Marty said, “We see him over on the island quite a bit, and I like the look of his new car. But we usually don’t go for long drives.”
The whole time, I marveled at Marty’s inventive deviousness. I still had no idea what this game was.
Marty said to the salesman, “Although we’ve considered a Flying Spur, we’re seriously looking at a Mercedes across the street at Mercedes-Benz of Palm Beach. I just wanted to show her a couple of Bentleys.” Then he turned toward the door and took a few steps.
It was genius. I had never seen anything like it. Immediately the salesman lunged for us, saying, “Wait, wait, you don’t want a German car on the island. Bentley is the only way to go.”
Marty was masterful. The salesman essentially begged us to take a Flying Spur for a test drive.
Marty remained aloof and said, “I’m not sure driving a few blocks in the car is gonna give me the confidence I need to buy it.”
The salesman said, “No problem. All I need is a little information, just your cell phone and maybe your driver’s license, and you can take it home overnight and really get a feel for it. We’ll even come by and pick it up if you don’t like it, or we can complete the paperwork right at your house.”
Even though the salesman was a little aggressive, I felt sorry for him. He was standing in front of us like a puppy waiting for a treat.
Marty hesitated and then gave him his cell number.
When the salesman said, “We just need a little bit more information,” Marty countered with “I don’t have time for paperwork.”
Then he looked at me and said, “Let’s go.” He turned like an impatient Palm Beacher would, and the salesman jumped up with the keys, telling us to just give them a call if we needed anything.
A few minutes later, after we had retrieved a few things from Marty’s BMW, we pulled out of the parking lot, but instead of turning east toward Palm Beach, Marty turned west on Okeechobee.
I said, “Where are we going now?”
A satisfied smile popped onto his face as he said, “You’ll find out.”
I loved this game. We held hands and chatted as he pulled onto the turnpike headed north. I didn’t ask any questions. I just enjoyed the ride as we took the turnpike farther north until Marty pulled off onto Osceola Parkway and then off again at an exit just south of Orlando. I had to fight the urge to ask questions, but when he pulled into the Four Seasons right outside Disney World, I couldn’t help but show my surprise. Who doesn’t want to visit Disney World? I had just told him how Brennan had promised but had never taken me. I threw my arms around Marty’s neck and planted a big kiss on his lips.
As we got out of the car I had to tell him, “This game of make-believe is fantastic.”
Chapter 16
Disney World was all I had dreamed it would be. At least the attractions were, anyway. Somehow, when I was a kid, I’d never calculated how many people were crammed into the park every day. Especially on a beautiful Saturday like this. We managed to make it onto most of the rides, though the longest waits were at Space Mountain and Pirates of the Caribbean. I might have enjoyed a trip to the Magic Kingdom more when I was eleven, but being here today with Marty was really special too. Maybe the most important thing was that I realized how carefully Marty had listened to me and how badly he wanted to see me happy. This guy would do anything for me, and no one had ever made me feel like that before.
Walking hand in hand with Marty made me feel like no matter what choices I had made, I had the right man in my life now. He was just what I needed.
But after lunch my mood started to change. It began with the salesman from the Bentley dealer calling Marty and asking how he liked the car. Marty handled it perfectly, telling the salesman we were still undecided but we’d bring the car back later this afternoon.
As Marty stuffed the phone back into his front pocket, he smiled at me and said, “I just won’t answer the phone again until we’re about to drop the car off.”
The call had brought me back to reality, and my problems were no longer a world away. I started thinking about the court hearing and that pompous ass Brennan. While we were floating in our boat through It’s a Small World, I noticed our conversation had turned darker as well.
Out of nowhere Marty said, “Disney makes a fortune separating people from the real world and the ugliness around them.”
“Whoa, what brought that on?” The little girl in front of us had been peeking behind the seat since the ride had started. She might not have understood what he was saying, but she picked up on Marty’s attitude and quickly twisted around to sit low in her seat, out of sight.
Our conversation drifted back to normal, Magic Kingdom–related topics as we shuffled our way through the Haunted Mansion and Frontierland. Once we landed in comfortable seats and under air-conditioning at the PhilharMagic 3-D, with no one sitting close to us, I acted on the urge to kiss him.
Marty said, “I’m glad you’re having a good time. I’m sorry you missed out on Disney for so long, but I’m glad your ex-husband didn’t hurt your sense of joy.”
“First of all, he’s not my ex-husband yet. And he didn’t hurt my sense of joy, but he did come close to ruining it. He was never the man I thought he was. It turns out you are the man I thought he was.”
We kissed again, deeply and passionately. I felt Marty’s hand around the back of my neck, and I wanted to hold him tight. As the show began and objects came flying at us in 3-D, we continued making out, grabbing at the visual effects before us. I’d never thought I’d enjoy the PhilharMagic 3-D so much.
Somehow I knew Marty was a guy I could depend on. He would protect me, and since he had taken me to Disney World, I knew he just wanted to make me happy. Who could ask for anything more?
Chapter 17
I thought the salesman was going to kiss Marty when we dropped off the Bentley. He darted out of the showroom and met us in the parking lot.
The salesman blurted out, “I thought you’d—”
Marty was back in character as the annoyed rich guy and said in a sharp tone, “What? You thought we’d what?”
The salesman stammered and said, “F-forgotten us. You just surprised me by keeping the car a little extra. You must have really loved it.” He was standing in front of us, almost hopping in place with excitement, like a kid about to open a Christmas present. “What do you think? Will you pull the trigger on it? I can have everything ready for you to sign in just a few minutes.”
He was following along in the parking lot as Marty walked toward the back where his car was parked. The salesman didn’t even seem to realize he was being led away from his office.
Marty waited until we were right next to his car so we could enjoy the look on the salesman’s face when he opened the door of his beat-up BMW. The salesman’s expression said it all.
As Marty and I slipped into the car, Marty said, “Think I’ll stay with my Beemer for now.”
We giggled about it all the way back to Palm Beach.
The night ahead of us ended up being one of the best endings to one of the best weekends of my life. I tried another one of Marty’s crazy little pills, and this time we didn’t wait for Allie to show up. I called her. And she brought a friend. A tall, very young, and really hot Czech bartender from Café Boulud, the restaurant right in the hotel. He had blond hair and blue eyes, and he eagerly accepted one of Marty’s homemade Ecstasy tabs. I couldn’t even pronounce his name, which didn’t sound like it had any vowels in it, and his accent was thicker than Allie’s. But he wasn’t here to talk.