by Claire Adams
I didn’t want to have to explain to Levi why I was home so early, so I drove around for a while before I went back home.
“Did you have a nice time?” he asked.
“Yeah,” I said, putting my purse down. “It was good. Did you enjoy yourself?”
“I enjoyed Netflix and chill for one, yes.” He stretched. “Cal’s been blowing up my phone like crazy. I’ve been ignoring him, but I should get back to the city.”
“Now?”
“No, not this very second. I’ve actually been enjoying my time here very much.”
I smiled grimly, wishing I could say the same. If anything, being back here was just making me feel more stressed out.
“What’s your plan?” he asked. “If you need to stay here, I can find my own way back.”
“How?” I asked.
“Oh, you know. Hitchhike.”
“You’re not hitchhiking back to New York.”
“I know, I was joking.”
“Though you’d probably have no problem getting someone to pick you up.”
“I can take a bus.”
“You don’t have a driver you could call?”
“I do, but I wouldn’t mind taking the bus, either. I’m not one of those people who’s afraid of using public transit.”
“Do those people exist?”
“They most certainly do. I had this friend growing up, and his mom refused to take the subway or a cab. They were loaded, so of course they had their own drivers and everything, so it usually wasn’t an issue, but one day I remember overhearing her say to one of her friends how she’d never be caught dead taking the train, that she couldn’t think of anything more humiliating than that.”
“Yeah, see, I don’t want to turn into one of those people.”
“You would never turn into that. You’re not someone who’s capable of having such a narrow view of things.”
“I’d like to think so.”
Levi got up off the couch and came over and hugged me. “Everything okay with you?” he asked. “You look about as stressed out as I feel.”
“Tonight actually wasn’t so great. Sophie and I got into a fight,” I said, realizing the second the words were out of my mouth that I shouldn’t have brought it up.
“Oh, shit,” he said. “That sucks. What happened?”
There was no way I could tell him the real reason that we’d been fighting. She’s pissed at me because I developed feelings for you when I was supposed to just be interested in you to get revenge. In fact, she even named it Project Revenge. No way in hell I was going to tell him that.
“Money can do that,” he said. I didn’t say anything; I’d let him think that was the real reason. “It sucks to admit, but it’s true.”
“We’ve had arguments and stuff before, but nothing like this. It just feels weird. Being here feels weird. I don’t know. If you want to go back to New York, I’m all for it.”
He gave me a playful look. “Are you inviting yourself over?”
“Yeah, I guess I am. Is that all right?”
“Absolutely,” he said, pulling me toward him. “And I think I’ve got an idea or two about how we can reduce some of this stress you’re feeling . . .”
*****
The doorbell woke me up the next morning. I could tell by the way the sunlight was slanting into the bedroom that it was fairly early; I reached over and picked my phone up off the bedside table and saw that it was quarter past eight. I sighed and got up, leaving Levi in bed, sound asleep and snoring lightly.
It was my mother.
“I’m sorry to drop in so early,” she said as she came in. “I’m on my way to work, but this is going to bother me all day if I don’t say something.” She looked around. “Is Levi still here?”
“He’s asleep. I think we’re heading back to New York later today. He’s got some work stuff that he needs to take care of.”
“And you’re going with him?”
“I am. I’m not really interested in whether or not you think it’s a good idea. I’m going with him to New York, and I’ll stay there for a little while, and then I might go somewhere else. Despite what you may think, I really haven’t gone crazy spending money; I haven’t gone out and bought a mansion in L.A. or a private jet or anything. Really, I went out and got some stuff for you, which you didn’t want. Fine, okay. You don’t have to take it, that’s your prerogative. But me going with Levi back to New York is my prerogative, and I don’t need your judgments about it.”
There was a part of me that felt bad for speaking like that to my mother, but I couldn’t deal with her coming over here to give me more shit.
“I just ran into Sophie while I was getting a coffee this morning. She said you two weren’t speaking at the moment.”
“I didn’t realize Sophie was such an early riser.”
“You two got into a fight?”
“That’s correct.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
“People get into arguments. I’m hoping that we both just need some time to cool down and then we’ll be able to move on.” Yet even as I was saying it, I was aware there was a part of me that had my doubts of that happening. She’d been so angry—I’d never seen Sophie so mad about something before. This seemed to run deeper than a normal spat. “Did she say anything?” I asked.
My mother raised her eyebrows. “Other than you two weren’t currently seeing eye to eye on something? No, she didn’t say anything more than that, and I didn’t ask. Though I will ask you now.” She glanced toward the bathroom. “Is it because of Levi?”
“He had something to do with it. She doesn’t like him.”
“For good reason, wouldn’t you say?”
“What? Because of the things he said to me almost a decade ago? Do any of you people believe in forgiveness? Or do you just think I should hold a grudge against someone forever?”
“Isla, it’s not that we think you should hold a grudge forever,” Mom said. And just the way she said it, I knew that she and Sophie had talked a lot longer about this than she was letting on. They probably sat and drank a cup of coffee together while they talked about it. “But neither Sophie nor I want to see you get hurt. Levi hasn’t had the greatest track record with you in that department, and while I realize that all of that happened a while ago, it still doesn’t change the fact that it happened. And that there are so many other nice men out there that would be better suited to you.”
“Oh really?” I said. “Is that so? Where exactly are these other men? Are you hiding them from me? Is Sophie hoarding them all for herself? You’re making it sound like I’ve got guys lining up to the with me when that’s not the case at all! And even if it were, I like Levi! I like who he is now, and I like spending time with him, and, as I said when you first showed up, I’m not interested in hearing any of your judgments about it! I’m a grown ass woman and I don’t need to get your permission or approval regarding who I hang out with!”
My voice got louder with each word, so by the time I was finished talking, I was practically shouting. Levi could probably hear me, even over the shower.
“I think you should just leave,” I said. “It would be better if you left.”
“All right, Isla. I’ll go. I wasn’t coming over here looking to start a fight with you. I was actually coming over here to tell you that I was sorry that things have seemed strained between us since you’ve been back, but clearly you just want to continue that trend. For whatever reason. Have a good time in New York.”
My mother and I were never good at arguing; there had certainly been a few times it had happened when I’d been growing up, but we tried to avoid it when we could. So I didn’t know what else to do but stand there as she left, and I watched her walk down the driveway to her car.
“Were you yelling at someone out here?” Levi asked. He was standing there, a towel wrapped around his waist, his hair damp. “I thought I heard yelling. Or was that just you protesting my singing in the shower?”
/> “No, that was me yelling. I couldn’t even hear you singing. My mother stopped by. I think to kind of apologize, but we ended up getting into an argument and I basically just kicked her out. Which feels weird. But her coming over here and being all judgmental also feels weird.” I brought my hands up to the side of my head and squeezed my temples. “I just really want to get away from all of this.”
Levi came over and wrapped his arms around me, his skin smooth and warm. I turned my head and rested the side of my face against his chest, wrapped my arms around his back.
“How about this,” he said. “We’ll go back to New York for a little while, you can relax and do whatever; hang out at my place, go spend the day at the spa, whatever you want. I’ll try to appease Cal, and then we’ll go back to Ibiza for a little while. Our sole purpose being just to enjoy ourselves and tune out all this other bullshit that people are trying to throw our way.”
“Yes, please,” I said.
“Hey,” he said. I lifted my head and looked at him. “I’m sorry everyone’s giving you such a hard time about us. I wish it didn’t have to be that way.”
“I do too, but it is. I think they just need to get used to it.”
It’s true that this wasn’t the original plan, that I hadn’t ever thought Levi and I would be together like this. And if I was really honest with myself then yes, I could admit that I certainly had feelings for him. Perhaps, if I was smart, I wouldn’t go back to New York with him, I wouldn’t continue to see him. It seemed to be what everyone else thought I should do.
But that didn’t matter to me so much right now. What other people thought. I wanted to do what I wanted. And right now, all I wanted was Levi.
And to maybe go back to Ibiza again.
27.
Levi
Isla and I left Bel Air on Tuesday night. A part of me felt as a little sad that we were leaving, which was strange because who would’ve thought you’d ever feel that way about some place like Maryland? But I was glad she was coming back to New York with me, though I could tell she also felt a little strange about it, even though she hadn’t said anything.
I set my alarm and got up early so I could be down at BCM by nine o’clock. Sure, that wasn’t the six o’clock time or whenever it was Cal had said that my father usually showed up, but considering there were many days that I was just going to bed at nine o’clock in the morning, I thought I was doing pretty good.
Isla got up when I did, and she was in the kitchen, making coffee. I could hear my phone ringing, but I ignored it and tried to focus on getting this fucking tie tied correctly without having to go look it up on YouTube again.
After what felt like three thousand hours, I finally got it. It felt a little too tight again, but I’d just deal; I wasn’t going to take it off and have to start that whole process again. I left the bedroom, following my nose toward the kitchen and the heavenly smell of coffee, which I’d need copious amounts of to get through the day.
“I’m already looking forward to getting home and seeing you,” I said to Isla.
“Your phone was going crazy,” she said. “Someone keeps calling you.”
She was trying to keep her voice light, but her tone was strained, and I knew she’d at least looked at the screen to see who the caller had been. I picked the phone up and looked at the call log. Ella.
I slipped the phone into my pocket. “That was Ella,” I said.
Isla stiffened. “Oh?”
“Yeah. She’s been trying to get in touch with me. I should probably give her a call back so she stops calling me like this.”
“Yes,” Isla said. “You probably should call her.”
“Hey.” I pulled her toward me, feeling her resist for a second but then give in as her body contoured itself to mine. “We’re just friends, me and Ella. There’s nothing going on there.”
Which was true. Ella and I hadn’t slept together in a while, and who knew if we would again or not. I tilted Isla’s chin back and waited until she looked me in the eye. “There’s nothing going on between Ella and me,” I said. “I want you to know that.”
“There was, though.”
“Yeah, there was. But there’s not anymore. We can still be friends, can’t we? We’ve known each other a long time. It would be weird to just suddenly no longer be her friend anymore.”
Isla took a deep breath and then nodded. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I’m not trying to turn into the jealous girlfriend, I’m really not.”
I smiled. “So you’re my girlfriend now?”
“Uh . . . did I just say that? I guess I meant lover.”
“You can be my girlfriend.” Had I ever uttered those words before? I’d never really had a girlfriend in the traditional sense. There were just too many girls, too many possibilities, for that to ever make sense. But now it felt like that did make sense, because I wanted to be with Isla. Not just that; I wanted her to want to be with me.
“That’s not why I said it,” she said quickly. “I didn’t mean to say it at all, actually.”
“So you don’t want to be my girlfriend. You’re hurting me.”
She laughed. “Yeah, right. Stop it.”
“I’m being honest! I’d like nothing more than to call you my girlfriend. Seeing as you just called yourself that. And no, I might not have all that much experience being a boyfriend, per se, but I’ve never really wanted to take on the role. Until now, that is.”
“You really mean that?”
“I do. I’ve had a really good time with you these past weeks. And I know your mom’s not my biggest fan, and Sophie certainly isn’t going to be sending me any friendship bracelets anytime soon, but I don’t care about that. I like being with you, and I’d like to keep being with you. How does that sound?”
She brought her hand up to my tie and pulled on it, until I leaned my head down toward hers. She brushed her lips across mine, a tiny smile across her face.
“I think that sounds wonderful.”
Cal wasn’t looking too thrilled to see me when I finally made it down to BCM.
“So you graced us with your presence once and it’s been almost a week now and we haven’t heard a thing,” Cal said.
“I know, I’m sorry. I left the city for a few days. I didn’t think you’d mind much, though, Cal, considering the last time I saw you—how did you put it? That I should just stay out of the way and let you people do your job, since I was clueless about everything?”
“That’s not what I said, Levi. And if you’d like to learn anything about this—anything at all—then you actually need to be here. Participating. Learning. Asking questions. Not off gallivanting, though I must say, I was surprised to hear you say you were in Maryland. I would’ve figured somewhere a little more exotic.”
“You ever been to Maryland?”
It was a joke, of course, but Cal didn’t laugh.
“Has Frank Carlisle been in touch with you recently?” he asked.
“Frank Carlisle? Ella’s father?”
“Yes.”
“No. Why?”
“As you know—or maybe don’t—the Carlisles are one of BCM’s biggest clients.”
“I am actually aware of that little bit of trivia.”
“It’s more than trivia. While some of our clients are more than happy to just let us do what we do best, Frank is a little more . . . proactive in his approach. He wants to buy Westport Investment Managers. I’m telling you this so you can start to familiarize yourself with the organization.”
“Okay,” I said. “And Frank is going to be calling me about this directly?”
“Frank was fond of talking to your father about these matters, yes. So I wouldn’t be surprised if you get a call from him at some point. I myself don’t think it’s wise to hand over eight billion dollars in stock and cash for this purchase.”
“Eight billion? That’s a hefty price tag. So why don’t you just tell him that?”
“Because he doesn’t want to hear it from me,” Cal said.
“Frank and I haven’t always seen eye to eye on things, and that has . . . complicated our relationship. We try to keep things professional, but, as I mentioned, it was your father that he dealt with mostly. So that role is going to fall onto you, now. I don’t think Frank would have it any other way. He’ll be here shortly, and he’s going to want to talk with you. I’m giving you forewarning. I’ll be in my office, but Erin will notify me when he gets here.”
“Great,” I said. “Looking forward to it.”
Cal left, closing the door behind him. I sat down on the couch that was over by the window and looked out past the skyscrapers, to the sky. I could see a plane in the distance, just a tiny little speck in the sky, and I wondered where those people were headed.
My cell phone rang. I pulled it out of my pocket and looked at the screen. Alfie.
“Oi, mate,” he said when I picked up. “When can I be expecting you back around these parts?”
“I’m not sure,” I said. “I’m back in New York to do some stuff here. Then maybe we’ll come out that way.”
“Great. Because the way things are shaping up out here, I’m going to need some more money. I don’t need to get into the details of it now, but remember how I told you about that guy from Rotterdam—”
“Hold up,” I said. “I remember the conversation, but do you remember the conversation we had after that? The one where I’m not involved anymore?”
There was a pause. “You were serious? You still feel that way?”
“Yeah, I didn’t just change my mind about it.”
“Oh. I thought you were just on a rant and you’d come to your senses. Listen, mate, now is not the time to bail. It’s really not. We’re going to lose our hold on the market.”
“What are you even talking about?” I said. “Don’t you have enough money?”
“I’m not going to get into the details over the phone,” he said. “We can talk in person, though. I think it’d be good if you got out here as soon as you can. The sooner the better, really.”
“Well, I totally agree with you on that point, Alfie, but it’s not going to be to talk about our business interests, anymore.”
