*
“Harper.” William answered his phone brusquely.
“Hi, William. It's Liz.”
Pause. “Hello, Liz. How are you?”
“I'm fine, thanks. Andrew said you'd be here around seven-thirty to pick me up?”
“That's the plan. Does that not work for you?”
“No, it's fine. I just wondered what the plan was for tonight other than eating with Jenny and Andrew. I mean, what is supposed to be happening between us?”
“How do you mean?”
“Well, we need to look like a couple who's been seeing each other for a few months and is in love. We'd probably be more convincing if we got to know each other a little better, you know?”
Will let out an exasperated sigh. “What do you want to know?”
“That's not exactly what I meant.”
Will pinched the bridge of his nose and exhaled heavily. “Listen, Liz—I'm not very good at this sort of thing.”
“What sort of thing?”
“This.” He gestured with his hands until he remembered she couldn't see him through the phone. “Women, dating, relationships.”
“Is that why you haven't had a girlfriend since college?”
He chuckled slightly. “Probably. Can I just be honest with you?”
“Please do.”
“I'm not a very gregarious man. Sure, I've asked out plenty of women, but we never went on more than four or five dates, and I never was so infatuated that I would disregard my own nature and start snogging in public.” Liz held back a snort on the other end of the line. “I don't like being in front of crowds and am not naturally deceptive. Basically, I am a terrible liar. It would be really great if you could just take the lead. Andrew has told me to look smitten in public, so whatever you want to do, I'll go along. But honestly, I don't think I'm very good at making things up on the spot. I doubt I could pull it off.”
“So you're saying you think I'm a good liar?”
“See, this is what I was talking about!” He let out a frustrated sigh. “I didn't mean-”
Liz cut him off. “Calm down, William. I was just messing with you. I've noticed you seem more comfortable one on one, so I see what you're saying. But really, I'm not much better at this than you are. I'm just making it up as I go along.”
“But you are acknowledging that you're better at it than I am.”
She could hear the smirk in his voice. “Well, you said you liked honesty,” she said happily.
“I know, I brought it on myself. But seriously, you did really well last night. It was all over the papers this morning.”
“Yeah, the kiss was—and that was your idea.”
“Well, I'm not completely clueless.”
Was that pride she heard in his voice?
“Okay lover-boy, you’ve got it. I'll take the lead. Just don't jump if I grab your leg or something, okay?”
“Deal. See you tonight, Liz.”
“See ya. Oh, and William?”
“Yeah?”
“Call me Lizzy.”
**
“So, how is it going so far?” Andrew asked in the car.
“I suppose it's going fine. It's only day two, so I can't really say,” Liz answered.
“Fair enough. We have to make this count because Will is in Boston for the day tomorrow. You’ll be back late Saturday night, right Will?” Harper nodded as he changed lanes. Andrew kept talking, “I put in a call to the Post, anonymously of course. I expect to see a photographer at some point this evening.”
“I read the article this morning,” Jenny commented. “The picture was great. I was a little surprised it was such a big piece, though.”
“Harper usually poses for pictures at society charity functions, and up until now, that's all he has really attended. They were probably surprised to see him last night. And he'd usually go stag or have a different date for each one, so him dating someone steadily is kind of a big deal. Don't worry—you won't have anyone stalking your apartment or anything—he's not that popular.”
“Gee, thanks, Jamison,” Harper said. “You know, I did sometimes take the same woman to more than one event. I'm not completely socially dysfunctional.”
“Sorry, Will,” Andrew retorted insincerely. “There is a New York gossip blog that Will is not normally featured in, mostly because he doesn't really do anything worth gossiping about,” he shot Harper a look, “but after today's article in the paper, they did a post about him. Since everyone seems to have a camera phone these days, you can expect pictures of you to be sent in, so even if there isn't legit press around, you'll need to be on your game.”
“Got it. Any news on when this whole proposal scene is going down?” Liz asked.
“I'm thinking next Wednesday or Thursday. We leave Friday for Vegas, so it has to be done before then,” Andrew answered.
“Do I get a say in any of this?” Will asked.
“Time to stop the shop talk, we're here,” Jenny said.
Harper handed the keys to the valet and they went inside where they were immediately seated. Elizabeth slid into the booth next to Harper and sat just a little closer than she should. She immediately put a hand on his thigh and felt him jerk his leg instinctively.
“This is why I think we should get to know each other better,” she whispered in his ear. He relaxed and leaned down to her ear.
“Point taken.”
She smiled and he put his arm around her shoulders. At least that was a move he was comfortable with.
The four of them drank two bottles of wine between them, though Harper only had one glass since he was driving, and filled themselves on rich French food. Liz fed Harper a few bites off her spoon and rested her head on his shoulder as they were eating dessert. He smiled down at her and played with her hair, feeling more confident as the evening went on. There was something about Liz that set him at ease and made him forget to be self-conscious.
As they were standing outside on the pavement, Elizabeth caught sight of a man with a large camera partially hidden around the corner.
“William,” she called to him quietly as she left her conversation with Jenny, “we've got company.”
He looked in the direction she had tilted her head and saw the man looking around a building surreptitiously. “Why do I feel like I'm in some sort of action film, being spied on from around corners?” he asked in a low voice that only she could hear. He smiled lightly at Liz as she reached out and grabbed his tie.
Slowly she pulled him toward her, her chin tilted up in invitation. “Is he looking?” she asked while smiling flirtatiously.
“Definitely.”
“Good.” She pulled on the tie more until Harper had to bend down to move with it. Finally, he was close enough to kiss and Liz lifted her heels slightly to meet his lips with hers. She heard clicking coming from nearby and could see several flashes behind her closed eyelids. After counting to twenty in her head, she pulled away. “Mission accomplished, Mr. Harper,” she smirked.
“Lizzy?”
“Hmm?”
“Call me Will.”
***
“Is he free?”
“Go on in, Ms. Barrett. Mr. Harper is expecting you,” Evelyn smiled professionally at Elizabeth and nodded towards the door.
“Thank you, Evelyn.” She stepped into Will's office.
“Hi, Lizzy. Come take a look at this.” Will waved her over excitedly.
“What is it?”
“It's that blog Andrew was telling us about last night.”
Liz looked at the computer screen. “Whoa! Did you even notice all those pictures being taken at the restaurant?”
“I saw one woman with a camera phone, but clearly this is the work of multiple paparazzi. Look at all the different angles they captured.”
Liz looked at him askance when he called average restaurant-goers paparazzi, but saw his point immediately. There were over a dozen photographs: her feeding Will a bite of crème brulee, her head on his shoulder, h
is arm around her, them nuzzling noses and whispering to each other. “Wow. They certainly are thorough. Did they write anything?”
“Just some mess about this being my first foray into PDA and not doing anything by halves. It looks like they're buying it hook, line, and sinker.”
“You must be relieved,” she said.
“I am. I really can't get deported right now. I'm in the middle of a major merger that involves both Taggston and Covington Enterprises. There's a lot riding on this.”
“A lot of money, huh?”
“Not just money, but we'd lose millions if we couldn't pull it through. We're talking hundreds of jobs, influence in our industry, power over our competition that will strengthen the company down the road—it's a VERY big deal.”
“I see. What's Covington Enterprises?” she asked, sitting on the edge of his desk as he leaned back in his chair, resting his hands on his middle.
“It's a European company that designs guidance and surveillance equipment, among other things. They're one of the leaders in the market. They're also family.” Elizabeth's brows shot up. “My mother was a Covington. Her older brother, Alistair Covington, runs the company now along with his children, my cousins.”
“So wouldn't they still do the merger with you even if you were deported? Isn't that what family's for?”
“Yes and no. I'm handling the details of the merger for both of us, mostly because Taggston is the bigger company and has more to lose, but also because I'm more familiar with Helgsen, the other part of the merger.” At Liz's questioning look, he explained. “Helgsen is a large Dutch software firm. HarperCo has done a lot of work with them in the past, hence my familiarity with them. For this particular merger, it's a marriage of Covington's designs, Helgsen's little blue chips, and Taggston's manufacturing capabilities. Various sectors of each organization will be coming together as one to create a stronger force in the market.”
“I thought you were CEO of HarperCo, not Taggston as a whole.”
“That's correct, but I still have an important position at Taggston. After all, I do own more than fifty percent of the company. I'm on the board, and because of my familiarity with the players and information involved, I'm handling this merger.”
“So will there be a whole new company?”
“Sort of. The bulk of it will be under Taggston's umbrella with both Helgsen and Covington maintaining shares and a say in the direction of the company.”
“Wow. I must say, Will, I'm impressed. I had no idea you had your hand in so many cookie jars.” She smiled as she leaned back on her hands, still perched on his desk with her legs crossed.
He smiled appreciatively at the feminine picture she presented and asked, “And what do you know about cookie jars? Two days ago you told me you had no idea who I was. Have you been Googling, Ms. Barrett?”
“You make it sound so naughty! As a matter of fact, I have not Googled you OR your company. I haven't had the time. Finals are just around the corner, remember? Besides, it was Andy who told me.”
“Ah, I should have guessed. And what did good old Andrew have to say?”
“Not much. He just gave me a rundown of the company. He said you have a gajillion departments and sub companies covering everything from hotels to ship building.”
“Well, not quite a gajillion, but several, yes,” he said with a grin.
“If I didn't know better, I'd say you were flirting with me, Mr. Harper.” He looked surprised. “Let's take some of that charm to lunch, shall we?”
He followed her out of the office, her hand in his, not saying a word until they were alone in the elevator when Liz broke the silence.
“There's something I don't understand.”
“Yes?”
“If immigration has you under investigation, and the FBI is involved, won't they stop your visa from going through, no matter which kind you're applying for?”
“I thought the same thing and asked Andrew about it. Technically, I'm not under investigation—yet. Andrew just got a tip that I was being looked at, but nothing has been made official. That means that not all departments know about me, and any red flags on my file are only visible to the higher ups at this point. Hopefully, I can sneak under the radar before the red flag goes system-wide. That's one of the reasons we're wanting to apply so quickly. We want at least the first few steps pushed through by June.”
“Wow. That only leaves a month. Won't all the red tape slow everything down?”
“Yes, but all the paperwork is already put together. As soon as we're married, it will be filed. As long as the initial petition gets approved, we're good. They usually do it the same day—it just means you have permission to apply. We have almost everything ready for the application, so we can file within twenty-four hours of our petition being accepted. They would look really foolish if they approved it, then turned around and pulled it three days later.”
“And I'm imagining that you would make sure that was very public?”
“Of course. I have to look after my interests, Elizabeth, it's the only way to survive in business,” he said seriously.
She was saved a reply by the elevator doors opening.
5
Photo Shoot
Late April, Sunday
5 Days to Marriage
“I can't believe I'm up this early on a Sunday.”
“Stop whining! The boys will be here soon.” Jen handed Liz a cup of tea and walked into her sister's bedroom. “Have you decided what you want to wear?”
“Well, we decided we need several outfits, right? So I am going with mostly old stuff. I don't want to be caught wearing something I just bought in a picture that was supposed to be taken months ago.”
“Got it. Why don't we do the casual shots first, since they don't require make up, then we can get dolled up for the party shoot?”
“I like that idea. I'll wear my little black dress that I wore to your real birthday dinner. If any pictures show up later, there will be continuity.”
“Good thinking. I brought the pink dress I wore that night as well.”
Jennifer pulled Yahtzee out of the closet while Liz changed into jeans and a warm sweater. She pulled her hair back in a simple braid and slipped on some wooly socks.
“Do I look like January?”
“Definitely. Is this believable?” Jenny gestured to the card table set up in Liz's tiny living room.
“Yes, but I don't know that Will would play Yahtzee. He seems more like a Trivial Pursuit kind of guy, doesn't he?”
“I don't know, maybe. Want to change it?”
“Yeah, I'll take care of it while you change.”
Liz swapped Yahtzee for the Trivial Pursuit board and doled out pie pieces. Then she got the tray of cheese and crackers Jennifer had brought and placed it on the corner of the table, making sure it looked half-eaten. She drew the curtains and turned on lamps to make it look like evening.
“That looks great, Lizzy!” said Jen when she emerged in a red knit sweater and jeans, her blonde hair pulled back in a loose ponytail.
“You think it's believable?”
“Definitely. All we need are the men and mock game night can commence!”
There was a knock on the door and Jennifer ran to let in William and Andrew. They each had a leather bag filled with various pieces of clothing and props.
“Hi, Will.” Liz greeted him with a peck on the cheek, trying to get into the habit, and he reciprocated. “We thought we'd start with January game night. You guys can change in there,” she said, pointing to the empty front room.
“Sounds good. What are we playing?” Will asked.
“Trivial Pursuit. Jen originally thought Yahtzee, but I thought this might be more you.”
He smiled slightly. “You thought right. I like this game.”
“Whoa! Whose futon?” Andrew called from the front room.
“Skanky Arlene's. Don't ask.”
Andrew shook his head and the guys closed the door to change into the
ir winter clothes.
Twenty minutes later they had several photos of Jenny and Andrew cuddling on the sofa, Liz and Jenny lording their win over the boys, Andrew looking stumped and Will looking smug. Andrew snapped a few of Liz and Will side by side arguing over a blue pie piece, and another of the reluctant truce handshake at the end of the game.
Looking over the pictures on the digital camera, they decided their “meeting” looked believable and moved on. Andrew had come up with a time-line that the four of them were committing to memory in case of immigration questions and he quizzed them mercilessly.
“When did Jenny and I meet?”
“Early December at a charity event. You introduced her to me at a New Year's Eve party,” William answered.
“Good. When did I meet Liz?”
“January fifth,” Jenny answered. Andrew looked impressed. “What? I remember because I had a big meeting that day and you two met me for drinks after work.”
Andrew squeezed her hand and couldn't keep the admiration from shining in his expression. Liz rolled her eyes and Andrew moved on. Time for the creative portion of their history.
“Liz, when did you meet Will?”
“Jen suggested the four of us have a game night to get to know each other. I offered to host since Jeremy was out of town and so was my roommate. It was the last weekend in January, a Saturday night.”
“Good. What did we play?”
“Trivial Pursuit and I won,” said Will.
“Only the second round. Jenny and I won the first,” threw in Liz.
“Will, what was your first impression of Liz?”
“Talks a lot, nice ass.”
She looked at him indignantly, mouth open and eyes blazing.
He smirked. “And feisty.”
Liz covered her smile while Andrew moved on. “How often did you see each other after that?”
“A few times here or there—nothing memorable, a dinner at your house the first week of February, and Jenny and I ran into Will at the market one Saturday morning. Not much because I was still with Jeremy,” Liz answered.
Green Card Page 5
