Ribbon of Steele: A Romance of Suspense (11 page)

26

Lizzie arrived at the museum and checked into the hotel. Flipping off her shoes, she collapsed on the bed and pulled the itinerary from her gift basket. Her hotel room had been upgraded to a suite and she was handed a VIP badge when she checked in. She smiled, knowing it was the work of her design professor, Dr. Fordham. The gift basket had nuts, wine, cheese and every piece of marketing material the museum provided. Lizzie picked up the wine bottle.

Great, I can get drunk by myself later if this goes badly.

She wondered if Sam had checked in yet, and felt an uncomfortable queasy feeling in the pit of her stomach. Looking at the alarm clock, she realized she still had an hour  until the meet and greet cocktail party. She quickly slipped into a black cocktail dress, and checked herself out in the mirror. Nicole had picked out the dress and had said that if she was going to be near Sam, she might as well make him jealous.

The dress hugged her hips, and her hair fell upon her shoulders in long loose curls. She gave herself a satisfied glance in the mirror, but again felt her anxiety begin to build from within her stomach. She decided to take a walk around the grounds to clear her head.

Luckily, the museum was just a short walk from the hotel and the weather had remained warm. The property was perfect for the design of the building and the six story structure seemed to blend into the nature around it. The entire building was modeled after the forest, and Lizzie recognized many of subtitle ideas that she and Sam had worked into the design. Everything from the roofing material to the color of the glass, blended into the woods around it. Sitting close to the lake, the glass caught reflections from the water and looked even more stunning. The landscaping was natural, and followed the natural hills and curves of the land. At the end of the path was the lake and two long docks. Normally, they were a home for two unkept rowboats, but today they acted as airports as high profile guests and their chartered seaplanes used the lake as a landing strip. Lizzie had driven here and then taken a ferry to the docks. With the party starting shortly, the buzz of the seaplane engines was replaced by a calming quiet.

As Lizzie walked the path, she remembered how much she missed being outdoors. She came to a bend in the path by a carved wooden bench, and took a moment of pause. She felt a chill. This had been the spot where Sam had proposed to her
.
Why did I come here. I am such an idiot
.
She felt a sudden feeling of loss as she remembered how happy she had been on that day. She tried to put the thought out of her head as she stared at the building.

Lizzie stood for a long while in thought and began to remember the long arguments she had with Sam over flooring choices and ceiling fixtures. As she looked at the building, she realized that he had won almost every argument they had ever had. She had come here to view the museum, but now she had wondered why she had come at all. She noticed guests beginning to queue at the main entrance and she checked her phone. Her stomach felt weak as she removed the VIP badge from her clutch and walked slowly towards the building.

Maybe I should just go back to the room and crack open that bottle of wine.

"Lizzie!", came a voice from the front of the line.

Lizzie strained her neck to see who had called her name.

"Dr. Fordham!", Lizzie said smiling as she saw a small woman in a black suit coming towards her. Dr. Fordham's grey wiry curls seemed to bounce on her head as she quickly headed in Lizzie's direction.

"My darling, VIPs don't wait in the rear of the line," she winked, grabbing Lizzie's hand and escorting her past a man in a tuxedo collecting tickets.

"Beautiful isn't it?", said Dr. Fordham looking up at the ceiling. The building had been Dr. Fordham's design, and Lizzie had never seen her happier. "See your design there," asked Dr. Fordham pointing to the groups of translucent stained glass leaves that made up the ceiling.

Lizzie smiled broadly. This was her favorite part of the museum, and she felt a sense of pride knowing that a part her had made it into the final design.

"It never gets old dear. It never gets old seeing your work displayed for all to see," said Dr. Fordham with a smile. "And Lizzie Fox, I hear a congratulations is in order," said Dr. Fordham happily while clapping and grabbing two glasses of champagne from a passing waiter.

"Congratulations?", Lizzie asked blankly.

"Oh, you career driven girls are all the same," said Dr. Fordham as she handed Lizzie a glass and winked.

Lizzie stared at her blankly.

After a moment, Dr. Fordham giggled and responded. "On your wedding my dear! I hear you and Sam will be tying the knot." She laced her fingers together and looked at the ceiling. "Just to think this museum brought together two people and kindled their love...it's remarkable."

Lizzie felt incredibly awkward. Clearly, Dr. Fordham had not heard about the breakup.

"Actually," said Lizzie looking at the floor, "we are no longer together."

Dr. Fordham looked confused. "But Sam just told me ...," she started.

"What did he say?", Lizzie asked surprised.

Dr. Fordham hesitated, clearly not wanting to be in the middle of this discussion. When she answered, it was in a slow and quiet tone.

"He told me you were engaged, happy, and planning an exciting honeymoon on the beach," said Dr. Fordham biting her lower lip after she finished.

"Thank you doctor, but your information is incorrect. I'm sorry." Lizzie paused.  "There is someone I need to find. Please excuse me for a moment," said Lizzie as she walked towards the large staircase in the back of the room. She was livid and in shock
.
What the hell. I can't believe that jerk
.
Walking up the stairs, she gazed into the room to find Sam. Halfway up the stairs, she peered down to see Dr. Fordham talking with three men in tuxedos. They all looked at the ceiling, and then all looked at Lizzie.

She continued to scan the room for Sam, and spotted him near the bar. He was talking to an older gentleman who was very interested in the details he was pointing out in the room. Determined, Lizzie made her way through the crowd and caught his eye just after he had taken his first sip. His eyes lit up.

"Lizzie," he said happily. "I was hoping you would come. I would like you to introduce Mr. Clay Adams from the investment firm Barnaby and Adams," he said with a wink. He took a step towards her to kiss her cheek. Lizzie held out her hand in front of her face, and Sam got the hint.

He tried to remain coy. "So how was your flight? I came by seaplane for the final leg, and man was that pilot a cowboy," he said chuckling and taking a sip of his drink. After seeing the expressionless look on her face, he changed tactics.

"Mr. Adams, could you excuse us for a moment?", Sam asked. Adams, clearly sensing the tension, was happy to be dismissed and disappeared into the crowd behind them. "Lizzie, I'm sorry." She didn't let him continue and holding up her hand, nodded towards the doorway. They walked out of the museum and past the line of guests.

"Lizzie, Mr. Adams just offered us....," Sam started.

She cut him off immediately. "Listen here, you cheating prick. I don't give a shit what you want or what you are offering. Just shut your mouth and listen." Lizzie hadn't planned on what she would say, and her voice surprised her as much as it had Sam. He looked at her stunned as she continued.

"There will never be a time or a place where you and I are ever connected again, so don't you dare insult me by telling anyone we are engaged or even working together. Do you hear me? It took two years for me to realize how much you treated me like shit and believe me, I know I deserve way better than you."

Sam rolled his eyes but Lizzie continued undaunted.

"I deserve someone who listens to me, challenges me, treats me with respect and gives me confidence rather than taking it away." Her voice trailed at the end as she realized that she was providing Sam with a perfect description of Mackenzie. Sam had crossed his arms and was looking away from her.

"You know what asshole? Have a nice life," she said, walking away from him and towards the water.

When she felt it was safe, she looked back. He had walked back to the museum and was shaking hands and laughing with a guest in line.

Goodbye Sam

She thought about going to the hotel, calling Nicole or getting drunk at a bar, but instead walked towards the two docks at the end of the path. She had an odd feeling of confidence mixed with sadness. Stepping onto the dock, she smiled and then burst into tears.

27

Lizzie sat at the end of one of the long docks and stirred her feet in the cool water. It swirled into tiny pools around her feet as she blindly gazed at the lake before her. The water numbed her feet, but she didn't care. She was already cold. She watched a seaplane taxi up to the other dock and a few passengers jump out, happy to have reached their destination. She turned her attention back towards the water and caught her reflection in the black lake. She pushed her hair behind her ears and rubbed her puffy eyes with her fingertips as another seaplane taxied toward the neighboring dock. The sun was starting to set and soon and she would be alone.

She had believed that her confidence had been coming from Nicole in the last few months, but her conversation with Sam had proven it was Mackenzie who had brought about the true change in her.

She started to feel awful for how she left him, and hoped she hadn't hurt him. In her heart, she knew otherwise. As she swirled the water with her feet, she wondered if she would just be a footnote in Mackenzie's life. Would she be someone he ran into at a party and tried to avoid? The thought made her sad and she suddenly wanted to call him, but didn't know what to say. The only think she could think to say wa
s
I love you
.
She felt a pain in her chest, and closed her eyes knowing only now how much that statement rung true.

A tear fell from her cheek as she raised her head. As she watched another seaplane taxi, she saw it contained a single passenger. In the rear cabin sat a man with auburn hair and a face she knew well. She stared at the plane perplexed as it nosed towards the dock and killed its engine. The door to the rear cabin flew open, and Mackenzie bolted from the plane.  His face was stern and focused, and he looked as though he was about to take off running down the dock in a in a full sprint. Lizzie realized she was holding her breath and couldn't move as she stared at him. In his hand, he held the shawl she had left at the restaurant. His eyes moved in her direction and he immediately stopped.

Their eyes locked for several moments and finally, his stern face transformed into an exhausted calm.

He was here.