The Devil You Know: Chapter 52

“That’s not a problem, I’ll make sure all the arrangements are made for that day,” Carly said on the phone.  “Yes, Tina, I realize this is supposed to be a surprise.  I won’t tell either of them.  Tina, I will not tell Todd.  Goodbye.”  With that, she hung up the phone, and then looked up.  She saw Todd Manning heading into the lobby of the Metrocourt.  She walked over to him.  “What are you doing here?” she asked him.



“And a good morning to you too, Carly,” he said.



“Weren’t you in the hospital just a few nights ago?”



“Yes, but I’m better now,” he said.  “Everything is resolved.  My head is clearer than it’s been in years.”



“What happened?” there was a note of concern in her voice.



“It’s a long story and I need to go check on my companies,” he said.  He was heading towards the elevator when he remembered something.  “Actually, I do need to do some business with you.  I need to book the Grand Ballroom.”



Carly raised an eyebrow.  ”You need it?  For what?” she asked.



“Well, I know a while ago, you offered me it for my wedding to Blair.  Now, since most of my family is in town for the holidays, I was thinking about doing it on New Year’s Eve.  A happy note to close out a horrible year,” he said.



Carly smiled at him.  “Well, I’m glad to see you are finally getting around to those wedding plans.”



“Well, between the arrests, hospitalizations, near death experiences, returns from the dead, family reunions, it’s been a crazy year.  But being with Blair…it’s always calmed me down.  So to end a crappy year and look forward to a hopefully good new one, I figured why not?”



“That’s a sweet thought,” she replied, smiling still. 



Todd returned the smile.  “So I got the room?”



“Sorry, no.”



Todd’s smile faltered.  “What?”



“I already booked it months ago.  Come on, you know New Year’s Eve, places get booked in advance.  Besides, you told me you were having the wedding back in Llanview, the church you got married in the first time,” Carly reminded him. 



“Well, technically, the first time was a beach in Key West,” he hedged.  He let out a sigh.  “No, you’re right; I did say it would be in Llanview.  Great, now, now I need to coordinate things and I’m now under a deadline.”



“What deadline?”



“Well, I need to get married before the baby comes,” Todd said, the wheels turning in his head without him realizing what he was saying.



“Blair’s pregnant?” Carly asked, getting excited.  “Oh, congratulations!  When did she find out?”



“When I was in the hospital, she passed out.  The doctors took a look at her, ran some tests and, bingo, it turns out, we’re having a baby…a girl, actually,” he said. 



“A girl? You know already?”



“Well, we had a little help in getting that information,” he said.  “Say, what does New Year’s Day look like for the ballroom?”



Carly walked over to the desk and pulled up the calendar.  Going to January first, she said, “Actually, it looks good.  I’ll book it for that day.”  She typed the information in and looked up at him.  “All set.”



“Good,” He said.  “I’ll get you a check in a bit.”  He turned to leave when he turned back to her.  “Oh, and, can you keep this a secret.  I’ve usually surprised Blair with our weddings, and that’s a tradition I want to keep.”



She nodded at him.  “No telling.  You got it.”  He smiled again and walked onto the elevator.  Once the doors closed, Carly went back into the calendar and erased the booking, smiling wickedly as she did it.



Todd made his way to his office and noticed Maxie Jones at his desk.  “You know, the last assistant I caught in my office, I fired her ass,” he said aloud.



Maxie had the decency to jump at the sound of his voice.  “Mr. Manning, I thought you’d still be in the hospital.  Why did they release you already?”



“Because I was all better,” he answered walking in.  “And I may have been annoying them to the point that they threw me out.”  He sat down and turned to her, as he sifted through the items still on his desk.  “I need you to help me with a special project.”



“What kind of special project?” she asked nervously.  



He stopped for a minute.  “I need to plan a wedding and I thought you could help.”  Todd continued to shuffle papers around his desk.



“A wedding?  Who’s getting married?”



“Um, me and Blair,” he answered as he bent down to look through a file draw.



“Oh, I guess I just thought you two were already married,” Maxie said.  “So when is the wedding going to be?”



Still hidden by the desk, he said, “New Year’s Day, sort of to kick…off…2013…” He arose from the crouch he had been in.  “Maxie, has anyone been in this desk?”  



“No, why?”



“There was a file, a very important file, and I can’t find it.”  Todd started to feel panicked.  “I had details I needed for the wedding in a file and I can’t find it!”



Maxie hid a smile as she pasted a concerned look on her face.  “Okay when was the last time you remember seeing it?”



Todd stopped, trying to remember.  It wasn’t coming to him.  “I don’t know.  Before the ball but when…”



“Okay, Mr Manning, take deep breath.”  Todd obliged her.  “Now, concentrate and try to remember when you last saw the file.”



Todd’s thoughts were interrupted by a loud banging on the office door.  When he and Maxie looked up, they saw Tracy Quartermaine there.  “Weren’t you and your brother supposed to meet with me the day after the ball?” she asked, perturbed.



Todd returned her look to her as thoughts of the file left his mind.  “Tracy, if you hadn’t heard, I was a little busy being in the hospital right after the Nurses Ball.”



“Please it couldn’t have been that bad as you’re out already.”



“Tracy, now is not the time.  I’m a very busy man,” Todd told her.



Tracy ignored what he had said and sat in the chair across from him.  “I have one last bit of business to deal with from my father’s estate and I need to deal with you, Victor and that ditz of a sister of yours.  You will call them right now so I can finish with it.”



“Hey, don’t call Mrs. Buchanan a ditz!  She is so sweet,” Maxie defended.



Todd looked to Maxie.  “She wasn’t talking about Viki.  We’ll deal with this later.  Can you call the jackass and the ditz?  I don’t think Tracy will be moving until we finish whatever business she has.”



Maxie walked out and made the calls.  While she waited, she sent a text to Starr.  Just as she was about to respond, Victor Lord, Jr. came into the office.  “Why was I summoned?”



“Get your ass in here,” Todd called.  Victor looked at Maxie and sighed deeply.  Maxie turned back to her text but was interrupted again by the arrival of Tina.  Maxie ran over to her and whispered in her ear.  Tina nodded and then went into the office, followed by Maxie.  “Mr. Manning, if it’s alright, I’m going to go get a cup of coffee while you’re in your meeting.”



Todd just waved her off and she left.  Maxie made her way to the coffee shop and saw Starr waiting there with Michael. 



“Hey, you need to tell me something?” Starr asked.


“Yeah, your dad was freaking this morning,” she said.  When Starr became alarmed, Maxie explained, “He was looking for that wedding file and when he couldn’t find it, he was, like, hyperventilating.”

“Is he alright?” Michael asked. 


“Surprisingly, Tracy Quartermaine stopped by with some supposed important business and that seemed to take his mind off the missing file.  I had to call your Aunt Tina and Uncle Victor over.”  Maxie’s order came up.  “Just thought you should know.  I’ll keep you updated about the ‘missing’ file.”  With that she left.


Michael looked at Starr.  “What’s this about a file?”


Starr let out a breath.  “My dad and mom are finally going to get married, now that she’s pregnant.  Now, Dad had plans coming together, but I kinda hijacked them and my Aunt Tina and cousin Jessica are going to help me with it.  So, save the date.  The wedding is going to be December thirty-first.”


“New Year’s Eve?  That’s not that long to plan a wedding,” Michael commented.


“I know, but quickly planned weddings are a Manning family special.”


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