Toni & Liana At Lunch

by Atonia & Layne

Toni had been a little hesitant to call her old friends since she left Richie but she wanted to see Liana Wade. They had been close before the breakup of her marriage. Travis was busy on the ranch so she called Liana and set up a lunch date. She was so excited about being pregnant she just had to tell somebody.

Toni arrived at Andy’s first and got a table, she was glad to see Richie wasn’t in the dining room. A new waitress came over to the table and Toni ordered a water to wait for Liana.

Liana entered Andy's with a smile on her face. She was so looking forward to seeing Toni Roberts. Or was Toni even still going by that name now? She wasn't married to Travis McGee yet, but she might be using her maiden name. Liana made a mental note to ask her.

Surveying the room, she saw Toni and waved to her excitedly. Smoothing down her maternity top over her burgeoning belly, she started across the room. On the way, she glanced at the other diners. She got a glimpse of a handsome black man sitting at a corner table. It wasn't the first time she'd seen him around town, but she didn't know him.

Arriving at Toni's table, Liana hugged her tightly. "It's been so long! I'm so happy to see you!"

“Liana, I’m so glad to see you and my have you grown,” she laughed and hugged her again before they sat down. “I probably should have called you sooner but I wasn’t sure how you felt about me now, since well the break up of my marriage.”

"Oh, don't be silly," Liana told her. "You're still the same Toni. Why would I feel any differently about you?"

She sighed, looking down at her belly. "Yes, I have grown. It's wonderful." Liana smiled dreamily. "Ben's so happy about it. I wasn't sure he would be."

"You know," she went on, "Ben and I had just met when we married and came to the Glen. We still haven't even known each other for a whole year, let alone been married that long. But I can't imagine being anywhere else or being married to anyone else."

Her look at Toni was curious. "What's it like being divorced and living with someone else. I can't even fathom that!"

Toni sighed, “I’m not really divorced, just separated until the year is up but as for living with someone, I can’t tell you how wonderful Travis is Liana, I love him so much.” Toni smiled, “you know the thing that brought us together in the first place was the desire to have a child, well it’s happened Liana, I’m pregnant,” Toni beamed.

Liana looked shocked but happy for her. "That was quick!" she said teasingly. "But it's so wonderful! I'm happy for you!"

"What about Travis? How does he feel?"

“Travis couldn’t be more pleased. He wants to be a father, I see how he is with his nephew Tee and he’s a natural. I suppose it would have been better if we’d waited until our divorces were final and we could marry but that’s not the way it happened and so we’re happy and looking forward to having a baby. Like you Liana, I couldn’t imagine being with anyone else and our baby will have Travis’s name.”

"How about Richie?" Liana didn't want to ask, but Richie had looked so unhappy lately. "Toni- Richie's still my friend too. Mine and Ben's. I hope that's all right with you."

“You can be friends with whoever you like Liana, I’ve only seen him once about the legal stuff so I don’t know how he is, honestly I don’t keep up with him. I wish him well you know,” Toni had a look of sadness in her eyes, “I spent three years of my life with him but I’m not mad or upset with him anymore,” she shrugged, “he is who he is and I couldn’t change that one part of him that hurt me and he wasn’t willing to change it so…anyway it’s worked out for me with Travis maybe someday he’ll find somebody too.”

"I hope so," Liana replied. "He's been really upset, Toni. He's talked to Ben about it a little." She thought about what Ben had told her about Libby Tyler.

"Did you know he's been seeing Libby Tyler? The reporter from the Glen Times?"

Toni smiled slightly, “Yes, I’ve heard that. He’s also sleeping with Jean Robinson when the opportunity arises and he’s also been rumored with Nonnie Scott, and I heard he picked up some woman in the parking lot at Millie’s for the night. Yes, I’ve been in Jessup’s.” Toni picked up her menu.

“I hope Liana you do understand why I could not live with that sort of behavior.”

Liana was a little shocked. She hadn't heard about all the others, but then she spent more time with Ben than with anyone else. Wide-eyed, she asked Toni, "He was that bad when you were with him?"

Toni looked up over her menu, “I only know of two Liana but that was enough, he took Jan McGee and Jean Robinson to Coffs while we were married and living together and sleeping together.” She couldn’t help the anger that crept into her voice.

"I'm so sorry, Toni. I can't even imagine what that must be like." Ben would never do anything like that, Liana was thinking to herself.

"Ben and I have always been so happy. He's so attentive and protective with me. Especially now that the baby's coming."

“You’re very lucky to have Ben, Liana. I feel that way about Travis, he’s already given me my list of things I can’t do. I’m going to have to give up working. He’s given me two months to finish up with Ed Hoffman and to hire a complete staff. So I’m to be interviewing starting this next week. I don’t mind it really there’s plenty for me to do at the station and Travis said if I miss physical therapy I can practice on him,” she grinned.

Liana found the change in Toni interesting. She didn't think the Toni she'd met when she'd first arrived in the Glen would have tolerated Richie telling her she 'couldn't' do anything. But when Toni talked about Travis telling her these things, she was practically glowing.

"That's a change," she couldn't resist commenting. "I got the feeling, when you were married to Richie, that you'd never have let him tell you what you could and couldn't do."

“Being with Richie was different Liana. Travis doesn’t tell me what to do but he’s concerned for me especially now that we’re pregnant. He worries about me driving about accidents, that sort of thing. He wants to get me a driver so I’d be chauffeured about. I told him no and he accepted that. There’s a good give and take between us.”

"Sounds like it," Liana said with a smile. "It's the same with Ben and me. A lot of women don't seem to understand that, but I really don't mind Ben telling me what to do. He does what he does because he's concerned. About me and the baby."

"He hasn't tried to tell me not to drive. Yet!" She laughed a little. "He won't let me ride any more until after the baby's born. He doesn't want me to go any farther than town by myself. If I go into Coffs, I have to either take him or Dan with me. And heaven forbid, if I should want to go to Sydney!"

She rolled her eyes at Toni, but it was a teasing look. "It worried him so that he had to go to the States on business before the baby came." She looked down at her plate. Her mind had been off Ben being away until right now.

“I know that must be hard for you being without him, it would be for me to be without Travis. How much longer will he be away, I’d love for you to come out to the station one day.”

"Another week." Liana bit her lip. She'd had to make explanations to Kate already, and now she had to do it with Toni.

"I'd love to come visit with you. I don't know about Ben, though. He-" Knowing she had to say it, Liana waded in.

"Ben's very loyal to his friends and, right now, he thinks that Richie's gotten the worst of the deal."

That was exactly how Ben had put it to her. "A woman don' leave her husband for another man, Liana," he'd said, with a hard, uncompromising look in his eyes. "She don' sleep around on him either. No matter what he does." And she knew Ben meant it. He was old-fashioned and his double standard where men and women were concerned was part of that. But how did she explain it to Toni?

"I don't feel that way, Toni," she said to her friend, almost pleadingly. "I understand why you felt you couldn't stay with Richie. But it's gonna take longer for Ben to come around." If he ever does, she thought to herself, but didn't say it out loud."

Well there it was Toni thought, the thing she feared would happen, “I am sorry Liana, I was afraid this kind of thing would come up. Some people will think the worst of me no matter how I conduct myself now. I want you to know though, when I left here to go to the states to visit my mother it was with the intention of sorting out my feelings and to tell Richie I wanted a divorce. I had no idea Travis was going anywhere, his mother says it was fate that we met in the airport, maybe it was but I know now that I was meant to be with Travis. I’ve never looked back Liana and I don’t hang my head in shame either. I do hope you and I can continue to be friends even if Ben doesn’t want to see me again.” Toni bit her lip and blinked back tears.

"Of course we can." Liana squeezed Toni's hand, hating to see her cry. "I believe you about Travis."

"And I really wouldn't say that Ben thinks the worst of you. He just thinks the best of Richie. And, like I said, he's very loyal to his friends. But he'll come around, I'm sure."

She took a deep breath. "In the meantime, you and I can still be friends. I can come and visit you without him, can't I?"

Toni nodded, “you can come with or without him Liana, I do know Travis and Ben got along before all this happened, I hope it can be so again.” She took a breath, “Now what’s the special for the day,” she smiled and tucked her emotions inside.

"Probably something wonderful that I shouldn't eat!" Liana picked up her menu. She just hoped Ben would understand that she still wanted to be friends with Toni. No matter who her husband was.

It hurt, of course it hurt but damned if Toni would let it show, “March is cooking today I heard Andy is out sick, I may call Lucy and see if she needs anything for him. Lobster ravioli with tomato basil cream sauce, that speaks to me,” she smiled across at Liana.

"Everything speaks to me these days," Liana laughed. "Everything edible anyway! I've never been much for seafood, though. I'm thinking I'll have this braised chicken with salad and rolls."

It was so good to see Toni again, she thought to herself. Ben just had to be all right with them still being friends. She'd missed this sort of thing so much.

Toni’s cell phone went off and it was Travis, “I’m at Andy’s having lunch with Liana Wade, oh are you- okay, love you.” Toni folded her phone, “That was Travis, he and Bill are on their way into The Glen, they finally got approval to build the butcher shop and they’re going to meet with the builder and architect,” Toni smiled, “I might work my way up the street this afternoon and do a little shopping along the way, I haven’t been in Barrett’s for awhile and I’d like to check out their baby department, have you got any plans for after lunch?”

"Unfortunately, I have." Liana sighed regretfully. "Ben has two new horses arriving today and he arranged for me to sign for them personally. I have to be at home by the time they get there." When the plans had been made, Liana had been excited by the idea that Ben was including her in the business of the ranch. Ben, on the other hand, had seen it as an ideal way to help keep her home.

"I could come out to visit you one day this week, though," she went on, brightening. "I'd love to see more of your new home than I saw at the barbecue. And it'll help me pass the time until Ben comes home."

“Call me Liana, you’re welcome there anytime, I’d love to show you around,” Things seemed to be okay between her and Liana and Toni was glad of that, if Ben couldn’t stand her that was okay, she would be sorry to lose him as a friend but she didn’t want to lose Liana.

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As Liana left, Frank Parker was paying his check. He thought Ben worried about his wife too much. He hadn't seen or heard anything over lunch that he thought his old friend should be concerned about. Just two women talking husbands and babies and making plans for visits.

Of course, including the visit to Sid Harbour and his wife, this made two social calls that Ben probably wouldn't have approved Liana making. But women would tend to do that anyway, Parker thought to himself. Ben's wife wasn't really doing anything out of the ordinary.

Grinning to himself, Parker considered that Liana Wade was being awfully good, taking into account who she was married to. Living with Ben Wade couldn't be any picnic.