The Everlasting Chapel (17 page)

Returning, he has this brooding expression.
What is the matter with him? He doesn’t have anything to be mad
about—I do.

He hands me my glass.

“
Thanks,” I say.

“
Are you alright?” he asks.
“You look upset.”

“
I’m fine,” I answer, not
wanting to ruin his big night. We can talk about this later. Here
is definitely not the appropriate place.

“
Let me introduce you to
some of my partners.” Taking my arm, he leads me over to an
elderly, but spunky, silver-haired man and a young woman with her
arm around his. She looks like she could be his granddaughter, but
I won’t say anything, thinking she could be his wife, too. And
especially since it looks like she might be expecting, although
it’s too early to tell, and I don’t want to say anything just in
case I’m wrong.

Wow, I so do not fit in here.

“
Ross, I’d like for you to
meet Scarlett,” Michael says. “Scarlett, this is Ross, my senior
business partner and his lovely wife Julie.”

I’m really glad I kept my mouth shut. Now
I’m just trying to keep a relaxed smile on my face and keep my eyes
from widening. “Pleased to meet you,” I say.

Ross takes my hand and kisses it. “If anyone
here gives you any trouble, have them come talk to me,” he
says.

Is he saying that because he knows about
Michael and my history? Or how we are together now? Or is he just
saying that because that’s what he says to everyone? I glance at
Michael, but he looks just as pissed off as earlier. Not much help
there.

“
I’m really sorry, but I
think I need to go lie down,” Julie says. “I apologize, Scarlett.
Usually I’m the life of the party, but now…I’m four months
pregnant, and I just can’t seem to kick this morning sickness. Just
a word of advice: adopt.”

“
It was a pleasure meeting
you,” I say. “I hope you feel better.”

“
Once this baby is out,
that’s when I’ll be feeling better.” She takes Ross’s arm, and they
walk off.

“
So Ross. Is he a good
friend?” I ask Michael.

“
He is. He knows everything
about us.”

“
What about Alexa?” I ask,
trying not to sound too irritated, which I am. “Does she
know?”

“
Would you like to dance?”
he asks.

Nice way to avoid the question. I remind
myself that I will act professionally tonight, and not let whatever
Michael does or says get on my nerves. “I would love to.”

“
So this is a pretty
grandiose event,” I say as he leads me to the floor.

He grabs my waist and twirls me around.
“Alexa loves everything over the top. The bigger the better. The
more the merrier. Especially when it comes to parties.” He presses
his cheek to mine, and we sway to the music in silence for some
time.

“
Do you want to come with
me to Hawaii next week?” he asks out of the blue.

“
Hawaii?”

He gives me a smile. “You and me…the
beach…massages…”

“
It sounds heavenly, but I
have work. Don’t you?”

“
Since this deal has gone
through, I thought we could celebrate.”

“
Well, us normal people
still have work Monday through Friday,” I say.

“
I thought you cashed the
check,” he says.

“
Coincidentally, it hasn’t
cleared yet, and I wanted to make sure it did before I quit.
Besides, I don’t feel like it’s my money.”

“
What?”

“
I don’t really deserve
it,” I say.

His eyebrows gather in the center. “Deserve
it? Of course you do.”

“
I didn’t earn it, though,”
I sigh.

“
You have got to stop
thinking that earning money has to do with trading time for
dollars,” he says. “If you want to make lots of money, you make
deals. And contrary to what you think at the moment, you are a
great negotiator.”

“
No, I’m not.” Has he
completely lost his mind?

“
I feel your hand twitching
on my shoulder. You’re not thinking about hitting me again, are
you?” He smirks.

“
I wouldn’t dream of it.” I
roll my eyes. His playfulness puts me at ease. Maybe this evening
won’t be so bad after all.

“
I see how it is.” He leans
in closer, stroking his newly shaven cheek to mine. “For that…I’ll
have to…”

“
May I cut in?” I hear
Alexa’s voice behind me.

“
No,” Michael
says.

“
Please,” Alexa
says.

“
I don’t mind,” I say.
Liar! I totally don’t want her dancing with him, although there
should be no reason for me to be jealous. Right? I mean, they broke
their engagement off. Well, as I recall,
she
was the one who broke it off. Not
him. “I need to freshen up a bit.” I say and walk away. It’s not
like anything can happen here anyway. They’re dancing in the middle
of the crowded floor.

I head to the ladies lounge. There I see
Julie lying on the couch with her eyes closed.

“
Julie,” I say.

She opens one eye. “Scarlett. Sorry about
earlier. I just need to let this wave of nausea pass.”

“
Can I get you anything?
Water? Some mints?”

She grimaces as if she might throw up. “No,
no mints, please. They’ll make me even sicker. Maybe…can you find
some pickles for me?” she asks.

I think I saw some at the buffet table.
“Okay. I’ll be right back.” I head out into the ballroom again.
When I see that Michael and Alexa are still dancing, my stomach
clenches with jealousy. I look away quickly before I lose control
and run over there to steal him back. I just need to be rational
about this, realize that Michael has a past, and be okay about him
working with his ex on this deal.

Locating the buffet table, I load a plate
with pickles and head back to the ladies lounge. I sit down next to
Julie.

“
Is this enough?” I
say.

She opens her eyes and she smiles. “Plenty.
Thank you so much.” Sitting up slowly, she grabs a pickle and
stuffs it into her mouth.

“
Is this your first?” I
ask.

“
And last,” she says. “No
one ever told me it would be this bad.”

“
Are you sure you shouldn’t
just go home?” I say, seeing how pale she looks.

“
I should, but I would feel
really bad making Ross leave early. This contract is one of the
biggest he’s ever had,” she says.

“
Yeah, Michael is pretty
excited about it, too.” We sit in silence for a few moments as she
eats a few more pickles.

“
You go have fun! I didn’t
come here to spoil someone’s evening,” she says.

“
Well, if you need
anything, text me.” I text her so she has my number. I go back
outside to the ballroom, and thankfully Michael and Alexa aren’t
dancing anymore. But then I notice that they aren’t even in the
room. Maybe he went looking for me.

I meander down the hallway to see if I can
find him. Unable to locate him anywhere, I step outside and onto
the veranda to catch some fresh air. Right when I get out, I hear
Alexa’s voice.

“
Michael?” I
say.

“
Scarlett,” he says,
looking at me. “I was just coming to find you.” His face is an
ashen gray.

“
Is everything…?” I look
from Alexa to him and back to Alexa again.

“
Everything is fine,
Scarlett,” Alexa says with a satisfied expression.

Michael shoots her a disapproving look,
takes my arm, and leads me back inside.

“
What was that all about?”
I ask.

“
Nothing,” he says. “Just
business. Shall we get something to eat?”

“
Sure.” I feel rather
uncomfortable with what happened out there on the veranda, and I
should bring it up to him. But then, wouldn’t I be just like him:
jealous for no reason? And shit, why am I jealous? He doesn’t want
her, I remind myself. He has told me he only wants me. However,
saying it doesn’t ease the uneasiness in my chest.

After we eat, Michael and I spend the rest
of the evening socializing with his business partners and
associates. He’s polite, and even funny at times, but from the way
he turns brooding between conversations, I can tell something is
definitely bothering him. I feel as if I have become second fiddle
after he spoke with Alexa, and I catch him stealing concerned
glimpses at her a couple of times. Has the deal gone sour? But what
frightens me even more is the possibility: does she want him back?
Does he want her back? The thought makes my stomach sink. I try to
maintain my optimism, but by the end of the evening I’m
exhausted.

The limousine drives us back to his place,
but he suggests I go home. What happened to his earlier threats
that he was going to tear me out of this dress?

He says he has a lot of catching up to do at
work, and he’d only be a bore to be around. I tell him I don’t mind
hanging around with him, but he encourages me to go home. I try to
understand, but it bothers me why he can’t just be open with me.
Reluctantly, I go home, hoping tomorrow he will be back to normal.
Finally all the way back home again, I crash into bed and fall
asleep.

16

The next day, I call Michael right when I
get out of bed, but he doesn’t pick up. Is he ignoring me? His
moodiness combined with his peculiar interaction with Alexa last
night has me worried. Very worried. I leave a message on his phone,
and convince Vivian and my father to come out to lunch with me. I
decide to take them to Michael’s restaurant, the quaint little
diner where Michael and I had out very first date after I met him
in church.

Before we leave, I need to make sure I have
enough funds on my account so I can pay for the meal. Grabbing my
laptop, I log into my online banking.

I almost have a heart attack.

The three-billon dollar check has
cleared.

I sit in silence and stare at the screen for
several minutes. Is this for real? I log out, and log back into my
checking account again just to make sure the money is still there,
just to make sure my eyes aren’t deceiving me.

Available balance: $3,000,002,624.71

Holy fucking hell!

I bring my hands to my face, and let out a
scream as I fall into the mattress. I kick my legs like an
obstinate child, and produce several more whooping sounds. Vivian
runs up the steps, and when she appears in the doorway, her eyes
are wide with alarm.

“
Are you alright?” she
asks.

“
Yes…yes…sorry…I just…” I
can’t explain this to her. “It’s nothing. Sorry I frightened
you.”

“
Are you sure?”

“
Perfectly.
Sorry.”

She shakes her head and goes back
downstairs.

Then something unexpected happens. I start
to cry. Not just a little whimper, but a full-on violent ugly cry.
I cry because I feel as if the weight of the universe has been
lifted from my shoulders, because I can afford all my father’s
medical bills, because I can pay off his entire mortgage and keep
the house my father and uncle built. I cry because I am suddenly
unbelievably grateful to Diane for doing this, and to Michael for
the insane shit he’s put me through, and because of all the hope
this brings me. Lastly, I sob because of all this money can offer
me and the ones I love, and also because I now can truly make a
difference in anyone’s life. And although I still feel as if I
don’t deserve it, I will make sure that every day I will live in
such a way, and spend these funds so it didn’t come to me in
vain.

After calming myself and coming halfway down
off the cloud I’m on, I get showered and dressed. Driving over to
the restaurant, I check the balance several more times just to make
sure it’s still there.

When we arrive, the place is packed to the
brim, and we have to wait nearly an hour for our table. The hostess
shows us to a small booth, and we order our meals. Vivian looks
particularly good today with her hair up in a bun, and her lavender
and green dress. I notice how my father is smiling, and has a
twinkle in his eye. Is it just that he feels he has a new lease on
life? Or is there something going on between the two of them? No,
my father wouldn’t be interested in her, would he? I mean, not that
there would be anything wrong with that. It’s just, she used to be
our nanny, and…well… it would be a little weird.

“
So did you have a good
week?” I ask my father.

“
The treatments are
wreaking havoc with my body, but I do feel less pain,” he says.
“And Vivian is such a great help.”

Vivian gives him a warm smile, and flips her
hair.

Oh. My. God. There is definitely something
there. I’m not going to pry. Nope. Not going to do it. I’m just
going to pretend as if I don’t notice anything. But I have to
know!

“
So are you two getting
along?” I ask as casually as I can, taking a sip of my
drink.

My father glances nervously over at
Vivian.

Bingo.

“
We are,” my father says.
“In fact…” he says, reaching an arm over Vivian’s shoulder, “…we
are engaged.”

I nearly spit out the water in my mouth.
“What? When did this happen?” Stupid question. Every day while I
was away, that’s when it happened.