by Cee, DW
Rhys and Delilah were back on track!
Nolan: #THX :-)
“You wanted to meet with us?” That was the greeting I received when Donovan and Delaney Taylor walked into the restaurant and found me in my corner.
“Yes! Please sit.” I gestured for them to sit across from me and asked, “I assume you haven’t had lunch? They have great sandwiches here.” Donovan Taylor grabbed the menu with a growl. Delaney Taylor was much more cordial as she thanked me for handing her the list of sandwiches.
The same day I contacted Nicky Reid, I called Donovan Taylor at his office and asked for a meeting with him and the Mrs. He agreed to lunch, so here I was, trying to win them over.
“Talk!” was the command, once lunch was ordered.
I was here to win these two people over, not to be intimidated. “I asked you both to lunch to gain your approval.”
“Approval for what?” Donovan Taylor asked churlishly.
This was where Delilah’s beautiful mother stepped in. “Nolan,” she said thoughtfully, “while I understand your desire for our daughter, I have to remind you that she is engaged to be married.”
“She’s engaged to the wrong man, Ma’am. I’m a few months tardy, but I believe I am the one for her.”
Once again, in a sweet voice she said, “You can’t just take her away from the man she’s pledged to be with the rest of her life.”
“But isn’t that what happened between the two of you? You were with Michael Bennington and your husband swept you off your feet? If I recall the story correctly, you knew since you were young that you wanted to be Mrs. Donovan Taylor.”
“Yes, but I grew up with Donovan. He was a close family friend.”
“Wasn’t there a long period when Mr. Taylor went off to sow his wild oats while you were growing up? Neither of you saw each other again until a decade later.” Perhaps that wasn’t the point to make. Neither appeared happy with what I’d said.
“Donovan did sow his wild oats, and then some, while I waited for him to notice me that entire decade. Then, he finally noticed me, but decided he wanted my cousin, Jane, instead!” Damn, what bite! There was no wondering why I liked Delilah so much. I respected her mother.
“Aw come on, Princess, why is it always me who’s the asshole? You’re the one who went off and found yourself a boyfriend the moment you stepped on foreign soil. I paid penance for my stupidity over and over again. I don’t want this ever brought up again.” Too soon, the anger was vented toward me. “We’re not here to talk about me. We’re here to talk about you and your stupidity!”
“It was absolutely stupid of me to not be in contact with Delilah when I had the chance. When I was younger, we lived around the world because of Mom’s job. Once I entered college, I was barely old enough to drive and too inundated with adult life to pay any attention to your daughter. I also doubt either one of you would’ve appreciated a college boy/man, regardless of my age, paying court to your high school daughter.”
“Damn right!” Delilah’s father was still not amused.
“Once I finished most of my schooling, I should’ve shown up to Reid Place and asked for your permission to woo your lovely girl. Instead, I tootled around with a few inventions and wanted to earn every degree under the sun. I knew how special Delilah was, and I wanted to be comparable.”
“I tell you what, tell us a little more about yourself, Nolan.” Thank the lucky stars, I somehow caught Mrs. Taylor’s interest and compassion.
“I’m an only child of two loving parents. Like your children, I excelled in school. Because I was ‘on the road’ for a good portion of my life, I raced through school and landed in undergrad at a young age. Before I realized Delilah was engaged, I was going to come to her with an arsenal of degrees, a patented invention, and enough money to have us in a position where we could invent without worrying about finances.” That part, I knew, was impressive enough. “People have told me I’m a likeable guy. I’ve also been told I’m a geek, a nerd, and not the type most girls want to date. My father is considered a handsome man. My mother is a supermodel. However, I didn’t appear to luck out in the good-looking gene pool like you, Mr. Taylor.”
Donovan Taylor cracked a very small, smug grin. Delaney Taylor’s words, however, blew me away. “I think you’re selling yourself short, Nolan. Underneath the glasses and bowtie, I suspect there’s a very handsome young man there. Your parents are stunning people and you look to me like you received all the right genes.”
“Really?” Was she kidding me? Maybe Mrs. Taylor was saying all this before telling me to get lost?
She nodded yes! “This mad-scientist look works for many people, Nolan. If it doesn’t and you need a change, I believe you can pull off whatever look you want.”
“You just made my day, Mrs. Taylor. Thank you. I always thought the one shortfall would be my looks. After listening to you, I think I’ll be all right.” I believed I just made an ally.
“Now why’d you have to go encouraging him, Princess?” Of course, there was also my nemesis.
Delilah’s mom laughed at her husband. “I want it to be clear that I did not raise my daughter to be unfaithful to her future spouse. She has made a commitment to him, but a lot can happen in two years. Perhaps you might want to step back and become friends, first? Twenty-two is an awful early age to be marrying anyone.”
“Wait. That sounds like you’re regretting something, Princess.”
Mrs. Taylor’s smile was dazzling. “I’ve loved you since I was eleven. Four children later, do you really believe I have any regrets?”
That sentiment did it for me. I wanted what the Taylors had. Though I didn’t receive their approval, I also didn’t receive their disapproval. From what I could tell, I was given the green light to be friends with Delilah Taylor. I’d take her mother’s advice and get to know my future wife.
Thanks, future mom and dad! You just gave me a damn good reason to smile.
Delilah: #TMI
“Where are we going, Nicky? Why all the secrecy?”
“I told you. I’m taking you to a research lab.”
“What kind of research lab? This one isn’t yours or your dad’s. I didn’t even know labs existed in this part of town.”
Since my recent return from London, I’d been Nicky’s sidekick. He put me to work immediately.
“Just stop asking questions and follow,” he commanded in a non-commanding way. Of all my male cousins, Nicky and I got along the best. He and I had a special connection—in a weird, scientist kind of way. We understood one another.
Nicky gave some secret knock on a door that didn’t really look like a door and voila, we were ensconced into a dark hallway. “What—” I tried to ask again but was shut down by a hand raised as a silent stop sign. I gave up trying to get any answers.
“Close your eyes and give me your hand.” Rather than rolling my eyes as I thought I might do, I closed them and put out a hand.
Nicky carefully led me somewhere and told me, “Open your eyes.”
When I opened as told, I didn’t know whether the sight in front of me was my dream come true or a nightmare about to happen. In front of me was a huge lab filled with men and women in white lab coats running experiments. It appeared hair was the subject and since Nicky and I were about to embark on a journey with hair growth, I was about to squeal for joy—that is until I saw him! In the hustle and bustle of the laboratory, I didn’t notice him at first. But there he was. Nolan O’Shaughnessy! How could I have missed the man in the middle of the room?
“What the hell, Nicky?”
“Trust me?”
“No.”
“Have I ever let you down?”
“Yes. Just now.”
“Have faith.”
Brief conversation/argument over; we were greeted by a man with the biggest smile ever. At my engagement party I thought Nolan was goofy looking, but in the lab, he was in his element. He was actually on the cute side of geeky.
“Hello De
lilah.” He stepped into me. Who knew why he stepped into me. I stepped back, double-time. “I’m glad you’re here!” Um...I could tell by the still-ginormous grin. How could a man so young have such an old soul to him? “May I show you around?”
Nicky knew I was about to say no. He stepped in front of me and answered, “We’d love a tour of your lab. This is a lot bigger than I expected. How many people do you employ Nolan? This can’t be cheap. You have a first-rate operation here. This is legit.” Nicky gave his seal of approval and I grudgingly, inwardly, agreed. The lab was impressive.
“There are anywhere from ten to forty people working on any given project. I have a rich partner who considers me the working-partner so none of this would be possible without him. I assume you haven’t said a word to your cousin?” Nolan tried to ask that last question on the down low but I heard it loud and clear.
“What do you mean?” I asked in part-fear and part-annoyance. “Tell me now, Nicky.”
“I’ll give you the honor.” My cousin deferred to the man I did not want to associate with.
“Well, Delilah. As I told your cousin, I have a business proposal for the two of you.” From there he took us to a small conference room and gave us a very thorough presentation of his proposal.
My first instinct was to jump at the opportunity to work with an established group like Nolan’s. However, working with a man who was out to ruin my engagement was not good for my engagement. Ultimately, the answer had to be, “No.”
“Come on, Lilah. Think from your brain and not from your heart.”
“No Nicky. I don’t want any problems with Rhys. He would freak out if I told him I was going into a partnership with his enemy.”
“But we’d be so much ahead of the game if we joined Nolan.”
Ugh! Didn’t I know it. I so wanted to be that much ahead of the game. “No.” I needed to stay strong.
“How about if I sweeten the deal and give you a 50/50 cut on our joint inventions?” Nolan was saying all the right words. I couldn’t cave. “I’m almost at the end game, Delilah. You can jump right in and join me. My staff and I can help you eliminate years of work.” He was plying me with information that was too good to pass up on. “I tell you what, Delilah.” Dear God! What was he going to tell me now? “After my partner has taken his cut from the net profits, I’ll even give you and Nicky a 50/50 split on my hair growth invention as well. That’s going to be a lot of money.”
Damn man. This was way too much information for my methodical brain to refuse. I was so close to saying yes, but my heart told me I needed to say no. What the hell to do?
My cousin came to the rescue. “How about Lilah and I go think about all your offers and we’ll get back to you soon?”
The tenuous smile on Nolan’s face had me feeling kind of bad. He did offer us the deal of a lifetime. Had it been anyone else, I would’ve signed on the dotted line.
“All right. Think it over and call me if you have any questions. Maybe we can meet one more time in a more casual setting and I can explain even further exactly where I am with my hair growth product?”
“We’ll be in touch—soon.” Nicky answered. “Let’s go, Cuz.”
Not needing any more encouragement, I stood up to run the hell out of here. Of course, life was never that easy. “May I speak with you privately for a moment?” Without asking, Nicky walked away. I had no choice but to talk to this man.
“Yes?” My tone was not very kind.
“All of this,” Nolan gestured to his lab, “will mean so much more with you here, working side by side.” Please, stop! “Out there,” he now pointed to the outside world, “I can’t compete with your fiancé. He’s tall, he’s handsome, he’s rich, he’s well-connected, and his trust fund is larger than most men’s lifetime salary. But in here, I know I can surpass him. I’m hard-working, loyal, dedicated to the projects at hand, love what I do, and I’m damn good at what I do. My hope is that you can see me at my best. Consider working with me, at least on this one project, and I promise not to bother you on a personal level.”
“What does that mean?”
“Unless you want to, you don’t have to associate with me outside of work hours.”
“So, you won’t pursue me like you threatened?”
“How about I promise not to pursue you when you’re not here? I’d be lying if I said I would keep everything platonic.”
“Not good enough.”
“What could happen in the workplace, Delilah? It’s not like we’ll have that much time to fraternize.”
“You are too much, Nolan. I need to get out of here and process all of this information-overload. Truly, this afternoon has been the epitome of too much info.”
“Fair enough. I’ll talk to you soon?”
“You’ll talk to my cousin soon. Don’t expect anything, Nolan. As of now, my answer is still no.”
He wasn’t thrilled, but he also didn’t fight me. “All right, Delilah. It was wonderful seeing you again. As always, you take my breath away whenever I see you.”
Damn man! “Good-bye.”
AARGH!
Bye Bye Bye... (‘N Sync)
Hello... (Lionel Richie)
Nolan: “Tell me lies, tell me sweet little lies...” ~Fleetwood Mac
“Speak!”
“Cam...”
“Nope, don’t fight me or try and get out of talking. I came early so you can tell me what’s up. Our debate practice will not start until I get some answers from you.”
“There’s not much to say.”
She was not pleased. “Oh I think there’s plenty to say. You’ve been back more than a week and you’ve avoided me. I’m going to give you this one chance to tell me what’s happening.”
“I’m in love with Delilah and we’re going to get married.” Shit! Had I just said all that?
“What?” Cammie was beside herself in shock and anger. “How could you have been together with a girl all this time and not have told me? What am I to you? What kind of friend are you to me? How could you do this to me and to us?” She started bawling.
“Cammie. I’m sorry. That came out all wrong. Please stop. Stop crying. I’ll tell you everything.”
It took my best friend some time to come back to me whole. “I’m ready. Don’t hold back. Say everything.”
What was there really to say? I told her everything I knew since age five.
Cam’s jaws were on the floor. She said nothing for a while. At least she wasn’t crying. “Why didn’t you tell me before?”
“I kind of didn’t tell anyone. My parents didn’t even know until I pulled that crazy stunt at Delilah’s engagement party.”
“So why her? What’s so special about her that makes you think, since before kindergarten, that you’d marry her? You’ve never shown any interest in girls. I wondered at times if you liked boys.” Cammie’s tone was not as sweet as her usual self. I figured she was still upset I’d kept this from her.
“Delilah is just special, Cam. I can’t explain it, but she’s one of a kind.”
“OK. Let’s say that she’s special. Don’t you think it’s a little unrealistic that she’s going to dump her fiancé for you? She’s already taken. Wouldn’t it be wise to just give up now?”
“No!” I answered adamantly. “I wouldn’t have interrupted her engagement party if I didn’t believe I’d win this war. We will be together in the end, Cammie. I know it.”
