Tag: Nicholas Davenport

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Kingsport #54

“Thank you for meeting me off-site, Dylan.” Meredith McCarthy, the CEO of Davenport Technology, sat on the edge of a sofa in Dylan’s sitting room. She surveyed the man for whom she technically worked for as she cleared her throat. “The board and I are concerned…”

Dylan Davenport nodded slowly. “I don’t think Nicholas will be a terrible board member. Despite what people think about him, he’s very smart. Don’t let the guileless demeanor fool you.”

“I haven’t come here to discuss Nicholas.” Meredith leaned into Dylan with grave concern. “My sources on Wall Street have told me that someone is buying up Davenport Technology’s debt.”

“Excuse me?”

“My friends in the bond market tell me that entities from Hong Kong, Sydney, and Geneva are making very attractive offers to buy our bonds from our existing bondholders.” Meredith took a deep breath before saying, “Who’s to say why they’re doing it and what for.”

Dylan listened to Meredith carefully. While he didn’t always agree with how she ran his family’s company, she hadn’t run it into the ground. She was beyond competent and furthermore, she wasn’t one to let a battle stand in the way of her vision. “Who have you talked to, Meredith?”

“I can’t reveal my sources…”

“Fair enough, but I don’t think now is the right time to employ diplomatic immunity. If shadowy entities are buying up our bonds, I want to know why.”

“I think we both know the reason why,” muttered Meredith.

“No,” Dylan said after a brief moment. “No. If someone wanted to take over the company, they could do it through our publicly traded stock.”

“Could they? Dylan, you and your family own the biggest share of stock.”

“I’m aware of that, Meredith!”

“Don’t snap at me! Dylan, look… Why on earth would someone want to buy our bonds? We’re a reliable player in the tech world, but we’re not setting the world on fire. Davenport Technology is solid and steady. Our bonds yield a nice return, but the stock is a better play.”

Dylan eyed Meredith carefully. In that instant, he could feel the wheels begin to spin and turn in his brain. Dylan knew that Meredith’s point was salient. Why buy up the bonds of a company like Davenport when the stock was a better play. “How many people know about this, Meredith?”

“So far, it’s just me and my sources. It’s only a matter of time before the financial papers find out. They’ll have a field day humiliating us in the business press.”

“I won’t let that happen.”

“You’re not the CEO anymore,” corrected Meredith.

“I’m not your adversary, Meredith. I need you to trust me. One hundred percent.”

She eyed Dylan carefully. “Dylan, I don’t know…”

“I know. That’s exactly why you need to trust me. When you get home today contact your sources and get the names or any relevant information concerning the entities buying up our bonds.”

“What good will that do?”

“If the Panama Papers have taught us anything it’s that all roads usually lead back to one source…a single point of origin.”

“Dylan, I don’t understand…”

“You will,” he assured her. “However, I need you to trust me. We will keep this out of the press for as long as we can, but whatever you do, do not tell the board. Do not tell your husband. Do not discuss this on your business cell phone or while you’re in the office. Is that understood?”

Meredith eyed Dylan carefully before saying, “If you’re sure…”

“I am. No one buys corporate bonds just because. These entities are up to something. Give me some time and I’ll find out who’s behind it.”

“How can you be so self-assured that you’ll be able to figure it out?”
Dylan never answered Meredith’s question because he knew in his heart of hearts that something was amiss. And if it took him six years and ten million dollars, he would find out who or what was behind this assault on his company. Nothing ever happened in a vacuum. Sooner or later, the whole thing would blow wide open…

“Are you surprised?” Lisa Davenport bit into a club sandwich in the kitchen of her well-appointed mansion. “She’s always been that way.”

Nicholas Davenport took a sip of iced tea before saying, “I don’t like being accused of something that isn’t my fault, Lisa. You should have seen how smug and accusatory she was to me. She treated me like some interloper when I’m a denizen of this world as much as she is!”

Lisa surveyed Nicholas carefully. “Nicky, I’m going to ask you something and I don’t want you to get upset with me.”

“What?” he asked carefully.

“Could it be possible that you and Will have unfinished business and that’s what Alison picked up on the other day at the country club?”

“No! God, Lisa! What is it with people in this town? In all of the times I’ve come back to Kingsport, I haven’t seen Will. We were together from eighteen until I broke up with him when we were twenty-two. I moved to Los Angeles and he moved to Amsterdam. The end. No more. At this point, we’re barely even friends.”

Lisa studied her baby brother carefully. “If that’s true, then why are you so annoyed with Alison? She loves to rile people up which is why I don’t bother talking to her.”

“It was more than her trying to rile me up, Lisa. She…she accused me of being the reason behind Connor not showing up to their wedding. I told Will…”

Lisa sat up with a shot. “What did you tell Will?”

Nicholas averted his sister’s inquisitive gaze. He knew he’d said too much. “I told Monty…Will, sorry, that if he didn’t want to marry Connor, then he shouldn’t.”

“Nicky!”

“I also told him that I didn’t want to get sucked into his orbit again and here I am!” Nicholas pushed his plate away from him. “I know it was a mistake even thinking about coming back to Kingsport.”

“This isn’t a Kingsport problem, it’s a you and Will problem!”

“No, it isn’t, Lisa. I’m not the reason Connor ditched Will at the altar. Whatever happened to make Connor run off has nothing to do with me.”

Lisa deftly arched a perfectly shaped eyebrow. “Are you sure about that, Nicky?”

“Lisa…”

“Hear me out: If Will expressed these feelings and urges to you, what’s to say he didn’t express them to Connor? Let’s say Connor realized that you and Will had been spending time together and, well, maybe their wedding being a bust is kind of your fault…by proxy.”

“No. I will not be held responsible for other people’s actions. Not again!” Nicholas rose from the kitchen table as he said, “I knew I should’ve stayed in Manhattan. The minute I step foot into this incestuous town, everything comes down on me like acid rain.”

Lisa tried to stop her brother as he began to storm out of her house. “Where are you going? Nicky!”

With that, her front door slammed shut. As Lisa tried to understand what had just happened, only one thing made sense for sure: Whether he wanted to admit it or not, her brother still had feelings for Will Montgomery…and that scared her more than anything else in the world…

 

In our next installment, Nicholas confronts Will as Alison’s suspicions are confirmed…

 

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Kingsport #52

 

Due to the fact that the summer season had officially ended, the Kingsport Country Club went through its usual rounds of draining the outdoor swimming pools, putting the pool chairs into storage, and preparing for autumnal festivities. As Nicholas Davenport watched the ground crews work from the comfort of his table in the dining room, he couldn’t stop thinking about Will. No matter what had happened between them years ago, Nicholas never would have wished that sort of sheer humiliation on him. Nicholas didn’t know Connor at all, but he knew Will and Will wasn’t the sort of person to be callous that he deserved to be left at the altar.

“May I join you?”

Nicholas was startled from his reverie to find Alison Farrell Montgomery standing across from him. He sat up straight before saying, “Of course.” Nicholas eyed Alison carefully as she sat down, waved over a waiter, and ordered a vodka martini. “How’s Will?”

Alison let out a defeated sigh. “He was much better before you came back to Kingsport,” charged Alison. “I want to know what went on between you and Billy.”

“Hold on, Mrs. Montgomery! What happened on Will and Connor’s wedding day has nothing to do with me.”

“How can you be so vapid? It has everything to do with you,” spat Alison. She took a deep breath as the waiter dropped off her martini and vanished. “You know how much Billy loves you!”

Nicholas avoided eye contact with Alison. He’d known this woman his entire life. She was his mother’s best friend. He was Will’s mother. However, despite those two things, Nicholas couldn’t stand Alison Farrell Montgomery. He found her to be cold, aloof, entitled, and without any genuine feeling. Furthermore, she valued her life in Paris over the lives of her children, which she’d proved time and time again. “Mrs. Montgomery, I haven’t seen or spoken to Will in years. He and Connor have been together for, what? Two years? Whatever happened to cause Connor to walk out on Will has absolutely nothing to do with me! The fact that you would even suggest I’m to blame is insulting.”

“I know how my son feel about you.”

“How? It’s not as if you’ve ever taken an active role in his life.”

“How dare you!”

“How dare I? Come off it, Mrs. Montgomery. I dated Will for four years. I know how toxic you are to your children, especially Will. The games you play with them to gain your affection… How you drift in and out of their lives when it’s convenient for you! It’s a wonder Will is as well-adjusted as he is. It’s a shame the same can’t be said about India.”

“You leave my daughter out of this!”

“I will as long as you leave me out of the detritus that is Will and Connor’s relationship.”

“They were happy before you came back to town, Nicholas. Can’t you see that something must have shifted?”

Nicholas instantly remembered the kiss he shared with Will on Labor Day. It felt like old times. It felt right and wrong at the same time. Even though Nicholas had pulled away seconds after it happened, he would have been a liar to say he didn’t enjoy every minute of it. “I can’t see how anything has shifted because I haven’t been here to witness it.”

“Then talk to Billy…”

“What? No!”

“If you two are supposed to be friends…”

“I’ve already talked to Will.”

“You have?”

“Yes. I talked to him before the wedding and on Labor Day.” Nicholas stopped himself before adding, “Mrs. Montgomery, Will and Connor were already having problems. Other than that, you need to talk to Will.”

“Billy won’t talk to any of us. He won’t even talk to Warren.”

“Then there’s nothing I can do.”

“I think there is. Nicholas, according to my son, you were his first love. That kind of love leaves a lasting imprint on one’s heart. Maybe seeing you stirred up those old feelings which made Billy uncertain about his future with Connor.”

Nicholas let out an exasperated sigh as he finished his beer. “You’re clutching at straws.”

“I want my son to be happy.”

“He will be. One day. Who’s to say he didn’t dodge a bullet by not marrying Connor?”

Alison chewed on this for a moment. Yes, she’d voiced her own concerns about Will’s marriage to Connor, but she never thought their relationship would end up like this. “I suppose we’ll never know,” she replied stoically.

“Look, if you want my opinion, give Will space. From what I know about him, he needs time to process everything. Once he does, he’ll open up. Until then, just leave him alone.”

“I can’t!”

“You’ll have to!” Nicholas opened his wallet, dropped a twenty-dollar bill on the table, and stood up. “If you want to be there for Will, then be there for him. Don’t try to blame me or anyone else for Connor’s actions. Your son is a wonderful man and, one day, he will find his soulmate. Until then, I can’t help you, Mrs. Montgomery. Have a good day.”

As Alison watched Nicholas Davenport walk out of the country club’s dining room, she pondered his words. Whether she wanted to admit it or not, Nicholas knew Will better than most people in the world. With the demise of Will and Connor’s relationship on her mind, Alison couldn’t help but wonder if maybe, just maybe, Nicholas was the one to blame because, little did anyone else know, she’d witnessed the kiss Will and Nicholas shared two days before the wedding…

 

In our next installment, Barbara deals with an emergency…

 

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Kingsport #50

“All of Kingsport, Manhattan, London, Paris, and Hong Kong are a twitter with the news of today’s wedding of Montgomery scion, William Harrison Montgomery to Dr. Connor Lorenzo Windsor, both of Kingsport, Connecticut. The wedding ceremony will take place at a private chapel on the Montgomery Estate for close family and invited guests before the reception which is rumored to be hosted in the grand ballroom on the estate for three hundred and fifty people,” explained the Kingsport Press in breathless detail. “William Montgomery, the youngest child of Charles Montgomery, IV and Alison Farrell Montgomery, is the owner of the Kingsport Polo Club as well as the captain for the King’s Polo team. Dr. Connor Windsor, the eldest child of Alistair and Raquel Windsor, is a surgeon at Fairfield County Hospital…”

Jill Stanhope Montgomery tossed the newspaper aside as she took a deep, cleansing breath. Although she tried to block out the events of the other from her mind, she couldn’t stop thinking about her moment of passion with Connor. Her body ached for him. He still knew everything that made her quiver, cry, moan, and melt. Warren hadn’t had sex with her in three months. To have a man inside of her…on top of her…and ravaging her made Jill want nothing more than to run off with the man who was due to marry her brother-in-law at eleven o’clock this morning.

“Are you ready?” Warren Montgomery walked into his wife’s dressing room as he fastened his nineteenth century cuff links.

“DeShawn will be here to do my hair in a few minutes. We won’t be late.”

Warren eyed Jill carefully. “We can’t be late for my brother’s wedding,” stressed Warren. “I’m his best man.”

Jill fastened an emerald and sapphire bracelet around her wrist. “We’ll be early,” smiled Jill, lightly.

“We should’ve stayed at the estate last night,” muttered Warren. “With all of the out of town guests coming in today, there may be traffic.”

“We’ll be fine,” sighed Jill. “Warren, I want to apologize.”

“For what?”

“Everything. I know I haven’t been myself recently and I am sorry. I should have put my personal beliefs and feelings aside when it came to Will’s wedding.”

Touched by his wife’s sudden about face, Warren kissed her forehead. “That means a lot. Thank you, Jill.”

Just then, the doorbell rang as Jill’s phone bleated to life. “That’s DeShawn. Showtime,” tittered Jill.

            “I don’t think we should be talking right now,” Nicholas said into his cell phone as he waited to climb into an idling black town car. “What we did the other night…”
“We didn’t do anything wrong. It was just a kiss,” whispered Will.

“You’re getting married today. I knew it was a bad idea letting myself get sucked into your orbit again,” snapped Nicholas.

“Please don’t be mad at me, Nicholas. I… I was in a weak state and I should’ve known better,” stammered Will. “I just… Help me make sense of what to do, Nicholas.”

“I can’t, Monty. You’re on your own.”

“Nicholas…”

“Monty, I can’t be your talk-to. If you want to marry Connor, marry him. If you don’t, call it off. Either way, the decision is yours. I can’t… No, I won’t be your consolation prize or back-up plan. Whatever you do next, you have to do it on your own.”

The chapel on the Montgomery Estate was last used on the occasion of Warren’s wedding to Jill. Outside of that, the chapel sat dormant except of weekly cleanings and the off times when the Montgomery family would use it to repent for sins of the past, present, and future. Sheila Davenport, Dylan Davenport, Lisa Davenport Collins, Jackson Collins, Oliver Collins, Elijah Davenport, Faren Davenport, and Nicholas Davenport made

their way into the chapel past the assembled press dressed in their finest wedding couture. Eli led Faren towards the holding area where she joined her cousins, Hannah and Kate Montgomery, the other flower girls in the wedding party.

“How tastefully done,” Sheila said to Dylan, who walked by her side.

“I suppose,” muttered Dylan. “I’m surprised Charles allowed the press to attend.”

Sheila pursed her lips. “Raquel Windsor begged for press coverage. People like Raquel think the Montgomerys are a royal family.”

“Aren’t they?” mused Dylan.

“Royalty doesn’t have this much money,” tutted Sheila.

“I didn’t think you’d come to your ex-boyfriend’s wedding,” Lisa whispered to Nicholas as they made their way to their pew.

Nicholas lowered his eyes before saying, “If I didn’t come, people would talk. I’m happy for them.”

Lisa gave Nicholas a curious stare. “All right. If that’s the story you want to tell…”

“Drop it,” Nicholas ordered his sister. “Let’s enjoy the wedding.”

In a small sun drenched waiting room, Will waited calmly as Warren finished tying his bow tie. “Is everyone here?” worried Will.

“Yes,” said Warren, calmly. “Uncle Walton and his brood just showed up.”

“How do you know for sure?”

“Jill texted me. Everything is going to be fine, Billy.”

Will forced a smile onto his face. Despite everything that had happened, he could feel the clouds lift. He was getting married today to the man he loved! Will couldn’t think of anything more wonderful. A second later, the clock stuck eleven. Without a word, Will drew a deep breath before leaving the room and walking towards the altar.

It had been agreed that Will would begin the processional with Alison and Charles followed by Connor and his parents. After what seemed like years of stress and worry, Will cast a confidant eye over the his wedding guests. They were dressed in their finest morning clothes just for the occasion. Even his sister, India, and his sister-in-law, Jill, looked good. Will smiled confidently at Nicholas Davenport because he knew his future was with Connor. As Will took his place at the altar with Warren by his side, they faced up the aisle to await Connor’s entrance. The music swelled and…

Nothing.

Silence.

Three seconds (which felt like six years) ticked by.

More silence.

Someone coughed.

Silence.

People looked at each other with mounting concern coupled with polite society smiles.

More people coughed.

Will turned to Warren with pensive dread in his eyes.

Alison grabbed Charles’ hand with a heavy squeeze. Their eyes locked ever so briefly before they both cast them to the stone floor.

Suddenly, the door to the chapel opened.

Everyone turned around with eager anticipation.

Alistair Windsor stepped into the chapel with a worn look on his face. “We… He’s gone. We don’t know where he is. Will…I’m so sorry.”

Will let out a scream so deafening, it sounded primal. His blood ran cold before he collapsed into Warren’s arms in front of the entire congregation. A second later, everything went black.

 

In our next installment, questions abound in Kingsport…

 

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Kingsport #49

“Lisa, I have to talk to you!” Jill Stanhope Montgomery grabbed her best friend by the hand as they marched across the overly manicured lawns of the Kingsport Country Club towards a secluded gazebo. “Oh, Lisa, I’ve done…the worst thing possible.”

Lisa Davenport Collins straightened the cuff on her end of summer pant suit while balancing a glass of wine in the other hand. She always loved the annual Labor Day at the Kingsport Country Club because it signaled the end of summer and the winding down of the year at hand. “Jill, what on earth…?”

“I… I went to see Connor the other day…”

Lisa heaved a heavy sigh. “Jill! You have to stay away from him. Connor is bad news.”

“I couldn’t help myself. I went to his house to ask him to cancel his wedding to Will.”

“I can’t believe you thought that was a good idea. If Warren finds out…”

“He won’t!”

“He’s good friends with Connor! What’s to stop Connor from telling Warren what you did? Jill, with all of the problems you’ve told me about your marriage, it’s really insipid of you to try to interfere with your brother-in-law’s marriage.”

Jill took a deep breath as she added, “It’s…”

Lisa raised a deft hand. “Stop. Jill, I don’t care what happened with Connor because you shouldn’t’ve gone to see him. We’ve been friends since college, but when it comes to Connor, you lose all sense of yourself. That man has brought nothing but misery to your door.”

“Lisa…”

“No. Forget whatever happened with Connor. Forget that you tried to ruin Will’s wedding day. Focus on Warren, Hannah, and Kate. Everything else doesn’t matter… Not in the least…”

“Billy, Connor. I have a little surprise for you.” Alison Farrell Montgomery waved her son and future son-in-law to her table at the Kingsport Country Club. While she loathed dining in public, Alison always liked the club’s annual Labor Day extravaganza. No expense was spared, which made the ridiculously high price of annual admission somewhat justifiable. “I’ve found the perfect house as my wedding present to you.”

Connor turned his gaze to Will, who did everything in his power to hide behind his aviator sunglasses. “Alison, that’s sweet…”

“It’s the old Havermeyer Estate,” interjected Alison with great excitement. “It turns out Bitsy and Joanie have finally decided to unload it after letting it sit empty for almost a quarter of a century!”

“Alison, that’s…” Connor cleared his throat before saying, “Will and I would like to graciously decline your gift.”

“I’m sorry, what?” Alison glared at Connor before turning to Will. “Billy, what’s this all about?”

“We think,” began Connor.

“I was speaking to my son,” snapped Alison, briskly. “William Harrison Montgomery, what is the meaning of all of this?”

Will shifted uneasily in his deck shoes as he said, “Connor…we…think we’re going to live at Connor’s house.”

“It’s far too small,” exclaimed Alison. “It’s practically a guest house on his parents’ estate! No gardens, a shared pool…there isn’t even a chef’s kitchen!”

“I’ve lived there for years and it’s served me just fine,” sniffed Connor.

Alison narrowed her eyes as she surveyed the smug doctor. “I’m sure it has, Connor. However, you’re marrying my son. He’s been raised in a very specific way that he’s grown accustomed to despite what he may tell you when you’re having sex.”

“Mom!”

“Billy, please. The Havermeyer Estate is the right home for you and Connor. If you want to live at Connor’s while the house is being renovated, then that should be fine. Have your honeymoon period. I’ll pay for all of the renovations and upgrades, so the matter is settled. I won’t hear another word about it!”

“This isn’t your decision to make,” Connor said through clenched teeth. “You don’t even live in America. Don’t you have a broom or something to whisk you back to Paris.”

Without a word, Alison stood up, gave Connor a contemptuous scowl, and disappeared into the country club.

“She’s a bit much today,” sniffed Connor.

“Don’t you ever speak to my mother like that ever again.”

“Will, I…”

Without a word, Will pushed past Connor and into the throng of revelers. He didn’t know what to do or where to go when he looked up to see Nicholas Davenport eating a hamburger at a table with their old friends, Eileen Owens, Journey Adams-Woole, and Ryan Mansky. A surge of nostalgia washed over Will as he surveyed the happy scene. He and Nicholas had been happy together. They were the same people from the same world who both sneered at microwave meals and loved Russian caviar on Ritz crackers. In that moment, Will wondered what his life would have been like had he and Nicholas worked through their issues as young men in their twenties rather than breaking up in search of something better. Will thought Connor was his something better, but they kept fighting. He and Connor were very different people who couldn’t agree on where to live, let alone on how to approach the differences between them. With Nicholas, Will knew they would have moved into the Havermeyer Estate without a question. Alison and Sheila would’ve paid for it and put it in trust for them without a second thought. No guilt. No arguments…just a thank you. In that moment, Will made himself stop thinking such ludicrous thoughts because he and Nicholas were no more…and he was going to marry Dr. Connor Windsor the day after tomorrow.

“Don’t just stand there! Come and join us,” Nicholas shouted to Will. When Will remained frozen in the grass, Nicholas put down his burger to check on his old friend and ex-boyfriend. “Are you all right, Monty?”

“I… I don’t know, Nicholas.”

Before Will could say another word, Nicholas led him into the country club where they found the Red Parlor to be empty. Nicholas sat Will in a chair as he closed the door and surveyed him. “Talk.”

“I… Nicholas, I don’t think I can go through with this wedding.”

“Monty, you… You told me you love Connor.”

“I do! It’s… God, Nicholas, it’s everything else. The way he talked to my mother… Whatever his past is with India… Nicholas, I…I can’t do it. I…just can’t.”

“Then call it off. Get out of town.”

Will looked up at Nicholas and gazed into his soft brown eyes. “I’m being stupid. Everything will be fine once we’re married. I’m just…in my feels… That’s all.”

Nicholas sat next to Will with grave concern. “Monty, don’t deflect because you’re trying to make everyone else happy.”

“I don’t…”

“You do. You do it all the time. Whether it’s your father, your brother, your mother, and now, Connor, you’re always trying to make someone else happy. If marrying Connor won’t make you happy, then don’t do it! For God’s sake, Monty, put your happiness first for once.”

And in that moment, Will put his happiness first as his lips met Nicholas’ and the first kiss they shared in over fifteen years seemed to last an eternity…

 

In our next installment, it’s Will and Connor’s wedding day…

 

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Kingsport #44

“Nicholas?”

Nicholas Davenport turned around to see Will Montgomery standing behind him at Tiffany & Jo, Kingsport’s favorite coffee shop for those who could afford to sit in a café all day, every day and order ten nine-dollar cappuccinos. “Hey, stranger,” smiled Nicholas as he gave Will a tight hug. It had been years since they’d seen each other, despite the fact that they shared a niece in Faren. “Your big day is coming up, isn’t it?”

“Yeah,” said Will in a low, voice. “Happiest day of my life.”

Nicholas gave Will a curious look because Will’s tone as one he knew all too well. “I have a few minutes…if you want to talk.”

“No. Nicholas, I can’t…” Will jammed his hands into his bespoke jeans. “You’re my ex-boyfriend…”

Nicholas gave Will a playful punch on his arm. “That’s why you can talk to me. I know your bullshit better than most people.”

Will placed their order with a passing waiter as they sequestered themselves into the back booth of Tiffany & Jo. “I guess you haven’t heard.”

“Heard what? I got back to town this morning. I’m staying with Dylan.”

“Are you moving back to Kingsport?”

Nicholas shrugged. “I’m not sure. We’ll see. Anyway, what should I have heard about, Will?”

“India leaked a story to the Kingsport Press about the issues and fights Connor and I have been having about the wedding. It was an absolute mess. My parents are livid, Connor is furious, and the whole thing is just one big minefield.” Will clamed up as the waiter dropped off their oat milk cappuccinos and two croissants with extra butter on the side. “Everything was going fine until India came back from Paris and now my life feels like it’s going to implode if I go through with my wedding to Connor.”

“You love Connor, right?”

“Yes.”

“Then why are you letting India goad you, Will? She’s always been this way. No matter what you have, she wants it. I don’t think doubting your love for Connor is the wisest thing to do.”

“But he’s changed so much, Nicholas. With India back in town, Connor has been morose, sullen, quick to temper, and just…prickly… I don’t know what’s wrong with him.”

“Well, India has done her best to ruin his life, too. Maybe you two should close ranks where India is concerned and forget she exists.”

Will mulled over Nicholas’ words for a long while. He knew his ex-boyfriend had a point. Will also knew that Nicholas only wanted what was best for him without the veil of a hidden agenda lurking in the shadows. “You don’t have to be so nice to me,” teased Will.

“You’re not that bad, Monty.” Nicholas gave Will a wink as he said the nickname he’d bestowed on Will so many years ago. “Look, for what it’s worth, I want you to be happy. From what I’ve heard about you and Connor, you guys are pretty solid. Letting India ruin your happily ever after won’t solve anything. We both know if it’s not Connor, it’ll be someone else who’s the object of India’s obsession. You can’t let her win, Will.”

“I’m not,” protested Will.

“You are,” insisted Nicholas. “If you call off your wedding to Connor, India has won. I promise you that, Monty.”

“Then what should I do?”

“I can’t tell you that,” said Nicholas, carefully. While he loved Will for more years than he could count, he knew better than to give too much of himself to this man. “I think you know what to do.”

Will nodded in agreement. Whether he wanted to admit it or not, his ex-boyfriend, the first man he’d ever loved, was now the only person who made him face the reality of the situation. Despite what India said or did, Will loved Connor and he was determined to make him his husband, no matter what.

“Jill, we need to talk.”

Jill Stanhope Montgomery rolled her eyes as she smoothed the invisible wrinkles from her sun dress in the expansive master suite in the mansion she shared with Warren and their daughters. “I’m meeting Lisa for a late breakfast at the country club. We can talk later.”

“No, we’re going to talk now,” Warren said in a firm, unyielding voice.

Jill turned to her husband with a curious look in her eye. “Don’t take that tone with me, Warren. I don’t work for you.”

“I spoke with India the other day. She told me something very intriguing.”

“God. I don’t know why you bother listening to her. We all know what she’s like.”

“You see, that’s the curious thing. I know exactly what she’s like, Jill. I also know when she’s lying to me.” Warren walked behind his wife and placed his strong hands on her trembling waist. “I know you told India about Billy and Connor’s fight,” Warren whispered into her ear.

Jill did everything in her power to stop from screaming out of sheer astonishment. “That’s a lie,” stammered Jill. “I never…”

“You were at the estate that day. My mother confirmed you were there. I also know that you were in the vicinity of the English garden where my mother and Sheila were having a private conversation.” Warren’s eyes flashed with heated fury. “I want the truth out of you, Jill, and I want it now.”

Jill turned to her husband with fear in her heart. She couldn’t believe that Warren would trust anything India told him, but she had to correct this situation before she lost everything she’d worked so hard to keep. “It…India threatened me. I…only told her about the fight because she was going on and on about the wedding,” lied Jill. “I thought she might want to know that Will and Connor weren’t very in love that day.”

“Do you understand what you’ve done?!? Billy and India have always had a horrible relationship. She’s been after Connor for years and she’s the one who leaked the story to the press because of you! My family has been humiliated! Billy’s been in bits! People are gossiping about my family like we’re some common reality TV trash!”

“Warren, I didn’t know…”

“You knew exactly what you were doing, Jill! Do not insult my intelligence by stating otherwise. You know how unstable India can be and yet you weaponized her mental health because you disapprove of Billy’s marriage to Connor!”

“That’s not true,” cried Jill. “Warren, please! You have to believe me!” She fell into his arms with heavy sobs before he pushed her away from him. “You disgust me. What you’ve done… It’s vile, Jill. I can’t stand to look at you right now,” spat Warren.

“What are you going to do?” asked Jill in a small, pensive voice.

Warren glared at her with vicious contempt. “You don’t deserve my mercy, but you will do two things in return for me not telling my family that you told India about Billy’s private life.”

Jill looked up at Warren, her red eyes on display. “What?”

“You will attend Billy and Connor’s wedding. Hannah and Kate will be flower girls in the wedding, too. End of. We will not have this conversation again.” Warren grabbed his car keys from the dressing table before turning to his wife, who sat motionless on their handcrafted bed. “Oh, and Jill, if you keep playing games with my family, you will lose. I will see to it.”

Jill waited for the sound of her husband’s car to disappear before she rose from the bed, dried her eyes, and began to reapply her make-up. Yes, she knew exactly what she had done when she gossiped to India. And, for a brief while, her plan had worked. However, one thing Jill knew for sure was that anything could happen between now and that infernal wedding. In that moment, Jill resolved to do whatever she could to ensure Will’s wedding never happened…even if her history with Connor proved to be the final salvo in this deadly game.

 

In our next installment, Ada confronts Barbara as Alison prepares for the future…

 

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Posted on

Kingsport #38

Nicholas Davenport surveyed his quiet co-op apartment on New York’s Upper East Side with a certain amount of resignation. He’d received phone calls from Lisa and Eli, but he still hadn’t heard from his mother on this, his thirty-sixth birthday. They hadn’t spoken since she found out that he wanted to sell his shares in Davenport Technology to Eli. Moreover, Nicholas refused to let her win this passive aggressive game she loved to play with him. Well, reasoned Nicholas, if he didn’t hear from his mother on his birthday, then he really didn’t want to deal with her going forward.

He rose from his sofa, padded over to the large windows, and surveyed the hundreds of thousands of people rushing here and there throughout the streets of New York City. In that moment, Nicholas felt as empty as he had after seeing Eli in San Francisco. Nicholas didn’t know how to fix his feeling of loneliness mixed with restlessness, yet it nagged at him every second of every day. Just then, a knock at the front door startled Nicholas back to reality. “Hold on,” he called as he pulled on a pair of sweatpants over his underwear.

“Happy birthday!” said Dylan as Nicholas pulled open the door. He thrust two presents into Nicholas’ arms as the doorman passed a cake and magnum of champagne to Dylan. “You should be happy,” teased Dylan.

Nicholas forced a tight smile as he hugged his big brother. “Dyl, what’re you doing here?”

“It’s your birthday. You know how much I love to celebrate a birthday which isn’t mine…” Dylan placed the cake on an end table as he handed the magnum of champagne to Nicholas. “I spoke to Lisa who spoke to Mom and…it seems like you two are on the outs.”

Nicholas carried the magnum of champagne into the kitchen before returning with two glasses of champagne. “Have you spoken to Mom today?” asked Nicholas as he walked into the living room.

Dylan let out a small sigh. “No. Actually, I haven’t spoken to her in a few days.”

“It’s three-thirty in the afternoon on my birthday and she hasn’t so much as called, texted, or sent me a birthday card.” Nicholas clinked his glass to Dylan’s before taking a much-needed sip. “I’m so sick of her.”

“Hey… Be nice.”

“Don’t enable her, Dyl.”

Dylan bit his lower lip. “I’m not. I promise. She’s… Mom is very hard to get along with because her views are fixed when they should be a bit more malleable.”

“You don’t need to tell me twice!”

“This is who she is. Nicky, we’ve all have all had our run-ins with Mom. After I resigned from Davenport, she didn’t speak to me for two months because I hurt her,” recounted Dylan with an eye roll. “Lisa and Mom aren’t really speaking right now, either. And, well, you know how Mom is with Eli.”

Nicholas nodded. “I kinda do, but no one ever tells me the truth.”

“Just forget about it,” sighed Dylan. “It was a long time ago. You were a baby.”

“I just… Never mind. Are you staying in the city tonight?”

“I’ve booked a room at my club…”

“Stay here,” said Nicholas, eagerly. “I don’t have any plans tonight and, well, I’d like the company.”

“I thought you’d be out on the town with your friends doing whatever people in their mid-thirties do these days,” laughed Dylan.

“Hardly,” Nicholas said, coolly. “Most of my friends are married, partnered, or have children. They moved out of the city last year with no intention on ever coming back. I’ve never felt so alone in my whole life,” sighed Nicholas.

“Nicky,” Dylan said, softly, “I know you won’t want to hear this, but why don’t you move back home?”

“To Kingsport?!? Dylan, you’ve lost your mind!”

“Ouch.”

“I can’t go back to Kingsport. It’ll look like I failed. I can hear the country club dragons now, ‘Oh, look. Sheila Davenport’s son has left New York because he fails in everything he does and now he’s just living off his trust fund.’ No, thank you!”

Dylan laughed, lightly. “You kinda do live off your trust fund.”

“Yes, but on the Upper East Side, I’m in good company. In Kingsport, unless you’re Charles Montgomery, you have to work or volunteer or…be a socialite. No thanks.”

Dylan studied his baby brother for a moment. “Nicky, you may not want to hear this, but maybe it’s time you gave up this…life…or whatever you call it in Manhattan. Come home. Sell this place, buy a mansion, settle down, and do whatever you want. Don’t live here without any friends or support system just because you don’t want some country club dragons to gossip about you.”

“Did Mom or Lisa ask you to say that?” asked Nicholas, quietly.

“No. I’m your big brother. I worry about you. You and I have a little bit in common: We’re both single and ready to mingle!”

Nicholas broke into horrified peals of laughter. “Don’t ever say that again!!!”

“I mean it. Come on, you know what I mean.” Dylan surveyed his brother’s perfectly appointment co-op apartment before saying, “How much did you pay for this apartment?”

“That’s a rude question,” snapped Nicholas.

“Just tell me.”

“$1.5 million…but it was money from the trust granddad left for me. Mom didn’t lend me the money.”

“I bet this place is worth no less than $3.5 million right now. You could easily buy a five bedroom, six thousand square foot house in Kingsport for that money. Nicky, I don’t want you to stay in New York, completely miserable, just to prove a point. You deserve to be happy.”

Nicholas let his brother’s words sink in. He hadn’t admitted to anyone how lonely he was in New York or how much he missed being around his family…even his mother. “I’ll think about it,” offered up Nicholas, lightly.

“That’s all I can ask. Hey, you can stay with me while you house hunt because, well, staying with Mom is akin to being in prison. Why don’t we go to The Ritz for a few cocktails before dinner at eight? Sound good?”

“Yes. That sounds wonderful,” smiled Nicholas. “Thanks, Dyl.”

“Happy birthday, Nicky.”

 

In our next installment, Ada gets suspicious…

 

 

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