A World To Give

Nelson steps in to help out his company when his twin sister, Rowan,
unexpectedly leaves to take another job. While assuming her identity, he
realizes that there is a lot more to the world than he’d previously known and
he decides to take some chances he never took before.

Nelson discovered a whole new world!

---

Author's Note: I apologize for suddenly changing the title to this piece, but that was necessary. I also hope you all are doing fine too. I appreciate those lovely comments you left and am eagerly looking forward towards more. Please enjoy this story all! ~Clara.

Image Credit: https://perchance.org/beautiful-people
 
 
Chapter 2
 
The salon was a modern, elegant looking place and much bigger than Nelson had imagined. Kris, a very tall, very shapely, very beautiful woman unlocked the door to let them in. When he saw her, Nelson realized that he’d seen the woman at several company/family events, but he’d not known to whom she’d been connected.

“This won’t be too hard,” Kris smiled. “His hair is longer than Rowan’s and their faces are nearly identical.”

There it was again: Identical.

“So… how long?” Nadine asked.

Kris pondered a moment. “Give me three-and-a-half, four hours and she’ll be ready to go.”

“Four hours?” Nadine said glancing at her watch. “It’s nearly seven. Four hours is eleven… is there anyway to do it quicker?”

“I’ll be as quick as I can,” Kris said.

“It’s ‘he’ not ‘she,’” Nelson said.

“What?” Asked Kris.

“You said ‘she.’ I am not a ‘she.’ I am a ‘he.’”

“Not for long,” Kris said in a playful manner.

“Do you have the key to Rowan’s apartment?” Nadine asked Nelson.

“Yeah… why?”

“I need to go get you some clothes,” she explained.

“Oh.” He dug in his pocket and handed her his keys, all of which were color coded. “It’s the white one.” He told her the alarm code and she hurried away.

“Come on Cinderella,” Kris said. “Your fairy godmother has a lot of work to do to get you ready for the ball.”
 
 

 
 
“Something he’ll be comfortable in,” Jessie said, as she and Nadine looked through Rowan’s closet full of work clothes. “Nothing fussy.”

“Slacks, then?” Nadine asked.

“I don’t think that slacks will work. Rowan’s thicker in the hips than Nelson. Slacks might look too loose on him.”

“And he has no butt whatsoever,” Nadine said with a smirk.

Jessie gave out a half-laugh, but she was in a rush. It was already past eight and she needed to get something put together for Nelson to wear pretty damned quickly if this plan was going to work.

Nadine pulled out a hanger with a blue/gray skirt suit on it. The jacket had three large buttons in the front, and it was matched with a pencil skirt. Then she pulled out a silk, long sleeved blouse. “How about these?”

“No. He’s never worn a skirt of any kind before. A skirt that narrow will drive him nuts. The blouse is nice, though.”

Nadine nodded and returned the suit to its place and put the blouse over the back of a nearby chair.

“You really think he can pull this off?” Nadine asked as she returned to searching through Rowan’s clothes.

“I sure as hell hope so. Rowan put us in a heck of a spot. This is the only plan I have. It has to work.”

“And if it doesn’t?”

Jessie glanced at Nadine and gave a look that said, ‘Don’t ask.’

“Here,” Jessie said, pulling out a high waisted, mid length, soft wool, light brown skirt with maroon lines running through it. “This will work with that blouse. I’ve seen Rowan wear that combination several times. It’s long enough to be comfortable and modest, and it’s an A-line skirt, so it’ll cover up his narrow hips and flat bottom.”

“Ok, great,” Nadine said, folding the skirt and putting it with the blouse. “We’re all set, then.”

Jessie shook her head and pulled open a bureau drawer. “We need a bra and panties, too. I think a camisole or slip would be good with a blouse that sheer.”

Nadine looked a little uncomfortable. “Do you think Nelson will have an issue with wearing his sister’s undies? It’s a little weird, isn’t it.”

“What do you suggest? Buy some new ones for him?”

“Well, yeah, I guess.”

Jessie handed three items to Nadine: a matched bra and pantie set, and a silk slip that appeared to be long enough to reach to just above the wearer’s knees. “Nadine, it’s not even eighty-thirty in the morning. The only store open that sells clothes is Walmart. Not only is it clear across the city, but it’s Walmart. Have you EVER seen Rowan wear ANYTHING from Walmart?”

“No. I guess not.”

“No. Me either. Here… take these tights, too. Now, let’s find some shoes that’ll fit him, she must have an extra pair of pumps around here, and find a coat, too. Then we’ll go to the salon and hopefully get back to the office before Bill O’Connell shows up. Hopefully, he’s not too early and when he does arrive, he’ll find the lovely Ms Rowan Egan working hard at her desk, surprised to see her favorite client in the flesh.”
 
 

 
 
The office was a wasps’ nest of activity. They were getting the conference room setup for the meeting, ‘coffee and’ was set up on the side table. Chelsea, another member of the sales team was rehearsing her part of the presentation with team members offering critiques, other clients were being dealt with with as much attention as required, but when their issues were resolved, attention was returned to the O’Connell account immediately.

“… our security systems are the best in the industry,” the Chelsea said, practicing. “Our record of success with over two hundred companies around the world is proof that we offer our customers the security and peace of mind…” she went on, gesturing broadly to graphs and charts that were projected onto the screen at the end of the room, trying to make a presentation she’d expected to give in an online format seem more interesting in a live format.

It wasn’t easy, but she was doing well.

“As you can see on this chart, your data will be stored in an isolated server that is one hundred percent separated from…”

“Holy cow!” One of her team shouted. “Rowan’s back!”

Everyone in the office turned towards the entrance to see Rowan Egan strolling into the office wearing a mid-length plaid skirt and a sheer white blouse. Her hair, as always, perfectly coiffed in her trademark pixie-ish style, tinted auburn with gold highlights, her eyebrow covering bangs parted just slightly in the center, her lips plump and painted a deep red as always, and her trademark walk that gave her the air of somebody ready to take on the world.

She was accompanied on either side by Jessie and Nadine.

They passed ‘The Bullpen,’ the area in which the sales department, the department which had been led by Rowan, and stopped just in front of Nelson’s office door.

Jessie turned and called everyone into the main office area.

“Listen up, everyone,” she called in a raised voice. “As you all know, at some point today, we will be visited by William O’Connell, CEO and CFO and pretty much everything else at O’Connell and Associates, one of the largest and most successful investment companies in the world. Now, we here at Global have been very successful up to this point, but if we land the O’Connell account it will launch us into a whole different level of success – And since everyone of you is a stockholder in this company, that could mean a very different tax bracket for each and every one of us.”

There were a few nodding heads.

“Mr O’Connell is a very ‘hands on’ kind of man. The kind who relies on his personal feelings about a company and the people who work there.”

More nods.

“Rowan Egan has been Mr O’Connell’s contact with Global for months now, and he has become very comfortable with dealing with her – which would be a great thing if Rowan hadn’t left us suddenly last weekend. Regardless, we are trying to make Mr O’Connell feel confident as we move forward, and to that end, Dr Nelson Egan has volunteered to… play the role of Rowan Egan for the purposes of this meeting.”

A murmur ran through the office.

“So, it is imperative that we all refer to Dr Egan as ‘Rowan’ for today.” She paused a moment. “Any questions?”

After a moment, an employee raised her hand and Jessie acknowledged her.

“What happens if we land O’Connell and Associates as a client? Are we just going to go on forever deceiving this guy? I’m not sure I’m comfortable with that, especially since we are kind of selling ourselves as a company our clients can trust.”

“A valid point,” Jessie conceded, speaking above the rustle of chatter the question had provoked. “Listen…” Jessie considered her words. “… under most circumstances, I would have just called the client myself and explained, but the timing of Rowan’s departure could not have been worse, and Bill O’Connell is not your typical client. He’s this… old fashioned, ‘I need to know who I’m dealing with’ kind of guy – Which I respect! But we’ve invested so much time, energy and money into landing this account that I just can’t take the chance that he’d back out just because Rowan left. And besides – this was supposed to be a remote meeting. We only found out last night that he planned to surprise us this morning. That was a little unfair on his part, too.”

“So, let’s just get through today, let him get comfortable with Nadine and the rest of us, then, hopefully, he’ll see what a great team we are. Then, in a week or so, I can call him and explain that Rowan has moved on to a new position, but we’re all here for him. Then everything will go back to normal.”

“So,” the woman who asked the question had another, “he’s going to look like Rowan for a week? ‘Cause it’s kinda freaky how much he really looks like her.”

A little nervous laughter ran through the staff. Even Nelson snickered a bit.

“No,” Jessie smiled. “I expect that Dr. Nelson Egan will be rejoining us tomorrow.” Then she looked at Nelson and smiled. “What a great team player he is being, though, huh? Let’s have a big hand for Nelson!”

Everyone cheered and applauded.

Just then one of the girls who works at the front desk ran in. “He’s here! Mr O’Connell is here. They just called up from the security desk. They’re getting his guest badge now. He’ll be up in about five minutes.”

“Alright,” Jessie took a deep breath. “Battle stations, everyone! Let’s do this right!”
 
 

 
 
“May I help you?” The receptionist asked the man.

He was very handsome. Six foot three inches tall, at least, slender and fit as a fiddle. His dark hair and deep blue eyes complemented each other in an almost artistic perfection. And when he spoke his voice was deep and resonant and seemed to aurally project the smile he wore so perfectly just above his chiseled jaw.

“Ms Rowan Egan, please,” he said.

“May I have a name?”

“William O’Connell,” he smiled at her and she nearly melted.

She made a show of looking at her screen. “Is Ms Egan expecting you?”

“Probably not,” he chuckled, “but we are scheduled to have a remote meeting today. I’d just rather do this kind of thing in person.”

“I see.” She picked up the phone and dialed an exchange. “A Mister William O’Connell to seen Ms Egan.” A pause. “Thank you.”

“Someone will be right out.”

Bill O’Connell busied himself by glancing at the artwork in the foyer. In less than a minute, he heard his name.

“Mr O’Connell?”

“Yes.” He turned to the approaching woman and shook her extended hand.

“Nadine Baker,” the woman said with a smile. “I’m part of Rowan’s team… kind of the second in command, you might say. So nice to meet you.”

“And you, Ms Baker,” O’Connell smiled.

“We weren’t expecting you to come in person. We all thought that we were doing this remotely.”

“Gotta keep you on your toes,” O’Connell said in a teasing voice. “I like to meet the people I do business with. Look them in the eye. Make sure we’re all on the same page.”

“I see.”
 
 

 
 
“What the hell am I doing?” Nelson said, and not as quietly as he’d intended, sitting at the desk in his office.

The door to his office was closed, which was rare. He had only been in his office with the door close six or seven times since he’d moved into it – and on those occasions there had always been another person in there with him and the situation had called for some privacy. Now, he was extremely, anxious, very confused and, to be honest, petrified for a lot of reasons.

“I must be out of my freaking mind!” He continued.

He felt trapped.

He’d never expected things to escalate this far.

‘Just pretend to be your sister for a few hours’ had escalated to ‘who the heck is that person in the mirror? It sure as heck isn’t me!’

His appointment at Nadine’s wife’s salon had started as he’d expected. A quick shampoo and then he moved to another chair.

Then it was as if a trap door opened beneath his feet and he fell into the deepest pit he’d ever seen.

First there was the hair coloring. Kris, Nadine’s wife, didn’t waste any time. She didn’t explain anything, she just went to work.

Once a plastic cap was on his head to protect the dye as it worked, his seat was reclined and Kris went to work with a hair removal cream on his cheeks and neck while she sculpted his eyebrows, a surprisingly painful procedure.

Then, and without comment or warning, his ears were pierced, earrings were installed, and before he’d even had the time to process the fact that holes had just been punched into his body, a small, flat stud was installed on the side of his right nostril, just like the one Rowan had worn since ninth grade.

“Maybe you could warn me before permanently maiming me again,” he’d said sarcastically.

“Don’t be a baby,” Kris said, not slowing for a second to even acknowledge that he’d protested. “You haven’t been permanently maimed. If you take the earrings out, the holes will heal. Besides, none of this is my fault. You came in asking me to make you look just like Rowan. Rowan has piercings, so I gave you piercings in order to make you look like her. Now, hush and let me finish.”

She worked quickly, saying very little.

Soon, she was drying his hair with a blow dryer and curling iron. She refused him a glance in the mirror until she’d done his makeup.

Makeup was odd. It felt kind of heavy on his lips and eyes, but he figured that if fifty-one percent, probably even more, of people on the planet wore it all the time, he could tolerate it for a day.

“Finished,” Kris finally said. He was about to sit up and find a mirror when Kris added, “And just in time. Here’s Nadine and Jessie with clothes.”

The two women barged in and stopped dead in their tracks as they looked at Nelson.

“Oh, babe,” Nadine said to her wife, “you’ve outdone yourself!”

“Unbelievable,” Jessie said, looking truly surprised. “I think this will work!”

“In here,” Kris said, opening a door to the salon’s back room. “You can dress her in here?”

‘Her?’ Nelson thought once again, but he didn’t have the opportunity to say anything.

Then came the clothes. He’d expected them to bring him some slacks and maybe a sweater, but no! They brought these soft, loose, feminine things that he could not stop thinking about. How did women wear things that felt like this!? So soft! So light! So wonderful! Even the underwear felt amazing! Everything was little, and elegant, and silky, and so damned… pretty! They felt so alien to him, and yet so wonderfully… right.

How could that be?

And you could see right through the sheer blouse to the lace of the slip he wore beneath. He’d noticed women wearing that kind of blouse before and he thought it was odd. Wearing it himself… feeling the silkiness… seeing the delicate lace pattern… it made him feel… like… like a woman, he guessed.

Whatever it was about these clothes, they definitely made him feel… heck they seemed to even make him think… differently.

All that aside, “What the hell am I doing!?” He said, for probably the fiftieth time since he’d entered his office.

“That’s it.” He stood. “I’m getting out of here.”

He opened the file drawer in his desk where he’d placed the purse that Jessie had given him, and he was reaching for Rowan’s heavy, woolen coat which hung on a hook on the back of his office door when someone knocked.

He froze for just a second before realizing the opportunity to escape had passed. Now, he’d made whoever had knocked wait a moment. He had to cover for that. He hurried back to his desk, and put the purse back in drawer, grabbing the receiver of the phone on his desk and held it to his ear before shouting, “Come in.”

Nadine opened the door and stepped in as Nelson pretended to end a conversation on his phone. “Yes, I will get those numbers to you immediately,” he said. He looked at a pad of sticky notes on his desk and jotted down a few numbers as he sensed someone else entering the office behind Nadine.

“That’s great,” he said into the phone. “Yes. Ok. Call me if you have any questions when you get my email. No problem at all.” He continued to write nothing on his sticky note. “Talk soon. Bye.”

He hung up the receiver and finished his fake note, removing it from the pad and posting it on his desk calendar as Nadine, a little confused by his acting, said, “Rowan… Mr O’Connell is here for his meeting with you.”

Feigning surprise, he looked at Nadine. “Here? I thought we were…”

“I’m afraid I decided to surprise you by coming in person,” Bill O’Connell said, stepping forward and extending his right hand. “And it’s Bill. Not mister.”

Nelson had stopped speaking mid sentence for a number of reasons. Yes, Bill O’Connell had started speaking, but that wasn’t all that had happened. Something very sudden and very electric had happened. It may have been caused by O’Connell’s voice, or maybe it was the deep blue of his eyes, or his powerful jaw, or the jet-black color of his hair… whatever it was, it had hit Nelson like a lightning bolt and froze him in place.

O’Connell held his hand out to the unresponsive person across the desk for a moment longer before repeating, “Bill. Bill O’Connell.”

Nelson shook himself back to consciousness and extended his own right hand, which O’Connell completely enveloped in his own as the shook.

“I suppose your neighbor mentioned that I came by your place yesterday in the evening,” he beamed.

“My neighbor?” Nelson was still enthralled in the sheer male beauty of Bill O’Connell.

“Yes. Nice girl. Dressed like a nurse, or a hygienist, or something. See, on an impulse, I went by your place yesterday evening to, oh, I don’t know, maybe just get a drink before our meeting today. Maybe give you a heads up that I was coming in person. Something like that.”

“Oh?” Nelson could think of nothing else to say.

“Yeah, so when I went to your place, I brought you some flowers, which I ended up giving to your neighbor instead. She seemed to be under the impression that you were away and not going to be here today. I’m actually a little surprised to see you in person.”

Finally able to think again, Nelson smiled just a little. “Same. I’m surprised to see you in person, too.”

O’Connell smiled and chuckled a bit. “I hope you’re not disappointed,” he teased.

“Not in the least,” Nelson said in an accidentally flirtatious tone. He was lightheaded and a tiny bit giddy in a way he’d never experienced before, and he was not acting at all like himself.

Luckily, he was acting an awful lot like Rowan.

“Ahem,” Nadine said, and she cleared her throat. “Ummm, Rowan, perhaps we should bring Mr O’Connell…”

“Bill,” he corrected.

“…to the bullpen to meet the troops and get things started. What do you say?”

“Oh, yes, of course,” Nelson said, as he turned to grab his laptop and tablet.

“This way, Bill,” Nadine said, stepping out and heading towards the conference room.

Bill stepped out but let Nadine go on without him. He waited until Nelson stepped out to join him.

“You’re a doctor?” He asked, sounding impressed.

Without thinking, Nelson replied. “Yes. I have a PhD in applied mathematics.”

Bill nodded. “What’s the ‘N’ for?

“The ‘N?’” Nelson was confused.

“The sign on your office door says Dr. N. Egan. What’s the ‘N’ for?”

“Oh,” Nelson gave a nervous laugh. “Umm… Rowan is my middle name,” he said, honestly. He tried to lead Bill away, but he persisted.

“I see, but you didn’t answer my question.” He smiled and… oh God, that smile… “What does the ‘N’ stand for?”

“My first name.”

Bill smiled. He wasn’t going to let up, but his tone remained sexy and playful as he asked again. “Which is?”

Drawing a complete blank, Nelson finally responded, “Nelly.”

“Nelly!?” Bill tested the word. Then he looked at Nelson with a look of such warmth and affection that Nelson’s knees nearly buckled. “Nelly. I like it. It suits you.”

Nelson felt a hot flash of… of who knows what… and felt himself blushing fiercely. He stared and smiled for a long moment. “This way,” he finally said and led the client across the office, while everyone who worked there watched in amazement. Somehow this strange math geek who hardly said three words a day to anyone other than Rowan or Jessie was pulling this off.

“Please,” Nelson said as they arrived at the door to the conference room, “take a seat at the head of the table. Chelsea, could you help Mr O’Connell with some coffee and… whatever?”

“Of course,” Chelsea said with a warm smile. “Right over here, Mr O’Connell,”

“Bill,” Nelson heard as Nadine pulled him back outside the door.

“You’re doing great,” she whispered to Nelson. “I think he really likes you.”

“You think so?” Nelson asked. It was a logical question, of course, but the tone and inflection of his voice indicted something more than logic impacting Nelson’s brain.

“Nelson,” she half-hissed. “Are you falling for him?”

“What?” He asked, shocked at the idea. “Of… of course not. I just meant… oh, I don’t know what I meant. I just want things to go well. You know… to close the deal. That’s all.”

Nadine nodded but had her doubts. “I’ll go get Jess. Why don’t you call the sales team into the conference room?”

He nodded.

Minutes later, everyone involved was settling into the conference room. Jessie sat on Bill O’Connell’s left, making small talk with him.

Nelson was about to take his usual seat near Jessie, but Nadine took him gently by the arm and led him to the other end of the table. “Rowan always sits with the sales team during a pitch meeting,” she whispered.

He nodded and sat at the first seat near the doorway.

“Ok,” Jessie finally said in her ‘I’m in charge’ voice, “let’s get things started. Bill is a busy man and hasn’t got all day.”

“In fact, I do,” Bill smiled and took a leisurely sip of coffee.

“Nadine?” Jessie said.

Nadine began her well rehearsed pitch. She spoke about the company’s record of success designing similar security systems for dozens of different organizations around the world. Their 24/7 availability to their clients. The services they could offer O’Connell and Associates, etc.

Then Chelsea began her spiel, focusing on the specifics of their plan for Bill’s company. It was very impressive and concise, but very dry and technical. Bill asked a few pertinent questions along the way, but the presentation stayed on track throughout.

Nelson glanced towards the other end of the long table and sensed that Bill was not all that impressed by what was being presented. It was all very generic and impersonal. Nelson had been to dozens of meetings just like this since his arrival at Global, and he had developed a sense for how well or poorly the client was reacting. Bill wasn’t asleep yet, but he was losing interest.

This was where Rowan could show real talent as a salesperson. She knew how to turn around a tedious meeting and engage the client in a personal way. She could rattle off the algorithms that Nelson designed just as well as he could, but she could do it in a way that would engage the client.

They needed Rowan.

But Rowan wasn’t there.

Well… maybe she was.

Suddenly Nelson stood and moved to front and center of the room, just as Rowan would have. Both Nadine and Chelsea shot him a worried look, but when he glanced at Jessie, she smiled and nodded. Rowan was their closer. Now he was Rowan. Now he was their closer.

“Bill,” he smiled, and his eyes shined through his lovely, makeup laden eyelids. “You’re a guy who understands numbers, so here are some numbers. Your company brings in approximately sixty-two million dollars an hour in income. If your system is attacked and your system locks things down for as little as a few hours, you could lose half-a-billion dollars in profits before coming back online. If you’re locked down for twenty-four hours, then you’re out … what… ten billion, maybe ten-and-a-half-billion in a day – maybe even more. Here’s what Global can do for you…”

The next fifteen minutes was Rowan Egan at her best. Maybe even better than Rowan at her best. It was a concise, precise, and personal presentation. It offered a well-developed protection plan that was tailored to the needs of O’Connell and Associates but offered many ways to keep the system current and grow with O’Connell and Associates’ changing needs and concerns.

It was pure Rowan Eagan, but it was Nelson. Not Rowan. And Nelson was telling jokes, something he never did, and Nelson was being flirtatious which he’d never been. And Nelson was smiling, something else he never did.

Jessie couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Was this really Nelson? How was this possible?

When he finished, he let out the same nervous laugh that Rowan always gave on these occasions. It wasn’t intentional, but it was perfect.

“Any questions?” Jessie asked Bill.

“Just one,” he smiled and looked at Nelson. “You are a very impressive woman, Rowan Egan. Will you go to dinner with me tonight?”

All heads turned towards Nelson.

The flash of heat returned to Nelson and once again he blushed deeply. “I… I think Jessie was referring to the presentation,” he sputtered.

“Oh, well, that’s a given,” he smiled. “You are all great and I’m happy to be in business with you. Jessie, just send the paperwork over to my office, my lawyers will look it over, we’ll do whatever tweaking we need to do and then I’ll sign it.”

Jessie tried extremely hard not to smile too broadly. “I’ll have it sent over later today.”

Bill nodded, then turned his attention to Nelson. “Returning to my earlier question: What d’ya say? Pick you up around seven?”

God, that smile! What was happening? What kind of enchantment was this man casting on him? Nelson wasn’t gay, was he? He’d never been attracted to a man before, so… God, that man was so freaking handsome. What was happening? Why was his heart beating so hard? Why did he feel so flushed and warm? Why was he thinking about how wonderful it would be to be kissed by those perfect lips?

None of this made sense.

He couldn’t possibly do this.

He knew exactly what he needed to do.

He needed to say ‘no,’ and he needed to say it emphatically so that everyone in his office understood that he was not gay.

He was not a woman.

He was not Rowan.

He was Dr. Nelson R. Egan – straight male, end of story.

That was that. And that was all there was to it.

So, he looked straight at Bill O’Connell, took a deep breath, gathered his courage, and knowing he was about to disappoint every single person in the room, he stood his ground and said, “Yes. That would be lovely. Seven would be fine.”
 
 

 
 
“Do you want me to call him and say that I have an issue with my employees going out on dates with our clients?” Jessie asked at about three-forty-five that afternoon. The initial paperwork had been sent to the lawyers for O’Connell and Associates and Jessie was feeling pretty good about things after speaking to the firm’s senior attorney. He had indicated that he approved of the deal but was just going to send her a few requests for changes in the language. Nothing big. “I know he’s a little taken with you… well… Rowan, but I’m sure he’d understand if I explained that it was a company policy.”

“Ummm…” Nelson pretended to ponder this for a moment. “No. I’ve come this far. I think it might make sense to follow through for at least tonight.”

Jessie looked up from the paperwork on her desk and considered the young, brilliant man who stood on the other side of the desk looking very little like a man at the moment. “Are you sure, Nelson?”

He nodded.

“Have you… ever… been on a date, Nelson?”

A tad embarrassed, he responded, “No. Not really. Why?”

She considered continuing down that path but thought better of it. This was probably not the kind of thing an employer should discuss with an employee. She leaned into the back of her desk chair and thought for a moment. “What do you plan to wear?”

He looked down at the outfit Jessie and Nadine had found for him in Rowan’s crowded closets. “This, I guess.”

Jessie shook her head, more out despair than disgust, at Nelson’s lack of female fashion knowledge. “No, you certainly are not wearing that.”

“Why not. This morning you said it would do.”

“For work, Nelson, yeah, but not for a date with handsome billionaire.” Now, she sounded a bit disgusted. “He’s not taking you to The Olive Garden, or Friendly’s. He’s taking you someplace classy. You need to dress appropriately.”

“So… what should I wear?”

“Rowan must have several little black dresses. You should be able to wear one of those, I guess, but you’ll need to coordinate your jewelry and makeup…”

“I’m wearing makeup.” Nelson interrupted, sounding oddly sure about this one fact.

Jessie shook her head. “How is it possible that you have such a fashionable twin sister, and you are clueless? I thought you two slept in the same room growing up.”

“We did,” Nelson said, a little offended, “but we stopped changing in the same room at the same time, when we were like eight!”

“Ok. Sorry,” Jessie conceded. “Suffice it to say that you’ll need a nice dress, evening makeup, better shoes, some accessories, an evening jacket, and a nice purse. I’m sure Rowan has things to choose from if we dig through her closets. Lord knows she has an awful lot of clothes.”

That was true.

“We?” He asked.

“What?”

“If ‘we’ dig through her closets?”

“Yes, Nelson; we. Unless you have the ability to learn everything you need to know about women’s clothing in the next couple of hours, you’ll need help. So… yeah… WE.”

He nodded. She was right. “Ok,” he said, and turned to go.

“Oh, damnit,” Jessie suddenly cussed. Nelson turned. “Your legs.”

“What about them?”

“They’re probably hairy, Nelson. We didn’t deal with them today because you’re wearing tights.”

“Can’t I wear tights tonight?”

Jessie just shook her head, then picked up the receiver on her desk phone and pushed a button. “Renee, can you come in here for a moment?”

A moment later, a very tall, very beautiful woman entered the office. Renee worked at the reception desk and did her job very well. She was currently taking night classes at Worcester State University at the company’s expense. Jessie obviously saw a lot of potential in her. “Yes?” she asked as she entered. Then glancing at Nelson, she said, “You look great, by the way.”

“Thanks,” Nelson mumbled.

“Renee,” Jessie asked, “would you mind running an errand down to that Sephora store on Franklin?”

“No, not at all,” Renee answered, eager to get out of the office for a few minutes. “What do you need?”

“Get a good hair removal cream or gel for Nelson, and some body makeup so I can match the color of his face to his legs. I’m sure they’re pale white and will look even paler when the hair is off of them.”

Nelson felt a bit embarrassed, hearing his body discussed this openly in front of a woman he barely knew.

Renee looked at his face closely before saying, “Ok.” She left.

Jessie glanced at the time. “She should be back by four-thirty. When she gets back, we’ll go get you ready.”

“At four-thirty? But we’re always here until six.”

“Desperate times,” Jessie shrugged.
 
 

 
 
“Hi, mom,” Bill O’Connell said into his phone. “How’re you doing?”

“I’m very well, William. You sound very upbeat.” Bill’s mother was a very spry sixty-three-year-old woman who had retired from her teaching job in Ohio a few years earlier. As a retirement present, Bill had bought her a very large, very beautiful, very modern condo in Naples, Florida where she now resided. It was in the same luxury apartment building as his own, seldom used condo. She loved the town, the activities it offered her, the number of theaters and museums in the area and, of course, the ocean. The incredible waters of The Gulf of Mexico were just outside her window, and she loved spending evenings on the beach, or her veranda watching the sunset.

“Having a good day, I guess,” he laughed. “I found a great company to upgrade my internet’s security systems and I’m going out to dinner tonight with a beautiful woman. It’s a good day all around.”

He heard her laugh gently. “Who’s the girl?”

“She works at the company doing our security upgrade. I’ve been talking to her online and on the phone for a couple of months now and we got along great, so I asked her out. She was a lot different in person than I expected. A very impressive girl.”

“Well, I hope you have a nice evening, honey,” Mrs. O’Connell replied. He could hear the smile in her voice. “When are you coming down for a visit? You’ve hardly visited that condo of yours since I moved down here. I thought we would see each other more.”

“Oh, don’t tell me you’re lonely!” He joked. “I’ve seen your social calendar. I know you’re keeping busy.”

“Of course, I am. I can’t just sit around all day waiting for my only child to visit.”

“Oh, come on. I call every day. You’re probably sick of me by now.”

“Never,” she laughed a little again. “By the way, I have guests coming to stay for a few days this weekend.”

“Retired teacher friends?”

“Of course. I love showing off my little palace to them. I’m a very popular person you know. The Ohio Retired Teachers Association newsletter will probably be writing an article about me in their ‘places to visit’ section. I enjoy having them come to stay, though. It’s good to see old friends enjoying themselves. I wish you’d start enjoying yourself a bit, too, William. You know, ‘all work and no play makes William a dull boy.”

“Yeah, I know that one. Did you ever hear this one; ‘Make hay while the sunshine?’ That’s what I’m doing, mom. You know the plan, stow the money away and retire before forty if possible.”

“Yes, I know. I miss you, though.”

“Miss you too, mom. Look, I gotta run. I’d like to shower and have my suit pressed before my date. I just wanted to check in. Love you, mom.”

“Love you too, William. Come soon.”

“Ok, mom. Bye.”

“Ba-Bye, William.”
 
To Be Continued...

A World To Give

Nelson steps in to help out his company when his twin sister, Rowan,
unexpectedly leaves to take another job. While assuming her identity, he
realizes that there is a lot more to the world than he’d previously known and
he decides to take some chances he never took before.

Nelson discovered a whole new world!

---

Author's Note:This is the part where Nelson dives in deep. I hope you all can really connect with what he/she does now. I really did try do this right. ~Clara.

Image Credit: https://perchance.org/beautiful-people
 
 
Chapter 3
 
“Why does it have to be a black dress, specifically?” Nelson asked as Jessie quickly sorted through the clothes in Rowan’s closets.

“Well, it doesn’t HAVE to be black, but black is classy and makes women like you look good.”

“You mean women who are actually men.”

“I mean pale women, Nelson. The contrast of the black dress and your lily-white skin is always a lovely look. And since most of the skin on your body has never seen the sunshine, calling your skin color ‘pale’ is a gross understatement.”

He shrugged. “I’m not outdoorsy, okay? I prefer being indoors with a computer. I always have.” He was clad only in his sister’s chenille robe.

“And it shows,” Jessie teased. “Here! This is the one I wanted. She wore it to Kelly-Anne’s wedding last year and she looked amazing in it. Thank God, she didn’t take it to England with her.”

“Yeah,” Nelson said, looking a little surprised that Jessie had chosen this particular dress. He had seen Rowan wearing it a few times and she always looked beautiful, but it also showed off her… décolletage. “Isn’t it a little low cut for me?”

“Not at all,” Jessie smirked. “I’m sure that you have noticed that your sister isn’t all that well endowed.”

“Yeah.”

“Well, when I was digging through her lingerie drawers this morning, getting things for you, I noticed that she had a few enhancing bras that will…”

“Enhance me,” Nelson said, feeling both a little embarrassed and a little excited at the prospect of getting… pretty.

“Exactly.” Jessie grinned. “Are you dry yet?” When they had arrived at Rowan’s, the first thing Jessie had commanded was for Nelson to coat every inch of his body from his nose down with a cream that had completely removed his body hair. He’d had to rinse that off in the shower. Since then, he’d been naked except for the chenille robe.

“I think so.”

“Good. Let’s find you some panties, then I’ll put some makeup on your arms and legs, so they don’t look quite as chalky as they normally do. Then I’ll help you with a little evening makeup and we’ll get you dressed.”

By six-forty Jessie was putting her coat on. Nelson was dressed and looking as pretty as a picture for his date with Bill O’Connell. He had been surprised as to how soft and cool the panties he wore were, now that he was completely hairless where his pubis had been. Jessie had told him to remove everything from his nose down, but she hadn’t expected him to lose that particular bit of hair. Of course, she wasn’t aware that he’d removed it, but Nelson was enjoying his new, heightened sense of the silky texture that now caressed that area.

The dress was wonderfully light and hung perfectly from his shoulders to his newly created breasts, which looked as real to him as Rowan’s did, to just above his knees. It was dripping in delicate lace and had cap sleeves that were nothing more than splashes of lace where his arms met his shoulders.

He wore basic, black pattern leather pumps with a two-and-a-half-inch heel which he found remarkably comfortable, especially since he’d never worn heels before, and he found them very easy to walk in as well. Jessie was very pleased with how well he looked, moved and presented himself. In fact, the heels gave Nelson a bit of a rear end, something he had been lacking before.

“Do you think he’ll like the way I look?” Nelson asked as he stared at himself in full length mirror in Rowan’s bedroom. He just couldn’t get his head around the fact that the person in the mirror was actually him.

Jessie pulled her coat onto her shoulders and looked at him. “I can’t imagine why he wouldn’t.”

Nelson smiled just a little.

“Nelson?” Jessie asked. “Do you want Bill to like the way you look because I asked you to help the company land his account, or are you… attracted to Bill?”

Nelson looked at her and blushed deeply. “Because… for the company,” he sputtered. “I mean, why… why would I… I mean… I’m not… you know…” He looked in the mirror and then back to Jessie. “I’m not.”

Jessie nodded. “Ok.” She considered the way the young man looked and how willing he had been to go on a date that night. “You know, Nelson… there is nothing wrong with having feelings for a man. You understand that, right? Bill is a very good-looking man… he’s smart, successful, he dresses very well… he’s a great catch for the right person. And if you’re finding yourself attracted to him, there’s no shame in being…”

“I’m not,” he snapped a little too emphatically.

“Ok.” She let out a sigh, not having meant to upset him. “I guess I should go.”

He nodded.

She paused. “Just… Be careful, ok? And call me if you have any trouble.”

He nodded.

“Call me when you get home.”

“Why?”

“So, I know you’re ok.”

That seemed odd to him. “O… ok.”

She hesitated. Maybe this was wrong. “Nelson… if you don’t feel comfortable doing this…”

“Jess… I’ve never been more comfortable in my life.”
 
 

 
 
Rowan was exhausted. Everything was new and had a learning curve and she was not the kind of person who liked a learning curve. Her whole life, she’d been the kind of person that learned everything without any effort. Now, everything was just a bit off.

London looked an awful lot like Boston, but it wasn’t. Under the surface, everything was just a little different.

Her new apartment building looked a lot like her building back home, but it wasn’t. It was a block of flats, and it even smelled different than home. The neighbors made different kinds of food than her neighbors at home.

The people she worked with were similar to the people she’d worked with at Global, but they weren’t. They were all nice enough, but they weren’t her friends. For the first time in her life, she was lonely. Very, very lonely.

She looked at her phone and thought about calling someone just to have a conversation, but almost everyone she wanted to talk to worked at Global and might be hurt by her abrupt departure.

She could call Nelson.

She would love to talk to him, but that could take a lot of effort. Nelson was a yes/no kind of guy on the phone. She’d have to do the yeoman’s work in a conversation with her twin brother, but she really wanted to hear his voice, so she called him.
 
 

 
 
Nelson was just closing the door behind Jessie when his phone rang on the counter. He hurried and saw it was Rowan. This was odd. Here he was, standing in Rowan’s apartment, looking just like Rowan and wearing her clothes, and she was calling him.

She couldn’t see him, could she?

Only one way to find out.

“Hey,” he said, trying very hard not to sound guilty.

“Hey,” Rowan said, sounding as upbeat as possible. “How are you?”

“Good, good,” he said, wondering when she would ask him why he was in her apartment and why he looked like her.

“So…” Rowan searched for something to say, then remembered what day it was. “So, how did it go with O’Connell?”

“Great, great. We got the contract, mostly because of you.”

“Oh, I doubt that,” Rowan chuckled. “Global is a great company. I’m sure you all impressed him.”

“I guess,” he said, nonchalantly.

“I’m glad it went well. I felt bad that I left at such an important time, but opportunity was knocking, so…”

“I know,” Nelson tried to sound as supportive as he could. “How are things going?”

“Good, I guess.”

“You guess. That doesn’t sound like you.”

Rowan sighed. “I’m just lonely, I think.”

Nelson didn’t really know what to say, so he said, “Sorry.”

“Not your fault,” she said with a nervous laugh at the end, “So… what are you up to? Take out food and streaming a documentary?”

“Actually,” Nelson suddenly felt excited to share something, “I’m going out in a date.”

Immediately he knew he should not have said that, but the fact was, he was very excited.

“A date!?” Rowan was suddenly very interested. “With my neighbor? With Melissa?”

“No, with…” he put on the brakes. “With… someone else.”

“Who? What’s her name? What’s she like? Do I know her?” The questions came fast and furious while Nelson stuttered and tried to figure out what to say.”

“No, you don’t know… them. I’d rather not say right now. I’ll tell you about it later. Ok?”

“Oh, you’re no fun,” Rowan laughed.

“I should probably get going, Ro. It’s almost seven here and…”

“Ok, ok, but tomorrow you need to tell me everything. Ok?” She was very excited for him. She’d wanted him to date since they were in high school, but he just couldn’t be bothered with it. Nelson going on a date was a big deal!

“Ok,” he conceded, although what he’d be able to tell her, he wasn’t quite sure. “I gotta go.”

“Ok. Love you.”

There it was again. That awkward phrase. It was hard to get used to – for both of them.

“Ok. Love you too,” he replied, just as awkwardly.

The call ended.

Nelson checked the time on his phone. Six-fifty-six. Holy cow. Bill would be here any second. Did he have everything he needed? He had a small purse, a clutch, Jessie called it, loaded with everything he’d need, a warm, elegant, wool coat and a pair of slender, black leather gloves that may offer a little protection from the cold Massachusetts winter air.

He checked himself in the mirror, something he rarely, if ever, did when wearing his usual clothes. He knew how he looked in those; drab and usual. In Rowan’s clothes, particularly in this dress, he felt… pretty. Almost beautiful.

He loved how every item of clothing hung from him so softly, so elegantly. It made him lightheaded and he nearly swooned at the feel of it all. He turned slightly to the right to check that the dress looked nice from that angle and then left to check that angle as well. Everything looked adorable and he loved it.

The bell rang from the building’s exterior front door. There was a camera and speaker connecting the apartment to that entrance, but Nelson had no idea how to use any of it. So, he just pushed the ‘enter’ button and hoped for the best.

A couple of minutes later there was a soft knock on the door. Nelson opened it and there stood Bill.

As handsome as he’d looked earlier at the office, he looked even better now. So damned handsome. His dark hair was perfectly combed, his cheeks clean shaven, his strong, chiseled chin beneath a flawless smile, a suit that was tailored perfectly and showed off his trim physique, and even his shoes shined brightly and seemed to compliment his natural good looks.

Nelson’s heart skipped a beat. His skin erupted in goosebumps. A shiver ran down his spine. How could someone possibly be this handsome?

‘Wow!” Bill O’Connell said, entering the apartment, “You look amazing.”

“I do?” Nelson said, shocked that anyone would ever find him attractive.

Bill laughed, thinking his date was being coy. “You certainly do.” He held out a bouquet of roses that Nelson had not noticed.

This was new. No one had ever given Nelson flowers before. As he sniffed the sweet aroma of the red flowers, he felt Bill lean over and softly kiss Nelson’s cheek.

Nelson’s knees nearly buckled. It wasn’t just the rather innocent kiss. It was the scent of him. It was the way his presence enveloped him. It was the feeling of excitement Bill gave him in his belly. It was the way he felt as if a part of him that he’d never much thought about got so excited that it felt as if it wanted to grow and it wanted to retreat into him all at the same time.

It was everything.

He felt so pretty, he felt so empowered, and he felt so very, very vulnerable, almost naked before this glorious man.

The feelings were overwhelming and he didn’t know quite what to do, so he just stood there; still and silent, staring at Bill.

“Maybe you should put those in water,” Bill suggested.

“Oh… yes… of course.” Nelson went into the kitchen and searched for a vase. He couldn’t find one, but he found a blue and white striped Cornishware jug that had been their mother’s favorite wildflower vase. He put water and the roses in that, then found Bill in the living room, looking out the window at the view of Lake Quinsigamond.

He turned his head as Nelson approached. “This is a lovely view. I love having a view of water outside of my window. It’s very calming.”

That was what Rowan always said, too, so Nelson smiled and said, “I agree.”

Bill looked at a photo in a frame on a side table nearby and pointed at it. “Is that your family?”

Nelson glanced at the photo of Rowan, their mother and himself and nearly panicked. “Oh… yeah… that’s my mom, my… brother and me down The Cape when I was about fourteen.”

Bill picked up the picture and examined it. “Even when you were that young and with that sunburned face, you were still beautiful.”

“Thank you.” He knew the compliment was aimed at Rowan, but it still felt nice.

“Does your mother live nearby?”

“She did,” Nelson said, sounding a little sadder than he’d expected. “When I was growing up, we lived a few miles from here. Then she moved in with my brother when he could afford it.”

“Where is she now?”

“She passed away a few months ago.”

‘Oh, geez, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have…”

“No, it’s ok. It’s just one of those things, you know. She was fine, then she was really sick, then she was gone. It happens.”

Bill, seeing that his date was a little emotional, put an arm around Nelson’s shoulders and gave him a gentle squeeze. “I guess. I didn’t know my dad. My mother is in Florida enjoying her retirement. I call her almost every day.”

“That’s nice,” Nelson smiled and nodded.

“And your brother?”

“What about him?” That may have come out with a bit more of a defense tone than he’d intended.

“Is he still around here?”

“Oh… yeah. Just a few miles away.”

“Nice. Do you still talk?”

“Everyday,” Nelson smirked and laughed a bit.

Bill smiled and looked at his watch. “We should get down to the car. Ready?”

Nelson nodded and grabbed Rowan’s coat, but Bill took it from him and helped slide it up his arms. Then, as Nelson buttoned the coat, Bill grabbed the elegant little clutch purse and handed it to him.

They headed downstairs and out the front door, where a well-dressed man stepped out of a black Lincoln town car and opened the door for Nelson, who had to think for a moment before sitting and modestly swinging his legs into the car. Bill hustled to the other side, climbed in and the car pulled away.

Nelson had never been in such an elegant vehicle before. He thought his little Kia hybrid was a nice car. This car was gorgeous.

Leather seats, lots of space, everything appointed in such a tastefully posh way…

“So,” Bill said, filling what he perceived as an awkward silence, “Rowan isn’t a name you hear everyday.”

“I do,” Nelson said, not meaning to be funny, but Bill laughed anyway.

“Yeah, I bet you do.”

Bill’s laugh was infectious and it made Nelson smile.

“What does it mean?” Bill asked.

“My name?” Of course, Nelson knew the answer to that question. Rowan was his middle name. “It means ‘red head.’”

“Really?”

Nelson’s eyes continued to scan every surface of the town car as he spoke. “Well, it’s the Gaelic word for a certain kind of tree that has red berries, so it looks like it has red hair.”

“So, your mom named you Rowan because you had red hair when you were born?”

Nelson giggled. “No. I didn’t have red hair until I asked my hairdresser to dye my hair red. ‘Rowan’ was my grandmother’s last name. My mother just liked it as a middle name for me.”

“I do too,” Bill smiled. “So, you’re Irish?”

“My family name is Egan. That’s about as Irish as you can get.”

“You know, that’s what I would have guessed. You’ve got Irish eyes.”

That caught Nelson’s attention. “I do?”

“Yeah. You do. They’re bright blue and they twinkle.”

“My eyes twinkle?”

“They sure do,” Bill smiled, and, oh my God, what a smile!

Just a few minutes later the car pulled up to a building that didn’t look much like a restaurant.

“Where are we?” Nelson asked.

“I’m told it’s the best dinner club in the area.”

“Are you sure? It just looks like an office building.”

The driver had gotten out and opened Nelson’s door.

Bill had opened his own door and quickly came around to offer his date a hand. “If you’re good enough, you don’t need to put out a sign.”

Bill took Nelson’s arm and linked his own around it, then led him into the building. They took the elevator to the top floor and entered the most beautiful dining room Nelson had ever seen. It was dimly lit, but the room positively sparked with real crystal glasses and real silver flatware.

Nelson had never really thought much about aesthetics. His life had always been about achieving his potential and nothing else. His life was numbers. Black and white numbers that added up perfectly. End of story. He read books about numbers. He filled books with numbers. He worked with numbers and he worked for numbers. There was an elegance in the logic and consistency of numbers. That’s all he ever knew. In the rest of the world, things were as they were and he didn’t need to find beauty or ugliness in them. He just needed to exist.

Joy wasn’t ever a part of his life. Satisfaction, yes. Math gave him a lot of satisfaction, but joy… No.

But now… something had happened. Something had flipped a switch in his brain.

Now, clothes felt so different. So soft and sensual.

Now, Bill O’Connell wasn’t just a guy. He was a beautiful, handsome man.

Now, an apartment didn’t just have to be a place to eat and sleep. It could be a lovely place with a view of a lake that was relaxing and gorgeous.

Now, a restaurant didn’t have to just be a place to grab something to eat at home. It could be like this – beautiful and exciting.

That was how he felt now, too: Beautiful and exciting.

And he really liked those new feelings

He liked them a lot.

And he wanted them to continue.

Bill spoke to the maître d’ who showed them to a table. He then helped Nelson with his chair in a very gallant way. Nelson caught a glimpse of Bill slipping a tip to the maître d’, and he was pretty sure it was more than one one-hundred-dollar bill.

There were other couples who were seated and eating well plated, delicious smelling food, as a small band, four musicians and a female singer, played some music quietly across the dance floor, where a few couples danced. It was like a scene from a movie – not the movies that Nelson watched, but the romantic ones that Rowan watched.

“This is nice,” Bill said.

“It’s beautiful,” Nelson said, still looking around the room in awe.

Bill watched his date. He knew the place was impressive – that was the point, after all – but the way her eyes sparkled with excitement was just so charming to watch. Rowan had fascinated him when they had spoken on the phone and over Zoom calls, but in person, she was a complete surprise. Less sure of herself. Unworldly. Kind of innocent. Unexperienced. He liked it. He felt like he was opening new worlds to her already, and he wanted to do more of that.

A server came to their table and filled their water glasses while explaining the dinner club’s limited menu for the evening. Not a single item was familiar to Nelson. When Bill had ordered, both the server and Bill looked at Nelson, who had no idea what to order. “Anything is fine,” he finally said.

The server looked confused, but Bill smiled. “The lady will have the filet mignon, thank you.” Then he ordered a bottle of wine.

“So, tell me about yourself,” Bill said.

Nelson felt the need to be a little vague. “Not much to tell. I grew up a few miles from where I live now. We were pretty poor, but we had a good mom who worked hard to give us a good life. I was smart enough to get a scholarship to a good college. I got my bachelor’s degree in two years, then my master’s and PhD pretty quickly after that.”

“Then?”

He shrugged. “Then… I met you. That’s really about it. No travel, no love interests… just work.”

“Well, that’s kind of sad,” Bill said sincerely. “I think we’ll have to change that.”

Nelson cocked his head a bit confused. ‘We?’ Rather than ask that question, though, he asked, “How about you? Tell me about your life.”

Bill thought for a moment, then said, “Same as you, I guess. Great mom, no dad. Mom was a teacher, I was a lousy student with some dyslexia issues, but a mom who wouldn’t let me give up on myself. Barely made it through high school, did ok in college and grad school, and then stumbled into a career that I had no training for, no experience in, but I found that I had a talent for marketing myself and my ideas and I got very, very, very lucky.” He smiled. “Then I met you.”

Nelson had been a rapt audience as Bill had spoken. It wasn’t just what he said, but the sound of his voice and the way he looked at Nelson that had kept him engaged. “So, no travel for you either?”

“Oh, I’ve traveled,” Bill laughed. “I’ve been pretty much everywhere, I guess. Mostly for business, but sometimes for pleasure. It’s a beautiful world, Nelly. I’d love to show it to you.”

Nelson started at the sound of his own name. “Nelly?”

Bill smiled. “Yeah. You said that was your real name. I wanted to try it out. I kinda like it. It suits you.”

Honestly, hearing Bill say his name was kind of amazing. Rowan, the real Rowan, was the only one who used that nickname, and he hated it when she said it. When Bill said it though… it just sounded… nice.

“Do you mind if I call you Nelly?” Bill asked.

“No.” He could feel himself smile and blush. “Not at all.”

Then, Bill stood and extended a hand. “Come on. Let’s dance.”

Suddenly, the warmth that Nelson had felt at the sound of his own name was replaced by red hot fear. “Dance? I… I can’t dance.”

“Don’t be silly,” Bill laughed. “Everyone can dance.”

“Not me! I’ve never danced in my life.”

‘Impossible,” Bill smiled. “Come on. I’ll lead/you follow. It’s easy.”

Nelson took Bill’s hand and stood, uncertain as to what was about to happen.

When they reached the sparsely populated dance floor, Bill turned him so they faced each other. He put Nelson’s left hand on his shoulder, then he took Nelson’s right hand in his left as he placed his own right hand on Nelson’s left hip – which was a very exciting place for his hand to rest. There was a small gap between them.

“Just follow where I lead, ok?”

Nelson nodded nervously.

It was shaky at first, but Bill was patient. “Don’t look at your feet, look at my eyes.”

Nelson did.

“Now we’re going to move a bit and I’ll be turning you around sometimes. Ok?”

Nelson nodded and followed. They moved and swayed and glided. It was wonderful, and at some point, the gap between them closed then disappeared completely and Nelson realized that his head was now resting on Bill’s chest. It was wonderful. He felt safe and warm and protected. Bill smelled of good, clean soap and shaving cream, and his chest was strong and broad. His voice sounded even bigger and more manly from this position.

Abruptly the song ended. Bill released his date to applaud the band. Nelson almost fell when Bill let go of him. He’d been nearly hypnotized by all of the sensations he’d felt as they danced.

Bill took his hand. “Come on. I think the wine is at our table. Let’s relax and get ready for our meal. We’ll dance again, soon.”

The wine was amazing, but of course, Nelson had no frame of reference for how wine tasted. This just tasted wonderful. Fruity and crisp, with just a hint of an after bite.

The soup course was next. It was a rich lemon chicken that had more flavor than anything he’d ever eaten before. Now, it is important to remember that nearly every meal Nelson had ever eaten consisted of a spinach salad with some kind of grilled protein, usually unseasoned chicken, on it and no dressing. A Big Mac would have tasted exotic to him at that moment, but this was a nice soup and a very tasty, very expensive wine.

It really tasted good.

They chatted through the main course and the dessert, which was a sticky toffee pudding. Everything tasted wonderful, and even though Nelson said more than he typically would have, Bill did the bulk of the talking, which was fine with Nelson. Bill had been everywhere, done everything, meet so many people… it was all fascinating to Nelson.

“Come on,” Bill said, standing, “let’s dance off some of that dinner.”

A little surprised, Nelson took Bill’s hand, stood and followed him back to the dance floor. The song the band was playing ended as they arrived, but they immediately began to play a tune that was familiar to Nelson.

Bill positioned them as they had been when dancing before and began leading him around the dance floor. Then, astoundingly, Bill began to sing along with the singer. Not too loudly, but certainly loud enough to be heard. And he sounded quite good.

“I see trees of green,” he sang, “Red roses too. I see them bloom for me and you
And I think to myself what a wonderful world.”

The sound of Bill’s voice resonated through his chest and filled Nelson with warmth. So, he laid his head once again upon the man’s suit coat and enjoyed the feelings.
 
 
               “I see skies of blue and clouds of white
               The bright blessed day, the dark sacred night
               And I think to myself, what a wonderful world…”
 
 

 
 
He didn’t want this night to end. He’d never experienced anything like this before. Deep down he knew how wrong this was. This guy thought he was Rowan, but… God, it had been such a wonderful night. Bill was so handsome and he’d been so nice and everything had been so perfect and so romantic… Honestly, if Rowan had told him that she’d had an evening like this with a guy, he would have gagged, but now he understood how wonderful an evening could be and he wanted it all to go on forever.

“I hope you had a nice time,” Bill said as they approached the door to Rowan’s apartment.

Nelson dug into his purse and pulled out the key. “I had a wonderful time. Thank you, Bill. It was a truly wonderful evening.”

Bill smiled and took the key, opening the door. Then he stood and looked at Nelson for a solid minute, lightly touching both of his arms. Finally, he said, ‘I had a wonderful evening, too. You know, you’re a lot different than I expected from our conversations on the phone and online.”

“Am I?”

“Yeah. A lot different. Even your smile is different. It’s more beautiful than I could have imagined. You’re an amazing person, Nelly.”

Nelson blushed, not knowing how to respond.

Before he knew what was happening, Bill bent low and then hesitated just an inch or so from Nelson’s lips. Then he leaned forward and, ever so softly, kissed him.

It was a moment that changed Nelson forever. Bill felt so big, so firm, so powerful, and Nelson felt so small, so soft, so… so safe in his embrace… so complete in his warmth… so… at home.

Eventually Bill stood straight and ended the kiss. It nearly broke Nelson’s heart.

There was a moment of silence before Bill said, “I was planning on flying out tomorrow morning, but I could put off leaving until the evening. How about lunch?”

Nelson smiled. “I’d like that.”

Bill smiled back. “I’ll find someplace nice. I’ll be by your office to pick you up about one.”

“Ok.”

Bill pushed the door further open. “Goodnight, Nelly Egan. Thank you for a lovely evening.” He smiled and oh, that smile! Then, after another moment, he turned and walked away.

When he was out of sight, Nelson entered Rowan’s apartment, closed the door and fell back against it. “Oh, my God,” he whispered. “Oh, my God, oh, my God, oh, my God, oh, my God.” What an evening it had been. He had never experienced anything like that in his entire life.

He stood and walked into the apartment, reaching into the small purse where his phone was waiting as well as four texts from Jessie asking if he was home yet and had everything gone ok. The last text had come in just a few minutes earlier. He text back ‘JUST GOT HOME. EVERYTHING WENT GREAT. TALK IN THE MORNING.’
 
 

 
 
It took just about seven minutes for Nelson’s sense of euphoria to dissolve into fear, guilt, self-pity and sorrow. Without the presence of Bill O’Connell and the spell that he cast on him; he was able to evaluate the evening’s events.

What had he done?

Why on earth had he ever done any of this? Why had he agreed to impersonate Rowan? Why had he gone to such great lengths to assume her identity? Why had he accepted Bill’s invitation? Why had he danced with him? Why had he kissed him? Why? Why? Why?

Was he gay?

He’d never thought so. He’d always assumed he was straight but hadn’t found the right woman. If he wasn’t gay, then what had he felt when he was with Bill?

That was definitely a sexual attraction. Even then, without Bill being nearby, if he thought about his eyes, or his scent, or his voice, or his smile, or his touch…

And then if he thought about what he’d like to do with Bill, or to Bill, or have Bill do to him…

No. There was no doubt about it. He was definitely gay. How had he not known that?

Ok. He was gay, but then what?

He had to admit to himself that he was, as the saying went, truly, madly, deeply smitten with Bill O’Connell. He had no interest in pursuing anyone else.

But how. How could this possibly work out?

Bill wasn’t gay, and Bill wasn’t interested in Nelson Egan at all. He was interested in Rowan Egan – a woman – and when he found out that Nelly Egan was a man…

Without expecting it, emotions erupted up inside of him. He’d hardly shed a tear when his mother had died, for crying out loud, but now, the tears and sobs came so hard that he could barely breathe.

He didn’t have the strength to even go lay on the bed. He fell onto the sofa that overlooked that beautiful view of Lake Quinsigamond and he cried, he cried, and he cried. He couldn’t think of any solution that would bring him and Bill together in a lasting, loving and meaningful way because there was no solution. Later that day, Bill would come to the offices at Global to take him to lunch and he would have to tell him the truth, and he knew exactly what would happen. Bill would walk away from Nelson, never to be seen again, and he’d cancel the contract he just agreed to sign, and Nelson would lose his job. He could not imagine any other scenario.

And so he cried.

And then the phone rang.

He glanced at the clock on the microwave in the kitchen. It was 3:42am. Who on earth would be calling him now?

He hurried to the hall table and grabbed the phone. It was Rowan. He answered the call and through tears, he said, “Hello?”

“Hey, Nelly,” Rowan said, “I know it’s early there and I’m sorry to wake you, but… are you crying?”

Nelson mustered his strength and held back the tears as best he could. “No. Are you ok?”

“Yeah, I’m ok, but I got a weird text, and I thought you might know if someone at Global might be playing games or something.”

He choked back some fear. “Games?”

“Yeah. I got a text from Bill O’Connell that said ‘I had a great time. Everything about tonight just seemed so perfect. Honestly – I never say things like that. Can’t wait to see you for lunch.’ Does that make any sense to you?”

Nelson couldn’t hold it together any longer. The dam burst and the sobs returned.

“Nelly!?” Rowan was nearly panicked. Nelson hadn’t cried since he was four. “Nelly, what’s going on?”

“Oh, Rowan, I’ve made such a mess of everything. I’m so in love and he’ll never forgive me once he finds out?”

“In love!?” What the hell was going on? “Nelly? In love with who? Who won’t forgive you? He who? Please, Nelly, take a breath!”

It took some time, but eventually he was able to tell her the whole story. After a stunned silence, Rowan said, “So… right now… you look like me? Like… just like me?”

“Yeah.”

Rowan was having a hard time processing all this. “Where are you now, Nelly?”

“Your place.”

Rowan took a few breaths. “Ok. I don’t know quite how to deal with this right now, Nelly, but I’m very concerned about the whole thing.”

“I know.”

“Ok. Ummm… look, try to get a little rest. I’ll call you in a few hours, ok?”

“Ok.”

“And Nelly…”

“Yeah.”

“Remember I love you. We are the two smartest people I know. We’ll figure this out.”
 
 

 
 
“Oh oh,” Jessie muttered as she looked at her phone at 4:30 that morning when she got up to workout. There was a text from Rowan waiting for her that read, ‘Call me ASAP. I can’t believe you’d use my brother this way.’

There was no way around it. She’d have to call her. She took a deep breath and pressed the ‘call’ button next to Rowan’s name.

“Good morning,” a man with an English accent said, “this is Rob, answering for Ms Egan on her phone, may I help you?”

“Yes, good morning, Rob, this is Jessie Meiser, CEO of Global Incorporated. Ms Egan left me a message to call her. Is she available?”

“Yes, she has been expecting your call. Unfortunately, Ms Egan is in a meeting at the moment, but says she needs to speak with you as soon as possible. Can she call you when her meeting ends?”

Seeing a way of avoiding a confrontation, Jessie said, “Well, unfortunately, I have a lot of meetings this morning myself, so I will have to…”

“Yes, but Ms Egan should be available within the next thirty to forty-five minutes and I believe it’s currently only 4:33am where you are, so your schedule should be open for a call from Ms Egan for the next several hours, if I’m not mistaken.”

“Ummm… yes… I should be available,” Jessie sighed.

Rob sounded pretty smug when he spoke again. “Please expect a return call from Ms Egan within the next sixty minutes then. Thank you.”

The call ended.

“Fuck,” Jessie whispered. Then she picked up a pillow and buried her face in it. “Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck!” she screamed into it.
 
 

 
 
Melissa, Rowan’s neighbor, awoke to an odd text at 5:00. ‘Hey, Mel, when you get up, could you go over to my place and check on things? You may find nothing there, or you may find a mess. I don’t know. Please let me know. Thanks. I owe you.”

This was odd.

She put on her slippers and her robe, grabbed her keys and the spare key for Rowan’s apartment that Rowan had left with her, and walked down the hallway to Rowan’s door. She opened it and went in. No mess. Rowan had left her purse and a coat on a table, but other than that…

Then she heard some movement on the sofa.

Cautiously, she tiptoed over and looked to see what had moved.

First, she saw small, bare feet: it was a person.

Then, she saw thin, naked legs: it was a woman

Then, she saw a black lace dress: the woman had not undressed.

Then, she saw the makeup smeared face: it was Rowan.

It was Rowan? How could it be Rowan? Wasn’t Rowan somewhere in Europe or something? And why would Rowan have sent a text… wait… the smeared makeup, the dress… something was wrong. Had Rowan been experimenting with drugs and had an overdose? Was that why she’d said Melissa might find a mess? So Melissa would check on her, just in case?

Possible. Unlikely, but possible.

She had better check. She touched Rowan’s neck. She was warm and had a pulse. Well, of course she had a pulse, she had just heard her move, hadn’t she?

She gave her shoulder a little shake. “Rowan?” Just a little groan. “Rowan? Ro? Are you ok?”

Suddenly Rowan’s eyes opened with a start and she sat up quickly, looking confused. “Melissa? What… what are you doing here?”

Melissa looked just as confused. “I… I got your text…”

“Text? I didn’t send you a text.”

“Yeah, you did.” Melissa called up the text and handed it to her neighbor. “See? You asked me to come check on things. When I found you here, I thought you were sick, or that you had ODed or something. You scared me, Rowan.”

“Rowan?” Nelson looked at the nurse, confused. “I’m not…” then the events of yesterday came flooding back on him. He slumped forward and put his head in his hands. “Oh, my God…”

“What’s wrong.” Melissa was truly concerned. Happy, self-reliant, glass-half-filled Rowan was suddenly none of those things. “Ro? What’s going on?”
 
 

 
 
Jessie was working up a good sweat on her stationary bike. The simulated track she’d been traveling had taken her through wooded areas, across brooks and up steep hills, and she was virtually climbing one of those hills when her AirPods announced, “Call from Rowan Egan. Accept it?”

Jessie sigh, stopped the simulation and said, “Yeah.”

A second later the call went live. She tried to sound upbeat. “Hey, Ro! How’s life across the pond?”

“What the hell is going on, Jess?” Rowan was obviously trying to keep her voice low, but she pronounced each word with an angry, staccato snap. “I’m gone for three days, and I find out your pimping my brother out to Bill O’Connell to make a sale? And worse yet, you’ve got him all dolled up to look like me while you’re doing it?”

“Ok, Ro, calm down, there are other ways to frame this, ok? I mean, you left us in a lurch here…”

“So, you used my innocent brother as catfish bait? That makes perfect sense. Do you have ANY IDEA what you have done?”

“Yeah, I do, Ro. I landed the account. THAT is my job, Ro, and it used to be YOUR job, Ro, and I was relying on YOU to do it. But you dropped the ball and I had to resort to extreme measures. I hope that’s ok with you.”

“No, Jessie, it is not ok with me, because now Bill O’Connell is sending me flirtatious text messages and my brother, who was as celibate as a priest until yesterday, told me he’s in love with Bill O’Connell and is seeing him again today for lunch. So, yeah, great work, Jessie! Great freaking work!”

“Ok, back the truck up,” Jessie said. “Explain the text first.”

Rowan told her about the text,

“Ok, so Bill seems infatuated with YOU, Rowan. You know he brought flowers to your place the other night, right.”

“Yeah, I did,” Rowan admitted, “but after talking to Nelly, I’m pretty sure whatever superficial interest he may have had in me has been transferred to Nelly’s version of me. And let’s face it, Jess, Nelly and I may look alike, but we are very different people. And then there’s Nelly. Jess… he’s, like, really in love with O’Connell. Like, crazy in love.”

Jess thought for a moment. “You know I asked him if he was falling for O’Connell when I was helping him dress yesterday, but… I guess I just never thought that Nelson was gay.”

“Neither did I,” Rowan chuckled. “Neither did he, apparently. He seems just as surprised as us. But to be honest, if he’d told me he was in love with a woman, I’d probably be just as surprised. Of course, the fact that O’Connell thinks he’s a woman is a pretty big problem.”

Jessie sighed. “Alright. This is my fault. I’ll tell O’Connell. It’ll probably cost me my company, but I’ll tell him.”

“I don’t think that’s the solution, Jess. Obviously, O’Connell needs to be told, but… let’s see if we can come up with a better way.”
 
 

 
 
“So… you’re gay?” Melissa asked.

“I don’t know,” Nelson shrugged. “I just know I’m in love and I happen to be in love with a guy. So, I guess that means I’m gay. I don’t know what else to say, Melissa. I just don’t know.”

She shook her head and said, “I have to say, I do find that pretty disappointing. I’ve kind of been carrying a torch for you for a while, you know.”

“Sorry.”

“I don’t know if that’s even the right response.”

Nelson put his elbows on the table they had moved to and put his face in his hands. “Then I don’t know what to say, Melissa. I’m having a tough time right now.”

She took a deep breath, then nodded as she exhaled. “Yeah, I guess you are. She thought for a moment. “Tell you what… why don’t you take a shower, and I’ll go back to my place and do the same. I’ll come back here in a half-hour or so and help you get ready for work… and your lunch date. Ok?”

Nelson peeked out through his fingers. “Really?”

Melissa stood. “Sure. I mean, it’s not your fault you don’t find me attractive.”

“I find you very attractive, Melissa, I just…”

“No, I know,” she said with a dismissive wave of her hand she felt exhausted, too. It was too early for so much emotion. What could she do though? Nelson needed her help. How could she say no? “Just take your shower and I’ll be back.”

“Thanks, Melissa.”
 
 

 
 
“So, how did your date go?”

“Really well, mom,” Bill said. “I know I’ve only just met this girl, but honest to God, mom, she is really special.”

“This isn’t like you, William. I’ve never known you to get carried away by any girl. What’s so special about this one?”

“I don’t know, mom, but man alive, I am really taken with her. She’s smart – heck she has a PhD in Math – she’s funny, she’s beautiful… I just find everything about her amazing. Do you know what I mean?”

“I do, William, but… please don’t just jump into something without getting to know her.”

“Don’t worry mom. No matter who I marry, the lawyers will make her sign a prenup.”

“That’s not what I mean, William. It’s just that marriage or even living with someone is a big commitment. You sound all worked up and ready to dive headfirst into something that might be wonderful but might not be. Please, William, just slow down and get to know this girl well before you leap into anything.”

“Ok, mom.”

“You promise.”

Bill laughed. “Yeah, mom. I promise.”

“Ok.”

“I’ll call you later. Love ya.”

“I love you too, William.”
 
To Be Continued...

A World To Give

Nelson steps in to help out his company when his twin sister, Rowan,
unexpectedly leaves to take another job. While assuming her identity, he
realizes that there is a lot more to the world than he’d previously known and
he decides to take some chances he never took before.

Nelson discovered a whole new world!

---

Author's Note: Things take a twist in this chapter. I truly hope you are enjoying it! ~Clara.

Image Credit: https://perchance.org/beautiful-people
 
 
Chapter 4
 
“So, are you going to tell him at lunch today?” Melissa asked, as she worked on Nelson’s makeup.

“I am,” he said. “I wish I could think of some way that this might all work out, but I don’t think it’s possible.” He frowned. “It’s a shame. I really like him.”

“Well, maybe if you tell him the truth…”

“What? If I tell him the truth, he’ll overlook the fact that I have a penis, no breasts or a vagina, and we’ll live happily ever after? I don’t think that’s very realistic, do you?”

“I guess not,” Melissa shrugged, “but maybe he’d be ok with it.”

“I doubt it,” Nelson scoffed. “I’m not going to pretend that I’m a great judge of these things, but I didn’t get any sort of a ‘gay vibe’ off of Bill O’Connell.”

“No. Neither did I,” Melissa admitted, putting away her makeup. She stood, went to a nearby chair and picked up a hanger with a fairly run of the mill, nice enough, but nothing special dress. “I pulled this out of Rowan’s closet for you.”

Nelson looked at it critically. “Thank you, but…” he went to the closet and pulled out a dress, turning to show it to Melissa, “… I’m going to wear this.”

Melissa’s eyes opened wide. “Really? That’s pretty flashy. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Rowan wear it.”

“I have, and she looked amazing in it – so I will look amazing in it too.”

“And that’s what you want?”

“That’s what I want.” He laid the dress on the bed. “This relationship may be unlikely, maybe even impossible, but I’m going to do everything I possibly can to try to make this guy want me.”

“Who are you?” Melissa laughed. “You are definitely not quiet little Nelson Egan anymore.”

“Damned right,” he said, stepping into the dress. “I’m Nelly Egan, now, and Nelly is a girl who does everything she can to get her man.”
 
 

 
 
“Have you spoken to him today?” Nadine asked.

“No,” Jessie sighed. “I’ve been afraid to call him. I got an earful from Rowan, and she said he was really upset. Crying so hard she could hardly understand what he was saying.”

“Wow. I never saw that coming.”

“Me neither. I didn’t think that Nelson had a romantic bone in his body, and I certainly never expected him to fall for…”

“Ummm… Jess…” Nadine was pointing out of Jessie’s office towards the entrance where someone who looked an awful lot like Rowan Egan strutted into the office wearing a flowing dress that demanded attention. The blouse of it was a silky black material with a notched collar, long sleeves with slightly puffed shoulders and long cuffs. The high-waisted, full length, blousy skirt was a tea-stain color with large black blotches that may or may not have been flowers. Her makeup was well done, as was her hair, and she wore three-inch, black heels that looked very expensive.

“That’s Rowan, right?” Nadine asked.

“It can’t be. She was in London a few hours ago. That has to be Nelson.”

“Geez. Now I know how Dr Frankenstein felt.”

Rowan/Nelson went directly into Nelson’s office.

“It’s Nelson,” Jessie said. “I guess I should go have a chat with him.”

“Do you want me to come with you?”

Jessie sighed. “This is all my responsibility. I should go alone.”

“Ok.”

“What do you mean ‘ok?’ Of course I want you to come with me.”

“Knock, knock,” Jessie said as they arrived at Nelson’s office door. “Can we come in?”

“Of course,” Nelson said.

“Look, Nelson…” Jessie wasn’t quite sure what she wanted to say but knew she needed to say something. “… I’m really sorry that things have taken the turn that they have…”

Nelson held up his hand to stop her. “Look, Jessie, this is a weird situation, I know, but I’m a very different person today than I was yesterday, and I’m really happy about that. I never spoke out at a meeting before, I never went on a date before, and I know this sounds really weird coming from me, I have never, ever had feelings for anyone like I do for Bill before. I never thought I’d feel affection of any kind for anyone, and I certainly never thought I’d fall this hard for a man, but I did. Now, I know the chances of this having a happy ending are really, really slim, but because of all of this, Jessie… I have found parts of me I never knew existed. And for that, I am grateful. Will my heart break if it all falls apart? Oh, yeah. It broke last night when I realized how impossible this whole thing was, but… I think that it might all be worth it anyway, just to know what it’s like to fall in love.”

“I don’t understand,” Jessie said. “A few hours ago, Rowan was all upset because you were inconsolable. Now you seem…”

“Determined,” Nadine finished the sentence for her. “And I get it.”

“You do?” Jessie asked, shocked.

“Sure. Before I met Kris I was married to a nice guy. I thought I loved him and I was happy enough. I never once thought I was gay. I don’t think I even had any gay friends. For three years I was fine with a nice, quiet, married-to-a-nice-guy life. Then, just by chance, I happened to go to a karaoke bar with some friends one night and I saw Kris across the room. That was it. I was hooked and I knew it. Sometimes it happens that way.”

“I never knew that,” Jessie said.

Nadine nodded. “It was a wonderful and very hard time. My husband was a nice guy. He didn’t deserve to have a wife tell him he’d done nothing wrong, but she was leaving him anyway. He deserved better. I’m not proud of that, but I was in love and I had to do what I had to do.”

There was a long silence.

“Wow,” Jessie said at last, and she squeezed Nadine’s hand in support. Looking at Nelson, she said, “Do what you need to do, Nelson. I should never have put you in this situation. So, if this deal falls apart…” she sighed, “so be it.” She shook her head. “What a mess I’ve made.”

“It is a mess, and I feel like a lot of it is my fault, too,” Nelson said, “but I can’t see any way that I end up with Bill that doesn’t involve the deal going forward, and I don’t see any way that I don’t end up with Bill that doesn’t involve the deal getting canceled. So… fingers crossed for all of us.”

Just then, Nelson’s phone rang. “It’s Rowan. I’ll put it on speaker.” He did. “Hi, Ro. Jessie and Nadine are here too. You’re on speaker.”

Rowan sounded tired and frustrated. “A meeting of the minds, huh? That’s good because I’m drawing a blank as to how to proceed here.”

“It’s ok, Ro. I have a plan,” Nelson said.

“You do? Tell me about it.” Nelson had rarely used the nickname ‘Ro’ with his sister. Something was different.

“I’m going to go to lunch with Bill and see if I still feel the same. If I do, then I’m going to figure out a way to tell him the truth.”

Rowan was speechless for a few moments. “Sounds risky all around, Nelly. Are you sure.”

“Ro, this morning you said that we were the two smartest people we know, and I think that’s probably true, and I think we’re smart enough to know that the only way to resolve this is with the truth. So, that’s the solution, right?”

“Yeah,” she sounded defeated and sad. “That’s the solution.” After a pause she asked, “Jess, are ok with this?”

“Yeah… I mean… what’s a couple if hundred million dollars between friends, right?”

“Ok, then…” Rowan sounded concerned. “You know I love you, Nelly, right?”

“I know. I love you, too.” That seemed easier now for some reason.

“Call me if you need me.”

“I will.”
 
 

 
 
When the call ended, Rowan sat and stared at the wall for at least ten minutes before typing an email to her supervisor:
 
 
‘Good afternoon, Simon,
I am sorry to do this, but I must return to the US this weekend to deal with a family issue caused by my abrupt departure this week. I am requesting tomorrow off, and I will be back on Monday. I promise I will not make a habit of this.
Thank you
Rowan’
 
 
Less than two minutes later a response came:
 
 
‘I understand. Safe travels. Back at it Monday, then.
Simon’
 
 

 
 
“Ms Egan, you have a visitor,” Renee, the receptionist, called through on Nelson’s desk phone.

“Send him in.” He looked at Jessie and Nadine, who had hovered near him all morning.

“Are you ready for this?” Jessie asked.

“As ready as I’ll ever be.”

“You could do it here with us to back you up, if you’d like,” Nadine offered.

“Yeah, but I got all dressed up, so… and besides… this really should be done in private.”

“Ok,” Jessie said. Then she smiled as Bill O’Connell entered the office. “Well, hi there,” she smiled. “Don’t keep her out too long, ok?”

“I’ll try,” he returned the smile, “but I’m not making any promises.

He entered as Jessie and Nadine exited. “Ready?”

“Ready,” Nelson said, goosebumps breaking out all over his body. This man…! Good God he was gorgeous!

“I have a reservation at a steakhouse downtown. They say it’s very good. Not as fancy as the dinner club last night, but… holy moly, look at you,” he said, interrupting himself.

“Am I dressed ok?”

“Ok? Nelly, you’d make Kate Middleton jealous looking that good.”

Nelson smiled. “Thank you. You look very handsome.” And he certainly did. He was wearing a very attractive Irish knit sweater with a V-neck, a crisp collared shirt and a smart tie, atop dress pants and dress shoes.

“Next to you, I look like I’m dressed for gym class,” he smiled. “Ahh, well. Nothing to be done about it now. Shall we?” He offered an arm.

It was a short drive to the restaurant, just a few blocks, really. In warmer weather, it would have been a nice walk. Nelson noticed that they had the same driver as the previous evening, and that Bill called him Andy. He also noticed that Andy referred to Bill as ‘Boss.’

The restaurant was quite nice, certainly not as fancy as the place where they’d dined the evening before, but much nicer than anywhere else Nelson had ever been. They sat and, at Nelson’s request, Bill ordered for both of them.

The wine steward brought a bottle of a red wine to the table. He poured a small amount in a glass for Bill’s approval. He sniffed it, then tasted it, then nodded. Two glasses were poured and they were alone.

“So,” Bill started, “I had a great time last night. I hope you did too.”

“I did.”

“Good. Good. Look, Nell, time’s a little tight here, because I have to fly out tonight, but I’d like us to get to know as much about each other as possible before I have to leave, ok?”

Nelson nodded. “I’d like that too.” Bill had called him ‘Nell.’ He really liked that. ‘Nell.’

At Nelson’s insistence, Bill went first.

“Ok… I’m thirty-two, which I know is older than you, but I’m hoping we can get past that. Like I told you last night, I didn’t know my father. My mom raised me by herself in a tiny house in a tiny town in Ohio. She was a schoolteacher and forced me to be a reasonably good student. I got a scholarship to Ohio State, then went to Yale Business School and got incredibly lucky right out of college. I started an investment company that did well, then did better and better and that’s how I met you.”

“I keep a small apartment in Manhattan, I have a condo near my mom in Florida, nice place in Key West and another condo in Seattle, but mostly I live out of a suitcase, which I have come to hate and I want to stop. No matter what, I plan to retire before I turn forty, but I’d be willing to retire earlier if I found the right person to start enjoying life with.”

Nelson was in awe of how casually Bill had rattled off the details of an extraordinary life.

“Questions?” Bill laughed.

“Girlfriends? Relationships?”

Bill shook his head. “None. Never had time. I mean, I’ve had dates, but nothing ever developed. Nell, I thought you were very pretty and funny when we talked online, but from the moment I met you… your energy, your humor, your smile, everything about you is intriguing and I’d really like to pursue this and see where it goes.”

A tear formed in Nelson’s eye. He wiped it quickly away.

“Are you ok?”

“Yeah,” Nelson lied. “I’m fine.”

The soup course arrived.

“Ok,” Bill said, after a few tastes of the soup. “Your turn. Fill in the blanks in your story.”

Nelson put down his spoon and sighed. “Honestly, I told you the bulk of it last night, but I admit I left out a huge item.”

Bill cocked his head a bit and waited.

Nelson looked around. They were in a secluded part of the restaurant, but there were other patrons dining on the far side of the establishment, so this wouldn’t be as private as he’d hoped. There was going to be a scene – that much was obvious.

He hated having to do this.

He took a deep breath. “Bill… I really, really like you, and I wish there was some way that this could all work out, but…” he looked at the most handsome person he’d ever seen, and the only person he’d ever been attracted to and a lump caught in his throat. He swallowed it down. “… but there isn’t.”

Suddenly, Bill looked as if he’d been hit by a bus. It took a moment or two for him to regroup. “There isn’t? Why? Are you married or something?”

Nelson shook his head. “Bill, I swear to you, I have never, ever had feelings for anyone before I met you. My life has always been numbers. No beauty, no fun, no… anything… just numbers. Yesterday, when you walked into the office… it was like a bomb went off inside me. Bill… honest to God, I’m so deeply in love with you, and I know that’s crazy, because I know we just met and that when I tell you the truth, you’re going to walk out that door and forget about me.”

“I doubt that,” Bill half-laughed. “I mean, when someone says something like that to you, chances are you’re not going to forget that person.” He waited patiently, but Nelson remained quiet. “Just say it, Nell. It can’t be all that bad.”

The server arrived, but Bill waived him away.

Nelson took another breath and steeled himself. “Remember that picture of my family you saw?”

“Yeah. In your apartment. You said it was taken on Cape Cod.”

“Right… Well, the little girl in that picture… that wasn’t me. That was my sister. Her name is Rowan. That was her apartment we were in.”

‘Ok…” Bill waited. ‘So…”

“So, I was the little boy in that picture.”

‘Ok… So, I am thoroughly confused,” Bill admitted, but he remained calm. “Did you, like, have sex reassignment procedures, or start taking hormones? I need more information, Nell – and while we’re at it, why did you pretend to be Rowan? And did I actually speak to Rowan online and on the phone?”

“Yes, you did.” Nelson went on to explain how Rowan got a new job in London, how the firm was afraid of losing Bill’s business and how he, Nelson, was talked into becoming Rowan’s stand-in.

As he finished the server returned. “Sir, your food is getting cold…”

‘Yes,” said Bill. “So is our soup. Take it away and throw away the main course. I’ll pay for it. When we’re ready, I’ll call you over and we’ll get hot soup and and you can prepare the main course again.”

“But sir…”

“Young lady,” Bill interrupted, “I am involved in a very serious and interesting conversation with my friend. Now, please leave us until I call you over again. If we’re taking up space that you need for other customers, I’ll pay for that, too. Now… some privacy, please.”

‘My friend.’ Bill had said ‘My friend’ he didn’t even seem upset. Just very interested.

“Please, continue,” he said to Nelson.

Nelson was shocked. “You’re not angry or upset?”

“About what? Nell, since we met yesterday, I thought you were the most interesting person I’d ever met, and now I find out that you’re a thousand times more interesting than I thought. Go on.”

Nelson was relieved, to say the very least. “Well, that’s really about it, except that yesterday morning I met you and I can’t stop thinking about you. Look, I know you’re rich and all that, but that has nothing to do with it, Bill. You could have walked in to deliver sandwiches, and I would have fallen in love with you, honest.”

“Wow,” Bill laughed, “and you thought I had an interesting story to tell. So… now that I know your story.” He smiled a bit. “This not going to impact my deal with Global, by the way. That’s business and Global is a good company. But, now that I know the truth, are you going to go back to being Nelson, or is Nelly here to stay?”

Nelson laughed. “I made that decision this morning. Nelson Egan is gone. Nelly… no… I’ve never loved that name. Rowan used it to tease me. Nelly is gone too. Nell… Bill, when you call me ‘Nell,’ it’s like… like I’m a whole new person and I love it. I love how it sounds when you say it and I love how I feel when I hear it. Nell is here to stay.”

Bill smiled, “I think that’s wonderful. I like Nell, too. I like Nell quite a bit, actually.”

He motioned to the server, who brought new cups of soup. As they ate, Bill asked, “So do you plan to pursue becoming a woman?”

Nell shrugged. “I don’t think so, at least not right now. I know it’s expensive and involves a lot of commitment, and this is all new to me. I didn’t even know I was gay until about twenty-six hours ago. I think I’m a gay man who just wants to present as a woman. Does that sound ok?”

“Fine with me,” Bill smiled.

The soup was delicious, but Nell was uncertain as to what it was. Slightly fishy, but spicy, too. He really liked it.

When dinner arrived, Nell had to ask, “What is this?”

“What the gentleman ordered for you, Miss. Soy Ginger Chilean Sea Bass.”

“Thank you,” Nell smiled, then, as the server left, said to Bill, “To be honest, I’ve only been to a few sit-down restaurants in my whole life. This food is all amazing.”

“No money for extras, huh? Same for us. Pizza was a big deal.”

“Doctored ramen noodles and whatever we got from the food-bank, but we got by until Rowan and I started making money. I think she’s more money driven than me. I save a lot – almost everything, really. She invests, frets over things, always wants the best, is driven to succeed. I got her in at Global and hoped we’d be together there forever, but she saw that opportunity in London and felt she had to take it. No challenge is too small for Rowan.”

‘You don’t begrudge her that, do you?”

“I don’t know. I did, but… if she hadn’t gone, I wouldn’t have met you.”

Bill swallowed a bite and sipped some wine. “Getting back to that… I’d really like to explore… us… a bit more fully. If that’s ok with you.”

“Really?” Nell could not suppress a huge smile. “There’s still the possibility of an ‘us,’ even though I’m not a woman?”

Bill shrugged. “Nell, I have had sex a grand total of twice in my life. Both times with women I had no interest in and both times I was drunk. You interest me, Nell. You attract me. You… fascinate me. I’m not saying we should jump into bed together - I’ve never thought of myself as gay, either, but the more I sit here talking with you, the deeper my feelings for you are growing. I think I had a crush on Rowan because I thought she was cute. You’re just as cute as Rowan, but you are a thousand times more attractive. I think I’m falling in love with you, Nell. Now, where that will lead, I can’t say? Will it be sexual, again, I can’t say, but goddamn, girl, you are something and I want you to be a part of my life. Would you like to be?”

The smile on Nell’s face could not have been wider. “Bill, I came here expecting to have to call an Uber to get back to the office. I want nothing more than to be a part of your life and have you be a part of mine. And for the record, the sexual aspect of a relationship is kind of new and scary to me too, so I’d like to take that kind of slow as well.”

Bill grinned and nodded. “Ok. Ok. What are you doing tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow? It’s Friday. I’m working. Why?”

“Fly to Key West and spend the weekend with me. Get out of this gawd awful cold and snow and come enjoy some sunshine on the beach with me. We’ll talk. We’ll have a drink or two. We’ll eat good food. We’ll take it slow and… be a couple. Get to know each other. See how we feel when we’re together. It’ll be great. Please. Come.”

Nell could not believe this was happening. It seemed unreal. He was lightheaded. The goosebumps were back. This was nuts. “I’ll have to talk to Jessie and…”

“Call her now.”

Nell laughed. This was completely outside of his realm of experience. “Ok.”

He pulled out his phone and touched Jessie’s contact. When she picked up, it sounded like she was in mid sentence. “Oh, my God, Nelson, how did he react? Did he yell? Did he hit you? Is the deal off? Should I come get you? Where are you? It’s been over two hours! I’ve been so worried!”

“Jessie, Jessie, calm down. I told Bill everything, and he’s ok with it.”

“He’s ok with it? With what? With you having a penis? With the deal? With what?”

“With everything, Jess. He’s ok with everything.”

“Oh, my God,” she sounded breathless, then spoke to someone else, probably Nadine, “He’s ok with everything.” Then, back into the phone. “That’s… great, Nelson, so… what happens now?”

“That’s why I’m calling. I need tomorrow off.”

“Tomorrow? Honey… sure… why… I mean… are you ok? Do you need someone to be with you tomorrow?”

“No, I’m fine, really, I just need…”

Bill interrupted. “Let me talk to her.”

Nell handed him the phone. “Jessie? Bill O’Connell, here. Look, I need my girlfriend to fly to Key West with me tomorrow, so we can have a few days alone to get to know each other. Does that work for you?”

Back in the office, Jessie stared at Nadine, then said into the phone. “Your… girlfriend… Nell.” She pressed speaker and put the phone on the desk. “You’re flying your girlfriend, Nell, to Key West for the weekend? And you know everything?”

“Of course, I know everything, Jessie. From here on out, Nell and I are going to be honest with each other, and whatever develops from this, none of it is anyone else’s business.”

“Well, yes, of course…”

“I only mention that because I can tell you’ve put me on speaker.”

‘Oh, sorry. I can…”

“No, that’s fine. I think we’re all on the same page, now.”

“Yes, Bill. You two have a great weekend, and…”

‘Oh, darn it, Jessie,” Bill said, smiling at Nell, “it just occurred to me. I might want to take a drive up to Naples and introduce Nell to my mom and she’s got guests this weekend, so let’s say that she’s probably going to be gone the whole week. Now, from what I understand, she has plenty of unused vacation time, am I right?”

“Ummm… yes… Nelson… Nell… he… oh my God, I’m sorry, she… has plenty of vacation time. Whatever Nelson wants… NELL… whatever time Nell wants to use fine. Please tell him how happy we all are for her… oh… I… I’ll get used to it. Sorry.”

“Relax, Jessie,” Bill laughed. “I’m just playing mind games with you. I do want her for the week, though. I hope Global can cope without her. Here’s Nell.” He handed the phone back.

“Hi,” Nell said.

“I cannot believe this!” Jessie said.

“You’re dating a billionaire!” Nadine practically screamed.

Nell was sure Bill heard that because he chuckled. “I guess I am. I’m as surprised as you are.”

“Do you need help packing?” Jessie asked.

“Oh, God, yes!” Nell realized he had no idea how to do that. “I don’t even own a suitcase.”

“Have Bill drop you here when you’re done and we’ll all go get you some good luggage a few things you’ll need. We’ll steal from Rowan for most of it.” Jessie said, thrilled at the prospect of shopping.

“Rowan!” Nadine shouted. “Have you told Rowan?”

“Of course not. There hasn’t been any time. I’ll call her later. I’ll see you soon. Bye.”

The call ended.

“They’re excited,” Nell smiled.

“I could tell,” Bill laughed. “I gather you’ve never flown before?”

“I have not. In fact, that trip to The Cape is the longest car ride I’ve ever take. That was like a two-and-a-half-hour drive. I’ve never been further from home than that.

“Wow,” Bill said. “There’s a lot of world out there, Nell. You need to see some it.”

“I’d like to.”

“Ok, here’s the plan. I still need to fly out tonight. Andy, my driver will stay here. I’ll hire a private jet for you. Andy will pick you up in the morning, we’ll confirm the time you’ll be leaving when the jet is hired. I’ll have Andy call you. I assume we can get something suitable out of Worcester Airport. It’ll take three and a half to four hours to get to Key West, depending on the kind of jet they have available and if they’ll need to refuel. You may even get to the house before I do, but Andy will be with you the whole time. How does that sound?”

“Kind of unbelievable, actually.”

“I really like you, Nell. Maybe this will be great, maybe not, but at least for now, let’s try to enjoy life. I have the keys to the world, Nell. Let me share it all with you.
 
 

 
 
“It’s beautiful!” Nadine said, inspecting the rather pricey luggage.

“It’s pink,” Nell said. “And very bright pink at that.”

“It’s a very tasteful coral,” Nadine corrected, “and it’s not that bright. Besides you’ll spot it on the luggage carousel.”

“I don’t think there will be a carousel involved. He’s booked a private jet for me.”

Both Nadine and Jessie stopped and looked at Nell.

“A private jet?” Jessie asked.

“Uh huh.”

The two women exchanged looks. “Sounds pretty serious,” Jessie said.

“I don’t know,” Nell said. “We’re taking it slow and seeing what happens.”

“Taking it slow?” Nadine laughed. “You’ve known the guy less than two days and you’re going away with him for somewhere between three and ten days and that’s taking it slow?”

“You know what I mean,” Nell said, a little embarrassed. “I like the light green bags. I’m getting those.”

“Ok,” Jessie waved for the salesperson to come help. “Next, we need a swimsuit for you. My sister-in-law had a double mastectomy a few years ago and she got a great suit that made her look just like she did before the surgery. She got it at a store across the mall. Hopefully they have their swim gear out.”

“I can’t reach Rowan,” Nell said, looking at his phone, a little concerned. “I left a message for her to call me as soon as she could.”

“It’s late there, isn’t it?” Nadine asked.

“Only about ten.”

“May I help you, ladies?” The salesperson asked.

“Yes,” Jessie continued without a breath, “my friend will take the sage green set, all the pieces, and she’ll need some of those vacuum bags for getting all the air out of the clothes, you know what I mean?”

“Yes, ma’am.”
 
 

 
 
“Mom, I have never met anyone like Nell. She is just amazing. I think you’ll love her when you meet her.” Bill couldn’t help but gush about his new, and really his first, relationship.

“That’s wonderful, William, but you really need to get a handle on your emotions and not loose your head. You are a very wealthy man and there are a lot of people who would take advantage of your good nature to get a hold of your money and assets. You need to move slowly. Get to know this woman. Make sure she is who she says she is and have her thoroughly vetted before you get too deeply involved.”

“Way to take all the romance out of the moment, mom. Look you know I’m not stupid. I’m not going to jump into anything without knowing exactly what I’m getting into.”

“But you’re spending the weekend with her, William and you don’t even know her.”

“Mom, you know what my schedule is like. If I don’t make some time and take her someplace away from the craziness of my day-to-day, I’ll never get to know her and she’ll slip away. We both want to move slowly. We’re not just jumping into bed together; she’ll be in one of the guest rooms. Mom… I’m getting tired of hustling and not having anything in my life except my company. I’m very proud of it and all that, but… I’m lonely mom, and it’s time for me to slow down a little, get ready to step down as CEO and start enjoying the fruits of my labors.”

His mother huffed a bit. “William… I understand all that, but… just be careful, ok? I mean, I want grandchildren, but I don’t want you to be hurt.”

‘Grandchildren?’ Bill thought. That would be a neat trick. “I’ll be careful, mom, but I need you to be supportive, too.”

“And I will be, William. I will be.”

“Thanks, mom. Just remember, I don’t have any cell service on Key West…”

“Which drives me nuts.”

“…but you can reach me via email. I’ll check it every day.”

“Alright, William. Good luck. Get some rest, and William…”

“Yeah, mom?”

“Use protection.”

“Give it a rest mom. Love you.”

“Love you, too, William.”
 
 

 
 
“Good morning, Ms Egan. All ready to go?” Andy’s smiling face was at the door to Rowan’s apartment. It was eight-forty-five, and he looked eager to get going.

“I guess so, Andy,” Nell replied, nervous about flying, nervous about missing work, nervous about not having packed the right clothes… In short, a ball of nerves.

Nell took the carry-on and Andy took the other two cases, and they headed down the hall, toward the elevator. Just as they passed Melissa’s door, it opened and she emerged, dressed in her nursing scrubs and carrying her large purse, a tote bag and a huge thermos of water or coffee.

“Oh… hi,” Melissa said, surprised by all the luggage. “Going somewhere?”

“I am,” Nell smiled. “I’m flying to Key West to stay with Bill O’Connell for the weekend.”

“You’re kidding…” Melissa glanced at Andy, then leaned in closer to Nell. “And you… told him? I mean everything?”

“I did.”

“Wow. I did not see that coming. Listen, have a great time, be careful, and I’ll check on Rowan’s plants while you’re away.” She kissed his cheek. “Sorry, gotta run,” and she headed to the stairwell.

Once in the town car, Nell asked, “So, Andy, do you work for Bill?”

Bill chuckled. “I sure do. I’ve been with him for six years now. I started as an intern and hated everything about investments, so I kind of became a runner. You know, run down the street to get coffee, or run papers over to another company… whatever needed to be done.”

“Then you became his driver?”

“Well… driver, assistant, factotum… whatever. I’m here to help, you know what I mean?”

“Twenty-four/seven?”

“Twenty-four/seven. It’s a pretty great job, though. I’ve been all over the world, met a lot of famous people and done a lot of cool things. The pay’s pretty great, too. If the boss decides to retire someday, and he talks about that a lot, then I have a pretty nice nest egg set aside for myself to open up a nice beach bar someplace.”

“That’s wonderful.”

They stopped at a red light and Andy turned in his seat to look at Nell. “You know, Miss… I’ve seen Mr O’Connell do a lot of things. He is the most levelheaded, practical guy on this earth. He considers every angle of every situation and he’s always thinking eight moves ahead of everyone around him. But Miss… I have never seen him act the way he’s been acting the last couple of days. He’s really taken with you. I hope you’re not stringing him along.”

Traffic moved and they travelled in silence the last couple of miles to the airport. At the private airline terminal, Andy came to Nell’s door to open it. As Nell stood, he looked at Andy and said, “I know you’ve known Bill longer than I have, and I know you’re just trying to be a good friend, but Andy, I am nuts about Bill. I am not stringing anyone along.”

Andy nodded. “Glad to hear it, Miss. Shall we go in?”

Within minutes, they had boarded a private jet. Nell had kind of expected it to look like a small bus, or a large van inside, but instead, it looked like a small living room. Following Andy’s instructions, he sat in one of the seats, fastened his seatbelt and in what seemed like moments, the plane was racing down the runway before lifting off – a sensation that Nell found frightening, exhilarating, horrifying and miraculous, all at the same time. He looked out the window and watched the ground fall away below.

“What do you think?” Andy asked.

The smile on Nell’s face told the whole story. “It’s incredible. I’ve never experienced anything like this.”

Andy chuckled. “Well, hopefully it’s a smooth flight. If you’d like anything – a drink, a snack – just let me know. I had them stock the plane with pretty much everything.”
 
 

 
 
“Good morning, Renee,” she said as she passed the reception desk at Global.

“Oh, good morning,” Renee said, only a little surprised to see that particular person entering. Word around the office was that Nelson Egan was flying to Florida with Bill O’Connell that morning, but it was still early. They must be leaving later.

“That’s odd,” Jessie said, standing straighter at her work table.

“What?” Asked Nadine.

“Nelson’s here. I thought he was leaving for Florida an hour ago.”

Nadine turned just as the woman entered the office.

“Why are you here?” Jessie asked. “Did something go wrong?”

“Nothing went wrong,” the woman said. “I’m here because you messed up my brother’s life and I didn’t want him to be alone when he got dumped. Hopefully that’s the worst that happened to him, and he didn’t get the crap beaten out of him. Where is he?”

“He’s on his way to Florida,” Nadine said, still thrown by Rowan’s presence.

Now, it was Rowan’s turn to be shocked. “Florida? Why is Nelson on his way to Florida? I don’t think he’s ever been out of Massachusetts before.”

“He’s meeting Bill O’Connell in Key West for a vacation of some sort on Bill’s estate. To get to know each other, I guess.”

Rowan pulled out her cell phone and called her brother’s number. When the voicemail feature answered, she ended the call. “Why doesn’t he answer his phone?”

“Maybe he doesn’t know how to get onto the WiFi and cellular service on the private jet. It’s probably not as well posted as it is on a commercial flight,” Nadine suggested, helpfully.

“A private jet!?” Rowan’s hands flew to her temples. “How has the world turned topsy-turvy in less than a week. I left you with my shy, emotionally stunted, quiet brother and I come back five days later to find that he has taken my identity, gone on two dates with someone who thinks he’s a woman and now is on his way to a secluded getaway, on a private jet with this person who may be planning to do God knows what to him. How could this happen? Why did you allow this to happen? What is wrong with you people?”

“Honestly, Rowan, it’s not like that…” Jessie started, but Rowan wasn’t interested.

“I swear to God, if anything happens to him…” she turned and stormed away, tears of fear and rage streaming down her face.

“Ro!” Jessie called after her, but there was no stopping her. She looked at Nadine and both looked confused and guilty.

“Geez, Jess… he’s going to be ok, isn’t he?”

“I hope so.”
 
To Be Continued...

A World To Give

Nelson steps in to help out his company when his twin sister, Rowan,
unexpectedly leaves to take another job. While assuming her identity, he
realizes that there is a lot more to the world than he’d previously known and
he decides to take some chances he never took before.

Nelson discovered a whole new world!

---

Author's Note: Well, in this chapter, our two protagonists have truly stopped caring what the world thinks. But, they haven't stopped caring about each other. I am truly taking them to where no character, has gone... before. ~Clara.

Image Credit: https://perchance.org/beautiful-people
 
 
Chapter 5
 

Three hours and forty-five minutes after taking off, the elegant jet landed in Key West. It had been a perfectly smooth ride and Nell had gotten to know Andy a bit on the way.

As they taxied to the small terminal, a black town car, identical to the one Andy had left behind in Massachusetts, pulled onto the tarmac. “That’s our ride,” Andy said. “Ready to deplane?” He offered a hand and Nell took it.

“Wow,” Nell said as the warm air hit his face. “This is amazing. It’s so warm.”

“Yes, it is,” Andy smiled as he directed the baggage handlers to be careful as they placed Nell’s bags into the trunk of the town car.

Within minutes, they were traveling towards what Bill referred to as ‘his place,’ but Andy referred to as ‘the estate.’

Andy’s description was more apt.

There was a guard at the gate. He waved the town car through. It seemed as if the driveway was a mile long, but eventually they pulled up in front of a two story, tan stucco structure with bright yellow shutters on either side of every arched window and door. It was very large, but the colors and architecture made it look very welcoming.

There were two young men waiting to grab luggage, etc. Andy helped Nell from the car, then told the young men where to put the luggage. When he turned, he saw Nell touching the bark of a palm tree.

“Everything ok, Miss?”

Nell smiled. “Yes. I just never saw a palm tree in real life before. I mean, we have oaks and pines and maples and trees like that, of course, but… these are beautiful.”

“Yes, I suppose they are,” Andy grinned. “I never really thought about them before, but they are very beautiful.”

Nell caressed the bark some more, before accompanying Andy into the large house.

Stunning was the only word that could describe the interior. Large, arched French doors on both sides of the building. The front overlooked the driveway and a beautiful fountain, and the rear of the building opened up to a patio/pool area that overlooked the pure white sand and cyan blue water of The Gulf of Mexico beyond. Dark woods in the architecture and plushly upholstered furniture made the large space intimate and inviting.

“Do you like it, Miss?” Andy asked.

“It’s gorgeous,” Nell said. Nelson’s condo was… utilitarian. Just a few days earlier, Nelson would not have taken beauty or comfort into consideration when purchasing home furnishings. If he needed a kitchen set, he looked online, found one the right size and bought it. If he needed a couch, same procedure. Everything in this room was chosen to be complimentary to this room and to everything else in the room. And it all looked and felt like Bill in a very comforting way.

He now understood why Rowan wanted her condo to be situated in the right place and for the interior to represent her personality in a way that his never did.

He stared out at the ocean beyond the pool.

“Quite a view, Miss, isn’t it?” Andy asked.

“It is. I’ve never seen water so blue… and the sand is so white.”

“Have you seen the ocean before, Miss?”

“I’ve been to Cape Cod once, and I’ve seen Boston Harbor on a school field trip to the Aquarium, but the water was dark and looked so cold, and the sand was brown. This is like a whole different planet than home.”

“Welcome back, Andy,” a woman said as she entered the room. She looked at Nell and extended a hand. “You must be Ms Egan. I’m Sophie. I’m the estate manager here.”

They shook hands. Sophie was about the same age as Nell, but curvy in a way that Rowan was not, and Nell certainly was not.

“If you need anything, just let me know. It’ll be nice to have another girl around. It’s usually just Andy and Mr O’Connell when we have visitors.”

“Oh, well… it’s very nice to meet you,” Nell replied. Even though Nelson had given way to Nell, social skills were still new to him.

“You’ll be in the second bedroom,” Sophie explained. “When I heard that we were having a female guest, I redecorated a little bit. I hope you like it.”

“Thank you,” Nell smiled. “I’m sure I will.”

“The boys are bringing your bags up now,” Sophie said. “I’ll pop up and put everything away for you.”

“Oh, that’s not necessary,” Nell tried to argue. “I can just live out of the suitcase. After all, it will all have to packed up again in a few days.”

“Don’t be silly,” Sophie smiled. “Of course it’s necessary. I will pack it back up for you when you leave as well. It’s no problem. Give me fifteen minutes and you can come up and get changed. Andy, why don’t you take Ms Egan out to the patio. I had the bar stocked. I’ll let you know when I’m done.”

“Would you like something to drink?” Andy asked as he guided Nell towards the door.

“Ummm… maybe just a lemonade.” He checked his phone as he walked. “I don’t seem to have any service here.”

“No. Mr O’Connell refuses to put in cell service boosters here. He says it’s the one place in the world where he can truly relax.”
 
 

 
 
“Now boarding, Southwest flight WN2171 from Boston to Baltimore at gate B32.”

Rowan pulled her bags as she ran in that direction. She was running late and had gotten frustrated with everyone she’d talked to since getting to Logan Airport. It was the first of three flights she was going to have to take to get to Key West and she was not thrilled. She hated Southwest Airlines, she hated stopovers and she hated airport food. So far, this rescue mission was not going well.

She looked at her phone again. Still nothing from Nelson. Why didn’t he reply to her voice mails? Something was very wrong. Bill O’Connell seemed like a nice guy, but what the hell was he doing with Nelson? Had Nelson’s revelation injured his masculinity so badly that O’Connell had concocted this bazar kidnapping in order to hurt, or maybe even kill Nelson?

She handed the gatekeeper her ticket.

“I’m sorry, Miss, this is for the four o’clock flight. You’ll have to wait.” The gatekeeper, a tallish woman with a severe look about her said.

“What?” Rowan grabbed the ticket. “That’s not what I paid for. The woman at the ticket desk said there was a one-thirty flight. That’s what I paid for.”

The woman tapped her tablet a few times. “No, I’m sorry. This flight is fully booked. The next flight is at four. There’s nothing I can do.” She turned her back on Rowan and grabbed the microphone. “Southwest flight WN2171 from Boston to Baltimore, last call. Last call for Southwest flight WN2171 from Boston to Baltimore.”

“Son of a bitch,” Rowan muttered, perhaps too loudly, as she threw her clothes and carry on onto waiting area chairs with way too much force. Then she dropped herself into another chair and grunted loudly.

A few moments later, a Massachusetts State Trooper walked over to the woman who’d been working the gate. They spoke for a moment and the woman, rather subtly, indicated Rowan.

The trooper walked towards her, one hand on his firearm.

“Is there a problem here, young lady?”

Rowan glared at him. “You can take that condescending tone out of your voice right now. I bought a ticket for the flight that just loaded. The idiot at the ticket desk gave me the wrong flight and that idiot, who obviously called you, didn’t even attempt to fix it. So, yeah, there is a problem here.”

The trooper nodded. “Alright, well you upset that woman over there, who is not an idiot, but is a friend of mine, and because of that, you are not welcome on any Southwest flight going anywhere today. Your ticket for the four o’clock flight has been canceled, so I suggest that you look elsewhere for transportation.”

“Oh, for Christ’s sake, you have got to be kidding me. All I did was…” her volume rising

“One more word, young lady, and I will detain you and you will not be going anywhere today. Have I made myself clear?”

Making no attempt to conceal her anger, Rowan stood and started organizing her things.

“I asked you a question,” the trooper said. “Have I made myself clear?”

“You made yourself clear when you said, ‘not another word.’ I was obeying that order.” She grabbed her things and prepared to leave. “I can see why you and she are friends,” she said, but not directly to the trooper.

“What did you say?”

“I said, ‘have a good day.’”
 
 

 
 
“The Verizon customer you are calling is currently unavailable. Please leave a message at the tone.”

Very little in the world irritated Bill O’Connell more than voice mail. What a frustrating pain in the butt.

BEEEEEP

“Hi, mom. It’s me… obviously. Look, I just wanted to say I loved you and if things go well, I may be swinging by on Tuesday or Wednesday. I’ll let you know. Anyway, I’ll be at the house in Key West all weekend, so no phone. Talk to you soon. Love you lots. Bye.”

He climbed into the chartered helicopter and gave the pilot the thumbs-up sign when he was ready to go.
 
 

 
 
Nell came out onto the patio area dressed in his swim attire, as Sophie had suggested. Since the bikini top had built in ‘enhancements’ and the bottom had a ruffled hem, extremely short skirt, he wondered if it had set off any warning bells when Sophie saw it. If it had, she said nothing about it. She continued to be affable and helpful at every moment.

The room that had been prepared for Nell was as big as his whole condo. It had soft yellow walls with lace curtains and a lace bedspread. Sophie explained that the color of the room made it the only feminine room in the house and that she had worked with ‘the boys,’ the young men that worked on the estate, to redecorate it for the arrival of Mr O’Connell’s lady-visitor.

They had done a lovely job and Nell told them so.

At Andy’s suggestion, Nell indulged in a rest in a salt water hot tub. It was incredibly relaxing, but the bathing suit needed some getting used to.

Of course, Nelson had worn swim trunks as a child, but they didn’t cling to him as tightly as this ensemble did. This white suit with bright red poppy flowers, green leaves and a few egrets in its design, seemed to cling so tightly that he felt he was more exposed than he would have felt if he were stark naked.

Nadine had done some online research about how men needed to tuck or tape themselves to maintain a lady-like crotch. Tucking was perfectly sufficient. Even without the very short, ruffled skirt, his tucked crotch didn’t seem to reveal anything.

Just as Nell was getting out of the hot tub, a loud, thumping kind of noise began.

“What is that?” Nell asked Andy, who seemed unconcerned.

“That’s the boss,” he smiled. “There’s a grassy area out in front where helicopters can land. He should be here in a few minutes.”

A helicopter? Good God, this really was an entirely different world than the one he’d left back in Massachusetts.

“You’re here!” Bill seemed a little surprised. “I’m so glad you decided to come.” He gave the rather wet Nell a big hug and a kiss on the cheek. “I was afraid you’d back out.”

“I’m here,” Nell smiled, “but I cannot believe it.”

“Believe what?”

“That you wanted me here. That you have a place this beautiful. Any of it.”

“I’d like to share it with you.” Bill said, then turned and looked around. “Andy! Is everything the way I asked?”

“It is, Boss,” Andy nodded. “Sophie had the room redecorated. The dinning set is set up on the beach and Ian from Nine One Five is our chef tonight.”

“Perfect as always, buddy!”

“Thanks, boss.”

“You have a chef coming to your house to cook for you tonight?” Nell said, shocked that people could do that.

“Well, to cook for US, yeah.” He pointed towards the beach. “We have a fully functioning, portable kitchen that rolls out on the beach.”

“So, do you ever go to a restaurant down here?”

“Sure, but I wanted to stay in so we can just… you know… be together. Honestly, it was Sophie’s idea. She said it would be romantic.”

“Well, she’s not wrong, that’s for sure.”

“Would you rather go to the Nine One Five instead? We can do that if you’d prefer. It’s a really nice place…”

“No, no, no. A romantic meal in a tropical beach with the most handsome man I ever met sounds pretty wonderful.”

Bill smiled.

“By the way,” Nell lowered her voice. “What do Sophie and Andy know about me?”

“I think they know I’m smitten with you. Why?”

“So… they don’t know that I’m…”

“Of course not, Nell.” There it was. Nell’s knees almost buckled when Bill said his name. “They are great people. That’s why they work for me, but my personal life is none of their business – and yours is off limits. They know that.”

“Ok.”

“Hey, I’m going to change into beach clothes. I’ll be right down. Can I grab you a cover-up or anything? It does cool off as the evening sets in.”

“Yeah, please. Sophie hung it in my closet. It’s a white lace kind of almost-a-dress kind of thing.”

Bill smiled at his date’s inability to describe women’s clothing. “I’ll find it.”
 
 

 
 
It was almost nine at night and Rowan had just gotten to Baltimore. She’d missed her connecting flight to Jacksonville and to top things off, it was snowing. Not a lot of snow, not enough to shut down the airports in Boston, Manchester, Providence, Worcester or Hartford, the airports she used most frequently, but in Baltimore, it might as well have been a blizzard. All flights were canceled or delayed. She had a long night at the airport ahead of her.

She wandered towards the restaurant area in search of anything that wasn’t prepackaged to eat for dinner. All of the restaurants were closed.
 
 

 
 
“I see… yes, I see…,” Bill’s mother said into the phone. “Now, will I receive a full report from you. Excellent. Thank you very much.”
 
 

 
 
“Is everything to your taste?” Ian, the chef at Nine One Five, asked.

Bill looked at Nell. “What do you think, Nell? Do you like your yellow tail snapper?”

Nell took a moment to swallow. “I have never tasted anything this good. Everything has been so fresh and delicious. Thank you so much.”

Bill smiled, then turned to the patio area where the estate staff sat in the lounge area eating their own food from Nine One Five. “Everything taste good over there?”

They all responded in the affirmative.

“We’re all enjoying it, Ian. Thank you. You’ve outdone yourself.”

“Very good,” Ian smiled. “I have a light dessert prepared as well. It’s a small, light almond cookie with sliced mangos and blood oranges with my own lemon gelato. Should I prepare it for you?”

Bill dabbed his lips with his napkin. “It sounds wonderful, Ian. Could we have it in about a half-hour?” He happily tapped his flat abs. “I’m a little full right now.”

“Of course.”

Nell was looking at the sea. “Why do you ever leave here? It is the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen.”

“I’m happy you like it. There are a lot of beautiful places in this world, Nelly, and I’d love to show them to you. The fjords in Norway, the Alps in Switzerland, the Mediterranean coast… lots to see. In a way, I’ve kind of conquered the world, Nell, and I’d like to give it to you.”

Nell looked at Bill with a more serious attitude. “Where do you see this going, Bill?”

For the first time since they’d met, Bill seemed a bit flustered. He called Andy over and whispered something to him. As Andy ran off, Bill looked at Nell. “This isn’t exactly how I planned to do this, Nell, but it’ll have to do. Now, I know that we’ve only known each other a few days and there are definitely complications in our relationship, and we both said we should move slowly, but… Nell. I’ve worked my butt to the bone since the day I left grad school with a few specific goals.’
‘1) Make as much money as possible and do it without hurting other people. I think I’ve done that.
2) Take care of my mother. Well, she retired early and is happy as a clam in Naples, so I think I’ve done ok there.
3) Retire and enjoy my life no later than my fortieth birthday. Well, that’s still a few years off, but I certainly could resign as CEO at any time I’d like.”

Andy returned and handed Bill a small box.

“Thank you, Andy.” He returned his attention to Nell as Andy left. “Nell, I don’t think I ever considered doing all of this with a… partner. I never really thought about that kind of relationship. I was just… aimless in that one aspect of my life.’

‘When I first met Rowan online, I just thought she was kind of cute and funny. I thought a couple of dates whenever I was in the area might be nice. And then I met you.”

Bill took a moment to wipe away the little bit of emotion that had accumulated in the side of his eyes. “Nell… I truly don’t care about your… you know… physique, I guess. Since we went out to dinner that first time, I have not been able to stop thinking about you. I am one hundred percent in love with you, and I want to share the rest of my life with you…”

Nell’s emotion was obvious, too, but he interrupted none the less. “Bill, please… hold on. I think you know that I feel the same way that you do, but… Bill… I am a male, even if I don’t look like one. Frankly, I never really did, but… I feel like I’m deceiving you.”

“You’re not.”

“Maybe I am, Bill. Think about it. I can’t give you everything that a woman can.”

“Nell… we can work things out. If you’re uncomfortable with some of the ways that men have sex together, we can discuss things. We can find ways to satisfy each other…”

“Bill, Bill… that’s not what I mean. I mean… I guess I mean children, Bill. I cannot give you a child or children. Isn’t that something that you want?”

“Well, yes, I guess I do, but I also am fine with adopting children. Nell, we could adopt a child or two and they would be our children just as they would be if we were able to bring a child into the world ourselves. We could…” he stopped and looked at the person he had fallen so deeply in love with. “I’m forcing this on you, aren’t I?” He sighed. “I’m sorry. Nell. I didn’t mean to.”

He looked heartbroken.

“No, actually, Bill, you are not forcing anything on to me. The truth is, I want this… a life with you, I mean… more than anything I’ve ever wanted in my life. It’s just that… on Sunday, I was a wimpy little math geek who said goodbye to his sister for the first time. See, Rowan was my only connection to any kind of social interaction, and I was petrified to be left alone. Now…” he indicated the gorgeous estate and view. “How did this happen to me, Bill? You are not forcing anything on me, Bill, but I am petrified that, now that I have found you, I could lose you if a… a… real… woman came along. I can give you all of my love, Bill, but I don’t have what a woman has, and I’m afraid that I will not be enough.”

Bill stood and took Nell’s hand, then kneeled on one knee in front of him. “Nell Egan… I swear to you that you are more than I will ever need. I love you with all of my heart and with all of my heart I am asking you… will you please be my… partner… my husband, my wife… whatever.” He opened the box Andy had brought him and presented it to Nell. “I don’t care what we call it, but Nell… will you spend the rest of your life with me?”

Nell’s heart was beating so fast that he was afraid he may pass out. The tears flowed freely. They box held the most simple, yet beautiful diamond ring Nell had ever seen. Not huge, not gaudy, and not pretentious. Rather small and very simple. It was perfect. “Yes, Bill. Yes, I will spend the rest of my life with you.”

Bill put the ring on Nell’s finger, then stood and helped him up so he could hug and kiss him. A cheer came up from the patio, which is when the couple realized that the staff, who were out of earshot, had been watching the whole time.

Bill smiled and waved to them, then called out, “Ian. I think we’re ready for dessert now.”
 
 

 
 
“Congratulations, Miss Egan,” Sophie said as she opened the blinds in Nell’s room that Saturday morning. “I hope you slept well after your big night.”

Nell sat up in his bed, his light, lacy, white nighty hanging nicely from his shoulders. “Good morning, Sophie. Do you think we might drop the ‘Miss Egan’ and you could just call me Nell?”

“Perhaps eventually, Miss Egan, but for now, until Mr O’Connell is comfortable with it, I think I should stick to Miss Egan.” She smiled. “Congratulations, again. Mr O’Connell is a wonderful guy. I’m very pleased that you two found each other.”

“So am I,” Nell laughed. “I didn’t expect you to be waking me this morning. What time is it, anyway?”

“Nearly ten-thirty. Miss. Mr O’Connell. Asked me to wake you. He’d like to take you to brunch at a restaurant he frequents when he’s on the island.”

“Ten-thirty!?” Nell sounded appalled with himself. “I have never slept this late in my life!”

“You had a big night,” Sophie smiled. “When my sister comes to visit me, she always says that the sound of the the ocean, the taste of the salt in the air and the smell of the sea puts her to sleep like nothing else.”

“I think she’s right. Could you tell Mr O’Connell that I’ll be down in about a half hour? I’d just like to take a quick shower.”

“Of course. Oh, and he said to dress casually. Shorts or a skirt would be fine.”
 
 

 
 
“I’m sorry ma’am but you’ve missed that flight to Miami,” the charmingly infuriating woman at the Delta desk in Atlanta said.

“I know that,” Rowan said sounding exhausted. “Is there any way… any way at all… that you can get me to Key West today?”

“I’m afraid not, ma’am. Our only flights to Key West originate with a partner service out of Miami and I don’t have another flight leaving for Miami until two O’Clock tomorrow afternoon.”

Rowan shook her head. She’d come this far and spent so much money to get there that she couldn’t give up now. “Fine. Please book me on that flight and I will try to find a hotel room. I can’t spend another night in an airport.”

The woman typed away for a few minutes, then said, “Ok… you’re all set. I’ve sent the ticket to your email. Is there anything else I can help you with?”

“As a matter of fact, there is. Is there a decent, reasonably priced hotel at the airport?”

“Yea, ma’am. The Marriott is very nice and not too pricey. You can just follow the signs to the entrance.”

“Thank you,” Rowan forced a smile and headed off to find a place to sleep.

As she walked, her phone rang. It was Jessie. “Hi, Jess.”

“Hi, Ro. Is everything ok? I mean with Nelson.”

“I have no idea,” she said. “I’ve only made it as far as Atlanta so far. It’s been a freaking nightmare.”

“I’m sorry, Ro, but I’m sure he’s ok. They really seemed ok together.”

“Then why isn’t he answering his phone, Jess? I haven’t been able to reach him for nearly forty hours. If he’s ok, why haven’t I heard from him?”

“I don’t know… Look… if I can help, let me know.”

“Actually,” Rowan was very embarrassed to say this, “with the move to London and all this running around… I’m getting kind of low on money. Could I borrow a few hundred dollars till I get back?”

“Are you kidding? Of course! Do you want me to wire it to you at your hotel, or what?”

“We bank at the same credit union. If I text you my account number, could you just transfer it? That would be a huge help.”

“Send me the numbers, Ro. I’ll do it immediately.”

“Thanks, Jess. I really appreciate it.”
 
 

 
 
Bill O’Connell’s mother went through the printout with a yellow highlighter in her hand, checking everything three times or more. This was very confusing. How many of these Egans were there and why did it seem like they all worked for the same company? Global… something or other. There was a Rowan Egan, a Nelson Egan, a Rowan Nelson Egan, and a Nelson Rowan Egan. Were all those people one person, or were they four different people? They all had the same birthday, same high school graduation date, hell they even all attended the same college and graduated on the same date. There couldn’t be four people with the same name who all did the same things at the same time. The most confusing part of all this was that sometimes these people were listed as male and sometimes as female. Why was this so confusing!? She wasn’t a stupid woman. Maybe some coffee would help.
 
 

 
 
Nell had managed to do a reasonably good job on his makeup that morning. In fact, he’d done an excellent job, but he felt that he still had a lot to learn.

The wind blew through his baseball cap covered hair as Bill drove them to a small family restaurant in his racing green, 1961 Jaquar E-type convertible roadster. It was a dream car for Bill. His favorite, actually. He didn’t drive frequently, but when he did, he liked to enjoy it.

He loved driving this particular car, and Nell was enjoying the ride in the beautiful, vintage machine.

They pulled into a restaurant parking lot. Not as fancy as the places they’d been to lately; a mom-and-pop kind of place. A small, house-like structure with a homey feel. The sign read ‘Ken’s Breakfast All Day’ and nothing else.

“I didn’t expect some place so… regular,” Nell said, getting out of the Jaguar with some assistance from Bill. He, Nell, had worn one of the ‘casual’ outfits in his collection of clothes. A soft yellow, flouncy tennis skirt with built in shorts, a very pale blue, sleeveless, cotton top with just a touch of lace along the button closures. For shoes, he’d chosen some white, low-heeled sandals that showed of his pedicured and painted toes.

“There’s nothing ‘regular’ about ‘Ken’s,’” Bill laughed. “It’s the best breakfast place in The Keys. I hope you’re hungry.”

“Starving.”

The interior was even less ostentatious than the exterior. Eighteen or twenty tables with run of the mill seats, but it was clean and smelled amazing.

“Hey! Hey! Look who it is!” A man called out from behind the counter that ran along the far end of the restaurant. “Billy’s back!”

He was a very big man, probably six and a half feet tall, or even more, with nicely tanned skin and short cropped gray hair that extended to a short cropped beard and mustache that made him look very well traveled for some reason. He came around the counter and gave Bill a big, aggressive hug with several manly pats on each other’s backs. “Are you driving MY CAR today?” He looked out the window and saw the Jaguar in the parking lot. “There she is. What a beauty! When are you going to sell her to me?”

“Fat chance,” Bill laughed. “You know that’s the one purchase I ever made that I am truly happy to own.”

“Yeah… someday,” the older man kidded. Then he spotted Neil standing by. “Oh… who have we here?” He asked, taking Nell’s hand in his and offering a very courtly peck on his hand. “Have you finally grown up enough to start dating, Billy?”

Bill laughed at the jibing. “This is Nell, Lloyd. Actually, as of last night, I think it’s safe to say that Nell is my fiancé.”

Lloyd stood straight and gave Bill an astonished look. “Fiancé!? Well, hal-ay-freaking-lu-ya!” He shouted. “Franny!” He shouted towards the kitchen. “Get out here and meet Billy’s fiancé!”

An equally colorful looking woman of approximately the same age as Lloyd came bounding out of the kitchen, while the other customers watched in amusement.

Franny was also tall, standing nearly six feet tall, but her personality was even bigger. “Finacé? Why Billy O’Connell, you sly dog, how did you ever find a girl so beautiful? And so young? How old are you, sweetie?”

Nell had barely been able to cope with the idea of someone calling Bill ‘Billy’ before being asked his age by this huge personality. “I’m twenty-four.”

“Twenty-four!?” Franny sounded incredulous. “Why child this man is way too old for you. I’m sure you could find someone closer to your age to marry. Billy, how old are you, anyway? Fifty-seven?”

“Hey, what did I do to you to make you act so mean?” Bill laughed some more.

“I’m just teasing,” she said patting Bill’s face before kissing his cheek. “She’s beautiful, Billy, and you two make a perfect couple.” She kissed Nell’s cheek and hugged him, too. “Welcome to our little family, sweetheart.”

“Franny, this is Nell,” Lloyd said. “Franny and I have been married for forty-three years. Most of them spent inside these four walls, but this is where we are the happiest.”

“Your name is Lloyd and you own a restaurant called ‘Ken’s’” Nell asked.

“Ken was my grandfather, and my father was Ken Jr. Grandpa started this place in 1933, and it’s been in my family ever since. Probably would have gone to my older brother, Ken, but he passed young, I’m afraid. So, my Franny and I have run it since 1984. We met here and we love it here.”

“So, what’ll it be, Billy?” Franny asked. “How about the breakfast platter for two? It’s on the house to celebrate the occasion.”

“Sounds great,” Bill said through the smile he’d been wearing since they’d arrived.

“Of course, if you insist on paying,” Lloyd said, his arm around Bill’s shoulder once again, “then I’d be happy to take that old jalopy off your hands in exchange for your breakfast.”

“No, on the house will be just fine,” Bill laughed, then he led Nell to a table to sit.

“Old friends?” Nell asked.

“Yeah. Back when I didn’t have two dimes to rub together, I came to Key West as part of my ‘wandering’ period. It was between my senior year as an undergrad and before I stated my grad work at Yale. I was kind of fed up with college and wasn’t sure if I wanted to go back. Anyway, I was asleep on the beach and Lloyd saw me and thought it wasn’t safe. So, he kicked me awake and took me to their place for a couple of weeks. I washed dishes here for a few weeks, too. I probably would have stayed here forever, but Lloyd kind of kicked my butt back to civilization where I did what I needed to do and landed my first important job within a month of graduation, and the guy who hired me was a friend of Lloyd’s. I think that’s the only reason I got the job. Other than my mom, they’re the closest thing to family I have. I hope you like them.”

“They’re great.” Nell grew quiet for a moment. “Bill…if we do get married…”

“If? Are you having second thoughts?”

“Not at all,” Nell smiled. “I’ve just… this is all very new to me, so I guess I’m hypothesizing instead of just… I don’t even know how to explain it. It’s just how my brain works.”

“Ok. I get that, but instead of ‘if we get married,’ let’s say ‘when we get married.’”

Nell smiled. How could someone as handsome and intelligent as Bill, be so patient and understanding? “Ok… So, WHEN we get married, would you expect me to quit me job at Global?”

Bill took a deep breath and thought for a moment. “Not right away, I guess. Or even ever, if it’s important to you to keep working. What would you like to do?”

Nell thought. “I don’t know. I feel like I owe Jessie at least some time. I mean, she did give me the money for my PhD. I feel like I owe her something for that. And besides, I like my work. I’d like to do it for a while longer.”

“Ok,” Bill shrugged. “Whatever you want to do is fine, Nell. Yeah, I’m ready to step down, but it will take me at least a year or two to set that up correctly, so that the company continues to grow after I step down. You can work as long as you’d like. I’m fine with that. I would ask this question, though: Do you have to go into the office everyday, or can you work remotely and go into the office from time to time?”

Nell shrugged. “I would need to talk to Jessie, but I think I could work remotely almost all the time. Why?”

Bill smiled. “Honey, I can live anywhere in the world, and I will live in Worcester, Massachusetts if that’s where you have to be, but… I mean, look around. There’s a lot of incredible places to live on this planet. Worcester, Massachusetts isn’t one of those places. It’s fine, but… you know what I mean?”

Nell smiled. “I do. This place is pretty unbelievable. I could get used to living here, or wherever you’d like to live.”

Bill reached across the table and took his hand. “See? We can work things out. No big deal.”
 
 

 
 
A two hour flight.

That’s all it was supposed to be. A goddamned two-hour flight from Atlanta to Miami. Then a connecting flight with a puddle-jumper airline to get to Key West and her Odyssey would have been over, but like Odysseus, the gods were obviously working against her.

The plane that her flight was scheduled to use was flying into Atlanta from Denver, where it was snowing. The plane arrived three hours late. They boarded as quickly as possible and took off.

Things looked hopeful.

Fifteen minutes into the flight a man, who had been alarmingly red faced in the boarding line, started struggling for breath. He was near the rear of the plane and Rowan was near the front, but she watched as much of the commotion as the seats would allow. It was obvious that he was struggling.

Then the pilot announced that they had to return to Atlanta due to a medical emergency.

They landed and EMTs came aboard and treated the man for a good long time before he was taken out on a gurney. They announced that he was going to be ok. He’d had a cardiac episode of some kind and would be treated at a local hospital.

Everyone cheered and was relieved that the man was going to be ok.

Then… “We are sorry, but we must have all the passengers deplane at this time. We need to refuel and do a safety check before we takeoff again. We apologize for the inconvenience.”

Rowan closed her eyes and took a deep breath to calm down. There was nothing to be done. She’d have to wait to board again. That was all.

Now, four hours later, she was reboarding and reasonably confident that she would not be getting on any plane in Miami until the next day.

Thank God Jessie had sent money. Twenty-five-hundred-dollars, in fact. That allowed her to have a good meal in real restaurant while she waited and, if no flight was available, she’d be sleeping in a hotel room again, and not the terminal.

She’d had two glasses of mediocre wine and was ready to sit down and close her eyes, and when she opened them up, she’d better damned well be in Miami, Florida.

Before the plane took off she sent Simon another email.
 
 
‘Simon,
Sorry. Family issue is not resolved. I probably won’t make it back by Monday, but I’ll be back asap. Please don’t fire me. My life is never this complicated. I’d explain if I could. When I get back, I certainly will tell you the whole, ludicrous story.
So sorry.
Rowan’
 
 

 
 
“These sunsets are just breathtaking,” Nell said, sitting on a very comfortable chaise on the beach at Bill’s compound. “I don’t know how you ever leave here.”

“Gotta go into the real world to make money to pay for all this,” Bill laughed. “This is my favorite place on earth, though. My mom is up in Naples. I wanted her to move to a place on Key West, but the bad weather out here during hurricane season can be scary and she likes Naples. So…” Bill cleared his throat. “I’d like you to meet my mom, if you’re up to it.”

“Ok,” Nell sounded tentative. “Are we going to tell her about…?”

“Our engagement? Of course. Anything else? Nell, I keep telling you, I love you just as you are and I’ll love you if you go back to wearing a suit and tie, and I’ll love you if you grow a mustache, or breasts, or a third arm, or a fourth. Whatever secrets we chose to have are our secrets and whatever we chose to share, we chose to share. As far as my mother is concerned, you are Nell. You are beautiful. I love you. You love me. There isn’t a lot more to tell. Nothing else is any of her business. Ok?”

“Ok.” Nell thought for a moment, then said, “It’s not like I’m ashamed, or anything like that, it’s just… it’s just something I want to keep private. I’ve never been the kind of person who shared intimacies about myself with the world. You know? I’m afraid that… if I tell people, then that’s how their going to view me. I won’t be ‘Nell,’ I’ll be ‘that woman that’s really a guy but likes to wear women’s clothes.’ Does that make sense?”

Bill stayed quiet a moment. “Did I ever tell you that Andy has a vestigial tail?”

Nell sat up a little straighter and looked to the patio area where Andy sat reading from a tablet. “What? Is that true?”

Bill laughed. “Of course not, but if I said it was true, that’s all you’d think about when you looked at him, right?”

“It may be all I think about from now on.”

Bill laughed again. “What I mean is… yeah… I get it. When we know just a little about someone, then that becomes all we focus on. If what I said was true, then Andy would cease to be Andy and be the guy with the tail. So… yeah… I get it. You are Nell. The love of my life. End of story.”

Nell smiled. “Thank you, Bill. I knew you’d understand.”

“Move over.” Bill got up from his own chaise and sat with Nell on his. “After we tell my mom, that’ll take care of my family. Have you told your sister?”

“No,” Nell said, cuddling in on Bill’s chest. “I called her after our date, but she didn’t answer. I left a message for her to call me, but I haven’t had any cell service since then.”

“Yeah. I haven’t installed the hardware to increase our service here. It’s the one place I can be where I know that no one is going to call me. I’m on the phone so frequently that I need a break from it. I hope that’s not an issue for you. It can be fixed if you want to have service here.”

Nell inhaled the warm tropical air and all the perfume it carried. “Nah. Let’s keep this place as a retreat. I can’t believe how relaxed I’ve gotten in just a couple of days.”

“It’s good for you.”

“You’re good for me, Billy,” Nell teased using Lloyd’s nickname for Bill.

“I love you, Nell, but not enough to put up with being called ‘Billy.’”

“You let Lloyd and Franny call you ‘Billy,’” Nell giggled.

“When they net me, I was a ‘Billy.’ Billy was an unfocused lay about. I’m not proud of Billy. I’m just ‘Bill’ now. You can’t run a multi billion-dollar company and have people calling you ‘Billy.’ It just doesn’t work.”

Nell laughed. “What does your mom call you?”

Bill sighed. “William. It’s never Bill, or Will, or anything that might sound comfortable. It’s always ‘William.’ Do you have any idea what it’s like growing up with a mother that has a ‘teacher voice,’ and she insists on calling you ‘William’ all the time? It’s unsettling.”

“Try growing up being called ‘Nelson’ all the time. There’s no real nickname for ‘Nelson.’ Until Wednesday, everybody except Rowan called me ‘Nelson’ and only ‘Nelson.’”

“Did it bother you?”

“Not really. It didn’t occur to me that it should bother me. I just figured it was my name, so that was that. But since Wednesday, I hate that name. I don’t even like who I was before then. It’s like I was completely reborn the moment I saw you.”

Bill looked at him. “You are definitely not a Nelson to me.”

He kissed his cheek… then kissed it again… and again.

Then they kissed each other’s lips. And kissed them again… and again… and again… and then…”
 
 

 
 
‘Happy Sunday morning, Mom,’ the email began.
‘I’m coming up to Naples tomorrow in the early afternoon. I know it’s a day earlier than expected, but I really want you to meet Nell. If your guests are still there, don’t worry. We’ll work around your schedule. I’ll call or text when we get to my condo. Can’t wait for you two to meet.
Love you
See you soon
William
 
 

 
 
“Are you kidding me?” Rowan said to her laptop. She had looked at every airline that flew from Miami to Key West and not a single one had an available seat for that Sunday. She even called them all and asked if they could help. Nothing. “How is this possible!?” She wasn’t sure if her life had become a joke or a Greek tragedy.

The earliest she could get was a flight on Monday at twelve-thirty in the afternoon.

With a frustrated sigh, she booked the ticket.

She called Melissa just to be sure that Nelson hadn’t returned to Rowan’s apartment. He hadn’t. Now there was nothing to do but her laundry. She’d been living out of her carry on for three days. She needed some clean things.

“At least it’s something constructive,” she groaned as she poured everything out of her bag, gathered her clothes, and headed towards the hotel’s self-serve laundry room.”
 
To Be Continued...

A World To Give

Nelson steps in to help out his company when his twin sister, Rowan,
unexpectedly leaves to take another job. While assuming her identity, he
realizes that there is a lot more to the world than he’d previously known and
he decides to take some chances he never took before.

Nelson discovered a whole new world!

---

Author's Note: It's Sunday. Bill and Nell grow closer and Rowan gets closer to catching up with her wayward brother. Once again, thank you for all the comments. ~Clara.

Image Credit: https://perchance.org/beautiful-people
 
 
Chapter 6
 
Sunday was a quiet day. A few walks on the beach, a trip to town for homemade ice cream and a little shopping – which is something that Nelson had never been fond of, but Nell found exciting and fun. They ended the afternoon with delicious pulled pork sandwiches from a food truck near a public park.

“You are a puzzling person, you know that?” Nell said as they ate at a picnic table and watched the passersby.

“Coming from you, that is an unexpected compliment,” Bill laughed. “In what way am I puzzling?”

“Well… for instance… all the money in the world and we’re eating from a food truck. One night you have a chef come to your home to cook for us, then this. I find that puzzling.”

Bill smiled. “Well, first off, I do not have ‘all the money in the world.’ I have been lucky and successful, and I admit, I am very well off… wealthy, I suppose… but that can be isolating, too. I love to travel and see things, but I’m usually either alone or with Andy. Andy is great, but he is an employee – that is different than being a friend. Sitting here, watching people and saying ‘hi’ to them… I really enjoy that. I like to watch the kids running in the sand, the teens and college kids throwing Frisbees and footballs… it makes me feel like I’m part of the community. I feel less lonely, I guess.”

Nell nodded. “I get that. I don’t think I even knew I was lonely before. It was just how I lived my life. When I found out that Rowan was leaving, I was furious. Mostly I was mad that she was leaving Global, and since I’d gone to bat for her to get that job, I felt like it would reflect badly on me, but now that I think about it… Rowan was my only real friend. I guess I was afraid of being left alone, too.”

When they were finished, they took a walk, hand-in-hand, along the nearby beach. There was enough of a breeze to make the loose, long, white summer dress that Nell wore flow romantically behind him as he walked.

“I’m going to miss this place,” Nell said. “Everything about it is so… magical. Like one of Rowan’s cheesy movies that I was forced to watch growing up.”

“We can come back anytime you’d like,” Bill said, stepping behind Nell and putting his arms around his waist. “We can live here full time, if you’d like… but you might not love it during hurricane season. It can get pretty dicey.”

They looked at the sea and felt each other’s bodies against each other.

“Bill…?”

“Yes, sweetheart.”

“I’ve thought it over. When we get married, I don’t want to be your husband. I want to be your wife. I don’t know where all of this is headed, but from here on out I’m going to be the real me, a man who presents as a woman, with you, and be a woman to the rest of the world.”

“Fine with me, Nell.”

Nell would never tire of hearing Bill say her name. She just adored the sound of his voice.
 
 

 
 
When they returned to Bill’s home, Sophie and Andy were waiting to report on their arrangements for the next day.

“There’s a helicopter coming at noon to take you both to Naples. The forecast is good, so you should be there in forty-five to sixty minutes without any fuss,” Andy reported. “I’ll take your luggage in the town car and meet you there in the evening.”

“Perfect,” Bill nodded, expecting nothing less. He looked at Nell. “I have some small bags here if you want to bring anything with you on the copter.”

“Ok,” she nodded. Bouncing from place to place was a little disorienting and took some getting used to.

Sophie then said, “I’ve had your luggage and Miss Egan’s luggage packed. If you need anything moved to an overnight bag, please let me know.”

“Excellent,” Bill smiled. “Thank you both.”

They both acknowledged his thanks.

Sophie continued. “I called the condo management company in Naples. Your apartment will be dusted and cleaned before you arrive. I’ve given them a list of groceries to bring in – not a lot, just the basics. I’ve also asked that they add a few feminine touches to Miss Egan’s room.”

“Very good, Sophie, although I don’t think that it’s necessary to set up a separate room for Miss Egan.”

Sophie smiled. She knew that the happy couple had spent the previous night in Bill’s room. She’d turned down Nell’s bed the night before and found it undisturbed that morning. She was happy that the two of them had found each other. “Should I cancel that request, then?”

Bill thought for a moment. “No. That place was decorated by the condo company. It needs some redecorating. This can be the first step in that direction.”
 
 

 
 
“Have you heard from either of the twins?” Nadine asked Jessie as the Monday morning meeting ended.

“I heard from Rowan. She still hasn’t made it to Key West.”

“What!? It’s been three days! How is that possible?”

“Really bad luck, I guess. When I spoke to her last night around nine, she told me that she had a flight booked for early this afternoon. Hopefully, she catches up with Nelson today. She’s had a rough weekend.”

“What about the job in London? She was here on Friday and now it’s Monday… Aren’t they going to get upset?”

Jessie shrugged. “She says she needs to make sure Nelson is ok before she leaves.”

“God, I hope he’s ok.”

“Me too. Rowan should catch up with him today and we’ll find out.”
 
 

 
 
“Ms Egan?”

“Yes,” Rowan answered.

“This is Olivia at Gulf Airlines.”

“Oh, please don’t tell me there’s a problem.” That Monday morning had begun with a rather sternly worded email from Simon stating that he understood that Rowan had some family issues that needed her attention, but if she planned to continue her training at Bannon & Wick, she was expected back in London no later than Wednesday. If she was unable to be there by the start of the Wednesday workday, perhaps she should consider looking elsewhere for employment. What a wonderful way to start a new career!

“No, there’s no problem, Miss Egan. I know you’ve had a difficult time with your arrangements so far. I was just calling to tell you that we have a seat available on our eleven o’clock flight if you’d like to travel a bit earlier.”

Rowan glanced at the clock. It was nine-thirty. “I’ll take the seat. I’m at The Airport Hilton, but I’m still going to need to get an Uber to get there. If I get there by ten-thirty will that be ok?”

“Yes, ma’am. That will be fine.”

“Then I’m on my way.”

This would work. She’d find Nelson, get him out of whatever mess he’d gotten himself into, make a beeline for the airport, get him home no later than the next morning and then she’d be sleeping on a jet headed back to London by Tuesday afternoon. Yes. This would work.
 
 

 
 
“The helicopter is ready whenever you are, boss,” Andy reported, although there was no way that the noise of the vehicle could not have been heard in the house.

“We’re ready,” Bill said, grabbing a small, oxblood colored, leather overnight bag containing his clothes for the trip, in one hand and a cream-colored leather bag containing Nell’s clothes, in the other. “All set?” He asked Nell.

Nell nodded. “I’m a little nervous. I’ve never been in a helicopter before.”

“You were never in a plane before Friday,” Andy smiled. “You enjoyed that, though, didn’t you?”

“I did.” She took a deep breath. “I guess I’m ready to try another new thing, then.”

Andy winked at her. “You’re gonna love it.”

The sensation of flying was entirely different than she’d felt in a plane. The force of the air hitting the ground, the roar of the propellers… it was all so intense!

Once the vehicle reached traveling height, Bill spoke to her through the headphones. “Here we go, babe. You’re gonna love this!”

Nell looked at the clock on the control panel. It was 11:56am.
 
 

 
 
Rowan pushed the exit door to the airport open and stepped out into the warmth of Key West. It felt glorious, especially with the extreme fatigue she was carrying, but there was no time to enjoy it.

She looked at her watch. It was 11:56am. Plenty of time to get Nelson out of whatever he was doing, get him home and get back to London. There might even be time to shower at her London flat before going to work on Wednesday.

There were several vehicles with Uber lights glowing in their windshields waiting outside the airport terminal. She inquired. Some were waiting for scheduled fares, but she was able to hire the fifth one she came to.

One of the things that all of the time she’d spent waiting around had allowed was some research time. She had obtained Bill O’Connell’s address, which would have been easier if she’d gone looking for properties owned by William O’Connell when she’d started, but she assumed that, like every other business owner in America, including Jessie, he had purchased the property under the name of O’Connell Enterprises in order to write off the taxes, etc. O’Connell had purchased this property in his own name, though, and she was even able to view work permits for tradespeople who had worked on the property.

Very middle-class of him, actually.

She gave the driver the address.

“Ooh” the driver said as he pulled out. “That is a very fancy place. I’ve always wanted to drive up and see the house.”

“Why haven’t you?”

“The gates and the guard shack primarily,” he said. “I guess the guy who owns it wants his privacy.”

A chill fan down Rowan’s spine. Why did he need that kind of privacy. What that hell was that asshole doing to her innocent brother?

They got there quickly and the driver pulled slowly up to the guard shack. He rolled down the window when the guard came out.

“Good morning,” the guard said. “Can I help you?”

“Yeah, I have a passenger that is expected.”

“Hmm…” he checked his tablet. “No one is expected today. I’m sorry, but without an appointment I can’t let you in.”

The driver, who had no skin in the game, accepted this verdict and was about to put the car in reverse, but Rowan rolled down the window behind the driver. “Excuse me. I’m sorry, but I need…”

She was cut off. “Miss Egan?” The guard said. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know it was you.” He reached into the shack and pushed a button. The gate rose and the guard said, “Go on up.”

As they drove up the long drive, the driver said, “I didn’t realize you knew him.”

“I don’t.”

“Oh. Then you’re not ‘Miss Egan?”

“I am ‘Miss Egan,’ but I’m not the Miss Egan he thinks I am.”

So, Nelson was still playing this game, was he? Well, maybe he was being forced to by O’Connell. She’d find out soon enough.

As they approached the large, tan house with yellow shutters, the driver let out an impressed whistle. “Now, that’s a nice place! Not all glass and aluminum like most of the rich estates around here.”

Rowan had to agree. “Pull up by that black car,” she instructed. “I need you to wait. I won’t be long.”

As they approached the black Lincoln town car, a man appeared carrying a small, overnight bag. He saw the approaching Uber and waved it to a stop. “Can I help you? How did you get in here?” He asked as the driver’s window lowered and the door behind it opened.

Just then, a woman came jogging out of the house. “What happened? Is she ok?”

“Who?” Andy, who had just waved the car to a stop asked.

“Miss Eagan,” Sophie explained hurrying up to him. “Jim at the gate said…” she spotted the passenger who had just gotten out of the car. “Miss Egan? Are you alright?”

Andy turned and stared. “Miss Egan? Where is Mr O’Connell?”

“We’ll get to that in a moment,” Rowan said. “Where’s Nelson?”

The two stared blankly. They looked to each other before returning their gazes to Rowan.

“Nelson?” Andy asked.

“Nelson!” Rowan insisted. “My brother, Nelson. Where is he?”

“Maybe you should come in and sit,” Andy suggested, genuinely concerned for the mental health of the woman he assumed to be Nell Egan.

“Wait…” Sophie said. “When did you change your clothes?” The clothes this woman was wearing were more appropriate for the cold weather up north, and frankly, not as well made or cute as the clothes Miss Nell Egan wore. “Are you looking for Miss NELL Egan?”

“Nell?” Rowan was a little confused.

“Wait… who are you?” Andy asked.

“I’m Rowan Egan,” Rowan said, getting angry. “Where is Nelson!? I swear to God, if I don’t see him in the next thirty seconds, I’m calling 911.”

Andy knew that she could dial 911 all day, but there was no connectivity there. “Ok, look, Miss Egan, I put Mr O’Connell and Miss Nell Egan onto…”

“Ummm…” Sophie interrupted. “Maybe we should go inside.” She looked at the driver. “She’s all set.”
 
 

 
 
The view from the helicopter was incredible. They were moving fast, but they were so much lower than airplanes flew that you could see so much more. Bill pointed out pods of dolphins and a few whales as they flew over them. The Seven Mile Bridge was clearly visible and looked so fragile from the angle they passed. The sky was as blue as the ocean, and everything stretched as far as the eye could see.

Nell was shocked by the beauty of it all, and she was so grateful that she’d learned to appreciate these things.
 
 

 
 
“So, this is real!?” Rowan was still trying to process it all. “My little brother is presenting as a woman and is engaged to one of the richest men in the country?”

“I don’t think Mr O’Connell could be considered one of the richest men in the country,” Andy pointed out, just for clarity. “I don’t think he’s in the top three hundred. He is wealthy though.”

“And neither of you knew Nelson wasn’t a woman?”

Sophie cleared her throat. “No, Miss Egan. I think you are missing something we mentioned earlier. Miss Nell looks pretty much just like you, and we have no reason to assume you are not a woman. So…”

“What concerns me right now is, ‘Does Mr O’Connell know that Nell is a guy.” Andy said.

“I think he might,” Rowan said. “His colleagues at Global seemed to think that Bill knew.”

‘Oh, he definitely knows,” Sophie said.

“How can you be sure,” Andy asked.

“They spent the last two nights together in Mr O’Connell’s room.”

“Yeah, but that doesn’t necessarily mean…” Andy began.

“Oh, yes it does,” Sophie held up her hand. “I checked the room both mornings and I had the staff change the sheets both times. Trust me, Mr O’Connell and Miss Egan are very well acquainted with each other. He knows.”

“So, what now?” Rowan asked of no one in particular. She sat and put her head in her hands. “For three days I’ve been trying to save Nelson from… from what? From being happy?” She shook her head. “I just wish I could have seen him. You know, just to be sure he’s ok, before I go back to London.”

Andy stood and grabbed Rowan’s carry on by the tow handle. “Miss Egan, if you’ll come with me, I believe I can help you. If we leave now, we’ll be at the condo in Naples by 6:30 or 7:00 tonight.”

“And just so you know,” Sophie said, “nothing you told us will ever leave this room. Andy and I love Mr O’Connell and we are thrilled that he found Miss Egan.”

“Thank you both.” Rowan followed Andy to the Lincoln. He opened the back door for her, but she crossed to the far side of the town car and got in the front passenger seat, beside him.
 
 

 
 
“William!” his mother said as the elevator door opened in her condo. “Come in.” She looked at her guests, “Mae and Karen, this is my son,” she said with great flourish.

Both women said their hellos and Bill made the appropriate chit chat for a few minutes before he had a moment to take his mother aside.

“Mom, I’m here with Nell and I’d like you to meet her. Will you be alone later or is tomorrow better?”

“To be honest, William, I’m not sure when the girls are leaving, but I imagine we could get together at some point this evening.”

There was something odd about his mother’s behavior. He expected her to be more excited to meet her future daughter-in-law. “Is everything ok, mom?”

“Just fine, William, but before I meet your young lady, I would like to have a word with you.”

Even odder. “About what?”

“I am entitled to have a private conversation with my own son, aren’t I?”

“You’re acting strangely, mom. What’s going on?”

“Nothing at all, William. I would just like to go over a few things before we meet with… what’s her name, again?”

“Nell, mom. Her name is Nell.” She knew that. What kind of game was she playing?

“Ah, yes… Nell.”

Bill looked at this woman whom he’d known, literally, his entire life, and he was concerned. “You know her name, mom. Tell you what, I’m going to take Nell for a walk to show her the city. We’ll be back later. Come on up when you’re available, ok?”
 
 

 
 
“Oh, you have to go to ‘The Harp’ in Covent Gardens,” Andy was saying. Since they had left the estate, Rowan and Andy been talking nonstop about London. “It is my favorite pub in the whole city. You’ll love it.”

Rowan chuckled. “You know I have only been there a few days so far. Then, I had to come running back here to deal with Nelson. If he’d answer his phone now and again, I might have been able to go back and get to know my new city a bit better.”

“Yeah, well, that wasn’t possible. There is no cell reception at the estate in Key West. So, it wasn’t really Miss Nell’s fault.”

“I see.”

“Anyway, getting back to The Harp. If you like good British larger, they have the best, but their selection of hard ciders is the best I’ve ever seen. The food’s not bad, either. Pub-grub, but good pub-grub.”

“Sounds good,” Rowan said. “I’ll check it out. Maybe, if I make a friend or two, I might be able to make a night of it some time.”

“Maybe… I could take you some time.” Andy suggested, not looking at his passenger.

Rowan smiled. “Are you planning on being in London any time soon?”

He shrugged. “I could be. I mean… if you’d like to get together, I could plan to be in London. I have lots of vacation time saved up. If I were to come up for a few days, would you like me to show you some of my favorite places.”

He was young and handsome, well spoken and charming… why not take a chance. “I’d love that.”

Andy smiled. “How about next weekend?”

Rowan laughed. “Next weekend works for me.”
 
 

 
 
Nell was happy to get out of the condo and take a walk along the coast with Bill. Except for the beauty of the blue water, everything that she’d loved about Key West was missing. The estate in Key West was private and had beautiful tropical plants surrounding the white sand beach.

Naples was urban and crowded.

The house at the estate was gorgeous and welcoming. It reflected Bill’s aesthetic in such a warm way that it was like the house hugged her when she was there.

The condo was open concept with massive windows all around the living room. Huge, long serving bars along two walls with ugly, modern bar stools in front of them.

The sofa was steel and leather and uncomfortable. There was nothing ‘nice’ about the place. It just looked expensive and gaudy.

“I agree,” Bill said when Nell expressed her opinion. “I bought it because mom is downstairs, but I don’t much care for it. My condos in New York City and L.A. are like this, too. I just use them for business to avoid being in hotels all the time. You’d like my place in Seattle though, I think. For a while I thought I might make that my permanent home. It’s a great city, but the weather can get to you after a while.”

“So where would we live, then?”

“I guess it’s open for discussion.”

They had a mid afternoon snack at a bakery that Bill knew of. A flakey pastry of some kind with a sweet cream in it, and it really hit the spot.

More walking and window shopping followed.

“Hey, I know this great Cuban place for dinner. How does that sound?” Bill asked.

“I’ve never had Cuban food. I’m open to trying it.”

“Great! It’s just down here.”
 
 

 
 
“They must be out,” Andy said, stating the obvious. The condo was empty and silent.

“This is… ostentatious,” Rowan said, looking around.

“Yeah. Mr O’Connell doesn’t much like it either, but his mother’s place is downstairs, so he has this place so he can visit.”

Rowan nodded.

“Would you like some dinner? There are some nice places nearby.”

Rowan smiled. “I am hungry, but I would kill for a nice hot shower. The airport hotels don’t have very hot water, and they have lousy water pressure.”

“Sure,” Andy smiled as he led her through the kitchen to the back of the condo. “This is my room. You can use my shower. I’m sure that the boss will invite you to stay the night, but for now, make yourself at home in here.”

It was more of an apartment than a room. A combination living area and kitchenette with a good-sized bedroom and bathroom off it.

“This is nice,” Rowan said, honestly.

“Thanks,” Andy smiled. “Tell you what, I’ll go get some takeout while you shower. How does that sound?”

“That sounds perfect.”

“Ok. Ummm… what do you feel like eating?”

“Anything is fine. I love pizza, but I’m open to pheasant under glass as well.”

Andy laughed. “Ok. I’ll be back in about forty-five minutes. Enjoy your shower.”
 
 

 
 
It was called ‘ropa vieja’ and it was delicious. Kind of a shredded beef brisket with several sauces to enhance its flavor.

“It’s good, isn’t it?” Bill asked, seeing Nell digging in.

“Good doesn’t come close to describing it.” She tried another sauce. “Mmm… Bill, I have lived on salads and ramen my whole life. Since I met you, my taste buds have come to life. Every meal I eat with you is another adventure.”

“Glad you like it.” He glanced at his phone. “Our luggage is here. Andy sent me a text.”

Nell nodded as she chewed then swallowed. “I need to put my phone back in my bag. I got used to not having it with me in Key West.”

“It’s nice to put it aside, isn’t it?”

Nell nodded then said, “Andy’s here.”

“Yeah,” Bill agreed, taking a bite of food. “He sent the text about twenty minutes ago, so…”

“No,” Nell laughed. “He’s HERE. Right over there.” She pointed.

Bill looked. “Oh. So, he is.” He got up and walked over to the surprised driver. They spoke for a moment, then the two came back to the table.

“Miss Egan,” Andy said and nodded his head. “How was the copter ride?”

“Incredible, Andy. Just incredible. How was your drive.”

“Better than I expected,” he said, coyly.

“Oh?” Bill said. “Why’s that?”

Andy shrugged. “Oh… you know… not much traffic… nice music to listen to… just a nice ride.”

Bill accepted the answer. “Dig in if you want some,” he offered.

“Actually, I ordered takeout already.”

The couple finished their dinner just as Andy’s order was called.

“Did you drive or walk?” Bill asked.

“I walked.”

“Then walk back with us.”

It was a beautiful evening. The air was warm and salty, and the sun was just starting to set. They chatted and joked all the way back.

When they reached the condo building, Nell asked if she could just stop in at the pharmacy across the street. She encouraged the other two to go up to the condo where she’d meet them in a few minutes.

Bill told her the entry code number, and they parted ways at the pharmacy.

“Hey, boss,” Andy said. “I’m glad I have a minute because I need to tell you about something…”
 
 

 
 
Well, this day had taken some interesting turns. Nelson was actually engaged and living as a woman. That was certainly odd, but the fact that the woman he looked like was her was even odder for Rowan.

And then there was Andy. She really liked him and he seemed to like her, too.

She’d had a couple of kind of serious boyfriends before, but that was back in high school and college. Since then, she’d dated several guys off and on, but it was pretty plutonic. She went to the theater with one guy because they both enjoyed shows and each other’s company, but that was all. She went to ball games with another guy for the same reasons.

She was pretty sure the third guy was gay and using her as a beard at company events since that was the only time she ever heard from him.

Andy was good looking, seemed hard working, funny, knew a lot about movies and theater. He knew a lot about baseball, too, but he was a Yankees fan which was an issue for someone born and raised in Red Sox Nation.

Oh, this shower was amazing. Lots of hot water, but the shower head could be adjusted into a fiercely hard stream that hit her skin like lasers and after three days in airports, she needed that a kind of pressure to remove all the grime she’d gathered.

Better get out before Andy gets back.

Even the towels were elegant and fluffy.

She walked out of the bathroom into the bedroom with a towel wrapped around her in the classic dress-like manner and that’s when she realized that she’d left her carry on in the great room of the main apartment.

“Damnit,” she muttered.

She opened the connecting door to the kitchen, stuck her head out and listened.

Silence. Good.

She hurried to the large living area.
 
 

 
 
Mae and Karen called a car service, and it picked them up late that afternoon to take them back to the airport and on to Ohio from there. Bill’s mother exhaled, happy to have hosted them, but happy they had left, too.

She glanced at the clock. Not even eight yet. She sighed. She hated that she had to do what she was about to do. It would crush William, but it was for his own good.

She picked up the Manila folder with the printouts and grabbed the index card she kept in her desk drawer with the key code to his condo and pushed the elevator button.
 
 

 
 
“She just showed up?” Bill asked as Andy and he waited for the elevator in the lobby.

“She’d been trying to reach Miss Egan… Miss Nell… since Friday and was worried that you may have been violent after finding out Miss Nell was a male.”

“And only you and Sophie heard her say that?”

“I’m sure of it, boss. The boys were out by the fire pit cleaning things up. No one else was in the house.”

Bill nodded. “I know I can trust you, Andy.”

“Of course, boss.”

“Do I need to talk to Sophie, or do you think she’s ok?”

I think Sophie is trustworthy, boss. She likes working for you and loves living on the estate. You don’t need to worry about her. She’s solid. Besides, she likes Miss Nell.”

“Ok.”

The elevator doors opened.
 
To Be Continued...

A World To Give

Nelson steps in to help out his company when his twin sister, Rowan,
unexpectedly leaves to take another job. While assuming her identity, he
realizes that there is a lot more to the world than he’d previously known and
he decides to take some chances he never took before.

Nelson discovered a whole new world!

---

Author's Note: It all comes to a climax as everyone collides in Bill's Condo. Thank you for all the wonderful comments on this story. I really appreciate the support. I hope you all enjoyed the story of Nell, Bill and Rowan. I certainly enjoyed writing it.. ~Clara.

Image Credit: https://perchance.org/beautiful-people
 
 
Chapter 7
 
It took a moment or two for a rather embarrassed Nell to find the ‘adults’ section of the pharmacy. She’d really enjoyed the previous two nights with Bill, but she needed something to… there it was. ‘Trojan Arousal and Release Personal Lubricant.’ It wasn’t something that Nelson had any experience with, but Nell needed to embrace the use of such things if they were going to continue their bedroom romps.

“May I make a suggestion?” A young man with a crop top and gold tipped short hair said.

Nell had been sure no one was nearby. Where had he come from? This was very awkward for her. She wasn’t sure how she was even going to pay for these things without blushing, let alone have a discussion with someone. “Oh… I was just…”

“No need to be embarrassed, sweetie,” he said as if they were old friends. “I see you reading the cartons, so it’s obviously new to you. Believe me, sweetie, I’ve tried them all. That stuff is good, but this is better.” He picked up box labeled ‘KY Yours & Mine.’ “Try this. I guarantee you’ll love it.”

“Oh…” she was still embarrassed, but relieved. “Thank you so much.”

“My pleasure, sweetie. I’ve been there. The first time buying these things is always the weirdest.”
 
 

 
 
“Hello?” Rowan called as she leaned out of the kitchen. “Anyone here?”

No answer. The coast was clear.

She padded on her bare feet to the living room and looked around. She didn’t see her bag. Then she saw it over by the elevator and she remembered having left it there when she had entered and was looking around.

As quickly as she could, Rowan hurried to get the carry on bag. She had just laid her hand on it when the elevator, which opened directly into the condo, chimed.

“Oh, shit,” Rowan said in a quiet panic. She turned and ran back towards where she’d come.

“Hold it right there!” A woman’s voice shouted.

Rowan stopped and stood as straight as she could. Then, after a deep breath, she turned to face the woman. “Hello. I’m…”

“I know exactly who you are.” She held out a Manila folder. “In fact, I know absolutely everything about you, NELSON Egan.”

Rowan was confused. Who was this woman and why was she holding a folder with information about Nelson?

“I’m not Nelson,” Rowan said. “I’m…”

“Yes, I know all about this ‘Nell’ nonsense. I don’t know what you’ve done to enchant my William, but you’ll never get your fingers on his money, you cheap, dirty, little fairy.”

“Now just a minute!” Rowan was not only angry on Nelson’s behalf, but she was also insulted on her own behalf, too.

“No. Here’s the deal, MISSY.” The elevator chimed. “You get your butt out of Naples tonight and you never – and I mean NEVER – make contact with my son again, and I won’t call the police and press charges, but so help me God…”

“What the Hell is going on here?” Bill shouted as he entered his apartment.

“Bill! This woman…” Rowan started but was interrupted.

“William, I am sorry to have to be the one to tell you this, but this ‘GIRL’ that you are so taken with is no girl at all. She, or rather, HE is a phony.” She held up the folder. “I hired a detective to look into this person, and the report I got was confusing, but I eventually figured it all out. This tramp is just a conman, William.”

“Wait, wait, wait… You hired an investigator to check out my fiancé!?” Bill, who never sounded flustered was obviously losing his temper. “Who the hell do you think you are!?”

“I’m your mother, William, and you’re not listening to me.”

“I heard every word you’ve said,” Bill said, angrily. “You had no right, mother, no right at all to interfere with my life. I told you I was in love. That should have been enough for you.”

Andy, who had gotten off the elevator with Bill and was still carrying his order of Cuban take-out, tried to maneuver down the hall past Bill’s mother to assist his new friend, but Bill’s mother blocked him. “Mrs. O’Connell…” he started to explain, but the older woman stopped him.

“Don’t say a word,” she spat at him. “Remember your place. You are just a driver. This is a family discussion.”

“That’s enough, mother,” Bill said, taking a step forward. “Andy is my employee and my friend. You will treat him with respect, and as for Nell…” in fact, Bill had not yet grasped the fact that his mother had mistaken Rowan for Nell.

“Oh, for heaven’s sake, William!” Abruptly, she closed the swallow distance between herself and Rowan, and then without any warning, she grabbed the towel that was wrapped around Rowan and gave it a mighty pull.

Rowan let out a surprised shout as her nakedness was revealed to everyone.

There were a few seconds of paralysis that seemed to freeze everyone until Andy grabbed the towel from the grip of Bill’s mother and threw it back around Rowan.

Bill’s mother’s mouth was agape. She was standing in shock, having seen not the body of a young man when she’d removed the towel, but the body of a slender, attractive young woman.

“Oh, my God,” she said. “Oh, my God…”

Bill pushed past her and assisted Andy as he ushered Rowan back towards his quarters. “I’m sorry that happened,” he said quietly. “She had no right to do that. I have no excuse for her behavior.”

“Where’s Nelson?” Rowan asked as quietly as possible.

“She went to the pharmacy across the street. She’ll be here in a few minutes. Then we can get this straightened out.”

“No offense, Bill, but your mother is nuts.” She turned to Andy. “You need to stop him from coming up here until that crazy woman is gone. I don’t want her attacking Nelson.”

“Good idea,” Andy said. “I’ll run down now.”

“I’ll get my mother back into her apartment,” Bill said. “Give me five minutes.”

Andy ran to the elevator and pushed the button. Luckily, it opened immediately.

Bill went straight to his mother. “What the hell were you thinking, mother?”

“William… I swear… all the research I received… I was sure… I… I… I… never meant to… oh, God. That woman! I need to talk to her.”

“You’ll do nothing of the sort,” Bill snapped. “Come on. Let’s go down to your place and talk. Maybe, just maybe, if Nell forgives this UNBELIEVABLE breach of trust, we might come and say goodbye before we leave tomorrow.”

He guided her towards the elevator door. When it opened, he ushered her in and pushed the button for her floor.

“William…” she began

“No, mother, let me speak. I told you I loved Nell, didn’t I?”

“Yes… you did.”

“And instead of being happy for me, you took it upon yourself to launch this investigation into her life. Is that about right?”

“Yes, but William… you’ve worked so hard for everything you’ve earned. I had to look into who was after your money.”

“Goddamnit, mother, Nell is not after my money. If anyone took an aggressive approach in this relationship, it was me. Nell has been the cautious one, mom. I have been the eager one. I mean… come on, mother… don’t you think I would know if my fiancé was a man or a woman!? We’ve slept together, for crying out loud!”

His mother took a deep breath. “William… I do not care for the way you’re speaking to me right now.”

“Well, too bad, mom! Even if Nell wasn’t who she says she is, then you had no right to interfere in my life like this. Honest to God, I have no idea who you are right now!”
 
 

 
 
The elevator opened in the lobby and before Andy could even step out, Nell was about to step in.

“Ah, Miss Nell!” Andy said, out of breath and looking upset.

“Andy,” Nell smiled. “Did you forget something?”

“Forget something?”

“At the restaurant. Did you forget something at the restaurant?”

Andy shook his head. “No, Miss. I came down to stop you from going upstairs for a few minutes.”

“To stop me from going upstairs? Andy… what’s going on?”

Andy looked around and sighed. “Miss… right after you and Mr O’Connell left the estate in Key West, a visitor showed up.”

“Who.”

“Your sister. Rowan.”

“Rowan!? What was Rowan doing in Key West. She’s not even supposed to be on this continent.”

“She was worried about you, Miss. She had been trying to catch up to you for several days.”

“Where is she now?”

“Upstairs, Miss. She came here with me but…” he went on to tell Nell the story of what had happened upstairs.
 
 

 
 
“I’m changing my apartment entry code, mother,” Bill said to his mother after five minutes of angry conversation. “I need to cool down now. I’ll call you in the morning. We’ll see how things go from there.”

“William, please…”

“Mom… you don’t get it. You’ve violated my trust in the worst possible way. Let’s call it a night before we say things we can’t unsay. Alright?”

She nodded. “I was just doing what I thought was right, William.”

He pushed the elevator button and shook his head. “I’m done fighting for tonight, mom. Goodnight.” The door opened and he got in.
 
 

 
 
“Rowan!?” Nell called as she stepped off the elevator followed by Andy. “Rowan!?”

“She’s in my quarters, in the back, beyond the kitchen.”

They both hurried back there with Nell shouting a few times. “Rowan!?”

“Miss,” Andy said, trying to control the situation. “Please remember that Mr O’Connell’s mother lives downstairs. We don’t want her coming back up.”

Just then the door to Andy’s quarters opened and Rowan appeared. She was dressed in clothes that were not appropriate for Florida, and her hair was still wet from her shower. “Nelly!” She gasped as she threw her arms around Nell’s shoulders and she hugged her brother tightly. “Nelly… I have been trying to catch up you for days. I’m so happy you’re ok.”

Nell hugged her sister back and when it ended, she said, “Rowan… I’m so much better than ok. I’m sorry you were worried.”

Rowan took half a step back and looked at her brother. “You do look amazing. Much prettier than I do at the moment, that’s for sure.”

“I think you look as beautiful as always,” Nell said.

Rowan’s eyes opened wide. “Nelson… that’s the first time you’ve ever given me a compliment.”

Nell smirked. “Sorry about that. I’m… kind of a different person now. Becoming this… new person and being with Bill… well… it’s opened my eyes. I’m sorry you had to come all this way.”

“I see you’ve found each other,” Bill said as he arrived on the scene.

Nell smiled and moved to be beside Bill. “Ro… I wanted to tell you, but I couldn’t reach you. Bill and I are getting married.”

Rowan smiled. “So I’ve heard, although I found it pretty hard to believe. I mean, when I left for London, I had a twin brother who I assumed was straight and I was hoping would date my neighbor. Then, out of the blue, I apparently have a twin sister who is dating one of the most eligible men in America. I never expected that.”

“I hope you’re not still worried,” Bill said.

Rowan smiled. “Bill… I never expected my brother to find someone to love him. I could not be happier that you two are together.”

“We should eat before the food gets too cold,” Andy said.

The four of them sat around the kitchen table and chatted while Andy and Rowan ate. Bill told them about his mother and that he, and possibly Nell, if she felt up to it, would meet with her in the morning. “I’m sure we can reconcile things,” Bill said. “I don’t expect her to apologize, but I think we can work things out.”

“That’s great, boss,” Andy said, using his napkin. “Ummm… listen, boss, I was wondering if I could take next weekend off?”

“Sure,” Bill said. “You haven’t taken any time off in years. You probably have ten weeks or so of vacation time coming to you. Are you going someplace nice.”

“London,” Andy said to the surprise of both Bill and Nell. “I promised to show Miss Rowan some of my favorite places.”

Bill smiled. “Ah. That pub you like… The Harp… is at the top of that list, I suppose.”

“Wait,” Nell said. “So, you two…?”

“Are getting to know each other,” Rowan interrupted.

“That’s wonderful,” Nell smiled. “So, you’ll stay with us until the weekend, then?”

“No, I can’t,” I have to be back in London by Wednesday. So, I’ll have to find a flight for tomorrow morning. But now that I know you’re ok, I can concentrate on my job again.”

Nell squeezed her hand.

“Say, Andy,” Bill said. “Why don’t you call one of the charter companies and setup a private plane for Rowan?”

Andy smiled. “Ok, boss.”

‘And just to make sure that everything goes well, why don’t you accompany Rowan to London and take a few extra days off – on me. You can use my suite at The Savoy.”

Andy’s smile broadened. “That’s very kind of you, boss. Are you sure you can spare me for the whole week?”

“I’m sure.”
 
 

 
 
“Everything here is always so fresh,” Bill’s mother said as they sat at a table in the small restaurant a couple of blocks from the condo building. They had all walked there, but not together. Bill and Nell came together, and Bill’s mother came on her own. They had just placed their orders and passed their menus back to the waitress.

“Yes. I have never had a bad meal here,” Bill agreed. “Now, mom, I think we need to discuss what happened yesterday.”

She huffed a bit. “Must we? It was just a mistake.”

“And it came about because you took it upon yourself to stick your nose into things that were of no concern to you.”

His mother looked about and sighed as if this was all so unnecessary. “We’ve been through this, William. “You’re correct. I overstepped my bounds, but I did it out of love. I’m sure that Nell understands that.” She looked at Nell expecting support.

“Actually,” Nell said, “I don’t. I can’t imagine any situation in which I would rip off another person’s clothing – or covering.”

“Because you don’t have children, dear. Once you do, you’ll understand that a mother is always protective of her children. William can be… impulsive. I was only looking out for his best interests.”

Bill and Nell looked at each other. There was a long pause in the conversation.

Finally, Bill pulled out his wallet and pulled out too many twenty-dollar bills and laid them on the table. He stood. “Mom… you know I love you, but… this is too much. If you ever want to be a part of our lives, and possibly the lives of any children we may have, then you need to take some responsibility for what you did.”

His mother batted her eyes and looked around the restaurant. “Sit down, William. Please don’t make a scene.”

“I won’t,” Bill said. “We’re leaving.” He offered a hand to Nell.

Nell looked at the older woman. “Bill… I think I’ll stay and have breakfast with your mother, if that’s ok with you.”

More than a bit surprised, Bill reached for the back of his seat to pull it back out so he could sit, but Nell put her hand on it.

“If you don’t mind, Bill…”

Bill paused but considered the situation. “If you’re sure…”

Nell nodded.

“I will see you back in the condo,” he said as he leaned down and kissed his fiancé’s cheek. He looked at his mother and nodded. Then he left.

There was a long period of silence between the two women in Bill’s life. Then, as the food was laid on the table, his mother said, “Last night was unfortunate, I admit, but the information I received was confusing. It indicated that there was a Rowan Nelson Egan and a Nelson Rowan Egan and that they both graduated from the same college and worked for the same company… I guess it was just too confusing for me. I should have realized that there was only one person.”

“No, there are two,” Nell said. “My sister, Rowan, lives in London. She used to work at Global with me, but she left recently.”

Bill’s mother looked confused. “So… your name is ‘Nelson?’”

Nell nodded. “My mother had a complicated idea for naming us. I am Nelson Rowan and my twin sister in Rowan Nelson. I hope that clears that up.”

Bill’s mother nibbled at her omelet. “I’ve never met a woman named Nelson before.”

“Have you ever met a man with the first name Nelson?”

She thought for a moment. “No. I suppose not.”

“And have you ever met a woman named Rowan?”

She thought again. “No. I don’t think I have.”

“I’ve only met one, and she’s my twin sister.”

“Are you identical?”

Nell still hated that word. “No. Very similar, but not identical.”

Bill’s mother accepted this. “And William?”

Nell waited.

“Do you really care for him?”

“I love him, Mrs O’Connell. I love him with every atom of my being.”

Bill’s mother smirked just a bit. “And I suppose his money has nothing to do with it?”

Nell looked disappointed. “I don’t think there’s any point in answering that. I’ve made my feelings clear. If that’s not enough…” She stood and pushed her chair in. “Please remember I tried, Mrs O’Connell. I love Bill and I tried to make it possible for you and Bill to maintain what you have, but… Just remember… I did try.”

She left.

Nell had walked about half a block when she heard someone calling her name. She turned and saw Bill’s mother hurrying to catch up.

“Nell,” the woman said, “I… I am sorry. I am sorry for last night, and the private investigator, and mostly… I’m sorry for being who I am… or who I have been. I would like us to start over, if that’s possible.”

Nell smiled. “I am a big fan of new beginnings, Mrs O’Connell. I would love to start over with you.”
 
 

 
 
“Sophie, could you help me with this?” Nell asked.

“Of course, Mrs O’Connell.” Sophie came up behind Nell and closed pulled up the hidden zipper in the pale violet, chiffon gown. It was a flowing creation that fitted Nell’s slender build beautifully. “That is lovely,” she said.

“Thank you,” Nell smiled. “It looks like it’s going to be a beautiful day for a wedding, and you’ve done a wonderful job getting everything ready on the beach.”

“Thank you, Mrs O’Connell. I’ve enjoyed doing it. I wish we’d done something this elaborate for your wedding.”

Nell smiled. “Small and private seemed like a better idea at the time, and besides, it isn’t the wedding that’s important; it’s the marriage, and I’m very happy with my marriage.”

“As you should be.”

“Mommy, look! Uncle Andy gave me a starfish!” The little girl said, running into Nell’s room.

“Oh, Ellie,” Nell laughed. “Can’t you stay clean for ten minutes?”

They had adopted Ellie when she was nearly two years old, just a few months after their wedding, and she had brought more joy to their lives than either Bill or Nell could have imagined.

“I’m clean!” The five-year-old smiled. “I’m just a little wet at the bottom of my dress, but it will dry.” Always the pragmatist and always full of joy.

“That dress has got to look nice for Auntie Rowan’s pictures, Ellie. Sophie, could you grab me a hairdryer from the bathroom.”

“Sure,” Sophie giggled. She retrieved the appliance.

Nell plugged it in and began drying her daughter’s flower girl dress. It was the same color as Nell’s, but knee length and more modest. Nell’s dress showed just a little bit of the cleavage she had decided to have added to her torso about sixteen months after the day she’d first put on one of Rowan’s outfits. They were not big or showy. Not even as big as Rowan’s. Just perky little A-cups that made her feel more complete.

“We don’t have time to do this again, Ellie,” Nell explained. “The wedding is in less than an hour and you and I have to go help Auntie Rowan. Ok?”

“Ok, mommy.”

“I’m going down to the beach to make sure everything is ready, Mrs O’Connell.”

“Thank you, Sophie. I’ll be down soon.”

“No, Mrs O’Connell. You deal with your sister and your friends. The boys and I have everything under control.”

Minutes later, Nell joined Jessie, Nadine and Melissa in the bedroom that was typically referred to as ‘Rowan’s Room.’ Lately it had been modified to ‘Rowan and Andy’s room.’

“How do you live like this!?” Jessie moaned, looking at her useless phone. “It’s the twenty-first century, for crying out loud! Get some freaking WiFi down here.” It was a familiar rant. Jessie had visited twice previously and, on both occasions, went into what Bill referred to as ‘online withdrawal.’

Nell laughed. “You get used to it. In fact, you look forward to it.”

“Insane, that’s what it is, insane…” Jessie continued. “If your husband weren’t retiring, maybe he could afford cable and WiFi in this dump.”

Nadine and Melissa laughed along with Nell. “This place is incredible,” Nadine said. “I never get tired of it. It’s absolutely beautiful.”

“It’s like a fantasy,” Melissa added. “White sand, palm trees, blue water… I can’t believe a place like this even exists.” It was Melissa’s first time at the estate, and she was really enjoying it.

“Thank you,” Nell smiled, happy they liked her home, “but it’s pretty much as Bill had it when I got here. I love it too.” She looked around. “Where’s Rowan?”

“Staff meeting,” Jessie said. “Bill came by and asked her to go downstairs for a minute.”

“Is she dressed?”

“Not even close,” Nadine said. “She’s in a slip and a bathrobe.”

“Oh, for goodness sakes,” Nell said. “He’s stepping down in three months, and he can’t stop being the boss. I’ll go get her. Ellie, you stay with Auntie Jess, Auntie Naddy and Auntie Mel, ok?”

After Rowan’s weekend away from London, her supervisors at Bannon & Wick seemed to feel that, perhaps she wasn’t the right choice for the position. She rode it out for six months, but it became obvious that they didn’t think her heart was in her work. Who knows? Maybe it wasn’t, because at that same time that she started working there, she started spending a lot of time thinking about Andy.

After six months, she thought about going back to Global, but Bill heard she was considering a change and offered her a very good position in his company. Since then, she had risen in the ranks and had made herself indispensable.

Nell hustled down the stairs to Bill’s office and knocked as she entered. “I hate to interrupt…” Nell noticed that Rowan had been crying. “What’s goin on in here?”

Rowan was looking at a multi-page document and shaking her head. “I don’t even know what to say.”

“Say yes,” Bill encouraged. “You can say no, too, but I suspect you want to say yes.”

She shook her head and smiled. “Your timing is odd, I have to say. Couldn’t we have discussed this tomorrow?”

“I wanted it to be a wedding present,” Bill shrugged.

“What are we discussing?” Nell asked.

Rowan held up the papers. “Your husband wants to make me a full partner in O’Connell and Associates and have me become the new CEO.”

Bill had never once discussed business with Nell, so this was just as big a surprise for her as it was for Rowan.

“Would you have to pay Bill money to do this?” Nell asked.

“No,” Bill said. “I’d stay on as a board member and continue receiving my share of profits. I just wouldn’t be selling the company outright.”

“Bill,” Rowan said, “we’re talking about billions of dollars that you should have coming to you.”

“I’ve got billions of dollars, Ro. More than I will ever need. What I want is for the company to stay in the family. Who knows, maybe someday your child, or Ellie may be the CEO. That would be nice, wouldn’t it?”

Rowan shook her head. “This is… it’s too much, Bill. Can I talk to Andy about this?”

“Of course,” Bill smiled. “You know, Andy is about to become an unemployed driver-slash-assistant, who is looking for a nice place to set up a tiki bar. So, my guess is he’d be pretty pumped about the financial security this offers.”

“He probably will be, but I need to bounce it off him anyway.”

“Ok.” Bill looked at his watch. “Hey, what are you doing down here? You better go get dressed.”

Rowan laughed and headed towards the door, but she stopped and turned back to Bill. “Thank you, Bill. This is… it’s unbelievable.”

Bill shrugged. “Honestly, Ro, I think you’re the right person for the job.”

She nodded and turned.

“I’ll be right up,” Nell said.

When Rowan had left, Nell went to her husband and hugged him.

“What’s this all about?” Bill asked.

“You’re a good guy, Bill O’Connell, you know that?”

He ran his hands up and down Nell’s smooth arms. “I’m doing my best, Nell.”

The sound of his voice saying her name still made her weak in the knees.

“You’re the best.” She kissed him. “You’re daughter, on the other hand…”

Bill laughed. “I know. I was the one who stopped her from wading in the ocean and brought her up to you. She isn’t the lady her mama is, but she’s pretty damned awesome.”

Nell smiled. “She is.”

“Is she sitting with the other bridesmaids after she throws her rose petals?”

“She’s sitting with your mom. She’d rather sit with Jessie, Nadine and Melissa, I’m sure, but that might upset your mom. So…”

“It’ll be fine,” Bill smiled.

“I better go help Rowan get dressed.”

“Mommy, Auntie Ro said I’m the prettiest girl here.” Ellie said as Nell came back into the room.

“Wow!” Nell laughed. “Auntie Ro is really nice to say that, isn’t she? Doesn’t Auntie look beautiful?”

“She does.”

“Yeah, I look beautiful, alright,” Rowan laughed, “with my makeup running because my stupid brother-in-law wants to give me the world.”

Nell hugged her, and they were joined by Ellie, of course. “He doesn’t have the world to give, Ro. He wants to give you an opportunity. He already has given the world away, and I’m not giving it back.”

“You’re going to take it, aren’t you?” Jessie asked, positive that there was no other option.

“I don’t know,” Rowan said. “Maybe… probably… I mean… I should, right? … I just don’t know.”

“Nay,” Nell said to Nadine, “I think that my hairdresser, Steph, is still doing my mother-in-law’s hair and makeup. Could you knock on that door and ask her to touch up the bride before the wedding?”

“Sure.”

Rowan looked in the mirror and shook her head. “I don’t know if there’s any fixing this mess,” she laughed. “Just look at my face.”

Nell stood next to her sister. “I love your face. I look at it every morning when I look in the mirror.”

It was true, they did look very similar. NEARLY identical. Rowan had changed her hair style and color a few times in the last three years. Currently she sported a slightly longer cut that was a golden brown. It was very pretty. Nell retained the Rowan look she’d adopted at the start of her new life.

When her makeup had been repaired and a few preparatory breaths had been taken, Nell and the girls got Rowan’s gown ready. It wasn’t a lacy, puffy meringue affair. It was a sleek, silky gown that hung beautifully on her. It had been designed by a trendy designer that Rowan had begun to patronize when her income had allowed her to invest in such things.

A photographer memorialized the dressing of the bride in dozens of pictures, the final one being Nell and Ellie buttoning up the row of dozens of tiny buttons on the rear of the dress.

Then they headed to the beach and the actual wedding service. It was a secular affair with a local Justice of the Peace presiding and about fifty people in attendance. Mostly friends of Rowan’s and a few friends of Bill and Nell. Of course, Lloyd and Franny from Ken’s Restaurant were there. They had closed the restaurant for the day to attend – something that had only happened once before, and it was to attend Bill and Nell’s wedding right here, in this same spot.

Bill and Andy and the rest of the groomsmen waited by the arch of flowers, all looking handsome in their tailored tuxedos.

The string quartet began playing the Pachelbel Canon, which meant it was time for Ellie to walk down the aisle formed between the folding chairs, spreading rose pedals as she went. When she reached the arch of flowers, Melissa followed. When Melissa reached the arch of flowers, Nadine followed her, and then Jessie stepped off when Nadine reached the arch.

As they waited for the quartet to start playing the Handel Hornpipe, Rowan said, “You know, when I was a little girl, I used to dream about my wedding, and it was never this beautiful.”

Nell smiled at her sister, happy that she was happy.

“But no matter where I pictured my wedding – in a country church, at a cathedral, at a winery – one thing was always constant: you were always beside me.” She hugged her sister. “Always my Man of Honor.”

“Sorry I let you down,” Nell said with a smile.

“Never,” Rowan smiled and squeezed Nell a little tighter. “Who would have thought that the Egan kids, the poorest scholarship kids at Worcester Polytechnic Institute would end up this happy. You are happy, aren’t you?”

“I couldn’t be happier, Ro. I’m married to a man who I love and who loves me, I have Ellie and I get to live here… at least most of the time.”

Rowan kissed Nell’s forehead. “My beautiful little brother,” she said. “Oops. I got lipstick on your forehead.” She rubbed it off just as the Handel ‘Hornpipe’ began.

“I have to go,” Nell smiled. She took a few steps, then stopped, turned and said, “I love you, you know.”

Rowan smiled. “I love you, too, Nelly. And I love that we say to each other all the time now.”

“Me too.”

Suddenly, Ellie reappeared. “Mommy, they’re waiting for you. Come on.”

“Ok, my little love,” Nell’s said with a big smile. “Take mommy’s hand and let’s go.”