by Cee, DW
“Why are you so angry with me? Some days I think we’re back to our easy friendship, and other days, like today, I wonder what I did wrong. Do you resent me for working so closely with your grandfather? Is that what this anger is all about?”
“Don’t be ridiculous, Chloe. I’ve told you in the past how much we all appreciate what you do for him. This has nothing to do with Grandfather.”
“Then, what is it? Why do you treat me like hired help half the times and your best friend the other half the times?”
“Hired help?” I yelled. “When have I ever treated you like hired help? You’re the one who always makes yourself out as the hired help.”
“You’re right. You treat Addie and her staff much better than you treat me. What’s the problem, Michael? Have we just come to the end of the road with our friendship?”
This woman sometimes infuriated me with her assumptions. I had to calm myself down before talking to her again. “Listen. I wasn’t upset with you when this conversation began. Now, though, I’m annoyed with your inane accusations.”
She watched me sputter. I could do no other than watch as I made a fool of myself.
“Can I ask you one question?” she asked most seriously. Now, I was a little spooked by her calmness.
“All right.”
“Would you consider me your first love? I know Laney is your only true love, but did I ever rank in that lofty category?”
Damn. Had I told her that Laney was my only true love? No matter how much I wanted to deny it, I knew I had. I recovered from that stupidity with another asinine statement. “I guess so.”
By the hurt look in her eyes, I’d made another grave error.
“If what you say is true, when you’re eighty, would you remember your first love with fondness, almost a yearning to recapture that love? Would I, and our love, be that memorable to you? Back when we were together, would your life have stopped if I had left you and moved to a different continent? Would you have come after me?”
“That’s a hell of a lot more than one question, Chloe,” was all I could give her as an answer. It wasn’t because I didn’t have an answer for her. I did.
“That’s what I thought, Michael. I’ll see you again soon.” She left me when Grandfather called her into his study. Never would I have thought this conversation wouldn’t continue until almost a decade later.
Chloe
“May I have a word with you in my study, Chloe?”
The duke appeared perturbed today. I hoped it wasn’t anything I did or said. I truly hoped he hadn’t heard my conversation with Michael just now.
“Yes, Grandfather?”
“When do you leave again?”
“Probably tonight? We have a wedding in Tokyo this weekend, and I’d like to get over there to see all that’s been done so far.”
“Are you enjoying your new job?”
Aside from being with family, Grandfather included, my new job was the best part of my life. “I love it, Your Grace. There are moments when I want to pull my hair out, not to mention the bride’s hair, but overall, it’s the best job a girl can ask for. How are you doing, Grandfather? Are you inconvenienced because I’m not around?”
“No. You take care of me no matter where you are, so I can’t complain. I do worry about you, though.”
“Why?”
“Are you able to make new friends or keep in touch with your current friends between your two jobs?”
“Make new friends—no. Keeping up with the old friends—hardly. It’s not easy being away, living in farmland, UK, and working here. But, I’m very happy with my life, with or without friends.”
“I wonder if I made a mistake introducing you to Pierre.”
“How so?”
“What you asked earlier, about meeting a man and settling down.”
“Uh-huh…”
“It might not happen if all you’re doing is working. That doesn’t worry or bother you?”
It did. It bothered the hell out of me. Some nights, I barely slept because that’s what I thought about—my non-existent future.
“For now, I’m happy working with you and Pierre. If it ever becomes too much, I’ll quit.”
“What’s happening with that O’Shaughnessy boy? Niles tells me he’s leaving for Los Angeles, soon.”
Another sigh, another painful decision—neither of which I wanted to explain to the duke. To tell my grandfather about my “boy” problems was ridiculous.
“He leaves tomorrow.”
“And?”
I knew what the duke wanted to hear, but I didn’t want to admit anything.
“And, I leave for Tokyo tonight. Any chance you want to come with me? Aren’t you friendly with the emperor?”
“I am.” His Grace was considering my proposition.
“We can leave tomorrow morning if you don’t want to leave tonight.”
“Will you give me some answers if I choose to go with you?”
“Only if you can get me a tour of the Imperial Palace.”
“You drive a hard bargain, Chloe.”
“I learned from the best, Grandfather.”
“We’ll talk on the plane?”
“That we will.”
Who would have thought Grandfather and Ruby would be the only two Bennigtons to stay my close friends and family for the next decade?
Author’s Note Part 2:
I love these blogs, don’t you? What I love most about these blogs is the interaction I have with the Reiders. Though I may not comment on all your comments, I read them all and smile. I love that you’re engaged and enraged, depending upon what Michael, Chloe, and Brendan are doing right or wrong.
For those of you who’ve been with me since the Max & Jane days, this story will continue on my website (assuming you’re with us in 2015.) Please head over there and join us for Vol. 2. For those of you who’ve come after, there’s usually a blog or free story happening on my website.
Why do I give away free books? I’m a huge reader myself, and I love a good freebie. Think of this as my way of giving back for all the free library books my children and I’ve read in our lifetimes—past, present, and future.
Please keep in touch via:
http://www.dwcee.com/
[email protected]
I enjoy hearing from all of you, and I do really write back to all the emails that come my way.
Finally, Love! – Michael & Chloe’s Story Vol. 2
By
DW Cee
Copyright © 2015 by DW Cee
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be copied, reproduced, transmitted, or downloaded, whether electronic or mechanical, without the written consent of the author.
This story is a work of fiction. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Ebook Edition
Chickygirl Publishing
Books by DW CEE
Indelible Love Series (ebooks)
Indelible Love – Emily’s Story
Indelible Love – Jake’s Story
Indelible Lovin’ – Max & Jane’s Story Vol. 1
Indelible Lovin’ – Max & Jane’s Story Vol. 2
Unlikely Attraction – Delaney’s Story
Near Perfect Attraction – Donovan’s Story
Unyielding Love – Nick & Bee’s Story Vol. 1
Unyielding Love – Nick & Bee’s Story Vol. 2
Indelible Lovin’ – Max & Jane’s Wedding
Indelible Love Bundle + Entwined
Finally, Love! – Michael & Chloe’s Story Vol. 1
Finally, Love! – Michael & Chloe’s Story Vol. 2
Harmony Series (ebooks)
Unfinished Melody
Perfect Harmony
Stand-Alone (ebook)
Entwined
Paperback Books
Indelible Love – Emily’s Story
Indelible Love – Jake’s Story
Indelible Lovin’ – Max & Jane’s Story (combined volume)
Unlikely Attraction – Delaney’s Story
Coming Soon…
Indelible Memories – Estelle’s Story (Winter 2015)
To All Who Love The Reids and their Extended Families
(Could there be a more ideal family?)
Table of Content
History
New Beginnings
Celebration
Epilogue
History
Chloe: Revisiting History
Chloe! Please! Stop running away from me. I need to talk to you about Grandfather. It’s urgent.
I had no choice but to return Michael’s call when I heard this message. The last time I sat and had a deep and pleasant conversation with my friend was back in New York at that grubby pizza joint. Today was close to ten years past and sadly, neither of us had taken the time to continue our friendship.
A lot had happened in the past ten years. I guess if I were counting days, it was more like a little over nine years. Regardless, Michael and I had a lot to talk about.
“Chloe!” The relief was palpable even from my end of the earpiece. “Where have you been?” He started with an annoyed tone, but quickly changed his tune. “How are you, Chlo-No? It’s been too long. Haven’t you missed me?” What the hell to say. “Where are you, Friend?”
Why was he being so sweet? After being separated for this long, I didn’t think I’d feel anything for Michael. But, here we were again—or better stated, here I was again. Somehow, there was an automatic timer on my Michael-switch. Whenever he turned on the emotion, I followed his lead.
“I’m in Paris, staying at Grandfather’s apartment.”
“I’m hopping on the next train into Gare du Nord. I assume you won’t run away again?” I didn’t mean to sigh aloud. Judging by the chuckle on the other end, I guess he heard me. “See you soon Chlo-No.”
I hung up without a reply.
I wished I had a job to escape to right now. I wished I didn’t have to face the music with Michael. The past years had not been good for our friendship, but they had been over-the-top blessed for my career. Once I felt Grandpa Harry was settled, I jumped into my life as Pierre’s apprentice with gusto. We initially started with one wedding a month. Then we took on two weddings a month and eventually, I graduated to a wedding a weekend. Around three years in, I went from apprentice to full-fledged owner of my own business. I paid a handsome royalty to Pierre, but it was worth every pound.
Pierre’s business was a well-oiled machine and he was always available to answer any questions or to help when I was in a bind. He had become like another duke in my life. I had been blessed with mentors all my life. For that, I was truly grateful.
This past year, I chose to slow down my business. Staying in posh hotels got tiresome, and weddings did not produce the same kind of happiness as I got older. I missed home, the comforts of my own bed, and I missed having people in my life. Long gone was the excitement of being surrounded by gushing bridal parties and sycophantic followers. While rushing to become the premiere wedding planner, I’d lost everyone who meant something to me. Of course my biological family and I never separated for too long, but with the rest of my “family”…ugh! What a mess I’d created.
How had I gotten myself into this lonely rut? Greed, hunger, a need to escape—all three contributed to my workaholism. My insane schedule looked something like this: Mondays were my “office” days. Whether I was home in London or on location at possible future venues, I always reserved this day for clients—whether prospective or current. Many times, I was scouting locations on this day in other cities and countries.
Tuesdays I reserved for finishing what wasn’t done on Monday, and for focusing on the upcoming weekend’s wedding. I’d email all the vendors, reconfirm times, dates, locations, and get in touch with the bride. Usually, I tried to stay away for as long as possible, before getting sucked into the bridal vortex. Once in, there was no escaping.
By Wednesday, I was on site. Why so early, you ask? Because I learned that high-end, sky-is-the-limit wedding parties started early. Some had parties all week, but most started on a Thursday and ended with Sunday brunch. Usually, I stopped sleeping at night around this time, and I was on-call until Sunday afternoon.
Thursday brought the entire wedding party, family, and close friends. Earlier in my career, I saw to every activity from this point until the post-wedding brunch. Once I had deeper pockets, I hired people to take care of everything that didn’t happen on the wedding day.
Friday, of course, was the rehearsal and gigantic rehearsal dinner. When the evening began, there’d be about twenty people in attendance. When free food and booze happened, the number grew three-fold.
Saturday was the main event. I tried to evoke a unique and precious memory for each bride and groom. Not duplicating anything I’d done in the past, unless requested by the bride, wasn’t an easy feat—but I reveled in the challenge. To see the euphoria on the couple’s faces brought mixed feelings of joy and sadness for me. I loved being a part of the happily-ever-after. But I also hated the loneliness that followed, knowing this was someone else’s happily-ever-after—never my own.
By the end of Sunday, I hopped on a plane and came back to my empty flat. After permitting myself a quick downtime, I was onto my next wedding.
This was how I’d lived my life for the past many years. For a bright woman, I wasn’t too smart.
Meet me at Le Jules Verne at 2:00pm. I just arrived. See you there. This was the text Michael sent.
I got up to greet my past, trying to tamp down my hope for a future.
Michael: Familiar History
Finally! I’d see Chloe in about half an hour.
I’d been remiss in continuing our friendship. Some of the blame could fall on Chloe, but most belonged to me. Though it wasn’t clear why Chloe had avoided me to this extent, I knew it was a long road ahead if I wanted to repair our friendship. This was, of course, assuming she wanted the same.
The past years had been good to the both of us, financially. Through Grandfather and Ruby, I’d heard how my friend had become the most sought-after wedding planner. She was now picking and choosing weddings and working less. I was proud of her accomplishments.
For Niles and myself, our business took off immediately. The third member of our team, Alexander, knew this business inside and out. We were lucky to work with him, and he worked magic with all the capital we infused. The learning curve was about two years for me since I couldn’t solely focus on our business. But once fully entrenched, I worked as hard as my two partners.
I decided a few years ago to scale back on the coffee business and to become a silent partner. Grandfather was getting older and I realized there wasn’t much time left to learn under him. My parents, Chloe and I took turns taking trips with him and creating as many memories as possible. Ruby and Niles also jumped in where they could. With Chloe being so close to Grandfather, one would think I’d run into her often. That wasn’t the case. It felt like she purposely saw him the days she knew I was unavailable. This avoidance would be addressed and stopped today.
I waited outside the entrance of the restaurant elevator for my friend. After keeping me waiting a short while, she arrived. She walked slowly toward me, almost wary of our meeting. What the hell had happened to us?
“Hello, Chlo-No!” I embraced her and gave her a kiss on her temple.
“Hi. Long time no see, huh?”
“Two years, to be exact. I think the last time we said more than five sentences to one another was at Ruby’s wedding.”
“Has it been that long?” she wondered.
“It has for me, Friend. Maybe feelings aren’t quite mutual.”
Her eyes averted mine. I knew it was time to go in and have our heart-to-heart.
“This place never changes, huh?” she spoke surveying the surroundings. “I haven’t dined here s
ince the last time we were here together. I love it here.”
“It’s been that long for me too.” She looked up at me in surprise. “Let’s sit?”
“Sure.”
I decided to start with the casual topic before digging in to what had happened with us. “What are you doing in Paris? Another wedding?”
“Yes. Some mega rich bride wants to marry at Versailles. It’s not going to be easy shutting down a tourist attraction. I’ve been here for a week trying to solve this issue. How’s your work going? Grandpa Harry tells me you’ve slowed down, too.”