by K. S. Smith
Her eyes lit up and we were both forgiven, “I think that is a decent compromise.” She stated before linking arms with Reagan and heading off toward the kitchen, “That man of yours sure knows how to please.” I heard her say before I shook my head and took the side exit to the patio where I was sure Case could be found.
Just as I imagined he was in front of the grille, a beer in one hand as he flipped the steaks in the other, one by one.
“Two minutes on each side, that’s all I need.”
Case turned and laughed, “I might as well cut it straight off the cow and toss it on your plate.”
I grabbed a beer from the mini-fridge and cracked the top before sitting down on one of the lounge chairs by the pool, “Sounds about right.”
A few moments later we were joined by Reagan and Addison, “Honey!” Addison shouted, “Is everything ready? The sides are beginning to get cold?”
“Yea, I’m all set, go ahead and set the table while I get these steaks off of the grille.”
Addison and Reagan began setting the table while I held the dish that Case was plopping the steaks on to.
We were all enjoying our delicious meal and catching up when Case asked about Imperial Park.
“So, how’s the condo coming along? I’ve been reading about it in the paper. It seems like you all have had a few major hiccups compared to usual?”
Unable to disagree I began to fill him in, “We have. The city is being a bit more difficult than usual, but I think we’ve finally cleared everything up and should only be moving forward from here on out.”
Reagan reached over and squeezed my thigh, “I don’t think there is a single city official -male or female- who can resist the charm of the one and only Colton Conrad.”
We all laughed before she could continue, “Speaking of work, the groundbreaking party will be taking place in a couple of weeks. The two of you should consider joining us. We are hosting it at The Bellevue and I’m sure it is going to be a wonderful evening. Heather, Cole’s assistant has been working tirelessly to ensure that everything is perfect. Anyone who’s anyone will be there.”
Addison’s face lit up as she looked to Case, “Oh yes, we’ve got to go. Please tell me you’ll clear your calendar so we can attend?”
Case rolled his eyes at me before turning to his wife, “Of course.” He looked back to Reagan and I, “We wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
I couldn’t help but chuckle because I knew how much Case hated these things. He got enough of it through his work, he didn’t need me dragging him in to it as well. “I’ll shoot Heather an email and have her add you both to the invite list.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
The ground breaking party was going perfectly and I couldn’t help but constantly stare back to Reagan who lit up the entire party. Casey and I were in the middle of a football conversation when Heather emerged between the two of us, “Excuse me Mr. Conrad, but there seems to be an issue in the kitchen. Would you mind accompanying me downstairs to figure things out?”
My eyebrow lifted, “Is my presence necessary?” I asked, curious as to why my staff was suddenly incapable of handling a situation on their own.
Her hand rested on my shoulder as she tilted her head, “It appears that way. I can assure you it should only take a minute or two. You’ll be back up here in no time.”
Irritated, I excused myself from Case, leaving my drink on the bar next to him and followed Heather toward the elevators, catching a glimpse of my beautiful girlfriend, mingling in the process.
Note to self, get this night wrapped up so I can get her out of that damned dress and into my bed.
The elevator doors opened and Heather and I climbed in, her fingers quickly pressing the lobby button. Music played lightly in the background as we descended from the rooftop bar to the first floor; Heather on one side, me on the other.
“Is everything going according to plan this evening?” I asked.
She looked over at me, an almost evil grin taking hold of her face, “Most things. There are a few issues I’ve yet to work out, but I’m sure I’ll have them taken care of by the end of the night.”
I nodded and motioned for her to exit first as the doors opened onto the lobby.
Heather led the way down the long hall toward the kitchen where I could hear commotion coming from behind the door. As I stepped in I noticed the head chef tearing into one of the employees.
“What’s going on in here?” I asked, trying to assess the situation.
“The order, she placed the wrong order and now we are short on oysters. We needed 500 raw oysters for your party and she only ordered 250!” He shouted.
I couldn’t help but chuckle, the amount of raw oysters was the least of my worries. Holding my hands up toward the chef, “They’re oysters; it’s not the end of the world.”
He tried to interrupt me, “But Mr. Conrad,”
“But nothing,” I interjected. “We’ve got alcohol, correct?”
He nodded his head, “Yes, plenty.”
“Okay, then we should be just fine. Figure out another hors d’oeuvre and plate that instead.” I could tell he was still irritated, so I took it upon myself to step in and work with the rest of the staff to ensure that we had everything under control.
A few moments later Heather and I were walking back down the long corridor and out toward the elevators, “Is there anything else that needs to be addressed while I’m still down here?”
A smirk reappeared on Heather’s face as she and I stepped into the elevator, “Just one more thing.” Her tiny frame lunged toward me as she plastered her lips to mine, taking me completely by surprise.
I instantly reached for her hips to push her body off of mine, but it was too late. The elevator doors were closing and all I saw was Reagan’s eyes locked onto mine, every ounce of color draining from her face and then she was gone.
The floor began to push our bodies up toward the roof top, “What the fuck is wrong with you?” I roared at Heather as I pushed her body from mine, “Do you have any idea what you’ve just done?”
She cowered in the corner, speaking in hushed tones, “I love you, Cole. I want you to pick me, not Reagan. She’s no good for you.”
Blood was coursing through my body, pumping at the speed of light as I paced back and forth in the elevator. My palms tingled as I balled my hands into fists at my sides, “You’ve lost your goddamn mind, you are my fucking assistant, why in the hell would I be in love with you?”
Reagan’s broken expression kept flashing in my mind and it only infuriated me more. The sound of the elevator door chimed and Heather scurried out, but I caught her arm and dragged her into a private room.
“Cole, I’m sorry, I couldn’t go another day without telling you how I truly feel about you. I love you and I have for as long as I can remember. I know you love Reagan, but I needed to make sure that I’d done everything possible to fight for you.”
“Enough!” I demanded, doing my best to keep our scuffle under wraps from the other guests in attendance, “You finish this party tonight as if nothing has happened and when you leave here that is it. I never want to see your face, ever again. And I can assure you, there is no way in hell I will give you a good recommendation. Consider yourself done within this industry. Everyone I know will be informed to never hire you. Have I made myself clear?” The words seethed from my lips fiercely, as I wanted her to know that her actions had just been the nail in her own coffin.
Her lip quivered and I could tell that she was doing her best to keep it together as she nodded her head, “Crystal clear.”
Heather darted from the room and before I could regain control I threw my fist straight into the wall, full force. A sharp pain shot through my hand and straight up my arm, but my anger was so intense that I didn’t even have time to focus on the pain. I bolted straight back to the elevators and out the front door of the hotel.
The valet attendant was standing there, a look of confusion on his face as I came
running up, “Mr. Conrad, is everything okay? Miss Larson just left and she seemed to be very upset.”
“Just give me my keys!” I shouted, not wanting to wait for him to retrieve my car.
He snatched my keys and tossed them to me.
“Did she say where she was going?” I yelled over my shoulder as I began an all-out sprint toward the parking garage.
The attendant just shook his head, no.
The engine revved to life and my tires screeched as I tore out of the garage in the direction of Reagan’s house. I was passing the other cars so quickly that they were nothing but a blur and before I knew it I was parked outside of her house.
The porch light was on, but the rest of the house was pitch black. “Damnit!” I shouted, as I beat my hands against the steering wheel.
Deciding that she wouldn’t stay out all night I trudged out of the car and up the stairs, collapsing down on her front porch swing. I pulled my phone from my breast pocket and dialed her number. It rang three times and then went to voicemail. Furious I chucked my phone across the porch, my head falling backwards as my hands rubbed my face.
The sound of a car passing bye pulled me out of my pity party as I shot up off of the swing, but as my luck would have it, it wasn’t her. A moment later the ringing of my cell phone that was clear across the porch began to blast through the quiet night and I rushed over to it in the hopes of seeing Reagan’s face flashing against my screen.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Furious when I realized it wasn’t her I tried to calm myself down before I answered, but before I could even say hello Case bellowed through the speaker, “Dude, what the hell, where are you and Reagan. Heather crashed into me upstairs and she was crying, said you and her kissed, what the fuck?”
I brought my fingers up and pinched the bridge of my nose as I paced back and for on the porch, “It’s bullshit, Case. That stupid bitch kissed me; I swear to you I didn’t return the gesture. But it was too late, Reagan saw me, she bolted and by the time I could get the elevator back to the lobby she was gone. I’m at her house now, but she’s not here. Do you have any idea where she could be?” I begged, not caring that Case could hear the desperation in my voice.
He cleared his throat, “Shit man, I don’t know. I’ll see if Addison can find her, but once she hears what happened I can assure you she won’t fill you in on where Reagan is, you know how they are. Addison isn’t going to give up her best friend unless Reagan wants her to.”
I took in a deep breath and exhaled heavily, “I know. This is so fucked up. I need to talk to her, to explain, but I just want to make sure she is okay, wherever she is. Just please have Addison do that. I’m at her house and will wait here until she comes home. If you hear from her you call me immediately.”
I ended the call without needing to wait for a response because I knew Case would contact me as soon as Addison heard from Reagan. Now whether he’d tell me where she was hiding out was a different story in itself.
Unable to sit I paced back and forth for what seemed like hours, dialing Reagan every few minutes and leaving voicemails until her phone no longer had any space for messages left. Every half hour I’d text Case for an update, but each time his response was the same.
Nothing yet.
I checked my watch every hour, minute by painstakingly slow minute until it was almost five in the morning. I was mentally drained and hardly able to keep my eyes open so I took a seat on the porch swing, swearing to myself that I wouldn’t fall asleep. I couldn’t, not until I spoke to Reagan and was able to explain everything to her.
The sound of a key rustling woke me up and I immediately leapt off of the front porch swing. Knowing that I needed to speak before she disappeared I opened my mouth, “Where have you been? I’ve been waiting all night for you.”
She didn’t answer, or even look up at me. Instead, she pushed the door open and stepped in. I’ll be damned if she’s going to ignore me. I thought as I flung my arm out toward the door, catching it with my hand. “Reagan, please, we need to talk.” I begged, desperate for her to hear my side of the story. For her to understand that I wasn’t to blame for what happened.
Her tiny body turned around slowly and I stood there, staring into her heartbroken brown eyes. They were swollen from what I can only imagine was hours of crying, her makeup smeared down her cheeks. And then she spoke, “I’m done, Cole, I can’t compete with those other women.” The tears began to trickle down her perfect cheeks and my heart started to break into a million pieces, right there on her front porch.
Knowing this might be my last shot I moved closer, shaking my head, “Please baby, don’t say that, just let me explain.” I reached out toward her trying to take her hands, but she pulled back hastily.
“Cole just go, please.” On her last word she shoved the door closed and it slammed on my face.
Infuriated I banged on the door, “Damn it Reagan, please just talk to me. You don’t understand, please!” I pounded some more and shouted as loud as I could to get her attention, but I got nothing. She wasn’t having any of it and this was her way of showing me.
I must have stood there, my forehead pressed against her wooden front door for at least an hour, hoping, praying that she’d come check to see if I was still there, but I got nothing.
The realization that she wasn’t coming back finally hit me so I trudged off of the porch and toward my car. After turning the engine on I backed out of the drive and tore down the road. My first instinct was to go into the office and work. I always worked well under pressure, but this wasn’t pressure, this was the worst kind of emotion. This was my heart being ripped out of my chest and fed to vultures from the palms of my own hands.
I drove for hours, all over town until my car finally wound up sitting in front of Case and Addison’s house. I killed the engine and sat there for a brief moment, contemplating whether I should go in or not. I’d called Addison a few times on my drive and each time she’d ignored me, so I knew my presence wouldn’t be welcomed by her, but I needed to talk.
I slipped from the drivers seat and sulked up to the front door, pounding three times on the hard door. I waited, but nothing. I could hear voices coming from behind the door so I pounded again and just before my fist hit the wood for the third time it flung open and Addison stood there, her arms crossed over her chest.
I could tell from the look on her face that she was not happy with me. “What do you want Colton?” She seethed, using my full name.
Shit. “I need to talk to Case, would you tell him I’m here? I was hoping he and I could go grab a beer.”
Her foot began to tap against the tile floor, “I’m not so sure I want my husband going out for drinks with a man whore. I’d like to ensure that he comes home to me and not some two bit hussy like Heather.”
Irritated, I lifted my hand to my neck and began to rub the growing tension that was only getting worse when Case appeared behind his wife.
He slipped his arms around her waist and kissed her neck, “Come on babe, you know Cole wouldn’t hurt Reagan.”
He was right, I would never intentionally hurt her, I loved her with everything that I had and I wanted to scream it from the rooftops, but I knew it’d do me no good. Addison is her best friend and best friends stick together, no matter what.
I didn’t stick around for Case to say his goodbyes; instead I walked over to the car and waited for my cousin to get in. When he climbed in he reached over and gripped my shoulder, “First things first, let’s get your ass home so you can get cleaned up. Then we’ll go grab some beers.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
The scalding water pounded against my skin and I mentally thanked Case for suggesting that I get cleaned up before we head out. I lathered my body with soap as my mind began to wander, remembering the last time Reagan and I had been together in this shower. The thought alone caused my chest to clench, instantly forcing a mad dash to get cleaned off so I could drown my sorrows in alcohol.
I ran my h
and through my still wet hair as I came around the corner and into the kitchen, Case was on the balcony talking on his cell phone. After reaching into the refrigerator and snagging a beer I joined him outside.
“Who was that?” I asked, hoping to get the answer I desired.
Case shook his head, “Addison, she still hasn't heard from Reagan.”
My body collapsed onto the couch and I took a long drag off of my beer, resting it on the cushion next to me. “Fuck man, what am I going to do?” I glanced up at Case who was leaned over the balcony staring out at the water. “I can’t lose her; I could kill Heather for putting Reagan through this. I swear if I ever see that bitch again.”
Case spun around and interrupted me, “Dude, I get you’re pissed at Heather, but you’re the fucking idiot who kept her around, stringing her along. Everyone knew she was obsessed with you, but instead of firing her ass you kept promoting her.”
I was staring at him, my brows furrowed, “She was a hard worker, she knew exactly how I liked things. I made it clear time and time again that it was strictly business and I didn’t have feelings for her.” I took another sip, this time not stopping until the glass bottle was empty of its contents.
Case just laughed, “Obviously you weren’t clear enough.” He said before walking back into the kitchen to grab two more beers. Seconds later he handed me another Yuengling and sat down to my right, “What she did was fucked up and now you’ve got to fix it. Reagan loves you, but I know her and I know this is going to turn her world upside down. She has never opened up to anyone the way she did with you. You are going to have to work your ass off to get her back.”
I knew his statement was true, getting Reagan back wouldn’t be an easy task, but it was one I would die finishing.
****
