Finally, they were out on the street in the blinding sunshine. Lily was glad for the excuse to slip on her sunglasses so that Travis couldn’t see the confusion and terror she couldn’t hide. Right around the corner from his office, he opened the door to a French bistro.
The man behind the podium beamed. “Monsieur Carson.”
“Jean-Luc, I am delighted to present my wife, Lily, to you.” Travis’s formality was enormously cute, and it helped Lily to relax a slight bit.
Jean-Luc fell all over himself to welcome Lily, and she felt much better by the time they were ensconced in a romantic booth with a chilled bottle of champagne. She gulped from her glass like the wine was water. When she looked back up at Travis his smile was wide and relaxed.
“Guess what?” he said, looking like a happy schoolboy who had gotten out of class early to go play.
“Um…” Lily said, her mind having gone completely blank.
“I have just rented the perfect space for your new business. Retail up front, office in the back. Great demographics.”
All the wind knocked out of her. “My new business?”
Travis was so thrilled by his announcement he didn’t notice her rapidly paling complexion. “James had remodeled the space for a previous client, but since they moved to the East Coast, it hit me how perfect it would be for you. And you know what’s even better?”
Lily took another huge gulp from her champagne glass before saying, “What’s that?” in a remarkably steady voice.
“It’s down the block from my building. We’ll practically be working together. And of course I’m going to turn all of my clients on to you, honey.”
She croaked, “Great,” and this time Travis paused and seemed to notice that everything wasn’t right.
Covering, she smiled. “I think I’m still a little dehydrated from the flight.” She gulped down more bubbly.
Feeling woozy and somewhat drunk when Travis insisted on showing her the new storefront, she didn’t have the strength to resist.
Two blocks away, there it was—an old storefront that had been beautifully fixed up, like the fashionable stores on either side. It was a sunny street, with mature, leafy trees, and for a moment, the big city disappeared. The first waves of excitement pushed through her shock.
“Oh Travis,” she breathed, as they got closer. “Can we go inside?”
Stopping in the middle of the street he swung her into his arms and hugged her tight, kissing the top of her head. “I knew you’d love it.”
Lily’s eyes misted. How did he know her so well when she hardly knew herself?
A second later he slipped the key in the lock and Lily saw her dream business in full color, 3-D.
“Antiques up front, from France and Italy. I can’t wait to travel all over the world to find the perfect treasures.” Travis held himself back so that she could lose herself in the space. “And a design studio in the back.” She turned to the man she loved. “It couldn’t be more perfect, Travis. You’re amazing.”
His face lit up. Lily threw the lock on the door. “You don’t have to get back to your office right away, do you?” she asked as she began unbuttoning the top buttons of Travis’s dress shirt.
Staring at the curve of her breast that was now revealed, Travis drawled, “I don’t own the business for nothing.” Their wild, yet sweet, lovemaking was the perfect way to christen the building.
As the weeks flew by Lily was busier than she’d ever been. Between looking for a house with Travis and setting up her own design business, she barely had time to worry about their relationship. Their nights were filled with lovemaking, and they often met at lunchtime for a quickie before grabbing something to eat.
Travis had insisted on throwing a huge postwedding party for everyone they knew at his loft, but by the evening of the party, Lily wanted nothing more than a hot bath and a good book. At the same time, she was glad she was too exhausted to care about whether his friends liked her or not. She just plain didn’t have the energy to worry about it. Because although she still felt like an alien intruder in Travis’s perfect world, she had learned to roll with it during the past month. And oddly enough, he didn’t seem to think there was anything weird at all about having her in his life, day and night, either as a coworker on their design projects or as a wife.
But while Travis was clearly taking all of his life changes in stride, Lily felt like she was barely staying afloat. Hopefully things would settle down to normal soon. In any case, she was looking forward to seeing Janica and Luke that night at the party. She had barely exchanged three words with either of them since returning from Italy.
She propped a large houseplant under one arm as she turned the key. Putting the plant down in an empty corner of the foyer, Lily walked into the living room and surveyed it with pleasure. She had brought several pieces of furniture into Travis’s home and with some colorful uplifting artwork and bright, puffy pillows everywhere, the loft was starting to feel like home. The caterers were hard at work setting up buffet tables.
“It looks great,” she said to the manager. “I’m going to take a shower and get dressed, then I’ll come out and help.”
“We’ve got it under control, Mrs. Carson,” the lovely woman said with a smile.
Lily smiled back calmly, but on the inside she was a wobbly mass of Jell-O. Mrs. Carson. She still hadn’t gotten used to it. Maybe it was because they hadn’t had a proper engagement. Or a formal wedding.
Or maybe it was the fact that up until a week before their wedding day Travis had barely even acknowledged her existence. How had everything changed so fast?
Lily got in the shower, knowing better than to look for answers for something she would never understand. Travis said he loved her. Again and again he said it, every time they made love, sitting across from her during breakfast, holding her hand as they walked along the marina. Why did she keep fighting it?
She heard the door to her bedroom open and whirled around as Janica peeked her head into the bathroom. “Hey, Lils,” she said, perching on the edge of the tub, not the least bit embarrassed by Lily’s nakedness.
Lily wished Janica had the slightest sense of modesty, but given the slinky dress she was wearing, which looked to be held together by pins, Lily knew it would be a cold day in hell before Janica changed her ways. More power to her, Lily decided. She dried off with a huge, plush, forest green towel.
“I’m so glad to see you,” she said to her baby sister. An onslaught of emotion threatened to bubble over as she watched Janica fix her hair in the mirror. She longed to tell her sister all her doubts about Travis and their marriage. After all, Janica had never liked Travis, so she wouldn’t try and put a false lovey-dovey spin on things, would she?