by Vicky Dean
“I can’t believe you’re getting married tomorrow,” Teri said as the bartender set down a Pina Colada in front of her.
“Me either,” Cassie said as she raised her Daiquiri and tapped it against Teri’s drink.
“Cheers.”
“So tell me more about this man you’re about to marry. Will I like him?”
Cassie laughed, “Yes, you’ll like him, he’s a good guy.”
“Is he good looking?”
Cassie could feel her face beginning to flush. “Yes, he is. Almost too good looking.”
“No such thing,” Teri said with a laugh.
“Well, before all of this, he was imprinted in my mind as a spotty teenager. Now he’s about 6’2”, and very good looking. He’s also in excellent shape I guess from working outside so much.”
“You’re falling for him, aren’t you?”
“No,” Cassie said quickly. “That would not be a good idea. Plus, he’s not the marrying kind.”
“Why?” Teri asked.
Cassie sipped her drink slowly to buy herself some time before answering. “I don’t know why, really. Possibly because he lost his parents and siblings in a car accident when he was fifteen. It happened after my mom and I’d moved to Staten Island. Perhaps he’s scared that if he gets close to someone he’ll lose them.”
***
Over at the ranch, Philip joined Richard for some steaks and scotch—a “playboy off the market” celebration.
“I’ve been saving this for a special occasion. I suppose this is as good as any,” Philip said, showing the scotch bottle.
“Good, I’m tense as hell, Philip. I’ll gladly take anything to take the edge off.”
“The wedding, or something else?”
“The wedding, but also organizing everything for this week. I haven’t seen Cassie for two days. People have been asking so many questions about her and I was caught off guard at first. It’s details that are likely to trip me up.”
“Well, once you’re married and she’s also living here, it’ll be a lot easier,” Philip said with complete confidence.
“I hope so,” Richard said.
“So, you don’t feel good about the wedding?” Philip asked.
“Not great. I like living on my own and the thought of sharing my home for a year is not something I’m looking forward to.”
“Is it about being off the market, or just having to keep up with the rouse for a year?” Philip asked. “Because, in the whole scheme of things, a year isn’t that long.”
“Oddly enough, I haven’t even thought about the woman factor, aside from the one I’m marrying.”
“Sure picked a romantic honeymoon spot; any particular reason?”
“Well, I didn’t want to do the Caribbean or a cruise. And I always wanted to go to Europe. Heard that Cassie did, too, so I thought we might as well knock something off our bucket list as the kick-off to our marriage.”
Philip smiled mischievously and asked, “What about sleeping arrangements?”
“What about them?”
“Cassie’s a beautiful girl.”
“To get involved with her in that way would just complicate things. I have booked separate rooms for us. This is just a business arrangement, remember,” Richard said slightly irritated.
“How is Victoria?”
“I haven’t talked to her since we split up, passed her on the street in the truck once. She didn’t even return my wave.”
“What about your business relationship?” Philip asked.
“Well, I do need to talk to her about various things, but she must still be burnt, because she hasn’t reached out to me. And there are those five old fishermen cottages she bought that she wants me to renovate for her. It’s not like her—she loves money more than just about anything else.”
“Miss her?” Philip asked, swigging down the rest of his scotch.
Richard thought for a while before answering. “Actually, no. I guess there’s been so much else going on I haven’t had time to think about her. And you know me, I don’t do long term relationships. It was likely time to break up anyway, with or without Gramp’s encouragement from the grave.”
“That’s why this wedding is the talk of the area. Everyone wants to know who the woman who’s finally tamed you down is.”
“If they only knew the truth,” Richard said grimly.
“Well, let’s hope they never do. Remember your grandfather stipulated that the whole town must believe this wedding is for real. Or you don’t inherit,” Philip warned. “Maybe you’ll like being married. Could fall in love and even want to have kids.”
Richard’s jaw line tensed. “That’s so not going to happen. Love only ever leads to pain and loss. And I hope you will do your job and make sure everyone thinks this is a marriage made in heaven.”
***
A horse drawn carriage pulled up in front of the cottage and Cassie walked out of the house, along with Teri, her mother, and her aunt. It was time…oh my gosh, it was time. Thanks to Teri’s help, Cassie felt like a princess, ready to face her court with her beautiful cream chiffon dress, and her hair twisted up in an eloquent style with a few tendrils loosely dangling around her face, dancing slightly in the breeze that was present that beautiful day.
“You just look so beautiful,” said her mother.
“Like a beautiful princess,” said her aunt.
Teri was just glassy eyed and when Cassie noticed it, she knew that she’d be quiet, less she risked starting to cry and ruining her mascara. Tough attorney by day, softy by night.
Just like a fairytale, the carriage pulled up to the chapel and the driver stepped down and came around to open the small door and extended his hand to help Cassie out.
Waiting on the sidewalk was her Uncle William who was going to walk her down the aisle. He looked so much like her father—the way she remembered him fourteen years ago—that she couldn’t help but smile and imagine what he’d be thinking as he watched his daughter getting married. Thankfully, Uncle William felt this was the real deal, just like everyone else did. Everyone else was in the church and she looked at him and smiled, then looped her arm through his.
“Are you ready?” he asked.
“I am,” Cassie said. Hopefully her voice sounded more confident than her heart at that moment. It suddenly seemed really deceitful, which did not make her feel as great as she should.
Her mother and aunt went inside and she remained out there with her uncle. As she stood there she shook slightly, but was ready for the day. Then the music started to play from inside the chapel, a beautiful compilation on the violin.
Slowly and steadily, Cassie walked in, feeling like she was in a dream. As she entered into the main part of the chapel, she couldn’t help but focus on Teri up ahead of her, looking so graceful in her simple, pale blue sheath. Then as she walked up the aisle she spotted Richard standing by the altar with Philip behind him.
He was gorgeous and the way he looked at her made her feel like the most beautiful woman in the world. It made everything seem so real and she decided to savor the moment and let her imagination run wild. This was her one and only first wedding, after all.
As she got closer, Richard smiled at her and his eyes lit up, which made her smile. Then her uncle handed her away to Richard, her husband for better or worse, but only for a year.
The vows were said and then the ring was slipped onto her finger, making her hand tremble, but it was his kiss upon her lips after the minister announced that “you may kiss the bride” that shot her to the moon. Her stomach had twisted as he drew her close and she’d felt the heat of his breath as his lips hesitated over hers. Then his lips met hers, moist, firm, and completely intoxicating. Although, not a long kiss, it felt too real, and addictive. She instantly knew she wanted to feel that kiss again, for better or for worse.
Then they walked down the aisle, greeted by claps and cheers, and with her arm looped through her husband’s, Cassie and he stepped into the awaiti
ng black limousine that would take them to the Santa Maria Country Club for the reception. Teri, her mother, Aunt Maggie, Uncle William, and Philip all followed behind them in another limousine.
Richard held Cassie’s hand when they’d entered the limousine, but once the doors were closed, he pulled it away softly, maybe even hesitantly. Then he smiled, acting more casual. “How are you doing?”
“Good? You?”
“It wasn’t as tough as I thought it would be,” he said. She looked and saw he meant it. She should have been offended, but she couldn’t be because she understood exactly what he meant.
“Well, it’s time to celebrate, I guess,” Cassie said. Then she felt her face pale slightly and saw that Richard had noticed it.
“What’s going on?” he asked.
“I just thought of the clanking glass thing, you know, the signal to kiss. That one is always overdone,” she said.
“Well, maybe I’m being callous about our business relationship, but to me, kissing you isn’t such a bad part of the deal.”
“What is the bad part, Mr. Gallagher?” Cassie asked.
“Well, Mrs. Gallagher,” he emphasized, “keeping our unusual agreement a secret.”
“Good point. So many thoughts have come to my mind,” Cassie said.
“Such as?” Richard leaned toward her and put his hand on her thigh.
“Well, if you have anyone to stay and we have separate rooms, what about that?”
“We’ll just keep the doors closed,” he said casually.
“And if someone asks me if you snore,” Cassie threw out there.
“I assure you, I do not,” he said, laughing at it. “How about you?”
Cassie playfully swatted his arm and the two bantered back and forth. Before they knew it, they had arrived at their party.
The Country Club had laid out an impressive buffet with several stations, enabling their guests to have a wide selection of options. There was a carving station with a choice of meats, a pasta station, a vegetarian station, and a salad counter. Fifty round tables were beautifully dressed in crisp white tablecloths. In the middle of each table, as centerpieces were a bunch of calla lilies.
Cassie and Richard stood there, talking with people and making introductions, and wearing permanent “happy” smiles.. She was grateful that everyone seemed to approve of her and not question their “whirlwind romance” too much. During a small break, she leaned over and went on her tip toes to whisper in Richard’s ear. “I’m having fun, but I feel like a phony.”
He smiled and said, “You’re so beautiful, you could pull anything off.”
“And flattery will get you everywhere,” she replied.
Then someone came up. “So in love, how sweet.”
They smiled and Richard said, “Thank you so much. I just got sick of waiting for you, Mrs. Martin.” She giggled and that was it.
“Smooth,” Cassie said, laughing and wrapping her arm tightly through his.
Eventually it was meal time.
Then toast time came and both Philip and Teri, who seemed to get along quite well, debating the world of law or whatever, each gave their toasts. They were both eloquent, from the heart, and surprisingly good considering they knew the truth.
And then it was time for their first official dance as husband and wife. The song—Start Me Up by the Rolling Stones. Interesting choice, but as good as any since they really didn’t have a song. Well actually, now they did.
After a few hours of dancing and socializing, it was time to go. Cassie was eager to get out of her beautiful dress, realizing how cumbersome it was to wear one all day long, especially a long dress. Putting on a pale blue shift dress, she and her husband said their goodbyes and climbed back into the limousine to make their way to San Francisco, and then eventually to Paris.
“Well, Mrs. Gallagher, are you ready for our French honeymoon?” Richard asked, smiling at her as the limousine glided away from the country club.
“Indeed, Mr. Gallagher, but first, I’m ready for a good night’s sleep,” she replied.
The two talked about the recent sleepless nights they’d had and how they hoped that now the wedding was done, they could find a way to adapt to their new routine while keeping the things they liked as single people.
After they checked into the airport hotel in San Francisco, Richard saw her up to her room. “Well, goodnight, Mrs. Gallagher. Get a good night’s sleep; we have a long day ahead of us tomorrow.”
“Goodnight, Richard.”
He leaned in and gave her a warm hug and then kissed her on the forehead, almost like he was a father figure. Then he left for his room next door. Cassie stood there for a moment, feeling strangely disappointed. Her lips were lonely.
PARIS
They landed in Paris Charles de Gaulle airport at midday local time, after an eleven hour flight. They had both managed to sleep on the plane, Cassie’s head softly resting on Richard’s shoulder. Even across the ocean, they had every appearance of being a legitimate couple.
Everything that she saw excited Cassie, and she kept pointing things out, admiring the architecture and the way people spoke English with those divine French accents.
“You look as excited as a child at Disney World,” Richard said.
“Oh, this is even better than that,” she replied, looking around. “This architecture is amazing; doesn’t it inspire you, Mr. Architect?”
“Absolutely, I look forward to seeing some of it close up on the tours,” Richard said. “But here’s your inspiration.”
Cassie looked as the taxi started crossing a small bridge to their hotel, which was on the Ile St. Louis, a small island in the Seine River which is almost dead in the center of Paris. It was a small boutique style hotel in an historic building and just three hundred yards from the Notre Dame Cathedral with its dramatic tower and gothic architecture that took one hundred years of hard labor to build.
Cathedral Of Notre Dame
“It’s stunning, so amazing,” Cassie said gently, feeling like she could cry from the feelings that were swelling up inside of her from looking at the hotel. She glanced at Richard and saw him with a similar expression. They were in the city of love and in love, only with hotels and architecture. It was an irony worthy of a Shakespearean play.
The travel agent had booked them a two bedroom suite with a cozy living room in the middle. Each spacious elegant bedroom had its own bathroom. The suite also had high speed internet hook up which Richard immediately plugged his laptop in to check on his emails. Cassie left him to it and retreated to her bedroom to unpack and to have a soak in the bath after the long flight.
Rejuvenated after her bath, Cassie changed into white jeans with a blue silk shirt and returned to the living room where Richard, his hair still wet from his shower stood on the small terrace looking out on the street below.
“Ready to become tourists?” she asked, walking out there to join him.
He turned to look at her and she saw his approval of her, which made her feel wonderful. “Absolutely, let’s see where our feet take us.”
They left the hotel and began to explore the quaint streets of the Ile Saint Louis. While much of Paris has modernized over the years, the Ile remained remarkably the same as it had been for centuries, almost like it was romantically frozen in the 17th century. Walking down the island’s main street, the rue de Saint Louis, they stopped and looked in wonderful specialty boutiques, gourmet shops, art galleries, and more. They stopped for a light lunch at a sidewalk café by the Pont Saint-Louis, the small bridge that connected Ile Saint Louis with Ile de la Cité. As they ate their meal they enjoyed watching the street performers.
After lunch they bought one of the infamous Berthillon ice creams and as they licked them they walked to the Notre Dame Cathedral, which was the setting for the classic novel, "The Hunchback of Notre Dame.” They made their way up what appeared to be seemingly-endless stone spiral stairs for a stunning view of the city and a close-up peek at the famous gargoy
les and a glimpse of the hunchback’s famous church bell.
Every once in awhile they’d accidentally brush against each other and Cassie would feel this thrill surge through her body. It should have felt good, but it had become an alarm for her to caution herself that she had to remember that her marriage was temporary. But perhaps, she could earn a good friend.
Next it was the Cathedral and then back to the hotel to prepare for dinner, which was going to be at the Eiffel Tower restaurant, followed by an evening cruise on the Seine River touring the cities floodlit monuments, and after that, off to Moulin Rouge cabaret in the bohemian district of Montmartre.
Cassie dressed in a simple but elegant ankle length V-necked, sleeveless dress the same color as her Cornflower blue eyes over which she wore a black lace shawl and some low heeled sandals so she could maneuver the quaint, cobblestone streets that were scattered throughout Paris.
“You look wonderful,” Richard said, standing up and walking over to her.
“Thanks, so do you.” She admired his black jeans and cream colored linen shirt, thinking he looked like he could be Italian.
They took a taxi to the Eiffel Tower and made their way up to the first floor restaurant sixty-three yards above ground level. The maitre d’ led them to a table by a large picture window with views over the Seine to the Trocadero.
“I still can’t believe I’m in Paris,” Cassie said as she smiled happily. “I keep thinking this is a dream and I’ll wake up.”
“It’s a wonderful city, isn’t it? I’m glad that I chose France for the holiday.”
“I’m thankful for it, too,” Cassie said, looking at him. He was staring out the window and she took in his masculine appeal, so drawn to him. Then he turned to look at her and she started blushing, thankful to be saved by the waiter.
Then they ordered and began to drink their wine, talking like they were on a date and getting to know each other, not like they were on their honeymoon. So strange.
“Where did you get your degree from, again?” Cassie asked.