Taking a Chance

Chapter 26

The decision of who was going to commute was not as easy as they hoped. They settled on staying in Atlanta at Gabrielle's condo on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays and at Daryl's apartment Wednesdays, Fridays and over the weekend. They were now living together, but it was exhausting them.

On weekends, Gabrielle worked on the new advertising and marketing ideas for the new clients she had picked up in Parkvale. Trish's Gift Shoppe recommended her to the bakery who recommended her to the sporting goods store. She was talking to new business owners every weekend and she was loving every minute of it.

Gabrielle didn't tell Daryl that the paperwork had gone through for her name change. She wanted him to see it officially on her driver's license and that she was going to do today during her lunch hour. Another surprise she had for him was going to be the name of her new company. The business cards were in a box that was sitting in her desk at work. Today she could bring them back to her condo and show him when he got home. She was calling it 'The Dixon Agency' as she was as of two days ago officially a Dixon. Gabrielle Parsons no longer existed, she was now legally Gabrielle Dixon.

She had already informed the Human Resources department about her change in marital status. Daryl had been already added to her medical plan and today she was having the name on her office door changed. The guy doing the lettering was almost done. It would read 'Gabrielle Dixon, Senior Associate."

She was getting ready for the fallout to happen at work and that did not take long. She knew that word of her marriage was quickly spreading through the office. Gabrielle was at her desk working on a concept that needed tweaking when sure enough Ava and Vicky burst into her office.

"You got married?" Ava exclaimed.

"To who?" asked Vicky. "Not that guy Daryl?"

Gabrielle looked up from her computer. "Yes, in fact, it is Daryl."

Ava and Vicky looked at each other and then back to Gabrielle. They sat down in the chairs in front of her desk. "You really love him, don't you?" asked an envious Ava.

"With all my heart. But if you two are going to give me shit about this, then get out now." The two women had tried to suggest to Gabrielle several times that maybe Daryl was good for now, but he wasn't long term type of guy. That didn't go over well with Gabrielle and she hadn't talked to her friends in a couple weeks.

"We've noticed how happy you've been lately and maybe...maybe we were wrong," Vicky admitted. She would give anything to find the happiness that it looked like Gabrielle had found.

Gabrielle softened towards her old friends. "When you find the right guy and even if he doesn't fit into those plans that you thought were so important, you change those plans so he does fit. I agree with you girls that Daryl would not fit in at the partner's dinner for the associates, but that's okay. I wouldn't make him go someplace where he is uncomfortable anyway. He makes me so happy that I don't need all the material stuff I thought I did. He's changed the way I look at everything and I absolutely love my life now and I didn't before."

"God, I am so jealous of you!" Vicky smiled at Gabrielle.

"Tell us about him...please," asked Ava. Gabrielle did just that.

By the time she pulled into her parking garage that night she was in a great mood. She, Ava and Vicky were back to being friends again, and she was glad about that. It did not, however, change her mind about leaving the agency. Gabrielle was going to be her own boss, help the types of businesses that she enjoyed working with and be able to live with Daryl in Parkvale. It was a no-brainer to her.

Daryl typically did not make it to the condo until around seven when he came from his job. Gabrielle carried in the bags from the grocery store where she stopped on her way home. She was making dinner and that alone would shock Daryl as she rarely ever cooked, but she figured that was going to have to change. Eating take-out every night was too expensive and they needed to be careful with their money.