•~•
"Finally! Here it is," Priscilla said, turning up the volume. "Guess they saved the best for last."
They'd had to sit through a feature story with interviews about Homeland Security before Newslight finally got to Douglas's segment.
She and Michael were in the family room, spooning on the sofa and enjoying after dinner wine. "I have to admit it," she said. "I'm a little excited to hear what he has to say. This was so important to him."
The segment was promoted throughout the first half of the show as an upcoming feature of the late Veronica Bauer's career in Hollywood that would include an exclusive interview with her only grandson, Douglas Bauer. It was given quite a buildup, with black and white stills of their grandmother the 50s bombshell sailing across the screen.
"Good evening. I'm Ginger Wallford, and tonight we're lucky enough to have Mr. Douglas Bauer joining us. The grandson of the legendary Veronica Bauer, who you're undoubtedly aware passed away recently, much too soon. A most beloved leading lady of Hollywood's Golden Age, she became quite reclusive once she left the business and gave almost no interviews. I myself reached out to her personally several times over the years, and to my great disappointment, she always graciously declined to sit down with me. So tonight, I'd like to dedicate this interview with her beloved grandson, to her enduring memory." The camera switched to Douglas, who gave a modest smile.
"How are you, Doug?"
"Doing well," he replied. "I'm doing fairly well, thank you, Ginger."
"Thank you for agreeing to do this interview," Ginger said. "So...we have the public image, Doug, but why don't you tell us a little about the grandmother you knew. Were you very close?"
"We were. Yes," he answered quietly. "Very close. She came to our rescue. We loved her very, very much."
Priscilla's back had stiffened against Michael's chest.
"Your mother was abusive?"
"In a word? Yes."
"And how old were you when you went to live with your grandmother?"
"I was twelve, my sister was nine."
Michael gave Priscilla a supportive squeeze. Linking their fingers, she dropped a kiss on his hand as a thank you.
Ginger Wallford was saying, "...in Paris, where you now work as the CEO of Bauer Enterprises, the parent company of the Favorite Things Hotels. That's quite a mantle for such a young man, isn't it?"
"Yes," Douglas replied. "And it's one I bear proudly, Ginger. My grandmother provided a very good education, and I learned from the best, working alongside her very closely; so I have a solid understanding of the vision my grandparents shared for the company. I'm confident I'll be able to ensure it has a bright and enduring future."
Ginger Wallford asked a few other questions related to his childhood at Emerald Leas and Douglas's memories of his grandfather, George Bauer, but she ended the interview on a more personal note. And Priscilla knew this was the moment Doug had been waiting for. The reason he'd agreed to do the interview at all.
"And before we go, Doug. Is there anything else you'd like our viewers to know about your grandmother? Any special thoughts you'd like to share with the many fans all over the world who love her films and the marvelous Favorite Things hotel chain she gave so much of herself to?"
"Absolutely," said Douglas, looking directly into the camera. "My sister and I want to send our sincere thanks to fans all over the world who grieve with us at this time. Many of you have sent your condolences—we've received flowers and mementos from all over the world, and we thank you all from the bottom of our hearts." He paused. "My grandmother was a very vibrant and loving soul, and she always spoke of her time making films in Hollywood with great nostalgic fondness. And even though she retired from show business at the height of her career, she never stopped loving and appreciating her fans. She was a very private lady, but she would want the fans to know that she appreciated them, always. She was a very innovative and creative mind, and she poured those talents into her hotels. We're planning to add some special touches to the decor of all three locations, and future locations to come, in celebration of her life, not just in Hollywood, but also in the many years after. We hope our guests will enjoy it."
"Well, that sounds lovely, Douglas," said Ginger. "And thank you again, Mr. Douglas Bauer. My deepest sympathies are with you and your sister, Priscilla. I wish you both the very best for the future."
"Thank you, Ginger."
When it cut to commercial, Michael looked down at Priscilla where her head rested against his chest. "You okay?" he asked. "What'd you think?"
She exhaled. "I'm surprised he went into our childhood. They must've discussed it before hand because it seemed like he knew the question was coming...I just hope it doesn't get the news rags going again."
Michael nodded, rubbing her arm.
"And I'm pretty sure my mother just shit her pants watching that," she added with a chuckle. "But other than that, I think he did a very good job. Doug's always been better in the spotlight, that's why he's the one for the public appearances, not me. If it weren't like four a.m. in Paris right now, I'd call and congratulate him. But I think I'll just send him an e-mail before bed."
Michael began nibbling her ear. "Before bed?"
"Hmm..." She turned onto her back, found his lips and kissed him deeply. Loving the way it felt to have him there.
They made love passionately on the sofa. And Priscilla rode him senseless before he carried her up to her bedroom for the night...where she somehow forgot all about e-mailing Douglas.
•~•
On Monday morning, they went together to a charming little coffee shop a few blocks from the hotel. Priscilla was going in for more staffing interviews and Michael was headed back home for work.
Ordering a chai latte for her and a tall mocha for himself, he joined her at the table.
They had spent the entire weekend together—listening to music, playing tennis, swimming and taking nice, long walks with Chewy, who was still fairly unhappy but seemed to be coming around.
Catching her eye, Michael flashed a satiated smile. "I hate leaving you, you know."
"I know, me too," she said, glowing. "Why don't we go see a movie later?"
"I like the sound of that."
So parting with a lingering kiss, they settled on the new DiCaprio movie and agreed to meet at the Mayfair Palace Cinema later on that evening.
•~•
When Priscilla blissfully arrived at the hotel, she popped in to see Natalie in the flower shop. "Have you heard any more of that Charlotte talk?" she asked.
"No," Natalie replied with a laugh, "everyone pretty much knows by now that she was just dreaming."
"Good," said Priscilla, taking a seat. "So how's everything else going around here?"
"Everything's going great. We've been very busy in here. Lots of street traffic coming in, too, not just guests. And they just hired a new girl over there in gifts. Jodi brought her around this morning to meet everybody. Looks like they picked a nice one, we like her."
"Yes, I was here for that interview," Priscilla said, nodding. "In fact, I'm back today for a few more."
"Good!" Natalie said, tapping her on the hand. "It's good that you're getting involved, Priscilla. I'm sure Veronica would've wanted that more than anything."
It felt good hearing that from Natalie, someone her grandmother had held in high regard.
"Speaking of Charlotte," Priscilla said as she got up to leave. "Have you seen her yet this morning?"
"Yep. She was here bright and early, even before me."
Priscilla decided to drop in and check her mother's pulse. She felt a little guilty now about hanging up on her the way she had, and she knew the Newslight interview must've made her feel pretty badly.
The clothing boutique was directly across from the gift shop, so Priscilla decided to stop in there first to welcome the new clerk before going on to do battle with Charlotte. "Welcome aboard," said Priscilla, smiling and shaking her hand. "You're in good han
ds with Jodi here."
"Thank you so much," she replied, smiling. "I'm really excited and can't wait to get out and explore this whole island. All the cute little shops and galleries and stuff."
"Oh, is this your first time in Mayfair?" asked Jodi.
"Yeah, even though I just live over in Steeple Springs, this is the first time I've actually crossed the bridge. It's pretty exciting."
"Well, we're glad to have you," Priscilla said as she took her leave, waving goodbye.
Walking into Well Arranged, she saw her mother organizing some cashmere sweaters on a display stand in the center of the store. She hadn't seen Priscilla come in.
Taking the moment to observe her mother unnoticed, Priscilla now realized that all she saw was a woman simply at work. A woman who was doing her job. Her dark hair had no hint of gray and was pulled into a neat and sophisticated bun. Diamond teardrop earrings glittered from her ears and she looked very nice in her black slacks and shimmering teal blouse.
Why can't she stay this way? Priscilla thought. This normal.
Turning on her heel, she quietly stepped out of the shop and continued down the hall to HR.
• CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE •
"Amber, it's me. I'm returning your call. Look, I will speak to Michael about all this, so stop worrying, and don't bother coming by the office anymore. And do not, I repeat, do not contact Priscilla Bauer! Let me handle this. If you phone her, it's possible we could lose their business, and I would not thank you for that and neither would Michael, for that matter. So I'm telling you now that that is not a good idea. Again, let me talk to Michael, all right? Call me back when you get this message."
Clicking off the voicemail, Amber looked expectantly at her mother. "See? You heard what he said. So now what?"
"Send the text," said Julie Holland, shaking her head. "Just send her the goddamn text, 'cause if you want to break them up, that's the surest way to do it."
"But what if she already knows about us, Mom?"
"Good point," said Julie. "But what if she doesn't?"
Amber ran a hand through her bob. "But if they lose that account...you heard what he said. This could backfire and just push Michael even further away."
"Well, he can't really get much further away than he is right now, can he?"
Amber placed a hand on her chest, practically bursting with nervous energy. Things were getting out of control much faster than she could've anticipated. Losing contact with Michael was unfathomable, and she still couldn't believe any of this shit was happening.
Out of sheer desperation, she had finally called her mom over after Elaine had told her it was time to give it up. "Are you fucking crazy?" she'd practically yelled at her cousin. "That is not an option." So of course Amber had felt she had no other choice but to fill Julie in—they needed to figure out what to do next, and if anyone knew how important this relationship was to Amber, it was her mother. So she would think of something.
And she certainly had.
"Am," her mom said now. "What the hell's all this stuff doing out here in the living room?"
You should've seen it an hour before you got here, thought Amber. "It's just the stuff he didn't take with him. I was planning to burn it all."
"Never mind that now," said Julie with a huff. "You have to be smarter than that. Michael can buy all this stuff back, but he won't get that bitch back if she doesn't know he was living with you the whole time."
"But, Mom, if they lose the Bauers' business, I'll be the one who gets the blame—not you."
"Honey, that's just a risk you're gonna have to take. Larry Frost can try to talk to his son 'til he's blue in the face—Michael isn't gonna listen to him and you know it. You have to go after your man, Amber. Fight to get him back. Too bad if the fight gets dirty, but Michael only has himself to blame. He should never have cheated on you in the first place."
"Exactly." Amber was practically trembling. "He betrayed me, but I'm the one being treated like dirt." Her eyes turned hard. "He has to pay for this, Mom. You should've seen how he brought those cops here...as if I were just some stranger off the street. I did not deserve that. It was humiliating. Humiliating."
Julie gave her daughter a shrewd look that said, Well, you know what you have to do.
With a burst of determination, Amber snatched up her cell phone. And suddenly she knew exactly how to maximize the effect. "I have to make sure she takes me seriously," she said, almost to herself. "He can't have any wiggle room."
Composing the text, she sharpened the blade and hit send.
Before Julie Holland left the apartment, she hugged her daughter and wiped away her angry, bitter tears. "Listen, don't fall apart on me, okay? Just keep your eyes open and focus on what you had all these years and I guarantee the two of you will get back together. Michael might be upset at first, but once this girl doesn't want him anymore, he'll be back. He can't just walk away from the ten years you've been together. You're a part of him, Amby, and he loves you more than that. He has to."
Amber nodded. "I know he does. But somehow that bitch got her claws into him."
"Yeah," said Julie as she turned away and headed down the steps. "But I'll bet you've just pulled 'em right back out."
• CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR •
This is perfect, Michael thought, looking around the spacious new house. It was in a nice, swanky neighborhood and he liked it a lot. There were three bedrooms and a great outdoor set up in the back. He could see Priscilla being very much at home with him here.
Making a good offer, he took a few pictures, thanked the realtor and left. He had a few rush mock-ups due in at the office before the end of the day.
Since the house was only about ten minutes from The Renaissance, he made it back to his room quickly and got right to work at the large desk.
Although Michael's private life was in transition, it seemed to be doing wonders for his imagination and creativity—he was now producing some of his best work ever! He'd just designed a custom logo for Reva Lai, a major fashion designer who'd been looking to rebrand. They had accepted his first draft with no requests for changes, which was rare.
You're just getting better at this, he thought, shading the neck of the swan he'd drawn as the focal point of his current project. He spent the rest of the afternoon working until he was satisfied with the drawings, then he got them scanned on his portable and sent off to Lynn at the office.
The distance from his father was great and he was really enjoying it. He could breathe, and he appreciated that Larry had indeed backed off. It was giving them both the space they needed to hit the reset button on their relationship. And it also gave Michael a better hope for their future as father and son.
With his work done for the day, Michael ordered up a dinner of sea bass and potatoes, then sent a sweetheart text to Priscilla, letting her know she was on his mind and he was looking forward to the movie. Aside from the Academy event at the hotel and the coffee shop that morning, this would be their first real date out in public so he was definitely looking forward to it.
After the devastating loss she had suffered, being able to contribute to her healing meant the world to him. As he jumped into the shower, looking forward to the evening, Michael realized right then, that he had long since fallen in love with Priscilla. And loving her was already making him a better man.
•~•
Dressed smartly in slim-fitting black slacks and a pinstriped blazer, Michael drove across the causeway into Mayfair wondering how Amber was doing. He imagined that once she'd had some time to calm down and accept the break up, he would go ahead and give her a call so they could talk and try to part as friends.
He was still feeling the aftershocks of their split, but he was determined to smooth the jagged edges, to make things right. He felt he owed her that.
When he arrived at the theater, he turned his car over to the valet and went up to the box office to buy their tickets. He thought about showing Priscilla the pictures of the house when she g
ot there, since he was so eager to start folding her into his life and couldn't wait to hear what she thought of the place.
Tickets in hand, Michael bought a cappuccino from the Sweets & Seats across from the theater entrance, then texted Priscilla that he would be waiting at one of the umbrella tables outside. They had agreed to meet at 7:00 p.m. and he was early, having wanted to ensure the rush hour crunch on the highway wouldn't make him late.
As he waited, he sipped his coffee and people watched. It was always one of Michael's favorite pastimes when out in public, observing people who didn't know they were being observed.
Raindrops on Roses: Book One of the Favorite Things Trilogy Page 12