Prosecco & Paparazzi (The Passport Series Book 1) (25 page)

“Work, work, and more work. I can’t believe how much work. My mother had damned well better give us all excellent bonuses, pay raises, extended vacations, and a thank-you gift. I’m exhausted, and it’s only day number four.” Happy to sit back and listen to Taylor whine, Hillary and I sipped our drinks. “Well, enough of that, what have you been doing all day, Hillary? Saving the world from starvation?” Taylor asked, not unkindly.

Hillary, who had been quietly listening and staring off into the night sky, turned her head and remarked, “Oh, nothing so noble today. Just a little shopping trip and travel planning.”

“Where are you going?” Taylor asked.

Sitting perfectly still, my breath caught in my throat, and my quickly-recovered peace evaporated in the evening air. Taylor cast a quick glance in my direction as she put two and two together. “Charlotte, I’m so sorry! I completely forgot. Would you like to talk about it?”

“I certainly think we should,” Hillary interjected. “I think you should be going to the tanning salon and buying a ticket to Saint-Tropez. Charlotte, this is all so ridiculous. Tiziana is terribly disappointed. You really must go.”

“First of all, in case you haven’t noticed, I’m so swamped with work I couldn’t imagine going, even without the other issue. Secondly, the other issue will be there, and I don’t wish to deal with
it
. So, no, I’m not going.”

Taylor looked anxiously at both of us, not sure what to say.

“Charlotte, Tiziana is getting married only once. It isn’t just a trip to the beach. This means the world to her. You know Tiziana better than all of us. How could you possibly put five hundred feet first? We’ll help you. It won’t be perfectly simple, but it won’t be the challenge you think. If you’d be willing,” Hillary added.

Changing the subject, I said, “So, it turns out that Liam is coming this weekend after all, and he’d like to bring his younger brother Michael with him. Are you available to go out on the town with us on Saturday night?”

“Oh, and Marcus will be here, too. He and I will stay at a hotel,” Taylor offered.

“We have plenty of room. No one needs to stay at a hotel. It might be snug around the breakfast table, but I’m all for it,” Hillary replied enthusiastically, letting the subject be changed.

The rest of the evening was pleasantly spent planning the weekend’s events. Eventually, Hillary announced she was off to bed. “I want to look my best!” she declared as she left us to ourselves.

“I’m sure not a single hair on her head has ever been out of place,” Taylor remarked when she was out of hearing range.

“Well, let’s see if Michael can muss it up,” I giggled, all thoughts of Saint-Tropez having drifted from my mind.

***

Friday morning found me sorting through a mountain of paper. Pressing the heels of my hands to my eyes, I contemplated for the thousandth time if taking this job had been the craziest thing I’d ever done. While making a mental pro and con list, the telephone began to ring—the European version:
ring, ring
, pause,
ring, ring
, pause. “Where the hell is what’s-her-name?” I muttered, trying to find the phone among the stacks of paper.

“Hello? Charlotte Young’s office,” I finally answered after five rings, rubbing my knee that had banged into the drawer.

“Charlotte, it’s me. Tiziana!”

Hearing her familiar voice brought a smile to my face. Relaxing back into my chair, I said, “Tiziana, how are you? Thanks so much for calling. I’m sorry! I’ve been so busy, I haven’t had a chance.”

“Well, you can make it up to me. We’re flying into London for the weekend. I’m dying to see you, so I told Ted that we must come. While I flatter myself that he’s indulging me, I think he’s desperate to get away from my mother.”

“Oh, Tiziana. Fabulous! You can meet Liam. He’s coming for the weekend. This is perfect. What a great weekend. We’re going to have a full house. Liam’s bringing his brother Michael, and Taylor’s boyfriend Marcus will be here as well.”

“Perhaps we can all meet at the Waldorf Hilton for cocktails? There’s a nice cocktail bar.”

“That sounds decadent and fabulous. Let me check in with Taylor and Hillary, and I’ll give you a call. Where are you staying?”

“Call me on my cell. Ted is having his house renovated before he puts it on the market. It’s in Chelsea. Not too far from Hillary’s, actually.” Moments later, we were buried in conversation regarding wedding plans. A voice on her end returned us to our current life, beckoning us back to reality.

After leaving messages for Hillary, Taylor, and Liam, there was no choice but to return to the mountain of work. At least I was a much happier person.

***

“Happy” was insufficient to describe my emotions when Liam walked across the airport terminal on Friday at 4:30. He dropped his bag at his feet and swept me up in his arms, giving me a spine-tingling kiss. “I’ll never get tired of kissing you,” I breathed into his mouth. “You’re gorgeous!”

“Ahem!” The sound came from not too far away. I spun around on my magenta stiletto heels to see an amazingly attractive man who looked quite a bit like Liam, wearing a grin.

“You must be Michael. I’m so happy to meet you… and embarrassed.” A rosy blush bloomed from my neck and reached the tips of my ears.

“I am. No need to be. You must be Tiziana. I’m happy to meet the lady who has captured my brother’s attention. Lovely to meet you,” Michael said while giving me a brief but warm hug.

Confusion must have swept across my face, because Liam jumped to the rescue. “Very funny, Michael! Charlotte knows not to believe a word you say. And what’s with the interruption? The number of times I’ve had to stand around whilst Michael here has dallied with the ladies is uncountable,” Liam bantered. He picked up the bag at his feet, and the three of us trooped out of the airport to a cabbie waiting patiently in line.

“Tiziana, huh?” I asked Liam quietly.

“You can’t expect me not to repeat your description of her! Especially when we’re about to meet her. She sounds like someone you have to be prepared for,” Liam teased.

“I expect so,” I said softly.

Once we were sitting inside the cab, Michael asked, “Are you sure Hillary has enough room? I really don’t mind holing up somewhere. I have a friend or two I can go to.”

“Hillary is delighted to have you come to stay. Actually, this is turning out to be quite the weekend. Did you get my message?” The last part was intended for Liam.

“I did. I told Michael about the Waldorf. We’ve each packed a clean shirt, and we’ll be on our best behavior, so we won’t shame you,” Liam replied, continuing to tease me.

“I’ve even brought some clean socks as well,” Michael added. The playful banter continued all the way to Chelsea.

Down the street from Hillary’s house, Michael pointed to a hoard of people on the sidewalk. “Look at that. I wonder what it’s all about.” We pressed our faces against the window while the cabbie slowly maneuvered around the crowd. “Jaysus, it’s Des Bannerman and Brynn Roberts coming out of that house!”

The cabbie suddenly took on the air of a tour guide, telling Michael, “Des Bannerman lives in Chelsea, though I’ve been told he owns seven or eight houses in the area.”

My brain couldn’t take it all in, and I felt the color drain from my face as the cabbie prattled on about Des and Brynn. Liam whispered something in my ear, but my brain was still busy absorbing that I was living a few doors down from the bane of my existence.

Somehow, we made it out of the cab and through introductions. I had shown Michael to a bedroom off the sitting room before giving in and collapsing onto the chair in the dining room, pressing my hands to my eyes and moaning.

“What’s wrong? What happened?” Hillary asked Liam in alarm. “You didn’t do anything, did you?”

“No. Absolutely not! Charlotte just found out that Des Bannerman lives in the same part of London as you,” Liam replied, defending himself.

“Oh, dear, Charlotte.” She immediately calmed down and then offered the British cure-all. “Would you like a cup of tea?”

“No! I’d like a glass of wine. Make it large and cold.” I rubbed my temples, dug my fingers into my hair, and let my eyes scurry around the room. I could sense Liam staring at me, wondering what he ought to say. Hillary quickly returned with a glass of Chardonnay for me and a beer for him. I gulped it down and then began to cross-examine Hillary while pacing the floor, hoping for answers before Michael appeared.

“Did you know that Des Bannerman lived in Chelsea? Of course you did, but why didn’t you tell me? Unbelievable!”

In a calm voice, Hillary commanded, “Charlotte, calm down! Yes, I did know that Des Bannerman lives in Chelsea. Chelsea is big enough for the two of you. I’ve lived here all my life and have only seen him a handful of times. Secondly, you can’t continue to run and hide like you’ve done something wrong. You’re always saying that you want to know what happened. Well, maybe now is your chance. If you meet him on the street, you can ask, even if you have to shout from five hundred feet away. I hear Michael coming. Liam, perhaps now would be a good time to take Charlotte upstairs so she can freshen up. I’ll look after Michael. Take your time.” She finished with a smile.

Upstairs in my room, we sat side by side on the bed, Liam’s eyes reflecting his concern. Taking my hands in his, he said, “Charlotte, Hillary’s right. You were bound to meet at some point. Isn’t it time to just let it go? Face the bastard, do something, but don’t let him ruin a beautiful weekend or another day of your life.”

Letting out a deep, cleansing breath, I said, “I’m fine, not great, but fine. I think it was mostly the surprise. How is it you go from never laying eyes on someone to their just popping up unexpectedly in your life?”

Liam gently pushed stray hairs back from my face, and then pulled me to him. After blowing out a ragged breath, he gently kissed my dewy eyes, and drew away, saying, “I don’t know what to say other than I believe that, when the moment arrives, you’ll handle it. Maybe not perfectly, but at least it will all be over.”

Pushing myself to my feet, I said, “I’m going to go wash my face, fix my makeup, and quit thinking about the fucker. You can unpack or go rescue Michael.” With resolve and my shoulders back, I left the bedroom to restore my makeup and inner calm.

Liam called, “That’s my girl.” That put a smile on my face.

Not too much later, we joined the party. “Great to see you,” Marcus said to Liam after finishing off a bite-sized something or other.

“I see you’ve met my little brother Michael,” Liam remarked, as he bent down to give Taylor a kiss hello.

In a quiet voice, Taylor said, “Well done! I would never have believed it possible, but I think Hillary is all atwitter!”

Stealing a quick glance over his shoulder, we saw Hillary dabbing imaginary food from her chin and Michael brushing his finger across Hillary’s jawline in friendly assistance. Hillary looked ready to swoon.

Liam chuckled and replied softly, “Just wait! She might even warm up to normal body temperature by the time the evening’s over.” We laughed at the possibilities, and when Hillary looked up to see the four of us gazing at her, she blushed.

“May miracles never cease,” I whispered.

***

The following morning, we ladies whined as the men pushed our professionally-clad bottoms out the door and into the waiting cab.

“Have a nice day!” Marcus and Liam called playfully, still unshaved and motley-looking.

By that evening, Taylor and I were worn out and in desperate need of being prompted to leave the house for a night on the town. The men didn’t look too much better; they seemed to have been dragged backwards through a hedge.

“
Phew
, go sit over there! Where have you been?” Taylor asked Marcus when he leaned over to give her a kiss.

“I’ve been doing manly men stuff! I’ve been thrashed to the ground, had my ear bitten, and been chased to the point of exhaustion,” he explained.

“Michael has a few friends who live in London, so we met up with them for a game of football,
er
, soccer.” Wrinkling my nose at his potent odor, I couldn’t resist the kiss Liam gave me after he explained.

Rubbing his unshaven cheek with my hand and looking into his beautiful green eyes, I felt more enthusiastic about the evening. It slid through my mind that, after a few more months, we could start thinking beyond a few days at a time, and that thought was exhilarating.

Hillary, prepared as always, walked into the sitting room with a tray holding a variety of beverages and bowls of snacks. Wearing the hand-painted dress she had worn to a charity event that afternoon, she was the image of sophistication and wealth. All eyes followed her as she circulated the room, ending up in front of Michael. “Would you like a glass of beer?”

Michael took it appreciatively and remarked, “Hillary, I don’t think I’ve ever had such a lovely serving wench in all my life.” I held my breath, Taylor gasped, and the men quietly chuckled. We all waited to see how she would respond.

“I’ll be right back with refills,” was all she said, as she left the room with a rosy hue to her skin and a smile on her face.

“Careful there, brother,” Liam warned playfully. “Too many more of those comments and you’ll have us all sleeping on the pavement. Being that we’re in Chelsea, I can’t see the neighbors putting up with that for very long.”

“She handled that rather well, didn’t she? Maybe you lot don’t know her as well as you think,” Michael responded, his voice indicating he was as surprised as the rest of us.

“Trust me, I know her well, very well,” I said loudly enough for everyone. “And I’ve never seen her let anyone get away with a comment like that.” For Liam’s ears only, I said, “I sure hope this doesn’t end ugly.”

Hillary returned with more liquid refreshment, and the group happily chattered away. Eventually, the late afternoon party gave way to the evening’s preparations.

“It’s a shame we aren’t at a hotel,” Liam complained when we returned to the room.

“Why’s that?” I asked, a little worried, surveying my wardrobe for a suitable dress for the Waldorf Hilton.