“You guys go ahead; I’m going to wait here,” Madison says firmly. I know her well enough to know that she has no plans to leave any time soon. I could stand there and argue with her, but I really don’t have the energy.
“OK. Let’s go find the restaurant,” Craig says. “Should we bring you something back?”
“Sure. Sienna knows what I like.” We head out to go find a restaurant.
I feel like I am in a daze. I’m starting to wonder if the signs had been there all along. Maybe subconsciously I have had suspicions for why Luke’s mind has been somewhere else. I just thought it was because of his work. Now I’m starting to wonder if any of his trips have been for work. I have so many thoughts running through my mind.
Craig doesn’t say anything right away as we walk through the lobby.
“Are you OK?” he finally asks. I shake my head. I don’t even know what to think or say.
“Just remember, you don’t know the full story yet. You have to stay calm before you get all worked up.” I know he’s right. I just have a really bad feeling, or maybe I’m just in shock. We find a little café that has some dessert items, mainly cakes and a few flavors of gelato.
I give Craig my order and sit down at the little table. I check my phone again, but Luke hasn’t called or texted me back. He must have his phone turned off. If that’s the case, he may very well be in a meeting. On second thought, I am sure his brother-in-law would have told me that.
Craig brings me my chocolate gelato and sits down.
“Has he texted back yet?”
“Not yet,” I say, taking a bite. I really have no desire to eat, so I would consider this stress eating.
After a few minutes, I start talking. “I think I’ve known that things have been off with us for a while. I just kept thinking it was the stress of our demanding jobs and all the changes that are about to happen. I guess I just never thought that Luke would cheat on me.” Wow. I actually said it out loud. I know I’m not 100% sure that that’s what’s going on. However, it really isn’t looking good.
“Sienna, you don’t know that for sure,” Craig insists.
“I know, but he was carrying an overnight bag not a briefcase. I would be naïve to not prepare myself for that being a possibility.” I drop my head and start playing with my gelato.
“We better bring Madison her dessert. I don’t want to leave her alone too long. You never know what she might do.” We head back to the lobby in silence. When we get back, Madison is nowhere to be found. Crap! I have no idea where she could have gone. I call her phone and she doesn’t answer.
“Damn. Why isn’t anybody answering my calls tonight?” I say angrily.
“Where do you think she went?” Craig asks, looking around.
“I am not sure,” I say, sitting down. “How many rooms do you think there are in this place? Hopefully, she just went to the bathroom.” I look around again. I see Emmitt at the front desk watching me. I try to give him a warm smile, but he looks away. I’m so embarrassed. I’m sure any hope of having an event here is now out the window.
All of a sudden, I see Madison get off an elevator.
“Where did you go?” I demand when she joins us.
“I was trying to figure out where Luke went, but the Elevator Nazi wouldn’t tell me,” she says, taking her gelato from Craig,
“I do have some news though. He did tell me something.” She takes a deep breath. “This is not the first time he has come here. He’s been coming for a while.” Madison puts her hand on my shoulder. “I’m so sorry.”
I’m silent as I think about all of the weeks that I thought Luke was away on business. I thought I was a better judge of character than this. Ten months of my life down the drain in one second.
“I’m ready to go home. Please,” I beg. “We can’t sit here all night. I’ll just wait for him to call me with his story.”
None of us say anything on the drive home. When we get home, I take a hot shower, lie down on my bed, and cry. A lot.
CHAPTER 11
I open my eyes and struggle to focus. The sun is streaming in my room, and I look at my clock. It’s 7:00 a.m. on Saturday morning, and I need to go back to sleep. Suddenly, all of the events of the night before come flooding back. I check my phone, still no phone calls.
I do see that I have a few emails including one from Carrie. I groan as I open it. Shockingly, it’s not as bad as I suspected.
Sienna,
We will need to set up a meeting to discuss what is considered urgent or not. I am sure this could have waited until Monday. No doubt you were being overzealous again. All of your messages and texts were very excessive. The signed paperwork is enclosed.
In addition, my personal time is mine. It is unnecessary to call the resort where I am a guest. We will also discuss further with Nicole next week.
Carrie
I immediately send the paperwork off to Maria. Normally, I would feel like a huge weight is lifted off my shoulders. However, the sadness I feel from everything else that happened last night is weighing heavier. I must still be in shock, or maybe I have some of that post-traumatic stress disorder. It almost feels like a dream. I leave another message for Luke.
I must have fallen back to sleep because the ringing of my phone wakes me again. It has fallen somewhere in my bed covers. When I find it, I see that I missed three calls from Luke and two from Abby. Madison must have called her. My heart starts beating so fast because I have no idea what I should say to him. I don’t know if I should come out and ask him where he really is, or if I should wait for him to be honest. I need to talk to Abby. She answers on the first ring when I call her.
“Sienna, are you OK? Madison called me earlier and told me about what happened. Where are you?”
“I’m at home. I must have fallen back to sleep.” I glance at my clock to see that it’s 11:00 a.m. I don’t remember the last time I slept this late.
“Luke called three times. I have no idea what to say to him.”
“You just need to be honest. You need to come out and tell him what happened. That you were there for work, and you saw him,” she says firmly.
“I know.”
“Another thing you have to consider is that there may very well be a good explanation. There is still a chance it’s not what we think,” she says unconvincingly. I know that she doesn’t really believe that. She’s just trying to make me feel a little better, which I appreciate.
“Ok. I better get this over with. I will call you back later.” I hang up, take several deep breaths, and dial Luke’s number.
“Hello? Sienna, is everything OK? I have about twenty missed calls from you. My phone was off last night.”
“Hi, Luke.” I hesitate as I try to find the right words. “Sorry to call you so many times. I just needed to talk to you. Where are you?”
“I am at my hotel. I told you I would be here till tomorrow, and I promised you I would be there for the engagement party. What was so urgent?” He actually sounds irritated that I called.
“I thought you were going away on business with Lance.”
“What are you talking about? I am away on business.”
It’s at this moment that I start vomiting words without even thinking. “No. You’re not. I spoke with Lance last night, and by the way, I know you’re not in Vegas. You are in Palm Springs, and you’ve been going there for a while. So, the question really is, why did you lie to me and who are you seeing?” I stop and wait for his response. I can almost hear the wheels turning in his head as he is trying to answer me.
“How did you know I came to Palm Springs?”
Seriously. That’s all he has to say? “I had to go down there for a work crisis. Madison, Craig, and I took a drive down there. We saw you get on the elevator. So, why don’t you just get to it and be honest with me for once.”
“It’s not what you think,” he says immediately. “It’s true, I have been going to Palm Springs, but it is work related. I promise I will explain; bu
t can we talk in person?”
I am completely torn. I want to know every detail, but I don’t know if I want to see him right now.
“Fine,” I say. “I’m assuming you’re still in Palm Springs. I expect you to leave now and come straight here. We can talk when you get here.” I hang up the phone without waiting for a response.
I’m more confused than ever. I should be preparing for our huge event next week, but now all I can think about is this.
After I get ready, I call Abby back and tell her about my conversation with Luke. She tells me to hear him out before I jump to any more conclusions. I promise her I will.
Luke arrives about two hours later. He comes in and sits down on the couch. Everything feels so awkward, almost like we are strangers.
“OK, Luke. Tell me everything that’s going on, and please tell me the truth,” I demand. I wait for him to start talking. He’s staring at the floor and playing with his hands.
“I’ve been going to Palm Springs for a few weeks. It is work related, but not with Summer Advertising. I’m trying to venture out on my own, and I’ve been meeting with some investors. I’ve been trying to keep it very quiet so my family doesn’t find out. I know I should have told you, but I didn’t want to say anything until I knew it was a strong possibility.” He trails off.
“Where did you stay, there was no room under your name?” I ask.
“The investors I have been meeting with set up my reservations. I asked them not to use my name. Just in case,” he adds. Wow, Craig was right about him using an alias. I still feel really uneasy though. I know I need to ask more questions, but I don’t really know where to start.
“We’ve been together for almost a year. I’m upset that you didn’t feel like you could share this with me. We should be in a place in our relationship where we are making big decisions together, and we should be discussing things and moving forward. I haven’t felt like we’ve been progressing in a while, and I know I’m guilty in a lot of ways. At least guilty of being consumed with my career, but I am at a point now where I want to move forward.” I stop talking for a second just to check to see if he is listening. “I don’t feel important to you right now. Maybe we’ve reached a crossroads and we need to make the decision on where to go from here?”
He starts to rub his forehead like he always does when he gets nervous.
“I feel bad about not talking to you about everything that’s been going on. Honestly, I thought we were both focusing on our careers and on the same page. I guess I’m the only one feeling that way. I love you, and I do want to take things to the next level commitment-wise.” He reaches for my hand. “We have a lot of big changes coming up, and don’t you think we should get through everything first? What’s the big rush?”
Hmmm . . . that’s not exactly what I wanted to hear. I know in my heart that I need time to think and to sort everything out.
“You’re right. We do have a lot on our plates. I have to get through this coming week without extra distractions. It’s the biggest event of my career, and I need to be committed to that.” I suddenly feel stronger and sure of what I have to do.
“I think we should take this time to really think about our relationship and what our goals are as a couple, and not as two separate people. What do you think?” I ask.
“OK,” he hesitates. “I guess I’m not sure what you’re saying? Do you want to take a break? Because I really don’t think that’s necessary,” he adds.
“I’m not saying we break up, but maybe just take time to think. I know I need to.” I watch his reaction. I still don’t think he gets it. Maybe it’s just a guy thing? Sometimes men are just completely clueless, and I have an idea that this is definitely one of those times. Luke is obviously fine with where we are, but I’m not. I don’t even know where we go from here.
“OK. What time are we going to the engagement party tomorrow?” he asks, changing the subject.
“I think I better go on my own tomorrow. I promised Cole’s mom that I would help her with a few things. So, I guess that means you’re off the hook.”
Ouch! That came out a little harsher than I intended, but it’s too late now.
“What do you mean by that? I told you I was going with you. I want to go with you.”
“I didn’t mean to say it like that. I appreciate you wanting to go, but I think it’s best for tomorrow if I go on my own,” I say firmly.
We don’t really say anything else other than some small talk. Luke leaves a short time later.
I need to get out and get some fresh air. I decide retail therapy is the best idea, and I still need to pick up an engagement gift for Madie and Cole, so I head to the mall. It’s a beautiful, sunny, cool afternoon in Southern California, so I open the car windows as I drive.
I keep replaying everything that has happened in the last twenty-four hours. Do I really believe Luke? His explanation should make sense, but for some reason it doesn’t. I still feel like he’s being dishonest. Maybe the signs have been there all along. Maybe I’ve been ignoring them. I start to think about our anniversary date and Ace. Is someone trying to tell me something? I’m driving in a daze until I hear my phone ringing. Craig is calling, and I’m surprised it took him this long to call.
“What took you so long?” I answer.
“Ha-ha. It’s Saturday, and I’ve been sleeping. I need to gear up for the drama of the week ahead. The question is, are you OK? Did you take a cap full of Xanax last night?”
“Thank you for your concern. Actually, I’m going shopping. Since you have slept the whole day away, Luke came over and told me what’s been going on, which by the way, you were right about the alias at the hotel. He’s talking to some investors, and he may be leaving Summer Advertising. That’s why he’s been going down there.” I tell him about the rest of our conversation. He remains really quiet.
“So, that’s the whole story . . . or at least, I think it is.” I hesitate. I know I can always count on Craig to be fully honest but fair.
“What do you mean you think it is? Do you think there’s more to it?” he asks.
“I’m not sure. It all sounds legit, but something’s off. You know how I am when I get those feelings.”
“Hell yeah I do. I’ve been begging you to take me to Vegas to make it rain,” he says with a laugh.
“Anyway, I told him we needed to take some time to think about things, and I basically uninvited him to Madison’s engagement party. So, you will have to be my date,” I say, smiling.
“Of course. I wouldn’t miss dinner at June Cleaver’s house.” He giggles. “How are you really feeling?”
“Surprisingly, I’m OK. I think we need this time to figure out where we are headed. I really want him to think about us and make more of an effort in our relationship. That is if we move forward.”
“Hmmm . . . sounds like the beginning of the end to me,” he says sarcastically.
“Thanks for encouraging me. You are so cynical. I just spent almost a year of my life with this man. Anyway, I have to get my shopping done. Try to do something productive today,” I say, laughing and hanging up.
The next morning I awake to the smell of Madison baking cookies. I know she’s probably making several batches for her soon-to-be mother-in-law. Cole’s mother belongs to several women’s clubs, and of course, she brings Madison’s cookies to every event. I get up and go brush my teeth, which is probably pointless because I’m sure I’ll end up having cookies for breakfast.
“Morning. Thanks for making breakfast,” I say cheerfully.
“Hi. What do you think?” she asks, holding out a plate of cookies. She has created little Bingo cards and flowers. “Let me guess, Bingo night and Gardening Club?” I say sarcastically.
“It’s not funny. She’s really sweet and she’s super nice to me,” Madison says, trying not to laugh.
“I know, I’m sorry.” I apologize. “She is just so Stepford Wives. Craig said he would never miss dinner at June Cleaver’s.” Madison c
racks a smile, but I can tell that she’s trying to be nice. I stop teasing her and sit down to my breakfast of cookies and milk.
“Yep, this is the breakfast of champions right here,” I say, taking a bite. “So, are you excited for tonight?”
“Sure. Susan always does a great job hosting. Of course, the majority of the guests will be their family and friends other than my grandmother and a few of my friends. I wish my parents could be there, but my dad can’t take the extra time off,” she says sadly. “Susan keeps talking about some slide show that she put together. “
I groan. “Yes, I sent her a few pictures. She was on me for a few days to send those to her last week. It was pretty annoying, but I did it for you,” I say, smiling. “You’re welcome.”
“I know she can be a bit much. Thanks for doing that,” she says as she puts her last batch into the oven.
When Craig and I are on our way, I have him make a list of everything we still have to take care of for the charity event. We are six days out, and every day I get a little more nervous. I can tell he doesn’t want to do it now because he keeps reminding me that it’s “still the weekend.”
“It doesn’t matter if it’s still the weekend,” I say finally. “We work on weekends all the time.”
“I know,” he whines. “I just wanted one more day to relax before the crazy begins.”
I start to laugh. “Just wait until Carrie comes in this week and lectures us on not interrupting her weekend trips ever again. Prepare yourself for a verbal beat down. The good news is the countdown until the end is on.” I smile to myself because I can see the end in sight.
When we arrive at the party, I can tell right away that this night is going to be interesting. Susan is perfectly put together from head to toe; she looks like she belongs in a Martha Stewart catalog. In the backyard, there are two long tables set up side by side. I can see Susan’s conservative friends from all of her women’s clubs at one table along with Madison’s grandmother, and at the second table, I see some of Madison’s trendy friends from the Salon. I hear a few of the women whispering about the half-shaved, pink hair and full-sleeve tattoos. I glance at Craig, and he gives me a mischievous smile. He really does live for this stuff. We find seats next to Abby and Matt and wait for the show to begin.
An Event to Remember. . .or Forget (Event to Remember Series Book 1) Page 13
