Intertwined episode 19
đ€INTERTWINEDđ€
đEP NINETEENđ
I went to Travisâs office on Monday. Since Karl wouldnât bein, I volunteered to help him out in case he neededassistance. But when I got there, I was the one surprised.There was an easel at one corner of his office, and thecoffee table had a box of Godiva chocolates and a bouquetof roses on top of it.
âIs it always like this?â I asked him, looking at the lovelyroses.
He stood behind me and wrapped his arms around mywa-ist. âI have a special visitor today. I thought sheâd like toindulge in a box of sweets.â
I laughed and turned around so I could face him. âAndthe easel is for?â
He smiled and wrapped his arms around my wa-ist again.
âSo you can paint or draw and leave me alone to my work.â
âI can paint at homeâwhy did you agree that I comehere if you werenât going to need me anyway?â
He shrugged. âI just want you to be here.â He huggedme to him. âI hope it isnât too much to ask.â
I smiled. âNo, compared to the favors I ask of you, this isnothing!â
Travis made some phone calls and did some work on hiscomputer. He looked at me once in a while and he smiled orwinked at me when he caught my eye.
I drew a picture of Travis in black and white. I painted hisserious face: boyish, dangerous, handsome as hell. I staredat the painting when I finished it. His eyes weremesmerizing, and I felt warm knowing that familiar face. Myknight. My angel.
âI look nothing like that!â he said, coming up behind me.He wound his arms around my wa-ist and pulled me to him.
âOr course you do!â I protested.
âMy hair is all wrong,â he said.
I laughed. âI had to change that a little bit. I like yourhair better when itâs disheveled.â
âMy employees will not take me seriously if I come towork looking like I canât afford to buy a comb,â he saidlaughing.
I turned around to face him. And playfully, I ruffled hishair.
âDonât!â he protested, but it was too late.
I was laughing. He closed his eyes in defeat. Then heleaned forward and gave me a quick smack on the l-ips.
âYouâre going to pay for that,â he whispered.
âIâm holding my breath!â I laughed.
He pulled me to him and gave me a hug. I hugged himback. I didnât know the wonderful feeling seeping throughme right now. It was familiar and yet it was strange. It wascomforting, and yet it was terrifying. It was exciting, and atthe same time, it was disturbing.
I closed my eyes. Weâd gotten more affectionate witheach other. And it was just right. He was, after all, myfiancĂ©. The only thing that set us apart from normalbetrothed couples was that the reason we became engagedwas a condition preset and agreed upon fourteen years
prior. But other than that, nothing was fake, everything wasreal, everything was official. And that gave Travis all theright to k-ss and hug me. He didnât need to ask.A knock on the door interrupted us.
Travis rolled his eyes. âCome in!â he called.
A woman in her fifties came in. âMr. Cross, your father ison line one.â
Travisâs face hĂŠrdened. âTell him I am currently busy.â Iraised a brow at him and gave him one hĂŠrd look. He sighed and turned to the woman. âThank you, Mrs. Denver. Iâll takethe call.â
âYouâreâŠyouâre welcome, sir,â she said. She had smiledat me before she left. I smiled back graciously and then Iturned toward my painting, leaving Travis be to speak to hisfather.
He was silent, and I could only guess that he was tuningout their conversation.
Then finally, he said, âAre you done?â He took a deepbreath again and then he said, âGoodbye.â He hung up.
He leaned back in his seat and squeezed the skinbetween his eyes, and I could see that he was trying hisbest to control his emotions. Travisâs father was the oneperson who could instantly throw him on a warpath.Then I realized that I probably was the one person in thisworld who could calm him down just as fast as his fathercould anger him.
I put down my pencil and took off my gloves. I went tostand beside him, touching his shoulder gently. He lookedup and then he pulled me to him and made me sit on hislap. He gave me one tight hug and I hugged him back.When I pulled away from him, he looked like he had hisemotions under control. He took a deep breath. He smiled atme and then he said, âLetâs get married, love.â
***
I told Travis we could just go to Vegas and marry quickly. Heraised a brow at me as if I had somehow offended him. Hedidnât say anything, but the look he gave me was enough tomake me run to his computer and start searching for thebest wedding coordinators in town.
I scheduled a meeting with three of the people I thoughtwere the best in the business.
âWhenâs your meeting?â Travis had asked before wewent to bed that night.
âIâve got one at eleven. Then another at one in the
afternoon. The last one will be at three.â
âThe limo will take you around,â he said.
âIs that really necessary, Travis?â I asked.
âFor my peace of mind, it is.â
The next day, I was waiting for a lady named Leona atArt Café. I ordered a cappuccino. She was fifteen minuteslate already. I opened my notebook and made a note of this.Running fifteen minutes late. No text. No calls.When she finally arrived, she was with another girl, who Icould only guess was her assistant. Leona had dark hair and
gray eyes. She was wearing a tight Chanel suit.When she sat on the chair in front of me, she extendedher hand to me.
âLeona Watson,â she said in an elegant voice.
I didnât miss the curious stares she was giving me. It waslike she was measuring me up. I knew that she was one ofthe best in the industry, and she was also one of the mostexpensive. I was very curious to know why.
âBrianne Montgomery.â
âAre you related to the Montgomerys who lived onSixth?â she asked.
I shook my head. âIâmâŠnew in town, actually.â
âHmmmâŠâ she nodded. âWhere do you want to getmarried?â
âI am from South Carolina. My relatives are mostly there.My fiancĂ© also grew up there. Maybe, if he agrees, thatâsgoing to be the venue.â
âWe charge double for out-of-town arrangements,â shesaid frankly. âDo you mind if I ask you what your budget is?â
âIâmâŠnot sure, actually. My fiancĂ© will beâŠwill be takingcare of the expenses.â I hadnât checked with Travis to findout how much he was willing to pay for the wedding. I reallydidnât want it to be grand. A simple one with our relativesthere would be just fine.
âWell, I think itâs important that you know the budgetfirst. Then we can decide what type of wedding you canafford,â she said, her expression haughty now. Even herassistant was looking at me with a bored expression on herface.
âActually, I have no idea. I was hoping to hire a weddingcoordinator who could give me an estimate,â I said honestly.
âOkay, in that case, Iâll give you my standard rates,â shesaid. She held out her hand, and her assistant immediatelyhanded her a paper. She gave it to me.
I scanned through the figures. She charged per hour,and if my math was correct, her wh0le fee was enough topay for a small wedding itself.
âWhat do you do for a living, if I may ask?â she said witha smile, which I was sure was fake anyway.
âIâŠpaint,â I replied.
âThatâs nice! Do I know any of your work?â
I giggled humorlessly. âNot unless you were one of myart professors.â
âO-kay.â She seemed eager to end the meeting.
I was distracted when I saw my limo pull out of theparking slot and then slowly drive away.
âHey!â I whispered to myself.
Leona was looking at the limo, too. Then she turned backto me. Clearly, she didnât think it was mine.Damn! I should have dressed in an outfit that scre-medChanel, too!
I was dressed in a pair of skintight denim capri p-ntsand a lavender off-the-shoulder blouse. My hair was just tiedin a pony. I hadnât worn any jewelry, except for myengagement ring, the stone of which was turned inwardtowards my palm. I wasnât really the type to show myself offthrough jewelry and expensive clothes. But lately, it had
seemed quite important.Well, I was not really rich. I made average income at mymotherâs gallery. I didnât have a luxurious lifestyle. And ever since Iâd gotten engaged to Travis, he provided for all my
basic needs. I didnât have to pay for the roof over my heador the food I ate. Over the years, heâd lavished me withexpensive jewelry. I actually had tons of gold and diamondbangles, earrings, and necklaces in my safety deposit box inConnecticut. They had all come from Travis. By the time Ihad graduated from college, I no longer felt the need to buyjewelry for myself anymore. I felt I already had so muchbling compared to any other woman my age.
I turned back to Leona. She smiled at me. âSo, wouldyou like to give this a bit of time? I can give you an exactquote later, although I doubt it will be much lower thanthat.â
I was distracted again when I saw a beautiful red Bentleypull into the parking space vacated by the limo.
âI handle mostly A-list clients,â Leona continued. âIâmsorry, but I canât give you a rate lower than that.â
I stared back at her. She had really gotten on my nervesthis time. She wasnât only belittling me with the way shelooked at me: she was doing it with her words now. âI wasnâtasking for a lower rate, was I?â I asked in a cold, irritatedtone.
She smiled. âOf course not. I just want to be honest fromthe beginning. We donât want us to waste each otherâs time.And I usually charge ninety percent in advance. Iâm quitestrict, and Iâm also picky with my clients. What does yourfiancĂ© do?â
âWhy donât you ask him yourself?â I asked as I watchedTravis get out of his car.
Leona followed my gaze. I heard her gasp. She probablyrecognized Travis. If she didnât, the license plate that saidTJCROSS probably told her who my fiancĂ© was.
âBut thatâsâŠâ She blinked back at me. âYouâre marryingTravis Cross?â
I smiled. Finally, Iâd gotten her open-mouthed. âYes,â Ireplied haughtily. âSo, perhaps, Miss Watson, you will try to make a better presentation of your services? Or perhaps trymaking a bit of effort to treat me the same way you treatyour other clients? Iâm interviewing two other weddingcoordinators in a couple of hours. Perhaps you would care tomake a better impression?â
Leona looked embarrassed. Travis was just in time tocatch at least the last three sentences Iâd said andimmediately figured out the situation.
He smiled at me and then he leaned down to give me ak-ss on the l-ips. âIâm sorry Iâm late, love. What did I miss?â
I stared back at him. âYou didnât say you were coming!â Isaid to him. âDid you send the limo away?â
He nodded. âIâll be your driver for the rest of the day,Mademoiselle.â He looked back at the two ladies sitting infront of us. Immediately, his expression turned from boyishto cold. He raised a brow. âI take it you are one of thecoordinators my future wife is looking to hire?â
Leona nodded nervously.
Travis leaned back in his seat and took my hand in his.He intertwined our fingers. He stared at Leona haughtily.
âThe budget for this wedding, as you may have guessed bynow, is unlimited. I want my fiancĂ©e to have the bestwedding money can buy.â He looked at Leonaâs calling cardin front of me. Then he stared back at her. âImpress me!â hesaid in a cold, commanding voice, which made Leona bucklein her seat.
She fiddled with her hands nervously. And then she said,
âIâmâŠLeonaâŠthis is JenniferâŠâ She referred to herassistant.
âIâm not interested in your names. Iâm interested in whatyou can do for us,â Travis said in cold and bored voice.
âSure, Mr. Cross,â Leona said.
If it were any other person, I would have given Travis aglare. But in this instance, I thought Leona deserved thistreatment.She must have spoken for a wh0le fifteen minutes,giving us a rundown of their previous work, references, andcontacts. Travis just sat in this seat, but I knew he wasnâtlistening. Heâd decided not to hire Leona. He just wanted herto make an effort to treat me like any other client.
When Leona was finished with her monologue, Travisdidnât say anything. He just sat there, looking at mynotebook. He took my hand in his and brought it to his l-ips.Then he noticed that the stone of my engagement ring wasturned inward. He pushed it with his finger so it was facingthe proper way.
I didnât miss the silent gasp from Leona when she sawmy ring. It was impressive, I knew. But I had been afraid itwas attracting street muggers.
âDo youâŠdo you have any other questions, Mr. Cross?âLeona asked uncertainly.
Travis looked at her for a moment. Then he turned tome. âAre you interested in anything else? You, my love, willhave to make the decision on this. Iâll go with whatever youdecide. But personally, I prefer you chose somebody with abetter work attitude.â
I shook my head. âNo.â I turned back to Leona. âThankyou for your time.âLeona looked terribly embarrassed.
Travis put a stack of cash on the table for our bill. âNochange,â he told the waiter, who nodded gratefully. Travismust have given a tip twice the amount of the actual bill.
Then he took Leonaâs card. âIâll keep this. Iâll have myassistant give feedback to your boss. Iâm sure he or she willbe happy to hear about your excellent interpersonal skills,âhe said sarcastically.
Leona stood up from her seat. âMr. Cross, please,â shepleased. âIâm truly sorry. I should have treated MissMontgomery better. I am at fault. But I have a kid in school.And I need this jobââ
âYou should always put that in your mind before youmeet people,â Travis cut her off.
âI know. But I beg youâŠâ Leona was close to tears now.After all, making people cry was probably one of Travisâseasiest skills. âMy boss would fire me if somebody like youcomplained to him.â
Travis raised a brow. âDonât worry, I will remember tocompliment your hair.â And he turned his back on her.
Leona looked at me pleadingly. I reached out for Travisâshand and gave it a squeeze.
âTravisâŠâ I whispered. âNo blood, no foul,â I said to him.âLetâs leave Miss Watson alone. Iâm sure she just had an offday. She wonât get our accountâŠlet that be punishmentenough for her.â
Travis stared at me for a moment. Then his expressionsoftened. He leaned forward and gave me a gentle k-ss onthe l-ips. âBecause you asked,â he said. He tossed Leonaâscalling card back on the table. âI wonât be needing yourcontact details ever.â
Then he pulled me toward him and we headed for hiscar. Travis opened the passenger door for me and I got in. Iglanced back at Leona again. She was staring at me. Thenshe gave me an apologetic smile and gathered her things.
âWere you really going to complain about her?â I askedTravis when he got in the driverâs seat.
âYes,â he replied. âAnd that was the least grave thing Ihad on my mind.â
I sighed. I reached out and squeezed his hand. âI guess Idonât make an impressive fiancĂ©e.â
He raised a brow. âOn the contraryâyou are. A womanwho can draw menâs attention without makeup and canprovoke another womanâs jealousy without wearingexpensive jewelry or clothesâŠdonât you think youâreImpressive enough? Why do you think I want to get married
so soon?â he teased.
I giggled, and then I asked, âSpeaking of that, why doyou wanna get married so soon?â
âDidnât you want to get married before you turnedthirty? Wasnât that part of what you asked me?â
âYes. But the so-called âcurseâ wonât hit me before I turnthirty-one. I still have time. Why did you want it earlier?â
He sighed and reached for my hand. âBecause my fatheris making a beast out of me. I want us to get married beforethat happens. You deserve a better groom than that,â hesaid in a frustrated tone. He stared at me for a while. âAndthe sooner I start a new familyâŠthe less remorse or hatred Iwill feel toward my old one.â
âBut, TravisâŠâ I started to remind him that we wouldonly stay married until either of us found the love thatwould last us a lifetime.
âI know,â he cut me off, knowing what I was going to say.
âBut youâre going to be my wife for at least two years,remember?â he asked. âUntil then, you are my family.Youâve always been, anyway. Maybe weâre just making thatofficial.â
I smiled at him. âYes,â I said. âI think so, too.â