by Cee, DW
“Shit. Delaney and I are off to Florence this morning.”
“Donovan.” The tone in which she used to call my...boyfriend..? fiancé..? future husband..? pissed me off. It was too intimate of a tone, a pleading tone, a this-is-how-I-used-to-get-all-I-wanted-from-you-in-the-past, tone.
“OK,” he agreed. “But I need to be done by noon. Let me get ready and I’ll head into the office with you,” he looked at me warily while talking to Kate. “Do you want a cup of coffee while you wait?” He tried to get her a cup, but she walked to the cupboard like she’d done this a million times before and picked-up the finest piece of china in the house.
Seeing her know her way around the sideboard of my grandfather’s house completely deflated whatever high or embarrassment I was on from last night. A large crack in our intimate bond appeared as soon as Kate paraded her knowledge of her ex-lover in front of his parents, my parents, and me. At this very moment, I felt like a teenager again, seeing her in all her glory at one of our family functions. I felt inadequate, unpolished, and juvenile.
“Will you excuse us?” Donovan didn’t wait for an answer as he held my hand and led us into our room. “You don’t mind leaving a little later?” I didn’t know how to react. Rather than explaining why Kate was here, or how she knew where to come, or how the fuck she knew where the china was in this house, Donovan wondered if I cared that our flight would be delayed. What the fuck. “I’ll take all my stuff with me just in case I end up meeting you at the airport. I won’t know how bad the situation is till I get to the office.”
“Fine,” I answered.
“What?” he had the stupidity to ask. I shook my head and kept my mouth shut. If he found nothing wrong with this situation, I wouldn’t explain it to him. “It’s nothing but work. You knew she worked for your grandfather.”
“Yep. I knew.” I had no freaking clue she was here in France, and maybe she was in Amsterdam, too, and I had no fucking clue. I just went around passing out after an orgasm, dead to the world, dead to any goings-on about Donovan and Kate. Yep. Stupid me!
“I’ll see you in a couple of hours, all right?” He kissed my lips but got no response. “I’m a little unsure why you’re so upset, but I have to go if we want to get to Florence in time. I’ll answer any and all questions on the plane.”
“Sure.”
I let him go with her and didn’t look back, didn’t flinch, and didn’t act perturbed. Our brilliant parents didn’t ask any questions, and they got ready for their day. After a brief but loving good-bye from each set, I was alone.
To be honest, alone was not a good place to be right now. It gave me too much room to think, too much time to jump to conclusions, too much anxiety to enjoy our upcoming trip to Florence. I packed my travel bag and walked the neighborhood to clear my mind. I may not have showed it on the outside, but on the inside, I was an absolute mess.
I thought back to Grandfather’s apartment in Amsterdam and wondered if they had shared the same bed over there as Donovan and I had. Then the château in Vernon came to mind, and I couldn’t help but think that he had recycled the same places but with a different woman. Seeing how familiar she was with this apartment, it killed me to know that I would always come after her. And though it was me sleeping in Donovan’s bed right now, I could have been any other woman.
Feeling restless and sad, I went back to the apartment not knowing what I needed to do next. I got in just as the phone rang.
“Hello?”
“Where’ve you been? I’ve been calling you the last half hour.”
“I’m here now. What is it?”
“I’m going to have to meet you at the airport. Can you take a cab or do you want me to send you a car to take you to the airport?”
“I’ll just take the metro to the airport. Should I just wait for you at the gate?”
“Yeah. I’ll get there soon. I’ve got to go.” He hung up without even a good-bye.
Looking at my ticket, I had a couple hours to get to the airport, and as lost as I felt without Donovan, I decided to get to my destination and wait. When we sat on the airplane, I’d tell him how I felt and hear his explanation, rather than creating drama in my head.
I sat at the gate listening to the attendant call us onto the airplane. Donovan was not at the gate by the second call, so after cursing him for throwing my phone in the canal, I went to the payphone and called his cell phone. All three times calls went straight to voicemail. If I’d known the office number, I would’ve called there as well, and though I could have called Grandfather and gotten all the information, I decided I didn’t want to go through the trouble. Without him, I got on the plane with no idea where I was to go in Florence.
The first thing I did when I landed was to get myself a cell phone. I called Grandfather to inquire about his possible home in Florence, and he was very surprised to hear from me.
“Laney? What’s going on? Why are you calling me and asking me for directions to my villa? Where’s Donovan?”
“I think Donovan is still in Paris, Grandfather. I don’t know.” I answered.
“What do you mean you don’t know?” Grandfather was not only worried about me, but he was also getting angry.
“It’s a bit of a long story, Grandfather, but I’m here and I’d like to get somewhere familiar.”
“I’ll text you the address. I believe Jake and Emily have either just arrived or they will be there soon.”
It was such a relief knowing that Jake and Emily were going to be at my grandfather’s. I needed some advice and I needed a friendly face.
“Laney!” Emily hugged me dearly. “I’m so happy to see you.” And she genuinely was happy to see me. “Where’s Donovan?” She looked about trying to figure out this change of events.
“Hey Laney. You had a nice flight?”
“Yeah.”
“Where’s your other half?”
I shrugged my shoulders.
They both wanted and required an answer, but Jake got a phone call and a baby, whom I assumed was JR, started crying, so I was left to my own devices while they went to take care of their own matters.
I assumed I was staying here tonight, so I took up residence in one of the rooms and took out the clothes from my suitcase. Not having done laundry for almost a week, I searched out a washer and dryer in the villa and put in all my clothes. Then I searched through the refrigerator, fixed myself a very late lunch, and did what I should have done yesterday.
“Hello?”
“Hi Michael.”
“God! Duchess! You’re calling me back. I’m sorry I was such an asshole to you the other day. I was so afraid you wouldn’t ever call back.” Why couldn’t I just love this uncomplicated man? A man who loved me with no strings attached, a man who was willing to give up his entire future for me? Why did I have to reach for the unattainable and so very complicated?
“I don’t blame you Michael for getting upset with me. What I’m doing right now with you and Donovan is inexcusable. And I’m truly sorry for hurting you. That was never my intention.”
“Where are you now? Are you still in Paris? Can I come to see you there? I’m back in London. I can come to you within a few hours.”
“I’m with Jake and Emily in Florence.”
“Florence? You sure are covering a lot of countries this week. You’re with your cousins only?”
I knew what he was getting at; I wanted to give him an honest answer. “Donovan is supposed to be here but I’m unsure if he’ll make it.”
“Can we talk today? Can you tell me where you’ll be in about four hours? I’ll come to you.”
“Michael, today’s not a good day. Jake has something planned for us, but he won’t say what, so I’m unsure of my schedule. Really, I’m not trying to avoid you. I don’t want to see you come all the way here and for us not to be able to talk.”
“Stay in Florence. I’m getting on the next flight available.”
“Mi
chael,” I complained.
“Is this your new phone number? It’s a UK number.”
“Yeah. I got a new phone today and figured I’d get a home number.”
“I’ll see you soon, Duchess.”
“Aargh!” I sighed loudly after getting off the phone.
“Donovan?” Jake asked.
“Michael.”
“Oh Laney. Your life has become complicated, huh?”
“It’s been a nightmare and a dream all rolled into one,” I answered with a weak smile. “What’s the big surprise today, Jake?”
“Can’t tell.” He smiled. “All I can say is Max and Jane will be here, as well, and it’s a surprise for you ladies.”
“OK.” I answered without much enthusiasm. At this point, it didn’t really matter what we were doing. I had no idea whether I would be attending with or without Donovan.
“I just tried calling Donovan and couldn’t get a hold of him. Where is he? Why did you come alone?”
“Jake, last I saw him, he was walking out of Grandfather’s apartment with Kate to go back to work.”
“Damn.” I heard Emily utter as she walked into the kitchen. Jake was not happy, either.
“I’m sure it was just work, Laney,” he reassured me.
“Oh I’m sure it was just work,” I answered with sarcasm. “Sorry. You didn’t need to hear that tone.”
“You know she doesn’t mean anything to him, right?” Jake was now adamant about pleading for Donovan. “You are the only one in his heart. He hasn’t talked about Kate since you’ve reentered his life.”
I gave my cousin a skeptical look.
Emily chimed in. “I think Jake is correct. I’ve heard Donovan talk about you more often than he ever spoke of Kate.”
I decided to explain what was bothering me. “How would you feel if you had a ten-year-old shadow? Donovan showed me around Giverny, and he knew Giverny well enough to make me believe he and Kate must have been there often. Then we stayed at a beautiful four-bedroom château in Vernon and one of my initial thoughts was whether he had stayed in that same room, that same bed with Kate. Then this morning, Kate shows up at Grandfather’s Paris apartment to tell Donovan he needs to get back to the office. Not only did she know where we were, when Donovan offered her a cup of coffee, she went to the sideboard and knew exactly where the cups, saucers, and spoons were. She was so familiar with the breakfast room, I had to wonder how much more familiar she was with the bedroom. I just feel like he’s replaced one body for another. Everything we’ve done seems recycled.” I let out another pitiful sigh.
“Oh Laney.” Emily came and put her arms around me. “Is that why Donovan isn’t here right now? You got into a fight?”
“No. The stupid man has no idea I’m upset. He called me earlier, barked an order for me to meet him at the airport, then never showed up for the flight.” Jake was about to counter, but I beat him to it. “I called his cell phone three times and would have called the office if I had the number. In the end, I got on the plane without knowing what the hell I was doing.”
“He didn’t even call you?” Emily asked, astounded.
“Oh, that’s another shitty story.” Now I was getting pissed rather than being sad. “While I was talking to Michael in Amsterdam, trying to break up with him, Donovan didn’t like the little he overheard, so he chucked my phone into the canal. I just got a phone when I landed in Florence.”
Jake and Emily tried really hard not to laugh.
“All of this will only make your relationship stronger. Just make sure to talk to him and to let him know everything you are feeling. Don’t keep anything in.” Emily advised.
“Oh, don’t you worry. He’ll get an earful from me if he ever shows up.”
JR slept the whole time I was keeping myself busy doing laundry and getting some summer editing done. I was hoping to see him and play with him but no such luck. I was also told that the twins were hanging out with their uncle and honorary uncles today. Their grandparents would take over babysitting duties tonight and tomorrow till Jake and Emily got back to London. Grudgingly, Jake agreed to take me back to London with him tomorrow after our surprise was done.
We took a still sleeping JR into a restaurant for an early dinner. Jake ordered for six people and said we needed to have a quick dinner so we could catch the 7:00pm bus to our destination. Emily and I were having a nice conversation when I heard an angry, “What the hell were you thinking getting on that plane without me? And did it occur to you to let me know you were getting on the plane before taking off?”
I looked up at an irate and disheveled Donovan and just blinked. I didn’t know what to say, so I didn’t say anything at all and tried to continue my conversation with Emily. This damn man was actually angry with me. What an idiot. What would have been a mole hill for him to climb had his explanation about Kate been a reasonable one, turned into Mount Vesuvius, now.
“Buddy, why don’t you take a seat next to Laney and calm yourself before we get an explanation on what happened?” He did just that. He sat next to me, poured himself some Chianti and took a big gulp.
Emily started the conversation in her usual calm way. “Donovan, you want to tell us what happened to you, first?”
“I was working!” He looked at me and complained. “I couldn’t get to the airport on time and had no way of reaching Delaney. Common sense would have told her to either wait for me at the airport, or to call me and leave me a message as to her whereabouts. I get to the airport, can’t find her, can’t locate her at all within the airport, and can’t get a hold of anyone to give me some answers.”
“I guess we were all en route when you called.” Emily explained. “That’s probably why you couldn’t reach us.”
“I only figured out what happened when a pissed off Roland called me to ask why I’d abandoned his granddaughter in Florence.”
“Laney? You want to answer?”
As matter-of-factly as I could, I said, “You told me to go to the airport. You handed me a plane ticket in the morning and told me we were going to Florence. I called your cell phone three times but couldn’t get a hold of you. Waiting for you while you were with Kate seemed too reminiscent of my pathetic days back in the States, so I took my plane ticket and left. You’re a smart man. If you didn’t see me at the airport, where else would I have gone?”
“Why the fuck didn’t you leave a message? Do you know how worried I was about you?”
“Why the fuck didn’t you answer your phone when it came close to take-off time? You knew I’d call you if you didn’t call me first. Do you know how worried I was about you?”
“Dammit Delaney! You did this on purpose to punish me, and I have no fucking clue why you’re so upset with me. You know Kate and I work together. You know Kate and I have had an on-and-off relationship for ten years. None of this is new to you. What the hell don’t you get?”
“I don’t know a damn thing because you haven’t explained any of it to me. You’ve yet to tell me about Kate and your ten years. I’m told I’ll see Jane in a few minutes and I still don’t know why the hell you two were making out in that hospital room when she had a boyfriend, or where the ‘let’s have sex’ plane tickets fall into this whole story. I don’t know anything!” Immediately, Donovan’s demeanor changed. He backed down and reached out to touch me, with no success. We could all see busted! written across his face.
“Oh my gosh!” Jane cried as she and Max walked into the restaurant and interrupted our argument. “What are you all doing here?” Jane looked good, though that went without saying. And Jane looked happy.
I looked over at Max, and he looked happy too. Max either had no idea that anything had happened between Jane and Donovan, or she confessed and he chose to forgive her. I didn’t have any answers and I was in such a dilemma of my own, I didn’t have the energy to try and figure it out.
Being her usual charismatic self, Jane gave everyone a warm greeting—even me
, which was a first. She smiled at Donovan, and he smiled back with ease. Even Max gave Donovan a warm greeting and now, I was just plain confused. With another sigh, I decided to focus on tonight’s dinner and activity.
“Bad day?” Max whispered as he came to greet me.
I stood up and returned his hug. “The worst, yet.”
“I promise, it’ll get better. He’s a good man, and Jake and I believe he loves you and his intentions are good.”
“I’m glad someone believes in him.”
Max chuckled and gave me a kiss on the cheek before he let me go.
Laney, where in Florence are you right now? My phone buzzed this text from Michael.
I am in a restaurant in Piazza della Signoria.
What is the restaurant called?
Michael...please...I’m here with five other people. Donovan is here, too.
Duchess, I need to see you and talk to you.
I held off giving the location as long as I could but Michael wouldn’t be put off. He called on the phone and I walked outside to try and convince him not to come.
“Michael,” I answered.
“I’m near you. I just need an exact location. Please don’t make me look for you in every restaurant in the piazza.”
After this comment, I had no choice but to tell him where I was. This day started in purgatory, then went straight to hell.
“You all right?” Donovan asked with much concern.
I didn’t need to try and explain this situation to Donovan so I deflected my sorrows to the beautiful baby who finally woke up.
“May I hold JR?” I practically begged Emily. She handed him over to me and was so precious he took my breath away. His head showed signs of being blond and his eyes looked hazel in color. With one blink, they were brown, and with another, they were green. He stared up at me and eventually fisted his hand and tried to suck on his balled fist. I loved the slurping, sucking sounds this little one made. I leaned down and kissed his forehead. No matter my status with Donovan, I couldn’t wait to hold my own baby.
