Romance: Dedication - A Workplace Romance (Dedication Series, Romance, Contemporary Romance Book 1) (11 page)

              “Let’s take this one, then,” she smiled.

              Franklin swiped his card before carrying the box out for her. They wandered to several other shops, purchasing shoes and jewelry to match. By the time they were done, Jane was freezing. Franklin rubbed his hands over the arms of her coat to warm her up while they waited in line for coffee. When they both had big, steaming cups they decided to keep walking.

              “Hey, look at that. It’s an ice skating rink. That’s new,” Jane sipped at her coffee.

              “Do you want to go ice skating?”

              She scoffed. “And break my leg before this wedding? No, thank you.”

              “Come on, you won’t break your leg. I’m actually pretty good at it.”

              Jane raised a delicate eyebrow. “Mckinnon, you never cease to surprise me,” she gazed at the people skating around, heard the laughter drift in her direction. “Okay, I’ll try it.”

              There was a steady tent constructed near the rink that rented out skates. From inside of it also came the smell of warm drinks, snacks and suge. Little tables had been set up inside, some held families. Jane smiled as one little girl kicked her feet happily as she munched on some popcorn.

              Franklin led her over to the shoe rental area. When he’d gotten them, he had Jane sit on a bench before he helped her into her skates. Jane dug into the pocket of her coat, pulling out a pair of thick, cream gloves that she slipped onto her hands. When she stood on the skates, it was like balancing on a tightrope.

              “Why did I let you talk me into this?”

              He laughed. “Come on, don’t whine.”

              As Jane stepped out onto the ice, she gripped his hand hard. He didn’t seem to mind as he pulled her close to him. For a moment, Jane’s legs wobbled as though they would stop working suddenly. As she relaxed, she became steadier. Franklin wrapped an arm around her back before he really pushed off.

              “Too fast!” Jane squealed.

              “I’ve got you,” Franklin said, tightening his arm around her.

              The more they went around the rink, the more Jane was able to relax. Franklin would glide in front of her, hold her hands as she slowly tried to skate by herself. As much as she was afraid of falling, she had to admit that she liked the feeling of gliding around the rink. Franklin let go of her hands unexpectedly. She stayed upright for a few moments, before she fell.

              When Franklin rushed over to help her up, she was laughing. It took a moment to get her back onto her skates. She rubbed a hand over her hip where she’d fallen.

              “Are you okay?”

              “I’m fine. I guess falling isn’t so bad.”

              Franklin laughed. “It hurts a little, but you get used to it. It’s easier to learn to do something if you’re not afraid of failing. Do you want to go again?”

              She nodded. They stayed at the rink until Jane’s fingers were frozen from the cold. The later it got, the colder it became. Franklin brought both of them another cup of hot coffee before they walked back to the car. Jane sighed.

              “That was fun.”

              “You should let me take you out more often,” Franklin said, “there’s a lot of things to do in this city.”

              When they reached his house, Jane turned the heat on full blast. Going through his dresser, she found a pair of her yoga pants, a t-shirt and one of his sweat shirts. When she was nice and cozy, she walked back downstairs. He patted the space on the couch beside him. On the coffee table, there were boxes of food, chopsticks and a bottle of soy sauce.

              :”When did you order Chinese?”

              “On the way back home. I figured we’d be hungry.”

              Jane curled up next to him, picking up a container of beef lo mein. Franklin flipped to a movie before he started eating with her. Halfway through the film, Jane was full, warm and happy. She leaned her head against his shoulder. His arms wrapped around her.

              “Jane?”

              “Hmmm?”

              “I’m really glad I met you. I can’t imagine life without you now.”

              Jane smiled. “I feel the same way.”

              Franklin kissed the top of her head, the smell of the rose shampoo he’d bought for her filling his nose. When she was asleep, her chest rising and falling slowly, he gazed down at her. A smile slipped onto his face.

              “I love you,” he whispered quietly.

              When she didn’t stir, he slipped from underneath her. He started to clean up the food, then went upstairs to pull back the blanket. He didn’t want to wake her up, so he scooped her up inside of his arms so he could carry her up the stairs. When he laid her in his bed, he pushed a lock of brown hair from her forehead. He would tell her someday soon.

              When the weekend of the wedding came, Jane was frantically flying around her house gathering her things. Franklin had just texted her to say he was on his way. She still wasn’t even dressed. She tossed another pair of shoes into her suitcase before slipping into her clothes. The weather had warmed up considerably with only a slight chill in the air. She bit her lip, unable to decide what she wanted to wear.

              The sound of her front door opening let her know that Franklin was there. She slipped into a pair of jeans, a purple turtle neck and her boots. When she hurried into the bathroom, Franklin stood in the hallway with his eyebrow raised.

              “Don’t start,” she warned.

              “Oh, I’m going to start. Why aren’t you ready to go? We have a plane to catch, remember?”

              Jane sighed as she pulled the flat iron through her hair. “I was out kind of late with Rebecca and overslept.”

              “I should have guessed the bad influence would be a part of this. Are you at least packed?”

              She ran her fingers through her hair. “90%.”

              “90%?”
              “More like 75, but I’ll finish it quick.”

              Franklin groaned before he pinched the bridge of his nose. “Is everything you’re taking on the bed?” When she nodded, he disappeared into her bedroom.

              It took a half hour for Jane to finish her makeup and help Franklin pack the rest of her stuff. He loaded her bags into the car quickly before they were off. Both of them let out a sigh of relief before Jane glanced at the clock. They were cutting it close, but she thought they could make it.

              Once they were settled on the plane, Jane’s breathing finally slowed. They’d had to run through the airport, she was barely able to keep up with him. Now, they were in first class, both of them panting. Franklin gazed over at her and grinned. The grinned turned into both of them laughing uncontrollably.

              “You drive me crazy, you know that?” Franklin said shaking his head.

              “I know it.”

              She grabbed his coat, pulling him into a deep kiss. The smile was still on his lips when he  pulled away. The announcement came over the intercom to fasten their seatbelts forcing them to pull themselves apart for a moment. They both sighed as they settled into their seats.

              “Nervous?” Jane asked as she glanced over at him.

              “A little bit,” he said with a half smile, “but I know everything will work out.”

              His hand wrapped around hers. As she leaned back in her seat, watching the city disappear, his thumb ran over her hand. She was looking forward to the wedding, it had been a while since she’d spent time with his family.

              For once, Jane stayed awake the entire flight. She was too full wired. By the time they landed, she was ready to stretch her legs and breathe fresh air. Franklin helped carry her luggage through the airport. When they stepped outside, a car was already waiting for them. After Franklin had helped to load up the trunk, he slid in beside her.

              “What time is the rehearsal dinner?” Franklin asked as he scrolled through his phone.

              “Six. We have just enough time to get to the hotel room and change.”

              “Good.”

              Once they’d checked in, they parted long enough to search through their bags and find their clothes. Jane settled on a simple pink dress before she wound her hair into a neat bun. Franklin walked into the bathroom as she was swiping on nude lipstick. She looked him over. He was almost edible in a button down shirt and dark blue jeans.

              “We should really get going.”

              “I’m ready.”

              When they arrived, people were already milling around, chatting. Soft music played as they walked through the building. Nadia must have been looking for her. She sailed over, hugging Jane before doing the same to Franklin.

              “I’m glad you guys could make it. You look lovely, Jane.”

              “Thank you. You look good yourself.”

              Nadia beamed. She led them through the hall introducing them to her friends and family. All of her friends were friendly and spoke in thick accents that Jane found charming. A lot of her family barely spoke english, but their smiles were radiant as they spoke with Nadia. Jane could imagine her own mother, the smile that would light up her face the day that she got married.

              The meal was elegant, but light. By the time they’d said their 'goodnights', Jane was craving something with a bit more substance. As soon as they reached the hotel room, Franklin ordered them up another meal with a bottle of champagne to share.

              “They looked really happy, don’t you think?” Jane asked as she stepped out of her heels.

              “Yeah, they do.”

              “I can’t wait to see the wedding tomorrow. I’ve always liked the idea of a big wedding.”

              Franklin froze. “Parkett, are you hinting at something?”

              Jane’s mouth fell open. “Not at all! I was just making conversation.”

              His eyes lingered on her a while longer. No matter how many times she tried to explain that she was just talking about the wedding, he didn’t seem to believe her. Jane sighed. Of course she wanted to be married in the future, but that wasn’t on her mind at that exact moment. At least not that much. Sure, she thought about it sometimes, especially with Nadia around talking about her wedding all of the time, but she didn’t think Franklin was there yet.

              Her parents had gotten married as a result of a whirlwind romance: Six months of dating had seen Mr. Parkett on bent knee. And they had a host of problems, one of which had almost lead to a nasty divorce. Needless to say, Jane wasn’t in any rush to walk down the aisle.

              After their meal, they decided to go to bed early. Nadia would kill both of them if they were late. The ceremony wasn’t until midday, and then there was a short break so that everyone could loaded into party buses and get to the reception area. While Jane wasn’t in the wedding, Nadia had demanded she be by her side up until the start of the ceremony. And if Nadia’s permanently stoic friends were any indication, the bride was going to need all the help she could get.

              They lay together, the TV’s glow lighting the room softly, the voices hushed. Franklin’s fingers moved through her hair, the motion lulling her to sleep. As her eyes closed, she heard Franklin mumble something quietly, but she was too far gone to ask him to repeat it. She breathed a contented sigh before falling into a deep sleep.

              The morning greeted them with sunlight cascading across a fresh layer of snow. Jane dragged herself from the confines of her warm bed, throwing one lingering look at Franklin who was still fast asleep. Her phone showed 8 text messages from the bride, three picture messages and one very long voice message.

              She gathered up her things to put in the bridal party suite, before heading into the bathroom to shower. Nadia had bought everyone in the wedding party matching yoga pants and hoodie outfits to wear while they got pampered. Jane had been surprised and a little touched when Nadia had presented hers.

              Once she was dressed, bags in tow, Jane gave the still sleeping Franklin a peck on the cheek, then left their hotel room. Nadia was staying six floors up. The Schwicks had reserved two penthouses for the wedding. One was for the bridal party, and the other was for being prepped and polished for the newly married couple.

              As she approached the door, Jane could hear the sound of laughter permeated by thick Russian. She knocked politely, jumping back when the door was wrenched open by a statuesque blonde with piercing eyes.

              “You Jane?” She her accent thick, “Good, Nadia been waiting long time for you.” Before she knew what was going on, she was being dragged into a cavernous room. Clothes were thrown everywhere. Hanging proudly in an open closet was Nadia’s bridal gown, still zipped and safe in its stark white garment bag.

              “Jane, you’re here.” Nadia was sitting in a makeup chair, her hair pulled back as a gruff looking woman massaged her shoulders. “Oksana, get us more mimosa…” Another Russian girl came hurrying from the kitchen, two fine crystal flute in hand.  “That’s my sister, Oksana. The other girl,” She pointed a perfectly manicured finger to the one that opened the door, “Is my best friend Aleksandra. She doesn’t speak very much English.”

              In all, there were nine women that made up Nadia’s bridal party. All of them stunningly beautiful. The morning began with mimosa’s, poured a little heavy on the champagne. At 10, a knock on the door announced the arrival of breakfast. Three carts, laden heavy with food were pushed into the room.

              Nadia was never shy about food, unlike some of her other friends, who picked lightly at fruit salad, she dove right into a stack of fluffy pancakes drenched in syrup.

              “My last few moment’s as a single woman.” she proclaimed proudly, tears springing up in her eyes. “Oh, I’m so nervous. If I trip walking down the aisle, you have to promise to just put me out of my misery, okay?”

              “You haven’t tripped down a runway in years, Nadi,” A beaming model reassured. “And what do you do if you do trip.”

              “Own it.” Nadia said.

              “Yeah you own it. You’re marrying the fine ass James Schwick, nothing can bring you down today, remember? When you walk down that aisle, and James sees you, he’s going to burst into tears.”  The maid of honor was an intimidating fitness model named Teresa. She had her own television show where she spent the better part of an hour  screaming at chubby Hollywood clients that they could be better. “So, Jane,” Teresa asked, “How is it dating Franklin?”

              “It’s nice, he’s a good guy.”

              “Maybe to you,”  There was something cold in Teresa’s words that Jane was all too familiar with.

              “Teresa used to be fat,” At Jane's skeptical look, she added, “Not model fat. Fat, fat. And Franklin made a remark about her stretchmarks.”

              “Which I got lasered, thank you very much…” She said bitterly as she drained her fourth glass of mimosa.

              “He can be a bit too much sometimes. But I like to think I calmed him down.”

              “You did. Which is why I’m  so thrilled that you’re here with me!” Nadia got down from her chair to throw her arms tight around Jane. “These last few months would have been hell without you.”

              “It wasn’t any trouble, Nadia. I enjoyed spending time with you.”  Jane could feel the start of tears prickling in her eyes. She’d sworn that she wouldn’t cry
until
the wedding started, but at that moment, Jane didn’t think she’d last much longer.

              “Nonsense, I know I can be difficult. You stopped me from making some disastrous changes.” Nadia shook her head, “I can’t believe I almost put fresia in my bouquet.”

              “You hate fresia, you would have been miserable the entire time. And the pine cones are so much prettier, especially with all the snow today.”

              The rest of the morning passed in a blur. After breakfast everyone was herded down to the spa for manicures and massages. With Nadia giving them all a stern warning to stay away from facials, in fear that they would make the women look blotchy in pictures. Jane was soaking her feet in lavender scented water when her phone chimed. A picture of Franklin with a few of the groomsmen lit up the screen.

              “Guess he does look nicer,” Teresa said from next to her. Nadia looker over Jane's shoulder at the picture, grinning softly.

              “He
does
look happier,” She said, her voice soft and relaxed from all the booze and pampering. “I’m happy that you forgave him.”

              Jane’s eyes found Nadia’s, her brow furrowing, “Forgave him for what?”

              “James said that Frank had told you…”

              “Nadia…” The ‘business’ voice made Nadia scootch further back into her recliner, shaking her head furiously.

              “I’ll tell you after I get back from Switzerland. I really shouldn’t have mentioned it.”

              “Please just tell me? I promise I won’t get mad until after the reception is over.” Jane took in a slow, steadying breath. Drawing her lips up to give her friend relaxed smile. “I promise not to get upset.”

              “It was so long ago, I figured you knew by now. I mean, you guys have been together almost a year.”

              “Come on, Nadia.”

              “Okay, well, remember, you can’t yell at him until after.” The bride took a deep breath, the movement so strong that it disturbed the curlers in her hair. “Franklin started dating you as a bet…” She said cautiously, wincing when the other bridesmaids gasped collectively. “It’s not all that bad. James just told me that all the new hires had a bet to see which of them could bag you or Rebecca first... Apparently there was a sizable chunk of money involved.”

              It was a long moment before Jane could find her voice. She’d gone cold, her throat drier than sandpaper. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

              “I only found out last night, and I was planning on telling you then, but I…” Watching people fight back tears had always been uncomfortable for Jane. Seeing Nadia, forcing herself not to cry, softened her anger into something much more manageable. “I just didn’t want to do anything that could harm today. I’m so sorry, I should have said something-”             

              “No, Nadia,” Jane said slowly, “It’s okay. I would have exploded at him had you told me earlier. Was there anything else?”

              The woman sniffed as she dabbed at her eyes with a white washcloth, “Not much. Just that dating you was worth $10,000. He turned it down though, Franklin, if that makes you feel any better.”             

              “So, he didn’t take it? The money?”

              “Well, he turned it down the first time. But not the second.”

              Jane’s head was swimming. This was worse than any of her past boyfriends. Their mean words and unavoidable exit were always predicated by some huge argument. Things were good with Franklin, and in retrospect, maybe things had been too good.

              “Okay, don’t worry about it. It’s your big day. Cryings online going to make you look red and tired, so stop it. Cheer up. I’m not mad.” She have her friend a big hug, who seemed to be happy with the secret off her chest. Nadia began to get that famed ‘bridal glow. And by the time the makeup artist came to do her face, the woman was brimming with nothing but happiness.

***

              “Dad, Mama, I got it, I got it.” Nadia was in a flurry as her gown was lowered onto her body. Nadia’s mother had already smeared her eye shadow twice, forcing the grumpy artist to have to redo it. Nadia roughly took the bouquet from her gently weeping mother, bending just  a little to kiss the older woman on the cheek. “No tears, Mama. Not until after the pictures: Then you can cry all you want.”

              The woman smiled at her daughter, and Jane watched as they carefully embraced. It was twenty minutes into the ceremony, everything was going smoothly. Jane called ahead to the country club to make sure everything was set up for the reception. She’d gone no numerous emergency runs to the store, hell, she’d even yelled at a server for nearly spilling pasta sauce all over one of the bridesmaids dresses.

              Keeping busy was good, that way her mind couldn’t dwell on the pain from Franklin’s betrayal. Jane detached herself from the agony. For Nadia’s sake, she told herself. And when she watched her friend walk down the aisle, draped in beautiful fabric, looking like a goddess, all her worries faded away for a moment. Because even though Franklin had spurned her trust, so many other great things had been built from their relationship. For a solitary moment, Jane had everything she needed in her friends joy.

              The ceremony was short and sweet. A few laughs were had when Nadia paused at the end of the aisle to throw one last look back at the door. Once she was Mrs. Schwick, Nadia burst into  a flurry of tears, grinning ear to ear as photographs from magazines rushed to take her picture.

              The wedding had gotten so much press that by the time all the guest had arrived at the country club, it’s law was filling with eager paparazzi. Light’s flashed before Jane’s eyes as camera shutters went of. People nearly pushed past her to get a shot of the editor-in-chief of some new design company Nadia modeled for. It was so busy, that Jane didn’t notice Franklin breaking away from the wedding party until his arms wrapped around her.

              “I haven’t seen you all day.” He murmured against her hair, “I am starving, wanna get some cocktails and a snack?”

              Jane was still in his arms. His touch wasn’t the same as she remembered. Was it only a few hours ago that she’d awoken in his arms? They certainly hadn't been so heavy and suffocating then. She wanted to crawl out of his grasps and scream at him. To cause a scene so memorable that it’s be covered in the paper for days on end. Jane wanted to hurt him twice as much as he’d hurt her…

              She drew in a deep lungful of air before she turned, “A cocktail would be nice,” She smiled softly, praising herself on the serene calm that flooded her mind. This was Nadia’s wedding, ruining it with a dramatic breakup would only cause problems.

              “Are you okay?” It was funny how committed someone could be to a lie, Jane thought ruefully, as Franklin ran his hands up and down her bare shoulders. He actually looked concerned.

              “Yeah, I just had a busy morning…”

              “Only a few more hours and we’ll be on vacation,” He gave her a tight squeeze as he lead them across the cobblestone driveway, and into the club. Jane made it through the cocktail hour with a painful smile plastered on her face. It managed to hold through to the grand entrance of the newly minted James and Nadia Schwick.

              Nadia changed into a daring cream colored dress. It was backless with a plunging neckline that showed off a figure that had designers fighting over it. Admittedly, Jane had never seen James look so smitten. He hung onto her, hardly letting her more than a few feet away before he swept her up in another kiss.

              “James, Nadia,” Franklin stood up toward the end of dinner, a glass of wine extended toward the couple. “I wish you all the happiness in life. All the luck and joy in the world. You are a beautiful pair. Nadia,” His smile turned into the mischievous little grin that Jane knew would have her blushing, ‘Nadia, I hope you know what you’re getting into with this guy,” Franklin shook his head, “No one would blame you if you walked out now...As his friend, it’s my duty to tell you that he is….well...he’s kind of a spoiled brat. Not to mention a bit of a jerk. But he’s a jerk that cares deeply about you. For the first six months you were dating, he hired a personal stylist just so that he could look good for you. Not that it worked much,” Once the laughter died down, Franklin went on. “I see how you two care for one another, and it makes me strive to feel the same thing. You’re an amazing couple, and I know this marriage is just the start to amazing things.”

              Nadia smiled at Franklin, but her eyes were on Jane. The models face, as beautiful as it was, held a deep guilt that even Jane couldn’t ignore. Pretty words weren’t ever enough to placate Jane, though. She knew the best liars were ones that could make their victims feel. Franklin was a shark, she’d known that. He was a man that did anything to get what he wanted. So long as he won, the consequences didn’t matter. Jane drank her glass of wine in four deep gulps, knowing that the conversation she and Franklin would have later, would require a few gallons of liquid courage.