Drive and Determination (32 page)

*~*~*

            When at last they parted, Elyssa looked at him slyly. “So why didn’t you think you could tell me about the house belonging to you?”
            “Elyssa, you must believe that I intended to tell you after the picnic. I didn’t tell you sooner because I wanted our first real date, from beginning to end, to be special. I didn’t want to do or say anything that would upset you.”
            Elyssa fingered the collar of his shirt. “That’s sweet,” she said, her eyes shining in recollection of their evening together. “It
was
very special.”
            Will reached up and took her hand, bringing it to his lips to kiss the back of it. “I had no idea I would be leaving for Guatemala the very next day or that my aunt would show up here, abusing you with her behavior and shocking you with the news about the house.”
            Suddenly Elyssa thought about everyone else who had been concerned about him. “Have you called anyone else to let them know you’re all right?”
            “We didn’t get back to Guatemala City until about one o’clock in the morning. I called the pilot who was staying in a hotel there and had him meet me at the airport. I figured there was no sense calling anyone here and waking them up. The only call I made was to Gina and to the offices here where I left a message. They’ll have received it by now. Other than that, I slept the whole way home on the jet, just cleaning myself up a little so you wouldn’t think some barbarian had come to see you.”
            Elyssa pulled back some and inspected his face with a smile. “I think I rather like the rugged mountain man look.”
            Will raised his eyes and rubbed his chin. “I’ll have to remember that, but it is somewhat itchy.”
            Elyssa leaned her head in against his chest. “I’m really glad you’re home.”
            “I am too. I really missed you and hated what I had done to you. I hated that my aunt abused you to your face.”
            “I don’t blame you for your aunt’s actions, but what about your cousin, Anne?”
            Will let out a huff. “What did she say about Anne?”
            “That
she
was supposed to design the house.”
            After a long, drawn out groan, Will said, “If she had designed this house, I would have refused to step foot in it. She’s one of those peculiar people that have bizarre ideas and uses wild colors and… well, nothing I would want in my house.”
            Elyssa laughed.
            “Now,” Will looked at her seriously, “about the
other
thing we need to talk about.”
            Elyssa looked at him curiously. “What other thing?”
            Will walked over to the bookcase. “I don’t remember approving the purchase of this…” he then waved his hand around the room. “Or any of these.”
            Elyssa propped her arms against her waist and gave him a stern look. “And you won’t, either.”
            “Now, Elyssa, you know everything you bought was first to have been approved by me.”
            “No, it was to be approved by Richard Fitzpatrick, but as it is, I bought these without any approval.”
            “I don’t know if I can accept that,” he said with a teasing glint in his eyes.
            Elyssa narrowed her eyes at him. “You can’t tell me that you actually saw everything I submitted and gave it your approval?”
            “Well, no, not everything, but this is a pretty major purchase and we haven’t yet talked about whether you’ll even do any more rooms in the house.”
            “First of all, I didn’t submit this purchase because I bought it with my own money!”
            “You didn’t! Elyssa, do you know how expensive this was?”
            “Yes,” she said mockingly. “I bought it, didn’t I?”
            Will took a step forward. “With your
own
money?”
            “Well, consider it bought with money you paid me to stay here.”
            Will took in a sharp breath. “Elyssa, I wasn’t paying you to stay here.”
            “No?”
            “Well, no, not really! You didn’t think that, did you?”
            “I’ve had a couple days to think of a lot of different things, Will. At first, maybe I did.”
            “I was paying you to design my house with the hope…” He paused and ran his hands across his bearded face.
            “Yes?”
            “With the hope that it would someday be
our
house.”
            Elyssa’s eyes widened. “Will, is this a… you’re not asking me…”
            Will shook his head. “No, not exactly, but don’t think I haven’t been thinking about it for a long time. Consider it more of me stating my intentions.”
            A teasing smile displayed a reclusive dimple on his cheek. “I
would
propose right now, however, if I knew it would mean we would never have another misunderstanding that couldn’t be resolved immediately.”
            Will reached out with one hand and ran his fingers through Elyssa’s hair, coming to rest on her shoulder.  “Look, Elyssa, I know that we’ve only had one evening together that was, well, without any turmoil. I think, for your sake, I’d like us to try and have a few more of those before I ask you to commit to marriage with someone like me.”
            “Someone like you?” Elyssa laughed. “Whatever do you mean?
I’m
the one who spoke so horridly to you, accusing you of things I had no right to.”
            “What did you say to me that I didn’t deserve? Much of what you said to me
was
true in one way or another.”
            Despite Will’s reassurances, Elyssa felt anew all the shame of the words she had lashed out at him and cast her eyes down. “I just can’t believe you were willing to give me another try after all I did and said in Guatemala. I was heartless!”
            Will placed two of his fingers under Elyssa’s chin and lifted it up so she was looking up at him. “But it was also in Guatemala that I learned what it was to really want something and have to work hard to get it. I became more determined than ever to take the words to the song you sang there to heart.”
            “The words…?”
            “I was determined that no matter how long it was going to take -- even if it took forever -- I would wait for you.”
            Suddenly everything was clear to Elyssa; how Will had come to Guatemala because he wanted to be with her and see her again; why he refused to be discouraged or disturbed by her rude behavior; and why he had arranged for the two of them to see
Umbrellas of Cherbourg
.
            She had no idea when they were in the ruins of the convent and she was singing, that Will was actually experiencing what the words to the song said.
            With his fingers still lightly under her chin, she brought her hands around his neck, this time pulling him down toward her as she rose up on her toes. Just before his lips touched hers, she whispered, “I believe your wait is over.”

Chapter 31

            Will and Elyssa did not seem inclined to end the kiss too quickly. But they soon parted and Elyssa rested her head against his chest, her arms wrapping around to circle his waist. Will responded in kind by draping his arms across her shoulders and locking his hands behind her.
            They held tightly onto one another, each in an overwhelming state of disbelief that they were in such an ardent embrace. For Will, he could barely comprehend that both he and Elyssa had declared their feelings of love for the other. A surge of relief swept through Elyssa knowing that Will had returned unharmed and she had been able to acknowledge her feelings to him.
            Finally Will pulled himself away and raised his eyebrows as he asked, “Do you think we both have an accurate understanding of all that has transpired between us now? Have we talked about everything we need to discuss?”
            Elyssa lifted her eyes to look at him and slowly shook her head. “Not quite.”
            Will stepped back. “What?”
            Elyssa lifted her hand and motioned with her finger for him to follow her. They came into the living room and Elyssa turned around. “Would you care to tell me about this painting -- Pemberleigh, I believe, is the name of the culprit.”
            “Culprit?”
            Elyssa nodded. “Yes, it is the culprit, you know. It’s all because of this painting that I realized you owned the house. When your aunt was… well,
critiquing
my design work, she mentioned that the painting of Pemberleigh Manor was too high -- or too low -- I don’t remember.”
            “And the names Pemberleo and Pemberleigh were just too close to be a coincidence and you became suspicious.”
            “I asked your aunt if Pemberleigh had anything to do with Pemberleo Coffee. Your aunt told me…” Elyssa then told him in a high pitched, harsh voice that mimicked his aunt, “…anybody who is
anybody
knows they both belong to the Denton family.”
            Will rolled his eyes and shook his head. Elyssa did an exaggerated imitation of his aunt too well. It sounded exactly like her and was precisely what he expected her to say.
            Elyssa turned back to look at the painting and asked seriously. “Don’t tell me you own an estate in England, too.”
            Will let out a long breath and came up to stand behind, looking up at the painting. “Well, I’m afraid it does belong to the Denton family.”
            He placed his hands on Elyssa’s shoulders and leaned over to speak softly in her ear. “But it’s owned by a gentleman who is something like a third cousin twice removed.”
            Elyssa turned around slowly. “Oh, you don’t own it, then?”
            Will shook his head, “No. You’re disappointed?”
            “Well, you know my emphasis in interior design was historical decor from the nineteenth century. I studied both English and American.”
            “We’ll have to see what we can do about that. Actually, in the 1800s, my great-great-great-grandfather was the second son born in the Denton family. His older brother was the one who would inherit the estate. He had a fairly good monetary inheritance, had a flair for business, and the taste for adventure. He decided to take his inheritance, come to America, and invest in something, although he really didn’t know what that would be.”
            “How did he end up getting into coffee?”
            “He met a man on the ship who had traveled down to Guatemala and gone into some of the small villages that lie on the hillsides of dormant volcanoes and had found the coffee beans to be dark and rich. With this man’s help and encouragement, he decided then and there that’s where he wanted to invest his money.”
            “And he started a company, naming it Pemberleo after his home in England.”
            Will nodded. “He didn’t think Pemberleigh had the right sound for a company importing coffee beans from Latin America, so he changed it to Pemberleo.”
            “And the painting?”
            “After he had been here several years, he commissioned someone to paint Pemberleigh and had it shipped over here. I think he missed his home.”
            “Did he ever go back?”
            “Only once, I believe.”
            “Have you ever been there?”
            “My father took Gina and me over there about ten years ago. Unfortunately, it’s been pretty modernized and has little left of any historical significance.”
            “That’s too bad.”
            Will nodded. “Now, can I ask
you
something?”
            Elyssa turned around to face him.
            “Of course.”
            “You haven’t fallen in love with me because of the house, have you? I mean, you didn’t tell me you loved me until after you knew I owned it!” A smile betrayed his teasing manner.
            Elyssa thought for a moment that this type of banter was highly uncharacteristic of Will, but decided she could play the game, too. “You know that can be the
only
reason. On more than one occasion I laid out your faults to you, but if I had known about
this
,”  she said with a sweep of her arm, “I would have been putty in your hands.”
            “Mmmm,” he said, as he pulled her close again. “Perhaps I should have told you sooner.”
            Later, after much insistence from Elyssa, Will began calling people to tell them he was all right and was with her. The concern of his close family and friends over losing contact with him was suddenly overcome by their curiosity about how Elyssa had responded to the news about the house.
            He assured everyone that they had worked everything out.
*~*~*
            The news traveled quickly about Will and this young lady, and for once, Will didn’t care about his firm ‘no gossip’ policy within the company. He would be more than willing to pose for any pictures with Elyssa if it would remove him from the
Most Eligible Bachelors
list. Even though he wasn’t actually married or even engaged, he knew he would no longer be of interest to the media.
            He consulted with Elyssa about this first. He told her that if she could endure a few magazine photo shoots, after that the story would be gone. It actually turned out quite beneficial for Elyssa. When the photographers came to the house, most were more interested in the interior design and the work Elyssa had done.
            Once Elyssa started gaining some recognition of her talent, Will’s aunt seemed to do a complete turnaround and began praising her work. On the one occasion when Elyssa saw her before she returned to Kent, Catherine subtly hinted that perhaps she and Anne could form a partnership. Will adamantly and not so subtly advised Elyssa not to agree to any such thing.
            She couldn’t accept any further jobs until she finished designing Will’s house, but Elyssa and Emily did work out an agreement for any job offers to go through her agency and Emily could weed them out, promising to get back to the ones that she deemed profitable once Elyssa was available.
            Elyssa came to appreciate more and more the benefit of Will bringing her out to Chicago. Will soon took up residence in his house, bringing over a few things of his own until Elyssa completed designing and furnishing it. She was able to see what his demands at work were truly like and was pleasantly surprised that he often joined her at the end of the day either at his home or at her aunt and uncle’s.
            For the first month, Saturdays were spent together with the Garners and their children, playing games with them in the evening after a light supper. It was Fridays that Will reserved for Elyssa alone, and it was then that he lavished her with visits to the finest restaurants, theaters, and a myriad of cultural events that the city of Chicago had to offer.
            They usually ate out first, giving them ample time to converse before going on to some other form of entertainment. He seemed to relish finding out all there was to know about her. He discovered she loved to read anything she could get her hands on; she enjoyed walking and bike riding; had never been on a horse; she loved Ferris wheels and steel roller coasters, but hated wooden ones, and she had just recently added bumper cars to her list of favorite amusement park rides. She loved watching baseball but was never good at playing it; loved going to the beach; was closer to her aunt than her mother; she had been closer to Janet than her younger sister; and she had loved to sing from the time she was three.
            When Elyssa turned the tables on Will, she discovered that he loved to read in his leisure time; liked to walk and ride horses, but hadn’t been on a bike in quite some time; he loved all kinds of roller coasters and, like Elyssa, also had a fondness for bumper cars; he loved watching
and
playing baseball; he loved the beaches and mountains; he was close to his sister and his cousin; and he couldn’t carry a tune if he tried.
            Elyssa saw in him a man who wasn’t pretentious about who he was and was very kind and considerate. She had heard enough from those who knew him well that he was truly a good man. She knew that from the way he treated her little cousins and the children back at the pre-school in Guatemala, that he would be a great father someday. Having completely changed in her opinion of him, she now looked forward with great anticipation to the day he would propose.
            It was with that in mind that she readied herself for a Friday evening out with him about a month later. He had told her they would be going to a gala fund-raising event at the Navy Pier Grand Ballroom. It was a formal affair that would include a banquet, art show and silent auction, and symphony orchestra with guest musicians. She wondered whether this would be the evening when he asked for her hand.
            She and her aunt went out to buy a dress, as Elyssa hadn’t brought anything along with her that would be suitable for such a fashionable event. She found a dark burgundy floor-length dress with a halter top that accentuated her figure nicely. She bought a pair of heels to wear, but borrowed an evening purse, some jewelry, and an evening stole from her aunt, which completed the ensemble.
            When Will arrived that evening, he was wearing a tuxedo and Elyssa could barely catch her breath when she saw him step inside the door. He brought her a dozen deep red roses, which Elyssa noticed matched the color of her gown perfectly. She handed them to Maddy who promptly put them in a large vase. They talked with the Garners a bit before Will and Elyssa walked out the door.
            As they drove into Chicago, Elyssa couldn’t keep from wondering whether he would propose tonight. Nervously, she kept rubbing her left hand, specifically around her ring finger, and then would force herself to stop. They were going to be at a table with eight others, mostly from Pemberleo. She would know Emily, Mrs. Reed, and his cousin, Richard. It certainly wouldn’t be an intimate affair, but she still felt that this might be the night.
            She had to repeatedly tell herself to relax; and at one point, turned to look at Will. He certainly looked handsome. But then she thought of all the different ways she had seen him and a soft chuckle escaped as a thought crossed her mind.
            “What was that all about?” Will asked, as he glanced over.
            “Oh, nothing,” Elyssa answered, turning her head to look out her side of the window.
            “No, you definitely chuckled. I want to know why.”
            Elyssa turned back toward him, clasping her hands together and very decisively dropping them into her lap. “All right, if you insist.” Elyssa tilted her head.
            “I am having a bit of a struggle deciding something about you.”
            “Oh, dear. This sounds serious.”
            “Oh yes, it is!” Elyssa said gravely. “You see, I have seen you in a nicely tailored designer suit -- which I promptly made you change out of before going to the pre-school, in case you forgot…”
            “I haven’t forgotten.”
            “Then there were the jeans and T-shirt, but soon after they became a
drenched
pair of jeans and T-shirt when you rescued my sandal.”
            Will tilted his head as Elyssa gave this curious account of his wardrobe.
            “Then there was the day you showed up at the house returning from Guatemala looking in a way that could only be deemed
scruffy.
            “Scruffy?”
            “Oh, yes. Definitely scruffy.” Elyssa let out a long sigh. “But you promptly shaved and cleaned up, and now you’re in a tuxedo, although I did see you in a tuxedo at Chad and Janet’s wedding, but that doesn’t count, because, well, you know how I felt about you back then.”
            Will shook his head. “No, of course that doesn’t count.” He quickly turned his eyes to Elyssa, who seemed to be a little more animated than normal. “Doesn’t count for what?”
            “I can’t decide how I like you best. You have so many different looks and quite frankly, I think I like them all.”
            She saw him squirm; followed by a little self-conscious grimace he made that told her he was far from being vain about his looks. She had come to the conclusion that he felt they were a detriment rather than a benefit to him.
            He was quiet for a minute as he absorbed her words. Without any warning, he said, “Scruffy, huh? You included scruffy in that list?”
            “I told you I liked it when you came by that day.”
            “No, I believe your exact words were ‘rugged, mountain man look.’ There is a big difference.”
            Elyssa crossed her arms in front of her and shook her head authoritatively. “I’m sorry, Will. You’ll just have to face it. I like you scruffy and expect to see you -- on occasion -- sporting a couple days’ growth now and then, combined with a T-shirt and jeans. You might even want to surprise everyone down at the office some day. Do you have a ‘jeans’ day? Every office needs one. Helps keep everyone relaxed.”
            Elyssa turned to Will and was met with his gaze. “That’s something I won’t promise to do, but I will consider it.” He smiled as he thought that she seemed more nervous than usual, that perhaps she was nervous about going to a rather large gala affair. Perhaps she had never attended anything like this. Or perhaps she suspected something else.
            They came into town and Will easily maneuvered the streets that took them to the edge of Lake Michigan. As Elyssa gazed out the window in awe at the sights around them, Will pulled into a parking garage. He followed the arrows for valet parking and soon he stopped the car and there were two uniformed gentlemen eager to help them both out.