“Oh…the text message?” he slowly replied.
She smiled, lifting her eyes to his. “It’s from a photoshoot I did with someone last year. I sent the text because I thought it would make you jealous. I’ve tried getting over you. I’ve made sure my life was erased from Maine, but you’re impossible to get over. You just are.” She lifted her hand to his arm and slowly rubbed. He stood there, motionless and still reeling from what she had told him. “I still love you, Derek,” she softly whispered.
His eyes rested on her hand, and he slowly pushed her hand off of him. “Jenna, I told you…I’ve found someone else.”
She rolled her eyes. “Yes…I know, but you have to admit that there’s no love that can take the place of the love we shared. You and me…we were voted most likely to get married, remember?”
He nodded. “I remember, but Jenna that was eons ago.”
She moved closer to him. He could smell the scent of her strawberry shampoo, intermixed with a lavender perfume. One whiff and any guy would’ve found themselves caught up in lust. She always was a beautiful woman, and the change of her hair wouldn’t erase that, but he realized that she wasn’t the same woman he was in love with all those years ago. “You can’t just fall out of love with someone.”
He snickered and looked away from her. “After not seeing you for over ten years…you can!” He looked down into her eyes. “You walked out of our relationship. I didn’t. If you would’ve come back a year later…two years later…or even ten years later, then perhaps we’d have a different story to tell, but you didn’t.”
“I was stupid,” she quietly replied. She lifted her hand to his cheek and gently rubbed her thumb across his chin. “I was scared, but seeing you again has replenished myself into remembering what I want, and I don’t give up on what I want.” She moved in and her lips touched his, paralyzing him at the moment.
He reached up and grabbed her hand from his face. He parted from the kiss and stared at her. “What the hell are you doing?” he asked.
She grinned. “I thought that was obvious. You feel it, too, Derek. Admit it!”
He took a deep breath, bracing himself for the wrath that he had to lay on her. “What we had is over and has been for years. You need to move on, Jenna. Give me the papers and I’ll forget that that just happened because I love someone else.”
“Are you sure it’s LOVE?” she asked. “Maybe it’s just lust and you’re confusing the two.”
He hadn’t planned on blurting that out, but the more he thought of the words, the more he enjoyed hearing them. “I’m sure! Give me the papers.”
She handed him the envelope. He opened it up, and it was empty. She gave him a smug look. “I honestly thought I could talk some sense into you, and we could deal with the papers later. I didn’t realize how strong your feelings are for this woman. A shadow crossed her face. “I suppose I can’t fault you for that.”
“What are you trying to pull?” he asked. “Did you even bring the papers?”
She smirked. “Wow…that is the only thing you care about. I so thought it was just a ploy to see me again. The papers are back at my house.”
“Fine! I’ll come to your house and get them.”
She nodded slowly. “I have a photoshoot this afternoon…make it seven o’clock.”
He shrugged. “Whatever! I’ll be there at seven.”
He turned away from her, and he got onto the elevator. He watched her leave the hotel as the elevator doors closed.
***
Charity slammed the hotel room door closed. She never would’ve imagined nearly walking into Derek as he made out with his ex, but that’s exactly what happened. The minute the elevator doors opened, she spotted them. She couldn’t get back in the elevator any faster. The last thing she needed was Derek seeing her make a fool of herself.
She hit her hands against the couch. “How could you be so stupid?” she yelled out. She closed her eyes and massaged her temples as her growing headache increased. She didn’t know how long she was there, but when she heard the key in the door, her eyes shot open, and she turned to the door. She couldn’t let him see how upset she was. She didn’t know what she’d say to him, but she had to play it cool.
The door opened, and their eyes met. “Hey!” he replied, stepping into the room and shutting the door.
“Hey!” she nonchalantly said.
He put a smile on his face. “So, I was thinking…let’s just order room service up for breakfast.”
“Sure…sounds great!” she eagerly answered back. She hesitated slightly before asking him an obvious question. “So, what was the delivery?” she asked.
His face flushed and at that moment, she could’ve slugged him, but again she remained calm. “Oh…just a flyer advertising activities going on in the city for this week. Nothing special.” She knew it was a lie, and he knew it was a lie, but neither one said anything to point that out. “I did get a call from Jenna, though,” he lied.
A call? A CALL? She could’ve shoved him out a window when he said that Jenna called him. She kept a curious look on her face. “Really? What’d she want?” she asked.
“Victoria decided to sign the papers, and I’m supposed to go pick him up this evening.”
He was going to her place after he had the makeout session in the lobby. How convenient! She thought. “Great!” she enthusiastically stated. “What time?”
“Seven,” he answered. “Will you come?” he asked.
“I thought she liked meeting up with only you?”
He shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. I’m just going to pick it up and leave. No biggie! I want you there.”
He moved closer to her and she looked down at the floor. Breathe! Breathe! Don’t show him your cards, because you’ll only look ignorant. “I think I’m just going to stay here.”
“Are you sure?” he asked. “We could grab a bite to eat after we leave her place.” He smiled at her, but she kept her ground and shook her head.
“I’m really tired, and it now looks like we can go back tomorrow after all. We should probably check to see if our seats are still available on the flight.”
“We could do that, or we could stay tomorrow night anyway.” He touched her shoulder, and his finger lazily ran down her arm.
She brushed his hand away. “Why bother?” she asked.
His mouth opened. “Um…is something bothering you?” he asked.
“Well, now that you mention it…yes…something is bothering me. What happened between us this morning was a mistake, and we should just move past it.” She turned away from him and left him to think on the subject. She escaped into her room and shut the door behind her. She sunk down on the bed and stared aimlessly into the room. She never intended to get attached so quickly and now that she did, she was finding herself fooled once again.
There was an abrupt knock at her door, startling her out of her thoughts. “Charity, can’t we talk about it?” he asked.
“Derek, just go away!” she called.
It turned quiet for a moment, then his voice sounded again. “I’m not going anywhere until you explain what brought on the turnaround with your attitude.” She didn’t respond to him, causing him to knock again. “I’m coming in unless you tell me not to.” She opened her mouth, but no words came out. Slowly the knob turned, and he peeked his head around the door. She looked up at him, and he stepped into the room. “Mind telling me why you seem so angry?”
“I shouldn’t have gotten carried away,” she replied softly. The words came out in a near whisper.
He moved to the bed and sat down on the edge. “Are you questioning my intentions?” he asked.
She laughed. “Intentions? What intentions? It has nothing to do with that.” It had everything to do with that, but she was putting on a good front.
“Okay, then what?” he asked.
She sighed. “I just don’t think we should get caught up in some kind of fairytale!”
“Alright. Then what do you want
?” he asked.
I want you to see me for who I am and not hurt me like Joe did. “I want to go back to the way things were. I have a job to do, and I want to do it without having to worry about how things will look if we’re too cordial with one another.”
“So, you want me to go back to being the jackass that you despised when you first started?”
She started to laugh, then immediately turned it into a cough. “No, Derek. I want things to be as if we’re just an everyday employee and boss. I want you to treat me like you treated Lily….nothing more, nothing less.”
“Do you really mean that?” he asked quietly.
She nodded, putting on her brave front. “Yes! That’s exactly what I want.”
“Fine!” He stood up from the bed. “I will give you space, and we can reevaluate the situation at a later date.” He smiled and left her room.
She opened her mouth to argue, but she didn’t. He shut the door, and she found silence. She would keep her guard up and make sure she didn’t let him in when she was angry and hurt, and he couldn’t even help her.
***
The quiet was slowly killing Derek. He thought for sure that after Charity had thought about things, she would realize that he wasn’t the enemy, and she could talk to him. Yet, she seemed distant and closed off and not the same woman he was able to freely kiss that morning. He couldn’t even get her to come out for breakfast that he ordered, and he was lucky to even get her to take a tray of lunch back into the bedroom.
He stood at her door and knocked loudly. “What?” she angrily asked.
“I’m getting ready to go. Are you sure you don’t want to come with me?”
“Positive,” she called out.
He groaned. “Fine. I’ll be back soon.” She didn’t say anything else, and he left the hotel room. In less than an hour, he would have the papers signed and the check in Jenna or Victoria’s hands. It would be over. He had to make sure that was the case.
The ride to her house was excruciatingly slow. He almost thought he had missed his turn until the GPS assured him he was on the right track. He pulled into her driveway only five minutes later. He sat there for a second, with the car off, and staring up at her house. It seemed too quiet. The house was dark, and there was only her car out front. He had a funny feeling creep inside of him. He got out of the car and locked it, then went up to her front door. He hesitated a moment, before finally knocking.
She immediately answered the door. She was dressed in a red leather miniskirt and an off the shoulders black top. Her makeup was perfectly put on, and her hair flowed down her back. She held a smile on her lips. “Hello, Derek,” she eagerly said. She stepped back and allowed him in.
“Hello!” His eyes once again grazed over her outfit. Again, he wondered if something was up. This wasn’t the impression he expected to get from her when had had told her she needed to move on like he did. “Where’s your mother?” he asked, tearing his eyes away from her.
She shrugged. “She had to go out.” She moved into the house, and he absentmindedly followed her. Then they reached a room, which appeared to be the dining room. A lavish table was in the middle of the room, adorned with two candles and a fancy place setting. “Have a seat! Dinner will be ready soon.”
He paused. She started to move past him, but he reached out and touched her, stopping her from leaving the room. “What’s going on? I’m not staying for dinner.”
She smirked. “It’s dinner time in my house, and I just assumed you’d come hungry. I have to go…it’s gonna burn.” She moved past him, despite his efforts to stop her. He moved into the room, where she had disappeared. She was busy pulling food off the stove, and he just gawked at her. “Jenna…I’m not eating!” he urgently stated.
She pulled the last tray from the oven and removed her oven mitts, then turned around to look at him. “You’re going to make me waste all this food?”
He shrugged. “I didn’t ask for it.”
She laughed. “Maybe not, but it’s here, and I don’t want to have to waste it.”
“Fine!” He shook his head and left the kitchen. He walked back into the dining room and slumped down into one of the chairs. He had to eat fast, get the papers signed, and hand her the check before she got any more ideas.
She brought the food into the dining room, and he found himself so mad, that he didn’t even bother asking her if she needed help. She kept the smile on her face, dishing the food out to both their plates. Once she was done with that task, she sat down in front of him. “Would you do the honors and pour the wine?” she asked. He sighed and lifted the bottle. He uncorked it and poured some in her glass and even less in his. When he put the bottle down, she raised her glass. “I would like to make a toast.” He reluctantly raised his glass, and she continued. “Here’s to getting reacquainted with old friends and seeing what the future might hold.” She grinned and clinked her glass to his. She was unbelievable. He took a drink from his glass and wondered if he should’ve taken more.
Once they started eating, he quickly started the conversation. “So, did Victoria sign the papers already?” he asked.
“Shhhh…” She placed her finger to her lips. “No business talk at dinner.” She went back to eating, and she tried to steer the conversation to their past. He slid past all talk and it became even more awkward than his silence with Charity. He shoveled the food into his mouth, barely taking the time to breathe. She didn’t even seem to notice how busy he was in eating, that they didn’t spend a whole time talking about anything. When he took his last bite, she stood up. “Dessert will be out in a second. Chocolate ice cream…your favorite.”
He couldn’t take anymore stalling. He needed this done. “Stop!”
She stopped and turned around to look at him. “What?” she asked as if she didn’t know.
He stood up from the table. “You’re stalling, and I don’t want to stall. I want to give you this check, so you can give it to your mother.” He removed the check from his pocket and placed it down on the table. “And I want you to give me the signed papers.”
She glanced down at the check, then turned her face up to him. “Derek, don’t do this,” she pleaded.
“Don’t do what?” he asked. “Don’t try to get on with my life? You’re making this more difficult than you need to. Just give me the damn papers.” His words went up a notch, but she seemed not to notice.
She moved closer to him. “I need you,” she whispered. She leaned up and tried to kiss him, but he had no choice but to get forceful.
“Dammit, Jenna…stop that.” He put his hands on her shoulders and pushed her back. “I don’t want this. Please get that through your head.” She sighed, stepping back from his grasp. He was relieved that the look on her face showed he did get through to her, but then her face turned dark and solemn, and he feared she would start crying. “I don’t want to hurt you. You know me, and that’s never the person I’ve been but come on…you have to know this isn’t right. You have to know that we didn’t work out back then, and we’re not going to work out now.”
She nodded. “I know,” she whispered. “You’re my past.”
He sighed and slowly nodded. “I can’t force your mom to sign those papers, but I’m begging you to talk to her if they’re not.”
“They’re signed,” she softly replied. She walked over to an end table, then came back to him and handed him the envelope. He opened it up and found both pages were completed and signed.
“Thank you!” He grabbed her hands and stepped closer to her. He kissed the top of her head and allowed it to linger briefly so he could make sure he was going with his heart. It convinced him he was. He pulled back from the simple peck on her forehead. “Goodbye, Jenna.”
“Goodbye!” she replied quietly. He moved past her and made his way out of her house. When he got to the car, he pulled his cellphone from his pocket. He dialed up the hotel number. The desk attendant answered the call.
“Paradise Ridge Hotel.”
“Hello, this is Derek Worthington…will you, please ring up my room?”
“Sure! Just one moment.”
He started up the car and backed up into the street. He headed towards the hotel when the desk attendant came back on the line. “I’m sorry, but there’s no answer in your hotel room. Do you want to leave a message, or perhaps I can ring it up again.”
“No…that’s okay. I’ll be there, soon. Thanks!”
“Goodbye!” The desk attendant hung up his call. He slid his phone back into his pocket. She was angry, and there was no doubt why she didn’t answer. When he turned onto the street with their hotel, he noticed the large store. It wasn’t the first time he’d seen it, but it was the first time it seemed to beckon him into the parking lot. He smiled as he made a turn. He needed something to show her that he listened to her and show her that he cared. She’d gone twenty-four hours without a phone, and he wanted her to stay another day, so he would find her a phone charger and hope she would find a reason not to be mad at him.
The store advertised that it sold everything from food to electronics, and he figured they would have the charger. He got out of his car and hurried up to the door. He wanted to get his purchase and get back to her. A woman greeted him at the door. He smiled and started to pass her, then stopped himself. “Do you have phone chargers?”
She pointed to the back of the store. “You’ll see a sign for Electronics.”
“Thank you!” His steps picked up, and he made his way to the Electronics department.
“How may I help you?” An employee greeted him.
“I’m looking for a cell phone charger.”
“Do you have a smart phone?” The man asked.
He thought about her phone and nodded. The man pointed to an aisle and Derek followed him to the destination. After the man had shown him the variety of cell phone chargers, he settled on one that wasn’t for an IPhone and one that said it fit ninety percent of cell phones. He hoped it would work for hers. He grabbed it and headed back up to the cash register. When he got there, he paused, and his eyes skimmed over the rack by the registers. The boxes of condoms were staring him in the face and even though at the moment it didn’t seem like Charity would want to do anything with him, let alone sex, he couldn’t turn away. He reached his hand up and picked up a box. He casually looked around to see if anyone was watching him. They weren’t. Torn between buying them and not, he put them down and picked them back up several times. It didn’t make any sense. Charity was the first woman he even considered the option, and now it was his choice to make. Buy the condoms or forget he ever saw them.
The Inheritance (Forever Bound #1) Page 25
