Chapter 28
Twenty-Eight
Still smarting from what he’d overheard, Travis sought out a quiet corner off the kitchen to hide out while appetizers were being served in the tent.
I can’t believe she said that—if I had a man who looked at me the way Ben looks at you, I’d marry him.
Have I not had my heart in my eyes every time I’ve looked at her for the last two weeks?
He sat down on a stack of beer cases and rested his elbows on his knees. Was there anything else I could’ve done or said to show her how much I love her? For a long time he sat there and contemplated that question and several others cycling through his tired mind. Clearly, he hadn’t done enough.
With most of the waiters working in the tent the kitchen grew quiet, and Travis tuned into a conversation two teenage girls were having as they assembled salads.
“She’s so amazingly beautiful, isn’t she?”
“And a lot nicer than you’d expect her to be.”
“Yeah.”
“I read in the Enquirer that she’s going back to work soon. I wonder if she’ll ever come back here again.”
“Why would she? If I were her and was lucky enough to have the life she has, I’d never come back to this two-bit town again. There isn’t even a movie theater or a McDonald’s. This place sucks.”
“But Mr. North is so gorgeous.”
“Ew, he’s old!”
Travis suppressed a groan. He’d just turned thirty-six!
“He’s still gorgeous.”
“Well, it’s not like she’s going to marry him. Why would she want to give up the life she has for this place?”
“I love it here.”
“Not me. As soon as I graduate, I’m so outta here, and I’m never coming back. She won’t either. Wait ’n see.”
The girls worked in silence for a few minutes.
Travis heard the click of high heels entering the kitchen.
“Excuse me, have you girls seen Mr. North?” Liana asked.
“Um, no, Ms. McDermott. He’s not in here.”
“If you see him, will you please tell him I’m looking for him?”
“We will.”
“Thank you.”
After Liana walked away, the more opinionated of the two girls said, “She won’t be back.”
They soon moved on to another station, and their voices faded out of earshot. It was just as well. Travis had heard more than enough.
As the waiters served cake, Travis wandered into the tent to check on things. He saw Liana consulting with the groom on the other side of the tent, their heads bent together. Travis watched her hand something to Ben and then leave him with a quick hug.
She noticed Travis standing at the back of the tent and signaled for him to stay there.
The eyes of every man in the tent were drawn to her as she cut through the dining area to where he waited for her.
“Everything going all right?” he asked.
“Yes, fine. Travis, what you heard me say to Lucy . . .”
“Don’t worry about it.”
“But . . .”
The band called the bride and groom to the stage.
“What’s going on?”
Liana turned toward the stage. “Watch.”
Ben helped an astounded Lucy onto a stool and adjusted the wireless microphone Liana had given him. Then Ben nodded to the band, which launched into “Unchained Melody.”
Liana leaned back against Travis, who looped his arms around her waist.
“Wow, he’s good,” Travis whispered in her ear just before he began to softly sing along with Ben.
Liana turned to put her arms around his neck and look up at him.
His entire body riddled with tension, he shifted his eyes away from hers, reached for her hands, and removed them from his shoulders.
“Travis? What is it?”
“I’m sorry. I just can’t do this.”
He left Liana standing frozen in place and walked out of the tent.
More than an hour passed before the wedding ended and she could go after him.
No one had seen him in the club, so she walked to The Tower and took the elevator to the apartment, which was dark when she arrived.
“Travis?” she called. He didn’t answer, so she went into the bedroom and flipped on the light.
His tuxedo jacket and bow tie were on the bed, but there was no other sign of him.
Out on the patio his white shirt caught her eye from the living room. Opening the glass door, she stepped outside where he leaned against the safety rail that encircled the patio. “Travis? I’ve been looking for you.”
He turned to her. “You found me.”
“You didn’t want me to?”
He shrugged.
“I’m sorry for what I said to Lucy, but I was only trying—”
“Stop, Liana.” He held up his hand. “Please. Just stop.”
The hard set to his face filled Liana with fear and turned him into someone she barely recognized.
“Let me ask you something,” he said.
“Anything.”
“After you leave tomorrow, are you ever coming back?”
“I want to. I wish I could say what you want to hear . . .”
He smiled, but his eyes were hard. “You’ve told me how unhappy you are in your career, how much you hate the media and the rest of it.”
“I do.”
“Then the only conclusion I can reach is you don’t love me enough to give it up, or worse yet, you think I don’t love you enough.”
“That’s not true! I don’t think either of those things. You’re putting words in my mouth!”
“If what we had together was going to be enough for you, Liana, you’d know it by now. There wouldn’t be a decision.”
“I absolutely refuse to be pressured into making the biggest decision of my life without taking the time I need to think it through.”
He shook his head with dismay. “We were deluding ourselves by pretending this was more than a fling.”
“But,” she stammered, “what you said last night . . . You said you wanted to marry me and you’d wait for me. I don’t understand. What changed?”
“I took my head out of the clouds for a few minutes and didn’t like what I saw. That’s all.”
“And what exactly did you see?” she asked in a small voice.
“Me sitting here like a chump waiting forever for you to come back when you probably have no intention of ever coming back.”
“I never said that. I just asked for a little time to figure things out.”
“Well, now you don’t need it. I’m letting you off the hook.”
She closed the distance between them and rested her hands on his chest. “I don’t want to be let off the hook. I love you, Travis.”
“You don’t belong here, and I don’t belong anywhere else.”
She looked up at him with tears in her eyes, but his face was unreadable. “Did you think I didn’t belong here when you asked me to work here with you? I thought we made a good team.”
“We’ve had a taste of what our life together could be like, and you don’t like the life you’re leading now.
What’s left to decide?” Travis grasped her shoulders and seemed to be making a huge effort not to shake her.
“You say you love me, you like working here with me, your family lives in town, you hate modeling. What is there to think about?”
“It’s just . . . I can’t . . .”
With a deep sigh he dropped his hands from her shoulders and took a step back.
“We had a good time, and I appreciated your help with the weddings. You did an excellent job. I really hope that working here showed you what you’re capable of.
But let’s not torture ourselves by wishing for something that can’t ever happen between us.
I think it would be best if you went to your mother’s tonight. ”
Tears rolled down her face. “Why are you doing this?” she whispered. “Why are you forcing me to decide everything right now?”
“Because it’s better we face facts now rather than months from now. I just can’t put myself through the agony of waiting for something that’s not going to happen.”
“If that’s how you want it . . .”
“It is.”
“Do you love me? Or was that just fling talk? I’m sorry if I don’t know the difference. I’ve never had a fling before.”
“I loved you.”
His use of the past tense wasn’t lost on her, and even when she reached up to caress his face, his expression didn’t soften.
“I had a wonderful time,” she said. “Thank you.” She went up on tiptoes to kiss him one last time before she went inside to get her bags.
In his bedroom, she was struck by the memory of her first time in that room, when she had been desperate to get out of the horrible bridesmaid dress.
She brushed away tears, put the keys he had given her on his dresser, and squatted down to hug Dash.
“Be good, sweet girl.” She kissed the dog’s pretty face and, grabbing her bags, went to summon the elevator.
As the doors closed she took one last look at Travis on the patio, his head bent and his shoulders stooped.
Leaving her bags in the garage, she walked over to the club to find Beck and asked him for a ride to her mother’s house. She was grateful when he didn’t ask any questions about why she was leaving a day early.
They drove through the North Point gates, but Liana didn’t look back. “How’s Jessie?”
“A little better.”
“Thanks for coming in tonight. I know you didn’t want to leave her.”
“She insisted I come. She refuses to be fearful.”
“Good for her,” Liana said in a dull, flat tone, wishing she could be as fearless as her courageous friend. Liana was relieved to find no reporters at her mother’s house. They had apparently given up on finding her there.
Beck pulled into the driveway and turned to her. “Your new security team will meet you at the airport in the morning. I think you’ll like them.”
Liana reached out to squeeze his hand. “I appreciate all your help with that.”
“I was happy to do it. You’ll be glad you have them.”
“I know.” She hated to even think about the major change in her life that their presence would represent.
Beck helped with her bags. At the door, he rested a hand on her arm. “He can be really stubborn. I don’t know what happened tonight, but he loves you—really loves you. I just thought you should know that.”
She kissed his cheek. “Thank you, Beck, for everything. I wish you and Jessie all the best. It was a pleasure knowing you.”
He hugged her. “The pleasure was all mine. Take care of yourself, Liana.”
She nodded and went inside.