And So I Ran - Complete

Chapter 41

"Dad? I looked up the schedule, and there's a Mariners home game on Saturday. They're playing the Cleveland Indians. Christian and I thought you might want to come up for it? You could spend the weekend with us?" I stumbled a little with the last words. I didn't know how Ray felt about me living at Escala with Christian.

"I'd love that, Annie. I'll come up Saturday morning. Maybe I'll get pictures of myself on one of those websites?" he teased. I groaned. I'd hoped Dad hadn't heard about all that.

"Tell me you are not reading that stuff?" I begged.

"Not me. Lillian. She likes the ones about what you wear and gets right angry at the other ones. Every morning tea she updates me on the latest."

I laughed. Lillian was in her sixties and had worked managing the office and the accounts for Ray for as long as I could remember. A pseudo grandmother to me, Lillian wouldn't let anyone put me down. I could see her and Ray sitting at his workbench enjoying a slice of the apple tea cake Lillian baked every week along with the latest from the gossip sites. The idea of such a familiar scene made me suddenly very homesick. I missed Ray and that simple life so much.

"Daddy?" I sniffled. "Do you think you could come up on Friday after work?"

"What's wrong, Annie? Are you ok? Has something happened?"

Yes. I'm pregnant, and while I'm really happy about it, I'm freaking out about telling you, I thought.

"No. I just miss you, and all these websites and people following me is a bit much. I need my Dad."

"I'll be there Friday in time for dinner, Annie."

I hung up the phone, looking at the lunch Gail had sent with me. It had been a week and a half since the announcement at SIP, and while everyone was very nice, there was definitely a difference in the way I was treated now. Other than Casey, people were more formal and stopped to chat and gossip less. Eating lunch alone most days was getting boring.

Last weekend, with all the brouhaha from the paparazzi, Christian had insisted on spending some quality time together, so on Saturday morning, he took me sailing on The Grace. It had been wonderful – particularly when we'd sailed past his parents' place at Bellevue. Christian had warned me that his mother was having some of her friends over and that Elena was likely to be there. Grace had asked him to drop by, and so we did – waving to the group from the deck of The Grace as we drifted past his parents' home. We were close enough to see Grace's proud smile, along with Elena's scowl.

Not trusting Elena not to tip off the press that we were out sailing, late in the afternoon we docked at Ros and Gwen's place where we were met by the skipper, Mack, and Taylor. Mack boarded The Grace, taking her back to the marina and a very disappointed bunch of paparazzi, while Christian and I had dinner with his COO and her wife. They were an entertaining couple, and I enjoyed getting to know them better.

Still. It wasn't the same as old friends. I picked up my phone again.

"Steele? What's up?" Kate answered on the first ring.

"Just seeing if you're free for lunch?"

"What – while the cats are away the mice will play?" Kate teased.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Christian and Elliot. Christian rang last night and asked Elliot for some urgent help with something today. Elliot was pissed off because he needed to be on site today, but Christian insisted. Didn't Christian say anything?"

"No. He didn't. Never mind. So? You free for an hour at the Mile High Club?"

"On Mr. Megabucks? Sure – count me in!"