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Post by unavitasegreta on Jul 17, 2015 21:20:26 GMT -5
Chapter Five
Stephanie balanced the phone on her shoulder as she typed, “yeah, I’m listening.” She reached across her desk for a sticky note to write down an account number. “I’ve got it. Thanks.”
With a heavy sigh, she hung up the phone and looked at the note. The last thing she wanted to do was fire her accounts payable director, but this was the fifth time in six weeks that the guy had made a mistake and paid for expenses out of the wrong accounts. It wasn’t a problem that she should have to deal with, but all the necessary paperwork required her signature and it was just easier to handle herself rather than delegate the task to someone to fix the mess.
Pushing her chair back, she reached for a folder and pressed the sticky note to the front of it. Hopefully this wouldn’t take too long. Her nanny was scheduled to leave for the holidays and she had to get home early.
Unfortunately she didn’t return to her office for another two hours. Leaving the folder on her assistant’s desk, she rounded the corner and pushed the door to her office open.
“Oh God!” she jumped, smacking back into the door, surprised that someone was in her office.
“I’m sorry. No one was around so I came in to leave a note.”
Stephanie pressed her hand against her rapidly beating heart. “How did you get up here?”
Philip smiled, clearly amused that he’d startled her. “I charmed the security guard.”
Stephanie raised an eyebrow, “really? That’s not acceptable, if it’s true.”
“I’m only kidding,” Philip told her. “I checked in, left my card with the guard, and was led back here by the woman at the desk by the elevator.”
“Maryanne, of course,” Stephanie mumbled as she walked around her desk and stood behind it. “I just … I wasn’t expecting you, or anyone, to be in here.”
“I was serious about leaving a note,” Philip insisted, watching as she walked past him. She’d always dressed professional when they worked together at Titan, but this was a version of Stephanie that he’d never seen. She was dressed in a perfectly tailored grey suit with a white silk blouse and a scarf tied around her neck. Her dark brown hair was pulled away from her face and pinned back, cascading down her shoulders.
“Please don’t take this the wrong way, but … why are you here?” Stephanie asked, motioning for Philip to sit in one of the chairs across from her desk.
Philip unbuttoned his jacket and sat down, watching Stephanie as she sank into her chair and crossed her legs at the ankles. She looked the part of a highly paid executive.
“I don’t really know,” Philip admitted.
“You don’t know?”
“I got your email,” he told her.
Stephanie leaned forward and put her forearms on her desk. “So …”
“You’re S. McInnis.”
Stephanie tapped the decorative nameplate on her desk, “good observation.”
“Don’t you think it’s strange that we keep crossing paths lately?” Philip asked. “First you run into my father, then we bump into each other at the drug store. The next year I end up at a table with your co-workers who are trying to find someone to set you up with.”
“Oh my god,” Stephanie stiffened, “is that why you’re here? Did they rope you into this?!” She rose to her feet.
Philip stood up and held out his hands, “no one talked me into coming.” He waved toward her chair, imploring her to sit back down. When she did so, he did too, and continued. “Have dinner with me.”
“Excuse me?” That was not what she’d expected him to say.
“Have dinner with me,” Philip repeated.
“I don’t … I …” Stephanie was thoroughly confused. “Why don’t you hate me?” she finally blurted out.
Philip chuckled. “Why should I hate you?”
Stephanie quirked her head to the side, “oh, I don’t know, because I dumped you for sleeping with Melanie when we were broken up and then after we’d both started seeing other people, I-”
“Stop,” Philip implored, “I told you I have moved past all that.”
“But …” Stephanie didn’t know what to say.
“Yes or no?”
“Yes or no, what?” she asked, trying to process all the jumbled thoughts in her head.
“Have dinner with me…” he reminded her.
Stephanie stared at him. “I just … I don’t … I don’t understand. You should hate me.”
Philip sighed, amused by her reaction. Though older and even more beautiful, she was still the same Stephanie that he remembered. “Now you have to go to dinner with me otherwise I’ll never be able to convince you that I don’t hate you.”
Stephanie finally regained her ability to think. “When?”
“Tonight?” Philip suggested.
“I have my daughter tonight,” she told him.
“We can go somewhere kid-friendly.”
Stephanie laughed. “You’ve met Ava. That’s a horrible idea.”
“When do you have to be home?” Philip asked.
Stephanie looked at the clock on her computer, “in two hours.”
“Then you have time for coffee at least. There’s a place on the corner.”
Stephanie looked at him got up from the chair and walked toward the door. “Are you coming?” Philip asked.
She rose from her seat, picking up her purse from under her desk. She didn’t know what to say or do, but she followed Philip, wondering what the hell was happening.
As they entered the elevator, Philip waved towards Maryanne, who was of course smiling from ear to ear.
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Post by heroicmuse on Jul 17, 2015 21:30:45 GMT -5
I loved how lighthearted, yet serious this scene was. Once again you left me wanting more, and I can feel the romance just starting to heat up here. Monday seems soooo far away now  |
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Post by Kpatch on Jul 17, 2015 22:25:28 GMT -5
Monday? No unavitasegreta posts on the weekends. Right? I loved this too. You captured Philip perfectly. He's always persistent and confident. Stephanie is so discombobulated. Did I spell that right? Probably not. Oh. I love Maryanne! |
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Post by unavitasegreta on Jul 17, 2015 22:42:53 GMT -5
You should probably ask Kpatch and heroicmuse because unavitasegreta uses the same posting schedule as they do ... She is a lawyer/accountant (thus she's kinda nuts), so I've heard she likes consistency. |
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Post by villa281 on Jul 18, 2015 21:05:38 GMT -5
Loving the story, you captured Philip and Stephanies playful banter perfectly.
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Post by fluffysmom on Jul 19, 2015 0:38:38 GMT -5
I just discovered this new story and read all five chapters. I can hardly wait to see what happens next unavitasegreta. |
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Post by unavitasegreta on Jul 20, 2015 19:30:32 GMT -5
Chapter Six
Stephanie put her coffee cup down on the wooden table and pulled out a chair. Her phone buzzed in her purse and she pulled it out, checking it quickly before Philip came over to join her.
This whole situation made no sense to her. Philip Kiriakis, the man she’d once intended to marry, was buying her a cup of coffee.
He was just as handsome as she remembered. He still looked damn good in a suit, but it was days like today when he was dressed in khakis and a button-down shirt that always drove her to distraction. With a smile, she remembered how they’d had to start leaving the door open because they couldn’t be trusted to get work done when they were alone in an office.
Philip sat down across from her, shaking Stephanie from her reminiscence. Neither spoke. They looked at one another.
“I didn’t really think this through,” Philip admitted, shaking a packet of sugar into his coffee cup.
“It’s okay if you want to go,” Stephanie told him, trying to seem less nervous than she felt.
“That’s not what I meant,” Philip corrected. “I just mean … we haven’t seen each other in years. Hell, I haven’t even thought about you in years.”
Stephanie looked at him. “That’s just what every woman wants to hear.”
“I didn’t mean it like it sounds,” Philip told her.
She cracked a smile, “honestly, I haven’t thought about you either. I left Salem and just moved on, you know?”
“I do,” he nodded. “I did the same thing.”
“Yeah, but I made it a lot harder for you to move on,” she noted.
Philip reached out and put his hand over hers, “but I have moved on. My life is in a good place now.”
“Okay,” Stephanie responded, looking at where his hand was resting on hers.
Philip noticed her hesitance and pulled back, his fingers brushed over the large diamond on her finger. “So, when did this happen?” he asked.
“September 10, 2011,” she answered.
When the conversation didn’t continue, Philip looked up at her expectant gaze, realizing she was waiting for him to make the connection. “9-10-11?” he laughed.
“Yeah,” Stephanie smiled. “My husband thought it would bring us good luck.”
“Did it?” Philip asked, regretting the question as he remembered that she was a widow. “I’m sorry. That was insensitive.”
“No, it isn’t,” Stephanie told him. “We didn’t need luck. We had a very happy life together. Once I moved away from Salem, everything just seemed to fall into place for me.”
“It’s like there’s a curse on that town,” Philip mused. “You can find happiness, but it never lasts.”
“Nothing stays the same for very long in Salem, that’s for sure,” Stephanie agreed. They soon fell silent again.
“This is weird, isn’t it?” Philip asked.
“A little,” Stephanie agreed. “We’ve known one another for years, yet it feels like we’re complete strangers.”
“Well, maybe we should start over,” Philip suggested.
“What do you mean?” she asked.
“You know, like we’re two people who just met…”
“I don’t think I can do that,” Stephanie admitted.
“Yeah, I can’t either,” Philip agreed.
“How about this,” Stephanie started, “take me out for New Year’s Eve and let’s just see what happens. Ava will be with her grandparents and I wasn’t really looking forward to starting the new year alone.”
“Okay,” Philip agreed, looking down at his coffee mug.
“Just okay?” Stephanie asked. “You could sound a little more excited by the idea.”
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Post by heroicmuse on Jul 20, 2015 19:40:49 GMT -5
I absolutely LOVE the dialogue in this scene. You can feel the awkwardness and the tension, and I especially liked how both of them felt Salem was cursed. LOL. I am looking forward to the date and seeing where things go from here.
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Post by Kpatch on Jul 20, 2015 21:56:43 GMT -5
Wow, I can't believe Stephanie suggested New Year's Eve out of the blue. I guess she wants to get over the awkwardness, and of course she knew Philip would agree. I think she stunned him.
Great dialogue!
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Post by fluffysmom on Jul 20, 2015 22:58:05 GMT -5
I could feel the awkwardness. I really like Stephanie asking Philip to celebrate New Year's Eve with her.
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Post by gapeach on Jul 21, 2015 12:13:51 GMT -5
I think I could actually LIKE this Stephanie.
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Post by unavitasegreta on Jul 21, 2015 19:36:54 GMT -5
Chapter Seven
“How about this,” Stephanie started, “take me out for New Year’s Eve and let’s just see what happens. Ava will be with her grandparents and I wasn’t really looking forward to starting the new year alone.”
“Okay,” Philip agreed, looking down at his coffee mug.
“Just okay?” Stephanie asked. “You could sound a little more excited by the idea.”
Philip chuckled, “I’m sorry. I was distracted thinking about where you work.”
She frowned. “What?”
“I can’t believe you work for Chanel. Or that you head up the company that kicks our butts every year.”
“Our?” Stephanie asked.
“Titan owns Mad World.”
“Oh! I knew that.” Stephanie laughed. “What can I say? I have a great team.”
“You definitely look like you should work for Chanel.”
She quirked her head to the side, confused by what he meant. “I do?”
Philip nodded. “When we worked together at Titan, you were so hot. It drove me insane. I’m not saying you aren’t still hot, but … you look like you belong in a magazine ad. This is far beyond just being sexy.”
“I’ll let you in on a secret,” Stephanie smiled, “the clothes are a perk of the job. I don’t even pick them out. Stuff just shows up for me in boxes and then a woman comes to my home and puts outfits together for meetings and events. I’m not nearly this put together outside of work. Most of my clothing consists of jeans and t-shirts comfortable enough to chase a child in.”
“Ah, yes, you have a runner,” he remembered.
Stephanie groaned, “I’m so sorry about that. She gets weird when I talk to men. She’s afraid I’m going to replace her father with someone new and she doesn’t want another daddy.”
“That’s understandable.”
“Yeah, I suppose, but I don’t think she remembers him. She was just over a year old when he died. I think it’s the idea of having to share me that scares her.”
“She’s lucky to have you.”
Stephanie looked down at her hands. “Ava is always going to be my first priority, you know. I’m both mom and dad now. You need to think about whether you’re okay with that.”
“I understand,” Philip assured her, remembering his life when he’d thought Parker was his son.
Stephanie looked down at her watch, “oh, man, I have to get home.” She pushed her chair back and stood up. “I’m serious, Philip. We aren’t the same people we were when we dated before. It’s not just me anymore. If you decide that you’d rather not go out on New Year’s Eve, I’ll understand.”
*
Stephanie pushed a button on the dishwasher and closed the door, hearing the machine start its cycle. She decided to go check on Ava one more time before taking her shower and winding down for the night.
After checking that she was asleep and her nightlight was turned on, Stephanie pulled the door to Ava’s bedroom shut and headed to the master, making sure to leave the light on in the hallway in case Ava decided to come sleep with her like she often did.
Sitting down on the bed, Stephanie reached for the wedding picture on her bedside table. “I don’t know what to do,” she sighed. “Do I take the chance on Philip again? His relationship with Melanie nearly drove me insane. It took me years to get my life in order. Now I have my dream job. I married the man of my dreams. We have a beautiful daughter. I have the perfect life. Why would I want to get involved with Philip again?" She sighed. "Maybe because every night I go to bed alone? And I’m tired of feeling lonely.” She suddenly realized she was talking to an inanimte object. Putting the photo down, she muttered, “It’s not like you’re going to marry Philip. Stop acting crazy! He might not even call again. Oh, god, now I’m talking to myself!”
She pushed herself off the bed and went into the bathroom to warm up the shower. Maybe Philip would cancel their date and she wouldn’t have to worry about any of this. She had sort of forced him into taking her out. Just because he’d asked her for coffee didn’t mean he wanted to see her again after that. But she’d just blurted out the New Year’s Eve date idea. And Philip really hadn’t seemed all that excited. In fact, he’d quickly changed the subject to her work. So maybe all of her anxiety was for nothing and he’d forget all about their date.
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Post by heroicmuse on Jul 21, 2015 19:39:43 GMT -5
I really really liked Stephanie's acknowledgement that they were different people than they were when they knew each other before. I am eager to see where this goes. I believe Stephanie's anxiety is not for naught as that would be a VERY short story. lol
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Post by unavitasegreta on Jul 21, 2015 19:49:24 GMT -5
I really really liked Stephanie's acknowledgement that they were different people than they were when they knew each other before. I am eager to see where this goes. I believe Stephanie's anxiety is not for naught as that would be a VERY short story. lol Oh, darn, you figured it out. Tomorrow is the final chapter. Philip says "no thanks" and they go their separate ways. Just kidding! I'm glad you guys are enjoying the story. I know we all love our Phloe, but Stephanie deserves some love too. Shelly Hennig was/is such a great actress and brought a lot of heart to Stephanie. Poor girl just had no hope when the golden girl Melanie stole the hearts of everyone one in Salem (gag me). |
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Post by fluffysmom on Jul 21, 2015 20:48:48 GMT -5
I liked Stephanie admitting that she's not as put together as she appears. I enjoyed hearing her thoughts as she pondered her meeting with Philip.
I always enjoyed Phillip and Stephanie together.
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