Chapter 14 Friends

"Here, I'll put the bikes away." Matt says hurriedly. After having a picnic then bike riding in London's countryside Betty was eager to take a little nap when they got home. "Why are you so tired? Last week when we went kayaking, you got so tired, too! And it was me who was the one paddling! Betty, do you think we're pregnant? He asks with a broad smile on his face.

A pregnancy scare? Betty smiles and asks him, "If we were then that's absolutely OK, right?" She goes on her tip toes and holds on to Matt then kisses his mouth. "But I know, I'm not." she tells him. Unlike last year, her life then was in such disarray. She smiles and remembers that time. It was such a shock to her that Matt was willing to take a chance on them as a couple when she was not. Matt already knew then and had decided that Betty was the love for him. 'I should have known that Matt was the one for me, too. I should have known.' Betty thinks to herself. She decides to walk to the storage unit with him, instead of waiting for him downstairs.

Betty watches her fiance' and admires him. 'Although he is a rich man, he's a hard worker. It's amazing with all their domestic help, he still puts things away himself. He easily could have asked Gijs to put their bikes away but no, he doesn't. A few months ago when they were in Botswana, Betty witnessed how hardworking Matt could be. He not only donates money to their charitable causes but also is right in there doing the physical work on any project as with many of the other volunteers.

After he puts the bikes away, they walk towards their waiting limo. Matt looks a little apprehensive. Betty looks at him lovingly, holds his hands and asks him, "you look nervous to me. Why? What's wrong?"

"Am I?" he asks as he gets in the limo with her. Matt takes a deep breath, then tells her, "I've been preoccupied with a check list in my head... I want to talk to the Jan and make sure we have everything we need and make sure we're ready before they arrive."

"Matt, Jan, our butler has been ready. I've talked to him two nights ago when you stayed late at the office. Their flight arrives at 6 pm and Gijs knows when to pick them up. Don't worry. Everything will be fine and besides we live at the Savoy and you reserved a suite for them there as well. The hotel staff will get whatever we need or whatever they need. There's no need to worry." she reminds him as she pulls him close and she kisses him again. "I know you're worried about your dad but he's getting the cancer treatment he needs. He'll be OK." Since Cal told Matt and Betty about his illness, Betty noticed that Matt quite pensive and always studying their company financial records, trying to learn more of the family business.

With that, Matt looks at Betty sweetly holds her then whispers to her, "You know me so well."

Betty smiles, she knew she was right. "You know your dad is a strong man. He'll be fine." she tries to convince Matt.

"I realize that it must be odd to have a brother...a grown brother...all of a sudden " Betty starts to say to him to change the subject when Betty noticed he became quiet again.

"Yeah, it's one thing to have had a brother all your life and have that connection and another thing to have just met him last week, a grown man." Matt says.

Last week, Cal invited Tyler to dinner that very next evening after meeting him. Cal had ordered in at his apartments in New York. The invitation was also extended to Claire but she declined and desired that they, meaning the Hartley men get together first. The dinner was primarily for Tyler and for them, Matt and Cal, so they could get to know each other. Matt and Cal had decided beforehand that Victoria, Matt's mother not be informed about this until later, maybe after Matt and Betty's engagement party at the end of the week. Cal also made Matt promise not to mention anything about his illness.

At first, Tyler thought of bringing Amanda with him to the dinner but then decided against it. He felt a little jealous when Amanda confessed to him that there was a time she had a great big crush on Matt.

"He never loved me.." she says, "but of course that's all history now. Today, right now is what's important, right?" Amanda had said looking at him lovingly. She then kissed him and asked, "Do you believe me, Tyler? You know, I love you."

Tyler reluctantly said, "Absolutely, Amanda... I love you, too!" His head knew this truth especially now that Matt and Betty are engaged, but his heart still ached.

Thanks to Amanda and Claire, he was well dressed tonight. Unlike the day before, the first time he met Cal and Matt, he was wearing a casual collared shirt and worn jeans. This time he was dressed in a silk dress shirt with a dark dinner jacket with matching slacks and black Italian made shoes. The Hartley limo picked Tyler up at the apartment that Claire had rented for him while he had been living in New York. He looked around the elegant and spacious car. He just could not imagine people having so much wealth. He tried to imagined himself rich but couldn't. For some reason he felt very nervous to meet Cal and Matt again. Unsure why, he knew he didn't want anything from them but he did want to like them. He really didn't care if they liked him or not. 'I guess I hope, they are nice, likable and decent people.' he thought to himself. Although nervous, he felt he was more in control this time unlike the limo ride he had last year when Daniel took him around town. Then, he was more distraught, confused and totally not in control because of his drinking problem.

The chauffeur escorts Tyler to Cal's penthouse apartments and rings the door for him. When the door opens, Matt was there, smiling extending his hand to him to say hello and Cal was just beyond him walking towards them to welcome Tyler to his home. Cal shook his hand as well saying, "Welcome, welcome, Tyler. I'm glad you could come."

Although they were very welcoming, his first reaction was to be guarded. He was relieved, that Cal and his son, Matt seemed like very nice people. Matt tells them that "Betty went to visit her family in Queens and will be having dinner with them. I'll be picking her up later."

'Matt must be nice because Betty loves him' Tyler thought to himself, what little he knew about Betty made him think that she would never be involved with Matt if he were not a good guy. As he entered Cal's apartment, Cal offered to take his coat and Matt asked what he would like to drink.

"Oh, nothing right now, thanks." He walked around the grand, spacious living area and was amazed by it all. It was decorated elegantly in mid century decor. A grand piano was in the corner near the ceiling to floor window. Looking out he could see Central Park down below.

"I have a piano here although I don't play." Cal tells Tyler, laughing when he noticed that Tyler was looking at the piano. "I have Matt play every time he comes over. Do you play, Tyler?"

"Um, no. I used to play the sax in high school." he tells them.

"You must play for us next time." Matt interjects. Matt played some familiar tunes on the piano, then he followed that with a few pieces of his own compositions and Tyler marveled on how wonderfully he played.

"You should record your music, Matt." he tells him.

"Thank you. That's very nice of you to say so. That last piece is the one I composed for Betty. Well, I have written quite a few songs for Betty but this one, I have not played for her yet. I think I'll play it at our wedding reception. What do you think?"

"Oh, yes! That's a great idea. She'll love it!" Tyler blurts out. "And yes, congratulations on your engagement." he adds.

"Thanks, you must come to our engagement party this weekend." Matt invites him.

"Yes, I'd love to, thank you..."

During dinner Matt and Cal and Tyler took turns talking about their lives to get to know each other.

Matt asked, " Do you go camping, Tyler?"

"Yeah, I do... who doesn't?"

"Well, once dad wanted to go camping and asked my mother to go...I think I was 12 then." Cal's face lit up at the memory and they both started laughing. Tyler smiled at this.

Matt laughing, tells Tyler. "Well, you don't know Mother...ah, you will this weekend. She's planning Betty's and my engagement party!"

"My ex-wife, Victoria, said, 'yeah, of course. Let's go camping!'"Cal says. "Although she had no clue what camping was all about!"

Tyler watched and listened to both Matt and Call tell how Victoria wondered why she couldn't take her maid with her. She had complained constantly how hot it was, how windy then in the evening how cold it was and that there was a lot of mosquitoes. Her best friend that night was the mosquito repellant. Then there was the frightful campsite dinner she cooked, everything was burnt and then a raccoon came and devoured what was left over.

"Mother screamed when she saw this "monster" hurl itself towards her and she went running into the tent. After I shooed the small animal away and she felt safe, she asked Dad where the hotel was they'll be staying that night because she wanted to go early and that she was exhausted. When Dad pointed to the tent... you should have seen her face!" Matt says laughing.

Tyler reminisced of his childhood, growing up in South Dakota and he talked about his parents. "My folks are very hard working people, my dad worked as a mechanic and worked at a bar at night pouring drinks to the locals. My mom worked as a secretary for a construction company and she's a great cook! She makes a mean meatloaf! I know, she'd love you to come over for dinner some time soon." he says. Throughout dinner, Cal watched Tyler speak and was reminded of himself as a young man. "I was an only child." Tyler continues. "I graduated from our local high school and did pretty well but my parents couldn't afford to send me to college although I was awarded some scholarships...

Cal smiled awkwardly and under his breath, said, "so sorry..."

Tyler continued, "I took some college courses..." He took a deep breath then said, "I didn't know I was adopted until shortly before I met Mrs. Meade, I mean, Claire. I found my adoption papers by accident and I then confronted my parents. They of course told me how they adopted me and it was quite by accident again that I put two and two together and had a hunch regarding Claire after meeting her." he looked at Cal, watching for a reaction.

After a while it was Cal's turn to tell Tyler about his life. Tyler learns that Cal and his older brother Jack went to Ivy league schools and both graduated with business and law degrees at the top of their class, respectively.

"We were well off and everyone expected us to join our father and grandfather in the family business. But after college when my brother decided to live in the third world countries, helping the poor, I stayed home in New York and helped Dad and Granddad with the family business. I married very young to my college sweetheart, Victoria. She came from a very respected prominent and wealthy family." He looks towards Matt sitting next to him and reaches to pat him on his back and says, "Soon after my son Matt was born." With those words, Cal stopped himself and said, "Tyler, I really did not know about you until just last year from Claire after she went to see you in South Dakota."

"It's quite alright, Cal." Tyler tells them when he sensed Cal's uneasiness about the topic.

Cal cleared his throat and took a sip of wine. He then started to relate to Tyler of his relationship with Claire. Matt did not want to hear the story of his father's infidelity again so he got up, "to get more wine." as an excuse although there was a butler who was pouring the drinks. He felt a twinge of pain for his mother.

While Matt was gone to the cellar to get more wine, Cal tells Tyler, "My son is not like me at all. He reminds me of my own father. He has my Dad's temperament. He's compassionate, kind and more patient! I have all that, too but rather in small doses. Patience, that's what I need, patience!" he starts to laugh at himself.

"Yeah, Daniel says that of you, you need more patience." he awkwardly laughs, surprised he even said that.

"Yeah." Cal agrees. "Towards the end of my stay there at Mode, Daniel and I didn't see eye to eye. I guess everything was colored by the fact that he found out that his mother and I had a relationship during the time we were still married to other people." He pauses and takes a deep breath, then says, "I have been practicing patience lately..." his voice trails off as Matt returns from the cellar with another bottle of wine in hand.

"What kinds of wines you do like, Tyler?" Matt asks since he noticed that Tyler had not even a drop of wine they were serving.

"Matt, thanks but I don't drink." He paused a bit then changed the subject. "Now tell me how you and Betty met? You are just quite the opposites!"

Matt smiles and his eyes light up just thinking of Betty. He proudly tells Tyler and his father about his life with Betty, how happy he is with her.

Throughout the evening, all three men got along quite well. Cal and Matt were very happy getting to know Tyler and Tyler likewise was quite happy to get to know them. 'Cal is definitely not like how Daniel described him to me! Definitely not!' Tyler thinks to himself.

"Thank you so much for dinner and a wonderful evening. Thank you so much for your hospitality!" Tyler says as he shakes Cal's hand to say goodbye.

"You're so very welcome." Cal says as he pulls Tyler close to give him a hug. Tyler is surprised at this gesture but he hugs him anyway. "Tyler, please do not hesitate to call me if you need anything, OK? Just give me a call. I hope we can be friends!" Cal blurts out.

"Yes, I would like that, Cal. Yes...friends." Tyler agrees.

"When we get home, lay down with me for a while." Betty whispers to Matt, with that his thoughts are brought to the present. With those words Betty was able to soothe Matt and get him to relax.

He agrees with Betty that he's getting a bit too anxious lately. He really doesn't know why he's anxious with Tyler's and Amanda's first visit with them. "I guess I want everything to be perfect for them" he reasons out to Betty.

Gijs dropped them off in front of the Savoy Hotel and they walked hand in hand to their own five room apartment suite located on the same penthouse floor as his parents' suites.

When they get to their rooms, Matt tells her, "Ah, Betty you go ahead and rest. I'll just take a minute..." but Betty pulls him towards their bedroom. Betty kneels on their bed and when Matt sits on the edge of their bed, she starts massaging his shoulders from behind and she leans forward and kisses his neck.

"That feels very nice, thank you." he says to her gratefully. He turns around and pulls her close to hug and kiss her sweetly.

That evening, both Matt and Betty, well rested and relaxed, had a wonderful reunion with Tyler and Amanda. After dinner, Amanda showed Matt and Betty their pictures they had taken at their engagement party. Matt and Betty walked them back to their suite 3 floors down at the the end of the evening. "Thank you so much for this little vacation, Matt, Betty." Amanda and Tyler say almost in unison.

"Should we ring you around 10 am? Don't forget we have lunch reservations at Wolseley's.

The four of them enjoyed a whole week with each others' company. Matt and Betty were the perfect hosts, taking Tyler and Amanda to all the tourist sites around London. It was apparent to Betty and Amanda that both Matt and Tyler were bonding as friends.

"I'm really glad that you two are getting along well." Betty tells Tyler and Matt, smiling. "I hope we all can be good friends."