C32 Chapter 32

RICK

“Rick!”

I look up and see Lara. I have met her briefly before but she makes enough of an impression that I couldn’t forget her. She’s like a breath of fresh air.

“Lara,” I say. I get up and she shows me into her office.

“Congratulations!” she says. “At last someone managed to nail down Christine. It’s about time she settled down.”

“You would know better than me on that score. You’ve known her a lot longer than me,” I reply as I sit down.

“I guess. I’m just so happy for both of you,” Lara says.

“Thank you,” I say.

Lara leans forward in her chair and pushes stray strands of hair behind her ear. “So do you have anything in mind for a location?”

“It has to be romantic. The place itself. I proposed at the Inn of the Seventh Ray so I guess I have to top that.”

“Well, that must have been romantic. Great choice,” Lara smiles. “But yes, I agree you’ve set the bar high for yourself. I could suggest our elopement service,” Lara says.

“Elopement service?” I ask surprised.

“Well, we offer a service for couples that just want to get away and get married without the fuss of arranging a big wedding. The service opens up a whole lot more options. It doesn’t have to be just the two of you either. You could invite the guests to the wedding wherever you decide to hold it. It probably means you’ll have fewer guests but it is an option. We’ve just started the service recently and it’s a real hit in so many ways. Demand is through the roof. It’s like the market’s just been waiting for it. And V, my partner. She’s great. So professional.”

I hesitate a moment. I’m sure I’ve heard the name ‘V’ somewhere before. I know it’s short for a longer name but I can’t remember where I heard it. Besides, many names begin with ‘V’. It could be anyone. It doesn’t mean there’s a connection.

I shake my head. “Maybe not but thanks for the suggestion. It’s probably best to have it locally. I think Christine would love to have as many of her friends as possible share the day with her.

We spend an hour going through options. Lara is most helpful and I leave her office feeling that she is truly professional. She’s been more than a help to me. She’s known Christine for a long time and she knows most of Christine’s friends. She says she’ll get a list of friends over to me for Christine’s approval. If there’s anyone Christine wants who isn’t on the list she can add them.

I add my friends. There are quite a few but nowhere near as many as Christine has. It’s okay. It’s not a competition. I think of adding Viola to the list but then decide against it. What’s the point I ask myself? We don’t know each other that well and besides, I’ve upset her twice. An invitation will probably just be like driving a dagger into whatever it was we had, more like whatever it was that we never started if we could ever have called it anything.

I find it easier to push away the thoughts of Viola now that I’ve made a decision and asked Christine to marry me. I focus on my work, the wedding, and Christine. It’s enough to keep my mind off Viola and soon I forget about her the way I did when she cut off communication with me the first time.

But sometimes, as much as we try to take control of our lives, it seems there’s something bigger at play. Something we’ll never understand. Something that makes plans for us and when it’s made up its mind about what it is that’s good for us, there’s no shaking it. Whatever it is, it’s bigger than us. And so, try as we might, to put someone or something behind us, if the universe, at least that’s what I call it, decides we’re not done yet, then we simply aren’t done…

CHRISTINE

Grady opens the door. He’s learned not to be wearing a towel. I command respect and wearing a towel when I arrive means he’s expecting me to simply have sex with him. It means he thinks I’m that easy. I’m glad. He’s learning.

Instead, he’s wearing jeans and a cotton checked shirt. It’s long-sleeved but he’s rolled the sleeves up to just below the elbows. He wearing shoes and it tells me he’s ready to go out.

“Going somewhere?” I ask.

“Well, I was thinking we could go for dinner,” he smiles.

“Mmm,” I think about it. “You surprised me twice in less than a minute. There may be hope for you yet.”

“There’s always hope for me,” he says smiling. He’s still arrogant but although he’s learning, he’s got a long way to go yet. I’ve taken off the ring, Rick gave me. I don’t want to show him just yet but I will show him soon.

“Well, where are you taking me,” I ask.

“Wait and see,” he says. He steps out of his apartment and closes the door behind us. We leave the building and flag a cab. He gives the driver the address of the Inn of the Seventh Ray.

I stir uncomfortably. “Can we go somewhere else?” I ask.

“You don’t like it?” he asks.

“I love it but I recently had a difference with the staff about a wedding reception I arranged there so I’m not in the mood to go back just yet. But, more points for choosing the most romantic restaurant in Los Angeles.”

“Wow, that’s three points. I could get lucky tonight,” Grady says with a big smile. He doesn’t know the surprise that I have for him.

I suggest an alternate venue and soon we arrive. We take a table far from the rest of the guests. It’s a weeknight and the restaurant is not as busy as usual.

We order dinner and talk while we wait and sip our wine.

“What happened to us?” Grady asks me as he sits forward and takes my hand in his.

“What do you mean, what happened to us? You were the one who left. You were the one who asked to marry me and then left me.”

Grady sits back and releases my hand as if he doesn’t deserve to hold it. He looks at me, thinking about what to do or say.

“I’m sorry Chris. I was an asshole. I don’t know what it was.”

“I meet his eyes and try to gauge his emotions. I wonder if he’s being sincere. “You know, you were every girl’s dream back in high school, including mine. I dreamed of you but I never dreamed we’d get together. Ever. It didn’t happen in high school but then we ran into each other here in LA and it was a dream come true. When you asked me to marry you, I was over the moon. There wasn’t a happier person in the world than me. And then I found out the truth. You were cheating on me. I don’t know what you wanted. You got engaged to me while you were seeing that skank on the side. It was like you were trying to hedge your bets. Like you couldn’t decide who or what you wanted. So, I guess I decided for you.”

Grady’s face is flushed as he remembers the truth. I didn’t need to remind him. I’m sure he can remember everything himself. “I’m sorry,” he says again.

“You broke my heart, Grady. And as much as you shattered it, I’ve never loved someone as much as I’ve loved you. I’ve never had a relationship until now.”

“I have to assume he’s better than me then,” Grady says disappointedly.

I shake my head. Not necessarily. But time waits for no-one and time heals wounds. So, as well as I have been able to heal, I decided to move on.”

Our dinner arrives and we begin to eat. We continue speaking between mouthfuls.

“Then why are you with me. Right here, right now?” Grady asks.

“I think when we met each other the other day, we both realized that we want a second chance. Am I right?”

“I guess,” Grady says.

I stop eating. “You guess? Is that all you have to say? What is it you want then?”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you,” Grady says apologetically.

I ignore him and reach into my handbag. I remove the ring that Rick gave me and I put it on. I smile cruelly and make a fist pointing the ring at Grady.

“What’s that?” he asks.

“An engagement ring,” I reply. “Rick asked me to marry him two days ago. I said yes.”

“You said yes?” Grady asks in disbelief.

“That’s right,” I nod.

“Why?”