Chapter Eight

Jensen looked genuinely surprised. "Of course I don't think that," he said quickly. "Believe me, I would never think that. It's the last thing on my mind. I do trust you with the company one hundred percent and If I had any issue regarding the way you handled things, I would let you know immediately not cut you off."

“So why didn’t you?”

“I guess i was worried that you say no when you found out that Chloe was involved…I know things didn’t really go well for the both of you”

Katherine sighed with relief. "Well, wasn't that easier and much better?" she asked. "You both just like to make things unnecessarily harder for each other. It's situations like this that make me wish Deanie was home so I could at least get a little break from the both of you. I will never be able to understand you men. I miss my little girl"

Jensen smiled at his wife and leaned back in his chair, then said to Tim, "So are you going to ask me the question you really want to ask? Or are we just going to ignore the fact that you have something else on your mind?"

"Of course there's more on my mind, '' Timothy blurted out, as he finally began to dig into his food. "I was shocked when I saw her, Dad. You should have told me... Or better yet, not give her our account in the first place. Ugh… And you are right, I would have said no if you told me earlier... It's almost like you are just looking for new ways to make my life hell"

"And who are we talking about here?" asked Katherine.

"Chloe Gilbert," replied Timothy. The name flooded his mind with old memories. Particularly good ones..... Memories he had locked away for a long time, rushing forward like ocean waves. "I'm sure you remember her, mom. We went to school together....used to date. She used to come here a lot. Apparently, she is the reason I got left out of this thing in the first place. He is letting her agency come work for us, and she is their representative... Or whatever ... With a very amazing pitch that dad just couldn't say no to."

"Oh yeah, Chloe. Of course I remember her. You both were so cute together back then. Almost inseparable. Oh I really loved her. Could never understand why your relationship and friendship had to end" Katherine said with a smile. "Your father told me about that already. I thought you would be thrilled to see her after all these years. Maybe she can join us for dinner sometime, and I hope you come too, Tim. The both of you will definitely have a lot to catch up on"

Timothy was genuinely surprised. "You know about this?" he asked, looking from Katherine to Jensen and then back to Katherine. "And you said nothing to me. Wow, you two are very compatible indeed, and I was definitely not thrilled to see her... Surprised? Yes.. Maybe a little bit, but I wasn't... Thrilled. And why the hell should I be? We haven't been in touch since we graduated high school. That was a long time ago. As far as I know, I barely know her and I still don't understand why dad trusts her and her agency so much." He turned to Jensen. "So you told mom and not me?"

"She's my wife. I tell her everything" said Jensen. "Besides I didn't tell you because I knew how you’d react and I wanted to surprise you. I think I did a very good job. You looked very surprised to see her indeed. I will admit it was kind of difficult not to laugh when she came into the office."

Katherine placed a hand on Timothy's arm. "Yes, and maybe this is an opportunity for you guys to reconnect and find that closeness again. Would be nice, right?"

Timothy frowned at the idea. "Yeah, whatever, '' he said. "Let's just wait till Monday so I can hear what she has to say and we can get over this once and for all."

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Monday morning.....

Timothy woke up with a headache. He groaned as he slowly opened his eyes and tried to roll to the other side of the bed. Good thing he had quick reflexes, or he would have found himself flat on the floor. It was then that he remembered that he wasn't on his bed in his room, but on one of the couches in his living room.

Slowly, he recalled the previous night. He had been unable to sleep and so he had taken a little bit of vodka... Okay maybe more than a little bit judging by the way he was feeling. The glass, vodka bottle, and the Orange juice were still on the table, and for a second, Timothy contemplated going back to sleep. He could go to the office later in the day... Or maybe not even go at all. He had been working a lot lately and taking one day off sounded like a great idea to him.

But then he remembered Chloe. He was supposed to meet with her this morning. He groaned again and his eyes darted to the fancy clock on the wall.

Timothy couldn't believe his eyes….8:20 am....

Damn... He was almost late already.

He got up from the couch... Maybe a little too fast, because as soon as he stood, the pain in his head intensified and he winced.

Aspirin. He thought. He needed some Aspirin if he was really going to do this today. Thankfully, he had some in the little drawer in his bedroom and he headed straight for it with a glass of water in his hand. After that, he hurried into the shower where he took a quick bath and Twenty minutes later, he was fully dressed. He didn't have time for breakfast, and although he was a great cook, he didn't really have anything prepared, so he grabbed his keys and headed out of the house. He could find something to eat later. The headache was still there, but at least the pain had reduced a little... Thanks to the Aspirin.

Timothy slid behind the wheel of his car and lost himself for a moment in the smooth throb of the engine. All too soon he was pulling up into Packard Enterprises. Normally this was the moment he took a minute or three to look up at the new building he and his father had poured their heart and soul into..... The steel and blue-green smoked glass masterpiece that had taken two years, singular focus and some deep desire to leave something beautiful, something memorable behind.