by Lacy Camey
I wanted to tell Logan, but I couldn’t. I hoped he hadn’t thought I abandoned him like his ex-girlfriend did. But I didn’t have a choice. I hoped he would find that out sooner than later.
Chapter Seventeen
The next few days flew by in a frenzy, yet lulled in moments when I logged on to my email to check any new mail from Norah, Maycee or Logan and saw nada. Zip. I even phoned directly a few times to their cell and the orphanage and there was nothing. I logged in several times a day like an obsessed fan to Maycee’s YouTube channel and there was not a single new post. It was killing me not knowing what was going on!
Aside from the aversion of preparing for my interview, I took great comfort in making the care packages for the preteen and teenage girls who were in my “woman talk.” I spent a full day assembling lavender and rose soaps, perfumes, bras, deodorants, panties, tampons, note cards and special pens and made care boxes for them. With each box, I carefully tied a turquoise ribbon and placed a fake pink daisy. According to Fedex, by the time my interview would record, the girls should have their boxes. I could just imagine their excited faces and it warmed my heart and fueled my days.
As my mother and I flew to New York for my interview, she thanked me for the invitation and asked if I wanted any champagne. I politely declined saying I wanted to think clearly and be sharp because, well, I was being taken seriously on national television. She merely nodded with a tiny sliver of a smile appearing. “Meg would be so proud, dear.”
That statement carried me through my nervous moments all night long and into the dressing room. Finally, it was show time and Pierce looked even more engaging in person.
“We’re here today with Governor Banks’ humanitarian daughter, Chloe Banks. How are you today, Chloe? You look stunning by the way. You could be a model, you know. Yet instead you chose to visit the jungles and orphanages, forgoing charity events in the states where I’m sure it’s more comfortable. Tell us why that is.”
“Why thank you, Pierce, very much for having me today.” I had practiced that line a thousand times over the past week. It flew out effortlessly. Then the cat got my tongue. I sat for a moment smiling as the hot lights began to make me feel sweaty. Thankfully, my next line came to me.
“Working in the orphanage was the single most greatest, freeing experiences in my life. I—”
“Freeing,” he cut in. “Why’s that?”
“Oh . . . . ” my cheeks flushed with my first innate thought. Skinny dipping in the brook.
“You’re actually blushing right now. Some funny memory?”
“Oh . . . just thinking about the children is all. They had enough joy on their faces to be bottled up to take as daily medicine to last a life time.”
“What an interesting analogy. You have a nursing degree and are a billionaire’s daughter and yet you chose to spend your time in a third world countries.”
A beat passed between us and I wasn’t sure if that was a question or statement so I quickly said, “I may have been born into wealth where there are certain expectations, but you never really live in life unless you are free to pursue what’s within. I can’t explain it, but I feel it’s a part of my calling to go out there in the trenches and be a helping hand.”
“Well, no doubt you have the means to it as well as skill. With an acceptance to Harvard medical school, will you be going next semester?”
I should have known he would ask that question. Journalists know everything.
“You know, I haven’t even thought a single thought of it since I’ve been back. It’s been quite a whirlwind.”
“Oh, yes. Tell us about that scary moment of you saving Logan Sky, the tour facilitator’s, life.”
After he finished the question, a handsome picture of Logan appeared on the screen, his ever present baseball cap back on, with what appeared to be his loving family surrounding him on the cot.
I fought back tears and bit my lip. It was the first picture I had seen of him and my emotions and feelings came flooding immediately like the wind force of an F5 tornado.
“Judging by your expression, is this your first time to see this picture?”
I nodded without saying anything.
“It really affected you, didn’t it?”
“Yes.”
I couldn’t help but feel like a total girl with the cameras rolling and me not able to fight back my tears. I needed to be strong and pull it together.
“Logan’s a wonderful man. Wonderful facilitator. Thankfully due to my training as a nurse, I knew how to remain calm under pressure.”
“Except that one incident I was told where you fainted during an emergency surgery,” he said playfully.
“Yes.” I smiled and pointed to my forehead where the gash was healing and could be barely seen under my makeup.
“Well, we have something special for you, Chloe. Take a look at this.”
The studio lights dimmed as beautiful acoustic music sounded and then a group of children from the orphanage were seen on stage, singing, “Monsoon, Monsoon, let’s make a monsoon!” They sat in a circle on the chapel stage and made the rain storm I had taught them. Each child wore the same flower Logan had given to me either in their hair or their polo shirt pocket. In unison they all said, “We miss you, Chloe! Come back soon!”
The camera scanned each child’s face as pure innocent joy radiated and bubbled out of them. Norah appeared on the screen and said, “What I appreciate about Chloe is her sense of hard work. She isn’t afraid to roll up her sleeves and get out there to make a difference. Regardless of what’s said about her or her family in the press, she presses on in resilience and such strength. I truly want to be more like her.”
A clip went to Josephina who said, “Never have I seen such inner beauty in a lovely American lady. She is very much missed.”
Then my heart sank. Logan.
“Chloe Banks shocked me in so many ways. She wasn’t what I expected a billionaire’s daughter to be. She isn’t pretentious and always went out of her way to do more than what was expected.” He paused for a moment and brushed a bit of his bangs away from his eyes as the outside breeze blew. “One of my favorite memories of her and to illustrate her tenacity—we have an electricity budget which prohibits the amount of laundry we do here. But that didn’t stop her. She hand-washed over a hundred sheets in a fountain and even added her own signature herb bundle to make the sheets smell good.” He laughed. “All for the children and their health. She really went out of her way and did more than what was expected. She’s greatly missed by us all and if it weren’t for her, I wouldn’t be standing here today.”
There was climatic emotional music playing as more pictures appeared on the video. I couldn’t help but to cry. Then there was one more picture of myself sitting at the table making perfume with the preteen and teens. I wasn’t sure who had snapped the photo but I was touched to see it.
As the lights appeared normal, I was an emotional mess. I was so happy to finally hear from Norah and Logan, Josephina and the children. It felt so good.
“We will be back in a moment on Pierce Morgan Tonight.”
We had a five minute break. Makeup came quickly and fixed my face as Pierce told me, “What a great looking guy that Logan fellow is.”
I sniffled, “Uh huh.”
The rest of the interview was better than I could ever had hoped for. I dodged a few political questions regarding my father and my mother’s outlandish spending, something I never really paid attention to or even noticed. But those questions were to be expected. I truly felt like for once in my life, America saw the real me.
After shaking Pierce’s hand and thanking him for having me as a guest on his show, my mother and I were escorted to our limo by our new bodyguards, Flem and Tye. Instead of workout-obsessed-homosapiens, the two were Prada-obsessed, perfect hair duos. Funny, but as long as I could remember, my bodyguards came in similar pairs. It’s as if they were a package deal.
If only Steve would have told the tru
th, maybe he still would be working for us. I was quite sure I would have been able to talk my way into salvaging his job but he just had to play the lying, let’s fabricate to the world card.
Rumor had it that the moment we landed back on US soil, Vinny verbally resigned and muttered under his breath about personal training and how what was he thinking; he should have gotten his certification.
I was happy to hear that, truthfully. I could tell he wanted to be with his family and everyone should have that chance, if possible. Regardless of his certification, just one look at his stellar muscles from potential clients and I know his schedule would book pronto.
As the driver opened my door, my mother and our bodyguards refrained and stood back. As the door began to shut I caught a glimpse of my mom, waving at me with an innocent and almost shy smile.
“Wait!” I said to a closed door.
Completely confused as to why she was standing on the sidewalk and not joining me, my attention was stolen as I felt a prickle beneath me. Much to my surprise, I was looking at the flower Logan picked for me, the same flower the children wore on the special presentation made for me. It was lying on top of a card that read, “Chloe.”
It couldn’t be.
Chapter Eighteen
In an instant, I knew the culprit behind it all: Logan.
But, how? He was in Venezuela . . . I hadn’t even heard from him since I left.
For a moment of shock, I sat still just staring at the envelope. What had he written to me?
Without waiting any further, I tore open the envelope, all the while my heart beating madly out of my chest, and read:
Everyone deserves to be happy.
It was what I had said to him on our walk in the jungle—everyone deserves to be happy.
I quickly called towards the driver and said, “Excuse me sir . . . but—”
“Was instructed not to speak, ma’am. Sorry,” he said back.
As we kept driving, my nerves were going crazy, crazier than they were moments earlier on the Pierce Morgan show and I knew why: I really felt for Logan and it was possible I was being taken to him. It just had to be that. I mean, who sends a limo, flowers, a card and is a no show?
At that instant, I wanted more than ever to text Norah and tell her what was happening. I quickly sent a text to her:
You won’t believe this but I think I’m about to meet Logan somewhere in New York! I can’t wait to catch up and explain. Unreal. Love you! Thanks so much for your kind words on the video. Xoxox.
Moments later the limo pulled up to Serendipity, the café I’d always wanted to go to. As if even possible, my heart began to beat faster. I knew he was in there. I just needed to see him.
The picturesque café was as I’d always imagined it to be.
As the door opened and I was escorted inside by the driver, I looked to my left, and there at a quaint window table sat Logan, handsome as ever sans baseball cap. Just a first glance at him, and my insides melted. He was so crazy good looking.
I stopped in my tracks.
He was alive. He made it.
Yes, I knew he had made it from my father telling me, but seeing him in person brought back all the scary emotions of seeing him on his death bed.
I walked towards him slowly with my jaw hanging open. “I can’t believe . . . no one in my life has ever done something so thoughtful,” I managed to get out. There were just so many things I could say that I was flustered with what to say first.
My entire body flooded with red hot electricity and the nervousness I felt from being around him—the kind of nervous that women talk about when they meet the man they end up marrying—flowed, and I actually felt like I might float away from tingles.
For once in my life, I was experiencing what I always witnessed in the movies and read in books, heard over lunch by my girlfriend. And it’s crazy to admit it, but it’s true. Sometimes you just click with someone. You may not even spend a single day, more or less hour with someone, but when you connect, you connect.
In Venezuela, I made that connection with Logan and I know he had to have felt it to, otherwise why would he be in New York, sending a limo, flowers and a card? But I had to make sure.
“I can’t believe you’re here! Why . . . are you here?” I got the words out.
He stood up and pulled out a chair for me to sit down. “You’re not happy to see me?” he teased. Before I could sit down he reached for me and pulled me into his strong arms. I smelled the fresh scent of his cologne. As I inhaled his smell and felt his arms hold me, my face leaned against his firm chest and I didn’t want a single more second to pass. I wanted to stay in this moment forever.
He made it. He was alive. And he was here.
“No, it’s not like that. I mean, yes, I am! I’m just shocked! I’m so happy you made it,” I said, feeling clumsy with my words as I fought back tears from the memory of him lying asleep on the cot. I pulled back and looked at him feeling incredibly gooey all over.
“Here, sit down.”
As I made my way to sit, just being in the proximity of inches away from him made me woozy and weak in the knees.
He leaned towards me. “I’m here to see you, of course.”
I eyed him closely, sizing him up, weighing his motives, testing him to see if he really felt the way I did. That I was crazy about him.
“After everything happened, you got me thinking. It was time I come back home to Montana. If it weren’t for you helping me see that, I’d still be away missing my family grow and change. Josephina and everyone understood. Funny, they told me they knew it was coming.”
“So you came to New York first?”
“I snooped around and found out about the interview and wanted to surprise you. Sorry about the delay of not hearing from anyone. Once you left, the high tech internet connection capabilities Steve and Vinny sported sort of dropped and we went off the radar. Call me crazy, but I kind got the inclination that maybe I made you a little happy? Or at least, I needed to take that chance of seeing and finding out for myself. Besides, how do you get a girls’ attention who has everything in the world? You don’t meet someone like you every day. I . . . . ”
I smiled at him brightly and was about to speak but he continued.
“I’ve learned a lot about the life I want being in Venezuela. And funny, just knowing you in just the tiny amount of time I’ve known you, I’ve experienced something with you in the jungle when we were lost that I’ll never forget. Being free. Of course, you saved my life . . . but I wanted to make sure you didn’t have some sort of Florence Nightingale syndrome where you started feeling for me just because you saved me.”
“Logan, before you go any further, I have to stop you. I feel so horrible. I feel like it’s all my fault that—”
He placed his hand on my arm and I immediately shut up. Being close to him did that to me.
“But don’t you see? It was all part of the plan. Had that never happened, had I not been jilted back to reality, who knows how many more years I would have stayed away, when inside all I was doing was running. You showed me that. I know this sounds crazy, and I’m really not like one of those mumbo jumbo guys. I mean, I hunt, fish, do all that Montana mountain men stuff. But, I feel like we met for a reason. I hadn’t felt that much fun in the time we did have fun together, since . . . oh I don’t know, just hanging out with my own family. It just felt so natural. So right.”
I shifted my weight in my chair and crossed my legs, hanging on to his every word.
“I know it’s pretty forward of me to come all the way here. It’s quite a risk, yes. But you showed me yourself how to take a little flashy risk, and I never had more fun. I know I don’t have billions of dollars or my own castle or plane, but I do have the biggest heart you can ask for. So I wanted to take the opportunity to at least see you in person. I know your life is kind of crazy in Texas so I saw this as the perfect opportunity to see you again, just you and me away from your world. I know it’s a couple months out bu
t I wanted to invite you to spend Thanksgiving with my family, Montana Italian style.”
“What?” I asked in disbelief. “It’s . . . what, seven weeks or something away?”
“Yes, I know. So, I’m thinking you’ll have to come trick or treating first with my niece and nephew. That’s in a few weeks. That’s closer.”
I was completely stunned. I wasn’t being asked to go to a private island, or a private showing of a half a billion dollar art gallery in a castle. I was asked to do something I’d always wanted to do, something I’d never done. Trick or treating. And never had I not had a “formal” Thanksgiving. And I never felt more excited about something in my life.