He walks through the back door, and I blow a vibrating breath through my lips.
“Maybe if you just let us set you up, you’d meet some nice guys,” Fiona says as she leans on the center island.
I can’t imagine the grief I’d get if a date of mine ran to my siblings and dished about all the reasons the date didn’t go well for them. And Lord knows, I’d never hear the end of it if it did go well and I just wasn’t interested.
“Thanks, but I’m good. And busy. I have a business to run. When my loan comes through, things are going to explode for me. You just watch,” I say with an upbeat smile because Amy Morgana Chocolatier is the love of my life right now. As sad as that might be.
“Suit yourself. Just remember, when you’re old and gray, those chocolates won’t love you back.” Fiona walks out of the kitchen and toward the bathroom.
I close my eyes and place my fingers along my temple.
Mom walks up and rubs my back. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. You’ll find a good guy one of these days.”
I smile even though it physically hurts to do so. Sebastian is a good guy, and now, he’s going to have a family with another woman and not me. I know it’s petty of me to be upset, but I’m still bitter.
“Maybe I’m just destined to be alone,” I say out loud and instantly regret it as I see the frown on my mom’s face.
The back door swings open and slams into the wall, causing us to look as Luke, Fiona’s son, comes bustling in. “Look what I got!” He holds up the basket that’s almost bigger than him.
“Let me see.” I rush around the counter and kneel down to his level. “Wow, good job, buddy. Which one’s your favorite?” I ask, checking them all out.
He places the basket down and grabs the bright blue one. “This one. It’s my favorite color.”
“Ooh,” I singsong. “I do like that one. What about this pink one? Can I have the pink one?”
He sighs, and his shoulders sag, so I pinch his little tummy.
“What’s that expression all about?”
“Mom keeps saying I have to learn to share. So”—he sighs overdramatically—“I guess you can have it.”
Mom and I laugh out loud.
“It’s okay, little man. You can keep it.” I kiss his tiny cheek, and he grins from ear to ear. “Here, I have something for your very admirable attempt at sharing.” I hand him his chocolate bar, and his eyes widen.
Fiona walks back into the kitchen, and Luke holds up his chocolate to show her and then his basket of eggs.
“You did good, Luke. What about your brother? Did you help him find any?”
“Yeah. He has a few in his basket.”
“Just a few?” Fiona asks with her hands on her hips.
He shrugs. “I don’t know. I was too focused on my stuff. I’ll go look.” He turns and races to the backyard with his basket in hand.
Fiona sighs as she stands. “I’d better go check to make sure. God forbid one gets more than the other.”
Mom and I are alone again in the kitchen. She’s still giving me that concerned look, so I plaster a huge smile on my face.
“I’ll be back. I have some very special deliveries to make.”
I walk outside and see all of my nieces and nephews in their Easter outfits, running through the yard. There’s nothing like the joy on a child’s face to make you forget about all of life’s troubles.
My nieces and nephews have been the brightest parts of my life since each of them was born. I’m lucky we all live in or around Philadelphia. Being able to see them hit their milestones and to be an important part of their life are all that matters to me … even if they only love me because I spoil them rotten with chocolate. I’m okay with being cool Aunt Amy who fills their bellies with high-end chocolate.
While I’d like to have a family of my own someday, I’m thankful I have these little monsters in my life to fill the gaps. My family isn’t half-bad either. Except at times like these when I walk outside and see my four siblings and their spouses staring at me like I’m covered in head-to-toe glitter.
I give them a wave. “Hey, guys. Happy Easter.”
Henry is the first to speak. “Hey, Amy. Matt told us your boyfriend got some other girl pregnant.”
Yeah, they’re not half-bad.
Half being the operative word.
Chapter Ten
I’m just about to exit my office when I hear my phone ringing. Seeing Hardin’s number on my screen is not the way I like to start my morning. I consider sending it to voice mail but know that he’ll just hang up and dial right back. It was my biggest pet peeve when we were together. If I didn’t answer his first phone call, he would dial me again and again until I did. Why would anything be different now?
I swipe the call to answer. “Yes?”
“Why do I have a lawyer calling me?” he spits out.
I shake my head while staring up at the ceiling, wondering why I ever loved this man.
“I don’t know. Maybe the landlord is suing you personally. Maybe you finally did something dumb enough to get caught. Who knows? Why would you call me?”
“Because they said it has to do with you.”
My mind wanders to Sebastian, but I have no idea why. It’s been a month since I walked out of his apartment, and we’ve had zero contact since that night.
“Are we being sued?” I ask in concern.
“No. I am!”
I sigh in relief that it’s not our old landlord. Then, I remember that him getting hit up in a lawsuit serves him right. Bastard. “Maybe Karma has finally caught up with you.”
“You had to have done something, Amy, because I’m supposed to go for a deposition or some shit.”
“Then, get a lawyer and stop bothering me, Hardin. Ask your girlfriend for help.”
“She doesn’t know about this. She’ll be devastated.”
My mouth tilts up a little at the thought of Mindy being up and disappointed because of Hardin. “Surprised she’s not used to it already.”
“Amy, you have to—”
“I don’t have to do anything for you, Hardin. I mean it when I say, I have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about. Get a fucking lawyer and stop bothering me!”
I hang up, and for once, it feels amazing. I think that’s the first time I’ve hung up on him. I only wish it were like the old days that you see in ’80s movies, where they get to actually slam down the phone and then leave it off the hook for hours so the busy tone rings in the person’s ear. Hitting the End button doesn’t have anywhere near as much physical satisfaction as I hoped, but emotionally, I feel pretty powerful.
I let out a huff and open my office door, only to see both Shawn and Charity sitting on the other side of it, staring at me, waiting for me to say something.
“What?” I ask as I walk by, acting like nothing was just going on.
“She asks what,” Charity says in disbelief to Shawn and then turns to me. “We heard you talking to somebody about a lawyer. Who was that?”
I ignore them as I tie an apron on. “It was Hardin.”
“Ew. Why is he calling?” she asks.
“He said a lawyer called him and thought I had something to do with it. He’s such a jerk. You know, I’ve tried calling him at least fifty times this month about my dog. He won’t answer my calls, and I don’t even know where he lives. If I did, I’d be there every night, demanding he give me my dog back.”
“Like you did after you first broke up? That dude pretended he wasn’t home just to avoid answering his door,” Shawn says.
“Exactly. And now, he calls, acting like I owe him a favor.”
Charity takes a seat on her stool. “We were hoping you were talking to Sebastian.”
Shawn spoons melted chocolate into molding trays. “Correction: Charity was hoping you were talking to Sebastian. I was just trying to ask what color you wanted these chocolate squares accented with when Miss Thing here stopped me, so she could be nosy.”
Charity shru
gs like what he said is true and she isn’t afraid to admit it.
I look down at the order form that says the squares should be accented in pink chocolate, but we have about seven shades of pink. I walk to a supply cabinet and grab the red food coloring. “Hot pink looks the best. I’ll start melting the white chocolate to dye for the design.”
Shawn and I continue working while Charity sits there, drumming her fingers along the steel counter.
“Sorry to burst your bubble, but that definitely wasn’t Sebastian,” I finally admit.
She leans her arms down. “Still no word from him, huh?”
I take a breath and stir. I think this is the tenth time she’s asked me this. It almost feels like she’s more heartbroken than I am. I mean, yes, I’m still sad over him because I really felt like we had a connection, but Charity is legit crushed over the fact that we broke it off. I get the feeling he was her last hope of finding a good guy. Like, if I found one as great as Sebastian, then she would too. I hate that I broke that last glimmer she had left.
“If he hasn’t called, then it must mean he’s happy, and that’s all that matters, right?”
“That’s bullshit. You were on cloud nine when you were with him.”
“We went on a few dates.” I laugh to myself. Crazy to think that’s all it was. It felt like a hundred.
“And it was fucking awesome!” she declares. “You should have stayed at his place. Giving him the out to be with his ex was a foolish move. I bet he would have chosen you.”
I shake my head. “That’s something I would never feel right about. Doesn’t mean it doesn’t suck though.”
She pouts because she knows I’m right. “What about you, Shawn? Anyone new in your life to make both of us jealous over?”
I take my time to look at Charity while she’s turned to Shawn, waiting for his answer. I’ve seen the way she’s been checking him out more and more, and if I’m not mistaken, I think she has a little something for him. And the way she said jealous, I think that means more than she’s implying.
Shawn gets a shit-eating grin on his face, which means he got laid last night.
“You didn’t!” we both yell in unison.
“Where’d you meet this one?” Charity asks, and I sense that jealousy even more.
“Her name is Victory,” he says, and we both look up. “I shit you not. And believe me, it was one hell of a victory for me.”
“Oh God,” I say as Charity rolls her eyes.
“Kind of disappointed. There’s no way to misspell Victory but you still got the Y in,” she says with an eye roll.
Shawn laughs. “Wanna bet? V-I-C-T-O-R-I-E.”
Charity and I laugh hard at that. Leave it to Shawn to find the girls with the odd-spelled names.
“Her parents’ names were Victor and Torie or some shit like that, so they did one of those mash-ups. And I don’t want to hear it. The girl was on fire, and I just might be in love with this one.”
My phone rings, so I wipe my hands on my apron. “Shawn, can you watch that chocolate for me?”
My phone is still on my office desk, so I look at it and the 215 area code on the screen. I answer the unknown call. “This is Amy.”
“Miss Morgana, it’s Miles, Mr. Blake’s assistant.”
My breath hitches as my eyes shoot up to meet with Charity’s as she sits in the kitchen, looking at me in my office.
“Um, hi. Yes. How can I help you?”
“Mr. Blake would like to set up a time to meet with you, Mr. Hardin Reynolds, and his attorney, if he brings one. I have a few openings the last week of the month, but if you want something sooner, there is limited availability next week.”
“I don’t understand.”
Miles pauses for a beat. “I’m here to assist you. What do you need help understanding?”
How do I explain to this guy who worships the ground his boss walks on that I broke it off with him because he’s having a baby with another lady?
“Sebastian and I aren’t working together anymore.”
“That’s surprising. He told me today to set up this meeting. It’s concerning a dog and some artwork that are your possessions that he’s been working on getting back.”
Charity heads toward me and moves her hands, as if to say, Please tell me what’s going on.
I turn around to try to focus on my conversation instead of her. While placing my hand over my eyes, I let out a sigh. I don’t know what to think about this. It’s been a month of not one word from Sebastian, and then I get this phone call. I didn’t even know he could legally do something to help me get my dog back. My sweet dog.
“Miss Morgana? Are you still there?” Miles asks.
“Yeah, sorry. I guess I’m just surprised, is all. Please tell Sebastian thank you, but no, thank you. I don’t want to take up any more of his time.”
“Are you sure? He said it’s all pro bono, no charge involved.”
Am I sure? No. I want Lady Featherington back like crazy. It’s been months since I last saw her, and having her picture on my screen saver isn’t enough to stop me from missing my girl.
While I want her, I just don’t think taking more from Sebastian is right. He already helped me with my financial trouble.
“Yeah, I’m sure. Please tell him I appreciate the offer.”
“Well, okay then. I guess I can call Mr. Reynolds back and—”
“Don’t do that. Just let him sit on it for a while. Hardin can afford to sweat it out.”
I hear a slight chuckle on the other end of the line.
“As you wish. Have a great rest of your day.”
We hang up, and I feel just a little bit better about hearing how they are the ones who called him earlier. I like the idea of having Hardin thinking he’s in legal trouble. Let him stew on that fact for a little while.
I turn around to see Charity staring at me, wide-eyed.
“I’m definitely not making it up this time. Was that who I think it was?”
“No. Not exactly. It was Sebastian’s assistant, calling to set up a meeting. He wants to sue Hardin for my dog and the painting.”
“And you turned him down?” she asks, exasperated.
I drop my head back and stare up at the ceiling. “What’s the point? Lady Featherington probably wouldn’t even remember me—it’s been so long since I’ve seen her. And really, what am I supposed to do with a dog in here? I’m sure it would break all kinds of health code rules. Where would I keep her until I have a real place to live?”
“I don’t know. We would figure it out because he does not deserve to keep her—that’s for damn sure. Stop acting like such a defeatist. This is not my best friend, Amy, speaking. This is some other chick who’s throwing in the towel!”
“I’m being practical.”
“This is about Sebastian because my best friend wouldn’t let her ex walk away with anything that is hers without a fight.”
I sag my shoulders. “Fine. I admit, I don’t want to see Sebastian again. He’s probably back together with his ex, and it would hurt to see that.”
“Girl, you need to get your dog, get your art, and get your man.”
“No!” I demand. “I’m not going to tell you anything if you keep throwing my feelings back in my face.”
My phone dings with an incoming text, so I flip it over in my hand to see Sebastian’s text.
Please don’t let what happen between us stop you from getting what is rightfully yours.
I turn my screen, so Charity can see.
“Oh my God! See, let him help you!” she squeals. “He obviously wants to see you again, or he wouldn’t be giving you or this case the time of day.”
Ignoring her, I text him back.
I really appreciate the offer, but I don’t want to take up more of your time.
Charity reads what I’m typing as I type it and lets out a breath as she chastises me, “Put your pride aside and get back what’s yours.”
I told you, I want to help you.
>
That hasn’t changed.
Don’t let this asshole get away with this.
Charity reads what he texted and then says, “Exactly! I agree one hundred percent.”
As I mull over the idea in my head some more, my phone rings with Hardin calling—yet again.
I swipe the call with a scowl on my face. “I thought I asked you to stop bothering me,” I say as my greeting.
“Yeah, well, I spoke to the law firm, and now, I know you’re lying to me. What the hell, Amy? Are you really suing me for our dog? How fucking petty are you?”
“Excuse me?”
“You heard me. It’s been a few months. Get over it and move on. There’s no need to obsess over me and our relationship this way. I know you loved me, but this is a pitiful way to get my attention. I’m sorry, but I’m not coming back to you.”
My jaw drops open, and I gasp. The nerve of this asshole. “No, you listen to me. This has nothing to do with you. I want my dog and my painting back, and if you don’t give in to my demands, well then, I’ll see your ass in court!” Damn, I’ve always wanted to say that.
I hang up on him for the second time today, but this one feels one thousand percent better. Screw him. If he wants to act like that, then I will do everything in my power to fight his ass for what is mine.
I text Sebastian back.
Never mind.
He’s an asshole, and you’re right.
Let’s do this.
Chapter Eleven
Miles is waiting to greet me as I arrive at the building where Blake, Fields, and Moore is located. My heels clank in the vast rotunda as I saunter in, wearing my smartest black pencil skirt and blazer. It’s my armor to show Hardin I mean business.
“Miss Morgana, nice to see you again. Please, follow me.”
We head up the see-through elevator and into a small conference room with glass on two sides. Through one side of glass is the hallway we walked down. On the other is another conference room, larger in size. It’s the one Sebastian and I had Chinese food in all those weeks ago.
“Can I get you anything to drink while you wait?” Miles asks as he stands by the doorway.
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