Illicit Affairs

Chapter 23

"I can't wait to see you tomorrow grandpa. I've missed you so much." I beamed at my grandfather's smiling image through the facetime call on my phone.

"I've missed you too princess and I am so proud of you. You have done such an impressive job in my absence and I could not be more thrilled. I knew you were capable of running this team and you have out surpassed everyone's expectations." He replied.

I smiled even wider over his words of praise. He looked remarkably well. His skin had a healthy color and glow and his steel blue eyes looked bright and well rested. The last few weeks have flown by and so much has happened. Chase picked up a win in Texas, which meant that all four of our drivers had locked themselves into the playoffs. My truce with Alex is still intact and there appears to have been a cease fire in my relationships with William and Kyle, especially after I revised William's contract. Are we all friends? No, but we have built an amicable working relationship and that's all I could ask for.

On a personal note, Ryan has also locked himself into the playoffs via a win. Things between us are still a little strained as I'm working to rebuild his trust in me. Admittedly, his no sex stance has been somewhat difficult for me to get used to but I'm trying to respect his boundaries. These days, we spend our time together watching movies and talking. It's been nice, although a bit awkward at times, but we are trying and he's meeting me halfway like he promised. It's still a work in progress.

My grandfather is coming home tomorrow. When he learned he would need more specialized rehab, in true Rick Hendrick fashion, he chose to go to the top cardio and orthopedic rehabilitation facility in the country, which put him all the way in Minnesota. Due to the distance and my extensive job duties, I had been unable to visit him. I guess that was probably a good thing since he needed to remain as stress free as possible and knowing him, he would take one look at me and know that everything had not gone as smoothly as I led him to believe.

"Are you sure you don't need me to pick you up from the airport tomorrow?" I asked.

"No princess. I have already made arrangements. I do appreciate the offer though." He said with another smile.

"Okay then. There is something I need to discuss with you, but that can wait until you are home and settled in." I said, knowing that I needed to tell him about Ryan and me. Although our relationship was still a little shaky, I wanted to show my commitment to him by coming clean to my grandfather.

"Is everything alright princess?" He asked, concern etched on his face.

"Of course. Everything is fine. This is something personal that I would prefer we discuss face to face. It's nothing you need to worry about." I reassured him.

He chuckled. "You probably want to take some time off, which is understandable. I know I put a lot on your plate with very little notice, so I believe that would be doable."

"No. Although tempting, that's not it. We'll talk tomorrow grandpa. I can't wait to see you." I replied, while thinking a little vacation would be nice. It would allow me to focus one hundred percent of my time on Ryan and rebuilding our relationship. Maybe even going public.

"Okay princess. I'm going to let you get back to work now, and I will see you tomorrow." He said, and after another brief goodbye, I disconnected the call.

There was a lot I needed to do before he and my grandmother made it home, so I began to take a mental inventory of things that needed to be done at their house.

Before I could make a list, Chase entered my office after knocking a couple of times.

"You have a minute?" He asked, and I noticed he looked like he had something on his mind.