lindseyxgallagher

[lindseyxgallagher]

[lindseyxgallagher]

Lindsey wasn't quite sure what she was doing here. Actually, that wasn't the whole truth. She took her role at Obsidian Holdings seriously, even if that often times led her to the strangest places. The Ostrich Festival was not the strangest experience she'd ever had in the pursuit of integrating into a town, but it was certainly up there. "Well, beautiful friendships, and all that," Lindsey returned, continuing with the Casablanca allusion that he'd begun. In her time in Paxton, she'd come to know some of the residents, so much so that she recognized them by name and face. Some of them, she even considered to be friends or as close to friends as Lindsey ever allowed herself to view someone. Noah Kastings wasn't quite at that level yet, but Lindsey was happy to see them nonetheless. "Well," she began, a smile tugging at her lips, "I am always looking for trinkets to add to my collection. Have you noticed anything worth purchasing yet?"

who → @lindseyxgallagher where → paxton frontier arena (ostrich festival)

It wasn't that he had a rolling list of people in his head and where he expected to see them at all times, but when he saw someone that looked almost painfully out of place, the person clocked and the list was queued up in his brain and he couldn't help himself. Noah causally strolled up to the familiar brunette before letting loose a long low whistle as he came to a halt next to her. "Of all the gin joints in all the worlds." He said, his eyes travelling her body, appraising. Not really in a animalistic, I want you way, more so a, so this is how you dress to be one with the Ostriches, type. "Let me guess." He continued, a smirk dancing across his lips, "you came here for the eggs." There was a note of laughter in the words, "you know, cause they Dremel 'em out and make 'em into cool chotskies for your chotsky shelf." That did evoke a laugh from him, clearly a lighter air to him than the last time she'd seen him. Then he was fighting for his life, now at least he was already treading at the top "cause every serious art collector has a place for trinkets."

[lindseyxgallagher]

For the last few weeks, they'd existed in a bubble. Lindsey wasn't quite sure what she'd expected when she'd agreed to go on a date all those weeks ago with Joel, but the reality of it far exceeded anything she could have imagined. For the most part, little had changed -- they still preferred to spend their limited free time together rather than with anyone else, still respected one another's opinions. There were moments here or there when she wondered if they were making the right choice, but for the most part, she'd been able to move passed those.

As time had passed though, it seemed as if those moments were becoming more frequent. This entire evening, for example, had seemed wrong. Lindsey couldn't quite put her finger on it, but something had simply felt wrong. As if there was an imperceptible shift between them. "Okay," Lindsey replied hesitantly. His opening words had done nothing to reassure her. It would have been impossible to miss the way he'd cushioned his assessment of the state of things as being fine right now. With a nod, Lindsey perched on edge of her seat, legs crossing at the ankles, and gaze fixed on Joel's. "Tell me what you've done."

Starter for @lindseyxgallagher

Where: Joel's Home

When: Present

Things were going well between them. He hadn't really expected anything less. It was now, about a month after they started going on dates, that Joel came back to reality. Lindsey, as far as he knew, had no idea how deep the rot within Obsidian went. He did, though. If they were going to last, and God knew he wanted them to, he'd need to pull the curtain.

He still found himself fidgeting that evening, though. It started with him preparing dinner and refusing to sit until everything was cleaned up. Now, he could feel the tension buzzing underneath his skin. Lindsey must have sensed it, too.

"Everything right now is fine," Joel said before she asked. For all of Lindsey's confidence, he knew she'd wonder if he was fidgeting because of her. "I have something to tell you about work -- I know we try to keep those things separate but I might wound up stepping in things that I can't get out of. I need you to know now rather than later."

[lindseyxgallagher]

Lindsey say silently, listening as Rhett explained the situation here. There was more here, something about the personal nature of it all that he wasn't quite telling her, but frankly, Lindsey didn't care. The personal had no place in the realm of business, but there were times, every now and then, when the two could overlap. "I'll look into it." Lindsey knew better than to commit to this particular task without first doing her own research. She would have to visit the establishment in the upcoming day, speak to its owner, and see if she could justify the attempted purchase of the business. "We'll have to do this by the book," she reminded. As if any of them needed a reminder of just how technical they'd need to be. Anything less and Hector would ensure that they never hear the end of it. "If that's all then..."

He shook his head slowly, “I want you to lead the conversations. Figure out if there’s a viable angle, or if it’s even a viable decision.” Rhett would be more than happy to stand behind her and let her do what she did best. She was entirely better at it than he was, especially when it came to this particular establishment. “Personal as in, I want to crush the establishment and owner on a past vendetta and that’s only something I can do if it’s viable via the business.”

There was a hard line with Rhett. He wanted to squash the seedy strip joint that was full of deplorable threads on Reddit. However, he couldn’t and wouldn’t let himself be so personally blinded that it would cost the company or his coworkers. That was the line that differentiated him from Hector. The other was that when he felt it into the territory of personal, he asked for help. “So I need you to advise the situation, lead it. I’m not sure I fully trust myself to not be impartial as I usually am. The property reports look good, but…” he shrugged slowly. “Everything has potential in this town. I worry my personal desire might see numbers as more promising than they are. I don’t want to lose sight of anything… but the grudge demands to be explored.”

[lindseyxgallagher]

"We'll make do," Lindsey said by way of greeting. She stepped aside so that Julie and her supplies could make it through the doorway. It had been too long since Lindsey had gotten a haircut, and while she'd been planning to finally make her way over to Shear, life had had other plans. This was the next best option.

"I'm glad to hear." She stepped in front so that she could direct them towards the dining room. "Though I was sorry to hear about the fire. Just a bit of bad luck, wasn't it?" Lindsey gestured to the table. "You can set up there. The bathroom is right off to the side. So, I figured that this would be the best location, but if you'd prefer to use another room, we can do that as well."

Starter for @lindseyxgallagher

Where: Lindsey Gallagher's Home

When: Present

“Well, it’s not exactly what we planned, but I promised you a haircut. So, I’m keeping it,�� Julie said on Lindsey Gallagher’s front doorstep. She had two rolling suitcases and a backpack. The SUV was a bit like a traveling circus these days.

"Your painting did survive the fire, though. I still had it at my house, so it'll have an official home soon," Julie added. The painting Lindsey purchased back in late December almost taunted her from its place in the living room. Maybe, had she not been so stubborn, and considered those early business partnerships the salon would be standing. Lord knew they'd have updated the damn sprinkler system at least.

[lindseyxgallagher]

"Fair," Lindsey agreed. He was right -- if it had only been about sex, they would have crossed that line years ago. The fact that they hadn't was shocking to her, but maybe she'd simply refused to recognize this for what it was. It wasn't lost on Lindsey that they were treating this like some sort of negotiation, that she'd offered a trial run of sorts as if she was product testing, but business was what she knew. Having feelings for someone? That was arena where she'd never succeeded. "I know." A smile played on Lindsey's lips. He'd never really hidden the fact that he found her impressive. It would be an ego boost if Lindsey hadn't already been aware of her own worth. "I've always been the better Gallagher sibling," she joked. With a nod, Lindsey continued, a playfully challenging edge to her voice. "Tomorrow morning works for me, but what exactly do you suggest we do with the rest of this evening?"

“I think if it was just that we probably would have already crossed that line, don’t you think?” Joel asked. It was rhetorical, though. He knew already that this wasn’t just a sexual attraction. Although, any one with a pair of eyes wouldn’t be attracted to Lindsey. There had been times that he looked away before she could tell that he was flustered. This wasn’t one of those times. Instead, despite the rush of his heart in his ears, he felt like he could see Lindsey with shocking clarity.

“I am comfortable with you, though. I also think that I’ve always wanted you to know that I see you and that I value you for the person you are — not just your title or your looks. You are impressive. You are enchanting. You are you, and I think it’s been long enough for that to be clear,” Joel said with a lopsided smile. He gently reached out to brush a hand at her cheek, smiling. “Alright, so a date, how about tomorrow night? Or tomorrow morning since it’s already late and it’d be a shame to waste the night at something work told us to go to, right?”

[lindseyxgallagher]

Lindsey had always been snobby with her food. With her life, if the truth was being told, but that was neither here nor there. Living in Paxton had cured her of that. Insomuch as one could be cured of a mindset bred from generations of luxury, of course. Plus, she'd promised herself that she would try every institution that the town had to offer, if only to do her job better, which was how she found herself at Bedrolls. Despite the restaurant's rave reviews, Lindsey had been putting it off. How could an establishment offer fresh sushi when it existed in a landlocked state? But she was keeping an open mind. Even if that open mind left her with food poisoning.

Lindsey had just retrieved her order and was making her way through the door when she heard her name being called. Glancing around, she spotted the speaker, and smiled. "Mr. de la Cruz, not working today?" Lindsey couldn't say that she knew the names of every Obsidian employee, but she tried to remember as many as she could. "And I do think I'll take you up on that offer. Thank you."

To: Lindsey ( @lindseyxgallagher ) Location: Bedrolls

When he woke up today there was truly no plan to his day. He walked out of his house with the intentions of just making it through another day, keeping his head low, and wishing to the universe that there be no break downs with Rhonda (his mustang). The night prior had been a rather long one for Matias, filled with very little sleep and overthinking. He was so caught up in his thoughts that he didn't even have dinner that night, or breakfast this morning, just a cup of coffee to get him through. So, the moment lunch rolled around, Matias found himself heading to the nearest spot his feet would take him to for a bite to eat.

Bedrolls wasn't a spot that he usually frequented, but it was one that he kept telling himself he needed to become a regular at. The place had a lively feel to it and, of course, they served the best sushi in all of Paxton (the only sushi, but that is beside the point). He was seated at one of the outdoor tables when he spotted a familiar face, and he gave a little nod of his head. Matias wasn't exactly known for his polite manners but occasionally someone came along that could pull that side of him out, Lindsey Gallagher was one of those people.

He smiled, tiredly, ""Good afternoon, Ms. Gallagher. It's a pleasure to see you here. If you aren't here with anyone, you are more than welcome to join me."

[lindseyxgallagher]

[lindseyxgallagher]

what do you mean I can't control everything, why not

[lindseyxgallagher]

"What, you?" Lindsey's voice was tinged with mock shock. "Never." Lindsey chuckled at that. She'd interacted with enough men of Rhett's ilk to not take offense to the fact that they so very often underestimated her, and Lindsey had never had trouble proving everyone wrong. She waved a hand imperiously, knowing that a favor was sure to be around the corner. So, when he made his intentions clear, Lindsey was not surprised in the least. "And you want me to what," she asked, "smile and look pretty? Make promises that no one but I can even hope to cash until they agree to sell to us?"

That was the one part of the job that Lindsey hated the most -- making more and more exorbitant promises that either went unfulfilled or caused her internal tension to fulfill them. So far, though, she hadn't had to promise anything too remarkable in the pursuit of purchases in Paxton. "Personal? As in, I have future plans for this particular establishment that will benefit the company or I have history with this establishment and my future decisions will only affect me?" She leveled him with her most serious look yet. "If we're to work together on this, I need you to be honest. I'm happy to support you, Rhett, but I will not be putting my name on the line knowing full well that this can implode."

He glanced to Lindsey. "Maybe I was selling the vision all that for me," Rhett said. "Doing that annoying thing where I process aloud through someone else. Could you believe I've been accused of being self absorbed?" Rhett's smile broke out fully, the amusement touching his eyes. He knew he was self absorbed. Rhett was the sort of man that was in love with his own purpose these days. A purpose that was feeling more and more flimsy by the day. While him and Lindsey worked well together, he didn't know where she stood. Perhaps she thought all of this was her way to the throne as well.

At the end of the day, he really did believe it. It was feeling further and further away, but the reason he was here in the first place was the make the place a better place to live. "I want to acquire Rattlesnakes," he said to Lindsey. "It's technically behind the priority of that land next to The Blue Rooster, but I want it nonetheless. A bit personal, perhaps, which if I can be frank, that personal reason is why I don't trust myself to keep it purely business." It was going to be tricky, the owner was something of a vendor to Obsidian. He provided ins on... well, people, to be served up on platters for their more... creophagous donors.

[lindseyxgallagher]

"There is no other boyfriend. Or girlfriend, for that mattered," Lindsey replied immediately, brushing away the implied question as if it was the silliest thing she'd ever heard. Lindsey had been known to have a checked romantic history, the majority of which had been an act of rebellion -- she'd had an affair with a friend of her father's, had stolen away her brother's girlfriend -- but ever since moving to Paxton, there had been no one. She'd told herself that it was simply because she'd been busy. She'd flirted with her fair share of pretty people, of course, and it had been entertaining, but she hadn't gone home with anyone. Not in months. That, Lindsey had chalked up to the simple fact that she played an important role for the company, one that she couldn't risk miring in scandal. Plus, there was Alicia for that.

But perhaps there was more to it. Perhaps, there had always been more to it. Hadn't she lost significant others simply because she'd chosen to call Joel in a moment of crisis instead of them, or because she was overly friendly with him? She'd always thought that those people had felt threatened because they were weak minded. After all, her friendship with Joel hadn't seemed to bother Gabriel, and for so long, Gabriel had been the standard by which she'd judged everyone else, but maybe that standard hadn't been Gabriel. Maybe, it had been Joel all along. "I'm not saying that I don't think that there's something here," she hedged. "But we're both sexual people. We're comfortable with each other. What if it's just that?"

The idea of trying to make something of this only for it to go wrong caused her stomach to drop. She couldn't lose Joel. But she also wasn't the kind of person who shied away from challenges. "Okay, tell you what: you take me on a date, not to Mars' wedding, so that we can figure this out, and then I'll give you an answer about being your plus one."

"There's no one else -- there hasn't been for a few years now," Joel said with a faint smile. Technically, his last relationship ended because he refused to cut ties with Lindsey. 'You're already in love with someone, and you'll never be able to love someone else unless you let go of her,' his ex said. Joel told her in response that he would send someone to help pack her belongings. In that way, the end of that three year relationship in one swift sentence only proved his ex's point.

As Lindsey kept a teasing tone, Joel shoved his own hesitancy down. He didn't expect her to just say 'yes' immediately, but his ego didn't want to beg. His ego also didn't want to lose out on the only woman that ever really mattered. "No, I do know that, but this isn't about them -- not primarily. I would be happy if you knew about my romantic interest in you and returned even a fraction of it."

"Of course, if you have your own boyfriend that you haven't told me about, or if you really don't think there's anything here that could be more than a friendship, then, we can act like this never happened. I know there's been times that I've fooled myself into keeping quiet." Gabriel was one of those times. Raj was the other. His last ex was the last. He managed a tense smile at Lindsey. Maybe, this was why he waited so long because each moment that passed his ego bruised and he wondered if the entire facade of their friendship would shatter.

[lindseyxgallagher]

"Thousand." Lindsey punctuated the addition with a smile so that Julie knew that she was only joking. She'd already pushed the woman enough for one evening. She could hardly expect her to respond well to a three hundred thousand dollar limit. "You're tying my hands here, Julie, but I appreciate the challenge." Lindsey trailed beside the other woman, gaze trained on the pieces in the hopes that something would soon catch her interest.

"Landscapes," she repeated. Landscapes were interesting. You could do a lot with a landscape. "I have been patiently waiting for my invitation," Lindsey stated. In truth, she hadn't wanted to push. The first time they'd met, Lindsey had sensed how protective Julie was of her business. A natural response, of course. So, pushing her way in had felt like the worse possible tactic. And now, here it was, the invitation she'd been waiting for. "I figured it was coming soon. Unless you do house calls."

"You got yourself a deal. My limit is 300," Julie grinned. She happily fell into step with Lindsey like they knew each other for the past couple of years. A few pairs of eyes drifted their way. Julie recognized some of them -- they probably thought she was a traitor for even allowing anyone from Obsidian Holdings within five feet of her. Julie ignored them. Caid was the Top Hand -- not Julie. Hector and Alicia Santiago were the enemy -- not Lindsey Gallagher.

As they mosied around a few random sculptures, Julie considered the question. "Landscapes for the salon. We're sort of like Western chic," Julie explained, then paused, frowning. "Have you been here this long without actually stepping foot into Shear? Have I been guarding the place that hard?"

[lindseyxgallagher]

Lindsey had expected the question to be turned on her at some point. Still, she wasn't quite sure how to respond. So much of who she was as a person was in relation to the people in her life -- a senator's daughter, someone's former fiancée, an executive for a company that had found itself at odds with the town. "Who is Lindsey," she echoed. "You know? Sometimes I have no idea. Tonight, Lindsey's just a woman who happens to be enjoying a conversation and that just has to be enough." She shrugged a bit and laughed.

“I know that this is all theoretical, but I’m genuinely beginning to worry that you don’t know how ecosystems works. Please tell me you know about food webs.” As much as business wished it could cut out the middle man, middle men were critical for a reason. Everyone needed someone to take the brunt of the backlash, and ecosystems were no different. "I have to say, I was not expecting to spend this evening giving a science lesson."

"No way." He laughed, "Noah would never." At least how he understood the tale of Noah's Ark from the bible, but that meant nothing. It was just a good story he could give when people asked about him, which they usually didn't, so it was almost weird that he was talking to someone who didn't already know every intimate detail of his life without him having to tell her. It was kind of nice. He could be someone else. Not that he had the ability to ever be someone else, he was far too ingrained in himself to start over, but the idea was appealing. "And besides art, who is Lindsey?" He returned her question, even if it wasn't all that fair, he hadn't told her anything at all about himself.

"I probably did hear that in school, but the idea that I remember anything from that long ago is laughable at best." He shrugged, putting his now empty champagne flute on a passing waiter tray only to grab another, "but I mean, humans are the highest tier predator." He continued, "and whats a coyote if not the middle man? No one really needs the middle man."

[lindseyxgallagher]

[lindseyxgallagher]

Leighton Murray 🥰🥰

[lindseyxgallagher]

"Consider it done," Lindsey replied, her tone mirroring his. She wasn't expecting the apology -- men in his position so rarely admitted to their shortcomings -- so when it did come, Lindsey felt her lips tug up slightly. "I'm sure Millie James had her redeeming her qualities." She was sure of no such thing. She'd met plenty of debutantes in her day who were little more than the perfect dolls they'd been molded to be. Lindsey was not one of those women. She was positive her brain would melt if she'd been resigned to that lifestyle.

As Rhett continued to speak, Lindsey's eyebrow rose. She wasn't sure if he was being serious or testing her in some way. “You don’t have to sell me on the vision, Hawkins.” Lindsey had said the same words many times over, and she continued to believe them. Despite its flaws, Obsidian Holdings was helping people to achieve their goals. “I’m still loyal to the cause.” It felt asinine to have to say the words out loud, seeing as she liked Rhett, but given the way Hector had come down hard on the executive board, Lindsey couldn’t be sure where anyone stood. There was only one person she trusted outside of herself and he was not the man with whom she was currently trading quips. "Yes, yes. Honey versus vinegar. I'm aware."

“Yes, with a handwritten thank you note, and a wax seal, please,” Rhett deadpanned, the sort of light amusement coloring his lips before he shook his head at himself. “But seriously, I did seem a little condescending now that I play it back in my head. Rightfully called on it. I should have just said that I’m grateful it’s you I get to work with… and not Millie James,” Rhett said with shudder, a memory of a debutant ball coming to mind when he was older and his father wanted him to escort someone for a business deal. She spent the entire time staring at him like he was going to ask her to marry him afterward and he was, well, not ever going to do that.

It was odd to him that she’d think that, because of the Sinclair children the last name “Hawkins” meant he was but a bastard born child. So really he had no real wealth except that with his father used by the way of connections. Rhett considered that more valuable then — he’d choose the connections over the money every time, his work ethic would make the money. Rhett was not the man to be so prideful that he didn’t admit his faults, as he did now. There was nothing to lose in doing that. His pride came from connections and he knew that by admitting his faults and mistake, especially with Lindsey, their connection would be stronger. "I don't think they're lies," Rhett raised a brow. "I think people want what we have to offer and they need guidance in achieving it and becoming more profitable. We allow that to happen." A pause. "It does help the messenger is attractive though, according to the studies."

[lindseyxgallagher]

For a moment, Lindsey forgot everything else -- how to walk, what they were previously discussing. She could hardly even remember how to breathe. She'd never given conscious thought to her breath before and suddenly, it was the only thing she could focus on. The way each drag of air into her lungs felt like an impossible feat. The way it stuttered out at the end. "A date," she repeated, sure she'd misheard him.

She stopped walking abruptly, but since her arm was still twined with his, she was more or less dragged. It was an apt display of what her brain was currently doing. She, Lindsey Gallagher, who shook hands with politicians and celebrities and was never flustered, who could sell nearly anything she was asked to, who was never at a loss for words, had seemingly lost her ability to comprehend language. Because surely she was misunderstanding something here. Surely, her nearest and dearest friend was not asking her on a date. And if he was, he for sure did not mean the word in a romantic sense. It was the only thing that made sense. "Your latest girlfriend isn't available," she asked, fighting to keep her tone light and teasing. She couldn't remember the last time he'd spoken about a girlfriend, but there had to be one. "You do know that there are other ways to make your family happy than pretending you have any sort of romantic interest in me?"

“Of course not — you’re not a performer,” Joel said easily. He knew Hector would disagree and had to bite his tongue at the last board meeting. Hector was always too willing to take his own shortcomings, and Alicia’s shortcomings, out on the rest of them. So, she got a good portion of the recent wrath. Lindsey’s position often involved different hats and masks to become everything anyone needed to feel confident about the deal. She was good at it, too, but they weren’t their positions. Together they were Lindsey and Joel, Joel and Lindsey.

Or maybe they weren’t, he thought as Lindsey joked about his mother and sister. Joel rubbed a hand over his face for a moment. He wanted to keep things light and teasing, but it seemed he’d need to be more direct.

“Well, I was thinking they would be overjoyed to know you and I were there as a couple — on a date,” Joel said. He looked down at Lindsey with a slight smile. In that moment, he felt like his footing slipped on the mountain ledge. He would either plunge to the bottom, or the harness would draw him back to safety. “If there’s anything I learned when you relocated here first, and then after reconnecting, it’s that I should have asked you on a date by now.”