Authors: Meredith Greene
“Good morning,” she said, smiling at everyone. Daniels gave a low whistle.
“Aw, don't you look nice, Miss Gregory,” he said, smiling. Michelle blushed and bit her lip.
“William bought me clothes,” she said, folding her arms in front of her.
Laurel giggled.
“I can see that,” she said. “Definitely man-picked clothes. He did a good job, though; you look very fashionable. Really nice.”
“Yeah,” Daniels assented, nodding. Laurel cuffed him on the shoulder and stood by Michelle, her clipboard at the ready.
“OK, we have three appointments today,” she said, flipping pages. “And I have some questions to ask you about your relatives. Do you want to do a meet-and-greet before the wedding?” Michelle thought for a moment.
“It probably would be wise,” she conceded. “We'd be a bit more familiar then for the ceremony. Perhaps, the evening before?” Laurel nodded writing something on her notepaper.
“We should probably have the groom’s relatives there too,” she said. “I’ll talk with Mr. Chan to see if there’s a more cozy reception room at the hotel to use for that.”
“I’d like to do something with Margaret, my future mother-in-law. She’s been wonderfully supportive and accepting about all this.” Laurel smiled.
“How about a spa appointment for you guys?” she suggested. “The morning of the wedding? Pedicure, manicure, hair, facial... that kind of thing. It will calm you down; you’ll be jittery.” Michelle smiled at this frank statement.
“I’m jittery already,” she admitted. “That’s sounds good, but only if you’ll join us.” Laurel giggled as she wrote.
“OK, not going to argue on that one,” she said. “I’d love a good manicure. I’ve hired an usher service to seat everyone properly; you need to choose the music you want to play during the ceremony and the reception.”
“I have a list made out already,” Michelle told her. “It’s in my room at the Waldorf.” Laurel beamed.
“I’m officially your biggest fan,” she said. Oscar folded his paper and stood up from the couch.
“As interesting as this conversation is, I have to go to work,” he said, tossing the paper down. Michelle smiled at him.
“Would you like me to bring your overcoat sir?” she inquired. Her uncle gave Michelle a look; his mouth twitched, slightly.
“No,” he said, trying not to smile. “I’ll get it myself, sheesh... I’d better get going.” He tramped off to the entry closet and made a great show of taking out his thick overcoat and putting it on. “Oh,” he said, looking over at Michelle. “I got these for you and your man. For tonight.” He held up a pair of tickets.
Walking over, Michelle felt both curious and apprehensive; her uncle seemed at times to have odd taste. Perhaps they were tickets to go see that watermelon-smashing comedian. Oscar grinned at Michelle’s uncertain expression; he gave her the tickets.
“International Contemporary Furniture Expo,” she read aloud. She looked up at her uncle and smiled.
“You mentioned he built furniture, so...” Oscar began, but stopped talking when his niece embraced him.
“Thank you!” Michelle said, quickly stepping back from him. She wanted to hop up and down like a little kid, but did not. “What a great idea! He’ll love it.” Oscar chuckled at her enthusiasm.
“I’d better get going or I’ll miss the Subway,” he said; a smile stayed in his eyes. His niece looked genuinely happy to let her man drag her around a convention hall full off weirdly shaped stuff. Shaking his head, Oscar collected his briefcase and keys.
“We’d better get going as well,” Laurel said. “Traffic is going to be awful.”
“When’s it ever not?” Drake asked, speaking for the first time. Michelle smiled as she put on her coat. She could hardly wait to see William and show him the tickets. A furniture expo didn’t sound like too fancy an occasion; it was a chance for her to learn about another side of William.
In the car, a large package wrapped in brown paper and twine greeted Michelle’s eye. Putting it on her lap as she sat down, she looked accusingly at Laurel. The blond young woman smiled in a secretive manner.
“Mr. Torville sent them over,” she said. “They’re copies of the pictures he took of you the other day.” Michelle looked at them and wondered if she should open them.
“I’d like to let William open them,” she said. Laurel smiled.
“I thought so,” she said. “That’s why I wrapped them.” Michelle looked at her sideways.
“Are they nice?” she asked, biting her lip. Laurel nodded.
“Very nice,” she said. “The guy sure knows what he’s doing.”
Looking at her lap, Michelle sighed a little. So much of her life was touched by meeting William; so many good things had poured into existence she knew, because of him.
“Have I made his life as good as he’s made mine?”
she wondered, looking out her window.
WILLIAM ENTERED his office earlier than usual. He spent some time at his desk, making a few international calls on his cell phone. The previous night he’d been obliged to assure his mother several times that Michelle was indeed unharmed by ‘the fire’ and the wedding was going to progress without a hitch. Their conversation reminded him to confirm the honeymoon plans. Pacing around his desk, he waited patiently on the line for the manager of a certain estate to come to the phone.
“Hello? Yes. William Montgomery here. I spoke with you a few days ago. Yes. Good. I would like to confirm the reservation. Excellent. Regarding the tower room, I want to make a special request...”
Mabel came in the office a few minutes later. She found William by the window, looking over the street below.
“I hear congratulations are in order,” she said, smiling. “Who’s the lucky girl?” William smiled at her before turning back to the window.
“Mr. Maclane’s niece,” he said. Mabel stopped and looked at William, her mouth agape.
“You’re kidding,” she said.
“No, I am not,” William said, still smiling. “Though, I just found out that rather small fact yesterday.”
Mabel thought this information over.
“I take it he’s OK with it,” she said, plaintively. William nodded.
“Apparently,” he said. “Have those seven new clients been Fedex’d their contracts?” William’s secretary took the change in subject without a blink.
“Yes,” she replied. “We expect the signatures by first thing Monday morning. The whole department is talking about your trip to Brazil.” William chuckled.
“Not a bad trip,” he said. “Bob was an excellent aide. If you would be so kind, please brief me on today’s itinerary.”
As his hard-working secretary rattled off names and numbers, William found his mind wandering; he kept seeing Michelle in his mind... sometimes in pale pink, sometimes in dark blue, her mysterious eyes looking at him as she did last night at dinner, smiling with those sweet lips. Clearing his throat, William made an effort to concentrate on work.
“Just nine more days,”
he thought.
A FEW minutes to noon, Michelle sat forward excitedly in the car. They were very close to William’s work; she wanted to take him to lunch. The plan was to meet with the others at Luca’s café, as a surprise. Laurel was not adverse to the idea; at the moment the young woman seemed quieter than normal and her face looked a little pink. Drake drove the car up to the curb; Michelle hopped out, closed the door and waved goodbye to Laurel. Dodging through the sidewalk crowd, she walked into the busy building lobby.
Riding the elevator, Michelle’s smile grew brighter with each passing floor.
“How silly!”
she thought.
“I saw him just last night.”
The doors opened; Michele stepped out, spying the familiar Felix-Maclane logo behind the reception desk. The lobby was considerably smaller than the one at the main office building but the color scheme and comfortable feel was the same; waiting people wearing suits filled nearly every chair. Michelle gave her name to the receptionist; the lady called Mabel, saying Mr. Montgomery’s fiancée was here to see him. Mabel informed the girl to let Michelle back to offices.
Using the receptionist’s directions, Michelle walked demurely down the corridors; she felt a bit awkward in the shorter skirt, not to mention the glances it invoked from complete strangers. As she passed a janitor pushing cleaning cart, he tipped his cap and smiled at her; Michelle pretended to cough in her hand and kept looking for her man. She held the picture package and tickets behind her back. William stood by a coffee alcove with Bob, re-enforcing himself with caffeine. Bob was in the middle of telling William a joke about cheap coffee when the older man’s expression changed and he stopped talking.
William turned, taking a drink of his coffee. He choked; Bob whacked him on the back. Michelle was standing there, smiling at him in her lovely way, her eyes all alight with the thrill of surprising him. She looked amazing; almost too amazing. William wanted to dash into his office, get his overcoat and throw it over his fiancée before she attracted all the bees in the hive.
“I’ve no one to blame but myself,” he thought, coughing a little. “I picked the bloody clothes out.”
“Are you alright?” Michelle asked, stepping forward. William smiled at her.
“I’m fine, love,” he said; he leaned forward and kissed her cheek possessively. He took the opportunity to shoot a few threatening glares at the others standing down the hall.
Straightening up, William looked down into Michelle eyes. “Don’t you look nice...” he said. Michelle’s face took on a slightly pink hue.
“Thank you,” said she. “I was hoping you could join me for lunch.”
“I’ll have to check my schedule,” William teased, touching Michelle’s earlobe. Bob cleared his throat.
“I sure hope this is your fiancée, William,” he said, grinning. The younger man shot him a look.
“Yes. Michelle it is my pleasure to introduce you to Mr. Bob Marshals; the same who accompanied me to Brazil. Bob this is Miss Michelle Gregory.” Michelle smiled a little at William’s formal manner of speaking, but gave a small curtsy.
“I am honored to meet you, sir,” she said. Bob smiled at her.
“The honor’s all mine, Miss Gregory,” he returned. “I can see William here caught himself a beautiful bride. Smiling back at the man, Michelle took William’s arm.
“Let’s stop by my office and get my coat before we head out,” William suggested.
“It was nice to meet you Mr. Marshals,” Michelle said to Bob as they walked away. The man lifted his coffee cup in a small office salute.
Michelle met Mabel; the normally serious secretary gave William’s fiancée one of her rare smiles.
“It has to be a gift.” William thought. “Michelle just has that effect on people.” He opened the door to his office, ushering his fiancée in.
“This is my dungeon,” he said; his dark tone made Michelle laugh. She loved the neatness of the office and the arched, floor-length windows. The desk however drew her; Michelle walked over to it and touched the shiny top lightly with her fingertips.
“Beautiful,” she said, smiling at the glowing, warm wood. “Another William original, I bet.”
William leaned against his closed office door, looking at Michelle. It occurred to William to check and see if his office door locked; he shook his head.
“I can’t get away from these thoughts,” he silently remanded himself, rubbing his neck. “Nine days. Nine measly days... she’s definitely bringing that skirt on the honeymoon...”
“Yes,” he made himself answer. “I’m impressed you can tell; first my table now this.”
Michelle smiled at him.
“It looks loved,” she said. She placed the package she’d been carrying on his desk, and turned it a little, looking at him. William lifted an eyebrow at her.
“What’s this?” he asked, a slight smile hovering over his mouth. Michelle smiled again, biting her lip a little.
“The trick with wrapped packages is that you’re supposed to open them to find out what’s inside,” she told her fiancé; her eyes grew bright with fun. William gave her a sideways look and walked over to his desk. The wrapping paper met a quick end. Inside three framed photographs sat, each the size of a piece of copy-paper; they were encased in some type of clear Plexiglas frame with a metal stand in back. William sucked in a slow breath and smiled. They were beautifully taken pictures of Michelle; she looked at repose in her pale pink dress, her face lit by some ethereal light. One picture showed her blushing and looking down; another looking away, biting her lip in her adorable way and the last smiling at the camera in a way William knew very well. They were only photographs, but he was moved.
“He had me talk about you while taking them,” Michelle said, hovering by his side. “He’s the one who’s agreed to take pictures at our wedding. Laurel found him; a Mr. Torville.”
“He’s bloody brilliant,” William said. “They’re perfect.” He looked at Michelle and embraced her, though briefly. William was not going to tempt himself too much. “I wanted pictures of you to hang at my house. I was just thinking about it the other night.” Michelle glowed at this revelation; she’d guessed right to let William have them. Though she disliked pictures of herself, even she had to admit these were very good.
“I’m glad you like them,” she said, smiling.
“I do,” William said, contemplating them at arm’s length. “I’ll keep one here and put the rest in my den. I’ll have to design a special shelf to hold them.” He was mentally already in his tool shop, fitting slender pieces of wood together.
“Oh, speaking of furniture...” Michelle said, fishing the tickets out of her pocket. “My uncle got these for us, for tonight, if you like.” She watched William as he read the tickets. His smile lit up the room. “My uncle is a genius,” she thought, smiling.
“Contemporary furniture expo... this is marvelous!” he said, looking at Michelle fondly. “I had no idea this was going on… remind me to send your uncle a really good watermelon. We should get going to lunch, if we’re going to be able to eat.”
Michelle smiled at him.
“So... this expo is something you’d actually like to attend?” she asked, following her man out of his office.