“Wait.” Ignacio held up his hands. “Why don’t you come with us, Chloe?”
Chloe was taken aback, but Suzanne flung up her arms. “Oh please. Come with us, Chloe. That would make it that much more special.”
Chloe wasn’t sure, but she said yes. It would give her time to think about her life and what she wanted now that everything was such a mess.
Ignacio embraced Suzanne and Chloe. “Now,” he said with a twinkle in his eyes, “an engagement is not complete without this.”
Suzanne looked as though she were hyperventilating when Ignacio knelt down and pulled out a small box from his pocket. He took out a three carat princess cut diamond ring. “Suzanne, the love of my life, will you marry me?”
Suzanne gasped. “When did you find time to do this?”
Chloe pinched her and whispered, “Mom, it doesn’t matter when he bought it, just say yes.”
Ignacio laughed. “When you were sleeping the other day.”
Suzanne pressed her lips against his and nodded, while everybody in the Moss Beach Distillery clapped and cheered for them. Greta was jumping around in circles and yipping as they said goodbye.
***
Chloe jumped out of her bed when she heard her cell phone ring. It’s 7:00 AM. Who can be calling? Chloe didn’t recognize the number but picked up her phone. Three weeks had passed quickly and she had been very busy the day before dealing with the printing company, the band, the minister, the cake decorator, the photographer and everyone involved in the wedding. She had explained to everyone who was going to provide services that the wedding was not for her, but for her mother. Her mom had taken more than three hours choosing her wedding dress at Brides Only. Chloe was glad that Nicole had come with her, or she and her mom might have ended in a shouting match.
“This is Chloe.”
“Chloe Rogers?”
Chloe recognized the Southern accent and realized who it was. It was her ex-future mother-in-law.
“Do you know who this is?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Don’t you uh-huh me, young lady. You have some explaining to do,” Dorothy snapped.
Chloe took a deep breath. “I’ve already spoken to Richard.”
“I know you have spoken to my son, but I just want to tell you that my son doesn’t deserve a woman like you.”
Chloe sighed. This wasn’t the way she wanted to start her morning, but she knew this would be the last time she would speak to Richard’s mother. “I couldn’t agree with you more. For the first time we agree on something and this is the last time you will hear from me.”
Dorothy laughed. “Well, you do have gumption, I’ll give you that.” Then she hung up.
She made her point. At least, Chloe wouldn’t have to worry about in-laws like her. Greta must have sensed that something was wrong because she licked Chloe’s nose. Chloe got up and washed her face. After drying with a towel, she entered her walk-in closet and sat down. Her face fell as she saw her Christian Dior wedding gown hanging on the rack. She removed it and closed her eyes as she envisioned herself wearing it amidst the sound of the waves of the ocean. She started to cry. Her dream of marrying her true love was over.
She wiped her tears and went downstairs to make coffee. She turned on her computer and sent an email to Richard that she was going to have Nicole drop off the refund and engagement ring later today.
She got her cordless phone and dialed Nicole’s number. Nicole was an early riser and would be up at this time.
“Nicole speaking.”
“Good morning, Nic.”
“How are you holding up, girl?”
Chloe grunted.
Nicole asked. “Why do you sound so glum?”
“I’m fine – just tired.”
“Chloe, you know you can’t hide anything from me. I can sense when something’s wrong.”
“All right…Richard’s mom called me today to tell me that Richard doesn’t deserve a woman like me.”
“Really? What did you tell her?”
“I told her that I couldn’t agree more,” Chloe said, transferring the phone to her left ear.
“Hmmm, and what did she say?”
“She said I had gumption then hung up. Listen, Nic, I need a favor. Do you think you can drop off the refund check and engagement ring at Richard’s place later today?”
“Sure! Matt and I can go later after work.” She paused. “Back to Richard’s mom – that’s not why you’re upset, right?”
“I don’t know, Nic.” Chloe’s voice cracked. “Yesterday, I was so happy that Mom found the perfect dress and was going to marry Ignacio, and today when I saw my wedding dress I cried.”
“Wait a minute, are you crying because you’re not marrying Richard? I’m not sure I follow you,” Nicole said.
“No, I’m crying because all of this could have been avoided if I had said yes to Josh. He’s my true love.”
Nicole sighed. “Chloe, if he’s your true love, then you have to fight for him. Give it all you’ve got.”
Chloe burst into tears. “I can’t.”
“Why give up, Chloe? If you were so determined to find Ignacio for your mom, why not use the same passion to let Josh know that you want to marry him?”
Chloe didn’t answer. She finally told Nicole that Josh had moved back to Oregon and that she was too late.
She asked Nicole. “What am I supposed to do? Mom’s wedding is tomorrow.”
Nicole communicated with her then said, “Chloe, I wish I could talk all day but I have to get ready for work. Don’t forget what I said. I’ve known you all your life. If Josh isn’t worth fighting for, then I don’t know what is,” Nicole said. She hung up, leaving Chloe more miserable than before.
***
Josh was lying on his bed shooting some hoops into the small basketball net he had hanging on the far wall. After more than thirty shots, he stopped. It was midnight and he couldn’t sleep. What was he doing back in Oregon? He couldn’t forgive himself for all the damage he had done to Chloe and Richard’s wedding. Although it was Trish’s fault for barging into Chloe’s house in the first place, it was his mistake for telling Trish about Chloe.
He had asked Chloe to marry him and, with the way things were going between Chloe and him, he was sure she would have broken up with Richard and married him, but would have been done with integrity, not the way Trish had popped the news to Richard and his family.
Without thinking twice, Josh had packed his bags and told Phil that he was moving back to Oregon where he was staying with his mother until he could find a place to live. He left without saying goodbye to Chloe. What would he have told her? He didn’t know if Chloe was still pushing ahead with the wedding, but it was too late to do anything about it now.
He had caused so much damage that the only rational thing to do was to move away – far away where nobody would get hurt. As for Trish, she saw the look he had given Chloe and knew then that his heart belonged to her so she had said goodbye. She had done what she had set out to do and that was enough for her.
Josh went to his desk and pulled out an old silver frame. He wiped the dust and forced a smile. It was a picture of Chloe sitting on a swing in pigtails when she was eleven years old. It was the only picture he had of her from that same day he had asked her if she wanted to ride on his bike. She had said yes and he had never forgotten her smile as he drove her around Half Moon Bay. He held her photo close to his heart when he heard a knock at the door. His mother opened the door.
“Josh, you need to get some rest,” she said, entering his room.
Josh put the photo inside his pocket and stood up to hug his mom. She rubbed his back and held him tight.
“Josh,” she said, holding his hand. “If you love Chloe, don’t give up. You never know when you’ll get another chance.”
Although, his mother never asked Josh why he moved back to Oregon, Josh was sure that his mother knew the answer. Women tended to have powerful intuition, while men seemed clueless m
ost of the time. Women were the ones with the most sense.
Josh opened his eyes wide. His mother was right. He couldn’t let Chloe marry Richard. He had to stop the wedding. “Thanks, Mom,” he said, running to his closet while he hurriedly threw some clothes inside his bag. He went to the bathroom and grabbed his toothbrush, toothpaste and deodorant then stashed it inside his bag. He opened his bedside drawer and took out a small silver box, the ring intact. He was supposed to give it to Chloe the day Trish arrived, but that was when all the drama began. He closed the box, put it inside his pocket. Then he put on his shoes and grabbed his coat and keys while closing the zipper.
“Where are you going, Josh?”
“To the airport. I need to catch the next flight to San Francisco.”
Chapter Nineteen
Suzanne’s wedding day was sunnier than usual. Suzanne, Jill and Chloe had spent the night at the Ritz hotel chatting ‘till the wee hours of the morning. Suzanne had hardly slept, and Chloe had requested room service to bring fresh cucumbers for their eye bags. “Mom, you need to put this on your eyes.”
Suzanne was more hyper than ever as she tried on her dress and sandals, while nagging Chloe about whether or not she had everything organized.
“Mom, for once, will you stop acting like a control freak,” Chloe begged. “When this is all over, you’re going to thank me.”
“Suzanne, Chloe is right. You need to relax.” Jill laughed.
“How do you expect me to relax if the wedding’s in six hours? What time is Nicole coming? Are you sure she knows how to apply makeup?” Suzanne asked, pacing the length of the room.
“Aunt Jill, do you have a tranquilizer?”
“You’re not giving me any of those, Chloe! Do you hear me?”
Chloe shook her head, while Jill shrugged her shoulders.
Suzanne answered the phone. It was Ignacio checking on her. She immediately lowered her voice. “Oh things are going well. We have everything under control. I’ll see you later.”
Chloe put a hand on her mother’s shoulder. “Mom, does Ignacio know the real you?”
“What do you mean?” Suzanne asked, turning toward her and putting her hands on her hips.
“You seem to go into a trance each time you talk to him.” Chloe tried not to giggle as Jill made funny faces behind Suzanne.
“All right, all right,” Suzanne said, holding up her hands in defeat. “I apologize for acting like a nervous Nellie, but I only feel calm when I’m with him.”
“I know.” Chloe grinned. “Perhaps we should go swimming at the pool. That should calm everybody’s nerves.”
“Swimming? Goodness, how could you possibly think of such a thing?” Suzanne frowned.
“Suzanne, Chloe is right. We could all use some relaxation before the makeup artist arrives,” Jill said, opening her bag to remove her swimsuit.
“C’mon, Mom, you’re leaving for Tahiti tomorrow and you need to practice your strokes.” Chloe winked. “It’s an indoor pool so you don’t have to worry about the sun.”
Suzanne sighed. “All right… You guys win, but I didn’t bring a swimsuit.”
“You thought you’d escape there, didn’t you?” Chloe chuckled as she opened her bag. “I bought you one.”
Suzanne covered her mouth. “How did you know what to get?”
“I’m your daughter, remember?” Chloe teased.
Suzanne dropped her shoulders as she went to the bathroom to try on the navy blue and white swimsuit Chloe bought her. She came out twenty minutes later. Jill and Chloe’s jaws dropped. “Mom, you look amazing.”
Suzanne put her hands on her hips. “What’s the matter with you two? Why haven’t you changed? I thought we’re going swimming.”
Jill and Chloe hurriedly changed into their bathing suits and put on their robes. They took the elevator down. Nobody was swimming and they had the pool to themselves. Suzanne put her right foot inside the water and started to shiver while Chloe took a big jump which sent all the water splashing onto Suzanne.
“Chloe! You ruined my hair.” Suzanne frowned.
Jill held her hand as the pair dipped themselves in the pool. “Don’t worry, Suzanne. Chloe’s friend will fix your hair too.”
“Chloe!” Suzanne screamed as the water came up to her neck. “We forgot the wedding rings.”
“Mom, will you relax. Ignacio is taking care of it. Everything is under control.”
“Okay, but I’m not used to doing things so last minute.”
Jill was floating in the water. “After all this is over, you’ll look back and see how well everything turned out.”
Suzanne tiptoed around the pool while clinging to the side. “Are you ready for the trip to Tahiti tomorrow?”
Chloe opened her eyes wide. “What am I supposed to be doing while you two love birds are together?” This was supposed to be her honeymoon present – with Richard – yet what flashed through her mind was Josh and her holding hands by the beach and lying down in the hammock kissing. She missed him so much.
“I know you probably feel like a third wheel, sweetie,” Suzanne said, squeezing her arm. “But you need a break after everything that has happened. It will be good for you.”
Chloe looked at Jill who nodded at her then turned her head towards Suzanne and shrugged. “I guess you’re right, Mom.”
Suzanne embraced her and whispered, “Mother’s know best. And don’t worry we can pass by your place to pack your clothes before we leave for the airport.”
Chloe sighed. With Josh gone, a week in Tahiti would give her time to lick her wounds before she started her business. “Thanks, Mom.”
“Chloe, I hope you realize that I love you,” Suzanne said, stroking her hair.
“I love you too, Mom,” Chloe said, giving her a kiss on the cheek.
“Well, well, well, I’m so happy to see the two of you finally kissing and making up after all that time apart,” Jill said, splashing the water towards them.
They giggled like little girls then swam around splashing water at one another.
“Mom, you haven’t told me how you felt when you saw Ignacio again.”
Suzanne blushed. “I really have to thank you for that, Chloe… I never ever thought I’d see him again.”
“I saw how pale your face turned when you saw him.” Chloe laughed.
“I thought I had seen a ghost.” Suzanne smiled. “He hasn’t changed one bit. He’s still as romantic and sweet as he used to be.”
“I’m so happy for you, Mom,” Chloe said, teary-eyed. “You found your long-lost love.” Her thoughts shifted to Josh. Would she have to wait forty years to reunite with him?
“Seeing Ignacio again made me smell the roses and appreciate what’s around me. It’s not every day we get to spend time with the people we love.”
Chloe bit her lip. “I agree.”
“Chloe, my dear, you have a full life ahead of you.” Suzanne patted her hand. “Don’t be afraid to fall in love again. You have so much to give.”
“Thanks, Mom.” She wanted to tell her mom that the person she loved was in Oregon and that she was too late, but decided this wasn’t the proper time and place. It was her mother’s wedding and Suzanne needed to be queen for a day.
“Everybody deserves to be loved,” Jill said, doing her backstrokes.
“Now that I’m feeling more relaxed, can we go back to the hotel room?” Suzanne asked, getting out of the pool.
Chloe and Jill followed and dried themselves before going to the elevator.
***
Josh borrowed his mother’s car and drove full speed to the airport. He parked his car in the parking lot, grabbed his bag and locked the door. He ran inside the airport and almost knocked over an old lady walking down the corridor. He apologized and began running again until he arrived at the ticket counter panting and out of breath. “I need the next flight to San Francisco.”
The ticket agent ignored him as she typed something into the computer.
He ran
g the bell. “Excuse me, but I need to book the next flight to San Francisco.”
She pursed her thick red lips. “Didn’t you read the screen? The red eye flight left two hours ago. You’ll have to wait until morning.”
Josh sighed and looked at his watch. “Okay, when’s the next available flight? I need to get to San Francisco fast.”
The ticket agent frowned. “If you needed to be there yesterday then why didn’t you buy your ticket early?”
Josh didn’t bother to argue. “Could you please check for the next flight?”
She glared at him and continued to type on her computer. “We have a 6:30 AM flight.”
“Good, let me take that.”
She typed in more info. “Sorry, it’s full.”
Josh scratched his head. “How about the next flight?”
She stared at him with cold eyes. “I can put you on the waiting list if you want.”
“Waiting list?” Josh ran frustrated fingers through his hair. “You don’t understand. I need to catch that plane. You see there’s this girl and she’s marrying somebody else. I’m supposed to stop her before she goes through with it.”
The lady scowled at him. “I’m sorry sir, but all flights to San Francisco are full. The next available flight would be at eight-forty at night and I only have room for one.”
“Eight-forty?” His shoulders fell. “The wedding will be over by then. How about via Oakland or San Jose? Are there any flights going there?”
The ticket agent grinned. “Well, why didn’t you say so in the first place?”
Josh drummed his fingers on the countertop.
“Just a moment while I check, sir.”
Josh was cracking his knuckles and pacing when he finally saw the lady smile. “It’s your lucky day, sir. Someone cancelled their booking for the one-twenty flight to Oakland.”
“Yes!” Josh jumped into the air and raised a fist. “I’ll take it.” He handed the ticket agent his card. In turn, she gave him his boarding pass.
“Thank you so much.”
Love Letters Page 25
