By Mezzo
mezzosmelodramas@msn.com
Copyright
© 2002 by Mezzo. All Rights
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<span
style='font-family:Garamond'>Installment
Nine
A few months passed and Tori had put into place all that was needed for the European
offices to operate without her. With everything in order, she made her way back
to the States.
It was now Thanksgiving and she
was on her way to the
She had started eating better
and had gotten a physical to make sure her health was up to par. With a clean
bill of health, she got back on her exercise regimen.
Now looking at her reflection
in the window of the limo, she saw a hint of a smile grace her face. It was a
rough road but she was starting to feel a whole lot better.
Gibeau, her driver, rolled down
his window as he approached the intercom. This would announce Tori’s
arrival. The gates opened and the
car made its way down the long drive around the circular driveway. Tori got out of the car and went to the front door. Philip, the butler, opened the door and
welcomed her to the
“AH, Miss
Tori nodded,
“Thank you Philip. It is very good to see you as well.”
The
The conversation she had with
Gordon the day she left the firm came ringing back. “Know that when your journey
is through, we’ll be here waiting for you.” True to Gordon’s word, they all
were.
She entered the large dining
room. Seated at the head of the table were Gordon and Janice Montgomery. To
their right were Paul and Diane Crawford, Antoine and Michaela Fellini, and Oleg
and Felicia Arden.
To Gordon’s left was Tori’s
father, Richard Hull, her brother Ian, his wife Pamela, and their two children:
two-year-old, Marcus and their brand new baby girl, Dominique Elizabeth. Stephan
Hull was next with his new flavor of the month. And
Rounding the table were Brett’s
siblings: Eric Montgomery and his fiancé Corey, her younger brother Scott and
his girlfriend
Not forgotten and most
importantly, seated in all her glory was Brett Montgomery. Tori almost
passed out right there. No more was
there that ever-present youthful look that always made Brett seem so much
younger than she was. Now an air of
poise and quiet sophistication sat in its place. True to form, blue eyes met
green and, as they say, it was all over.
Tori’s heart betrayed her again.
It was so willing to run unguarded to Brett’s side casting all caution to
the wind and sending signals to all parts of her body that her love was
near.
Brett had heard that Tori was coming and anxiously awaited her appearance. The moment that her childhood mate
entered the room, a flush of heat went to her face and everyone in the room
ceased to exist the moment she arrived.
Tori looked incredible. She wore a button down midnight blue
Armani pantsuit which made her look even taller than she was. Her hair was a little shorter than the
last time Brett had seen her. However, the dark tresses still flowed past her
shoulders. Tori’s look was sleek
and polished. She exuded power and
grace. Even more, she oozed of sensuality.
Brett was having an intense physical reaction to this new and improved
version of Victoria Hull.
Breaking the trance was a loud
clearing of a throat. Turning to
the direction of the intrusive sound, Tori’s eyes connected with a smirking
Gordon Montgomery. Giving Tori a welcoming gesture and an all-knowing wink, he
uttered, “Ah… Tori. We are all happy to see you. However, can you sit your butt
down? I’m hungry.” Laughter filled
the room and Tori’s face turned a beet red. She gave everyone a blanketed hello and
took her place between her father and her brother Ian. Of course, she noticed that Jenna
Carlisle was delightfully missing. As that realization hit her, a smile crept
upon the brunette’s face. For the first time in years, it made it all the way to
her beautiful blue eyes.
Hands were held around the
table as Gordon started the traditional Thanksgiving
Blessing.
“Dear Lord…. As we gather
around this table, we remember all the many blessings that you have bestowed
upon us. Like the many friends and
families that have enriched our lives, those that share our lives with us on a
daily basis, and those we don’t quite see as often as we’d like.” Gordon shot a look in Tori’s direction
and laughed as a blush made its way to Tori’s face.
“We thank you for giving us the
ability to express and receive love in its many forms. We thank you for the many miracles that
you give us everyday. Like the new
additions to our families,” looking towards baby Dominique’s crib and the
various new girlfriends and fiancées around the table.
“We thank you for keeping us
strong and surviving the many obstacles that attempt to discourage us from our
path in life. We thank you for the food that we are about to receive and for
blessing the hands of those who have prepared the meal. Let this meal nourish us not only
today…but whenever we look back at our lives and remember this day with love
years from now.
“Dear Lord……Thank you for
giving us so much that our hearts are bursting. For the love that fills this
room and for the love I see in each and everyone’s eyes. As it is written in the
bible, we are all created in your image. Therefore, if we see love in ourselves,
so must you be love. So above all
else…… thank you for you.” Gordon
looked up with eyes that were filled with unshed tears and nodded indicating he
was finished.
Tori’s eyes were also filled
with tears. She was always amazed
at Gordon’s capacity to love. With
that thought, she let out an audible sigh.
Realizing everyone was giving her an inquisitive look, she let out a dazzling smile and looked at Gordon.
“ Sir…. I think we might need to take a recess after
that one.” It was now Gordon’s turn
to blush.
Tori sent
out a thank you of
her own. She thanked
whoever was listening for giving her back her life and promised to never ever do
anything that would take her from her family again. Tori felt a
hand on her shoulder and turned to see her father smiling at her. Nothing was said but he understood just
the same. It had been a long road
coming home and though Tori was a little tattered from the journey, she had
survived.
All the while, green eyes were
sending messages in Tori’s direction.
Soon enough, Brett said to herself, “Soon Victoria Hull… I’m gonna get you alone… and when I do….. if I have my
way…..you…and I ….are going to have that conversation we should have had……six
years ago in Michigan.”
TO BE CONTINUED. Installment
Ten
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