December 26, 2016
1pm
Columbia Presbyterian Hospital
"Logan is going to completely freak out!" Rory said excitedly as she stood in the hospital lobby with her Grandfather, waiting while Logan was paged to meet them.
"We make a great team, you and I."
"Yes we do! You are my favorite manipulation buddy! There is no one better in the world, than you Grandpa."
"Well, my dear, you make an excellent partner! I have definitely taught you well over the years."
"Hey Ace! Richard! What are you guys doing here? Is everything ok?" Logan asked, as he approached the duo.
"Doctor Huntzberger, how are you doing this fine afternoon?" Richard asked.
"I'm doing well. How are you? If I didn't know better, I would think that you two are up to something?"
"Well, I can't say that your accusation is exactly wrong." Richard chuckled.
"Hey Babe, would you mind looking over this paperwork for me? It needs your signature, so I can get it sent out by the end of the day." Rory said, as she pulled a folder containing some paperwork out of her purse and handed it to Logan.
"What is this?" Logan asked.
"Why don't you open it and find out." Richard told him as Logan raised his eyebrows and looked at the pair questioningly.
"You two are definitely up to something . . ."
"Please, you and I both know that Grandpa would never let me do anything bad." Rory laughed as Logan slowly opened the folder to see what paperwork he had just been handed.
"No way!?! Is this for real!?!"
"Oh it's real alright!" Richard told him.
"Seriously?!"
"Uh huh!" Rory answered.
"You two managed to buy out Franklin Huntzberger?!"
"Bought him out, took him out. Potato po-tat-o." Rory told him.
"This is real? As in he's gone? Off the board? Off my last nerve? Out of my office?"
"Out of your life!" Richard confirmed. "He's moving to the Carribbean."
"No way! How much did this cost us?"
"Now what makes you think that it cost us anything?" Rory asked, feigning innocence.
"Please, he's a Huntzberger. And I tried to buy him out once before." Logan said as he flipped through the paperwork.
"He's boarding the company jet in an hour, and a moving company has been hired to pack up his house and transport his belongings to his new place of residence." Richard explained.
"For real?"
"And I had to buy his shares." Rory added.
"But he's gone. For good?"
"Off the board and out of our lives!"
"Ace! You are amazing!" Logan said excitedly as he threw his arms around his wife.
"I told you that people change."
"I am taking you guys to dinner tonight, to celebrate. Anywhere you want." Logan said as he let go of Rory, and looked to Richard. "I can't believe the two of you pulled this off."
"Well, Rory told me that you had a little headache to deal with on the board, and asked if I might be able to help her take care of it. It was the least I could do for my favorite Granddaughter."
"And I might have given his shares to Grandpa." Rory told him.
"Hey, I have no problem with that at all!" Logan laughed.
"When do you get off work?"
"In about an hour or so. Why don't you two head home, and decide where you want to go to dinner tonight. Call in a reservation, and I'll take everyone out tonight, when I get home."
"Deal!" Rory agreed as Logan handed her back the folder.
"Was there actually something that needed my signature, or was that just an excuse for you to come visit?"
"You'll need to sign the check before it goes out, and the stock transfer paperwork, but that can all be done later."
"Alright. I'll call the accountant."
"Thanks Babe!" Rory smiled.
"You guys head home and decide where you want to eat, and I'll meet you there as soon as I can."
"Come on my dear. We've got some planning to do." Richard said as he held his arm out for Rory.
"Drive safe." Logan told them.
"Will do!"
"I love you. Be safe coming home, ok?" Rory said giving Logan a quick kiss, then linking her arm through her Grandfather's and heading for the door. "Grandpa, did you see how excited Logan was?! We totally pulled it off!"
"That we did my dear. That we did." Richard cheerfully agreed as the automatic doors slid open, allowing the duo to pass through.
* ~* ~* ~* 3:30pm –Huntzberger Home * ~ * ~ * ~ *
"Hey Ace?! Anyone home?" Logan called, walking into what appeared to be a completely empty, silent house a couple hours later.
"Living room!" Rory called back.
"Hey, it's awfully quiet in here." Logan said as he walked into the living room to see Rory reading a book.
"That it is. How was work?"
"It was alright. How was your day? Where is everyone?"
"My day was great! But you already knew that."
"Did you and Richard decide where you want to go for dinner?"
"It's just the two of us. We can go wherever."
"Where is everyone? When I left this morning, we had a house full of people."
"There's a storm rolling in, and Grandma thought it would be best to head home before it got dark."
"So everyone left?"
"Anna and April left this morning for their girls trip. Dad, Gigi and Francine left shortly after because Dad had to get back for work. Mom and Luke left with Grandma and Grandpa about an hour ago. They were all going to stay, but with the storm coming in, Grandma thought it would be best for them all to get back home before it gets dark, so they could have everything ready if they needed it before the storm stars. The storm is supposed to hit us around midnight, andt hem around 4 or 5 in the morning."
"So it's just us tonight then."
"That's right." Rory said as she set her book down on the table in front of the couch.
"Did you want to go out, or would you rather stay in?"
"I'm ok with going out. We should be fine as long as we are home at a decent hour."
"You said Franklin was flying out on the company jet this afternoon?"
"They are in the air as we speak. Franklin, his wife and daughter. And I sent Doyle with them to make sure they don't steal the plane."
"With the storm rolling in, is Doyle going to be able to make it back?"
"I honestly don't know. I feel pretty bad because that didn't even occur to me until a little while ago when Mom and Grandma were telling me about the storm. The flight is under 4 hours, so there's a chance he'll make it back tonight. But if he doesn't we'll be paying for his hotel until it's safe to come home."
"Was Paris ok with all this?"
"I don't know, I haven't talked to her today. I'm guessing she won't be if he doesn't make it back."
"Why don't you go call her. Tell her that she can come here and we'll help with the kids if she wants to. We don't have five flights of stairs to contend with, so she'll probably jump on it."
"They have a nanny to help out."
"And five flights of stairs with no elevator." Logan pointed out.
"I'll call her."
"I'm going to go call Honor and see if they need anything before the storm hits." Logan said as he headed into his office to put his bag down.
"Baby wants Mexican food!" Rory called after him.
"Call Paris while you go change, and we'll go to El Parador." Logan called back.
"Hey Paris." Rory said a moment later, as Paris answered her phone.
"Rory, how are you feeling?" Paris asked.
"I'm good. I'm actually calling to check in on you."
"I'm alright. I hear you sent Doyle on a babysitting adventure to the Cayman Islands."
"I did. And I had no idea there was a storm rolling in until about an hour ago when I got home. I am so sorry! We are watching the weather, and hoping to get Doyle home safe tonight. But if they're unable to get back, Logan and I will be taking care of Doyle's hotel and all expenses until we can get him back home."
"I would expect no less."
"If you want to, you and the kids are welcome to come stay with us. Logan and I are going to dinner at El Parador if you'd like to join us. I know you have Mariqua, but our house has four less flights of stairs than yours does. You know you are welcome here any time. We are happy to help with the kids while Doyle is gone. Actually, we are happy to help any time, but especially while Doyle is gone."
"Thanks Rory, I appreciate the offer. We should be fine at home. La Parador sounds delicious though. What time should we meet you?"
"Can we meet at 5? Is that enough time?"
"I'll get the Munchkins dressed right now. They'll be excited to see you guys. They LOVE your presents!"
"I am excited to see them. I'm glad they love the presents. I had a lot of fun shopping for them."
"Is your Mom still with you? They've been begging for Nanna Lorelai!"
"She's not. Mom and Luke left with my Grandparents a little while ago. They were going to stay, but they wanted to get home before it got dark, in case they needed to do anything before the storm hits."
"That makes sense. I'm going to go get the kids ready. I'll see you at the restaurant."
"Thanks Paris. See you soon." Rory said, then ended the call, and headed for Logan's office. "Paris and the kids are meeting us at the restaurant at 5. I'm heading upstairs."
* ~* ~* ~* 5pm - El Parador * ~* ~ * ~ *
"Attie Ory!!!!" Paris' kids cheered as they walked in the door of the restaurant to see Rory and Logan waiting for them.
"My babies! I've missed you guys!" Rory said as she crouched down to hug the twins.
"What do you say to Aunty Rory?" Paris asked.
"Thank you for my presents!" the twins both said together.
"They are so cute when they do that!" Rory gushed. "Are you guys hungry? Aunty Rory is starving and needs something eat. Should we get ourselves some good food?"
"Yes please!" the twins answered.
"I think you have the most well trained children in the state." Logan said as Rory stood back up, and reached for the kids' hands.
"Mr. Huntzberger, we have your table ready for you." a hostess said as she stepped up to the group.
"Perfect timing! Let's go!" Logan said, holding his arm out, directing everyone to follow the hostess to their table.
"Do you have chocolate milk?" Paris asked the hostess as they got settled at the table, and buckled the kids into booster seats.
"We sure do. I'll bring you a couple glasses. What can I get the rest of you to drink?"
"I'll take a lemonade." Rory answered.
"Same for me." Paris echoed.
"I guess you can make that three." Logan agreed.
"No problem. I'll be right back." the hostess smiled, then walked away.
"So Rory, care to explain today's babysitting adventure to me?" Paris asked as she took a seat between her kids.
"You'll actually like this one." Rory chuckled. "I totally pulled a Paris."
"How so?"
"Logan's uncle was on the board of directors, and was being a royal pain in the butt. Always arguing with us, questioning everything, making snide comments, and always provoking a fight with Logan over anything and everything he could think of. Logan and I were talking last night, and he was saying that the only way to get rid of the guy, and get him off the board, was either for the guy to kick the bucket, or for us to buy him out."
"I've tried to buy him out before, and the guy told me exactly where to shove it." Logan added.
"So this morning, I went to Grandpa, and asked for his advice on what to do to get the guy out. I told him what Logan said, and Grandpa agreed that buying him out was a heck of a lot faster, not to mention, easier, than waiting for nature to take its course."
"And way more legal than hiring someone to assist nature." Paris agreed.
"Exactly! So Grandpa and I went down to the office after breakfast, and we did a little bit of research, to find out exactly how much stock the guy owned in the company, and how much it would cost us to buy him out. Then we came up with a number that we thought would be a fair incentive to make him take our offer, and walk away, and a second number as a last resort."
"So you and Richard came up with a game plan." Paris commented as a server came over with their drinks, to take their food order.
Flashback to earlier that morning
"So what you're saying is that five thousand is what his stock is worth?" Rory asked.
"That is correct." Richard agreed." I would offer him seven and negotiate from there."
"Sow hat do you think would be our best bet to get him out?"
"Well, how comfortable are you with offering him ten? It's twice what his shares are worth. Definitely way more than her deserves, I'm sure."
"I doubt Logan will want to go that high."
"So let's use ten as a last resort then. We'll go as high as 8, and play it by ear."
"Ok, so Grandpa how do we do this? How do we buy him out? Do we just call him in and say 'Hey Franklin, let me buy your shares?' I've never done this before."
"We call him in here, and talk to him a little bit. We ask how he's doing, how his Christmas was. Then we ask him what his interests and goals are, and where he sees himself in the future. We ask him about retirement, and if he's thought about taking a step back. It's a fishing expedition. We find out as much about him as we possibly can, and then we use it against him. Most of the Huntzberger family members have a second home somewhere out of town. Martha's Vineyard, the Caribbean, Mexico, Europe. We find out where his second home is, and we give him every reason to retire and move there permanently. We do what we need to do in order to get him out of HPG, and out of New York. If we need to, we buy him plane tickets for the first flight out."
"Well if we're going to be funding his travel, then he needs to take the low end of our offer."
"Exactly! See, you're learning! We discretely take notes as we talk, and build a plan as we go. Then when the moment is right, we spring it on him, and hope that he takes the bait."
"Sow hat happens if we get him to agree to sell?"
"We immediately have him sign a contract before he has a chance to think things over and either back out, or come back with a counter offer."
"So we need to prepare a contract then."
"Yes, we need to have a general contract prepared that can quickly be filled in with details at the last second." Richard agreed.
"Hey Doyle?" Rory said, pushing a button on the phone sitting on the desk next to her. "Can you come in here please?"
"What's going on?" Doyle asked, walking through the door a moment later.
"Close the door, Son." Richard instructed.
"Alright?"
"Doyle, we need your help with something." Rory told him.
"I'm at your service. What can I do?"
"We need you to draw up a contract to buy out one of the board members." Richard explained.
"Which Huntzberger are we axing?"
"Franklin." Rory answered.
"Logan's favorite person."
"Exactly! Grandpa and I came up with what we think is a fair plan. But we need to put it into writing."
"And there will be some negotiations when we call him in for a sit down, so we will need your help with filling some things in so we can have him immediately sign, as soon as we get him to agree to our terms."
"So we need an amendable buy out contract." Doyle surmissed.
"That is correct."
"Alright, that sounds easy enough. I'll be right back with my laptop." Doyle said, then quickly left the office, and ran next door to grab his computer.
~ * ~ * ~ * 5:45pm, El Parador* ~ * ~ * ~ *
"This food is amazing! I don't think I've had Mexican food this good in a really long time. How did you guys find this place?" Paris asked as they all sat eating their dinner.
"Logan and I have been trying different restaurants around town every time we go out. Someone at the office mentioned this place to me about a month ago, and Logan and I fell in love with it." Rory told her.
"It's the best Mexican food I've ever had, outside of Mexico and California." Logan agreed.
"There is some amazing Mexican food in Mazatlan." Paris told them. "This restaurant Doyle and I went to on our Honeymoon was just incredible. It's the best food I've ever had in my life!"
"I've never been to Mazatlan." Rory told her.
"Well it sounds like you guys need to go there then. Maybe when the baby is old enough, you can take a trip."
"Is this you volunteering to babysit?"
"I have a nanny."
"I'm kidding!" Rory told her.
"I'd be more than happy to babysit for you guys for a short time. But you know my schedule. We have a nanny for a reason. Between me working so much, and you keeping Doyle busy, Mariqua spends a lot of time with the kids."
"Well you guys are doing an amazing job, because your kids are incredibly well behaved."
"You guys are such good eaters." Logan said, admiring Paris and Doyle's kids as they quietly ate their dinner.
"They love Mexican food." Paris explained. Mariqua makes it for them a a lot. Quesadillas are their favorite."
"I hope our kids are as well behaved as yours." Rory told her.
"Unfortunately with Logan as their father, you may be screwed!" Paris said pointedly.
"Hey! I wasn't a bad kid." Logan defended himself.
"That's not the story that I've heard. I know for a fact that Rory was a complete saint, but you . . . Your sister has told me plenty of stories about your antics."
"Well with Rory as their mother, I'm sure we'll have a decent chance." Logan said, gently nudging his wife.
"So Rory, you, Richard and Doyle got the guy to agree to your terms?" Paris asked.
"It took some negotiations."
Flashback to earlier that morning
"Hey Franklin! Thanks so much for coming in. Why don't you take a seat." Rory smiled as she welcomed Franklin into her office. "You remember my assistant Doyle, and my grandfather, right?"
"I do. How are you doing Richard. It's been a long time since we last saw each other. How is Emily?"
"Emily is doing very well. She is keeping busy getting ready for our new grand baby in the spring. How is Patricia?"
"Patricia is doing great! She's at home planning our next trip to our summer home, in the Caribbean."
"Oh I bet she's dreaming of much warmer weather right now. Winters in New England are brutal." Richard chuckled. "You have a daughter, don't you?"
"Yes, Tiffany. She just graduated from Yale over the summer."
"Yale sure is a great school. Runs in the family. What is Tiffany doing now that she's free of the confines of school?"
"Tiffany is actually living in Peru at the moment. She's a paleontologist. Right now she is on a dig of some sort. When we spoke with her yesterday, she said that the study she is working on will be a featured story for National Geographic in the coming months."
"Wow! That is amazing! What a unique job!" Rory commented. "You must be very proud of her."
"It sounds like she has a very important job. She didn't get to come home for the holidays?" Richard asked.
"Not this year. Maybe in a few months." Franklin answered.
"Well maybe you can go visit her soon. It's tough to be away from family during the holidays."
"Patricia was definitely disappointed, but such is life. Kids all have to grow up sometime."
"That they do. Just you wait though, before you know it, you'll have grandkids running all around your house."
"Maybe. That is all up to Tiffany. She's very focused on her career right now."
"Hey, there is nothing wrong with that!" Rory chimed in. "After I graduated, I was home for a week before leaving to work on the Campaign Trail with Barack Obama. I was gone for 18 months, with only like 14 days home total. It's ok to be focused on your career. I put my career first straight out of college too. I'm glad she's putting her own career first, instead of focusing on someone else. It's important to figure out who you are, separate from everything else. Figure out exactly what you want from life before trying to figure out how to fit others into it. It's for the best."
"I agree!" Richard smiled. "Maybe you and Patricia can go visit Tiffany in Peru. Maybe take a tour of South America while you're there. There are some wonderful sights to see out there. Argentina is beautiful!"
"Maybe we'll have to do that this next year. Patricia wants me to retire. Now that Tiffany is out of school Patricia thinks it would be nice to travel."
"Retirement is the greatest luxury! I'm only semi-retired now. I work when I want to, wherever I want to, and I travel with Emily. We come up here to spend time with Rory and Logan whenever we can. We take a month in Europe over the summer."
"Europe is Patricia's favorite."
"Well I can't say that I even blame her one single bit. Europe is amazing! I'm not sure we will be going this summer with the new baby coming, but you should definitely go for us. Have an amazing time!"
"Grandpa, you don't have to miss going to Europe because of me." Rory told him.
"Don't be silly Sweetheart. Your Grandmother and I are planning to be right here with you to help you out with the baby, as much as you'll let us. We wouldn't dream of being anywhere else!" Richard said, reaching over to squeeze Rory's hand.
"So Franklin, you said that your wife Patricia wants you to retire. What is stopping you?" Rory asked. "As much as we love having you here, if you want to go travel the world with your wife, your daughter is now out of college, so this is the perfect opportunity."
"I can't go until Mitchum comes back."
"Mitchum had two massive heart attacks. I'm not sure when he'll be back. He's got several more months of rehab ahead of him before his doctors will even consider thinking about the possibility of eventually allowing him to return. There is no point in you postponing your retirement to wait for him. Don't let what Mitchum is doing hold you back."
"I have to wait for Mitchum to get back before I can retire. Logan might have been raised in this company, but he has no idea how to run it. I can't let that irresponsible, mindless drunken playboy run HPG into the ground."
"Franklin, Logan isn't running, this company." Richard told him. "Rory is."
"What makes you think that Logan is running this company?" Rory asked. "He's not even here. I won't argue with you about Logan's past, but he is a doctor now, working full-time at the hospital. And in all honesty, he has zero interest in working here. Logan wants nothing to do with this place. And the only reason that he's been here at all, is to help get me acclimated."
"Logan sure acts like he's the one running things."
"Would you like me to call him, so he can tell you how much he despises this place?"
"Logan doesn't know the first thing about running this company. My father and Mitchum built this company from the ground up, an I'll be damned if I let that frat boy destroy all of their hard work!" Franklin said sternly.
"Franklin, Logan has no interest in working here. Do you really think he would have put 8 years into going to medical school after graduating from Yale, if he planned to take over for Mitchum someday?" Richard asked. "Because that seems like an awful big waste of time and money if you ask me!"
"I probably shouldn't even be telling you this . . ." Rory started. "But when Mitchum had his first heart attack, someone needed to step up to run things, and Logan panicked. He is so busy with his medical career, and he was afraid that he was going to have to quit his job to come here to take over for Mitchum . . . Logan loves his job! I've seen it firsthand. He loves being a doctor. And he's damn good at it. There is no way that Logan was going to bail on his career, without a fight."
"Why didn't Honor take over then? Mitchum has two kids, you know." Franklin stated.
"Honor has other things going on, and she's also taking care of Mitchum full-time. She has a lot on her plate, and even though she has a journalism degree from Yale, like the rest of us, she isn't in a position to step in. When Logan and Honor had to decide what to do with HPG while Mitchum recovers, they asked me to step in. I'm the one person that they both felt would be best suited to take over. I know the newspaper industry. I've worked my entire life to get to where I am today. I went to Chilton where I was on the newspaper staff, and graduated at the top of my class as Valedictorian, with honors. Then I went to Yale, and I worked with Mitchum as an intern at the Stamford Eagle Gazette right after he bought it. After that, I was the editor of the Yale Daily News. Then after I graduated, I worked as a political reporter on the campaign trail with Barack Obama for 18 months. And after that, I worked as a features writer and editor for The New York Tim several years, until Logan and Honor asked me to come help out, and take over for Mitchum. I have all the experience that I need to do this job. I am the current CEO, and I'll be here full-time until either Mitchum is able to come back, or until I decide to leave. But I can assure you that I am the one running this company. So your not wanting to leave Logan in charge of things is completely unfounded. I happen to think that Logan would do an incredible job if he were to take over for his father, but he doesn't want to. Logan fought to get out of here, and he is very happy in the career that he chose for himself. Do you really think that if Logan were the one running things that he wouldn't be here every single second, just like Mitchum always was?"
"Logan is here an awful lot."
"Because he's on the board. And because I asked him to help me out."
"So why does he act like he is running things?"
"He's a Huntzberger. It runs in your blood!" Rory laughed.
"So what is your plan then? Are you planning to turn HPG over to the Gilmore family?"
"How well do you know the Gilmore family?" Richard asked.
"Not very well obviously."
"Well let me tell you something . . . Rory is the last of the Gilmores. She is also a Hayden."
"Hayden. . . I know that name."
"You probably knew Strobe and Francine."
"Stobe passed several years ago, didn't he?"
"He did. His son Christopher, Rory's father, took over the family business."
"Strobe Hayden is your Grandfather?" Franklin asked, looking to Rory.
"That is correct."
"Rory comes from a strong family background, and I've helped to guide her to the best of my ability. There is no doubt in my mind that Rory will continue to do a wonderful job leading HPG."
"Franklin, if you would like me to, I can show you our current financials. In the two months since I took over the company, our finances have dramatically improved, and I have no plans to end that upward trend. We are making more money now than we were when Mitchum was running things. I've been implementing a lot of changes, and there are many more coming. One of those changes is that I am also going to be submitting articles for our papers, myself. That is something that Mitchum never did. I will cover whatever topics I need to, which in turn saves us having to hire several more writers for each individual department. I have the experience, and I am happy to help out where needed."
"You are going to write?"
"I am! I love writing! And the one great thing about being the boss is that I can assign myself the best pieces. And anything that I'm not comfortable writing about, or don't have much knowledge on, I can assign to someone else. I like to lead by example. And you know who else will be writing articles? My assistant, Doyle."
"I was the Editor of the Yale Daily News too." Doyle commented. "I used to be Rory's boss."
"So you're a journalist as well?" Franklin asked.
"Rory hired me away from The Wall Street Journal to get me to come here."
"So you're saying that with the two of you, we have direct experience from our biggest competitors."
"That is correct." Rory confirmed. "With Doyle and I on staff, we could easily over take both of those papers if we wanted to. We know exactly how they run, and how to take them down if they get in our way."
"Have you thought about buying them out?"
"It's been discussed."
"And?"
"Maybe in the future. Those would be very large purchases that I am not currently comfortable making."
"But if the opportunity were to present itself in the future."
"I'll look into it."
"You know that Mitchum has wanted to buy out The New York Times for years."
"That's what I've been told. If the opportunity were to present itself, I would definitely talk to Mitchum about it."
"Do you talk to Mitchum often?"
"I see him almost daily."
"We had breakfast with Mitchum this morning." Richard added.
"So if I were to retire, at least you know what you are doing."
"I do." Rory agreed. "Look Franklin, today is December 26th. It's about to be a new year. Wouldn't you like to start your new year off on a fresh page? You can start an entire new chapter in your life right now. And I'm prepared to help you do it."
"What do you mean?"
"Franklin, you've been on the board here at HPG for a very long time. That is a ton of responsibility. And even if you retire and go traveling with your wife, it would be a pain in your butt to have to come back to New York all the time, for board meetings, whenever I need to call them. I would hate to interrupt your trip somewhere fabulous, just to drag you back here for a couple of hours. That would be very financially unfair to you. So I'm going to make you an offer. I will buy your shares of HPG, that way we can guarantee your uninterrupted freedom, and much deserved retirement. You've worked hard over the years, and you deserve to go enjoy yourself with your wife. Go visit your daughter in Peru. Take a month in Europe. Heck, you can even move into your home in the Caribbean if you want to. I doesn't have to be your summer home anymore. Maybe make your home here in New York your summer home. Of you can even sell your home here, and put all that money into your travels. Buy yourself a yacht, and sail around the world. You can even live on a cruise ship if you want to. I've heard that a lot of retired couples are doing that now. You can sail around the world on a permanent cruise, with all kinds of amazing amenities, the best food in the world, you get to meet different people all the time. Heck, I think I may even do that someday because it sounds so nice. Let me buy you out so you can go have an amazing time traveling with your wife."
"What's the catch?" Franklin asked.
"There is no catch. I will pay you the full fair market value of what your shares are worth. I'll even pay you extra as a retirement gift."
"What's in it for you?"
"Nothing at all. Just the knowledge that I was able to help out a family member. It's the least that I can do."
"And who would you have replace me on the board?"
"I'm not sure. Maybe I'll ask my Grandfather to step in for a while? He's going to be in town all the time to visit my baby, so I might as well give him something to do."
"I would be happy to step in." Richard agreed.
"See! It's all settled. If you would like to retire today, I'll get you a check to more than cover your shares. Maybe you can even go surprise your Daughter in Peru. Celebrate Christmas a little late with her."
"I'm not sure how soon we would be able to plan a trip."
"Well I do have access to the Huntzberger jet. What if I put you on the jet tonight? I will buy your shares and put you and Patricia on the plane tonight, to go see your daughter."
"What if we go to our home in the Cayman Islands instead?"
"How soon would you like to go? Our pilot is always on call."
"I'll text him right now." Doyle said as he reached for his phone.
"Franklin, I did a little bit of research, and the shares of HPG that you own are worth a total of five grand. Why don't I give you seven, and I'll put you and your wife on the plane to the Cayman Islands tonight. You'll be basking in the gloriously warm weather before you know it! No more snow, no more cold! How does that sound?"
"I don't understand what is in it for you?"
"There is absolutely nothing in it for me. I'll have to find a replacement for you. Someone to take over your position both in the office and on the board. I'll be taking a big loss. But I'm not Mitchum, and I refuse to do things the way that he does. I actually care about my employees, and I want what is best for you, and for you to be happy. So I am willing to spend the rest of this week trying to fill the void that you will be leaving here at HPG, but I'll be taking comfort in the knowledge that I did something good for someone else. That I helped a family member to retire, and reconnect with his wife and daughter."
"So there is really no catch? That is very un-Huntzberger like."
"Well I was raised by Gilmores." Rory laughed. "If you'd like, I'll make the catch that you have to send me a post card from all of the fabulous places that you visit? How does that sound? You won't have to come back for constant board meetings, and you can brag all about the super fun things you've done and all the fabulous sights that you've gotten to see. I'm already getting jealous. I might have to come visit you."
"Promise you won't bring Logan. I like you, but Logan is too much like his father."
"Deal!" Rory agreed, holding out her hand.
"The pilot says that he can have the jet ready as soon as 2pm. How does that sound?" Doyle asked.
"Does 2:00 work for you?" Rory asked.
"2:00 should be doable." Franklin agreed as he slowly reached out to shake Rory's hand.
"Alright then. Let's get your retirement paperwork signed, and we'll get you out of here and on your way to sunnier climates." Rory smiled as Doyle pulled papers off of the printer and handed them to Rory.
Endof Flashback
"Wow! So he agreed just like that?!" Logan asked.
"I promised to not bring you to visit him, and it made him happy. The guy really hates you!" Rory laughed.
"I have to say Gilmore, I'm impressed!" Paris told her. "You played very nice, even after the jerk completely insulted your husband."
"I wasn't about to argue with him. You know Logan's reputation as well as anyone. Clearly, arguing with the guy wasn't going to end well ,and we wanted to get him out as quickly and as painlessly as possible. Logan hates HPG. I just told the truth. Logan didn't want to take over that place, so he begged me to do it. I mean, Logan is my partner CEO, but as Logan continues to tell me, he doesn't want the job, and doesn't want me reminding him that he actually is helping me do it. There is no way Logan will ever agree that he actually is helping me run things. And his it was in his Uncle's best interest to stick with Logan's side of the story, so that's exactly what I did. Logan and Honor made me the CEO because neither of them wanted the job."
"I am shocked and completely amazed by you!" Logan said as he slid his arm around his wife. "I never thought that Franklin would willingly retire. That guy would have made sure to out live me, just so he could make my life miserable."
"Hey, you wanted him out, and I got it done."
"And you did it nicely, and convinced the guy that you were doing him a favor. That guy got Gilmored!"
"What can I say, I was raised by the best!" Rory smiled proudly.
"I am so proud of you right now, Ace!"
"I purposely sent Doyle on the plane with the guy under the guise that Doyle is helping to make sure they have an amazing flight, but really so that I can be sure we get the jet and pilot back in one piece. Sorry I had to borrow your husband Paris, but the guy needed a babysitter, and there is no way you would have let me go."
"Good call! You were definitely not getting on a plane today. You'll need a proper exam first, and we'll need to get a game plan in place, just in case something happens. If you plan on going anywhere, I need at least a week's notice."
"How about a month's notice?" Logan asked. "Family weekend is coming up at my mom's rehab facility, and I think it would be nice for Rory to be there with me."
"You can come too." Rory told her. "Please come! It'll be more fun. And festive!"