CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
All week long, while the “Working Diva Without a Man” theme was outperforming Greer’s expectations in a huge way—even though she hadn’t yet had an actual man in her bedroom—she meant to call Jill and tell her how well things were going.
But she didn’t have to. Jill came into the office. She shut the door and burst into tears.
“Why are you crying?” Greer put away her latest Perfect Wedding album—she’d been cutting out pictures of possible bridesmaid gifts—and gave Jill some tissues. Then she sat next to her, holding her hand. “It’s okay,” she said. “Whatever happened, we’ll get through this.”
“It’s shocking, Greer. It’s my own personal love story. And until now I haven’t told a soul about it. Not even Ella.”
“Are you sure? Ella loves you.”
“Yes. You’ll see why in a minute. Prepare yourself.”
“I’m ready,” Greer said. It was impossible to shock her. She’d heard many different love stories as a matchmaker: crazy ones, sad ones, thrilling ones, and beautiful ones.
“Today I got an invitation,” Jill said, her voice trembling. “It’s to a tech conference in Manhattan.”
“I got that, too!” Greer said. “I get everything in the office related to tech. Was it a black rectangle with bold white writing?”
“Yes,” said Jill. “But this isn’t merely any tech conference. And I think it was sent to me on purpose.”
Greer winced. “Are you sure? I mean, that company sends advertisements to pretty much everyone.”
“Yeah, they’re really big. But I’m sure. It was intentional. I don’t buy their products. I’m an Apple girl, through and through.”
“Oh, okay.” Greer didn’t want to say that she thought Jill was being a little … weird. “So why do you think it was intentional?”
Jill sighed. “There’s a guy who’s going to be at this conference I used to date. None of my family or friends ever knew I loved him very much.”
Okay. It was something shocking … but not so shocking. Occasionally, people had secret romances. “What happened?” Greer asked.
“He was really sweet,” Jill whispered. “But one day we were together, and then the next we weren’t.”
“Why?”
“He proposed,” Jill said. “It was a really nice place, too, and I felt so special. But I said no.”
“That’s okay,” Greer assured her. “You can’t say yes to every proposal, right?” She thought back to her and Wesley.
“Exactly.” Jill tossed her a sad smile. “You need to wait for the right one.”
“So why are you letting this one get you down?”
Jill shrugged. “Maybe because he’s…” And she named a business tycoon known all over the world. Someone who’d been selected Time’s Person of the Year, whose net worth was so high, only a few people in the world surpassed him. He owned the company who’d sent the tech conference invitation. It was one of only five major companies that he owned. He’d diversified into films, airlines, and even space travel.
Greer had to sit still for a minute. “Jill, are you kidding? I mean, seriously. Are you kidding? Or are you talking about a man with the same name as the famous guy?”
Slowly, Jill shook her head. “One night he visited our family restaurant in the Bronx, and that was that. We fell in love instantly. It was fate, I think. He usually didn’t stop in the Bronx. Manhattan was more his style. He’d had a flat tire on his limo, and while it was getting fixed, he came in for some minestrone. I told him he could use some fattening up and brought him carbonara instead. Have you ever noticed how skinny he is when you see him online or on TV?”
“Yeah. Um, I’ve noticed.”
“And he liked that I spoke to him so frankly and ignored his order, and we just hit it off.” She smiled. “Carbonara brings out the lover in people, you know? I always made him carbonara after that, when I’d visit him at his penthouses.”
“As in plural?” Greer asked, trying hard to remain calm.
“Yes, um, he has them all over the world. I went to Hong Kong, Dubai, Sydney, Florence, and some other places. My favorite was this adorable castle he has in Scotland…” she trailed off. “I know this is hard to believe.”
“It-it’s wild.” Greer swallowed. “But I do believe you.”
It was the craziest love story she’d heard yet.
Jill wiped at a tear. “So I mean I would have loved to accept his proposal. It was at that castle in Scotland. He’d hired a bunch of pipers to play under my window. And then he came in with dozens of white roses, my favorite flower, and … and.…” She flung her arms out dismissively. “It’s too hard to talk about. Let’s just say I decided I wasn’t in love as much as I should be.”
“You can’t force yourself to love someone, even if he is a billionaire,” said Greer, and she believed that with all her heart. “So it’s okay. Don’t beat yourself up. You’re after true love, Jill.”
“But it is true love,” Jill said. “I was lying to myself. I love him with everything in me. The thing is, I was scared. I didn’t want to leave my family forever and travel the world. I need to see Momma and my nonnas and my sisters at least a couple times a week to be happy. And with him, I couldn’t do that. He wanted me with him always. But when I told him why I couldn’t marry him, he said, ‘Okay, so we’ll fly you back to New York each week. I’ll do anything it takes to make you happy.’”
“Oh, my God. He sounds great.” Greer was on the edge of her seat. “Would he have flown you on a private plane? With your own flight attendant bringing you anything you want?”
“Yes. Her name is Esme, and she makes his favorite pound cake, so she keeps the plane pantry stocked with it. And it’s always filled with tons of the best champagne, but—”
“But what?”
Jill shook her head. “I’m afraid to fly.”
“Oh, Jill.”
“To get to his penthouses, I had to be knocked completely out and attended by a physician in case I woke up and started freaking out,” Jill said. “After a while, I said that wasn’t something I wanted to do anymore. He offered to put me on one of his yachts and take me around the world that way, but I’m a modern girl, Greer. Yachts take too long. I don’t care how many hot tubs they have on them.”
There was a long silence.
“I’m afraid of flying, too, but … can’t you get therapy for that?” Greer was shrieking inside when she said that, but outside, she was calm. Very calm.
“Have you gotten therapy for it?” Jill was showing a little bit of pique.
That was good! She was still emotionally engaged with this guy, obviously.
Greer shook her head. “No, I haven’t.”
“You see what I mean,” Jill said, crossing her arms.
Greer put up her palms. “Okay, I get it. But let’s slow down. Here’s the important question: if you could see your family every week, would you want to marry this guy?”
“Of course! I love him!” And then Jill burst into tears. Big, convulsive sobs.
“Oh, honey.” Greer hugged her. She had hope. She had real hope … and as exciting as it was that this guy was a powerful gazillionaire, what she had hope about was the fact that Jill was honestly in love and there was only One Little Thing separating her from her happily ever after—
Flying on a plane!
Dear God, Greer said to herself, she was going to have to conquer her own fear, too, because no matter what—she was going to get Jill past hers, if it was the last thing she ever did.
“The Mancini family doesn’t separate,” Jill moaned. “After Papa died, we all moved down here to be with Ella. It’s how we are, and I love that about us. I will never marry a man whose lifestyle doesn’t allow me to be with them, no matter how much I love him!”
“We’re going to get you over your plane phobia,” Greer said.
Jill rolled her eyes. “Right.”
“Won’t you even try?”
“He hired the best plane phobia person in the world to help me, and it didn’t work.”
Yikes. Greer didn’t know the right way to get someone over her flight phobia. How could she do any better than the world’s leading expert? “I have this procedure,” Greer told Jill. “What if we tried it together?”
“On a real plane?” Jill’s forehead started sweating.
“It would have to be a real plane,” Greer said, and took Jill by the shoulders. “What if we can make it work?”
Jill stared at her, slightly wild-eyed. “It won’t,” she whispered. “And he won’t move here to Charleston. He’s—he’s too busy.”
“Understandably,” said Greer. “I saw him a few days ago on TV with Mark Zuckerberg at some business summit in Washington.”
“Yeah,” said Jill, “and today he’s in Russia, visiting their president there.”
“Oh, my God. I didn’t see that in the papers this morning.”
Jill shrugged. “A lot of times, he manages to sneak away from the media. He’s got security teams galore.”
“Then how’d you know where he is? Are you still in touch?”
“Not really,” Jill said. “Harry tells me what he’s up to. He’s his favorite bodyguard. We text sometimes.”
“Okay. So you keep up with him through his bodyguard. That’s it?”
“No. Occasionally, I get presents.”
“Presents?”
“With no note,” Jill said. “He’s terrible at writing notes. He’s embarrassed about his handwriting. He’s a leftie, and it looks like chicken scratch—”
“But you’re sure these presents are from him.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because they’re fancy necklaces and bracelets. And fresh flowers, too. I keep those because they’ll only die if I return them. But Tiffany takes the jewelry right back. I always send it back. Diamonds and emeralds aren’t appropriate, not unless I’m his real girlfriend.”
Greer had to tell herself to breathe. She had no idea what to do or say. “This is … weird. I-I-I still can’t wrap my head around it.” She ran a hand through her hair. “You haven’t been dating anyone else?”
Jill shook her head. “No other guy appeals. I love him, Greer. I really do. So I’ve been lying to my family and I’ve pretended to date every once in a while. I go to Barnes and Noble and read. Or the craft store and look at yarn. Whenever Momma asks if I’ll bring a guy I’ve been seeing to dinner, I conveniently make up a story about how we broke up.”
Greer slapped the top of her desk. “How long have you loved this guy?”
“Three long years,” Jill said. “It’s been rough.”
“How did you disappear to his penthouses all over the world without your family and friends wondering where you were going?”
Jill sat up higher. “Before we moved down here, I was living with a couple of girlfriends in Kingsbridge Heights, and I used to tell everyone I was working out-of-town jobs as a hand model.” She held up her hands. “I have beautiful hands, right? So everyone believed it.”
“You do have beautiful hands.” Greer felt as if she were living in an alternative universe. “And … he still hasn’t given up on you?”
Jill winced. “I think he has. I haven’t gotten flowers or jewelry in three months. I was sure he’d finally gotten the message. Until today, when I got that invitation.”
“But Jill”—Greer got up and pulled the oversized tech flyer out of her inbox—“I got it, too. And probably tens of thousands of people did.”
“It’s a sign,” Jill said, her mouth stubborn. The Mancinis were a superstitious lot. “Whether he sent it to me on purpose or not, it’s important. I have to do something about it. I’ve never gotten any mail from this company. And look what it says.”
Greer turned the invitation over: “You have to love your wi-fi provider,” she read out loud.
“No,” said Jill. “The other thing.”
Greer searched her flyer. “Um, it gives me details about the conference. The dates, the place, and all that stuff. It says he’s the main speaker. He’s giving the keynote.”
“Exactly,” said Jill. “I have to go there. I feel it in my Mancini bones. I got this flyer at the exact moment I was thinking about him, which is all the time, of course. But still. I can’t hide anymore. It’s time to put this romance behind me once and for all. It’s too painful—” Her eyes brimmed with tears again.
“Don’t jump ahead of yourself just yet. Do you know if he’s dating someone?”
Jill’s fact turned red. “I shouldn’t know, but Harry tells me. And he hasn’t been dating.”
“Well, that’s good.”
“We love each other,” Jill said. “He used to like hearing what I bought at the grocery store. He can’t go there anymore. He gets mobbed.”
“That’s sad.”
“He’s lonely, Greer. Everyone treats him with kid gloves because of who he is, or they try to get something from him, and he’s sick of that.”
Greer had no choice but to try to get these two together. “And not even Ella knows about him?”
“Nope.” Jill’s expression drooped. “It’s been so hard not to confide in anyone. I haven’t because I’m too afraid it will leak. And then he’d think I was after him only because he’s famous and rich.”
Greer sank back into the chair cushions. “I’m honored you told me. I just need to catch my breath, okay?”
“Okay, I can go outside and text Harry and see how they’re doing in Russia—”
“No! Not yet.” Greer steepled her fingers. “We’re going to tackle this. You’re my client. I’m your advisor. We make a great team.”
“You can try,” said Jill, and blew her nose on another tissue. “But there are too many obstacles. The fact that I can’t fly, and my mother’s disapproval.…”
Greer’s mind boggled. “Why would she disapprove? He’s amazing. And he loves you, obviously.”
Jill sighed. “If my mother ever knew I actually traipsed around the world and stayed with a man she’s never met, a man I gave my virginity to … you don’t know the Mancini family.”
Greer hated to see the sadness on her sweet face. “I know you’re facing certain expectations from your family—we all do,” she said, “but give them some credit. They love you.” Greer handed her another tissue.
Jill let out a shaky breath. “Thanks for reminding me.”
They hugged for a long minute, and then Greer’s phone rang.
“Get it,” Jill said. “I’ll work on cleaning myself up.”
“Okay.” So Greer took a quick call about an upcoming banquet one of her clients was attending with a woman she had set him up with. The problem was that an old flame of his would be there, someone who’d burned him badly. “Living well is the best revenge,” Greer told him. “Let her see you happy and handsome and perfectly okay without her in your life. You’re successful and kind and you can hold your head high.”
He seemed to welcome hearing that.
“I have one caution, though,” she said. “Do not use your date to show off to the old flame. We don’t want your current romantic interest to feel used in any way. And your old girlfriend will see right through it and believe you care about what she thinks more than you do.”
“Right,” he said.
When she hung up, she thought, Whew, being a matchmaker is never dull. That guy was a U.S. senator from the Northeast. He’d seen their algorithm segment on the Today show and gotten in touch. His old girlfriend was a national news reporter at one of the major television networks. His current romantic interest was a local Charleston woman who’d moved to DC to take a job at a big nonprofit—an old friend of Macy’s they’d set him up with. The two of them loved sailing and horses, and they both wanted to change the world.
So far, so good.
But Greer knew things could change on a dime. Kind of like what would inevitably happen with her and Ford. They couldn’t continue this way
forever. Soon the portrait would be finished. And so would the contest. The thought of things changing made her sad. He’d be going back to England soon.
After the phone call, she told Jill, “We’re talking about your old boyfriend today, but we definitely don’t want you to lose steam with Erospace Designs.”
“Absolutely not,” said Jill. “I want to succeed on my own.”
They came up with a plan to meet again soon and discuss not only the boyfriend, but also Greer’s bedroom and how things were going there.
“Good, I hope?” Jill asked.
“Not bad,” said Greer. “I mean, no one’s been up there yet. Besides me. And you. And the guys who moved the furniture in.”
“So?” said Jill. “Don’t worry. It’ll happen. Your Erospace-designed bedroom won’t let you down. I promise.”
It was good to see an extra bounce in her friend’s step when she left the room. But Greer’s smile faded fast. Things were getting complicated with Ford. She liked him too much. She thought about him all the time, the same way Jill thought about her business tycoon, and she counted down the minutes until she saw him again.
She tried to act like her own mother and told herself the right guy might walk into her life and she wouldn’t even know because she was too distracted with Ford!
The Ford fling must cease, she decided. No more nookie after portrait posing. Nothing. Not even a kiss. He’d understand.
No more fling, she texted to him. Must keep eye out for real partner. Sorry.
Fine, Ford wrote back.
Her heart actually hurt when he texted that.
This weekend, he wrote, just friends. No fooling around. But lots of portrait posing.
Good plan, she texted back, her eyes burning, and promptly switched off her phone before she could change her mind or burst into tears.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Greer had exactly twenty-four hours to prepare for La Di Da’s final challenge, the big weekend at the Isle of Palms for the finalists in the contest and their One-and-Onlys. So the five future brides got together for a fun dinner at Magnolias on East Bay Street the night before. They chatted for almost two hours. They were becoming fast friends, and Greer was glad, although Toni tended to see the cup as half empty and still wasn’t completely on board about Greer’s participation.
A Wedding At Two Love Lane Page 19