"No, thank you. I don't drink champagne," Kendall said to the flight attendant as she was offered a glass.
Zach looked at her carefully, "Okay… it's time to confess."
"Confess what?" Kendall asked with an innocent look.
"What is it with you and champagne? I've seen you drink it before – but you've made some very cryptic comments about it since last night," he said quietly.
She looked a little sad as she answered, "Ethan."
"What did my son do that has completely put you off of champagne?" he asked quietly.
"Ask me another time… I… I really don't want to talk about it," she answered haltingly.
"Okay… I'm not going to press. Am I to assume that champagne should be eliminated from the arrangements I've already made?" he said in a very businesslike tone.
"Yes… you can replace it with… cognac," she answered with a smirk.
He smiled in return and determined that one day he would discover the truth – but he was a patient man, "Cognac… now that sounds like an excellent idea."
"Can you tell me about the arrangements? Or are they a surprise?" she asked him.
Allowing her to change the subject, he replied, "No surprises… I want you to approve everything. After we arrive we'll check into the hotel and then we have some shopping."
"Hotel? Won't we be staying at your… um… home?" she asked in surprise.
"I keep a penthouse suite at The Seasons… but in its current condition… well… an empty hotel casino isn't the best place for a honeymoon," he answered. Noticing that her smile had faded he continued, "But you'll be remedying that shortly… don't look so sad."
"I was just realizing that your only home is Michael's condo… and that's not just sad – it's pathetic," she answered.
Zach laughed before replying, "I have several homes around the world… and each one is very simple because that suits me. I also have a casita in the desert outside of town, but that…"
"… isn't convenient enough for our wedding? I think the desert sounds like a lovely place to honeymoon," she said brightly.
"Not a good idea… I… uh… shared… it with… um…" he stammered, looking for the right words.
"Oh… OH… you mean… you… and…" she said, understanding dawning on her face. "It was the place you lived with Maria… Maureen, I guess."
"Yes," he said softly.
"Well, then… I… you're right… definitely a hotel. Tell me where we're staying," she continued.
"The Bellagio," he answered.
"Only the best… very good, Mr. Slater… and tell me the rest, please," she said smiling again.
"We have appointments at three shops in the Via Bellagio. First stop will be Tiffany's…" he said.
"Tiffany's… but I already have…" she answered holding up her hand with her prominent engagement ring on display.
"I thought you might prefer something different… this way you can choose one more to your taste… and we can select wedding bands," he answered. "Then…"
"Then?" she asked in anticipation.
"Then you have an appointment at Armani and another at Yves St. Laurent. I'm sure you can find something you like," he finished.
"Something I like…" she mused. "Oh… you mean…?"
He nodded in reply, "I assumed that you would like to be married in something special, and I guessed that you would prefer those designers. My preference is Armani… but there are others…"
"No… those will be fine…" she said in pleased surprise. "Will you help me select something?"
"If you don't think it's bad luck…" he answered with a smile. She was so receptive and pleased with his choices – the more she smiled and laughed the more optimistic he began to feel. But when he realized that he was feeling that way, a dark cloud invaded his mind – reminding him that happiness was fleeting and not to put too much stock into her current mood. Kendall Hart was capricious at best, and there was every likelihood that she would still cancel the wedding – plus even momentary happiness always exacted a very high price in pain.
"What is it?" she asked noticing the frown that had crossed his face.
"Nothing important… just something I need to take care of when we land," he answered, unwilling to admit to her that he was concerned about anything.
The conversation lessened after that and they both lapsed into silence, lost in their own thoughts with the camaraderie of the morning gone. Zach found himself very grateful when the plane landed, knowing he could be comfortable in the place he had considered home for the better part of ten years. After debarking, they paused briefly to say farewell to Stuart Chandler before taking a limousine to the hotel. Kendall started smiling as they drove by the famous hotel's dancing fountains and didn't stop until she had investigated every corner of the penthouse suite that Zach had reserved.
"It's wonderful, Zach," she said. "Not that I expected anything less… but it's truly beautiful. Thank you."
He drew her into his arms for a brief kiss before pulling away to glance at his watch, and answered, "You're very welcome. We have to get going, though, we have appointments."
With that he held out his arm and she placed her hand in the crook of his elbow before they departed. Several hours later they returned to the room tired and laughing with the purchases they had made. After dropping the bags into the floor of the living room, Kendall seated herself on the sofa and kicked off her shoes, "Zach… I've never had so much fun shopping with a man before."
"I'm glad you enjoyed yourself… I'm sure a lot of the fun was because I bought everything you looked at," he laughed as he poured himself some sparkling water at the wet bar.
"Oh… that certainly didn't hurt… but you actually paid attention," she smiled. She held out her left hand and admired her new engagement ring, it was not nearly as large and ostentatious as the previous one but it had an exquisite cut and clarity – and its scale suited her hand much better. "I love my engagement ring… but I really do have to ask. Why did you buy that giant rock to start with?"
"It was bigger than Ethan's," Zach said dryly.
Kendall giggled, "I don't think I need to even answer that remark." She stood and picked up her bags, carrying them into the bedroom where she found all of her luggage had been laid out. She began to unpack her things and put them away after hanging the dress she had selected for their wedding in the closet. She called to him in the sitting room, "They delivered my luggage… but I don't see anything of yours."
Zach walked up behind her, causing her to startle, as he replied, "I'll pick some things up at The Seasons. With so few staff there right now, I didn't want to ask someone to pack a suitcase for me. How soon will you be ready for dinner?"
"Just let me finish putting these away. Am I dressed appropriately? Or do I need to change?"
"Kendall… you are a vision of loveliness," he answered, pulling her hand to his lips.
She slid her hand from his grasp and laughed, "No… we're not going there again… because if we do I'll never get my dinner."
Zach smiled and stepped back, seating himself on a comfortable chair as she finished unpacking and stored the luggage in the closet. Kendall was not aware of it, but Zach was subtly testing her over the evening to see if his intuition had been right about her potential to run the casinos. She had showed excellent taste and handled the store management with just the right combination of deference and authority – a difficult skill to master unless already possessed of the natural instincts. They would be dining at Celestino's, an Italian restaurant that he had invested in, before spending a few hours in the casino. Their agreement was not contingent on her capability as a casino-owner, but it would certainly make their victory sweeter if she was.
After their evening ended, he planned to spend the night at The Seasons. He and Kendall had been together for more than twenty-four hours without a break – and the only other person he had ever done that with was Maria. He needed time to think and plan before he met up with her the next day… and the quiet, deserted casino would be as good a place to do that as a trip to the desert but much more convenient. He refused to admit even to himself that the thought of staying at the casita on the night before he married a woman other than Maria was more than even his fabled stoicism could withstand.
After she had repaired her make-up and changed to another new dress they left for dinner as Zach described his plans for their evening. Kendall had not stopped smiling since selecting her new engagement ring, and her laughter could be heard wafting from the elevator as they left the secure floor for the lobby of the hotel.