Chapter 3
1617 Words
Chapter 3
Jasmine stashed her luggage into the trunk of her mother’s black Lexus SUV and slid into the front passenger seat after removing her sunglasses. Her mom, Leah Banks, ended the call she had been on and gave her a hug.
Dressed in a long black cardigan over a pink dress shirt, her mom looked younger than her late fifties with her glowing skin and unlined face. Very chic, just like the car interior with its custom pink and grey leather seats. People sometimes thought they were sisters rather than mother and daughter with their matching warm beige skin, the only difference being that her mother had long dark hair and brown eyes. Jasmine had inherited her red hair and green eyes from her maternal grandmother.
“Hi, Mom!” Jasmine said. She gave her mom an air kiss on both cheeks. Her mom’s familiar coconut rose scent swirled around her.
“How was New York?” her mom asked as she moved the car from the curb and joined the traffic leading away from the airport. She made no comments about Jasmine’s eyes. Good. The makeup retouch must have worked its magic.
“It was great. Lots of new designs. I’ll send you the pictures and my notes later,” Jasmine responded in a voice that was chirpier than normal. Anything to prevent her mom from guessing how she truly felt. She leaned back into her seat. “How were your meetings, the ones you couldn’t get away from?”
Her mom shot her a glance. “That’s what I wanted to talk to you about.”
What did that mean? Jasmine was not involved in the day-to-day running of IntimiRose even though she’d grown up around the business. How could her mom’s meetings have anything to do with her?
“Landisil Silicone reached out to us about acquiring our business,” her mom said.
Jasmine threw her mom a sharp look. “I didn’t know you and dad were looking to sell.” IntimiRose had been around forever as far as Jasmine was concerned. She couldn’t imagine life in her family without it.
Her mom stared straight ahead. “We are not. They approached us to see if we were interested in a joint venture. Landisil entered the underwire business a couple of years ago with their silicone product, and it ended up being a very successful move for them. Now they want to give back by targeting women who have had breast reconstruction and have a hard time finding the right lingerie. As you know, their skin becomes more sensitive post-surgery, making most bras hard to wear.
“One hundred percent of the profits from the joint venture would be used to support breast cancer research. We were excited when they shared what they had in mind, and the numbers made business sense. Then we talked a little further and discovered that they would have preferred to acquire our business outright but still run it as a separate brand. We wouldn’t have considered it normally, but you know we have no one to inherit the business. You have chosen to be a gynecologist, and your aunt is not interested.”
True. Her aunt, Rebecca Scott, had shown no interest in the fashion company. She’d mentioned getting involved would stifle her creativity and life. Jasmine’s aunt was a socialite and a brilliant event planner whenever the urge hit her. She’d inherited enough money to keep her set for life and had managed to double that with her event planning. She didn’t need to work five days a week if she didn’t want to.
“But this business has been in our family for generations, so it’s hard for us to let it go,” her mom continued. “Then the owners of Landisil Silicone came up with an option we figured would work for everyone. And that’s where you come in.”
Jasmine knew how much her family cherished the business. Still, that didn’t concern her. “Me? What are you talking about?”
“We would like you to marry their son. That way, your kids can still inherit IntimiRose.”
Jasmine felt like cold water had been poured over her and she flinched. “Are you kidding? Mom, That’s not funny!”
Her mom glanced at her before returning her eyes on the road. “Hear me out first. It’s not really an arranged marriage like you think. You’ll have three weeks to go on arranged dates with him after which you’ll decide if you want to go ahead with the marriage. If it doesn’t work out after three weeks, then you can walk away. But you have to give it a real chance.”
“But, Mom—”
“I know, I know.” Her mom patted her hand. “I’m aware this is the twenty-first century. But the only reason your dad and I decided to consider it was when we discovered you were already familiar with their son. He is not a total stranger to you.”
“And who might this gem be?” Jasmine asked in a sarcastic tone.
“Tony Landi.”
Jasmine’s heart dropped and she gripped the door handle. She didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. It couldn’t be. Definitely not Tony Landi. Yes, they’d known each other, but hadn’t her mom also heard the part about how things had ended terribly between them? The memories of that time in her life were ones she had no plans to relive. He was now a total stranger as far as she was concerned. “Mom, no way!”
“I heard you liked him.”
Jasmine turned to her mom. “Liked him? Mom, did you drink anything strange today? I want nothing to do with him! You couldn’t pay me a million dollars to marry him.”
“How about two million?”
“Mom!”
“Jasmine, just give it a chance. You know how they say hate is love in disguise. And I heard there might have been a misunderstanding.”
“Not in this case. And I’m not getting married. This, whatever you guys call it, is not happening.”
Her mom glanced at her before turning her eyes back on the road. By now, they were approaching the tollgate and then would enter the highway that led to the city. “If I remember correctly, a certain somebody promised Grandma on her deathbed that she’d take care of her business.”
Jasmine had always had a feeling that promise would come back to bite her one day. “Mom, this is so unfair! I was only a teenager then.”
“Promises are promises, young lady, especially a dying wish,” her mom replied. “You should never make promises you don’t mean or plan to keep. And who knows? You might fall for him. And it’s only for three weeks. Any longer and the news about the possible deal could leak out. Jasmine, please give it a chance. You owe your grandmother that.”
Jasmine rubbed her forehead. She could feel a headache coming on. “Could we forget this? My life is already stressful enough as it is. I don’t need anything else to complicate it.”
Her mom glanced at her. “Are you alright, dear?” Her eyes searched Jasmine’s face with concern. “You look pale.”
Jasmine looked away. “I’m fine,” she said. She couldn’t allow her mom to find out what was wrong. She could feel her mom’s ninja instinct rearing its head. There was only one way to stop her digging any further.
She let out an exhale. “Okay, I’ll do it. I’ll go on the arranged date or whatever you’re calling it,” she said.
Her mom’s face split into a grin. “Awesome! We’ve already set up dinner for you both on Friday evening. I’ll send you the details later.”
“So, my opinion wasn’t going to change anything, right? Seeing how you guys have everything all planned out.”
“Your opinion absolutely matters, dear, but I knew I could convince you to go. I was ready to bribe you with that Hermès Birkin bag I just received if needed.”
Jasmine perked up. “No way. I can still have it, can’t I?”
“No, dear. Doctors don’t need such expensive handbags.”
“We still have lives outside the hospital you know.”
Her mom nodded. “Yes, but not with my handbag.”
Jasmine chuckled. Her mom could be funny sometimes.
“Thanks for agreeing to do this, dear,” her mom said. “It means a lot to your dad and me.”
Jasmine turned away to look out the window. This was not the way she had envisioned her morning would go. If anyone had told her this would happen, she would have laughed them off. What was she thinking going on an arranged-marriage date with Tony Landi, the one guy she despised, especially at this time when she had a life-and death-situation staring her in the face? God, is this some sort of joke? What’s going on here? It was like her life was suddenly raining hailstones.
She leaned back into the headrest and closed her eyes. Well, maybe one good thing would come out of it—the chance to finally find out the truth about what had happened so many years ago. To lay that ghost to rest so to speak. But was it worth the anguish of seeing Tony Landi again?
Jasmine blew out a long sigh.
What had she gotten herself into?
- Writer
