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“Olivia, are you okay? You don’t sound too well. Is everything okay?”
What could Olivia say? She was supposed to be getting married in the morning but instead she was having dinner with another man. A man she just met. It really seemed crazy now that she thought about it. Of course, if she wasn’t going to dine with Dane, she would be alone in her hotel room crying a river of tears and drowning in Jack Daniels. Not that she was a regular drinker but it seemed likely she might start that night.
Then Olivia remembered what Dane told her earlier. He said they would sit down to dinner and discuss what to do tomorrow. Olivia didn’t want to spoil what he had in mind. After all, Dane was the general manager of the Belmont Hotel and he had just as much invested in this wedding that he’d allowed her to have at the beautiful facility at a discounted rate, didn’t he?
“Macy, I’m just a little tired,” she continued. “By the way, how was your flight?”
“Oh, it was fine. I’m a little jet-lagged myself but enough about me. Are you and Jack okay?”
No. We’re not okay. Far from it.
“Well, everything is the way it’s supposed to be…but listen, I’ve got tons of things to sort out. I promise you we’ll have a good chat tomorrow…at the…reception and ceremony.” Olivia almost choked on her own lie. Her reception? More like her rejection.
* * *
After she got off the phone with Macy, Olivia decided to wear a simple black dress she always packed with her no matter what. It was a good thing she’d taken her mother’s advice about always having a little black dress on hand. Olivia took a quick shower and freshened up with a soothing aromatherapy body spray. The least she could do was not sulk over dinner since she had been so generously invited by that kind manager.
She pressed the button to the lobby floor in the glass elevator that revealed a sweeping view of the holiday decorations. She was enjoying the scenery and almost felt as if everything would be okay. The towering Christmas tree placed in the center of the grand lobby that closely resembled the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree in New York City must have been close to one hundred feet tall. Its white spruce branches were heavily decorated with colorful glowing golden glass balls and shiny vintage glass icicles. Light radiated from the tree and into the lobby. Guests sat around enjoying the splendor. It was breathtaking.
Olivia could hear the enchanting sound of a string quartet in the grand foyer playing the upbeat sounds of Christmas carols. Right now they were cheerfully playing Deck the Halls. She could just hear the words in her mind: Deck the halls with boughs of holly, Tis the season to be jolly, It reminded her of the days when she was a little girl caroling with her mother and sister. It brought back fond memories. Tomorrow was supposed to have brought back fond memories or at least created new ones but instead it would be filled with heartache and humiliation. At that moment she felt as if she could deck Jack with the boughs of holly.
Olivia tried to push the thought of what he’d just done to her out of her head.
She’d been used!
She sucked in a deep breath. She remembered a sign she’d once read outside of a church: “Holding a grudge is like letting someone live rent free in your head!” She was not going to allow Jack to live rent free in her head, in her heart or any part of her. Olivia was determined not to let his actions sink her spirits. She just had to.
Yeah, right! Easier said than done!
* * *
“You look beautiful, Olivia,” Dane said to her in a low, sultry voice. There was something about the way he said her name. God, this man had a gift for making people feel special. If he didn’t know it, she should tell him.
“Thanks!” Olivia looked around the plush Belmont Restaurant. The lights were dim, romantic yet festive. Hand-crafted holiday decorations embellished the ritzy five-star eatery. But the gorgeous man seated in front of her was more stunning than the room. “I’m surprised this restaurant isn’t actually inside the hotel itself.”
“It was built before the hotel back in 1960 by…” he hesitated for a moment, “By Jonah Belmont. Later, Mr. Belmont opened up the hotel, well, a string of them. I guess you could call this his landmark place.”
“Right. Nice.”
Olivia glanced down at the luxurious velvet-textured menu. There were no prices listed beside the entrees which meant…the food was expensive as hell. In other words, if you had to ask how much, it meant you couldn’t afford it. It was awfully sweet of Dane to invite her along.
She made her selections first and Dane followed suit. Moments later, the waiter, dressed in a tuxedo, came to take their orders and addressed Dane as “sir.” It was as if she was with a celebrity in a private booth away from other patrons.
“Thank you, Dane.”
“For what?”
“For doing this. I mean, I don’t know what to say, you’ve really taken time out of your busy holiday schedule to help me out.”
“Hey, you’re going through a rough time. You need someone to be there with you. I want to help you through your…grief,” he said in a low voice.
“Grief?”
“Most people don’t realize you don’t just go through grief and pain when someone you love dies, but when they leave your life. The sorrow can still be as intense. It’s rough when you lose someone, in a break up—even if you wanted it to end. People don’t realize that the end of a relationship, whether it’s planned or unplanned, is emotionally hard.”
“That’s true. I’m a social worker, I should know that,” she said, rolling her eyes. “In fact, you made a good point. A client whose husband left her told me she would have understood how she felt better if he had died. It just tore her apart more that he left her and her kids and was with someone else—her sister, in fact.”
“Oh, no. That’s very sad.”
“I know. Oh, God, I’m feeling awful.”
“Don’t,” he said, firmly and compassionately at the same time. “I just want you to know that, I’ve been there, too. It’s going to be okay. You will get through this.”
“You’ve been jilted on your wedding day?”
“No. Not quite. I…well, it’s weird but I don’t often talk about this with anyone.”
“It’s okay. I won’t judge you.”
“I’m not too concerned about that. I try not to dwell on stuff I can’t change. It’s a waste of energy. Energy I need for getting ahead and living life.”
“I hear you.”
“Well, my ex decided to go back with her ex. Long story short.”
“Oh, no. That’s awful. What happened?”
“We both made the mistake of getting together right after she broke up with him.”
“Oh, no. She was on the rebound.”
Dane nodded. “Yeah, the worst time to get into a relationship is when you’re not over your last one. Anyway, I thought we were good but then she still loved him deep down. She admitted to me later that she just didn’t want to be alone when he left.”
“It sucks to be used.”
“Yeah. I couldn’t see myself doing that to any girl.”
“Good to hear. But then again, who does want to end up alone?”
“No one. Sometimes we have to take chances, but there’s nothing wrong with waiting.”
“I agree.”
“I’m sorry Jack backed out on you like that. But you deserve better.” Dane’s tone turned serious at the end of the sentence and it gave her goose bumps.
“Thanks,” The lump in her throat tried to erupt skyward. “I guess I should have read the signs.”
“Signs?”
“Yeah. Jack was so distant lately.”
“I see.”
“Anyway, Jack didn’t really want to talk too much about the wedding. It seemed more like a chore than something he really wanted to do. I tried everything. I helped him through college. Did his homework, paid his bills because he didn’t have a job yet, I listened to his mock cases…” Tears welled inside Olivia’s eyes. She didn’t want to cry again. No more tears. No more tears. “I…I thought we were one… I thought we had a future…”
“You did all that for him?”
“Yeah, I’m so sorry to blab on like that. I just had to get it off my chest. I went into some serious debt for that guy.”
“Wow. He really didn’t deserve you, Olivia. You don’t find too many women who’ll do those things. Well, that’s his loss. You’re a good woman. A keeper in my book!”
“Thanks.” Tingles slid down her spine at the way the words slid out of his beautiful lips like sweet honey. When Dane spoke his sexy eyes penetrated her with their warmth and charm. She really felt the sincerity of his words. That’s his loss. You’re a good woman.
“I really mean it. Look at you. You’re beautiful, Olivia. And I can tell a lot from speaking with a person. You’re beautiful inside and out—and you put yourself out for others.”
Olivia couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “To tell you the truth, I can’t believe someone would ever leave you, Dane.”
“I’m good. It happens.”
