Chapter 2 "Happy...Reunion?"

The afternoon passes by quickly. Kendra, Betty's assistant was with her in her office discussing the check off lists for the next issue of their magazine. Betty, sitting at her desk is again staring outside looking at the people running about in the rain. She's half listening to what Kendra is saying. Then suddenly Betty felt like her heart had stopped. She sees a man looking up at her from the ground floor, from under his umbrella. In her mind she screams, 'Oh my God, it's Matt!' Betty nervously walks closer to the window to find to her disappointment, that he was gone and thinks to herself that the man was probably never there in the first place.

Kendra noticing Betty looking pale all of a sudden, concerned asks, "Hey, Betty are you all right?"

Getting her composure back Betty says,"I'm fine, why?"

Kendra thinking that hot tea would do Betty good, asks"It's almost 4 pm, would you like some tea? I'm getting some."

Betty anxious to leave the office says, "No thanks. I need to take a walk and get some fresh air so I'll go get some at the corner cafe across the street. Thanks, though." Betty just couldn't understand why Matt has preoccupied her thoughts these several days. She decides she needs to get out more and thought of Caleb her next door neighbor who has asked her out a couple times. I should start dating more she thinks to herself.

Betty sips her tea looking out the cafe's window. The rain had just stopped and the late afternoon air smells crisp and clean. She watches people walk by in their different colored raincoats. The noise in the cafe was getting louder as customers and tourists alike walk in for tea time. It feels cozy and warm inside the cafe. The mouth watering smell of fresh cream, jam, just baked scones, different sweet breads, cakes and cucumber sandwiches were everywhere.

Betty's co-workers come by and say hello and invite themselves and sit with her. Betty is oblivious of the world around her now and her thoughts are of loved ones in Queens. Her work friends have noticed this and try to include her in the laughter and discussion going on, without success.

"Hey, Betty, we're just concerned how withdrawn you've become since your boyfriend, Daniel left. Janice, one of Mr. Dunn's assistants remarks. "When is he coming back?"

Surprised she says,"Oh, no. Daniel is not my boyfriend! Didn't I tell you, guys that he's a great friend of mine from New York? I used to work for him at Mode Magazine. And he's not coming back. Not soon anyway. I'm OK, though. Don't worry about me." Betty says with a forced smile.

"Betty, Janice, Jules and I are going on a mini break to Paris this weekend. We'll be taking the red eye flight tonight and we'll be staying with my sister. You could come if you'd like. What are you doing this weekend?" Alice, another office mate asks concerned that Betty has not adjusted to living in London yet. Betty didn't respond, so Alice asks again, "What are you doing this weekend, Betty?"

Instead of answering Alice, Betty whispers to her office mates, "Do you see that guy right outside the window? The one in the black rain coat carrying a blue umbrella? The one who just walked by."

"Yes, why?" Janice, Jules and Alice answer together in unison. Betty asked because she wanted to make sure she wasn't seeing things. By the time they finished asking, "Who is that?" Betty was gone!

Betty bolted out of the cafe into the sidewalk and ran towards the man. She calls out "Matt... Matt" as she prays 'Oh Lord, please let it be Matt.' "Matt!" she calls out again.

Matt just finished texting when he heard his name called. He knew that voice anywhere. He turns around and the biggest smile formed on his face when he sees Betty. She runs towards him and Matt towards her. Betty stops right in front of him, and asks, "Is it really you?"

Matt's smile gets bigger and nods to her question. She jumps into his open arms. Matt just realized how excited Betty was to see him. The force of her hugging him caused Matt to stagger backward. He was able to maintain his balance and they held on to each other for a while! He kisses her on the forehead. He wanted to kiss her on her mouth but restrained himself and didn't want to be too forward. He reminded himself that they were not together anymore and were just friends.

Betty's office friends witness this from the cafe. Their jaws dropped, their faces looked shocked and happy all at the same time. "Oi, what just happened here?"they ask.

Jules asked, "Is that Daniel?"

Janice and Alice who have met Daniel, say "No, that's not Daniel, that's someone else! Who, you ask? We don't know!"

Still holding each other, Betty looks up to Matt and starts rattling off questions, "When did you get in?, How long have you been here? What are you doing here? Where are you staying? How was Africa?"

Matt really didn't hear what Betty was asking for he was overjoyed to see her. He spins her around and gasps, "Wow! You're gorgeous!"

Betty blushes a little at the compliment. It's true, Betty's sense of fashion has improved since she left Mode. Her colors have toned down some and she wears more tailored suits now. Her bangs are still swept to one side, her hair is layered and cut short, about her jaw line. Of course, no braces and no glasses. She wears contacts.

Betty says "You're not bad looking yourself." Betty smiles eying Matt. She thinks to herself, 'He looks handsome in this white dress shirt under the black raincoat! He has let his hair grow out like before so you can see more of his curls. He's tan now, still slim and trim like before but he feels more muscular', "hmm-hmm," she says unaware that she touched his chiseled chest through his shirt. Matt laughs out loud which made her blush in embarrassment.

"You're still you but something's changed." He says. "Something other than the missing braces and eye glasses and new hair cut."

"I did lose some weight recently. I don't know why. Maybe it's because I get homesick and miss Papi's home cooking or maybe I don't like my own cooking since I'm not a good cook anyway and don't like eating out too much." Betty says.

"What? I should do something about that, huh? We must have dinner tonight!" Matt says but with the same breath he says' "Oh no, I can't! I almost forgot I have this late meeting tonight at the office."

"Office? I mean, do you work in London, now?" Betty asks surprised.

"Oh no, I'm just checking up on the operations at the HCF London office," he says. "You see, It's been a couple weeks since I've been back from Africa. I've been very busy taking over the Charitable Foundation management and operations from my elderly Uncle Jack.

Disappointed Betty remarks, "We need to catch up on things..."

Matt thinking fast suggests, "How about coffee and dessert? Would you have coffee and dessert with me after my meeting?" he asks somewhat tentatively.

"I'd love to, Matt." she says smiling.

I'll pick you up at 830," he says as he waves to his black limo when he recognizes his chauffeur Gijs driving up towards them.

"A limo?"Betty asks, surprised when the limo drove up. As Gijs opens the limo door, Matt tells her that he had texted Gijs to pick him up before Betty saw him.

"Gijs, this is Betty Suarez, a very good friend from New York." Matt says as he introduces them to each other. Betty's mind goes wild at Matt's remark. She thinks, what we're ... JUST FRIENDS?

Gijs tips his hat to Betty as he says in his Cockney accent,"Good to meet you, Ms. Saurez." He then looks at Matt and asks, "Where to, Mr. Hartley, sir?"

Meanwhile, Betty's office mates were still watching them from the cafe and so when the limo drove up to them, their jaws dropped even more, they looked at each other unbelieving. The clue was H-A-R-T-L-E-Y spelled right on the limo's license plates. They knew the Hartley family were a very wealthy and prominent business family both here in London and on the other side of the pond. They finally recognized the man next to Betty; Matt Hartley, heir to the Hartley fortune and businesses.

Matt tells Betty that he would drop her off at her apartment and she nods in agreement as she gets into the car first. As Matt sat next to Betty in the limo, Matt suddenly felt nervous being so close to Betty. They realized that they were holding hands, both were silent for a few seconds then Matt turned to look into Betty's eyes. With no words spoken they seemed to have an understanding that they still cared for each other but neither would volunteer to speak it out loud. Not yet anyway. As far as Matt was concerned he loved her. His feelings for her have never changed even after Betty broke off with him before he left for Africa. Looking into her soul through her eyes, he was thinking, 'My darling, if you only knew how I feel for you.' His whole mind and body were yearning to be with her. His feelings were so intense, he felt that he would explode. He bends forward and was about to kiss her when Betty suddenly felt self conscious. It was not because Matt continued to look into her eyes but because she felt someone else looking at her. She looks out the other window, across the street. She lets go of Matt's hand, shocked. She gasps,"Daniel!"

Standing across the street, Daniel is looking at Betty through the rolled down window of the limo. He has a shy smile on his face and his hands in his pockets. Daniel had just stepped out from the Dunn Publishing building. He was on his way to the cafe to look for Betty. He had been there a while so he witnessed Matt and Betty run into each others arms and hug.

The limo was about to leave. "Wait a minute, Gijs" Matt says to his driver. Matt's heart sank in his chest. He was in such pain upon seeing Daniel but he jumps out anyway and looks to Betty waiting for her to get out of the car. For a moment Betty didn't know what to do. She wanted to stay in the car with Matt but she also wanted to go see Daniel. Matt reaches for her hand to help her out.