In the Name of Glori (The Redemption Series: Book 3)

by Maeve Christopher

  “Yes. We love each other, and my family accepts that. They love Ellen too. We will always be together.” Paulo’s eyes sparkled. His passion brought a tear to my eye. I did feel lucky to be part of this family.

  Alain’s arms circled my waist, and he kissed the side of my cheek. I spun around in his arms. “Where’ve you been all this time?”

  “Anywhere Amanda was not.”

  I chuckled. “No publicity for camera-shy Alain.”

  “Hopefully not.”

  ***

  Amanda had always liked to interview the women as a group. She invited Nita, Cat, Cindy, Debbie and me to sit at a large round table on the patio and took a seat in between us.

  “Cat, you and Paulo are an unbelievable team when it comes to writing songs. I thought your first album, Divine Intervention, was a masterpiece. I’ve got to tell you this new album is every bit as good and more. How do you keep this up?”

  Cat pushed her blonde hair from her face and stared at her husband, Cisco, standing off camera. I could tell she drew strength from him, as she mustered her courage to speak. “Paulo and I have always enjoyed working together. Whatever words I have that encourage, that inspire, or entertain—it’s a gift from God. We’re both grateful God has given us this gift, and the ability to touch people with our songs.”

  It was kind of funny—no interviewer ever knew quite what to do when Cat started in on the God stuff. And she always did. Cat could have cared less about being politically correct. I think she saw her life as fulfilling some mission from God. She was shy and retiring by nature, but she wasn’t going to let that stop her from doing what she was destined to do. That’s probably why she was so popular with the public. She was the most spiritual and genuine person I ever knew, and it came through, even on TV.

  Amanda looked relieved when Nita jumped into the conversation to save Cat. Nita never had a problem with chitchat. And Cat sure looked thankful to be out of the spotlight.

  Then Amanda turned to me. “I love your new song, Time for Me. Are you planning on working that into your new Glori Cosmetics line? As a theme song?”

  “We’ll see. We’re still discussing it.” I gave Amanda my movie star smile. “But we are gonna launch the line at the International Commerce Convention in August. The New York store will have the products available at their spa at the same time, and we’ll have the official celebration in September in New York. Cool, huh?”

  “Great. I was so impressed with Maria Lambrecht’s work. And she’s trained the staff you’ve selected for the new stores. We had a fabulous day, trying all those wonderful products. My favorite is the Lavender and Peppermint Scrub.” Amanda rubbed her arms. “My skin feels so soft and smooth, and I do feel invigorated.”

  “Yet balanced.” I winked.

  ***

  It was late in the day. Amanda was visibly strained from trying to get Alain and David to say anything worth putting on television. She gave up and chatted sociably with Eduardo. Jimmy and Aubrey came through the door. The General pointed at his watch. Jimmy looked momentarily remorseful.

  Amanda pounced on the couple. Jimmy tried to get away. Aubrey dragged him by the hand as Amanda led her to the loveseat. Yeah, those two were back to normal.

  Amanda was all smiles—she was going for the scoop. No other reporter had gotten near either one of them since the Tommy Cross incident. “Aubrey, you created quite a stir recently. Everyone was shocked when you stopped promoting your new album, cancelled all your engagements and retreated to the Monchsberg Hotel in Salzburg. What prompted your change of plans? Are you and Jimmy serious?”

  Aubrey beamed. “Of course we’re serious.” She cast a sidelong glance at Jimmy. “I’ve decided to take some time off to enjoy life.”

  Amanda gave her a look. “Do I hear wedding bells?”

  Aubrey giggled. Jimmy remained straight-faced. “We don’t have any plans right now. We just want to spend some time together.”

  ***

  That night, Alain and I didn’t even make it to the bedroom before we tore each other’s clothes off. It wasn’t the first episode on the kitchen table.

  After the loving, I located what was left of my blouse on the floor. “I swear my new line is gonna be quality. This stuff is like tissue paper.”

  For emphasis, I tried ripping the rest of the seam Alain had so expertly started. It didn’t rip. He just laughed at me and buckled his pants. Like I said, the guy’s muscles have muscles.

  “Anyway, I oughtta hire you as my official seam tester. Cool, huh? Then you wouldn’t need to be a secret agent anymore.”

  He grabbed me in his arms. “So how much does this job pay?”

  I looked up into eyes that never gave anything away. “Oh, I don’t know. Maybe a million or so a year.”

  “I’ll definitely consider it.”

  “Cool.” Somehow I got the feeling he really would. Just a million a year. I could probably work it.

  Before I could assemble the remnants of my clothes, he was at work on creating his not-so-delicious, but ever-so-nutritious health nut shake. I figured I’d have what he was having, so he poured two glasses and led me upstairs.

  We sat on the bed, and I twisted my legs around his. I sipped at the concoction. The stuff might be good for you, but it sure was an acquired taste, if you know what I mean.

  “Glori, I’m not sure you understand.” His voice was a little too serious.

  “Understand what?” I gulped. Then I coughed as the stuff went down the wrong way. Yeah, that was glamorous.

  He deposited the glasses on the night stand and rubbed my back.

  I pretended I was fine all along. I squeaked out, “Understand what?” I wasn’t going to lose the chance to have this conversation, whatever it was. The last time he had that tone, he told me he loved me, and that was the first night of many that I thought would be our last night together. If that makes any sense.

  “Understand what?”

  “I took this training job for Pearson because I wanted to have a more normal job. Because I wanted to be able to have a life with you.”

  I realized my mouth was hanging open. “When did you decide that?” Shit. Too accusatory. I was supposed to be an actress, but Alain was one person I could never act around. “I—I mean you said Pearson offered you this training thing way back when David was in the hospital. We’d only been together a few weeks, really.”

  He looked at me with those green eyes. Alain never did say much, so I always felt compelled to jump in. “Okay. But the training job is here in Salzburg. And you never asked me to move here with you…”

  “That was a misunderstanding.”

  “Okay. Okay, so when I did live here with you at David’s place, you went and got an apartment in the city…”

  “That was a temporary situation. I had to be closer to work. I told you that. And I was with you every night that I could be. Besides, you told me that’s when Cat told you about Christina.”

  “Okay. Okay.” My eyes got cloudy. I blinked a bunch of times. “You mean it was love at first sight?”

  He grinned at me. “Didn’t you say I swept you off your feet?”

  I choked, on what I don’t know. Emotions, I guess. “Yeah, you sure did.” I could still feel the thrill of his arms around me for the first time.

  “I may have had my feet on the ground. But you swept my heart away from that moment.”

  I was actually sweating. Real attractive, huh? I wiped my damp palms on the comforter. “I thought you were showing off for your friends.”

  He smirked. “I thought you were showing off for my friends.”

  I giggled. “Yeah, I kind of was. But I never would’ve thought you’d want me for more than a fling.”

  He grabbed me into his arms and kissed me. “Why don’t we have a fling for the rest of our lives?”

  “Cool.” I wasn’t exactly eloquent when I was in his arms.

  ***

  I ended my Monday morning jog on Cindy’s terrace. She poured me
a cup of coffee and sat across the table. We looked out on a spectacular view, the distant mountains against a perfect sky. Cin always joked that it was that view that sold her on living in Austria. Like we all don’t know she’d follow Raphael to the ends of the earth and beyond. (I have the feeling he’d do the same for her.)

  I stretched my arms in an expansive gesture. “It’s all gonna work out, Cin.”

  “You’ve got your life-plan done?” Cindy smiled.

  “Yeah. I’ve decided to take a lesson from Raphael and Paulo. Have everyone come here to meet with me. I’m the star, ya know.” I flipped my hair.

  Cindy gave me an exaggerated nod. “That’s right.”

  “I’ve been doin’ a lot of thinking lately, and talking with Alain.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah, I’ve decided to focus on getting my name out there as a brand. I’ve got lots of contacts I can draw from. Paulo, Cat and Nita are doin’ okay, and they’re not touring. I know I don’t have the voice and the talent they do, so I’d be limiting my income if I just do a few songs. If I tour, I’ll be making good money, but I can do just as well in business, I think. Plus, I’ve decided it’s most important to be home with Alain, as much as possible.”

  “I’m glad you made a decision. It seemed to be a real problem between you two. But you have to follow your heart. Whatever is best for you.”

  “Yeah. I love the guy, Cin. That’s the bottom line. And it’s best for our relationship if I’m not out touring all the time. That’s exhausting anyway. I know Aubrey was beat. It’s exciting for a while, but it gets old fast. So I’ll learn from her mistakes. Ya know her new album is selling great, even though she took a break. She’s still all over the news cuz she’s takin’ a break, and back with Jimmy again.” I set my jaw. “I know I can be successful. Plus, I’ll be able to help Debbie. She’ll make a fortune from her art.”

  Cindy chuckled. “That’s great. But why are you so concerned about Debbie’s finances all of a sudden? She’s not going to starve. No pun intended.”

  I blinked away Cat’s face in front of my mind’s eye. “I think she’s really talented, that’s all. Plus, it’s not like David makes a fortune. With six kids they can really use the money. Anyway, I called some of my contacts in the swimwear business. I’ve got some meetings penciled in right here in Salzburg. My first line is gonna be called ‘Watercolors.’ Debbie’s got a shitload of watercolor paintings that would be perfect for swimwear. With my contacts and her art, we’ll be golden.”

  Cindy nodded. “I’m impressed. It’s a fantastic idea.”

  “Yeah, I got it all worked out. I can have it all. Pretty soon, we’ll be callin’ Raphael to double the size of our house.”

  “Now that’s a good one. It wasn’t so long ago you talked about traveling the world with Alain, keeping your small house here as a vacation home. And the movie deal?” Cindy smiled.

  “Yeah. I know I’m gettin’ sucked into this family stuff. But I’m not givin’ up on the movie deal. I convinced Alain to take some time off when I find a script I like. It’s just a matter of time. And my father won’t be the producer. That much, I can guarantee. He’s messed up my career for the last time.”

  Cin gave me a sympathetic look. “Well, he certainly never did anything to help, when it would have been simple for him.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Your dad and your brothers, even total strangers recommended me for some great roles. And my dad would step in whenever he could and recommend someone else. He loved to put me down. The guy’s a jerk.”

  Cin nodded. “You’re right. I never understood the man. I never understood how he could ignore his own child. How he could think your mom was actually taking care of you.” She wiped her eyes. “Anyway, we don’t need to go there again. It looks like you’re all set now.”

  “Yeah, I just need to ask you a favor.”

  “Sure.”

  “Will you be my matron of honor, Cin? Alain and I decided to get married on New Year’s Eve.”

  Cindy gasped and grabbed me in an ecstatic hug. There we were, bouncing up and down together on the terrace, like a couple of idiots. In Salzburg, Austria.

  Chapter Seven

  When we finally calmed down, Cin was full of questions. “Another big year for weddings. Paulo and Ellen and now you and Alain. Are you planning on having everyone from Beverly Hills? Where are you having the wedding?”

  “Well, I wanted to have it in Beverly Hills. But I know that’d be a pain for everyone. Debbie’s due in January. I really want everyone in the family to come. My family in the U.S. isn’t really a family to me. Mom would just be interested to meet whatever celebrities she could. Dad could care. So I told Alain, we should have it at the Monchsberg.”

  Cindy beamed. “That’s fantastic.”

  “Yeah, your wedding was beautiful there. Paulo’s will be great. I already called Papa Roberto and asked him. You’d think I was his own granddaughter, the way he acted. He was practically crying on the phone, he was so happy.”

  “He’s crazy about you, Glori. He does think of you like a granddaughter.”

  “Yeah, he is a sweet old man. He said we can have the whole hotel for guests. Whatever we want. I thought we could divide the ballroom and use half for the wedding ceremony, and half for the reception. I don’t want a lot of people. But it will be a great party, that’s for sure.”

  “Sounds excellent. I can’t wait.”

  “Yeah, and I also talked to him about using a room for my business meetings. When these people come to work with me on my new products, they can stay right there at the Monchsberg. Raphael has the right idea. It’s a perfect set-up. Papa Roberto said he’ll take care of everything. I told him I want that meeting room overlooking the courtyard. It’s a great view.”

  “Raphael’s clients love meeting there. Much more atmosphere than an office building. Sounds like you’re all set.”

  “Yeah. I am going to need your help to pull all this off. I have like six months to plan a wedding. Plus everything else.”

  “You can count on me. You know that.” Cin looked a bit hesitant all of a sudden. “Are you inviting your parents?”

  I took a deep breath. “Yeah. Alain thinks we need to at least invite our parents. And he has a half-sister he hasn’t seen in years. Who knows if they’ll all come?”

  Cin bit her lip. “Frankly, I understand why you wouldn’t want your parents there. But you probably should ask them.”

  Yeah, Cindy’s caution over inviting my parents took me on a quick, unhappy trip down memory lane. My mom was the probably the dizziest dame on the planet, and my dad was the most self-centered person you’d ever want to meet. No doubt I got all their best traits. And I got the upbringing of a wild animal. They were both useless as parents. No wonder I clung to my wacky family in Salzburg, Austria.

  ***

  That day I had lunch with Cat and Cisco and Papa Roberto at the Monchsberg. Before the meal Papa gave us a tour of the various meeting rooms. There had been so many family events at that hotel, I was pretty well acquainted with the facilities. But as a new businesswoman, I studied it all with a fresh eye and a new attitude. It was perfect. Old world elegance with all the modern conveniences and amenities. Everything was “top class,” as Papa said.

  Papa Roberto Dominguez was a true character and the family patriarch. Everyone called him Papa, even though he was actually only grandfather to Raphael and the Clementes. To the rest of us, he was our surrogate grandfather. He was well over eighty, but he didn’t look it. Dapper and distinguished, he was always dressed to the nines and sported a well-trimmed silver beard.

  He’d owned the Monchsberg for over twenty-five years, and lived in the luxurious penthouse overlooking the old city. His wife, Rosa, had been dead quite a few years, but he talked about her practically every time I saw him. Her pictures were everywhere, and if you didn’t happen to notice, he’d show you and tell their story. It was really sweet, and it made you believe in the power of love.


  Papa was the one that started Dominguez Construction, the company his son, Roberto, now ran from Madrid. When Raphael came on board, he had the smarts to really explode their business. They built commercial properties globally, and they all did really well.

  But when Cisco did some currency deal, Raphael ended up with a hundred million dollars. Since he didn’t get along so famously with his dad, he decided to work part time from Salzburg, just for fun. So he saw clients at the Monchsberg and did his deals there. His dad, Roberto, couldn’t complain. Clients flew from all over creation to meet Raphael, and the company’s profits soared.

  I figured I could do the same. I took a seat at the head of a conference table, and felt my ego inflating as I surveyed the room of mahogany and marble.

  Papa beamed at me and addressed me in his most formal tone. “Would you like to take your lunch in here, President Glori?”

  Cat and Cisco smiled from the doorway.

  “President Glori. That has a nice ring to it. Cool. Let’s do lunch here.” We had a great view of the courtyard, with all its flowers and shrubbery. Papa sure had some talented gardeners, I’d give him that.

  Papa summoned the waiters, and Cat and Cisco took their seats.

  I decided to get over myself and my new title and get down to business. “Ya know, Maria’s products are awesome, but it’s a big world out there. We need to get the word out. We need some serious buzz.”

  Cat smiled. “Your personality and your celebrity is what Diana Black is counting on to sell these products. I think the uniqueness of the products, coupled with your sales ability and image will make Glori Cosmetics a success. Women are fascinated by you and your life, Glori. They will listen to your message.”

  “You simply need to get the message in front of them,” Cisco said. “With the internet and all the media attention you can command, it certainly is do-able.”