I chuckled. “Okay.”
Chapter 4
My cell rang as I was analyzing the photographs from the shoot we’d just completed. “Hello?” I answered, without bothering to look at the caller ID.
“Hey. It’s me, Luke.”
My heart skipped a beat. “Hey.”
“Do I hear birds?” he asked. “It sounds like parrots or something. Are you at the zoo?”
I laughed. “Feels like a zoo sometimes, but no. We have a tropical theme going on for Hawaiian Tropic. The hula music and bird noises put everybody in the tropical paradise spirit and make it easier to capture the emotion in the shots.”
“Hmm. A bunch of bikini-clad chicks belly-dancing all day. Your job sounds fascinating,” he said, letting out a laugh. “Anyway, how about dinner tonight? And bring Zack. I want to apologize for what I said the other day. More than that, though, I’d love to hear about your job.”
“I’d love to hear about yours as well.”
“Just two old friends catching up, right?”
“Right. As for Zack, I’m pretty embarrassed about all that, but he was drunk and acting stupid. He usually doesn’t get that way. We’re…working it out.”
“Good. So all is forgiven?”
“Yes. The wedding is back on track.”
We made arrangements to meet after work, and I hung up the phone.
“You can’t possibly have dinner with your ex!” Claire said.
“I think closure would help both of us, so we could move on with our lives. Besides, he seems pretty desperate to get past it, to put everything behind him.”
“Maybe you need it as much as he does, honey.”
I sighed. “You’re right. I do. I’d like to know more about his job. He gets to ride around the Big Apple in a limo, so I guess I’m happy for him. Who knows? Maybe this will be just what we need. Yes, it’s always painful to see him, but I have to stop running, and I need to just face him and get over it.”
“But do you think you can really pretend that you’re in love and engaged when you really aren’t?”
“I have to. We can talk everything out over dinner, and if I can make him think I’m taken, we’ll both be able to move on and just live our separate lives.”
“What if he wants to be friends, to keep in touch?”
“I’ll discourage that. It would be way too hard.”
“How hard is it to be friends?”
“If you’d ever been held by those strong arms or kissed by those lips or stared into those blue eyes of his, you’d understand why. He’s not easy to forget.”
“I know it’s not really my business, and you’re grown and can do what you want, but I’m not sure this whole marriage mirage is a good idea. Why don’t you just be honest and tell him you’re not interested?”
“Because Luke has never been able to take no for an answer. He goes after whatever he wants and doesn’t stop till he gets it. That serves him well in business, and it’s probably why he’s on top of the world in his career. Also, I’m not so sure I could refuse him if he comes on to me, and if I give in, I’m sure I’ll get my heart broken all over again.”
“You don’t know that.”
“Actually, I do. I couldn’t even sit next to him in the booth the other day without getting all, uh…”
“Hot and bothered?” she asked, smiling.
I blushed. “I guess you could call it that, and the temperature in the bar had nothing to do with it.”
“Are you sure he doesn’t just want to be friends? When people move to a big city, it’s sometimes nice to reconnect with old friends from back home.”
“Girl, I saw the way he looked at me. He’s definitely interested in more than friendship. I can’t let that happen, because it wouldn’t be good for either of us. It’s best to keep the past in the past, because I can’t have my past ruining my future.”
“Well, this ex of yours is apparently one of New York City’s most eligible bachelors,” she said.
“Really? Says who?”
She opened a magazine and handed it to me. “Says
Forbes
, honey. There he is, the one and only Luke Ellison, all hot and glossy on Page 5.”
I looked down at the picture of Luke, dressed in a black suit, with the New York skyline in the background. I couldn’t believe my eyes as I read the article. “It says he ‘contributes his success to hard work, relentless ambition, street smarts, a drive like no other, and lots of luck.’ Wow. He looks good. I’ve seen him in a few magazine articles over the years.” He had gone out and made all his dreams come true, but while I was happy for him, it also stung. I wondered if he was truly happy, if it was worth the sacrifice of our love.
“I say you need to take that bad boy out for a test ride.” She flipped the page. “Oh! Look at all those gorgeous models on his yacht. My gosh, those girls must be all of nineteen. Looks like he’s living life to the fullest.”
“That’s so not him. I bet they staged that, just a photo op to go along with the article.”
“Well, if you ask me, those models are lucky. How’s come I can’t land jobs like that?”
I glanced down and started to read out loud. “It says he bought his company, Coolapps, for a record fifteen billion. ‘Today, Ellison’s company offers the largest mobile messaging service in the world and has more collective users than Skype and Snapchat combined. Ellison himself has a net worth of $4.5 billion.”
“Wow. If ya ask me, you shoulda snatched him up before he got rich,” she said.
“This doesn’t change anything. It was never about the money, and he knows that.”
She ran over to the computer. “Let’s Google him!” She quickly typed his name in with me peering over her shoulder; I couldn’t help being curious. “Oh, look,” she said. “He’s speaking at a luncheon for troubled youth just one block away, today at one p.m.”
“It’s twelve thirty now. I’m gonna go check it out.”
“Curiosity?”
“Yeah, something like that.”
“I thought you said it’s painful to see him.”
“I did, but I want to know more about his work.”
Claire smirked. “If you say so, honey.”
I hurried into the bathroom to fix my hair and makeup, then headed over to the luncheon. I found a seat in the back and blended right in.
Luke looked so dashing in a tux. His features were perfect, as if his face had been sculpted by some kind of master artist, and his hair was always great. He was tall, charismatic, and impossibly charming. He launched into an eloquent and powerful speech about overcoming obstacles and adversity, and his lesson on hardship captivated everyone in the room.
“Pretend like your life is a movie and you are the director,” he said. “This is your Hollywood blockbuster. You choose the actors and the scenes. This is your life, and you’ve only got one shot, so don’t mess it up by letting excuses get in the way. You’re responsible for how this movie will turn out, and there are no second takes, no do-overs. It’s only too late when you flat-line, so make life count.”
When everyone else offered him a standing ovation, I wanted to join them, because I’d never been so deeply moved, but instead, I quickly slipped out and headed back to work.
* * *
For our dinner get-together, I wore a silver and white dress with heels and pinned my hair up. I couldn’t believe it when Luke arrived in a limo to pick me up. I climbed inside, and he offered me a drink. His suit jacket lay on the seat next to me, and his impossibly buff, perfectly sculpted muscles were bulging beneath his shirt, so much so that I couldn’t help but stare.
“I thought I said we should keep it simple,” I said.
“Yes, you did mention that on the phone.”
I smiled. “Well, think your chauffer could find room to park this thing at a pizza place?”
He laughed.
“I’m entirely serious, Luke. No five-star restaurants or candlelight tables are required for two old friends to play catch-up, you know.”
“It’s not that. It just made me think of something. Remember when we used to go to that pizza shop and stuff down pepperoni slices while trying to work our way through those crazy algebra problems?”
I chuckled. “Yeah, I remember. That one time, we tried to use the pizza to figure out Mr. Jameson’s stupid fractions.”
“We had such great times,” he said.
“Yeah, I miss them. I’ve also missed not having my best friend all these years.”
“Me too. We definitely need to keep in touch.” He shot me a look. “Hey, isn’t Zack coming? We can pick him up if you just give my driver directions.”
“Um, no.”
“He’s more than welcome to join us.”
“That’s very kind of you, but it’s okay. I think it’s best if we just go ourselves.” I leaned back and looked over at him, trying to avoid being caught in the snare of his delicious blue eyes. “I saw you at the luncheon today. Your speech was very moving.”
“Huh? I had no idea you were there. Why didn’t you come over and say hello afterward?”
“I had to get back to work. I heard you were going to be speaking, so I thought I’d pop in. My studio is only a block away from there.”
“Well, I’m glad you stopped by.”
“Me too.”
“I read about you in
Forbes
too. Great pics!”
He smiled. “Thank you.”
“Tell me about this Coolapps thing. It sounds like a huge success.”
“Well, after Hong Kong, I decided to major in business. After college, I came up with this great idea, and my boss funded it, helped me land the patents and everything. Since my boss was Donald Trump, it sort of took off pretty easily. Money talks, and Mr. Trump’s got plenty of it.”
“Right.”
“And now, here I am, taking a limo to a pizza place.”
“I see. That’s wonderful. I’m so proud of you.”
“Tell me all about your job.”
I filled him on the way to the restaurant, and when we stopped at The Water Club, I looked at him and arched an eyebrow. “This doesn’t look like Pizza Hut to me,” I said. “This place is pricy. A moose bruise probably cost as much as my whole outfit in a place like this.”
He laughed. “Amuse-bouche,” he corrected.
“Whatever,” I said, blushing. “Sue me for not paying enough attention to
Top Chef
. I get too distracted by the food and the drama to pay attention to what they’re saying.”
He laughed again, casting that soul-melting grin at me, then explained, “I know you said you didn’t want anything fancy, but this might be our very last dinner before you’re a married woman. I really don’t think Billy Bob’s Pie Place is suitable. I want it to be memorable. I promise that there are no strings attached.”
“Even if I order appetizers and wine and cheesecake for dessert?” I teased.
“Order anything. A girl like you should have whatever she wants.”
Chapter 5
We sat down, and I took in the stunning view of the East River and glittering Long Island City beyond it. The dim lights that speckled the ceiling made for such a romantic ambiance, which made me a bit uneasy; it was supposed to be a casual, friendly rendezvous, and I wondered why Luke had chosen such a place.
The h
ors d'oeuvres
were very tasty and flavorful. I ordered chili shrimp, salad, and pasta with chicken and broccoli, and everything tasted heavenly. The shrimp was delicious, battered and slightly crunchy. It was a real treat for me, as I was used to living on a budget, and the pasta they served me at that restaurant was a far cry better than the dollar TV dinners I often ate at home. Between delicious bites, we talked about what had gone on during the years we were apart.
“Not everyone believed in my idea at first,” Luke said, “but I didn’t give up, even when they told me it was worthless.”
“You never were one to give up on your dreams,” I said, then popped a shrimp in my mouth so I wouldn’t let the wrong words slip out.
Other than when we were chewing or drinking, we talked and talked, and there was never a silent moment between us. By the time dinner was over, I felt we’d both found some closure. We had learned a lot about each other, about our lives apart, and we’d caught up on everything we could think of to talk about.
“I shouldn’t have left Missouri,” he said out of nowhere, his voice dripping with sudden regret and his mood turning somber.
“You had to go and live your dream,” I said. “I understand that.”
“Dream? It’s more like a nightmare, really, the biggest damn mistake of my life.”
“No, it wasn’t, Luke. Look what you’ve accomplished. You’re so successful, especially for someone so young.”
“What good is success if I can’t share it with you? Fortune and glory is meaningless if you lose the people you love while you’re chasing after it.”
“We’ll always remember the good times. Cherish those.”
“Forget the memories. What about the here and now? I’m all alone, and how am I supposed to stand idly by and watch you marry somebody that isn’t right for you?” he asked. “You’re making a huge mistake. I mean, the guy was sucking face with another dude right in front of you. I don’t mean to ruin your big day or anything, and I know I’ve probably got no right to even give you my two cents, since I was the idiot who left you behind, but… Well, your happiness means everything to me.”