The Decision Pt. 01

"Thaelor! Thaelor! Earth to boss..." "Huh?" Thaelor Renee Morrison had no idea how long her receptionist Sophie had been calling her name. Sitting at her desk, Thaelor's computer was stuck on the same spreadsheet screen as when she blanked out. "I've been calling you for the past 8 minutes. Are you ok Boss Lady?" Sophie was a nice young girl. Born in the Couth and having moved to Cali to pursue her singing career, things had gone left for her once she met a "Dope Boy" and had a couple kids. She was one of the original salvage jobs Ryan had found and helped onto her feet. With her Southern accent, good looks, smarts, and charm, she had become one of Thaelor's favorite employees.

"Sorry." Thaelor said. "I blanked out there a minute. What did you need?"

"I was trying to tell you that Mitchell Erving from accounting had been on hold, but he's gone now. The Financial meeting started 20 minutes ago, But Erving said he'll just email the minutes to you. And lastly, I was wondering if it would be ok if I took my break at 12:00? My little girl's sick and I wanted to pick up some medicine and take it home to her. But seriously...Are you ok?!"

Truth be told...Thaelor was anything but ok. It had been 2 weeks since the Escapade at the Piedmont. And unlike what Brittney had said, NOTHING had been the same since. Namely, the fact the love of her life Ryan HAD to take a trip across country with their father Senator Morrison to go Fund Raising for his next election. She missed him dearly. The only bright spot was that she and Brittney had become thick as thieves. Usually, if there was time (and she had the energy), the two cousins would hang out. She had even invited Thaelor to a couple video shoots to meet some of her friends in the industry. What they did most of the time though, was go shopping. Brittney LOVED to shop. That was her "therapy." Everything from "Sashay" and "Lover's Leap," to "Forever Young" and "Goofy's." the time spent with Brittney had been wonderful. It had gotten her mind off Ryan for a while. Not to mention their occasional sexing. A stolen kiss here, a rubbed body part there. They had even made out in a dressing room in "Kallie's" once. All this time was making her feel totally conflicted. She loved Ryan with all her heart. But Brittney was making it ever so hard to convince herself that's all she wanted.

Her line began to buzz at that moment before she could answer Sophie. Turning on her heel, the young lady sprinted back to her desk and answered the annoying contraption, leaving Thaelor to stew in her misery. "Boss Lady..." the intercom spoke.

"There's a lady on the line named Brittney that wants to speak to you." Thaelor lit up.

"Put her through."

"Hey GIRRRRLLLL!!" Came the lilting voice as she answered the phone. "Hey Brittney. What's up?"

"Are you serious? You're still not hung up on Ryan being in D.C. are you? I can hear the depression in your voice, the very sound is brining my spirits down!" Brittney chided.

"Well I'm sorry..." Thaelor replied. "I can't help it if I've got a lot on my mind. Running this company and thinking about him are getting to me."

"Say no more...I know EXACTLY what you need. Whatever the hell you're working on can wait till Monday and I'm sure Ryan will call you today. He never misses one."

Brittney was right. It might be late in the evening, but Ryan always made it a point to call her. Most of the time though the calls were short. Due to the time differentials, he was just getting to bed and she had been fast asleep (even if it wasn't soundly).

"What you need is some time out. A stiff drink, a little music, and some SHOPPING!!"

"Oh no..." Thaelor said. "I'm not in the mood for crowds, lines, or even the beach today. My heart just isn't in it."

"Ok...then how about a good movie? OOH...My friend Reggie gave me a stack I haven't looked at yet. I got that new Irene Parker movie "Tempted" on blu ray that just came out last week."

That sounded perfect. Thaelor needed a little R