Sure, there was the little problem of that girl Kerry to deal with. Gavin must have gone to her because Tali had yelled at him, right? They'd been in the coffee shop, not a hotel room. He'd said Kerry was his past. He had to still feel that way. One little fight with Tali wouldn't make him change his mind, would it?
Tomorrow, she'd find a way to make him listen to her long enough to make things right, even if she had to beg him. Then they could be together in Paris for a little while before she had to go back to the States. He would take her back. She wouldn't give him any other choice but to make up with her.
Besides, once he knew the truth of how she felt, he'd want to be with her. Easy. Problem solved.
Tali startled out of her thoughts as her cell phone came to life on the nightstand beside the bed. The front display lit up and the phone vibrated, rattling noisily against the wood.
"Dad?" she asked into the phone.
How strange for her father to call her knowing how late it was in Paris. Her father always had an uncanny ability to know what time it was anywhere in the world without having to look up the time change or do the math. Probably all those years traveling when he was getting the company up and running, and solidly on its global feet.
Was it some strange coincidence her father would call out of the blue right after she'd made up her mind to tell him she wasn't going to work at the company anymore? The timing couldn't be more perfect. She could tell him now, get the awkward conversation out of the way then talk to Gavin tomorrow.
Gavin would be so proud of her for finally standing up for what she really wanted.
"Hey, honey. Did I wake you? I know it's late there." Her father's voice sounded shaky on the other end of the line. Her father was always even-keeled, not rattled by anything. She'd never heard him lose the calm, cool edge in his voice. Never. This wasn't an average phone call to check on her.
"Dad, is everything okay? You sound funny." She tried to keep her own voice calm. She didn't like hearing that tone in her father's voice.
"I'm afraid not. Stanley had a massive heart attack today on the golf course and it's not looking good for him right now."
"That's awful. Poor Rachelle, she must be so worried." His business partner's wife was one of the nicest women in the Meadow. She was always the first one to lend a hand when anyone needed anything.
"We're all worried." He father sighed. "So listen. I know you're getting over Roger and everything, but I need you to come home now. This is what we've been training you for. I need you to come home and start working in Stanley's place as soon as possible."
Tali's head swam and she wiped her sweaty palms on the bed sheets beside her. Now the moment had come to tell her father what she really wanted and she didn't know if she'd be able to find the words. How could she tell him she didn't want the job?
"I—um." She cleared her throat and tried to focus on what she really wanted and not what other people wanted for her. "I wasn't planning on coming back to work."
"You what?"
Tali swallowed. "I was thinking I might stay here for a while and paint. You know how I've always wanted to do that."
"Tali, this isn't the time to be messing around with some foolish dream. You've had your fun and a chance to get over Roger and now it's time to come home and do your job."
Tali's heart sank into her stomach. Of course he didn't understand. Why had she ever thought he would? Being an artist wasn't something her father would ever accept of her. But it wasn't his choice to make. It was hers.
"But I don't want the job. Didn't you hear me? I don't want to run the company. I want to paint and sketch and create masterpieces."
"Now you listen to me. I did not raise you to run off and throw away your responsibilities. You've gone to college for this. You've trained for this moment. I'm not going to let you walk away from everything we've been working toward because you're having a little tantrum over Roger. Suck it up and get back here tomorrow. I'll expect to see you at the house by dinner."
"But—" she started to protest again.
"No negotiating. I need you and you will not let the family down. I need you to step up while Stanley recovers… if he ever recovers." Her father's voice broke and he coughed. "Come home, Tali. I need you," he finished softly.
Tali looked at the sketchbook sitting open on the bed where she'd left it earlier. It was open to the drawing she'd done while in the restaurant—the one with Gavin leaning against the railing looking over the city. She flipped the book closed and put a pillow over it so she wouldn't have to look at it while her heart crumbled and her dreams evaporated.
"Okay. I'll see you soon."
Tali hung up the phone and dialed Cameron before she had the chance to change her mind. He picked up after a few rings sounding very sleepy.
"Hey, Cam. My father called. There's a crisis and I need to head home right away. Can we get a flight scheduled for first thing in the morning?"
"Yeah, sure we can. But why did you call me instead of Captain Taylor? He's the one who's going to have to make the arrangements."
She couldn't stomach telling him herself, that's why.
Tali's heart constricted in her chest at the thought of telling Gavin she was going back. She was far too much of a coward to stand up to her father for what she really wanted. She didn't want to hear the disappointment in Gavin's voice when he found out how weak she really was. There was no way Gavin would ever understand the choices she had to make for her family.
"Just make it happen, okay?"
"Okay. I'll let you know when we're leaving."
"Thanks." She hung up the phone and curled up on her side, pulling her covers over her head.
Tears rolled down her cheeks and soaked into the pillow beneath her head. Seemed she was going back to the States the same way she'd left—brokenhearted and alone.
Chapter Ten
Gavin stood on the top step of the stairs leading up to the cabin area of the small jet and looked across the tarmac at the terminal. Was she here yet?
He'd been woken in the middle of the night by Cameron saying they were to immediately fly back to the States at Tali's request. He was given no reason why. He could only assume she was done with him and was ready to return home to her real life—a life that didn't include him.
Well, he had no one to blame but himself. He deserved the pain growing in his chest for the awful things he'd said to Tali. He couldn't fault her for her choice, but he couldn't help but wish she'd made the choice to follow her heart. Instead, she was returning to a job she hated and a life that left her unsatisfied.
That she hadn't called him to schedule them leaving, was more proof to him she was over him. She'd moved on and he was going to have to follow her lead. How he would move on without her, he wasn't sure.
The thought of not spending time with Tali made him feel unsatisfied, too. He'd miss her company, even if her company was a bit on the spoiled side and always full of smart-assed comments. He sighed.
He'd miss that ass of hers, too.
He straightened his back and forced himself to smile as a black town car drove up to plane. He would greet Tali like he did all his other passengers and he would keep his thoughts to himself. If she didn't want to be with him, he wasn't going to make a fool of himself trying to win her back. Well, at least he hoped he'd be strong enough not to make a fool of himself.
Tali stepped out of the back of the car and his stomach did a flip. She looked as beautiful as always. Her hair was piled on top of her head in a messy lump, and she wore a simple T-shirt and jeans. But somehow she looked amazing nonetheless.
Play it cool.
"Tali," he said simply as she walked passed him and into the plane.
She smiled over her shoulder as she made her way to her seat. "Captain Taylor."
Formalities. Not good.
"Can I help you with your bags or anything?" It was a professional enough question, wasn't it?
"No, thank you," she said, bending over to shove h
er bag into the space under her seat. Her ass looked great in those jeans. "Me and my—cargo—are already taken care of."
His gaze flickered up to her eyes from where it had settled happily on her rear. She grinned at him and the familiar twinkle of playfulness in her eyes lingered beneath the surface. Maybe she wasn't mad at him after all. Maybe there was still a chance for them to work things out.
She settled herself into her seat and Gavin moved to take the one next to her. "We have a few minutes before we're scheduled to leave and there's something I wanted to talk to you about."
She held up her hands. "Before you tell me what a mistake I'm making going back, you should know I don't have a choice this time."
"You always have choices, but that's not what I wanted to talk about. Tali, I—" Gavin's words were cut short as Tali gasped and looked past him to the door of the plane.
"What the hell are you doing here?" she asked.
Gavin turned to see a man walking toward them. Gavin stepped in the man's way and put his hands up. "Hold on a second. I don't have anyone else scheduled for this flight. Who are you and what are you doing on my plane?"
"That's Roger."
Roger? This was the dickhead who'd been stupid enough to cheat on Tali and then get engaged to his mistake. Gavin felt his blood pressure rising.
"I am on your passenger list. Check it again." Roger pushed passed him and took a seat across the small aisle from Tali. A grin spread across his face as he leaned back against the seat and folded his hands behind his head. "Hey, how about we get this show on the road, huh, Captain? Off you go. Flight checks and all that."
Gavin fisted his hands at his side. What the hell was going on? Why was Tali's ex on this flight all of a sudden? Why was he even in Paris to begin with when it sounded like Tali had left him back in the States?
"What are you doing on my flight?" He kept his voice calm and professional.
"Oh, didn't Tali tell you? She told me to head back to the States and when I heard she was headed back today too I figured we might as well share the ride. It's such a long trip to take in a private plane all on your own. It's much more fun to have someone special flying with you."
"Roger, I never—" Tali started.
Gavin cut her off mid-sentence. "Great. Glad to have you on board. I'll go do my final flight check and we'll be on our way in a few minutes."
"Gavin, wait," Tali called after him, but he disappeared out the door and down the stairs before he had to listen to her say anything else.
If she wanted to be with the jerk who had dumped her only a few days ago, then it was her business. Obviously she must have called him last night after their fight in the park. Well, thank God he hadn't gotten the chance to say what he'd planned.
Gavin finished checking the outside of the aircraft and returned to the interior of the plane. He tried not to pay attention to Tali and Roger, but he couldn't help but notice they were speaking. And it didn't sound like an argument.
Damn. Couldn't she have given him a heads up at least? Couldn't she have refrained from sleeping with Gavin if she thought there was a possibility she'd get back together with her ex?
Gavin closed the cockpit door so he wouldn't have to see them anymore. He reached into his pant pocket and pulled out the small square box he'd tucked away earlier. He'd planned on talking to Tali and giving it to her before they took off for the States. That wasn't going to happen now.
Expensive souvenir.
He stuffed the little box into his coat hanging in the small closet and closed the door tight. The little box would be safest tucked away where he didn't have to see it, feel it, or think about it. Now wasn't the time to dwell on such things. Not when he had a transatlantic flight to focus on.
As they taxied out onto the runway, Gavin couldn't help but feel as if maybe he wouldn't want to return to Paris again anytime soon. There were too many memories made in the last few days.
No. The city, the memories—Tali—all of it was better off left behind.
"Seriously, what the hell are you doing on my flight? How did you even find out I was on my way home today?" Tali scowled at Roger. Of all the ways Roger could decide to get his cheating self home to the States, he had to choose her way.
"I have my sources."
"Great. Good for you. You could have taken your own family's jet. You didn't have to hitchhike on mine."
"True, but it's such a long flight and we were going to the same place. I figured why not fly home together instead and then we're not alone."
"I like alone. Alone is a good thing. Why didn't you go on your own plane?"
"They'd already left to pick up my sister and her friends in Morocco. If I didn't go home with you, I'd have been stranded in Paris." He looked at her with his best doe-eyes, but she wasn't falling for it.
"Do you really think I'd care if you were stranded on a deserted island after what you did to me?"
He shook his head. "Tali, stop this. Stop acting like you're not happy to see me."
She laughed. He had some nerve. "I'm not happy to see you. This is not an act."
"We both know you're making me pay for what I did and that's okay," he continued as if he hadn't heard her. "I'll pay my dues a little longer until you feel satisfied and then we can move past this whole messy mix-up."
Seriously? Some nerve. "You cheated on me then got engaged. There's no mix-up there. And the thing that would satisfy me most right now is if you'd strap a parachute to your back and find out first-hand what it's like to fly."
"Oh, ouch. You always did have a mean streak. God I love that about you."
He crossed the aisle and took the seat next to her. She tried to shrink back against the outside wall of the plane. She didn't have any desire to be so close to him.
"I don't love anything about you anymore."
"Tali, come on now. There's no reason for you to act like this. Once we get home and back into the usual swing of things, you'll see you still have those feelings for me. You need to get over this already." He put his hand on her knee and squeezed. She cringed.
"You need to get the hell away from me. I'm not getting back into life as usual once I'm back home. I'm not going to be back home for long."
Roger's brow wrinkled. "What are you talking about?"
"Nothing, never mind." Shit. Why had she let that slip? She hadn't even figured out what she was going to do yet, she only knew she couldn't work for her father forever.
"Tell me what's going on."
"It's nothing. I just—" Damn it. Why had she opened her big mouth? "I thought about some stuff while I was away and I decided I don't want to work for my father's company anymore. I'm only going back now because Stanley had a heart attack and my dad needs the help for a little while."
"Really?" He smirked. "And what does daddy think about your decision?"
"He's not happy. He thinks I'm going to stay, but I'm not. I can't."
Roger slapped his hand across his thigh and laughed. "Well, this is fantastic news."
"I'm not so sure my father is going to agree with you, but great. Thanks for being surprisingly supportive."
"This is perfect. Now you can tell your dad how perfect I would be to take your place at the company. I could be his right-hand man and you could go do whatever weird thing it is you have your heart set on doing."
"Oh no. You know my father. 'The business started in this family and it'll stay in this family,'" she said in her most fatherly-sounding voice. "There's no way he'd ever let you step in for me."
The grin fell off of Roger's face as fast as it had appeared. "True. That does sound like something he'd say." He looked off into the distance and Tali started to relax.
Maybe now he'd leave her alone and go back to his own seat. Tali squeaked as he grabbed her hand and got down on one knee in front of her seat. So much for leaving her alone.
"Tali, marry me." He kissed the back of her hand and she thought she might throw up a little bit in her mouth.
"No,
" she managed to choke out. "No frickin' way."
"Yes. Don't you see? If you marry me, then I'll be a part of the family. Then your dad won't care if I take over your responsibility at the company, and you'll be free to go and do whatever it is you want to do. It's brilliant."
"It's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard you say." She pulled her hand back from his and wrapped her arms around herself protectively. "Get up. I'm not going to marry you."
"Why not? It's a great idea." He took the seat beside her again and leaned into her, invading her personal space. "We'll make it work. We could consummate the relationship once or twice for the purpose of giving your parents grandbabies and then we'd both be free to live our own lives."
"Oh my God. I can't believe you're actually saying these things. Do you hear yourself? No way. To any of it. I don't want you taking my job. I don't want to marry you and I certainly don't want to make babies with you. Gah, the thought is enough to make me celibate."
"That's uncalled for." Roger softened his expression and twirled a piece of her hair in his fingers. "Think about it. Your dad would be happy. I would be happy. You could do your silly art or whatever. You owe it to your father to find a way to give him a capable successor and we both know that person has always been me."
Tali's pulse pounded in her ears as the anger she felt for Roger consumed her. How dare he imply she wasn't a capable successor? Capabilities and skill had nothing to do with her choice to not work for her father. She was more than ready and able to do the job asked of her—she simply didn't want to.
"You're an asshole and you need to get the hell away from me before I clip you in your man jewels again."
"Now, now. Let's not say things we're going to regret. You know if I'd asked you this question a week ago, you would've said yes. You would be pulling off your clothes to jump into bed with me. So let's not go on pretending those feelings aren't there when we both know they are. Just say yes so we can move on to the make-up sex part."
Love on Landing Page 10
