"Zoey!" he exclaimed. "Boy, am I happy to see you. As you can see, your little suggestion worked. I want to thank you for that. I don't like to tell tales out of school, but your mother and I have never been happier."
"I'm so glad to hear that, Mr. Kingston," she replied. "I'm sure it's going to stay that way."
Branden gave her a quick one-armed hug on his way out, and Zoey gave her mother's personal assistant another significant look before knocking on the inner office door.
"Come in, dear," Melinda's voice rang out. "There's something we really need to talk about."
Zoey thought she saw Maria squirm when Melinda said that, but she hadn't been looking directly at her, and Maria was as still as a statue by the time Zoey turned her head in that direction. With a sigh, Zoey entered her mother's office to find her surrounded by an incredible amount of paperwork. For one horrifying second, Zoey assumed that Melinda Forde was getting sued again. But the expression on her mother's face was serene.
"So it turns out that Branden studied commercial law in college. We had a working lunch today, Zoey, and he's been giving me advice about something I think we need to discuss. It has to do with Melinda Forde and our future together, so I'm going to talk for a while and I don't want you to interrupt, okay?"
"Sure, Mom, but you're worrying me. Is everything all right?"
"Of course it is, honey," Melinda replied lightly. "I promise there's nothing to be worried about."
Having said that, Melinda talked for nearly an hour, occasionally pointing to one of the surrounding documents to illustrate her point.
As Zoey listened, she ran the gamut of emotion, but she was as good as her word, and though she burned to do so several times, she let her mother's speech go unimpeded.
By the time Melinda was finished, surprise was the only emotion Zoey was certain she could still legitimately feel.
"Are you absolutely sure about this, Mom?" she inquired. "This is a pretty enormous step to take."
"I've never been more certain of anything in my life, Zoey, so I need you to try to do your very best. I'm really going to have to count on you. I know you're heading to Greece in a week, so Branden and I won't finalize things until you get back here. I know this must seem shocking … "
"No kidding," Zoey interjected.
" … and you probably think this is all happening too soon, but we love each other, and we want to be together full time. I just don't see a more responsible way … "
"All right, Mom," Zoey cut in. "If you're sure this is what you want, I want you to know that I'm here for you." She kissed her mother before pulling her in for a hug.
SEVENTEEN
When the day of their flight finally arrived, Zoey arose with the excited vibrancy of an older child on Christmas Day. She methodically got herself dressed for the airport, before folding a few last-minute items into a suitcase. She had read an article about packing efficiently, and over the past few days, Zoey had treated it like a gospel. Every item she was bringing had at least two functions. Anything the hotel was likely to have had been culled from her luggage. She was using straws to keep her necklaces detangled, and the little zip top bags the extra buttons for her blouses came in to keep her earrings together. Socks had gone into shoes, and all of her clothes had been rolled in an effort to take up twenty percent less space. In the end, she had managed to fit everything she needed for the week into two tiny carry-on bags. It was an impressive feat, and Zoey had to admit she was more than a little proud of herself.
At nine fifteen that morning, the doorbell rang, and Zoey let Fulton in to the apartment. He was resplendent in a new black uniform that looked like it had been pressed within an inch of its life. Brass buttons lined the front of the jacket, twinkling in the sunlight that shone through her windows.
"I've come to take you to the airport, miss. If you will show me to your luggage, I'll be happy to assist."
Zoey reflected on her conversations with Fulton and realized that was one of the longest sentences she had ever heard him say. Shaking her head, she tried to get more out of him as she led the way to her bedroom.
"Can I ask if there's a reason you only say one or two things a week? I've known you for six months, but I don't think we've ever had a full-on conversation."
"Well," Fulton replied, "once a person makes a certain amount of money, they start to eschew more talkative employees. Mr. Zakiridis conducts a great deal of his business from the town car, which means I'm privy to a lot of sensitive information. Mr. Zakiridis trusts that I will keep what I hear to myself." He paused as they reached the door to Zoey's bedroom. "Is that all you're taking with you miss?" he asked, clearly flabbergasted.
He had obviously expected more than twice as many bags, and Zoey couldn't help grinning.
"I'm a light packer," she replied. "It's one of my many skills."
With an acknowledging nod, Fulton picked them up, and carried them down to the town car and into the trunk without giving any indication that their small size belied their weight.
Zoey came right behind him, grinning widely when she saw Stelios waiting for her in the back of the car. He looked a bit pale, but was smiling, and greeted Zoey with a warm, passionate kiss. It was the kind of kiss a soldier gives his lover before he heads off to battle. Zoey drew him into a reassuring embrace and told him without speaking that he had nothing to fear.
In a moment, Fulton was behind the wheel and driving them to a private runway the Dolphin Realty Group had acquired several years ago.
On the way, Melinda called to say her goodbyes, and Zoey insisted that Stelios say hi to Branden, who was at the office with her. It was the first time the two had ever spoken, but the conversation seemed to give Stelios back a little of his color.
After a couple of minutes, Stelios handed the phone back to Zoey and Melinda voice filled her ear again.
"Did you tell him yet, Zoey?"
"Not yet. I plan to do that at the right time."
"All right, Zoey, but it's important that you tell him soon. It's going to be a huge change in your life."
"I know, Mom. Trust me. I've got it all worked out."
"Okay then, Zoey. Branden's telling me you'll find the best way to bring it up so have an excellent vacation."
"I will, Mom. Thanks," Zoey replied, hanging up.
"Might I ask what you have all worked out?" Stelios inquired with amusement. "What do you plan to do at the right time?"
"Oh, it's something I want to talk to you about, but I think I'm going to wait until we're on the plane to do it."
"Why wait?" Stelios asked her, clearly more curious than he wanted to let on. "I'm all ears now. Is something wrong?"
"Not a thing. Since you showed up, everything has become exponentially better. My mother's happy, the business is operating more ethically, and I'm in love with a wonderful man. I just think it's sort of a long story and I'm going to have to do a lot of explaining. If I start it now, we're going to be interrupted when we reach the runway. Besides, actually getting on a plane is a huge step for you, and I want you to focus your mind on that and nothing else. Trust me," she smiled, "I'm usually right about these things. Let me keep my little secret a few minutes longer."
"All right," Stelios replied, the tiniest hint of a smile appearing on his face. "In that case, why don't you tell me how you managed to get a week's worth of clothing into those tiny little bags?"
Zoey started telling him about the website she'd been reading suggestions on, but her thoughts were a bit distant.
That was far too easy, she thought. I wonder why he gave in so readily. I expected him to press me a little bit harder than that.
But Stelios didn't press her at all. In fact, by the time they reached the runway, it looked as if he had forgotten that Zoey had a story to tell him at all. He was talking animatedly as they got out of the car, but once Stelios laid eyes on the private jet, he fell silent. It was as if the entire adventure had only become real to him in that moment, and it was perfectly clear that he was wondering if it wasn't too late to change his mind.
The plane was large, much larger than anything Zoey had been expecting. It was a white, streamlined behemoth, with several tasteful black accents. The wings were sleek, and two podded jet engines graced the rear. The sun was shining brightly, and when the light hit the jet, it was bright enough to make Zoey shield her eyes. On the side of the plane, in black and gold, was an ornate version of the Dolphin Realty Group logo. The boarding ramp was already in place, and a small team of people had started loading their luggage.