Chapter 19 #2
Surprised to see she was genuinely annoyed, Travis asked, “Why?”
She gave him a look that said he should know why and went into the club ahead of him.
Inside, they were hit right away with several last-minute issues, and Travis never had a chance to pursue it further.
Hours later, he stood at the side of the tent—in almost the same spot as when he first saw her—and watched Liana oversee the cutting of the cake.
Beck walked up to him. “Everything going all right?”
“Seems to be. Liana’s got it all under control. Is Dash behaving?”
“She’s been sleeping in the office all night.”
“She’s done in from her big adventure.”
“No doubt.”
“You talked to the photographer?”
Beck nodded. “I made it very clear we’d slap him with a lawsuit if any pictures of you or Liana end up in the press.”
“Thanks. How’s Jessie doing?”
“She’s great. Fabulous, in fact.”
Travis studied his friend, noted the smug, satisfied look on his face, and would bet big money that he’d recently gotten laid. “Anything you want to tell me?”
“I love her.”
Taken aback, Travis stared at him.
“Don’t act so surprised. Like you aren’t in the same boat.”
“Yeah, well. . .”
“Can’t deny it, can you?”
Travis knew it was pointless to even try. “No.”
They stood together in silence and watched Liana interact with the bride and groom.
“She’s got a real way with people,” Beck observed. “Look at her. She’s almost made them forget who she is.”
Pleased his friend was able to see beyond Liana’s glossy veneer, Travis nodded. “I offered her a job coordinating weddings for us.”
Beck raised an eyebrow in surprise. “Really?”
Travis shrugged but never took his eyes off Liana. “I thought she might enjoy it. She hasn’t come right out and said no, but she’s leaving next weekend to go back to her real life. That’s probably for the best.”
“Is that so?”
“It’s where she belongs.”
“Let me ask you this: When you offered her the job did you tell her you love her?”
Travis winced. “Didn’t mention that.”
“Why not?”
A knot of tension settled in Travis’s chest as he watched Liana share a laugh with the bride. “I figured I’d start with the job, and if I was able to convince her to stay we’d figure out the rest later.”
“And of course you know that was ass backward.”
“Um, no, not until you graciously pointed it out to me,” Travis said, dripping with sarcasm. “Thanks for that. Did you tell Jessie yet?”
“Yep. Last night. When you know you’re looking at ‘the one,’ it’s not hard at all to say the words.”
Travis glanced over at Liana again. “Yeah. I guess.”
“Tell her, Trav.”
He shrugged. “I don’t want to make her feel obligated to me. Whatever she decides, she has to do it on her own.”
“She can’t decide anything if she doesn’t know how you feel.”
Travis had to concede that Beck had a point. “I’ll think about it. What are you going to do about Jessie?”
“I haven’t the foggiest idea.”
Travis laughed. “Let me know when you figure it out, will ya?”
“You’ll be the second to know.”
Travis navigated his way through the tent to where Liana consulted with the wait staff captain, took the headset off her, tossed it to the surprised waiter, and reached for her hand.
Liana, who had stopped talking in mid-sentence, tugged at the grip he had on her hand. “What are you doing? I was working.”
“You’re done,” Travis said as he took her into his arms on the dance floor.
“Says who?”
“The boss.”
“Oh, you’re being so insufferable!”
He kissed her cheek. “You did a wonderful job, sweetheart. The whole thing was smooth as silk.” He was aware of the exact instant her head of steam dissipated.
She turned her eyes up to meet his. “Really?”
Touched once again by her vulnerability, he said, “Really.” He pulled her tight against him and swayed to the music.
“Travis.”
“What?” he asked against her ear, sending a tremble through her.
“Thank you for letting me do this, for showing me there are other things I can do.”
“I should be thanking you. You really bailed me out this week.”
“It was fun. This whole week has been the most fun I’ve had in far too long.”
“For me, too. I’ve been all work and no play for years. Speaking of play, what do you say we get out of here for a couple of days this week?”
“And go where?”
“New Hampshire. Beck has a place on Squam Lake. We can sneak away, leave the paparazzi behind, and hide out for a couple of days. What do you think?”
“I’d love that, but I promised my mother I’d spend some time with her tomorrow.”
“That’s fine. We can leave Monday morning. How about we take her and David out on the boat tomorrow?”
“I’ll ask her. She adores you, so I’m sure she’d love to spend the day with you.”
“Adores me, huh?” Travis said with a smug grin.
“You’re being insufferable again.”
“And what does her daughter think of me?” Travis asked, gazing down at her as he held his breath in anticipation of her reply.
Liana reached up to caress his face. “Her daughter thinks you’re a very special man.” With a smile, she added, “A sensitive, romantic, special man.”
It wasn’t what he wanted, but it was a start.