Unexpected Happenings, Chapter 57
by SIPort
Eve and her daughters checked into the resort. Their rooms were top of the
line, of course. Julian had given them wonderful suites. Eve looked at the
flowers in her room. She went over and picked up the card.
See you tonight at the beach.
Eve smiled. “ Oh Julian.”
Simone was reading a magazine while Whitney finished unpacking. “ Whitney,
you can’t believe all the things that we can do here. I’m making a list. This
place is AMAZING!”
“ Considering the look of this room, I’d expect nothing less.”
There was a knock on the door. Whitney opened the door, and there was a
man standing there with a silver platter.
“ For you, Mademoiselle.”
Whitney picked up the card from the tray, and the man left. Whitney went
back into the suite.
“ Who was that at the door?”, Simone asked.
“ It was some guy with this card.”
“ What does it say?”
“ We’re supposed to go down to the private dining room at the restaurant.”
“ Why?”
“ Doesn’t say.”
“ Well, I guess that’s where we’re having lunch.”
“ Simone, Mom wouldn’t send something like this.”
“ Maybe it’s not Mom.”
“ Who can it be?”
“ Let’s get dressed and find out.”
Whitney and Simone entered the private dining room at the restaurant. All
of their favorite foods were sitting out for a buffet.
“ Whit, it’s all our favorite foods. Who could have..”
“ I hope they got it right.”
Whitney and Simone turned around to see Julian Crane standing there.
But, it wasn’t the Julian that they had known. He looked so relaxed. He
wasn’t wearing a suit and tie. He was dressed more casual than the girls
even knew was possible.
“ Mr. Crane…you’re here?”, Whitney asked.
“ I’m here.”, Julian replied. “ Shall we?” Julian and the girls filled their
plates with food and sat down to the table. Everyone began to eat.
“ Mr. Crane, not that I don’t appreciate this, but really, what ARE you
doing here, and why did you want to meet with me and Whitney?”, Simone asked.
Julian looked at Simone. “ You have a directness just like your father.”
Simone shrugged her shoulders. “ So people say.”, she replied, in between
bites.
“ I thought that you young ladies needed to know my intentions towards your
mother.”
Whitney choked a little on her food. “ Your intentions?”
“ My intentions. In another life, I would have had this conversation with
Eve’s parents, but since they are dead, YOU are the ones closest to Eve and
I’ll need your approval.”
Whitney and Simone looked at one another knowingly when Julian mentioned
that their grandparents were dead. If their mother hadn’t told Julian the
truth, it wasn’t their place.
“ So, what do you want from us, Mr. Crane?”, Whitney asked.
“ I want you to give me a chance. I know your father hates me. I want the
chance to prove to you how much I love your mother. That I only want the best
for her. That I would do anything for her. That I want to spend the rest
of my life with her.”
Now it was Simone’s turn to choke on her food. “ You mean….”
“ If your mother will have me, I want her to become Mrs. Julian Crane.”
Whitney and Simone did NOT know what to say to that. They were in complete
shock at this entire situation. It was one thing when they thought that Julian
Crane wanted a relationship with their mother. But, this man was sitting in
front of them, telling them that he wanted to be their stepfather. That he
wanted to marry their mother. Julian Crane, one of the ten richest men in
the world wanted to marry THEIR mother. They had grown up in household that
fed them a steady diet of Crane hatred, and now this man was here telling
them that he wanted to become family – permanently. Their minds were swimming
with confusion.
“ Well, Mr. Crane, I can honestly say that this is not what we thought we’d
here from you when we saw you. We won’t stand in your way. If Mom loves you
the way that you say you love her, you won’t get opposition from us. But,
she’s been through a lot. And, we love her. You BETTER treat her right. Mom’s
had enough pain for a lifetime. She doesn’t need anymore misery.”
“ I only have love for her.”
Simone arched her eyebrow. “ I almost believe you.”
“ You can, Simone. Whitney. You can believe in the love I have for your
mother. It is my one true thing.”
Eve looked at herself in the mirror. The dress that had arrived for her
fit like a glove. The hair and makeup stylists had just left. The only thing
left to put on was the deceivingly simple but obviously expensive necklace
and earrings that had just arrived a half hour ago. Of course, they matched
perfectly to the dress.
Eve got onto the elevator. She held the little map that had been made for
her and followed it once she got in the lobby. Arriving at the private beach,
all she could do was gasp. It was something out of a movie. Upon seeing her,
the band began to play. The waiter showed her to the table, and poured a glass
of champagne. She was in the middle of it when she felt a hand on her shoulder.
She turned around and was surprised by a kiss. Once she pulled away, she
saw..
“ Jerry.”
“ Yes, my Luv. It’s me.”
“ But, how….”
“ A determined man finds a way.”
Eve was in shock. She had never expected this. She totally had thought when
they had said their goodbyes in London that it would be the last time she’d
ever see Jerry Jacks, but here he was. It was HE that had arranged all of
this for her. The setting. The dress. The jewelry. Now she knew the flowers
were from him too. She didn’t know what to say.
“ Dance with me, Darling.”
Eve just did as she was told, being led to a dance floor, right on the beach.
Being Jerry’s arms was always easy. They were so strong and comforting, and
made a woman forget all her problems. Eve looked at Jerry. She looked at his
face, which held fascination for her, because there was always something new
that she discovered when she looked at his face.
“ Surprised?”
“ Quite.”
“ You couldn’t have thought that I would leave things the way that they
were. Eve, I was serious. I’ve never been more serious about any woman the
way that I am with you.”
“ Jerry..”
“ You made me discover things about my heart that I didn’t know where possible.”
“ Jerry…”
“ All I want is a chance, Eve. A serious chance to prove to you how good
we can be.”
“ Jerry, I already know that. I already know.”, Eve replied, as if in a
dream.
Jerry pulled her into a deep kiss, which Eve didn’t resist. She couldn’t
resist how she felt when Jerry did this. She didn’t even know why and responded
even harder, until something made her stop. Stopped her cold.
“ What is it, Luv?”
“ I don’t know. I felt a sudden chill down my spine.”
“ Just a wind, Darling.”
Eve nodded, but couldn’t shake the feeling that it was more than a wind.
Jerry led her back to the table for their dinner.
Simone and Whitney giggled when they saw their mother in the dining room
for breakfast. Eve looked up at her daughters.
“ Why are the two of you so happy?”
“ It’s just, um, we didn’t think we’d see you for breakfast this morning.”,
Simone replied.
“ Why not? This was the time we agreed to meet every morning.”
“ It’s just that….Mom, it’s ok. You can call him up and invite him to breakfast.
We won’t mind.”, Whitney replied.
“ Whitney, I have NO idea what you’re talking about. Who is him?”
Simone rolled her eyes. “ Julian Crane, of course.”
“ Julian? Why would you think that I would invite Julian to breakfast.”
“ Mom, we’re not kids. We know what adults that are interested in one another
‘do’. And, we’re cool with it, Mom. It’s still a little awkward for us, but
Simone and I just want you to be happy. We told Julian this yesterday.”
Eve looked at her daughters with shock. “ You TOLD Julian this yesterday.
You mean you SAW Julian yesterday?”
“ Of course, Mom. We talked it out. Whitney and I were impressed by Mr.
Crane. It’s so obvious how much he loves you, and even though it’s weird
now, we know that it’ll get better with time. We genuinely like Jerry more,
but I think yesterday was the first time that Whitney and I saw the Julian
Crane that you fell in love with all those years ago.”
Eve’s heart sank. She got sick to her stomach. It couldn’t be. It just couldn’t
have been him….but, of course it was him. She had felt a ‘presence’ last night
on the beach with Jerry. Now she knew that it was Julian.
Simone looked at her mother. “ Mom, is something wrong?”
“ No…nothing’s wrong. So, you two and Julian had a nice talk?”
Whitney smiled. “ Yes, Mom. I know he loves and respects you. It’s strange,
but if he makes you happy, then it’s ok. Honestly.”
Eve shook her head. “ I can’t believe my daughters are telling me it’s ok
to have a relationship with Julian Crane.”
“ Neither can we.”, Simone replied. Their juices came and Simone raised
hers in a toast.
“ To new beginnings, Mom. A new life for all of us.”
Eve clinked the glasses with her daughter. She’d figure out what to do about
Julian later.