Chapter Four
Nineteen days before the wedding.
The doorbell was chiming incessantly.
Gabe paused, his hands abruptly stopping their memorized dance of tying a tie. Laying the fabric down, he frowned as he made his way to the foyer of the condo. The security screen showed Britney, a frothy frond in hand and the other hand laying on the chime button.
With a scowl, Gabe opened the door.
“Good morning!” a cheery Britney ducked past him with the plant. “I’m going to need a key.”
“There is no key. It’s a facial recognition program,” Gabe looked in the hall to find boxes waiting. He wondered how she had gotten past security. “Why are there boxes in the hall?”
“I’m moving in,” announced Britney. She set the plant near the large windows in the living room. “Do these windows have blinds? I don’t want Betty to get sunburnt.”
“Betty?” asked Gabe in complete confusion.
“The plant,” explained Britney. She turned the pot a little, the stepped back to examine her work. “I think she’ll be quite happy here unless there is too much sun.”
“Why are you bringing me a plant?” questioned Gabe. He wondered if this was some bizarre ritual he had never heard of. Give a girl a ring, get a plant in return. “There are no blinds. The windows automatically tint when the afternoon sun hits them.”
“Betty is mine. I’m certainly not giving her to you. I named her after Earle Milton’s mom. It seemed fitting,” clarified Britney. “Windows can tint?”
“Custom installed sensor technology. Why are you here?” an impatient Gabe wondered. He didn’t like having his morning routine interrupted. Briefly, he thought about asking why she had named the plant after Mrs. Milton then decided he really didn’t need to know.
“I’m moving in,” declared Britney with a happy smile. “It only makes sense. You do have a spare bedroom? Otherwise I’ll take the couch.”
A speechless Gabe watched as she poked around the condo, finding the spare room which currently housed a few boxes of items Gabe had never gotten around to throwing out. When he had moved into the condo, Gabe had thought about a home office or some workout equipment for the room. Somehow, he had never gotten around to it and never even used the extra space.
“Perfect!” an excited Britney clapped her hands. “It’s like a blank canvas. I can just move right in.”
“No,” the word finally made it past his lips. “You are not moving in.”
Britney sighed. “We’re engaged. We’re getting married in less than three weeks. I have decided to sell my condo. It makes sense to move in early so the realtor will be able to show off the condo to prospective buyers any time. I’m taking over your spare room.”
“No, you’re not,” managed Gabe more firmly. “Isn’t it bad luck to move in together before the wedding?”
“That’s seeing the bride on the wedding day before the wedding,” answered Britney. “I didn’t think you were a superstitious sort of person. I don’t believe in luck.”
“Moving in before the wedding isn’t exactly done. Your mother can’t approve,” pointed out Gabe.
“My mother is over the moon that I’m marrying a Ramesly. If I would have told her I was moving in, she would have packed my bags for me. Of course, she and dad hoped I would be marrying Max,” shrugged Britney. She marched to the hallway and grabbed a box, heading for the second bedroom.
“Max?” frowned Gabe.
“The youngest of David’s sons. Your cousin?” Britney raised an eyebrow. “My parents thought they would be merging dynasties with dad’s boss, David. They were pretty disappointed when he married Piaget.”
Gabe had no idea what to say to her impromptu confession. This happened often with Britney, he reflected. She said nonsensical things, leaving her listeners with their heads spinning.
“Mom doesn’t really like you. She thinks you are a snobbish stick in the mud which is funny because that’s what she pretends to be. A snobby socialite,” Britney dumped the box on the floor.
“My mother would not approve of you moving in before the wedding,” said Gabe. He wasn’t snobby, was he? He had a quick peek at his watch. He should have been leaving for work right now. He was going to be late.
“I spoke to your mother last night,” smiled Britney. “I really like her. You are so lucky to have such a nice mom. She didn’t seem bothered by the idea of my moving in at all after I clarified I would be in the spare room until the wedding night. We’ve agreed to go over some of the wedding details to tailor our wedding a little bit. I thought a light shade of blue could be our color. I have always liked blue. Dotty seemed to like the idea and since she aggravated the wedding planner so much the girl quit, Dotty is happy to have me help out.”
Somehow, she had convinced his mother. Gabe’s heart sank. If he kicked Britney out, he would have to explain it to Mom and she wouldn’t like it. Somehow, he didn’t know the why himself, other than having Britney here was inconvenient. If he was truly honest with himself, Britney had always made him uncomfortable.
“Fine,” he bit out. They were going to have to live together for the next five years anyways so what was adding three more weeks?
