The Double Rose (5 page)

Chapter 4

Encountering Josh

Kansas City, Missouri

Friday, 15 June

The women started on their epic journey to the Events Center with no small trepidation on Marie’s part, although she attempted to make a confident statement by wearing a tailored, charcoal-gray skirt suit.

Eliza plunked a huge pile of magazines, catalogs, and unopened mail on the vacant back seat next to her.

Anne spritzed the front and back windshield, then wiped them dry while a light breeze provided a fresh, yet temporary, relief from the one-hundred-and-six degree temperature. She drove the car toward I-70. Highway traffic was at its normal pace with late-morning commuters and general traffic. “What are you going to say to him?” Anne took her attention off the road long enough to glance at Marie sitting in the passenger’s seat.

The dread Marie felt contradicted the optimistic affirmations she had made over breakfast an hour earlier.

Marie stared aimlessly through the windshield, wishing the morning had already passed. “I don’t have the slightest idea,” she confessed. “Maybe I'll get lucky, and he will not be there.”

The sisters laughed at her futile fantasy. “I will be profoundly disappointed if he is not there,” Eliza provokingly remarked from a rear seat as she playfully jostled the back of Marie’s hair. Marie turned to swat her hand. Eliza pulled back with a lighthearted laugh and then returned to drowning in a
Brides
magazine.

“Prepare to be disappointed 'cause we are going to tiptoe into that conference hall nonchalantly and leave the same way.” Marie’s fingers stretched long curls as she fussed in the visor mirror. “I hope no one will ask who we are or what we are doing there. I was told that exhibit signs are already posted, so it should be easy to find our way around.”

Several commuters expressed their impatience over a construction delay on I-435 by leaning on their horns, but Marie breathed a sigh of relief over the fifteen-minute delay. A call from Mike to Eliza broke up the conversation, conveniently providing Marie with time for meditation on the imminent possibilities.

“No, honey,” Eliza answered, “I haven’t heard of any part-time work in the area. Why do you ask?” Awkward silence filled the small car as the expression on Eliza’s face turned. “Yeah, I can do that, but I can’t believe you honestly are not going to tell me what is going on. You can’t say ‘don’t worry’ and actually expect me not to.” She closed her magazine and tossed it on an empty seat. “Okay, whatever. Anne and I are spending the day in the city with Marie. We are on our way to the new Events Center. Can you meet us at Bella Napoli for lunch?”

Marie controlled her impulse to interrupt Eliza, but not for long. The split-second after Eliza said bye, Marie said “Who said anything about going to the Plaza for lunch? I wasn’t planning on spending the day in the city.”

“You are not the only one with a crisis.” Tears poured like a torrential rainfall over her cheeks.

“I'm not sure what’s up with Mike. He has been acting strange lately. His boss promised him an enormous bonus if he landed a client his firm has been baiting along for the last two months. I wonder if he didn’t get it and is afraid to tell me. Why else would he be looking for a second job?”

In an effort to comfort Eliza, Marie and Anne invented a creative variety of possibilities as to why Mike might need a second job, but their ingenious excuses on his behalf fell on deaf ears.

“This was not the reunion I was hoping for after going to Kristin’s wedding without him. I was embarrassed to show up for the reception alone.”

“Hey!” Anne objected.

“I’m sorry. You know what I meant. Something is wrong, I can feel it. Anyway, he is meeting us at Bella at 12:30.” The pain in Eliza's eyes stabbed Marie's heart. Why does love hurt so much? Marie wanted to comfort her sister. Consequently, her day–like her exhibit–steered out of her control.

“Italian for lunch sounds perfect,” Marie conceded.

When the car pulled into the entrance of the Events Center, Marie experienced a sense of déjà vu. The vast visitor’s parking lot was vacant. Anne parked in front of a towering, metal sculpture of a fruit-filled tree.

The three women stood in awe, utterly speechless, on the newly sodded south grounds of the facility, mesmerized by the enormous, white granite structure before them.

Eliza broke the silence, “It is gorgeous.”

Shock stilled any response Marie had to offer.

Eliza nudged Marie's shoulder. “I mean, how inept can this guy actually be? Look at this place!”

“Yeah, Marie, if the design of this building is a reflection on Josh, maybe he has changed.”

Refusing to give him any concession, Marie promptly dismissed their remarks. “You two do not know him the way I do.”

“Well, somewhere inside that building, Josh Ryan is probably working, unaware that he is about to encounter the arch nemesis of his childhood.”

At precisely the moment Marie opened her mouth to make a witty reply, the melody to “Frére Jacques” chimed over her cell phone. “Hello, Maman. I can’t talk now. The girls and I just arrived at the Events Center.” She spoke as she strolled over the new concrete sidewalk behind the other women. “But I would like to come to the house tonight if you are going to be home. I want to discuss a vision I had last night. It was fantastic and frustrating at the same time.”

“I'll be here, but the reason I called was to remind you that when you see Josh today, keep in mind that you don’t have all the facts about the reasons for the delays. Give him a chance.”

“Maman, you have been telling me to give that guy a chance since I was a little girl. In the end, it is always the same thing. Somehow Josh is at fault!” Marie motioned to the two sisters to turn onto the path that led to the main entrance of the facility. “But don’t worry. I realize that you and Papa are still best friends with the Ryans. I am determined to be civil no matter what. Maybe he is not even here. All I want to do is have a quick look at the space for the exhibit. That is all.”

“He is there, Marie, and I am not worried about what Meg and Joseph will say. They have always loved you in spite of the tug-of-war between you and their son. I will see you tonight. Good luck, darling.”

“Are you sure he is here?”

“Yes, Marie, I am sure. Bye, chérie.”

Marie took a deep breath. “Are you guys ready to get on with this?”

They passed three landscapers scattering small, white stones around the shrubs lining the sidewalks. “Look at that.” Anne pointed to a
Help Wanted
sign posted on the front entrance, advertising construction work. “Eliza, you should take the number down for Mike.”

Eliza reached into her leather tote for her cell phone.

“You guys cannot be serious? You're not actually suggesting Mike work for Josh Ryan?”

“I told him I would keep an eye out for a part-time job. This could be destiny.”

“You sound like Maman.” Marie laughed, amused enough to take the edge off the tension congregating in her temples.

They entered the enormous foyer of the Events Center. Much to the sisters’ surprise and Marie’s delight, there was not a soul to be seen. Impressive full-color signs were on display in the front lobby detailing Marie’s exhibit, and the thirty-six-inch flat-screen monitors mounted on either side of the information center ran a rotation of promotions for upcoming events.

In spite of the covert mission, it was an exciting moment. As they followed signs down a long corridor to the convention hall, Marie began to wonder about the information she had received about the facility being incomplete.
Could there have been a mistake
? Finally, they reached the double doors to the convention hall. The sisters held the doors wide open for Marie as a sense of remembrance came over her again.

Their unexpected presence startled a group of employees engaged in preliminary set-up around a banquet table filled with a variety of colored flyers. Among them was the Director of Special Exhibits, Diane Taylor.

Ms. Taylor cordially greeted them, “Good morning, ladies. The Events Center will not be open to the public until the Fourth of July. Perhaps you would be interested in attending the Grand Opening? All the information is available on our website, or you can pick up a brochure in the lobby.” Ms. Taylor’s people-pleasing personality put the women at ease.

“Ms. Taylor, how do you do?” Marie held out her hand. “It is a pleasure to finally meet you in person. I am Marie Fitzroy.”

“Ms. Fitzroy!” Ms. Taylor fawned over Marie like a star-struck kid meeting her favorite celebrity. “It is a pleasure to meet you, too. I should have recognized you from the photo in our advertisements for your exhibit. Everyone here at the Events Center has high expectations for the success of your exhibit.”

“Thank you,” Marie replied, embarrassed by Ms. Taylor’s fan-like response. She was comfortable with her art being considered extraordinary, but didn’t quite understand why people carried it over to her personally. “These are my sisters,” she gestured with a wave of her hand, “Anne and Eliza Fitzroy. Eliza will be performing at the unveiling of
The City of Light
.”

The women shook hands. “I was impressed by the demo you presented to the Events Center. In fact, I added several of your songs to my personal playlist.”

“I’m flattered. Thank you.”

“We would like to have a quick look around if you don’t mind.” There was no time for idle chit-chat. Marie took charge of the conversation, hoping to reduce the risk of encountering Josh. “I am hoping it will help me re-evaluate my collection. Is that all right?”

“Not a problem. If there is anything I can do to assist you, please do not hesitate to ask. Once again, thank you,” Ms. Taylor transitioned into a business-style apology, “for being so gracious about the delays in the construction deadline. In fact, you have saved me a call to your personal assistant. Thanks to . . . oh . . . here he is now. I believe you know Josh Ryan?”

Shock captured Marie without just cause as she turned toward the direction Ms. Taylor gestured. In utter horror, she watched Josh Ryan walk steadily toward her over the gleaming marble floor, although the jeans and tee he wore like a personal trademark did not shock her in the least bit.

The goofy-looking boy she remembered had grown into a confident-looking, masculine man. Could he actually be the same evil boy Marie dislikes so intently?

From the other end of the huge hall, his gaze fixed on hers. His long trek across the hall to greet them felt like years to Marie as her mind reeled to and fro unsuccessfully searching for the right words to say.

“Hello Marie, Eliza, and Anne. It is great to see you again.” He appeared to be unscathed by their past.

“Hmm.” Marie looked away. “Hello, Josh.” Interestingly enough, her desire to express her outrage toward him was eclipsed by an unidentifiable emotion.

“Ms. Fitzroy. I have good news.” All heads turned toward Ms. Taylor. “Thanks to Mr. Ryan’s dedication to this project, I have just learned that the second convention hall
will
be finished by the deadline after all. The Events Center will be delighted to proceed with our original plans.” The three sisters gasped. “He engaged an extra crew to work through the nights replacing the defective marble flooring. After its original installation, the staff noticed it scuffed easily. The cleaning crew tried everything to keep it polished, but the marks were permanent. Mr. Ryan and his crew had to rip out the floor and replace it—not only in the second convention hall, but in about half of the entire facility.”

Ms. Taylor directly acknowledged Josh. “We are grateful to you for ensuring the deadline will be met.”

“You are welcome, but I was just doing my job. Ryan & Sons guarantees our contracts.”

“If you ladies will excuse me, I have to get this place finished before the Fourth.”

“Of course, thank you.” Marie’s gazes briefly followed the woman’s footsteps, wishing she could justify a reason to accompany her.

The four former antagonists stood in the center of the large, empty hall surrounded by awkward silence. Eliza’s gift for conversation saved the moment. “So, Josh, it has been a long time. I hardly recognized you.”

“It has been a long time. It looks like we have all grown up.” With a broad smile, he turned toward Marie. “I am glad to see there are no hard feelings left over from those crazy days when we were kids.”

Marie’s mind went as blank as an empty canvas. Anne came to the rescue this time by grabbing Josh’s arm. “Don’t be silly. And just to prove there are no hard feelings, why don’t you join us for lunch at Bella Napoli? Eliza’s boyfriend, Mike Weston, will be there. By the way, he is looking for work.”

Josh laughed. “I would like nothing more than to have lunch with three beautiful women, but until this project is finished, I don't expect to be eating anything but take-out.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. “Here is my card. Tell Mike to give me a call. If he has any building experience at all and can start right away, I definitely have work for him.”

Eliza took Josh’s business card with a grateful smile. “Thank you.”

Goodbyes were exchanged with slightly less awkwardness and Josh returned to his crew. Now that her fears had been faced, Marie could breathe more easily and enjoy the wonder of the Events Center. There was something extremely familiar about the conference hall, yet she could not place it. Had she seen it in a dream? Perhaps.