Chapter 26—Is Marriage an Option?
A/N: Please review. Also, try not to hate my by the end of this chapter.
[one week later]
It was the last day of school for Michael and Reby. Reby and Michael were already awake and eating breakfast when Liz was rushing around the house looking for some sketches.
"Thank you so much for getting them up and ready, Randy. I really appreciate it. I have a huge meeting with a major retailer today; she owns a huge department store here. I have to pitch her my designs to sell in her store," she said as she rummaged through a stack of random sketches in the kitchen.
Randy nodded. "What happens if she likes you?" he asked.
Liz sighed. "Well, I would have to order more samples and possibly put in a mass order for her to use in the store for something like a test run or experiment to see if customers bite," she said.
"I'm sure you'll do great, babe. If you need my help, just let me know," he said.
"Since you asked," Liz started with a smile. "I'm thinking about starting a men's line. I really need a guinea pig," she said.
Randy chuckled. "I guess I could lend you my body," he said as he wiggled his eyebrows.
Liz smiled; she squealed when she found the sketch she was looking for. "Alright, I need to head out," She kissed Michael and Reby on their heads. "Have a good day at school; please stay out of trouble today. No hitting, no biting, no pushing, no mean talking. Let's end this school year on a good note," she said. Michael and Reby nodded. Liz pecked Randy's lips and left.
When Liz was gone, Randy took a deep breath and turned to the small children who were each still munching on a grilled cheese sandwich.
"I want to talk to y'all about something before you go to school," he started. "I love your mommy very much and I love you guys, too," he paused. He couldn't believe that he was actually nervous to talk to toddlers; he bit the bullet and said what he had to say. "How would you feel if I married your mommy and stayed with her forever?" he asked.
It didn't occur to Randy that the kids probably didn't know what marriage was, but that thought didn't cross his mind until he saw the two confused faces that stared back at him. He leaned against the counter and rubbed a hand down his face. Randy had been aching to propose to Liz since the day they decided to start their relationship five years ago. He knew Liz was the one for him, but he figured it was too early to propose. After she left, Randy's longing to marry her didn't fade.
He glanced at the time. "Alright, finish up so you can get to school," Randy said as he grabbed his car keys.
"All done!" Reby announced; she almost always finished eating before Michael. One would think a growing boy could devour a sandwich before his little sister, but Reby shattered that stereotype.
Of course, Michael scarfed down the rest of his sandwich an announced his completion. "I'm done, too!" he said.
Randy smiled and took the empty saucers and put them in the kitchen sink. He handed Michael and Reby their backpacks; he led the way to the car and buckled them in their seats. The drive to the school just as noisy as usual. Reby and Michael sang along to the whimsical children's CD that played while Randy periodically glanced at them via the rearview mirror as his thoughts about his unconventional family roamed his mind.
He constantly worried about Liz and her frame of mind. Sure, thanks to Dr. Richardson, Liz had slowly begun to warm up to Randy's touch. Interestingly enough, Liz had allowed herself to sleep in Randy's arms again. Of course, he didn't complain, but he beamed with pride. She had gone from flinching every time he touched her, to letting him securely wrap his arms around her as she slept. The massages they had been doing for the past week had been working, but Liz hadn't worked up to sex yet.
"Daddy?" a small voice interrupted Randy's thoughts. He was at a red light, so he was able to look into the rearview mirror.
"What is it, baby girl?" he asked.
"Can we have ice cream today after school?" Reby asked.
Randy thought for a minute. "I don't know, sweetheart. If you're a good girl today in school, I"ll think about it." he answered. Reby nodded and continued her sing-a-long with Michael.
Eventually, Randy was able to get to the school and drop the kids off. When he left the school, Randy went to the local jewelry store to look at rings. When he walked in, he was immediately greeted by a saleswoman. She eyed Randy and noticed he had on a wrinkled t-shirt and stained jeans with sneakers.
"Good morning! What are we looking for today? Anniversary present? Just because?" she asked.
Randy took a deep breath and smiled. "I'm actually here just to look at some engagement rings," he said.
The woman gasped. "OMG! Congratulations!" she said excitedly.
He chuckled. "I haven't asked her yet," he said as he rubbed the back of his neck.
"Well the right ring can influence the right answer. Let me show you one of our most popular items," she said. Randy followed her to a glass case. "Here, crafted in beautiful sterling silver, this ring is crowned with three dazzling diamonds. It's only a little over $200," she said. She handed Randy the ring to look at.
"Um, I'm looking for something a little bigger than this. Maybe one of those," he said as he pointed to a maximum security case.
The woman frowned. "Sir, those prices start at 10 grand. Are you sure?" she asked. She assumed by the way he was dressed, he would prefer a less expensive ring; clearly, she was wrong.
Randy nodded. "Yeah. Can I take a look at them?" he asked.
She nodded and got the keys to the case and took out the racks of rings. As she talked about each individual ring and their specifications, Randy admired them. He wanted the best ring he could find for Liz; only the most sparkling, dazzling ring would do. When he saw the one he wanted, he felt a tear prick his eye.
"How much is this one?" he asked as he picked up the sparkling piece of jewelry.
The clerk gasped at what Randy picked. "Wow. Your girlfriend must be pretty special," she said.
Randy smiled and nodded. "Yeah," he paused. "She is. Very special. I want this one," he said still admiring the ring.
The clerk read the small card that corresponded with the ring; the label was 'NEIL LANE ENGAGEMENT RING 2 3/4 CT TW DIAMONDS 14K WHITE GOLD'. She read the fine print of the card that described the ring. "You're holding one of the rings from the Neil Lane Bridal collection. It ha carat round diamond framed in additional round diamonds. The band is covered in even more round diamonds for an overall amazing design. It has 14K of white gold; the ring has a total diamond weight of 2 ¾ carats. Neil Lane's signature appears on the inside of the band," she said as she paraphrased the description.
It was like Randy was hypnotized by the ring; it was beautiful and Randy knew Liz would love it. The saleswoman interrupted his train of thought. "It has a matching wedding band that fits around the engagement ring. Do you want to see that, too?" she asked.
Randy nodded. "Yes, please," he said with a giddy smile. Just thinking about marrying Liz gave him the giggles.
The woman smiled and handed Randy the matching wedding band. She read the card labeled 'NEIL LANE WEDDING BAND 5/8 CT TW DIAMONDS 14K WHITE GOLD'. "Adorned in round diamonds set in 14K white gold, this fantastic wedding band from the Neil Lane Bridal collection is shaped to perfectly complement her matching engagement ring. The band features Neil Lane's signature inside the band. Overall, the wedding band and engagement ring have almost 4 carats of diamonds." she read verbatim.
Using his pinky finger for measure, Randy slipped on the engagement ring and tried to get the wedding band to go on, but it didn't fit around the engagement ring like the lady said it would.
"Um, the wedding band goes on the bottom," she said. Randy followed her instructions. "Then the engagement ring goes on top of that," the saleswoman guided the ring onto his large pinky finger. "See? Isn't that amazing?" she asked.
Randy smiled. "God, she's going to flip out. How much are they?" he asked.
The saleswoman smiled; partially because of how happy her customer was, partially because of the huge pay out of commission she was going to get if he bought both rings on the spot. "Um, together, they're almost 17 grand. The engagement ring by itself is just above 15 grand; the wedding band is only 15 hundred," she said as she broke down the prices.
Randy nodded. "I'm going to get them both; but I want to look around some more for a 'just because' gift you mentioned earlier," he said using air quotes around 'just because'.
"Call me impressed, sir. An engagement ring and a random gift? Your girlfriend is going to be very happy… and so will you, if you know what I mean," she said insinuating that Randy would be getting laid because of the gifts. He knew that to be far from the truth, but he nodded anyway.
In reality, Randy saw a few fans lingering outside the jewelry store taking pictures of him inside; he knew the pictures would be all over the internet before the end of the day. He also knew Liz would see them and wonder why Randy was looking at jewelry. He wasn't planning on proposing anytime soon, so he would have to have a piece of jewelry for Liz to have later that day just in case she got suspicious.
Randy walked around the store and studied necklaces, bracelets, and earrings. He saw a necklace that made him stop and admire it; the label showed 'OPEN HEARTS FAMILY 1 CT TW DIAMONDS 14K WHITE GOLD NECKLACE'. He smiled and waved the saleswoman over. "I'll take that necklace right there," he said pointing to it in the case.
The woman nodded and unlocked the case. She look out the necklace and studied it herself; it was something she had, had her eye on for a while. When she got to the counter, she added the necklace to Randy's total. "The necklace is right at 2 thousand so your new total plus tax is $20,006.86," she said.
Randy nodded and pulled out his debit card; he waited patiently while the saleswoman put the necklace in a velvet box.
"Would you like two separate boxes for the rings?" she asked. Randy nodded. "That'd be great," he said. The woman smiled and nodded before she continued packaging everything. When Randy's treasure was in their packages inside the decorated shopping bag, Randy handed over his debit card. When the transaction was complete, the saleswoman handed him a receipt. "Thank you so much for choosing us for your purchases. Have a great day and good luck on your proposal," she said.
Randy thanked her and left.
**Liz's office**
"Good morning, ma'am!" Liz greeted the retail store owner with a bright smile. "Thank you so much for coming. Would you like some coffee or water or anything?" she asked.
The older lady didn't crack a smile. "No," she said.
Liz smiled nervously; her pitch hadn't even started and it already seemed like it was doomed. "Okay," she said. "Please have a seat," Liz motioned to the comfortable arm chain in which she usually sat when she was meeting with a client.
"My name is Elizabeth Caro. I'm the designer and I'm so glad that you took time out of your day to meet with me. I really appreciate it," Liz said. She had hoped the store owner would introduce herself, but the grey haired woman didn't.
The timeworn woman rolled her eyes. "Can we get started?" she asked, annoyed. Liz nodded. "So, tell me," the woman started. "To what demographic would this line target?" she asked.
Liz smiled. "I hope to target young adult women to the perfectly wine-aged women," she said. "Being biracial, I hope to also target women of different races. Some fashion is indirectly advertised to a specific race and I don't want that for my line. That's why I want to see different ethnicities and races of models in any advertisements," Liz waited to hear a comment from the woman she wanted so desperately to impress. When she didn't say anything, Liz continued and handed the woman a small magazine-like book.
"Here is a look book that corresponds with my pitch. As you'll learn through my presentation, my designs are made for women of underappreciated body types; from plus size women to women with a small or nonexistent bust. For women with short legs to women with narrow hips,"
Before Liz could continue, she was interrupted. "So you've created a line of clothing that is meant for women who have badly shaped bodies? How would that possibly be profitable for me?" the experienced woman asked.
Liz was getting discouraged but she forced a smile anyway. "Well, if you accept the line into your store, women will know exactly where to get clothes that extenuate or even build upon what they think are their problem areas. But there are never any badly shaped bodies; I don't believe in that," she explained.
The store owner gestured for her to continue.
"On page one of the look book, you'll see a cutout dress that shows off the very sexy chest of a woman with a small bust. The straps don't sit directly on top of the breast, so it doesn't draw attention to what is barely there. Instead the straps come up from the armpit and curve to cover up bra straps if the woman chooses to wear a bra.
Not only do the cut outs show off the chest, it also shows off the very top of the tummy below the bust. It has a back zipper closure that can easily be hidden by the extra flap of fabric that lays right on top of the zipper.
The skirt of the dress flares out just above the knee to elongate the legs as well. So, altogether, this everyday dress distracts from the small bust while giving the illusion of a fuller bust; it also makes a woman's legs look like they go on for days."
Liz finished pitching the first item with a smile; she silently hoped the fashion connoisseur approved of the dress.
"What is the name of your line?" the woman asked, almost completely ignoring the strong pitch Liz had just given.
"Elizabeth Caro," Liz answered confused but with confidence.
The store owner frowned and made notes. "You named your line after yourself?" she asked.
Liz nodded. "Yes ma'am. Like Michael Kors or Marc Jacobs," she said with pride.
The elder woman sighed. "Yes, but you aren't Michael Kors or Marc Jacobs. You're Elaine Caro and I've never even heard of you. What makes you think other people are going to buy your clothes if they've never heard of you?" she asked.
"First of all, my name is Elizabeth Caro; not Elaine. Second of all, no one knew Michael Kors or Marc Jacobs when they started. Now, they're both household names. Elizabeth Caro will be a household name with or without your help or support," Liz said strongly. She was fed up with the elder woman's attitude.
The lady chuckled humorlessly. "Have a good day, Elaine," she said as she stood to leave.
"It's Elizabeth!" Liz yelled after the woman who had walked out of her office. When she was gone, Liz sighed and sat behind her desk; he laid her head on the desk.
She let out a loud groan.
"Miss Caro?" Bo called from the doorway.
Liz lifted her head. "What?" she asked angrily.
"Um. If you want, you can go home and I can just stay and forward your calls. You don't have any appointments since you cleared your day for that store lady," he said.
Liz sighed. "Fine," she said as she stood and gathered her purse and sketches. "Can you just put away the samples and straighten up in here?" she asked. Bo nodded. "Just forward the calls to my cell. Thanks, Bo. You're amazing. You don't have to come in tomorrow. Tiffany Miller is coming by my house to have her dress refitted and retailored," she said.
Bo chuckled. "Good luck with that," he said.
Liz finally cracked a smile. "Yeah. I'll need it. See you later," Liz said. With that, Liz went out to her car and headed home; the clock on her dash read 9:37am. All she wanted to do was go home to her man make love to him.
A/N: aaaand that's it for this chapter. Don't hate me, y'all. Please review. I'd really appreciate it. Shout out to ghost303 for reviewing just about every chapter. She's amazing and I so appreciate reading her reviews since she's only one who has been reviewing lately. :)