He nodded, avoiding eye contact as he closed the door. I stepped up onto the curb and the car turned and drove away. I couldn’t see him through the tinted glass, but I something inside of me cracked. I called the elevator and stepped in alone. What was supposed to have been a beautiful, magical, romantic evening, had turned into something sour, dark... and angry.
Chapter 17
An insistent buzzing woke me. I kept my head buried in my pillow and fumbled around on the nightstand trying to find the off switch for my phone. I didn’t have to be up yet, and I still felt groggy and disappointed from the night before.
My phone slipped out of my fingers and clattered to the floor, still buzzing like an angry hornet. I thought about leaving it, but someone started pounding on my door. There was no way I was going to be able to sleep through the phone and the knocking on my door.
“It’s open,” I yelled, rolling onto my back and then throwing my feet off the bed. This was not the way I wanted to be woken up.
“You need to get up. Now,” Rachel commanded as she barged into my room. I was about to complain, but the stormy look on her face kept the words inside. She stalked over to my closet and began tossing clothing onto my bed.
“What’s going on?” I stood up and stifled a yawn before catching a satin dress shirt with my head.
“The Saunders!” She said it like it was an earthquake or an alien invasion. The finality and doom in her voice, combined with her sudden nervousness, made me go cold. “You need to get up and get dressed right now.”
I grabbed the suit she thrust at me and grabbed at the shirt that had fallen around my shoulders and scampered into the bathroom. I hurried through my morning routine, dressing quickly in the expensive dress suit. Rachel had a pair of stylish heels ready for me when I emerged. They were surprisingly comfortable and accented the outfit nicely. I glanced at myself in the full length mirror as Rachel pushed me out the door. Rachel had done a fantastic job shopping for me. I was amazed at how properly fitted clothes instead of baggy sweats actually made me look like a real woman instead of a lumpy sack of potatoes.
I hurried down the hallway after Rachel, trying desperately not to trip in my heels. Despite being fairly low and comfortable, I still felt wobbly on them. Especially after my incident with heels last night, I wasn’t keen on any shoe that wasn’t a sneaker.
Rachel stopped before the heavy wooden door leading into the main dining room. I rarely went into the dining room, choosing to eat at the more comfortable kitchen table or on the couch in the living room. Rachel turned and straightened my collar, her usually unreadable face pale.
“Address them as ‘Ma’am and Sir’. Do not contradict either of them, but especially not Mr. Saunders.” The way she said Mr. Saunders made it clear she meant Jack’s father. “Be more polite to them than anyone you have ever met in your life. Smile and be pleasant. For the love of God don’t tell them you are sleeping with Jack or have ever slept with Jack or even have ever thought of sleeping with him.”
I nodded, still confused as to what was going on. “Right, Sir and Ma’am. Be polite.”
“Mrs. Saunders is actually the driving force behind the two of them, but it is Mr. Saunders that wields the power in public. Pretend to ask him if you have a question, but it is Mrs. Saunders that you need to suck up to. Got it? Be brave. I’m not even supposed to be here right now, but I couldn’t send you into the lion’s den without a warning.” Rachel smoothed the fabric on my shoulders, and checked my collar one last time before flashing a nervous grin and moving out of the way for me to open the door to the dining room.
I opened the heavy wooden door, unsure of what to expect.
Inside, an attractive elderly couple was sitting across from one another, calmly sipping coffee and eating danish and scrambled eggs. It would have been a normal breakfast scene, if it weren’t for the ridiculously expensive clothing, the mahogany table with fine china, and the engraved silverware.
“Good morning, dear,” Mrs. Saunders greeted me, setting her coffee cup down delicately on the table. She had short blonde hair swept up into an elegant style and dark brown eyes. Her features were petite, but age had put enough weight on her to make her solid. She still had high cheekbones and a regal manner that made me want to curtsey.
“Good morning. It is a pleasure to meet you both,” I said. I was glad my voice didn’t quaver despite my nerves.
“So you’re the one distracting my son and making him the center of the tabloid gossip,” Mr. Saunders said, gesturing to the stack of tabloids and newspapers on the table. The Saunders’ name blared out across several headlines, the picture of him carrying me like a child, wrath and concern battling his face. I swallowed hard and nodded.
“Come and have some breakfast, Emma. We have some things to discuss,” Mrs. Saunders motioned to an empty chair. I managed to sit down fairly gracefully. I carefully poured a cup of coffee from the carafe on a silver platter. I wished I had something to make it stronger; it felt like I was going to need it.
“Did you marry my son?” Mr. Saunders had waited until I had taken my first sip and set the cup down on the table. He placed his hands on the shiny wooden table and made sure I was looking into his blue eyes. I liked his straightforwardness.
“Not legally. We did have a marriage ceremony, but it was never meant to be anything but a vacation memory. It was never supposed to go this far. It was a spur of the moment decision,” I answered honestly. Mr. Saunders continued to evaluate me with his piercing blue eyes.
“Jack told me that you didn’t know who he was at that time. Is this true?” Mrs. Saunders asked, sipping delicately on her coffee. Two sets of eyes stared intently at me. I could tell they would know instantly if I was lying or even thinking of lying. I had no intention of telling them anything but the truth. I wanted desperately for his parents to like me.
“Yes, Ma’am. The only time I read the gossip page is when I am waiting in line at the grocery store, and even then I only glance at the covers. They aren’t my preferred reading material. I honestly had no idea who he was until I got home and found my face on all these papers.”
Mrs. Saunders peered over her cup, appraising me like I was fish at the market. Her eyes weighed and measured me as she inwardly debated whether she wanted to purchase or if I was spoiled goods. My mouth felt dry despite my coffee and I forced myself not to lick my lips.
“Do you love him?” Mrs. Saunders asked, her voice casual. She sounded as though she were simply talking about the weather and not matters of the heart. I was about to give a pretty answer, one that was cautious and what I thought she wanted to hear, but nothing about being with Jack was cautious. I gave the truth.
“Honestly, Ma’am? I’m not sure. I’ve never been in love before. He makes me feel things that I have never felt in my entire life. Things that make my head dizzy with excitement and my heart pound with fear. When I see him, I feel like everything is going to work out in the end; like the world isn’t as horrible or dark as it was before I saw him.” I paused and took a short breath, needing to explain myself further. “My parents knew each other for three years before they even started dating. My mom says that it took her years to learn to love him, but one day she looked over and realized that she couldn’t live without that man near her. I haven’t known Jack for three weeks, let alone three years, but I do know that I don’t want to live in a world without him. I don’t know if this feeling will last another three weeks, three years, or three decades, but I want to try. He makes me want to try.”
Mrs. Saunders’ face never changed. She nodded her head to the pile of magazines on the table, their headlines blaring out. “What about the cost? They will always find you and want a piece of you.”
“They are just pictures. Eventually they will get bored because I am boring. I’m too normal to be on the cover for very long. Someone else will steal the spotlight, but if that is the price for being with Jack, I’ll pay it gladly.” A sense of calm washed over me as I realized every word was true. I would put up with a million paparazzi photographers for a minute with Jack.
Mr. and Mrs. Saunders looked at one another, a silent discussion rushing back and forth between them over their cooling eggs.
“I would not use the words ‘boring’ or ‘normal’ to describe you, Emma,” Mr. Saunders finally said, turning to look at me. Mrs. Saunders sighed.
“That's what makes this so hard. I so wanted to dislike you because it would make telling you this part so much easier.”
My heart crept into my throat. This was where they told me he was betrothed, that he had actually been married off as a child, that he had a horrible disease that was going to kill him in a week. The quiet ticking of the grandfather clock in the corner of the room was ominously loud.
Mrs. Saunders set her cup down and reached a hand out to mine. It was a familiar gesture, a way to soothe the sting of bad news. “The marriage may never have been legally binding, but he cannot marry you right now. This is a critical time for our company and business must come first. We can no longer delay the transition.”
I followed her eyes to Mr. Saunders. At first glance he seemed strong and solid, but as I looked closer, he was far more worn than I thought. A tiredness that he couldn’t fight danced around his limbs, dark circles concealed beneath subtle makeup, a thinness even his tailored suit couldn’t hide. There was a lean hunger around his mouth and desperation deep in his blue eyes. I had seen that look many times in the vet’s office... he was dying.
The realization must have blatantly crossed my face as Mrs. Saunders patted my hand to grab my attention. She continued, her voice low and controlled.
“We haven’t spoken to Jack about this yet. He doesn’t know the extent of Daniel’s illness and the need for a quick transition,” Mrs. Saunders said. The soft way her voice caressed her husband’s name made my heart ache. “We need him to focus completely on the company and the transition. Investors are already beginning to worry. He cannot have you as a distraction.”
“I didn't realize that I was a distraction," I said, putting a little sass in my voice. "What is it that you want me to do?” There was a hollowness in the pit of my stomach that I didn’t like. The coffee was growing cold in my cup.
Mrs. Saunders sighed, clearly not a fan of my tone. “Jack was always one to rebel when he felt pushed into something he didn’t want to do. We would like the separation to come from you.”
“What do you expect me to say to him?” I asked. I didn’t want my coffee anymore. I didn’t want to have this conversation anymore. Mr. and Mrs. Saunders glanced at one another, a silent conversation slipping through the moment again.
“That's up to you. Tell him you can’t see him right now. Tell him you don’t love him. Break his heart if necessary, but he needs to focus on taking over the company right now. That is what is most important. Too much is at stake for him to explore his feelings for you.”