by Cee, DW
“I don’t get how she could have met someone already. She just got to London. Her bags are probably still unpacked.” Josh was now just plain pissed.
“They met at the airport. In fact, he saw her on the plane and waited for her at the airport when they landed, to introduce himself. I talked to him as well this morning and he sounded very sweet and very, very sweet on Laney. From the sounds of it, they’re both smitten with one another.”
“So that’s why she’s been avoiding all my calls.”
“All your calls, Donovan? How many times have you tried reaching her?” I asked.
He ignored me and said, “I’ll check him out for you, Emily. I’m due in London on Tuesday for a meeting. I’m sure she’ll have a hard time avoiding me if we’re in the same city.”
“You do that, Donovan. And give her a hug and a kiss for me as well.” Emily’s eyes twinkled as she said this to him before shooing them off to the show.
“Were you serious when you said Laney was seeing someone?”
“They’re not dating yet, Josh, but he’s very much pursuing her.”
Dinner turned into a cheer-up Josh time. As gently as possible, Emily did her best to discourage this would-be suitor. Before we got to dessert, Max joined us, and I happily told him about my birthday party.
“Max, you want to invite your parents on this special day?” Emily gave him an expectant look. “Don’t you think it’ll be nice if they are there?”
Max thought about it for a while. “I guess so...yeah. Thanks for the suggestion, Emily. You think of everything.” He flashed her his good-looking smile and squeezed her hand.
There was some weird message/talk going on between the two of them that I did not understand.
“What was that all about?” I asked Max when we got to my door.
“All of what?”
“You and Emily...you guys were talking in code.”
“No we weren’t. We didn’t say anything you didn’t understand.”
“It’s what you didn’t say that makes me wonder...!”
“Gem, you are too smart for your own good. I have a sweet surprise for you on your birthday.”
“Yeah?” I asked bringing our pelvises together. “What kind of surprise and why does Emily know about it?”
“Let’s just say what I have planned may catch you by surprise, but I hope you’re as ready for this as I am.”
Will he really catch me by surprise, or will it be me who catches him by surprise?
June 10, 2013 A Birthday Co-prise
Today was going to be a fabulous day. The sun was shining, June gloom hadn’t made an appearance yet, and I was twenty-eight, going on conquering the world. I woke up before my alarm went off, showered, and put on my best lawyer suit. Research last night taught me how to add that extra touch to my makeup, place that curl just so, and I even pulled out my Louboutin heels that had been sitting in the shoe bag while I contemplated taking them back to Neiman’s, because of the house mortgage-like price tag.
Andrea was actually allowing me to lead in the trial of a very important case. Very rarely do any of our cases go to trial, but this one did and I was given a chance to prove that I was a trusted name in this firm. I definitely looked the part.
“Don’t you look like a sexpot! Damn, you look hot this morning.”
Shocked! What on earth was he doing here at this hour? “How’d you get in?”
“Are you worried at your ripe old age of twenty-eight, that your parents will catch you with a boy in your room? Your parents still do bed checks?”
“Um...not since high school.”
“Well good because I dropped by to give you your birthday present before I left for London.”
“How’d you know it was my birthday, Donovan?”
“Jane, Jane, Jane...I know a lot about you,” he said while coming closer to me. I didn’t want to seem rude but I had to step back. Donovan had a predatory look about him that scared me, and if I was honest with myself, excited me as well.
“Okay, give me the present and get going. I have to get ready for court.” I put my hand out to speed up this process. Though I used court as an excuse, I needed this alone time with Donovan as much as I needed a girls’ night out with Andrea.
He handed me a thin legal-sized envelope. And without losing a beat I opened it up to find two plane tickets.
“Explain...”
“Go away with me for a weekend. Let me show you how good we can be together.”
“Donovan...” I let out a weak complaint.
He put up his hands to shush me. “I don’t care what you tell Max. You can lie to him, break up with him, tell him the truth...don’t care! Just give me one weekend, Jane. I want to know! I need to know! And I know that you feel the same way.”
“Don...” He wouldn’t let me continue.
“Just think about it. It’s an open-ended offer. You can use the ticket at any time.”
At least ten different thoughts ran through my head. But the first and most horrible thought was, how do I go on this trip without letting Max know? I shook my head like an etch-a-sketch board, hoping to dissolve that ugly thought.
“Donovan. I’m practically all moved in with Max...”
“I don’t need reruns of your life.” He came right up to me and looked me dead in the eye, but didn’t touch me. “Just give me a chance...”
With that, he left my room and I was left reeling. Do I go? Do I stay? Do I tell Donovan to stay the hell away from me? Do I indulge in a weekend and put this curiosity to bed? (Yes...I didn’t mean to do it, but I still kinda laughed at my unintended pun—stupidly grotesque, I know.)
What about Max? Do I tell him and ask for a bye? Do I offer him a bye? Do I do it when he’s out of town so I don’t even have to explain anything? Shit! What the fuck was I thinking? I must be losing my fucking mind!!! I am in love with Max. We will be living like a married couple and I was contemplating cheating on him.
“NO!” That’s what I’d say to Donovan when he got back from his business trip. I’d also tell him to stop all advances. Then I’d move in with Max, be a good girl while he’s away, and all would be copacetic in this world.
I felt great after making those wise decisions and went to have breakfast with my family.
“Happy Birthday, Jane!” My mother, father, and grandparents voiced one after another.
“Thank you. And thank you, Mom, for my favorite breakfast every year.”
Mom would make these sickeningly sweet cinnamon rolls from scratch every birthday that we all adored. But the amount of calories in one roll was scary enough to keep anyone from consuming lunch and possibly dinner.
“Open our present, Dear.” My sweet Gram and Gimpy have me a brilliant circular diamond pendant on a white gold chain.
“Gram! Gimpy! This is stunning. Thank you.” I hugged both of them separately.
“Ours will be boring after that gift,” Mom kidded.
Mom and Dad had gotten me a gift certificate to Pottery Barn, with the thought that Max and I would need to pick up a lot of everyday household items for the new house. “We really like Max. We are hoping everything will work out well with you two.” Mom beamed.
“Me too, Mom,” I said with a guilty conscience after all the terrible thoughts that ran their ugly course this morning.
“What did Donovan want so early in the morning?” Gimpy asked. “Wasn’t he leaving for London today?”
“Yeah. He just came by to drop off a gift and to wish me a happy birthday.”
“That was nice.”
I waited. Then I breathed a sigh of relief when no one asked me what Donovan had given me.
“Did Max come by for the same reason?” Mom asked.
My head popped up from the cinnamon roll at the mention of Max’s name. “What do you mean? I’ll see Max later at the dinner.”
“Didn’t you see Max this morning? He came by but left before I could offe
r him any breakfast.”
My chest pounded and I ran out of breath simultaneously. “What do you mean Max came by this morning? I didn’t see him at all, Mom. Please explain when this was and when he left.”
Panic shot through my heart. There was no explanation needed. Shit! Shit!! Shit!‼ The only answer I couldn’t get straight was whether Max showed up before or after Donovan.
My head burst into pain, I wanted to throw up everything I just ate, and I hated myself for ever wavering between the two men.
“Excuse me,” I said to everyone at the table, “I have to find Max.”
June 13, 2013 Like Alice Falling Down That Little Hole...
No surprise. I couldn’t get a hold of Max all morning before I went into court. But to my surprise, I kept my composure and presented my case well enough to earn me a small praise from Andrea. Lunchtime came and left with no return calls. I desperately wanted to drive to the hospital and plead my case to Max, but I was stuck in the courtroom till 5:00p.m..
By the time court ended and my phone showed no records of having received any calls today, I started getting desperate.
“Nick, have you seen Max today?” I called my brother in full panic mode.
“Yeah. We had lunch.”
“You did?” My stomach relaxed a little and I prayed this was a good sign.
“Did he say anything?”
“Like what? We talked about this and that, but we were with a bunch of people in the cafeteria. It was kind of a send off lunch for the first Mexico group, so there wasn’t much time to talk to him. Are you trying to get a hold of him? Won’t he be at your dinner tonight?”
“Yeah...” I answered, deflated. “I’ll see you tonight.”
Jake and/or Emily would have been the two I should call, but I was afraid. Nick was right, I’d talk to Max tonight. And sure he’d be upset with me, but I’d plead and beg and swear up and down that my wavering would never happen again. This morning was the last time. I was done with Donovan Taylor. Really! I was done with him.
“Hey, Auntie Jane,” my sister greeted me when I walked through her door. “Don’t you look pretty today. Happy Birthday!” She hugged and kissed me on the cheek. The twins saw what their mother was doing and each came up and grabbed a leg to hug. I loved my family. Even the twins were unwittingly comforting me. “You all right?”
“Yeah, I’m good,” I lied. “You need any help or can I go home and change?”
“Go home and freshen up. Everything is under control.”
Since the twins still had a hold of each leg, I swapped my leg for two fingers and walked them to my house where they were greeted like royalty from the elderly folks.
I dialed Max’s number again for the 20th time today and this time got a message that his service had been temporarily halted. Did he not pay his bill on time? Was he doing this to punish me? What was going on?
“Josh? Do you know why Max’s phone is not going through?” I prayed that there was a simple solution to this gigantic mess.
“No clue. I just called him myself and noticed that his phone wasn’t working.”
“Do you think maybe he didn’t pay his bill on time and the phone got temporarily disconnected?”
“I doubt it. Max is pretty meticulous about his affairs. I’ve never known him to be late on any payments.”
“Do you think you can find out for me what’s going on? I’m a little worried.”
“Will do. But I wouldn’t worry. I’m sure there’s an explanation for what’s going on. You’ll see him in less than an hour.”
I hoped I’d see him in less than an hour. As time sped by, I could feel Max slipping by and I had absolutely no control over this precarious grip.
“Happy Birthday,” was the greeting I got from everyone who came through Jake and Emily’s door. I did my duty and participated in all small talk, ceaseless chatter, and answered numerous questions. The one question I couldn’t answer, “Where’s Max?”
I didn’t know where Max was, an hour and a half into my birthday dinner.
“Jake.” Emily was worried as well. “Please find Max for Jane.”
“I’m trying, Love, but his phone is disconnected and there really aren’t too many people to call since his entire family is here.”
“Jane,” Max’s mom spoke, “Max unexpectedly stopped by my work today.”
“He did?” That was news to me, and happy news. Max was still around and taking care of whatever he needed to take care of. “Why did he stop by?”
“I’m not quite sure. It almost seemed as though he was trying to say goodbye. Part of the conversation was about him feeling bad that he was not a good son to us, and part of the conversation was him going around in circles about how unclear his future was, except for his summer plans. Did you two have a fight today? He seemed uncharacteristically down.”
“I haven’t seen him at all today, but I think he misunderstood something that happened this morning. I’ve been trying to get a hold of him all day, but he’s avoiding my calls and now his phone is disconnected.”
“Maybe something happened to his line. I see no reason why he’d disconnect his phone.” Mrs. Davis tried to comfort me with her words, and she actually briefly touched my hands. I would have been thrilled with this progress, if I weren’t so worried about my status with Max.
“Will you excuse us a moment?” Jake smiled politely and pulled me to the corner.
“Did you find him?”
“Maybe. I’ve got a few calls in, but I need you to fess up and tell me what happened between you two.”
“I’m not sure what exactly happened.” I so did not need to tell my brother about me and his best friend.
“Cut the crap and tell me what happened. I can’t help you if you’re going to lie to me.”
“You need my help?” Now the entire Reid siblings were here.
“Yeah, Nick. Hang out and let me hear about your lunch with Max after I hear about what our dear sister did wrong this time.”
That statement pissed me off enough to keep my mouth shut, but today wasn’t the day to pout. So, I started the explanation. “Donovan came over this morning...”
“Shit!” Jake exclaimed. “I thought things were over between you two!”
“What the fuck, Jane! You two-timing on Max with Donovan?”
“Will you both shut the hell up and let me explain my story?”
Both my brothers looked furious. Jake, because he’d told me a million times Donovan wasn’t the guy for me, and Nick, because Max and he were tight. In fact, Nick was tight with all three Davis brothers. And praise the Lord the Davis brothers didn’t choose to join in this conversation.
“Go on,” Jake demanded.
“Donovan stopped by with a birthday present this morning.”
“That sounds innocuous.”
“That depends on what the gift was, Nick. Knowing my best friend, he didn’t bring her just a birthday card.”
“He brought me carte-blanche plane tickets and asked me to go away with him.”
“Fuck!” Both Reid brothers exclaimed simultaneously and with the same tone.
“Does Max know about Donovan’s gift? How would he know? Were you idiotic enough to tell him?”
“You’re getting on my last nerve, Nick. Stop interrupting!” I yelled.
“Sorry.” He put up both hands in surrender.
“Mom asked me at the breakfast table why Max had stopped by this morning and between that information and Max not picking up any of my calls, I’m assuming he showed up when Donovan was in my room.”
“You and Donovan are both idiots. Max has every right to be pissed.” Jake was not happy with me! He pulled out his phone, undoubtedly to call his best friend to give him a piece of his mind when the phone rang. “It’s the hospital. Don’t go anywhere!” He warned me.
The call took no longer than ten seconds. “Shit! Get your ass over to the airport, NOW! Max is leaving t
onight for Mexico with the first group.”
When will this nightmare end?
June 17, 2013 In a Deep, Dark Pit
“Breathe Jane, breathe. We’re almost there and you have plenty of time. The plane leaves at midnight and it’s not even 9 o’clock yet.” Jake thought it would be a good idea for Nick to drive me to the airport since I was in no condition to drive a car. Originally, Jake was my driver, but considering Emily was due to give birth soon, he didn’t want her to be concerned about what was going on. So we all decided to keep this story from Emily, and Nick drove me to the airport to help me win over Max.