Overworked

by Dark Angel

  Like Connor said, Liam’s just clearing his head. Which probably means that he’s clearing me out of his head. Oh, I’m such a fool. What the hell did I even come here for? Just like my foolish clients, I went after an illusion… And it’s my fault that whatever future I had with Liam became an illusion.

  Oh, what if I ruined things for good? What if there’s no turning back the clocks? I don’t know if I can keep my head up without Liam by my side. I know, I’m acting like an heartbroken fool right now… But that’s exactly what I am: an heartbroken fool.

  Maybe this is why I avoided love like the plague - it wasn’t because I didn’t believe in it, despite what I told myself. Instead, I was afraid. You see, love is like fire - it can warm you, yes, but it can also consume you whole, leaving nothing but ashes behind. And I was afraid of that… Afraid of the pain that walks hand-in-hand with unrequited love.

  “I miss you, Liam,” I whisper to myself as I step inside the elevator. The doors close behind me, and I press my forehead against the full-body mirror. Closing my eyes, I let the tears stream down my face, dark sorrow wrapping itself around my heart.

  Oh, please, God - tell me I didn’t screw it all up.

  Just give me another shot.

  Cara

  “I don’t get it. What is it with airports?” Renee asks me, grabbing a handful of popcorn and taking them to her mouth. She does it without taking her eyes off the screen, almost as if she were afraid of missing something important.

  “It’s part of the formula, I guess,” I tell her with a shrug. We’ve spent the whole afternoon watching old (and bad) romantic comedies and, somehow, it seems that every movie we chose has an airport scene where the man must hurry in order to stop his true love from leaving forever.

  Maybe that’s what I should do - book a one-way seat to Paris and then cross my fingers and hope that Liam will race against the clock to make me stay in New York. Yeah, right. Like that would happen.

  “C’mon, Cara, cheer up!” Renee tells me suddenly, turning around on the couch so that she’s facing me. Grabbing the popcorn bucket, she shoves it into my hands. “You’ve been gloomy all day. It’s not like that will help.”

  “I know,” I sigh. “It’s just driving me crazy, you know? Sitting here and waiting for a miracle. I just wish there was something I could do to make things better,” I tell her, that feeling of frustration taking over me once more. If I wouldn’t look like a maniac, I’d just hurl the popcorn bucket against the TV and howl in frustration. Thankfully, I still haven’t lost my mind completely.

  “He’ll come around, you’ll see,” she says, but I can tell by her tone of voice that she’s not entirely sure of what she’s saying. How could she be? It’s not like she knows what’s going in Liam’s mind.

  “I don’t know, Renee… Maybe this is it. Maybe I’ve blown things.”

  “Oh, stop saying that. Just like you told me… Liam is clearing his head. Sure, he might be a bit pissed, but that doesn’t mean he hates you now. I doubt it that he’ll simply brush aside everything you guys went through.”

  “And what exactly did we went through? It was all a lie. None of that was real,” I say, gritting my teeth as I remember every single moment I spent with Liam. How he opened up to me, how he made me want to surrender my body to his… No, I’m wrong - it was real. More real than everything else in my life. But maybe if I pretend that it wasn’t… Maybe that will make the pain go away.

  “It was real, Cara. You know that. Sure, it was all a bit unorthodox, but that doesn’t mean that your feeling wasn’t real. And you know men… They get all bitchy and pissed after a fight, but that doesn’t mean they hate your guts. Maybe he is just blowing off some steam,” she continues, doing her best to drag me out of the depressed state I’m in.

  “What if blowing off some steam means he’s in some bar right now? He’s probably with another woman already. Maybe he doesn’t even remember my name anymore,” I reply, looking at the screen while my brain rushes through all these hellish scenarios. God, it hurts to just think of Liam in another woman’s arms.

  “Jesus, Cara… Seriously, you gotta stop thinking about shit like that. Do I have to lock all the windows in your apartment?”

  “Really funny, Renee. No, I’m not going to jump from a window. It’s just… I don’t know, this sucks.”

  “Welcome to the rest of your life,” she says with a shrug, and I just give her my death-stare. “I mean it, Cara. Nobody said that love was supposed to be easy. Sometimes it sucks, sometimes it’s painful… Yeah, love is all that. But you can’t lower your arms just because it’s hard. You gotta keep fighting. And the Cara I know is a fighter, not a quitter.”

  “I guess you’re right,” I sigh, running one hand through my hair. “What do you say we go out? I’m going insane just sitting here.”

  “Now we’re talking!” She chirps happily, jumping up to her feet. “Tequila!” She proclaims, balling one hand into a fist and throwing it up in the air.

  “No, no tequila… Just --” I start, but then I hear someone knocking at the door. We look at each other in complete silence, my heart kicking and punching against my ribcage. Could it be…?

  Swallowing hard, I start walking toward the door, my mind already conjuring a smiling bright image of Liam. It’s gotta be him. Oh, please, God, let it be Liam.

  Feeling a knot in my stomach, I curl my fingers around the handle of the door and turn it. I hold my breath as the door turns on its hinges and - surprise, surprise - there’s no Liam waiting for me in the hallway. Instead, there’s a gangly teenager with a knapsack, his face covered in acne.

  “Are you… mm… Caralyn?” He asks me hesitantly, his cheeks turning crimson as his eyes find my cleavage. In my hurry to get to the door, I completely forgot that I was wearing pajama shorts and a skimpy top.

  “That’s me,” I tell him, my heart once again lowering its pace in disappointment. I shouldn’t have gotten my hopes up.

  “Well, this is for you then,” the boy tells me, taking an envelope out from his knapsack.

  “Okay… Thank you,” I tell him with a nod, my eyes focused on the black envelope he pushed into my hands. With a parting smile, I close the door and turn to Renee, shrugging as I show her the envelope.

  “What’s that?” Renee asks me, looking at me while she kneels on the couch, her arms folded over the headrest.

  “No idea, it doesn’t say anything.” I turn the envelope over, but there’s nothing written on the outside. Carefully opening it, I take a single folded sheet of paper from the inside. There’s a golden lettering on the top and it just reads Liam Donovan. My heart resumes his galloping pace once more as I read Liam’s name, and I have to take a deep breath to calm myself.

  “What, Cara? Tell me!” Renee demands, getting out from the couch and hurrying to my side. “Read it!”

  “Cara, I’m sorry I’ve lied to you,” I start to read, my voice fraught with tension. “As an apology, I’d like to invite you to an event I’m hosting tomorrow night. I hope to see you there. Liam.”

  “That’s it?” Renee asks me, surprised.

  “That’s it… The directions and time of the event are on the back, but aside from that… There’s nothing else,” I say, my brain fast at work as it tries to decode the meaning behind Liam’s note. Is he apologizing because he wants to make things right? Or is he doing it because… because he wants to end it on a positive note? “Oh, what do I do?”

  “What do you mean? You go to that event, whatever it is, and you kick some ass, Cara!” Grabbing me by the shoulders, she forces me to turn toward her and then repeats her words slowly. “Kick. Some. Ass.”

  Cara

  Why the hell am I feeling so nervous right now?

  I’ve splurged on a beautiful thousand-dollar dress, I’m wearing my best Jimmy Choos, and there’s a let’s-take-over-the-world smile on my face. And still, my legs feel like spaghetti noodles.

  “Are you ready?” Renne asks me, looking out the window o
f our taxi, one of her hands already grabbing the door handle.

  “Yeah, let’s go,” I tell her, pretending that I’m okay even though I’m a nervous wreck. But what the hell - a woman must conquer her fears, right? Even if her fears include attending a black tie event in a five-star hotel. I know, after Liam’s little note I should be feeling at least a little hopeful… But I just can’t seem to do it. What if I stroll inside to see him arm-in-arm with another woman? What if he went to all this length just to humiliate me? I don’t think that Liam’s the kind of guy who’d do such a thing, but when it comes to men… Well, you never know, right?

  “Whatever Liam has on his mind,” Renee starts as we leave the taxi and start walking toward the hotel lobby, “he sure didn’t care about the cost.”

  “Yeah,” I mutter under my breath. Liam booked the Mandarin Oriental, one of the most expensive hotels in New York, for his surprise event - and that just makes me feel even more nervous about the whole thing.

  The moment we step inside the lobby, one of the clerks walks straight toward us and asks for our names. After checking that we’re on the list (well, I’m the one on the list, Renee’s just my plus-one) he then gets us inside an elevator; then, he leads us through a few luxurious corridors, the walls lined with what I suspect to be expensive and original paintings, and finally stops in front of two large double doors.

  “In there,” he proclaims solemnly, pushing one of the doors open and allowing us a peek of the most amazing ballroom I’ve ever seen. Renee and I both step inside at the same time, and I struggle to stop my jaw from hanging open as I look around the room.

  Three gigantic chandeliers hang from the ceiling, their sparkling light covering the room; instead of walls, half the ballroom has huge floor-to-ceiling windows, allowing everyone inside a nice clear view of Central Park. Circular tables, covered with red tablecloth and expensive silverware, are dispersed on the floor, and the distance between them is so perfect you’d say someone went around the room with a ruler.

  More than just the decoration, the room is packed with New York’s crème de la crème. I haven’t even blinked twice and I’ve already spotted three billionaires and two famous actresses. Are these part of Liam’s social circle? What the hell is exactly going on in here?

  “Cara!” I hear a feminine voice say my name, and I turn on my heels to face its owner. “So wonderful to see you again,” Liam’s mom says and, before I can do anything about it, she wraps her arms around me and hugs me tight.

  “Ah, you’re choking her out,” Liam’s dad laughs from behind her, and then he offers me his hand and his wife finally releases me from her hold. Instead of taking his hand, I just take one step forward and hug him. I don’t even know why I’m doing it, but I just feel close to the Donovan’s. Which will make it all more painful if Liam just brought me here to break up with me.

  “Cara, is that…?” Renee asks me, whispering in my ear as she holds my arm and points to the end of the room. My gaze follows the trajectory of her finger, and I just nod at her as I see what’s there.

  “Yeah, that’s the press,” I tell, watching as a crowd of journalists set up their cameras and microphones, all of them pointing toward the stage on the opposite side of the ballroom. Something big is going to happen, and it seems that everyone in here knows what it is - everyone except me, of course. Which is driving me completely mad, if you ask me. Usually, I’m the one that knows everything about everything…

  But it seems that this time the tables have been turned.

  “Champagne, ma’am?” One of the waiters waltzing among the guests ask me, and I give him one quick nod. Taking a flute of champagne out from his tray, he hands it to me with a slight bow.

  “Thank you,” I mutter, taking the glass to my lips and downing all of the champagne at once. God, I hope nobody was watching me - I don’t want to look like a drunken idiot that came here just because there was free booze. Still, I don’t say no when the waiter comes around a few minutes later; this time, though, I take my time with the second flute of champagne.

  “Where’s Liam?” I ask his mom as she passes by me again. Even though I’ve spent most of my time in here looking around the room, trying to find Liam, he seems to be nowhere.

  “I haven’t seen him in a while, dear,” she simply shrugs, offering me a kind smile.

  “Oh,” I reply, having no idea on what else to say.

  “I’m sure he’ll be here anytime now,” she comforts, tenderly patting my arm. “Oh, look! There he is!” She suddenly says, pointing to the entrance. I turn my gaze there immediately, and I do it just in time to see Liam walk in, buttoning up his jacket as he strolls toward the stage.

  Looking straight ahead, he doesn’t greet anyone as he takes over the stage. There, he stands up still behind the mic mounted right on the center, and he scans the room with his gaze. When his eyes meet mine, I swear I can almost see a hint of a smile on his lips.

  “Ladies and gentlemen,” he starts, “I have an announcement to make.”

  Liam

  I scan the crowd from my place on the stage, searching for Cara. I know she’s here because I had some people assigned to keeping an eye out for her, instructing them to let me know the minute she arrived. I spotted her a time or two myself, but I’ve made a point of remaining hidden. I have this planned out to the finest detail, and I’d be damned if I ruined it by showing myself too soon.

  The lights are bright in my eyes, so I don’t see her, but I know Connor has my back. He’ll make sure she’s here for this.

  “Ladies and gentlemen,” I say, giving the crowd my most winning smile, “thank you for coming out this evening.”

  Light bulbs flash as the media goes crazy at my appearance. I take a slow breath. All these years I’ve worked to keep my secrets, and now I’m standing here in front of the media. Everything I’m about to confess is going to be all over the Internet within minutes.

  “I’m sure many of you will recognize a lot of familiar faces tonight. A lot of members of our community who make a point of supporting the same charities. Charities that mean a lot to most of you in attendance tonight. But even more so, charities that mean a lot to me. They mean everything to me, in fact.”

  The crowd is hushed, and expectant energy is rising from them as all eyes are on me. This is it. Do or die.

  “That’s because all of these charities have something in common. Me.”

  A murmur races through the crowd as they try to understand my words. I don’t make them wait to put the pieces together.

  “Most of you know who I am.” I grin ironically. “Because I’m featured in the tabloids regularly. But there’s something no one knows. Well, almost no one.”

  I look down and see my mother standing in the front of the crowd. Sure my dad is supportive, but this woman would never miss a chance to support me. Her pride and faith in me are unwavering. And she couldn’t be more excited about what I have in store tonight.

  I scan the crowd again, and my eyes finally find Cara. She’s standing about halfway back and off to the right of the mass of people gathered in front of the stage. Her eyes are wide. She realized I’m about to come clean about my involvement in the charities. But she has no clue what else I’m going to say. I try to get some kind of indicator from her expression about how she’s feeling toward me, but her face is carefully blank. That sends a wave of nerves skittering through me, but I’ll just have to deal with it. Do or die.

  Looking back at the crowd in general, I lean closer to the mic.

  “I’m here tonight to come clean. To admit to the public that Liam Donovan is actually the face behind all these charities.”

  Another murmur goes through the crowd, and I press on. “They mean everything to me. I’ve devoted my life to working to support veterans and their families because it’s the best way I know to honor one of the most important people in my life. My brother, Lucas Donovan, who died serving his country. I kept myself out of the spotlight with all my charities because I
wanted them to thrive on their own merit. They do, and they’ll continue to. But there’s something else I want to do tonight. Something that I want to be public about.”

  I glance at my mom again, and she gives me an encouraging smile.

  “I want to honor someone else the way I strive to honor my brother. Tate Dawn, the father of the most remarkable woman I’ve ever known. Please consider this gala tonight to be the first official fundraiser for the brand new Dawn Foundation for Cancer Research.”

  Now I’m looking only at Cara. No one else in the room exists. It’s like it’s just the two of us. Her hands have come to her chest, and her mouth is slightly open in a shocked little O.

  “Cara Dawn means the world to me. She taught me things about myself and showed me things in this world that I’ve been missing, and for that, I’m eternally grateful.” I’m speaking straight to her now. “So tonight, I want to honor her. Her father meant the world to her, and I wish to honor the memory of the man who meant so much to the woman who I hope I’ll have the very real honor of calling my wife.”

  Hushed gasps rise up in the crowd, and I glance briefly at my mother as I hop off the stage. She has tears streaming down her face.

  I don’t stop. I stride straight to Cara and drop to one knee, taking her hands in mine and looking up at her, letting all the earnest love within me shine through my eyes.

  “Cara,” I whisper, because now this is just for her ears. “I love you more than anything. More than I ever thought I could love another person. I can’t spend another day without you. I know our relationship has been unconventional, but if you let me, I’ll spend the rest of my life showing you just how perfect you are and how much I love you. “Say you’ll marry me.”

  Cara

  Please, tell me I’m not dreaming.

  Is Liam really proposing to me? Did I hear the words right or am I hallucinating?

  “YES!” I cry out, offering him my hand as I purse my lips, trying to stop myself from crying like a little girl. Taking my hand in his, he takes a small blue box from inside his breast pocket and opens it to reveal the largest diamond ring I’ve ever seen.