part of their conversation. John wasn’t the only person who’d overheard the last part of the conversation, so had Vicky. She stopped walking mid –stride almost causing Miriam to walk into the back of her. She inhaled sharply after hearing what Ed had to say about her. Vicky didn’t stay around long enough to hear John’s response. She picked Angel up, turned on her heel and headed straight to the ladies room. When she walked in the ladies room was divided into two parts; the actual bathrooms and a powder room. Vicky sat Angel down in the power room and went to splash cold water on her face in the bathroom. Lilly was in the bathroom and didn’t hear Vicky come inside. She was on her cell phone talking to Bridget. “I can’t believe Jason would date someone like her. You know men, they will screw anything. I just didn’t know Jason liked the dark kind. She was wearing a cheap dress and cheap shoes. She’s not even in your league Bridget. Oh, and it’s obvious that Mr. Rutherford was livid. He didn’t say two words during the entire dinner. Personally, I think once the novelty of dating her wears off you two will get back together”. Lilly turned around and almost dropped her phone when she saw Vicky standing there. Lilly hung up the phone without saying good bye to Bridget. “Please, don’t stop on my account. I’m sure Bridget would like to hear all the juicy details from tonight’s dinner”. Lilly haughtily tossed her blond hair to the side “Look, I’ve known Bridget and Jason a long time. Jason’s going through a thing and for whatever reason he wants to be your savior. That’s all fine and good but it gets old. When he’s done with his ‘hero’ thing he and Bridget will get back together. They’ve known each other a long time and are great partners. Really, Vicky isn’t it? I mean what can you offer Jason? He’s the head of a multi-billion dollar company? He’s someone very important. Do you really think you can plan events and attend to the social obligations that come along with being with someone of his status? Can you help him close business deals by schmoozing other powerful men and their wives? I think not. Don’t get me started with the press. They will eat you alive. They will question everything about you down to ‘whose your baby daddy’. I’m sure that would be very helpful to Jason”. Vicky squared her shoulders and looked Lilly dead in her eyes. “Then, it must really kill you and Bridget with all of my perceived shortcomings that Jason would still choose me over her. With all your money and ‘breeding’ and I use that term loosely, he still chose me. Maybe, instead of trying to figure out why me, maybe you should try to figure out why not Bridget. Especially, since she has the pre-requisite qualifications”. Lilly fumed and stomped out of the ladies room. Once Vicky was alone all the bravado she’d displayed disappeared. She took a deep breath. Some of Lilly’s points hit home. Hadn’t Vicky wondered some of the same things? All her life she’d tried to please people to be accepted and loved. But, she’d promised herself after Angel was born, she had to be enough. She didn’t want to pass down those insecurities to Angel. Yet her emotions were all over the place. For the first time in her life Jason made her feel special and loved. But old feelings had resurfaced too. She was crying more and feeling more insecure than ever. She was stronger than that. She may not have had a lot of money but she was strong and she’d overcome a lot in her life. She was making it in this world and what she lacked in possessions she’d more than made up for in the way she lived her life. Angel was proof of that. Yet, she still had these silly doubts. What if Jason met someone more suitable? It was obvious his father didn’t approve of her either. Regardless of what Mrs. Rutherford said if Jason had to make a choice he’d never choose them. No one ever had. Why would he be any different? And, just where would that leave her and Angel? Vicky dried the tears that she didn’t even know were falling. Then she became angry at herself for letting herself believe in stupid fairytales. Especially when everyone knows they do not exist. Angel was falling in love with Jason too. Vicky had to end this farce before Angel was hurt any more. She’d made up her mind that it was time to get on a plane and go home.
Chapter 21
The ride home was quiet. Jason seemed lost in his own thoughts. When they made it into the house Jason went to his office. Vicky was true to her word. As soon as they got back she went upstairs to their bedroom and grabbed her suitcase and started packing. She had been upstairs for about an hour before Jason finally made it up to their room. The first thing he noticed was the suit-case on the bed. “What are you doing?” Vicky had worked herself up and took all her anger out on him “What does it look like. I’m leaving. I’m going home. You and I both know that this is never going to work. We are just too….different”. Jason was exhausted trying to prove himself to Vicky. “So, you are just going to quit before we’ve even given ourselves a chance?” Jason was angry that he was willing to literally fight for this relationship and she seemed too easily willing to just give up. He felt defeated. He’d done all he knew how to do to get Vicky to trust him but he needed her to be willing to fight for them and it was obvious she wasn’t willing to do that. “You know what…maybe you should
