by Sofia Tate
Because of this, Ronan thought he had finally begun to understand who Blakely was. She was ambitious, and he couldn’t help but respect that about her. He wanted to tell her that. That they could be together, and he wouldn’t stop her from going after what she wanted, as long as he could be there to see it happen.
On his way back to his hotel from his walk around Tudor City and the United Nations, he couldn’t stop patting the jeans pocket that held a piece of paper, making sure it was still there. He had written down Blakely’s address on it when Sean had emailed it to him. He had sworn Sean to secrecy not to tell Gigi that he was coming to New York City because she would have told Blakely without a doubt.
Once he was back in his room, he shed his clothes and took a shower to prepare himself. In a few hours, he would see Blakely again and hopefully holding her in his arms.
Blakely strode confidently into Clayton’s office, with Clayton in his chair and Spencer on his feet.
She sat down and cleared her throat. “Clayton, Spencer, this is going to come as a shock to you. Believe me, when I made the decision, it was a shock to me as well.”
Clayton sat up in his chair. “What is it, Blakely?”
She stared at the men straight in the eyes. “Gentlemen, I quit.”
Clayton nodded resignedly while Spencer’s mouth dropped.
Spencer’s face grew red in anger. “Have you lost your mind?”
Blakely smiled. “Actually, sir, I think this is the first time I’m thinking clearly in my entire life.”
“Do you know how much time and money we’ve invested in you? We were about to make you a partner! And this is the thanks you give us?” Spencer shouted at her.
Clayton raised his hand to stop Spencer’s tirade. “Enough, Spencer.” He turned to his employee. “Blakely, are you absolutely 100% positive about this?”
She sat up straight in her chair. “Yes, sir, I am. You were right. I have changed. And working for you isn’t part of that change, as much as I wish it were.”
Spencer wouldn’t let up. “And what exactly are you going to do now?”
Blakely beamed back at him. “I’m going to renovate a Nevada dude ranch. You’re very welcome to visit when it’s completed.”
For the second time, Spencer’s mouth dropped. “Pardon me?” He glanced over at his business partner. “And what the hell are you smiling about? We’re losing our star!”
Clayton rose from his seat and patted his back in reassurance. “Don’t worry so much, Spencer. We’ll be just fine. And so will she.”
Spencer sighed in exasperation. “Ever the optimist.” He walked over to Blakely, who stood up to say goodbye. “I hope you know what you’re doing.”
She nodded. “I do, sir.”
He embraced her. “Good luck, Blakely. I wish you weren’t doing this, but I hope you find what you’re looking for.”
“Thank you, sir. I think I have.”
Spencer walked out, and Clayton stepped forward to Blakely. “I’m beginning to regret that I ever told you about the change I saw in you. I feel like I precipitated this.”
Blakely shook her head. “No, sir. It was just the final push I needed.”
He laughed. “I don’t know if that makes me feel better or worse.” He took Blakely by the shoulders. “Whatever happens, I want you to keep in touch. But most of all, I just want you to be happy, my dear.”
Blakely embraced her beloved boss for the last time. “Thank you, Clayton, for everything. I’ve written out a detailed list of my projects with suggestions and recommendations.”
They pulled apart. Clayton smiled at his senior executive. “I wouldn’t have expected anything less from you. That will certainly help in the transition. And if you ever need anything, do not hesitate to call me.”
“I will. Thank you.”
Blakely turned back one last time to glance at Clayton, who simply smiled at her.
She walked back to her office, where Clea was already packing up Blakely’s belongings.
“Don’t worry, I’ve got it under control.”
Blakely smiled. “You always do. Call me with anything you need. I’ll make sure they take good care of you.”
Clea hugged her boss, her eyes tearing up. “You were the best boss, Blakely. I’ll miss you.”
Blakely smiled as she embraced her. “I’ll miss you too. And I want you to come visit me in Nevada the first chance you get.”
The solemn moment was broken by a ear-splitting yell. “PIERCE!”
Blakely and Clea turned to see Paul and Steven standing in the doorway. Both men had dejected looks on their faces.
Blakely glanced back at Clea. “I’ll talk to you later.” She pointed her finger at the two men. “You two, come with me. We’ll talk in the cab.”
The three of them remained silent for the entire elevator ride down to the lobby. Once outside, Steven hailed a taxi, and held the door to let Blakely in, followed by Paul and himself.
She gave the driver her address, “Central Park West and 61st Street, please.”
Blakely leaned back. She could feel two pairs of eyes on her.
Paul let it rip. “What the fuck, Blakely? You can’t just quit on us!”
Steven frowned. “What are we going to do without you?”
Blakely sighed and took their hands in hers. “Guys, you’re going to kick ass. I know it. I trained you well, and now it’s time for you to spread your wings.”
Paul grimaced. “Ugh, don’t start with that touchy-feely crap.”
“I’m not. Listen, I’m doing this for me. No other reason. I’ll always be available for you to talk to if you need me.”
Steven looked at his mentor in the face. “This is about a guy, isn’t it?”
Blakely shrugged her shoulders. “Partly, yes. But it’s really about me and realizing what I want to do with my life.”
“Sounds like a mid-life crisis to me,” Paul muttered.
She elbowed him gently in the ribs. “Watch it, smartass.”
As they pulled up to Blakely’s building, the doorman stepped out to open the taxi door.
Once they were out of the cab, she hugged Steven goodbye, then turned to Paul, who held her by the hands. “You sure about this?”
She smiled. “Yeah, I am.”
He hugged her tightly and kissed her on both cheeks. “Be happy, Pierce. See you later.”
Blakely watched as Paul joined Steven in the cab, leaning down to wave at them as it pulled away.
When she stood back up, something caught her eye across the street. A man was getting into a taxi, and she managed to catch a glimpse of him before his face disappeared. She watched as the taxi headed up Central Park West before it turned left on 62nd Street.
Ronan…
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
As he stepped off the jetway into the gate area at Reno-Tahoe International Airport, Ronan was oblivious to the noise around him. All he wanted was to get into his truck, drive home, and tell his parents they could build whatever the hell they wanted on the lake. He didn’t care anymore.
One of the flight attendants had flirted with him on the plane, but he paid her no mind. He gently turned her down. Sure, he could’ve fucked her at some airport hotel as some kind of screwed-up revenge against Blakely, but it didn’t interest him. He just wanted to forget her, period.
As he reached baggage claim and began to search signs for the shuttle to the lot where he left his beloved truck, a face in the crowd of limo drivers shocked him back to the present.
His father was waiting for him.
Ronan slung his overnight bag over his shoulder and hugged him. “Dad, what the hell are you doing here?”
“Can’t a father just be happy to see his son home safe and sound?”
Ronan raised his eyebrows. “Yeah, right. Give it up, Dad.”
His father brought his arm around Ronan’s shoulder and began to lead him away. “Come on. I’ll tell you on the ride home.”
“Dad, I left my truck in th
e long-term lot. What about your car?”
“No worries, son. Jack Neary had to drive into the city and he dropped me off.”
“Oh, okay. But it’s going to be a long ride home.”
“That’s perfect. Because I have a lot to say.”
Once they retrieved Ronan’s truck and got out of the airport onto the highway headed north to Blossom, Malachy cleared his throat.
“You know, son, as much I like to think I’m smarter than your ma, that will never be the case. She’ll always be smarter than me. It usually takes a while for me to realize what’s going on in my own family, and this time is no exception.”
Ronan signaled a turn into the left lane. “Dad, what are you talking about?”
“You and Blakely.”
Ronan glanced over at his dad, who was staring right at him. “Oh.”
“You went to New York to see her not about the land, but because you wanted to make up with her and ask her to give you another chance.”
Ronan silently nodded.
“And I’m judging from the look on your face that it didn’t go the way you had hoped it would.”
“You’re smarter than you think, Dad.”
“It’s not a question of being smart. It’s that I know you, son. I’ve never seen you look this devastated before. Could you tell me what happened, unless it’s too painful for you?”
His son kept his eyes on the road. He stayed silent for close to five minutes, then he finally cleared his throat.
“I stayed at a hotel in Times Square. I needed to get up the nerve to see her. So I played tourist for a day. Finally, I went to her apartment and prayed like hell that she would let me in.”
“And did she?”
“I wouldn’t know. I didn’t even get to cross the street to her building.”
Malachy shook his head. “I’m confused, Ronan.”
He sighed as his grip tightened on the steering wheel. “I was standing across the street from her building when a cab pulled up to the curb. She got out along with some guy in a suit. They talked for a bit, and then she hugged him and kissed him before he got back into the taxi. Then she looked up and saw me.”
“And then what?”
Ronan turned to look at his father. “I wouldn’t know. I was gone by then.”
His father’s eyes widened in shock and threw his hands up in the air. “What? Oh my Lord! And I thought I was stupid. Jesus, son, that could’ve been anybody! Did they kiss like a man and woman in love kiss?”
Ronan shook his head. “No, just pecks on the cheeks.”
Suddenly, Malachy smacked his son on the shoulder.
“Ow! Christ, Dad, what was that for?”
“You’re a bloody idiot, Ronan! You should’ve gone up to her and talked to her. They were probably just work colleagues or something. You flew all that way to see her, but instead of doing that, you spite her because your damn ego’s been hurt. I raised you better than that, and not to run away like a coward.”
Ronan snapped back at him. “Well, it’s too late now. I’m moving on. I don’t give a damn anymore.”
“Don’t you think you should try—”
“No! Just let it go, Dad. I have.”
“Fine, Ronan.”
Father and son spent the rest of the drive home in silence, with Ronan’s mind on the road and Malachy’s on the business card that he still had in his desk drawer.
Sitting in the back of a black Town Car as it crossed the 66th St. transverse through Central Park to the Upper East Side, Blakely watched as the trees and cars flew past her. Two large suitcases were sitting in the trunk, packed with the essentials she would need for the time being. There were no couture gowns or expensive jewels (except for her favorite black suede stiletto boots), just sweats, sneakers, and the beauty products she thought she won’t be able to find in Blossom.
Her cell phone rang with Gigi’s ringtone. “Hey, Gi, what’s going on?”
She sounded worried. “Where are you right now, sweetie?”
“In a car headed for my parents’ house, then JFK. Why?”
Blakely heard Gigi exhale. “Oh, good, that means Ronan found you.”
Blakely shouted back at her, “Whoa! Back up a sec! How the hell did you know Ronan was in town?”
Gigi paused. “Hang on! The question should be how did you know, because I just found Sean’s email to him with your address and phone attached.”
“WHAT?”
Gigi sighed. “Believe me, I’m as shocked as you are. I read Sean the damn riot act when I saw it this morning. Apparently, he was coming back here to try to talk you into giving him another chance.”
Blakely’s throat went dry. Her left hand flew up to her mouth. “Oh my God! I saw him yesterday outside my building! He was standing across the street when he saw me hugging and kissing Paul goodbye. He just looked at me and hopped in a cab.”
“Wait, what do you mean by ‘hugging and kissing’?”
“They were totally friendly. Paul and Steven rode home with me after I quit.”
“YOU WHAT?”
Blakely’s snapped her phone back from her ear. “Christ! You almost blew out my eardrum!”
“I don’t care. Start talking. You quit your job?”
“Yeah, I did. And I’ve never been happier. I’m flying to Nevada now instead of this weekend like I planned because I need to see Ronan and tell him how I feel, especially after he saw me with Paul.”
She could hear Gigi smile over the phone. “You’re going to tell him you love him, aren’t you?”
Blakely’s silence was Gigi’s answer.
She could sense Gigi’s smile over the phone. “Well, it’s about time. So now you’re going to tell your parents that you quit?”
“Yup. Wish me luck.”
“Of course I do. Call me if you need me. But more importantly, call me when you get to Blossom. I want full disclosure!”
Blakely smiled. “Always. Love you, Gi.”
“Love you too.”
Once she arrived at her parents’ home, instead of using her key, Blakely rang the doorbell. Albert appeared at the door within seconds.
His face lit up at the sight of her. “Well, this is an unexpected surprise, Miss Blakely.”
Blakely wrapped her arms around him. “Hi, Albert.”
Albert remained stiff, except for the small pats to Blakely’s back. “Oh my goodness. And what pray tell has transpired for this exchange of affection so early in the morning?”
Blakely pulled back from her honorary family member. “I’m finally happy, Albert.”
He smiled. “Well, then, I hope you’ll share the source of your joy with me at some point.”
“Don’t worry. I think you’ll be able to hear about it soon enough. The walls are pretty thin in this place.”
Albert nodded knowingly. “Indeed.”
Blakely walked to the back of the apartment to the breakfast nook where her parents were having breakfast. Dressed in a navy blue silk robe, her father was reading The Wall Street Journal and drinking his morning coffee, while her mother was in a pink cotton robe enjoying her Earl Grey tea with The New York Times laid out on the table in front of her.
Blakely cleared her throat. “Good morning.”
Blake and Renata looked up from their reading. She immediately jumped up from her chair and tightly embraced her daughter, while her father examined Blakely’s attire.
“It’s so good to see you, my darling.”
“Thank you, Mama.”
Blake stood up from his seat. “Blakely, why aren’t you dressed for the office?”
She looked her father square in the eye. “Because I quit my job.”
Her parents’ mouth dropped simultaneously. Renata spoke first. “You quit?”
Blakely smiled at her beloved mother. “Yes, Mama. And I’m moving to Nevada to live with the love of my life and help rebuild his ranch.”
Without warning, the sound of breaking porcelain echoed throughout the small space
. The coffee cup her father had been drinking from was now lying on the floor in tiny pieces, the brown stain of the liquid splattered everywhere. Her father’s face was blood red with fury. “Have you lost your mind, Blakely? How could you do this to me?”
Renata moved to Blakely’s side and held her hand as Blakely faced her father’s wrath. “I’m not doing anything to you, Daddy. I’m doing this for me because for the first time in my life, I know what I really want. And it’s not living a life of misery and loneliness. I want to be happy. Is that so wrong?”
Blake stepped closer to his daughter. “I gave you every opportunity in life. I taught you everything I know. And this is the thanks I get from my own daughter.”
Blakely shook her head. “Daddy, I’m not you. I’m not your intern. I’m your daughter! Your own flesh and blood. And I’ve done everything in my life to please you, but nothing was ever good enough. All I ever wanted was your love. But even that I had to work for. Well, I’m done, Daddy. I’m choosing to be happy.”
Blake was now inches from Blakely’s face. “You ungrateful—”
“Enough!”
Father and daughter swiveled their heads to Renata, who was holding Blakely’s hand even tighter now.
“She’s right, Blake. Leave her alone. For years, I’ve held my tongue about the way you’ve treated our daughter, but I never said anything because I was too scared. But now that I see joy in my daughter’s eyes for the first time, you’re not going to ruin it for her. I won’t let you. It’s her life, and she can do exactly as she pleases.”
Blake stared at his wife. His eyebrows now cast downward, he looked at the broken pieces of his porcelain cup on the floor. He muttered, “Tell Albert to bring me another coffee. I’ll be in the study.”
Blakely watched as her father walked out of the kitchen. She wanted to cry. Despite everything she had been through with him, she still loved him, and this wasn’t the way she wanted to leave things between them.
Renata embraced her daughter. “Don’t worry, darling. He’ll come around. I just think he’s not used to being ganged up on by the two women in his life.”
Blakely laughed. “Yeah, I don’t think he saw that coming. I’m proud of you, Mama.”
