s warm enough,” she said, taking in Lori’s T-shirt and jeans. It was easy to admire the woman, not just for her strength, but her casualness in everything but her work.

  Zoe too liked to have fun but not with the same understanding of purpose and balance. She probably would in time, but Aydan wasn’t willing to wait out her maturation, and watching Lori as she tabbed out a grocery list on her phone, she now understood why.

  I may just be coming out and finding myself in this new world but I’m not a kid. I don’t want to spend the next decade sowing wild oats when I know exactly what I want.

  Dating, flirting, dancing, were all great, but it wasn’t her and never would be. Sarah might have been the first woman she felt any attraction to, but she understood now that Sarah would not have been her one great love. Watching Tyler and Georgie had taught her that. Love needed more than attraction. Of course, attraction was a good place to start. Lori was attractive to her, maybe even more so than Zoe. Like Tyler she was taller than Aydan, and Lori was solid, a harder quality to describe. Something about her strong form and irrepressible joy always awoke a sense of fun in her, a lightness she hadn’t known since her father’s untimely death. Maybe that was it. She was a joker like him and with a tender heart too.

  “Okay,” Lori said, her eyes still on her phone as she read out her shopping list. “Anything else? Should I get wine? I’m pretty good with that.”

  “No you’re not!” she joked, loving Lori’s assertiveness. “You do exactly what I do. Either you ask Leslie to choose or you just buy the most expensive bottle in the place.”

  “Do not!” Lori argued but couldn’t keep a straight face. “Oh, I’m so busted. How did you figure it out?”

  “Who do you think I learned it from?”

  Lori was laughing as she pocketed her phone and stretched. Aydan stood fixed in place watching as the soft cotton of her T-shirt pulled tight across her cut abs and high small breasts. She couldn’t deny the attraction was there, but was it enough? She had thought about Tyler’s advice to look for a woman who would stand up for her. She knew Zoe was a fiery sort who took no prisoners, and while that was appealing, she did question who exactly Zoe was trying to protect. Lori, on the other hand, left no doubts as to who and what she cared for.

  Lori strolled toward the elevator, stopping at the threshold to the foyer. “So dinner and a movie sounds good. Uhm…so, it’s a date?”

  Aydan smiled at her, how could she not? “Yes Lori, it’s a date,” she said, following her out and pulling the steel panel door shut. “I might need your help tonight keeping Georgie out of the new office. I want to surprise her on Monday morning.”

  “Good luck with that,” Lori joked, adding in a more supportive tone, “I’ll do everything I can to make that happen for you, but even I have only so much influence with my crazy cousin.”

  Taking her arm, Aydan steered her to the elevators. “Well, between you, me, and Tyler, we may just be able to pull it off. Of course we could call in your dad and Helen. They’ve been making great headway with her.”

  Lori pressed the call button, giving Aydan’s hand a light squeeze. “Yeah, they’re pretty good, but no one’s the equal of the great Georgie whisperer.” At Aydan’s raised brow, she explained, “The great and talented Doctor Tyler Marsh, PhD.”

  Grinning, she had to admit it was an apt description of the big boss and her friend. When the elevator opened, she pushed Lori into the open car, telling her, “Go on you. Go find us some perfect steaks and don’t forget to ask Leslie about the wine.”

  * * *

  “Come here, baby,” Tyler said, getting herself comfortable in the corner of the couch. She had pulled over the long ottoman from the living area to extend the legroom for Georgie.

  Grinning and bouncing on one foot, Georgie managed to turn around and back in to nestle between Tyler’s legs.

  “See! I told you this would work.”

  “Should we take off the air cast?” Lori asked.

  “No need,” Georgie said, wrapping Tyler’s long arms around her, pulling over the blanket from the back of the couch.

  “Aw!” Lori complained, “what if I get cold, or Aydan?”

  Georgie just shook her head. Tyler pointed to the library. “The extra blankets are in the window seat. I’m sure you can find something to share,” she teased, watching as Lori blushed. She loved embarrassing her especially when she reddened. She was always surprised at how much this woman could blush, especially whenever Aydan’s name was mentioned.

  Aydan called from the upper floor, making her way down the circular stairs, “I found it.” She held up the DVD jewel case as proof. “And I brought a blanket, you big baby.” This was directed at Lori and Tyler had to fight not to grin. Thank goodness Georgie was mostly oblivious to the flirting and teasing that had been going on all evening.

  “Lori,” Tyler asked casually, “
I keep meaning to ask how your side is doing with the wedding prep.”

  “Not bad,” she answered, loading up the DVD and handing the remote to Aydan. “And before you ask, JoJo says everything on the dress side is handled, so no panicking.”

  “Thank goodness for Joanne. I thought I would never get you two in dresses.”

  Georgie cleared her throat, prompting further explanation from her cousin. “Okay, well, I should probably come clean right here...”

  “Lori…you better not have some funny idea about my wedding!”

  “Your wedding?” she quipped.

  “Told you,” Georgie said casually to her cousin, but she was clearly enjoying the repartee.

  Before Lori could say more, Tyler managed to reach over and hook her arm around her neck. “Lori Phipps, you badly behaved lesbian, I promise nothing but pain…”

  “Hey…no noogies. Ty, let me explain!”

  Tyler released her hold, snuggling back in behind Georgie. “You’ve got sixty seconds, Phipps. No beating around the bush.”

  Lori, sitting with Tyler on one side and a very amused Aydan on the other, was momentarily at a loss for words. “Ah, oh well, um, you see…”

  “Fifty seconds.”

  “Jeez Ty, will you listen already?” she pleaded, even more frustrated by Tyler’s clear delight. “Really? Oh, you’re a brat, Tyler Ann! Georgie, how the hell do you tell when she’s kidding and when she’s actually mad?”

  “I wrote…manual. Want to read?”

  Now Lori was laughing too, so much she actually snorted. That got the best of Aydan, who offered her a consoling shoulder pat.

  “So, Marnie already spilled the beans?” Lori asked.

  “Yes, yes she did,” Tyler confirmed, all the while chuckling amiably. “And I love that both you and Megan will wear the suits Joanne ordered, and yes, Kira, Megan and Susan will stand up with me. That means you two geniuses need to make sure Aunt Helen is willing to act as mother of the bride for Georgie, and yes, Joanne is ordering in suitable dresses for her to choose from so please make sure you get her over there for a fitting this week.”

  “Wow, that’s great, Tiger. I think it’s so cool that you’re including Helen.”

  Wrapping her arms around Georgie again, Tyler pulled her in closer. “That’s what you want, right baby?”

  Georgie simply nodded. Resting her head on Tyler’s shoulder, her lips a hair’s breadth from her cheek, she said simply, “Thank you, my Tyler,” before offering a kiss.

  “Oh boy. Quick, Aydan,” Lori begged, “better start the movie before these two forget we’re here.”

  Navigating the opening menu, Aydan clicked play. “You know, everyone around here makes up these great pet names, everyone but you, Georgie. I can’t figure out if that’s just because you don’t like them or don’t think that way. If you want, I could help you make some up?”

  Georgie gave her a thumbs-up. “Used to have…for Lori and Marnie.”

  As the opening studio credits began, Tyler explained, “Georgie can’t remember what she used to call Marnie or Lori when they were kids. I did laugh to hear Henry admitting to referring to them as the Gruesome Twosome.”

  “Oh, that’s good,” Aydan agreed, grinning at the prospect of getting to tease Lori even more. She settled back to watch the movie, enjoying her fussing with the blanket, and covering their legs together. Bolder than usual, she reached under it to take Lori’s hand. The arch of surprise on Lori’s brow was almost imperceptible, but the smile was not and Aydan relaxed when Lori gave her hand a tender squeeze.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Aydan was holding her breath. Leslie and her caterers would arrive to finish setting up for the opening reception within minutes. Everything had been moved to the new eighth-floor office, and Tyler and the staff had spent all morning getting settled in and making sure everything was in order before they welcomed Georgie back. Now she was standing dead center, in the south side open workspace, looking everything over. The old glass and oak office panels that had been in storage for so many years encompassed the north-facing boardroom, electronics lab and two offices, Georgie’s and Tyler’s. Tyler’s large space occupied the northeast corner, with Georgie’s right next her hers. Fener, the contractor, had hinged the panels dividing the two offices so that Tyler could keep the space between them open when she wished. It hadn’t been in the plans and Aydan was concerned Georgie would balk. She needn’t have worried; if it came from Tyler, she would accept it without question. If anything, she appeared delighted by many of the extras they had cooked up together, especially her office.

  Foregoing the meeting area, they had made it a dedicated workspace, with a side entrance to the department meeting room next door. Tyler had wanted to put her couch in there, but the space was on the small side with her desk, loaded bookshelves, workstation, and Maggie’s big dog bed. Besides, if she needed a nap or just plain quiet time, their apartment was only a few hundred feet away.

  Clearing her throat, Georgie turned to her team. “Excellent work…Aydan, Skip, everyone…This,” she said waving her arm around the expansive space, “is perfect for…perfect team.” She closed her eyes for just a moment, before reaching out to take Tyler’s hand. “We have a chance…a real chance to create. Here, now, together…no limits, no sky.”

  And that was it. The new space was now approved by their technical lead and it was all the team needed to know. Aydan was sure every one of them had been carefully selected and she was secretly convinced they had been chosen based on their ability to understand their broken leader. They cheered at Georgie’s approval of the new space and all the work they had been doing and would be done and they cheered to see Georgie take Tyler’s hand. Aydan had never seen her do that in the office, but seeing the reaction she understood: it was simply a subtle statement meant for anyone harboring concerns for their relationship or the future of the division.

  Once everyone settled down, Georgie stepped aside, signaling by hand for Tyler to take the floor. She spent a few minutes giving a very high-level introduction to some of the new projects being considered and encouraging them to present their own proposals. She would set aside time in the schedule each week for the engineers to pitch ideas to the whole team. She listed her expectations on the process and everyone’s responsibilities, promising to cover everything in more detail later in the week. Right now they were minutes away from hosting all the DME, DPP, and even the DynaCraft employees for lunch and an open house.

  Tyler had done something else too. Just that morning, she and Aydan had collected and carried all the awards, plaques, and tributes the company received for Georgie’s special projects including the Sea Rescue Rover. That too she had on display, right alongside the 3D printout of the new thruster design. With archival copies of Georgie’s original work, the whole team had dug into the stalled project, solving it, and streamlining it in weeks. Aydan thought it was a bit brash to throw in the face of the other guys, since it took their team only weeks to accomplish what the DME guys took a year to mess up. Still, it had made the team even prouder and she had to give Tyler kudos there too. She really knew them.

  When Leslie and her people rolled off the elevators, everything shifted into high gear. While everyone was free to enjoy the food and the guests, Tyler had made it clear that they were all representing the new division, and she expected them to stay on point. “This is business, not a party.” Aydan knew she would be evaluating their performance with an eye on who was capable of working well outside their group and who, like Georgie, would do best staying close.

  “There you are!” Zoe called, traipsing into the new office, dressed in a suit that screamed CEO more than administrative assistant to the master boat builder. She understood Zoe took a lot of pride in her appearance, but she secretly wondered if all the effort masked some insecurity. Among the DiNamico/Phipps clan she was the only one without a degree, something she’d made light of on more than one occasion.

  “Welcome,” Aydan offere
d, surreptitiously keeping an eye out for Tyler. She had been very specific that no one, absolutely no one, be allowed into the new office until Marnie cut the official opening ribbon. Casually taking Zoe’s arm and steering her back toward the foyer, she suggested, “Let’s head next door. Tyler wants all the early arrivals to wait over there to be sure Mrs. Pulaski is the first to enter.” Mentioning Marnie’s name was a last-minute gambit, something she added on seeing the cringe Zoe involuntarily gave at the mention of Tyler’s name.

  “At least she still knows enough to kowtow to Marnie.”

  “What?” Aydan asked, confused. Looking around, she was relieved to see Georgie and Tyler’s living room empty. “Are you talking about Doctor Marsh?”

  “Ugh! Really Aydan dear, she’s not a friggin’ real doctor. You don’t have to call her that, besides—”

  “Zoe, what’s with you?” she practically hissed, trying not to be overheard.

  Shrugging off the gentle hand leading her, Zoe stormed over to the open kitchen, bypassing the cart of cups and the fresh carafes of coffee and tea the caterers had just rolled in. She searched the cupboards for a tall glass, then added ice from the fridge and rooted around for a Diet Coke. Checking to make sure no one was in hearing range, she stated, “I just don’t see what the fuss is. Everyone’s acting like this is some big deal! I don’t get it. It’s a dozen guys sucking up more floor space than all of the finance division, and everyone’s acting like she’s just opened the Mayo Clinic. It’s not like she’s curing cancer or anything.”

  Shocked by her venom and confused by her simile, she couldn’t help but challenge her. “Okay, we may not be curing diseases but the work being done by this very small team will save lives. Besides, the finance division has a very conservative business plan. I’m sure your father has explained how he wants to build the portfolio carefully. I think he’s calling it his CQO Strategy or ‘Cautious Quiet Optimism.’ This division has a much different—” She broke off, exclaiming, “Really? What’s with the face?”