Ann: A Love Story Ch. 68

"The delivery person says YOU have to. Something about making sure it gets to the right person."

"Really? That seems a little strange, doesn't it?"

"Not really. Not when it's something valuable."

"Oh...okay. Well, I'll be right up then."

As I walked through the plant to the front offices, I had several people try to stop me along the way. It was hard, because I knew they wanted to say something, and in most cases, I really wanted to stop. But I also had the conversation I'd just had with Nancy fresh on my mind, and it had my head spinning. What in the world would someone send me that was so valuable that it needed my signature? So, I begged off each time, telling whoever was trying to stop me that I'd been called to the front office. And I tried to file away who they were in my mind, so I could make an effort to say something to each of them when I went back to my office.

When I walked down the hallway, past my Dad's office, as well as the empty one that just three weeks before had been the office of my boss, Dan, I could hear Nancy talking...and laughing. She was having a conversation, and I could tell just from the tone of her voice that the subject was somewhat sexual. I reasoned that she was likely flirting with the deliveryman, and I pictured her in my mind, trying to entice him to give her a different kind of delivery altogether.

That's why I looked so surprised when I walked around the corner.

"Hi, Baby," Ann said, looking at me with a huge smile on her face, and a bouquet of flowers in her hand.

"Hi...Ann. What are you doing here?"

"I came to bring these," she said, holding them out in front of her.

"You brought me flowers?"

Ann smiled, and moved her hand to her right, holding them over the little counter in front of Nancy. "Actually...no. I brought these for Nancy. I just wanted to get her to get you to come up front."

"Those are for me," Nancy said, the shock hitting her face.

"Uh huh...thanks for helping with our trip. Tina told me how much you did to help her. Neil and I really appreciate it."

"Oh my goodness! I don't know what to say, Ann. I...I really didn't do that much."

"It's not about how much you did, Nancy...it's that you did anything at all, and it's about Neil and I thanking you for it."

"Wow," Nancy said, taking the roses from Ann and bringing them to her face, breathing in deeply to smell them. "I...wow...thank you, so much."

"You're welcome," Ann said, walking over to me, her 4-inch black, open toed spiked heels clicking on the tile floor. She wrapped her arms around me, lifting up right leg at the knee behind her as she gave me a big, sexy kiss right there in the lobby. "And so are you, lover."

"I am...for what?"

"Mmm...you'll see," she said with a sexy wink.

I got a puzzled look on my face, but Ann moved back and took my hand, turning to Nancy. "It was wonderful finally to meet you, Nancy" she said with a little wave.

"You too, sweetie. Take care," Nancy said, turning to take her flowers and find something to put them in.

"What...are we doing?" I said, looking down at Ann. More specifically, I was leering at her, and how she was dressed.

Ann was wearing a sexy black tank top that had thin spaghetti straps. I say it was sexy, because it had the word 'sexy' in small silver metallic script emblazoned just below the low neckline. It was also sexy because it hugged her body tightly, making her hard nipples more noticeable, in large part because she couldn't wear a bra with it. She had the top tucked into a pair of tight Levi's that had a couple of holes in them in strategic places that showed the dark tan of her legs underneath them.

It was a rather conservative outfit by Ann's standards, but at the same time, she made it look anything but. There was just something about the way she carried herself. She looked like the girl next door, but at the same time, there was always this hint of the sexual tigress that lay beneath the surface, ready to unleash herself. Maybe that was just me, because I got to see that side of her practically every day, but I couldn't help but think that was always there for people to see and interpret on their own. Ann hadn't dressed so provocatively that she'd get the obvious reaction of being leered at, but she'd dressed in a way that would still show who she was as woman. And that made my heart skip a beat or two.

Ann took my hand, lacing her fingers between mine. Looking in my eyes, she said, "I thought we'd go say goodbye together."

"What?" I asked.

"I know what you're going through today, baby. I went through it by myself just a few weeks ago. And I remember thinking at the time how much easier it would have been if you would have been with me...if you would have been able to be there, and help me stay strong. It would have been so much easier to say goodbye to my co-workers if I could have been able to introduce you to them. So, I was thinking that maybe you could do that with me."

"What...introduce you?"

"Yeah. I think it's easier for people to say goodbye like this if they know the reason you're leaving is a good thing. I know it was easier for me at our going away party because all of my friends got to know you a little, and realized why I was happy. So..."

"So...you're right, Ann. You're absolutely right. It's hard for me to be sad when I have you standing by my side. Come on...let me give you a little tour, and I can introduce you to some friends of mine," I said enthusiastically.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Our first stop was the just around the corner, where I introduced Ann to the people that made the plant run, namely the front office girls of billing and customer service for the main plant. That included Nancy's boss Emma, who was genuinely delighted to meet Ann.

The next stop was Dad's modest office, and I was actually surprised to see him sitting there, since he'd been spending more time on the floor than up front. Ann ran around his desk, practically jumping into his arms as he stood up to greet her. She gave him a huge hug, along with a kiss on the cheek. To say he was happy to see her was an understatement.

"Ann! What in the world are you doing here, sweetheart?"

"I just came by to meet everyone, and to make Neil's last day a little brighter," she said with a smile that did just that.

"Well you just made MINE brighter too," he grinned, hugging her a second time.

"Thanks, Dad. So, is this where all the big decisions are made?" she said, looking around his office.

Chuckling, he said, "I don't know about 'big'. The last major thing I decided in here what I was going to have for lunch on Wednesday. That's about the extent of it."

"You're being modest. I'm pretty sure Neil gets his business sense from you...along with a few other wonderful qualities that I love so much," she said with a sexy wink.

"I'm pretty sure any 'qualities' that Neil has that are wonderful come from Betsy...not me. There's not much about me that's wonderful, by any stretch," Dad said, trying to give my Mom a little credit. It was also just like him to be a little self-deprecating when it came to his sense of humor.

Ann didn't bite though. "Neil didn't learn how to be a man from Betsy, Darren. He learned that from YOU," she said as she patted my Dad on his forearm. Then she stunned me when she said, "And I KNOW he didn't get one of my favorite attributes from his mother, because she's a woman. She doesn't even HAVE one of those," Ann grinned.

I wasn't sure, but I actually think my Dad blushed just a little bit. Then he chuckled and said, "Yes, Ann...the Thomas men have been blessed with great genes in the jeans, so to speak." Then he playfully patted me on the back and said, "Isn't that right, Neil!"

"Uh...yeah...I suppose," I said with a shy grin.

"No wonder Betsy has that sweet smile on her face all the time," Ann said as she took my hand again, and let me lead her towards the door.

"I could say the same for you, dear. Enjoy the tour," Dad said, offering a wave as we stepped out into the hallway.

We took just a couple of steps, and I looked at Ann, who shrugged at me, and then she started giggling. And that had me grinning.

"What got into you back there?" I whispered.

"I don't know. I just love your parents...I can be myself around them, which is pretty cool. Besides, you flirt around with my Mom sometimes to make her feel good...what's the harm."

"I never said there was any harm, Ann. Just wondering what's going on in that pretty little mind of yours, that's all."

"You're on my mind...that's all. Now, why don't you take me on that tour your Dad was talking about?"

And I started to...but before we could get out of the hallway, I heard a voice calling out to me as we passed another office. A big...corner office. I stopped with Ann, and took a step backwards to look through the doorway, Ann peering inside just like I was.

"Did you call me, Mr. Beck?"

"Yes, Neil...get in here. We were going to sit down and have a talk before you left, remember?"

"Well, yeah...but it's my last day."

"Which means we need to do it pretty soon, don't you think?" he laughed.

I looked at Ann, who smiled and practically pulled me into the room with her.

His eyes lit up when he looked at Ann, holding my hand, and he smiled. "You must be Ann. I'm Geoff." He walked around his big walnut desk, and held out his hand.

"Ann, this is Mr. Beck...he'd the President of the company. Well, actually, he owns it."

"Part of it. My family owns it too, not that that matters," he said still holding out his hand.

Ann looked at him, trying to decide how she should greet him. Finally, she just moved forward and shook his hand, going with his informal introduction, instead of the more reverent one I'd used. "It's nice to meet you, Geoff. Do you..."

"No...I don't play guitar. Yet," he laughed.

"What?" Ann said, looking at him like he was nuts.

"Your fiancée likes to kid me about my name. Geoff Beck?"

"Oh...well, I wasn't going to ask you about your time playing in 'Faces', if that's what you thought. I was wondering if you mind if I sat in on your little chat with Neil. Or should I go back to Dad's office and wait? I'm sure he wouldn't mind."

"Dad?" he asked.

"She means MY Dad," I said.

"Oh...hell...of course that's who 'Dad' is. I should have known that," he laughed as he motioned towards the other seat while he walked back to the other side of the desk. "Please, have a seat, Ann. I'd love it if you stayed. I just wanted to talk to Neil for a little bit."

The three of us spent about twenty minutes together. It was supposed to be an exit interview, and in many ways it was. But we started out just visiting, with Geoff getting to know Ann a little bit, and asking about our trip, and the wedding. After about ten minutes, he finally asked me about my opinions on several things, including wanting my frank opinions on how I'd felt about not being a salaried employee until after I'd landed the big contract I'd worked on. But with Ann in the room, I didn't feel the anger or resentment I'd carried for so long.

Sure, a big part of it was that Dan, my former boss, had already been let go. And as I held Ann's hand in front of Geoff, feeling her love flow through me, I just didn't feel the need to be bitter about it any longer. So, instead of dwelling on negative things, I gave Geoff the information he felt he needed to help make sure the things I went through wouldn't happen again, while refusing to show the feelings I'd harbored for what truthfully had been a couple of years.

Geoff even commented on my demeanor, saying after I'd finishing answering his last question, "Neil, you seem to be handling this really well. I'm a little surprised you're not taking this opportunity to blast me for not knowing what you were going through...you have every right."

"I don't see it that way, Mr. Beck...not at all."

"Pleeeese, Neil. Call me Geoff," he said for something like the fifth time.

"Okay...Geoff. The truth is, I really don't see the point in being upset about it any more. I'm not leaving because I was unhappy in my job. This is just a great opportunity for Ann and me to start out our lives together. Besides, I don't want to burn any bridges. I may bomb in my new job and need to come begging for one in six months."

Geoff shook his head politely and said, "Neil, anytime you want to come back, I'll have a job waiting for you. You have my word on that. But, you're not going to need it, because you're going to do an incredible job for you new company, just like you did here. So don't go into next week carrying any negative thoughts. Attack your new job like you attacked this one, and you'll be just fine."

It was a nice pep talk, and it actually helped a little. It was nice to think that I had a safety net, in case I did fall flat on my face. But Geoff was right. I couldn't afford to think negatively. I had to go into the new job with confidence, and it helped that he had that in me.

Geoff stood up and walked around his big desk, holding out his hand to Ann as said it was nice to meet her. But Ann wouldn't have any of that. She opened her arms, and surprised him as she gave him a big hug.

"What's this for," Geoff said as he laughed and hugged her back.

"For telling Neil what he needed to hear," Ann said, kissing him gently on the cheek. "You're coming to the wedding, right?"

"Are we invited?" he said with a laugh, referring to him and his wife Tara.

"We wouldn't have it any other way," Ann smiled.

~*~*~*~*~*~

"Geoff is really nice," Ann said as we walked through the plant. The stares we were getting were polite, but it was obvious all eyes were on Ann as we made our way down the aisles. And Ann seemed totally comfortable with being the center of attention.

I'd already stopped and introduced her to about a dozen people, several of them ones that I'd had to put off on my way to greet Ann up at Nancy's desk. And in each of those cases, the goodbyes that I'd been nervous about earlier turned out to be more joyous than sad. And I owed that to Ann. She had a way of calming me, and her gift of conversation made others feel so at ease that each encounter was personal and heartfelt, without being maudlin.

"Yeah...he's really down to earth," I answered as we headed toward another person I'd had to put off earlier.

"Do you think he and Tara will really come to the wedding?"

"Actually...I think they will if we send them an invitation. He said something about it in that meeting last week...and there's nothing insincere about him at all."

"Good...I'll add them to the list," Ann smiled. "It's getting to be a long one."

"What...the invitation list?"

"Uh huh. We're at around 200 right now. I know that many won't come, but I have to invite all my friends from California, even if they can't make it."

"Well, that's understandable. Whatever it ends up being is how it's supposed to be, Ann."

"Yeah...but if the stars align and they CAN all make it, it's going to be a big wedding. I'd guess close to 400 people."

"Well, we both know that's not happening, so don't worry about it. If we just figure everything on who we really think will be there like we talked about, we'll be fine."

"Oh...I'm not worried. Like you said, whoever shows up...shows up. It's kind of exciting, I think. You'll have to get me Geoff's address."

"I'll have Mom add it to the list she needs to give you for my side of the family. She's been working on it."

Ann looked at me for a moment, and then she smiled. "Have you changed your mind about inviting Dawn? I really don't mind...and I'd love to meet her."

~*~*~*~*~*~

Yes, Ann and I had talked about Dawn. In fact, she was the one that brought it up before, on a couple of occasions. The most recent was when we were coming up with our lists of who we wanted to invite to the wedding, Ann wondered if I considered inviting Dawn, since she was, in Ann's view, the reason we'd gotten together in the first place. And I could see Ann's point. In a lot of ways, she was right. Dawn had changed my perception of life. She'd healed my heart to the point that I found myself not only able to live again, but to love again as well.

I told Ann I wasn't sure I was comfortable with Dawn being at the wedding. Not that I thought Ann would get jealous. Far from it...I knew Ann's intentions were pure and honest. When she said she would like to meet Dawn someday, it wasn't anything other than wanting to thank her. And being in love with Ann so deeply, I knew there wouldn't be anything to worry about between Dawn and me. Besides, she had a new boyfriend...and a serious one according to my friend Mark. So serious that Dawn had moved out of Mark's place and into her own with her boyfriend.

Any concerns I had, had nothing to do with jealousy on Ann's part, or any guilt on mine. Ann knew all about my relationship with Dawn, in full detail. I just didn't want anything to take away from Ann's wedding day, and if Dawn being there created even the tiniest of chances of doing that...then I didn't want any part of it. And I told Ann that.

"I don't think Dawn would take away from our day, Neil. I actually think it would be like any other friend that's going to be there. Look at Tina. She helped heal you too, in her own way."

"Yeah...I suppose. But Dawn is different."

"Why? Is it a sex thing?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you had sex with Dawn. But you've fucked Tina more than you've fucked me...including after we got engaged."

"Okay...I only fucked Tina afterwards because you wanted me to."

Ann touched my arm and smiled. "I know, baby. I'm not saying it like I'm upset...it still turns me on, especially when I was WITH you and Tina," she giggled as we turned down the aisle that would take us to my department. "I'm just saying that in reality, I just met Tina two weeks ago...you've been fucking her for a long time, and she's going to be IN our wedding. And I think that's perfect. So why would Dawn be a problem just sitting in the crowd?"

"I'm not saying that she would, Ann. I'm only saying that I don't want anything to take away from you being the center of attention on your wedding day."

"Okay...first, it's not just my wedding day. It's OURS. And do you really think for a minute that Dawn would do that?"

"No...I don't," I admitted. "And for the record, I haven't fucked Tina more than you. Not now."

"Well, maybe not. But you've been with her a lot more than you have Dawn. And you're the one that suggested that Tina be in the wedding. So if you don't have a problem with Tina being in it, you shouldn't really have a problem with Dawn being invited. She probably wouldn't come anyway...because of her boyfriend. But, it's up to you, baby. If it's going to make you feel uncomfortable, then we shouldn't. I don't want anything to ruin our day for you, either."

It was something to think about. I loved that Ann was so secure in herself, and in us, that she was not only okay with the thought of meeting Dawn, she looked forward to it, and wanted her to come to our wedding. But Ann was right about one thing...I really couldn't see Dawn's new boyfriend wanting to come. Then again, I had been a little surprised at first that Ann wanted to meet Dawn in the first place. But that only made me love her more, knowing she was secure in our relationship.

We'd made our way back to my department, and I went about introducing Ann to my employees one by one. They were thrilled to actually meet her, and in some way, it became a cathartic experience, both for me and for them. Ann seemed to ease the pain of leaving, taking the sting away a little for me.

And for my employees, she not only gave them a face to go with the name, she gave them a little piece of herself like I'd become so used to, showing her personality and love of life. She made each one of them feel like the conversation was personal, which it really was. Ann was never phony when it came to giving her time and full attention when she met someone.