Tragic and Wonder: An Un-Fairytale [On Hold]

Chapter 24- Denver

I left for Denver on Wednesday morning just after my mom arrived and was scheduled to be back to Grandma's home late Friday night. I was so excited for this trip. I ended up getting to the hotel just before Mr. Lewis arrived. I was glad to see him, and apparently, he was glad to see me as he gave me a hug in greeting, which was not his usual greeting towards me. Oh no! Grandma was right! I thought, but I tried to ignore that thought and pushed it and the hug to the back of my mind. He was an engaged man, and I would not, nor could not, bring myself to be in any relationship, especially if that person was already in a relationship. I would not be the James, or Kiata, to any relationship. That was not me.

We walked over to reception together and tried checking in to our rooms. It turned out that they made a booking error. They over booked and one of our rooms (mine of course), that we had booked weeks in advance was unavailable. Mr. Lewis was livid. We showed them the multiple confirmations and they agreed that it was their error. His room was the Presidential Suite, which was a large suite and plenty of room. I told him that I would be fine staying on the couch in the suite for a night if they could have a room available the next night. Unfortunately, they said they were booked full tomorrow night as well. As compensation for their error, they offered him to have a free night's stay in the suite, so they would only charge him for one night. I told him that was a great offer for their mistake and I really did not mind staying on the couch. I had a small enough build that a couch would not bother me much. Mr. Lewis was fuming but agreed to the compromise. As a gentleman, I could tell that he was conflicted with the idea of a lady sleeping on the couch, but he let it go until we got to the room.

Once in the room, it was clear to both of us that I would not be sleeping on the couch, because the couch was a tiny loveseat. I told him that I would take the floor and he would have none of that. He said that if he had to pick me up and put me on the bed, he would because there was no way a lady would sleep on the floor if there was a perfectly good bed available to sleep on. I knew there was no winning this argument, so I conceded to his terms. We put our clothes away and got ready to head out to dinner.

We ended up at a fancy restaurant. Mr. Lewis and I enjoyed our meal. He paid stating that it was a business dinner, to which I agreed. We returned back to the hotel and each got ready for bed. We decided that it would be good to get a good night's rest as the meeting tomorrow morning was indeed important. I had so many nerves and thoughts flying around in my head that I knew it would be a restless night's sleep for me, so I once again suggested that he take the bed as he was the head of the company and would be the one presenting in the meeting. He simply said no. I finally convinced him to stay in the bed, which was maybe a little forward of me, but it was a king-sized bed and there were plenty of pillows to make a barrier between the two of us. He agreed to my compromise. I knew he would sleep better on the bed and I knew I would feel terrible if I was the reason he slept poorly.

I quickly changed into my pajamas. I was too nervous to wear my normal night gown, so I put on comfy pants and a t-shirt that I just happened to randomly pack. I slipped into my side of the bed while he was getting ready in the bathroom. I quickly turned off my light and closed my eyes trying to will myself to sleep. It must have worked because I was asleep before Mr. Lewis was out of the bathroom. I ended up sleeping better than I expected.

I got out of bed and began to get ready for our meeting. I did not want to wake Mr. Lewis up, so I moved quietly around the room. I was becoming more of a morning person the older I got. I began to see the serenity that Amanda saw when we were growing up. I still enjoyed my sleep, but I learned going to bed earlier let me enjoy those peaceful morning moments before the world seemed to explode into the chaos of the new day.

Once I had finished getting ready, I left the bathroom to find Mr. Lewis sitting up in bed scratching his head. He looked so confused when he first saw me. I politely smiled and said good morning to him. I asked if he would like me to go get him a coffee while he got ready for the meeting. He shook his head yes, and I grabbed my purse, phone, and room key and left quickly and quietly, trying my best to avoid any awkwardness that could have happened. I asked at the front desk where I could find the best cup of coffee within ten minutes of the hotel. They pointed me to a local mom and pop shop just down the road.

The little café was indeed a genuine coffee shop. They had the best selection of beans and had it displayed in the best way. I walked up to the register and ordered Mr. Lewis's usual drink. I ended up asking the barista what her suggestion would be for their best coffee. She apologized and told me she was new, but she would ask the manager. She called for the manager, Jimmy, and he came walking over. She explained what I was asking, and he turned to see me. I was quite sure that my jaw hit the ground when I saw him.

I stumbled over my words trying to form some sort of coherent thought and sentence. I was in shock. I knew it. I could not do anything. Maybe I could just die right here on the spot. It would save me from even more embarrassment than I knew was going to come when I finally could speak. I thought to myself.

"Hi Jade." He said with a smile on his face, bringing me out of my temporary coma.

"H-Hi James." I replied shyly.

"I heard you were looking for our best coffee."

I simply nodded in reply.

"I'll tell you what. I will make you the best cup of coffee you have ever had, and you sit down and talk with me. Catch up on what has been happening in each other's lives." He said.

"I-I...I can't sit down right now. I have a meeting that I need to attend soon, but if it is indeed the best cup of coffee I have ever had, I will come back after it is over and talk with you." I replied.

"Challenge accepted." James said smiling.

I could not get over how different he looked. He still was well built and still had his bright chocolate eyes, but he looked older and more mature. He cut his long golden locks off and now sported a trendy, hipster style haircut. It looked good on him, extremely good. However, the biggest difference that I saw was on his hand. He was married now, and it hit me like a blow to the gut, one that knocks the breath right out of you.

After he made the drinks, I went to pay but he stopped me saying it was on the house. I told him that I would do my best to come by after the meeting and if I could not make it before they closed, I would come by in the morning, this time earlier so that we would have time to catch up, even though I was not sure that I wanted to hear how well he was doing. I thanked him for the coffees and quickly left heading back to the hotel.

I made it up to the room and sat the coffees on the desk. I was too shaken up to even notice that Mr. Lewis was in the middle of getting dressed until he asked me what was wrong. I looked up to see him buttoning up his shirt. I quickly looked away.

"Well, I just ran into my ex-boyfriend." I said with almost a laugh. I could not believe my luck. This trip was starting to look like a disaster. I had been looking forward to it for such a long time and now it seemed to be slapping me in the face at each turn.

"Oh. I see." Mr. Lewis replied. "Are you alright Ms. Williams?"

"Um, yeah, actually I think so. It has been just over three years since I last saw him or talked to him." I said in a surprisingly calm voice.

"Three years?" Mr. Lewis asked. I nodded in response. There was a pause before he spoke again.

"It has been a little over three years since I received a call from you asking if I was serious in having a job available for you."

He is beginning to put two and two together. I thought to myself.

"This ex-boyfriend of yours wouldn't happen to be the reason you called me, would he?"

Yep. Busted.

"Funny you should say that." I said with an insincere chuckle. "Yes. He does. He is the reason that I called you, or at least part of it. I will share that with you some other time. As for now, we need to be getting on the road so that we are there on time. I know that you don't like to be late, especially because of my pathetic love life, or lack thereof." I said, hoping he would get the hint about wanting to leave and avoid talking about what happened with James.

"Alright Ms. Williams, but I must warn you that I will hold you to tell me what happened. And I may just have to thank that poor soul one day for messing up with you because it led you here to work for me." Mr. Lewis said with a warmth in his eyes that made me feel less miserable from just seeing James.

"I'd expect nothing less from you, sir." I said with a smile.

With that we left to go to meet with our potential new clients.