by Denise Irwin
Franktown, Colorado
Danny woke early the next morning; she lay in bed and stretched her arms and legs, letting out a loud yawn. She rose from her bed, stretched her arms and legs once more and trudged into the bathroom to shower. Her short naturally curly red hair required little to no maintenance. She ran her fingers through her hair and dressed. When she checked her reflection in the bathroom mirror, she thought she looked a bit pale, so she pinched her cheeks to make them appear rosier. She figured she was all set for the day.
When she opened her bedroom door, Garrett was standing in front of her. Danny let out a scream and jumped back knocking a lamp to the floor. She picked up the lamp as she hissed though clenched teeth, “What the fuck are you doing? If your plan was to give me a heart attack you almost succeeded.”
Nana yelled up the steps, “Is everything okay up there?”
Garrett answered while smiling at Danny, “We’re just fine, Betty.”
Danny shouted down to her Nana, “No, we are not just fine. Garrett just tried to kill me.”
Nana called back up the steps, “You two children need to play nice in the sand box.”
Danny was seething when she spoke, “Why the fuck were you standing outside my bedroom door?”
“I’m protecting my reputation.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
He raised his eyebrows and chuckled, “You have no idea what I’m talking about?”
“Will you step aside, so that I can go downstairs?”
“Of course, I can, but I’m sticking to you like glue.”
She pushed him aside. “Have you been drinking?”
As he took hold of her arm, “No ma’am, I have not.”
Danny tried to pull her arm from his grip. “What the hell has got you so worked up?”
Holding her arm tighter, he said, “We have a little score to settle regarding Michal, so I’m not leaving your side until you ask him in front of me if I had offered him a job.”
Danny almost tripped over her foot, because she was laughing so hard. “Is that what this is about?”
“Yes ma’am that is exactly what this is about.”
“Let go of my arm. I told you that I would ask him.”
They were still laughing when they entered the kitchen. “It’s nice to see that the two of you made up.”
“Oh Nana, we have not made up. This man is such a freaking fool.”
“Betty, I am not a fool. Danny and I have a bargain, and standing here, I can tell you, she’s not going to hold up her end.”
Danny put her hands on her hips and sneered at him. Her voice raised an octave when she said, “Nana, I promised Garrett something and I intend to keep that promise.”
Betty put her hands up. “I don’t want to hear what the two of you are talking about.”
Michal entered the kitchen, looking like a puppy that wanted a treat for being good. Before Danny had the chance to ask about the job in Colorado, he was spouting about plane reservations. “Daniella, j'ai fait des réservations pour les deux d'entre nous de voyager en première classe quitte Denver à 10:53 demain matin et arrivant à Paris à 12:30 dans l'après-midi.”
The room went silent. Everyone looked at Michal, then at one another. Danny and Garrett knew what he just said, but Betty was in the dark. “Danny, what did he just say?”
“He said that he made reservations for the two of us to fly together to Paris tomorrow.”
“Well child, why do you look so shocked? You told me that the sooner your business was complete in Paris, the sooner you would be home, so this is good news, right?”
“Yes, it is. I’m just so surprised to hear that Michal was able to secure reservations so quickly for tomorrow.”
Garrett was giving Danny, ‘the do it now look, or else I win’.
Danny smiled sweetly at Michal, “Thank you so very much for making the reservations; it was a very thoughtful gesture.” Garrett was beginning to smirk. “Michal, you told me that you had given notice to your boss that you took a job in Colorado, so why are you flying to Paris with me?”
“Just like you, there are things I need to attend to. I just thought if we went together, it could be fun. I hate traveling alone.”
Yeah, I’ve heard that one before. “Who offered you a job in Colorado?”
Michal’s face turned painfully red as he searched for the words. “No one has. I had asked you to recommend me to Garrett, so that I can work here on the ranch. If you haven’t and Garrett doesn’t want to hire me, I’ll find work elsewhere.”
Garrett spoke, “Tell you what, since you’ve quit your job in France, how about if I talk with Randy to see what we can come up with.”
“I would appreciate that. I guess I put my horse before the buggy.”
Garrett laughed, “I think the saying is, ‘I put my buggy before the horse’.”
“Isn’t that what I said?”
“No, you had it reversed. It doesn’t matter. I’ll see what Randy says, and we’ll go from there.”
Danny’s blood pressure rose to its boiling point, “Michal, if you would please excuse us, I need to talk with Garrett in my office, since I’ll be leaving in the morning. We need to review what needs to be accomplished while I’m away.”
“Of course you do, now that you are the owner; I completely understand.”
Once Danny and Garrett were in her office, she let loose her exacerbation on him. “What the fuck just happened in the kitchen?”
Garrett leaned his hip against her desk. He crossed his booted feet along with crossing his arms in front of his chest. His casual stature made her angrier. “May I ask just what you are talking about?”
Astonished that he had the nerve to ask such a stupid question, she had the urge to pick up a glass paper weight and knock him alongside his head. “You just told Michal that you would talk with Randy about hiring him.”
“Yes I did, and I plan to do just that. Are you having a problem this soon in the game with my hiring practices?”
His question left her stumped for an answer. If she said that there was a problem, it could antagonize him enough to actually hire Michal. Her Grandfather said Garrett had a good head on his shoulders; so, she figured she needed to trust his judgment.
Dejectedly she answered him, “No. That would be a wrong move on my part. My grandfather trusted you enough to make you the Ranch Foreman, so, if I’m going to succeed in this business, I need to as well.”
“You might consider going out for a ride to blow the steam out of your ears.” With that said, Garrett left the office.
At lunch that day, Garrett offered to drive Michal and Danny to the airport in the morning. Michal told him, “I have ordered a car to pick us up. You are much too busy to take us. Have you spoken with Randy this morning?”
“No, I didn’t get a chance. Leave me your cell phone number so that I can contact you when I have. I’d talk to him this afternoon if he didn’t have an urgent matter to resolve. It’s likely that he’ll have time tomorrow while you’re on the plane.”
Michal handed Garrett his business card, “Thank you Garrett, I hope that I meet a ranch hand’s qualifications.”
Betty and Garrett were standing in the kitchen when the limousine pulled in the driveway. She let out a low whistle, “That boy must have money. He showed up in one of those fancy cars and now he’s leaving in one.”
“Don’t judge a book by its cover. He could also be deeply in debt trying to look like he has money.”
“Are you really going to talk to Randy about hiring him?”
He grinned at her, “I sure am. Randy, thinks he’s a buffoon just like the rest of us do.”
Nana patted him on his cheek. “Good boy, your mama taught you well.”
Danny had transformed back into Daniella as she entered the kitchen wearing one of her Paris designed suits. “Girl, you look just like one of those models in those fashion magazines you used to read as a child.”
“I
’m gonna take that as a compliment.”
“I can’t honestly say that it is. I prefer seeing you in regular clothes, but you sure look good in that suit.”
When Michal entered the kitchen dressed and ready to leave, Betty smiled at him, but said nothing. She didn’t even tell him to have a safe flight or that it’d been a pleasure to meet him. In her mind, he was no different than the rubbish that the ranch took to the dump.
After a round of hugs and kisses along with thank you, and be safe, it was time to go. Garrett watched the two of them climb into that limousine Michal had ordered and drive away.
Garrett asked Betty, “Do you think he’ll be back?”
“Hell yes, I do. He’s like a bad penny, so he’ll be back.”
When Daniella and Michal boarded the plane, he ordered wine for the two them before takeoff. When the glasses arrived, he asked that she join him in a toast. It was going to be a long flight, so she had to go along with his antics for now. She lifted her glass to his, “Toast away.”
“Daniella, I would like to propose a toast to our new life in Colorado.”
She managed to clink her glass against his, but said nothing in response to his proposal. Once they were in the air, she planned to tell him that the week had taken its toll on her and she needed to sleep.
They had an hour and a half layover in Atlanta, so when Michal suggested that they stretch their legs, she happily obliged his suggestion. She could use a walk before the next flight. As they strolled by the airport shops, Michal asked her, “Daniella, you did not respond to my toast to our new life in Colorado. May I ask if there’s a problem that you might share with me?”
She wanted to say, oh fuck yes there is, but instead she smiled at him and replied, “I guess that there’s a large part of me that will miss my work in Paris. I must also admit that the ranch will be a hard challenge that I need to face.”
He softly told her, “Do not worry. If Garrett hires me, I will be there to help you with that challenge.”
She forced a smile, “That is a very gracious offer.”
The flight from Atlanta to Paris was uneventful. Michal verbalized his dreams about living in Colorado, while Daniella thought to herself that his dream was her nightmare. When the plane touched down in Paris, he offered to drive her wherever she wished to go.
She courteously responded, “Thank you, but I believe that Grant will be here to pick me up. I’m quite anxious to speak with my staff.”
“Will you allow me to offer my home to you while you stay in Paris?”
Daniella watched out the plane window, anxious for it to reach its gate, so that she could walk away from this asshole. “That is a most gracious offer, but I plan to stay in my apartment.”
When the plane reached its assigned gate the first class passengers would disembark first. Daniella focused on the attendant who would announce their arrival, the connecting flight information, and for the first class passengers to gather their personal belongings.
“Daniella, I feel that you want to rush off this plane to be away from me.”
Daniella feigned a chuckle, “What on earth would make you think that?”
“I think that because you are focusing on the attendant and not me.”
“That’s true, but it’s because I have a lot of work to do before we fly back.”
The attendant announced for the first class passengers to gather their personal belongings. Daniella and Michal stood from their seats. Neither had brought luggage since the bulk of their clothing was in Paris. As they walked up the runway to the terminal, Michal asked, “Then will you at least have dinner with me tomorrow evening?”
Daniella thought about his invitation to dinner. How much trouble could he cause during a simple dinner? “Yes, I think I would like that. I’ll give you a call and let you know what time I’ll be available.”
“That would be perfect. We could consider it a farewell to Paris dinner.” Daniella smiled at him. As they approached the Immigration Officers, Michal asked where she’d like to dine. “It doesn’t matter to me, so pick a place that you like.”
Daniella pulled her passport from her purse and handed it to an Officer. He processed it, stamped it and handed the passport back to her. Once she had been cleared for entry into the country, she stood to one side to wait for Michal.
Her jaw dropped when Michal handed his passport to the officer and was asked by the officer to follow him.
“Do not worry Daniella, this happens all the time. I have been mistaken for someone else. I will see you tomorrow evening.”
Since it wasn’t her problem to deal with, Daniella smiled, waved and walked away. When she walked through the airport door, Grant was waiting at the curb. He jumped from the driver’s side and ran around the car to open her door.
As soon as he was in the driver seat, he pulled away from the curb, “Mademoiselle, je suis si heureuse de vous voir. A Michal revenir à Paris avec vous ? La police est venue dans la boutique hier à la recherche pour vous. J'étais tellement inquiet que je ne pouvais pas manger ou dormir toute la nuit.”
“Grant, you need to slow down, I’ve been traveling for eight hours and I’m adjusting to the time difference. Try to tell me what you said in English.”
He pushed down the car’s gas pedal accelerating the car’s speed causing the car to sway from side to side as they drove away from the airport. Daniella clung to the arm rest waiting for him to crash into something or someone.
Grant slowed the car’s speed. “I am so sorry; I can see that my driving has scared you.”
“Thank you for slowing down. I think we should wait until we reach the shop before you try to tell me what you said.”
“Non, Mademoiselle, nous ne pouvons pas attendre longtemps, vous cela devez entendre immédiatement. Je nous conduira à un petit café, je sais que de peu de temps jusqu'à la route.”
Not sure what he was saying, she looked over at her manager, and his eyes looked wild with anxiety. That wild look in his eyes told Daniella that whatever he was worked up about was important to him, and that he wanted her to know about it. Terrified that if she spoke to him, he’d start driving as wildly as his eyes looked, she remained silent.
She was afraid to even look at him, so she watched the country side fly past them. He was still driving too fast, but he looked more focused on driving, as if he were looking for something along the road.
Daniella let out a sigh of relief when he found what he was looking for and parked the car. Always the gentleman, he walked around to her door, opened it, and helped her out. After climbing up and jumping down out of the ranch truck, she thought it was funny that Grant had to lift her out of his small Fiat.
She expected him to start talking again, but he didn’t. Instead, he took her arm and led her into the café. Once inside, he ordered wine for both of them. Anxious to hear what he had to say, she found that she was tapping the tip of her shoe against the leg of the table. When their wine was delivered, Grant lifted his glass. Daniella responded by lifting hers.
“Daniella, I am much calmer now. First, I would like to welcome you back home.” He touched the top of his glass against hers.
“Thank you. What’s second?”
“Second is to tell you how sorry that I am that your grandfather has passed.”
“Thank you, and thank you for the beautiful flowers you sent. Now that we’re calm and collected, what were you trying to tell me in the car?”
Before he continued, he took a sip of his wine, as he thought hard about how to say what she needed to know in English. He took in a deep breath and exhaled it, and then he carefully spoke each word slowly in an attempt to say the correct words. Daniella gave him an encouraging smile.
“Daniella, we have missed you so.”
“I have missed all of you. Are you trying to form the words in English?”
Grant blushed, “I am.”
“If you speak slowly, I’ll listen slowly.”
Grant laughed, “I will tr
y to do as you say. It is just that when I am excited, and talk too fast, you know that it always comes out in French.”
“How well I know that. So, tell me what you said that has you worked up.”
After another sip of wine, he told her. “The police came into the shop this morning asking for you.”
Dumbfounded, she asked with a strained voice, “The police were asking for me? Did they say why?”
“No, they did not. One of them gave me a card with his number on it. He asked me to give it to you so that you can call him.”
“Yes, of course, I’ll call him.” She took a moment to collect her thoughts. “An immigration officer took Michal aside this morning...” Daniella hadn’t realized that she was thinking aloud, until Grant urged her to go on. “Daniella, why did they take him, aside, as you said?”
As if she were speaking from far away, her voice softly answered, “I don’t know. He said it happens all the time. He said he’s been accused of being someone else, someone with the same name as his.”
She sat quietly wondering if the two events were somehow connected to one another. “Grant, please excuse me for a moment. I need to call the ranch to let them know I arrived safely.” Grant started to leave, but Daniella asked him to stay. “I promised I’d call; this will only take a moment.”
Betty answered the phone on the first ring, “Danny, is there something you didn’t tell me?”
“I don’t think so, why? I just called to let you know that I arrived safely in Paris.”
“Some guy, who said he was with the F-B-I, came here looking for you. Are you sure you don’t have something that you forgot to tell me?”
With a concerned voice, she asked, “What did they want?”
Frustrated that while Danny’s voice sounded concerned, she wasn’t grasping the content of what Nana was asking. “Why child, they wanted to speak with you.”
Daniella’s world came to a screeching halt. “Did he tell you why he needed to speak with me?”
“He just said it was police business.”
Daniella’s knees shook so hard that Grant could hear them bang against the table leg. She looked concerned when he looked at her face. He didn’t want to, but felt compelled to eavesdrop on this conversation that made Daniella’s face go pale.