by Stacy Hoff
Her father, oblivious to her emotions, had beamed a large, bright smile. “You’re beautiful, my dear.”
“Stunning, sweetheart. Simply stunning,” her mother enthusiastically chimed in.
Cat managed a small smile in return. Were her mother’s eyes welling up with tears of joy? It looked like it. It gave Cat the little shot of confidence she needed. Obviously her parents really wanted what was best for her. Assuming they would make better choices for her than she would for herself.
Giving her a playful wink, her father clinked a knife against a wineglass. Not that the effort was needed to get the room’s collective attention. “Here’s my daughter, the woman of the hour,” he boomed to the crowd. “I want all of you, our honored guests, to come meet Catherine.”
Applause broke out, some cheered. Cat felt her face go hot. “I want people to call me Cat, Daddy,” she whispered. Her father nodded, still grinning, and put his arm around her. “Tonight is all about power, honey,” he whispered back. “So it’s Catherine tonight. Just like the royal family.”
Cat winced at the words, as well as all the people reaching out to greet her. Lacking her parents’ gracefulness, she felt awkward. Introverts like her didn’t belong in the hospitality industry. Thankfully, the little bed-and-breakfast she’d begged her parents to let her manage allowed her to be her quieter, less-glossy, self.
Another loud glass-clink interrupted her thoughts. The room was once again silent. Like everyone else, she looked up. There Rudy stood, a small circle of space left around him, seemingly in deference to his man-of-the-hour position. Although a man of shorter stature, Rudy’s presence commanded a room.
“What does Rudy think he’s doing?” her father muttered. “Oh, I see his father is with him. It was probably Harold’s lousy idea to have Rudy steal my spotlight.”
“Geez, Daddy. Don’t you think Harold should get some of the attention tonight? His child is getting married, too.”
“Nobody cares about the groom. It’s all about the bride.”
“I’m not the bride yet, remember? This is an engage—”
Rudy’s loud, crowd-level voice cut her off. “Everyone, I have an announcement to make.”
A lump rose up in Cat’s throat. This was it. No turning back now. Her mind whirled. She would learn to love him. Rudy was stringent but kind. Sort of.
Okay, so there was that time he berated the waitress for being too slow, though she was clearly struggling under the pressure of serving ten tables. And the time Rudy had screamed at the poor gas station attendant for not accepting his type of bankcard. And, worst of all, Rudy ridiculed her in front of their friends. All because she couldn’t figure out in which of her purse, coat, and pants pockets she’d shoved her car keys. He’d said she was a scatterbrain. She needed strong people—like him—to guide her through the day.
The words stung. The put-down was untrue. Wasn’t it? Were her parents right about this, too?
The large hand of her father thrust her toward Rudy. “Go over there.” He propelled her. One trembling foot at a time, she walked forward. The green mile.
But even as she stood in front of Rudy, he didn’t seem to notice her. He straightened up his five-foot-nine frame as high as it could go, gave his bowtie a rough tug and cleared his throat. Loudly. “As you may know,” he said, “you were all invited here to celebrate my engagement to Catherine.”
Amidst the applause, Cat held her breath but managed to edge over to him another foot. It was getting tougher to hide her panic. Couldn’t Rudy even take notice of her? Take her hand, or something?
But he was looking behind her. Cat saw him stare at a petite, slender woman standing in the shadows. It looked almost like he was talking directly to her. Cat squinted. The woman was familiar. Wasn’t she the woman Rudy said was just an old friend from college?
“Unfortunately,” Rudy continued, “the invitation was misleading. I apologize to the Demmel family, and to all of you who came here tonight. Most especially, to Catherine. I know this must be hard for everyone to hear. But there will be no wedding. Because fidelity is the most important thing in a relationship. And when that’s missing, so is the love.”
Rudy parted the hushed crowd and headed out the door. Cat was certain her face mirrored the same open-mouth expression all the guests wore. Except for her father, who looked like he might grab a gun and go after Rudy. Harold, however, silently backed away and out the back door.
Cat wished she could disappear, too. Dumped by her fiancé. During her engagement party. In front of family. Friends. Worse, they would now think she had cheated on Rudy. Why would Rudy lie like that? Humiliate her this way? “I’m . . . I’m sorry . . . I never . . .” she stammered.
“Don’t apologize!” Her father boomed. “The Reizmans are the ones who are going to be sorry.”
“Very sorry,” her mother hissed.
Whatever was going to happen next at her party, Cat didn’t know and didn’t care. With a tight smile to the crowd, she walked back upstairs to her second floor sanctuary and sank down on the soft chair of her old room. On the end table next to her, her smartphone buzzed a tweet alert from one of the party guests. The social media page that popped up showcased a photo of Cat that was taken a moment ago. Under it, the caption snarkily read, She cheated! Catastrophe.
Thank God the bed-and-breakfast her family gave her to run had been waiting for her. Far, far, away from there.
Chapter 10
Ty sat on his bed, shoulders slumped, head in hands. Instead of having a beautiful woman, he had a colossal headache. He shut his eyes in an attempt to ease the pressure pounding in his temples.
The last time he had a headache this bad was when Choco told him about his broken engagement. Ty had felt terrible for his cousin. And though it wasn’t nice to say, Rudy’s failed engagement had managed to make Ty feel worse about himself. Rudy was raised with money. An elite pedigree Ty could only dream about having. Rudy grew up in the right kind of house. And environment, the kind Ty wished he had. While Ty’s parents fretted over how they were going to pay the rent, Rudy’s parents had no worries. Their only concerns were what time they should tee-off at the country club. Rudy grew up with everything—the perfectly situated family, the impressive home, a sense of financial security. If Rudy could have all of these things, and still be dumped, at his own engagement party no less, then what shot did Ty have at holding onto a woman?
True, Ty was all grown up now. He had made his own fortune, earned his own way through school. Wasn’t half-bad looking, if he was to believe an iota of what women said. He had fought, scraped, and clawed his way to the top. He sure as hell didn’t need a woman to knock him back down to size. Sow her oats in greener pastures. On a quest for the BBD, the bigger better deal, to come along. Leaving him feeling all alone. On the outside, looking in. Exactly how he grew up. He refused to go backwards.
His father, his only parent alive, was now old and frail, and well cared for, courtesy of Ty’s endlessly flowing checks. No matter how much financial support he gave, it never erased the endless toil his parents endured while they raised him. A part of him would always hate his maternal uncle for that. Rudy’s father could have eased some of that burden. Harold Reizman didn’t bother. Ty and his family weren’t worth it.
Ty lifted up his hand and rubbed circles over his temple, hoping to break up some of the tension, to no avail. A fourth aspirin probably wasn’t a good idea, but he’d take one anyway. Anything to help ease the pain. Not just the headache, either. But the pain of his youth. Pain he still had. At the end of the day, was he still a person who would be judged unworthy? Offer everything to someone, only to have them walk away? For somebody better? And never look back.
He knew he needed to make peace with his past if he was going to move forward in the future. And there were plenty of points of pride in his past to light
the way. It had given Ty a much needed ego boost to go to an Ivy League school, just like his cousin Rudy. Even if Ty had to go on scholarship. He’d earned his way in, his dyslexia having made learning so much harder.
It was amazing that the financial disparity between the families didn’t hinder his eventually becoming close friends with his cousin. Even business partners now. Graduation had finally made them mature enough to see past their disparate childhoods to come together. The death of Rudy’s mother, who’d always looked down on his own mom, had helped clear the way.
Ty’s head ached, but he realized his heart ached, too. He did want someone in his life. The few hours he spent with Cat confirmed it. He’d laughed more tonight than he had in years. She was playful, pure of heart, and funny, and those traits in her brought out the same traits in him. Traits buried deeply away a long time ago. To the outside world, he was all about business now, the bottom line. On a secret quest to prove to everyone he was in fact worthy.
Sad to keep fixating as an adult on the same problem he had as a child. Maybe it was time to truly grow up. Put himself out there. See if he could connect with a woman on a deep, meaningful level. Instead of viewing them as good for only one thing. His defense mechanisms had gone too deep, his fortress too impenetrable. He knew this now. And unless he wanted to stay this way forever, those walls he’d built up would have to come down.
The question was, was it worth all the risk?
An image of Cat popped up in his mind. He’d been trying to shove it down all night. To no avail. The mental picture of her kept bouncing right back up like a persistent screen saver. The image he had of her, however, was not appropriate for anyone’s computer but his own. Her beautiful blond hair would barely cover her. She’d lean forward, her eyes peering at his.
Maybe a cold shower would help ease all of his aches. Some aches were easier to cure than others.
~ ~ ~
Cat woke up, head throbbing. It never failed. Bad emotions always led to a bad night’s sleep. A hazy light was filtering through the closed curtains, dawn was coming. A glance at the digital clock on the nightstand confirmed it was six o’clock in the morning. She’d better get moving if she was going to get to her classes on time. With a long, languid stretch, she gave her muscles a good clench and release. Get the brain and blood moving. She needed these lectures today.
Cat cringed. The one lecture she really wanted to hear was Ty’s. She couldn’t face him now though. Seeing him would be a painful reminder that all these years later she was still being used.
She shoved the negative thoughts aside and swung her feet onto the floor. Time to tackle a new day. Work on building up her business. More importantly, building up herself.
She was off the bed and almost into the bathroom when she noticed an envelope had been shoved under the front door. At first she ignored it, assuming it was the hotel’s standard checkout charges. Then she stopped her stride. Checkout wasn’t today. And the envelope didn’t look like one for business. Unless this hotel was getting very fancy. The paper was heavy cream and had some kind of embossing. Taking a step further she noticed ink marks—the envelope was handwritten.
But by whom? It couldn’t be Ty, not after what happened last night. Tell that to her stupid stomach though. The fluttery feeling would not go away until she confirmed the identity of the sender.
Bending down, she picked it up. The paper felt smooth and heavy in her hand. The writing said nothing but her name. Unable to contain herself any longer she ripped open the back flap which had been tacked down by a small red seal.
Dearest Cat,
I am so sorry to have upset you. I will not let it happen again. Please give me a second chance? I’ve booked an overnight trip for the two of us. Meet me in the hotel’s lobby near the reception desk at 7:00 a.m. sharp.
The helicopter awaits, as does my heart.
With optimism and anticipation,
Ty
P.S. I suggest bringing rugged footwear to make walking easier. Clothes for both cold and hot temperatures would be a good idea, too.
Instead of knots in her stomach, she felt high enough to fly. Without the aid of a helicopter. A giddy, elated feeling bubbled up inside her. Optimism and anticipation were dangerous, heady things. Especially since she was well aware of how far she could fall.
Was she wrong about Ty? Was he a good guy after all? Or was he just another guy trying to use her? Exactly how much was she willing to gamble in Las Vegas?
~ ~ ~
“You came,” Ty said when he saw her. Relief washed over him stronger than the surf during a storm. Every muscle relaxed, a blissful feeling of finally letting the tension go.
The minutes he’d waited for her seemed like five hours. Five years. Five eons. He’d shifted around uncomfortably as if his underwear was too tight. Which it was now, though for an entirely different reason. She was breathtakingly beautiful this morning. Even wearing the simple outfit she had on. The pants looked to be the stretchy material kind, hugging every curve. He badly wished he could be reincarnated as those jeans. Hell, he wished he were inside those jeans. He shook his head an imperceptible amount to try to shake the idea out of his mind. Nothing doing. Damn.
“I’m here.” She gave him a small, tentative smile. “I couldn’t resist your note.”
“That was my intension, and I meant every single word.”
A blush crept prettily over her face. “Am I dressed okay?” she asked. “I wasn’t sure from your letter what exactly you wanted me to wear.”
“You’re perfect. If you wore a burlap bag, you’d still look perfect.” It dawned on him he had never seen one of his dates in blue jeans before. The legging-like pair she had on made him sorry the experience hadn’t happened earlier.
She pointed to her top and raised her eyebrows in a silent question. He was now aware of the oversized lightweight sweater he hadn’t taken notice of before. Women’s clothes were invisible if not form-fitting. A waste of material, if you asked him. Especially since it covered up what he now knew to be a very bountiful chest. He did his best to shake off the tormenting thought. “Do you have a tee shirt underneath? Or one you can change into?”
“Yes, this suitcase has two of them, plus a heavy sweatshirt if I need it. Umm . . .” she said, peering around him. “Where’s your bag?”
“The driver already has it.” He glanced down at his chunky Rolex. “We’d better be going if we’re going to make it to the helicopter on time.”
“Where are we going?” she asked, her voice bubbly. Her question was full of excitement. There was a sense of adventure to this woman. A sense that she was grateful and excited for all the effort, time, and money he was spending on her. It’s not like he ever demanded anything in return from any of his dates. But he did like to feel appreciated. A rarity among the women he had dated. Cat, however, seemed to be a kid in a candy store at this surprise.
“I’ll tell you along the way. Let’s go, or we’ll be late. I’d rather not fly with a grumpy pilot.”
He swore she actually let out a giggle at that.
“By all means,” she said, “let’s not risk it.”
He placed his hand on the small of her back as he escorted her outside. It was as if his hand had muscle memory, knowing exactly the spot in which to return. It felt like it belonged there, a mere extension of her body. If he weren’t careful, he’d feel the same about himself. The woman must be a magnet, drawing him in. At this point he was starting to doubt if he had the strength to break away.
“You know I’m dying of curiosity,” she said as she slid into the backseat of the limo. He slid in next to her and slammed the door shut.
“Good morning, Mr. Orland,” the sixty-something-year-old limo driver said with utmost curtsey. “And good morning to you, Miss.”
“Good morning,” Ty respond
ed. “Do you know where we’re headed?”
“Yes, sir, I do.”
“Fantastic,” Ty replied. “Then I can keep the lady in the dark a little longer.”
“Not much longer, or you’ll be traveling with a corpse,” Cat interjected.
“Really?” he asked, a single eyebrow arched. “Do tell.”
“Curiosity killed the cat, so I’m figuring I’m a goner.”
“I’m betting you have nine lives.”
“Hmmm, I have no idea which opposing cliché I should believe.”
“How about simply believing in me?” He watched her jaw drop open and stifled a laugh. “Is my comment really so shocking?” Then he felt his brow furrow, the corner of his lips turn down. “I suppose after last night, you’d be justified in doubting me. I really am sorry for that.” Ty winced. The man who made it a practice never to apologize was now apologizing more than a churchman at confession.
“I’m here, aren’t I?” Cat said softly. “I’m touched you’re going through all this effort for me. Thank you.”
“How can you thank me yet? You don’t even know where we’re going.”
“Doesn’t matter where we’re headed. The effort alone makes me feel special.”
He would have been elated by her words if a shadow of doubt hadn’t crossed her face.
“Um, it doesn’t involve water, does it?” she asked tenuously.