Chapter Seventeen
MICHAEL
I sat down next to her, as would be expected of an engaged couple.
Luckily for her, Apollo seemed quite comfortable, jumping on the couch between my mother and her grandmother.
The two of them, along with Sebastian and Bonnie, were excitedly chatting, and I discovered that they were talking about us when my mother said,
“Michael, why didn't you tell me that your girlfriend was this precious girl?
She's still so young, and she already has a master's degree and plans to get a doctorate soon, that might encourage you to go back to school, right?” She looked at Jenna again.
“My late husband was from a family of architects for at least three generations, it makes me so sad that Michael didn't finish his degree...”
That’s just what I needed. Even when I managed to get a fake fiancée, she still ended up being used as a benchmark for my education by my mother.
“Logan isn't an Architect either,” I retorted, as if that could ease my burden.
“He at least finished the college he chose,” she replied. “And with honors. He is a highly regarded doctor. He has always been the most studious and dedicated of my three boys, although Sebastian has always been a hard-working boy.”
At least, apparently, that had served to make my mother completely forget about the part about Camila Collins being my employee and focus on her attributes. In addition to her education, she also commented, more than once, on how beautiful my fiancée was.
And she was right after all.
Meanwhile, Collins kept herself very busy, with her eyes fixed on Apollo, sitting on the other couch.
That was ridiculous. My dog should be the one afraid of her, not the other way around.
My phone vibrated with a notification, and I unlocked the screen, seeing a series of messages sent by my middle brother.
LOGAN:
Sorry, brother.
Emergency surgery came up.
I'm going in for surgery now and won't be able to make it to your dinner.
Let's arrange another one so I can meet your fiancée.
And to really understand how the biggest bachelor in the family ended up changing so suddenly.
And tell me the news about the situation with Alice.
Hugs to everyone there.
Nothing about those words surprised me. Logan was a workaholic, but I could bet he was excited about the emergency surgery so he wouldn’t have to go to dinner. He had always been the most reclusive and antisocial guy I had ever met.
“Logan isn't coming,” I declared.
My mother groaned. Sebastian rolled his eyes, and I knew he was thinking the same thing I was: that this was nothing new. It would be amazing if Logan actually came, even though he had assured me he would.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, though it was only about ten minutes, another of my staff arrived, informing us that dinner would be served. We all stood up, and she led the way to the dining room.
Camila took advantage of the fact that Apollo remained seated and hurried to go ahead, linking her arm with her grandmother's, as if her intention was to accompany her and not just run away like crazy from the tamest dog on the face of the earth.
My mother did the same with me and let the others go ahead, then she said to me, in a low voice:
“Honey, I'm really surprised. Positively surprised. When you came up with this engagement story, I imagined a thousand different types, but nothing even close to the gem you brought home. How did you get such a qualified girl?”
Was it an engagement or a job opening after all?
“I had access to her resume,” I joked. Although it wasn’t entirely a lie.
“And she's so pretty! I didn't think I'd say this, but... I'm happy you chose her.”
“Thank you, mom.”
“Maybe for the first time in my life.”
“Thanks, I guess.”
“Because, you know, you're not the type to make good choices often.”
“I got it, mom. And I am already grateful.”
“And I even considered that she might have some hidden interest. Imagine, what would such an intelligent girl want with an irresponsible person like you? It can only be love, nothing else justifies it.”
“I think that's enough, don't you, mom?”
She laughed. But within seconds she became serious again.
“She really seems like a good girl, son. Her grandma told me a little about her life story. She's been through a lot. I hope you won't disappoint her.”
“How could I disappoint a woman, mother?”
“Well, I'm still suspicious about this sudden crush of yours. I hope it's real. Well, at least that's what it seems, by the way you look at her.”
Saying that, she lightly ran her hand over my face and walked towards the dining room. I stood there for a few seconds, trying to make sense of what she had just said.
Well, how exactly did I look at Camila?
Like someone who thought she was ridiculous for being afraid of my dog?
Well, I can’t deny I was attracted to her beauty. But that was all.
Finally, I went to the dining room and sat down – again, as was customary, next to my 'fiancée'. Given the way my family and Camila's grandmother were getting along, I figured we would have a quiet dinner without having to answer too many questions.
However, I think I would still prefer a thousand times to have to improvise the answers to a questionnaire, than the subject my mother brought up:
“We need to talk about wedding preparations!”
Camila and I coughed at the same time, both of us suddenly choking.
“Oh my God, drink some water!” Jenna suggested, worried. “It must have been the pea. Peas are dangerous.”
Oh, sure, now it was the poor peas' fault.
Completely ignoring the possibility of two deaths from choking at the dinner table, my mother continued, “Since it will be winter, what do you think of the idea of a wedding in the mountains? Our house in Aspen would be perfect. The outdoor area has no walls, has a beautiful view, and could easily accommodate an average of five hundred guests.”
I had stopped hearing at the word 'wedding'. So Camila took over to answer something.
“I don't think we need that much. I don't know that many people.”
“We can reduce the list to have a more intimate wedding. About three hundred people, I think, is enough.”
Again, I tried to pay attention, but my mind once again fixed onto the word wedding .
I knew, that was already what was agreed with Janet, but... it was supposed to be something purely fictitious, we were going to set a date at the registry office, only for the end of the year, announce that it would be an intimate ceremony and end everything before the scheduled day arrived.
But was my mother planning parties?
“It's just... we're thinking of something simpler,” Camila spoke again. “Just a civil ceremony, we don't want a party.”
“What do you mean, just a civil ceremony?” Jenna seemed horrified by the idea.
“I understand that you want something simple, Cami, because that’s what our condition allows us.
But at least a religious ceremony. It will be a dream to see you wearing a wedding dress.
Your parents would be so happy about that. ”
I quickly looked at Camila and, from her expression, I understood that it had been a low blow to use the parents' argument.
My mother spoke again, “Oh, Jenna, don't worry about the expenses. I'll take care of everything. We won't skimp on anything. These two deserve the best wedding possible.”
“Excuse me...” Camila began to speak. There was a trembling smile on her face, from pure nervousness. “I need to go to the bathroom. Mr. Tur... I mean, dear ... could you show me where it is? I know I've been here a few times, but your house is so big that I still get lost.”
Understanding that this was an excuse to talk to me alone, I agreed, and we got up, walking away from the dining room while the others continued to talk about the hypothetical wedding party.
We reached the hallway that led to the nearest bathroom and then we stopped, and she started talking, “Wedding party? Are you really going to let your mother infect my grandmother with that stupid idea?”
“Well... At least that will give them something to talk about.”
“They can talk about flowers or the weather forecast. Planning a party is not a mere topic .”
“The party will never happen. We set the wedding date for the end of the year; our engagement will be broken off before then.”
“After a whole party planned?”
“Don't worry about the expenses. My mother and I will cover everything. It won't be a big deal. Believe me, my mother has already suffered much greater losses with me.” I could list the college, the courses abroad and so many other things.
Lawyers, bail at police stations, an extra year of studying when I repeated the third year at school, a hospital stay due to an alcoholic coma.
Anyway, it wasn't really the point.
“It’s not just about the expenses, but about my grandmother getting involved in planning something big that’s not going to happen.”
Seriously, why would that be a big deal?
“I'm so sorry about this, Camila. I had no idea my mother would be so excited about it. I'll try to convince her that we really want something simple, just a civil ceremony. But apparently, you'll need to convince your grandmother of that too.”
She sighed, looking tired of the whole situation. “I'd rather convince her now, than have her be disappointed by the plans in three months, when we're done with everything.”
I nodded and we fell silent.
I took advantage of that first moment when we were alone to look at her once more, once again making a mental note of how hot she looked in that dress.
It was impossible not to remember those moments captured by the hotel corridor camera, when we kissed while I ran my hands over the curves of her body. It would be a pain to have to spend so much time being forced to live with her and having to control the desire she awakened in me.
However, there was something else that she awakened in me. And that I had no intention of trying to control, laughter.
Apollo appeared at the beginning of the hallway, and she screamed, rushing into the bathroom and slamming the door.
“No need for that,” I said near the door, laughing, as I ran my hand over Apollo’s head. “He’s gentle.”
“That’s what every dog owner says!” she replied, her voice tearful. “And stop laughing, it’s not funny.”
Oh, yes, it was.
That would always be funny to me.