Beach Betty/CH 6

Daniel tried not to panic as he glanced over the few phrases he had written out the Portuguese translation for that he had "practiced" on the flight, to try and be sweet and funny and maybe help convince her to even talk to him after he had walked out on her back in London.

He knew it was much more his fault than hers that neither of them had taken that first step to breaking the ice. After all, this last time he was the one who had walked away. And not just from Betty, his best friend, but from what they had already started, after one date. He was the one who had blown it, had given up on who knows what kind of great love they could have had if he had just had a little patience!

And who knew his evil ex would be the one to end up bringing him and Betty back in the same room, let alone...well, how was he going to explain this to her?

"Uh, yeah, sorry! I told you, I've never been very good at new languages! I messed up several times, trying to say things in any other language."

"Mmhmm...sure, of course! It's no big deal. I get that. I thought what you said was beautiful, Daniel, and...like you said, Portuguese IS a very pretty language. It's sort of a mix of Italian and Spanish. But… um...I guess the only thing I was kind of wondering is…"

He winced slightly, "Why I had THAT particular phrase on my notes as something I wanted to learn in the first place, you mean?"

"Uh-huh. I mean...that's a...pretty specific phrase!" She glanced at his latest novel and picked it up, "OH! I know! Maybe you got confused, thinking that esperanza and esposa sound so much alike!"

He started to simply agree with her and felt sure she would be quite willing to "let him off the hook" for his obviously Freudian slip! Instead, he grinned, placing his hands on her shoulders, "I know you would probably let me get away with that, just like you let me get away with that half-ass apology I gave you for ignoring your texts, voicemails, and emails when I followed you to London.

And now, after it took me so long to come and tell you how I feel about you, well, I still can hardly believe that you actually love me, too, after all this time, and you've let me show you exactly how much you mean to me, Betty.

Your ability to always forgive me for being so short-sighted and for all the times I've hurt you always blows me away. Hell this time, I really hurt both of us, because I was totally miserable without you! I am so in love with you, honey. Yes, okay, you know I can't lie to you. Maybe I do want to marry you. Of course, that's not going to happen immediately, of course.

And yes, it was a mistake for me to blurt it out like that so soon. Please don't let that scare you away, though. I realize that we both need time to just be together, and enjoy every stage of this new relationship.

I'm thrilled for us to be dating, to be your boyfriend, and maybe a roommate? Then, in, I don't know, four or five months, possibly, I plan to propose to you. So, as you see, I was toying with the idea of asking you in Portuguese or Spanish. But now, I've gone and messed things up by being my own spoiler!"

She shrugged, smiling, "It's all good! I'm happy to be your girlfriend, too, Daniel. And I promise you, this time, I've learned not to let myself get 'freaked out' so easily. I get that you were thinking about us, long term. That's wonderful! It doesn't scare me. It gives me...esperanza!" She winked.

He hugged her warmly for quite some time, then brushed back a strand of hair before kissing her, "Great! So… what about coming back to New York with me? Not to go from one 'crazy thing' to another, but why not, Betty? I mean...we can hang out at the beach there, too you know. At least for the summer.

Then, see how things develop. You don't have to make any commitments or anything. Just take one step at a time. See how we like living together, while you figure out your next step career-wise? I'd love to have you as a houseguest."

She smiled, and started to put out her hand, "I don't expect to stay for free. I'm going to pay rent. And...I might change my mind once we get to New York. But...okay, Daniel. I do think it's time I came back to the United States. I need to talk to your lawyers in person anyway.

You're right, though, who cares if we are seeing each other now? I don't work for you anymore. You haven't been my boss for over a decade now! Us being together now should have no bearing whatsoever on our defamation and libel suit, right?"

"First of all, you're NOT paying me rent, silly! I agree that we can do whatever we want as far as being together, so...what the hell are you doing shaking my hand for, you goof? That is NOT at all what I had in mind to 'seal the deal', Betty!" He stared at her hand and laughed, pulling her to him for another earth-shattering kiss.

They gradually fell asleep, in each other's arms on the sofa, watching and listening to the sound of the surf, with the sun coming up.

Hours later, Daniel woke up first, looking around as he wondered what time it was. He could tell it was probably late morning or even early afternoon by how hot the sun was. He didn't want to move and wake Betty up to see the clock, so he managed to slip his phone out of his pocket and saw that it was eleven-thirty.

He texted the number he had for Ruthie, asking her if she might have any information that might be helpful to "take" her former boss down, since Sofia had unfairly attacked Betty's character.

The girl had told him and his mom how much she liked Betty when she first started at MYW and had looked forward to working with her at first but had thought Daniel (along with everyone at Mode) was mean and rude. Daniel had shrugged, looking at Claire and agreed, "Well, yeah, okay that's not really wrong, but…"

"I know, what Sofia did to you and the WAY she did it went too far, giving you your ring back like that on national television! I only knew about the article, and I don't know, Mr. Meade, I guess we all believed her when she said that you were this self-involved womanizer who used every girl you met just for sex, then conveniently "lost their number".

Claire shook her head, "Again, I do have to agree with her there."

"No, you don't! I wasn't that bad, was I? Besides, you're my mom! You're supposed to be on MY side, no matter what! Betty was always always on Team Daniel!"

Claire held her hand up to silence her son, "Sh! Stop interrupting! You weren't raised by wolves! Sorry, Ruthie, dear. Please continue! Trust me, my son DOES have better manners than this normally!"

Ruthie laughed, "So, anyway...we all thought what Sofia said she was going to do, beat you at your own game, write a self-help article on how to Play the player, how to act like a man, and...well, like I said before, it sounded a lot better in…"

"Your head?" Claire finished, glaring at her son, shaking her head, as she listened to the girl, then patted her on the shoulder, "Sorry, go ahead, dear. You were saying? Actually, much as I hate to admit it, the woman wasn't far off with that assessment of my son's behavior, either! But the way she deliberately played his emotions like that, and broke his heart, and clearly had no remorse, well…"

Daniel gave his mother a hurt look, "I do hope you mean my PAST behavior, Mom? Let's face it, none of us would want to be judged on our worst behavior, right? We've all done really stupid things that we regret!

Things we wish we could change, we could...um…" he appeared to be completely lost in thought as he stared at something in the distance.

Claire and Ruthie both glanced at Daniel as if he was insane. The Meade matriarch cleared her throat, "Something you care to share with the class, dear? What has your attention? You sort of seemed lost for a moment there."

He hugged his mother, kissing her on the cheek, and gestured towards the window in her office that had a clear view to the conference room, "Why is Betty's framed poncho on the conference room table?"

She glanced up, smiling rather deviously, "Oh, that! I suppose Betty got too busy and left it behind. It made it's way to the lost and found. I planned to pass it along to Justin in case he wanted to send it along to his aunt but he said she probably wouldn't really want it now. He would take it as a keepsake of how far she's come since she worked at Mode."

Daniel nodded, a huge smile on his face, as he hugged his mother, and headed for the door, "Or maybe...she did leave it behind on purpose because she didn't want to be reminded of Mode, and how bad about herself we all made her feel here when she first started.

Maybe it really wasn't just ME she was trying to get away from! I always took her leaving so personally, but she really just needed a fresh start, not only to get out of fashion and work in a field that actually interests her, and NOT to leave ME, but somewhere that nobody knew about her first day here, crashing into that damn door wearing her bright red poncho and braces! She doesn't hate me!"

"Who said she hated you?"

"Nobody. Well, I did, sort of. That's what I thought, how I took it, as her rejecting me. It doesn't matter! Listen, sorry, ladies, but...I have a plane to catch! You're sure our lawyers will be able to help Betty with this stupid book, right, Mom?"

"Yes, of course, darling. But where are you going? You know, if you're doing what I hope you are, you might want to call Betty's nephew and see where she ran off to when she left Dunne."

Daniel grinned, waving as he stuck his head back inside Claire's door before he closed it, and held up his phone, "I've already texted him. I'm off to get a flight now. It seems I really will be going to Rio after all this time! Bye, ladies!"

As he thought back on his little revelation of Betty's initial motivation for leaving Mode, he looked back at her, now, asleep, lying on the sofa of her hotel room, looking so beautiful after their numerous lovemaking sessions, her hair slightly mussed, her cheeks flushed, her gorgeous full lips.

She had insisted on throwing on a tee shirt and gym shorts at least, so he would stop being distracted by her nakedness. Her body was seriously insane! He pictured her next to her younger self, back at Mode, still wearing her braces, and yes, her beloved (at least to him!) poncho. Betty had definitely grown up to be quite a beautiful, sexy young woman.

He never doubted she would, really. He kept trying to reassure her that he always found her beautiful. He saw her true beauty (NOT just inside, either, like she said when he tried to comfort her after that idiotic musician had rejected her!) Daniel saw Betty's potential and her lovely features, right from the start. He always had. Even after that first week when he had tortured the poor girl to try and get her to leave!

When she was yelling at him in the street, calling herself ugly and finally standing up to him after his hell week, he had been more than slightly distracted, actually seeing her cleavage on display for the first (and only time in the four years they worked side by side). He smirked, wondering if perhaps Betty knew what a "boob man" he was and had chosen to hide away her lovely natural assets so that he could focus on his job?

He knew she now dressed much less conservatively, even in her work attire. Of course, seeing her dressed (or undressed) so casually these past two days, wearing her flattering swimsuit, her shorts, and tank top, towels, lingerie, or her gorgeous "birthday suit", he was extremely grateful that she had been so busy that she no doubt hadn't found the time to have some British guy come and sweep her off her feet!

She was absolutely gorgeous now! And she told him she was in love with him! He could barely keep the smile off his face, as he startled when his phone beeped.

"Hey! Ruthie, hi! This is, well, yeah, I texted you before, so you know it's me, Daniel. Listen, did you happen to talk to my mom so she could give our lawyers the notes you said you had from Sofia's list of ways to get Betty on her side to try and "get to me" for her article? How she was using Betty, too?

Yeah, that should do it! I know hearing from one of her former employees who knew that stuff she came up with in her book about changing her mind and that my father was the one with the idea, but she tried to talk him out of it because she was supposedly so in love with me was total bull...um garbage!"

"Yes, Daniel. I have all her notes. I was the one who organized them for her onto a drive. And I kept a copy of the flash drive. I would be willing to testify against her if you need me to."

"Thanks! That's perfect! That's wonderful, Ruthie! I appreciate it. I think the written evidence, like those notes should do it, but I'll let you know. Listen, do you think you could do me one more favor?"

"Considering all you and your mother have done for me, sure, Daniel. Name it. I wouldn't recommend you name your first child after me, though. The idea of a "baby Ruth" just doesn't really work!" she teased.

He laughed, "Oh, wow! Yeah, I never thought of that! No, I...well, I mean, that's maybe rushing things a bit."

"But I take it you and Betty are...talking, at least? That's great, Daniel! Tell her I said hi and to please forgive me for chasing her that day. She was really trying to protect you."

"Yeah, I know. She said she only came here because I sent her all those fake postcards back then and made it sound so great, even though I was only pretending to come here when I was really curled up in a ball under my bed!"

"Again, I'm so sorry for being a part of that, Daniel!"

He shook off the image of himself, feeling so stupid and rejected back when Sofia had humiliated him, "It's fine! I'm good now. REALLY good! So, how about things with you and your lady? Oh, did you go see my friend, well, sorry, my sister-in-law about getting her styling services? I think she's still working, even though she's about seven or eight months pregnant again!"

"I did! And it's so weird! Well, I'll send you a picture we took together. You will not believe it, but when Amanda finished giving me a makeover, we sort of…"

"Could be twins?" he laughed, "Yeah, I can see that. Send me the picture, I'll show it to Betty. And good luck with your proposal! I sort of already blew mine! I was practicing how to say it on the plane and I was so wiped out when we were...um...talking earlier, that I said the I love you stuff and how beautiful she was in Portuguese, but I also must have blurted out for her to be my wife accidentally, too! She called me out on it when she found my notes! I was so embarrassed!"

"Oh, well, at least you finally gave her a 'reason to stay' with you, right? Think of it as a preview of coming attractions. Now she sees for sure that you're thinking of that in the future with her. I'm prepared to take Elaine to the top of the Rock on her birthday next week and propose to her. That was so sweet of your mother to offer the small string quartet for me! Things are going great with us, too! Thanks again for all your help, Daniel! I'll email you and attach the file. Good luck!"

"No problem-o! Bye, Ruthie! You, too."

He looked up, seeing Betty waking up and he grinned, as she was looking at him with so much heat in her eyes. She grabbed his phone from his hands and put it down, then grabbed him, kissing him passionately. Finally, she looked at him, attempting unsuccessfully to keep a straight face, as she tried to look jealous, "Aha! Did I catch you, talking to your girlfriend? The other woman!"

He narrowed his eyes, then shook his head, "You know, don't you?"

"That you're sleeping with Ruthie? Are you admitting it?" She started to slap him, just to sell her little act, but he caught her hand, shaking his head at her.

He rolled his eyes, "I swear, I can't even mess with you, can I? How did you know Ruthie was gay? Who told on me? I really wanted to see if I could make you jealous! Damnit! You're so hot when you act all possessive!"

She shrugged, smirking, "I have my sources. Actually, for one thing, Amanda sent me a picture she took of her and Ruthie, who now looks even more like her twin, and said she was helping the girl get ready to propose to her girlfriend. Even you, with all your charms, Mr. Meade, can't appeal to ALL women, apparently!"

He shrugged, hugging her tightly, as he kissed her on the forehead, then began backing her towards the bed, "Nope. But I'm okay with that. As long as I appeal to the only one who matters to me. YOU!"