While I knew that there was truth in his words, I couldn’t help but to zero in the mention of his parents.
“What happened to your mother and father, Alex?”
He tilted his head up to the ceiling and closed his eyes. When he looked at me again, his expression was pleading.
“Angel, please don’t ask me that. I’m sorry, especially after all you have told me about yourself tonight. But I…I can’t tell you.”
It hurt that he wouldn’t open up to me. Only the torment that was written on his face stopped me from pushing him further, despite the fact that I was dying to know the truth. Alexander had his own demons that he was battling. It wouldn’t be fair for me to pressure him if he wasn’t ready. Because if there was one thing that I learned tonight, revealing the deepest and darkest parts of your soul was a decision that one had to make on their own.
“It’s okay,” I told him. “When you’re ready to tell me, you’ll know it.”
He looked doubtful, but he didn’t truly understand. For me, I felt that the truth had quite literally set me free. And as I stood in the penthouse with Alexander, the remarkable, alluring, and captivating man that he was, I realized something else. Our time together thus far may have been short, but it felt like we had known each other for a millennium. He wasn’t really the stranger that I thought he was, but familiar to me in ways that were rooted deep and unexplainable.
There was a silent understanding between us as I took hold of Alexander’s hand and led him to the bedroom. There would be no barriers between us tonight, as the past was finally behind me and there would be no looking back.
CHAPTER 40
I tightened the belt of the plush robe that I wore and followed a petite Asian woman down the main corridor of the Mandarin Day Spa. Allyson and I had only made it half way through the day, and I was already feeling like a pampered princess. My face felt revitalized after an herbal facial, and my bones were like liquid after the therapeutic oil massage. Next up was a hot stone pedicure and I could hardly wait.
“This is our Serenity Suite, Miss Cole,” the Asian woman said once we reached our destination. “Please, take a moment to relax here while you wait for your friend. Miss Ramsey should be joining you momentarily. There is bottled water for you on the buffet, both sparkling and still. Feel free to help yourself to whatever you’d like.”
“Thank you,” I graciously accepted.
After getting a bottle of mineral water, I made myself comfortable on a sprawling chaise longue. I lay back and closed my eyes, taking note of the soft music that played from a hidden source within the suite. It sounded like a bamboo flute, the melody almost hypnotic.
I could go to sleep right here.
“Oh, I don’t think I’ve ever felt so good!” I heard Allyson exclaim through the tranquility of the room.
Or not.
I opened one eye to peer at her.
“Good massage I take it?”
“That masseuse was gifted the hands of a god!” she swooned. She tossed a wicked smile at me. “And he kind of looked like one too.”
“You’re bad,” I laughed, shaking my head. I sat up and gave into a good stretch. “Things not going well with Jeremy?”
“Oh, Jeremy is fine,” she said offhandedly. “However, we’re not til’ death do us part or anything. I’m still allowed to look.”
The Asian woman that brought me into the room came in quietly behind Allyson. Her peaceful demeanor versus Allyson’s boisterous entrance was almost comical.
“Would you like to relax here for a bit? Or are you ladies ready for your pedicures now?” she asked Allyson and me.
“It’s up to Krys. I’m up for whatever.”
“We could go now,” I said.
“Then please, follow me this way,” the small woman said, motioning for us to follow her.
“This place is amazing,” Allyson appreciated, taking in every detail of our surroundings as we walked.
“I agree,” I concurred, sharing in her sentiments. “It’s just what I needed. It’s been a complicated couple of weeks.”
We took our seats in the cushy chairs that would serve as our personal thrones during the pedicure. I relaxed back, trying to find that quiet place that I had in the Serenity Suite, while I enjoyed the feel of various oils and stones being rubbed over my feet and legs.
“You okay?” Allyson asked after a while.
I turned my head to look at her, confused by her question.
“Of course I’m okay. How could I not be when I’m being pampered like this?” I laughed, pointing to the tub of swirling hot water in which my feet rested.
“I was only checking. I thought you might still be stewing over that fact that Alexander picked up the tab for all of this,” she said, motioning to our surroundings.
“It was unexpected, but that’s just how he is. I shouldn’t have been the least bit surprised,” I said with a frown.
“Well, if you’re sure that everything is okay…” she trailed off. “You just seem sort of quiet today, that’s all. I mean, you took some major steps recently. I just want to make sure that you’re handling it all right.”
“I’m fine, Ally. Just taking it one day at a time…” I trailed off, closing my eyes again.
I wished that I could tell Ally exactly how big those steps were, and for the first time in our friendship, I felt lost. She knew that I had a secret, but she had respected my boundaries over the years. It pained me to think of how hurt she would be if she knew that I had opened up to Alexander before her.
But I couldn’t explain my reasoning for telling Alexander without filling her in on the rest of it. She wouldn’t understand the complicated layers that made up my relationship with him, as her worry for my wellbeing would overshadow all else. Telling Alexander was a giant leap of faith, one that I had to take if I wanted to continue the path that I was on with him.
Trust and honesty.
That’s what he told me. Without that, we would never stand a chance.
I heard someone say the word Alexander, and my ears naturally perked up. I peeked around my chair to see two women walk into the room and take seats behind Allyson and I. They both looked familiar, but I couldn’t place either of them.
Maybe customers from Wally’s.
I dismissed the notion that I knew them from somewhere, and tried to resume relaxing. However, it was difficult because neither woman would shut up.
“Suzy, I trust him, and so should you,” said one of the women.
“I’m sorry if I have a slight trust issue when it comes to him,” the other woman spat out.
“Ugh. You need to get over it. It was a long time ago. Besides, it never would have happened.”
“I know that better than anyone. The man will never commit to anyone.”
I heard Allyson groan beside me and I looked at her.
“Those two sound like a couple of cackling hens. I wish they’d pipe down,” she complained, motioning her head back to where the two chatty women sat.
“Yeah, tell me about it,” I agreed. “But, we are almost done anyways. Lunch should be waiting for us once our pedicures are finished.”
“Good, because I’m famished. I discovered that I’m not a big fan of French food and I feel like I haven’t eaten in days. I never want to hear the words haute cuisine again!” Allyson finished with an exaggerated French accent that made me laugh.
“No, I kept it light, with your appetite for American-fare in mind. We’re just having finger sandwiches and a green salad. Nothing too exotic.”
“Sounds perfect,” she said, settling back against her chair and closing her eyes.
I did the same, wanting to cherish the last few minutes of self-indulgence.
However, as hard as I tried, I could not tune out the two women. They were still adamantly going at it.
“But Justine, how can you be sure that what he did will work?” I heard one woman ask the other.
Justine. I know that name.
; I turned again to take a closer look at the two women. Sure enough, there was no mistaking that glossy black hair. It was Alexander’s sister. The other woman was a red head, the same woman that I saw photographed with Alexander in the article that I had read online.
What was her name? Suzanne Jacobs I think…
It was strange to realize that I had only done that research a few short weeks ago. I quickly spun back in the chair, unsure of what to think about the unusual coincidence.
I glanced at Allyson, still resting back with her eyes closed. By some miracle, she had managed to block out the two women. But now that I knew exactly who they were, any hope of ignoring them would be fruitless.
“I know it will work because Alex said it would. His people are all over it. I can’t keep making myself sick about it,” I heard Justine say.
“Charlie is nuts. I just hope Alex and his cronies know what they’re doing.”
“Please, Suzy. Don’t you think I know that? And Alex knows too. Why do you think he’s building that women’s shelter?” Justine spat out bitterly. “I’m sure he’s hoping that one day our mother will waltz through the doors, and then we can have a big ole’ happy family reunion.”
Wait. What? His mother?
The room felt like it was buzzing, feeling overwhelmed with shock by the fact that Alexander’s mother was alive. He had told me that his parents were dead.
I respected his decision to not divulge his story to me, but telling an out right lie was another thing.
Why did he lie about it? Is his father alive too?
I tried to listen to the two women again, but the pedicurist announced that we were finished and began draining the footbath. She started talking some nonsense about our lunch, and I had to fight the urge to shush her. I just wanted to scream.
Be quiet! I’m trying to listen!
“Krys, what’s wrong?” Allyson asked.
I blinked once. Then twice, forcing myself to focus on the people standing in front of me. Allyson and the pedicurist were looking at me with concerned expressions.
“Nothing. I’m fine. It’s just a little warm in here,” I lied.
Allyson shot me a look that might as well have said that I sprouted another head, but said nothing as I got up from my seat. The quiet Asian woman appeared again out of nowhere, and motioned for us to follow her.
As we exited the room, I chanced a glance back at Justine and Suzanne. Unfortunately, they were no longer talking, but sitting back and enjoying their own spa treatments. A part of me wanted to go up to them and demand an explanation, but I thought better of it. This wasn’t the sort of place to risk making a scene. It would be best if I just waited and confronted Alexander about it later.
Allyson and I sat down to lunch. She chattered endlessly about her time in Paris. I listened and nodded at all the appropriate times, but I wasn’t fully into the conversation. I kept thinking about what I overheard in the pedicure room, as a million and one questions swirled in my head.
What was Alexander’s relationship to Suzanne Jacobs? Why didn’t she trust him?
Who is Charlie?
And what about Alexander’s mother and the woman’s shelter?
Should I demand truth from Alexander? Or should I wait for him to come to me?
My stomach was tied up on knots, causing the food to taste like cardboard. It was a real struggle pretending to enjoy the tiny sandwiches.
My cell pinged with a text notification, distracting me from my thoughts. Allyson continued talking while I looked at my phone.
“I wish that I had time to go and see the Eiffel Tower,” she said wistfully. “That would have made the trip worthwhile at least. But I was there for work purposes after all, so I guess –,”
“Oh, no! Not now!” I exclaimed, unintentionally interrupting her.
“What do you mean not now? What happened?”
“It’s my mother. She had told me a while back that she was planning a trip in sometime soon. Apparently that time is now. She just sent me a text to let me know that she’s in town.”
“So what?” Allyson asked. “It’s not like this would be the first time that she’s shown up unannounced.
“True, but I had plans for the rest of the weekend. Now I either have to cancel them, or tell my mother about Alexander.”
“Oh…I didn’t even think of that,” Allyson said.
Her eyes were round and full of dread, for she knew that once my mother found out that I was seeing someone, all hell would break loose.
CHAPTER 41
When Allyson and I arrived home, we found Frank and my mother already inside of our apartment. My mother was ordering Frank to bring a bunch of packages into the guest bedroom, and neither once of them noticed that we had come in. By the looks of things, she had apparently been shopping.
The living room was littered with bags from various retail shops throughout the city, making a disaster area out of the normally tidy apartment. I had half a mind to ask my mother to return her key. However, I knew that I couldn’t do that as long as Frank was paying the rent. So I defaulted to politeness, rather than throwing a fit about the mess that my mother had made.
“Hi, mom,” I greeted.
My mother was the only woman I knew that could pull of such casual elegance by simply wearing a cardigan and a pair trouser pants. She appeared to be examining her nails for a chip and looked up when she heard my voice.
“Oh, good! You’re home! I didn’t hear you two come in!”
“Hello, Mrs. Long,” Allyson said.
“Allyson, you look marvelous as always,” my mother swooned. Her silver bracelets jangled as she came over to give Allyson and I a hug. “I’m so happy to see you both. It’s been too long since my last visit.”
As far as I was concerned, it wasn’t long enough. It wasn’t that I wasn’t happy to see her, but I didn’t have the patience to deal with her today. After my day at the spa, I now had more pressing matters to attend to.
“When you told me that you were planning on a visit, I thought you would have given me a heads up,” I said, perhaps a little bit too harshly.
“I’m sorry, honey. But you know Frank’s schedule. Things come up at the last minute with the dealerships, which makes long term planning tough. The weekend was free, so we decided early this morning to take the drive in.”
“Krys!” I heard from behind me. I looked over my shoulder to see Frank coming out of the guest room. I smiled when I saw him, and was happy to see him looking so well. He was a little grayer than when I had seen him last, but still looked trim and fit despite the fact that he was pushing sixty.
“Hey, Frank,” I said.
“Come here, girl. I missed you,” Frank said, pulling me into a fierce bear hug. “Thank goodness you’re home. I think your mother had me walk half the streets in the city in just a few short hours. We only came back here to drop off packages. It’s your turn now.”
“I’m up for a shopping trip,” Allyson chimed in.
“That’s a great idea!” my mother exclaimed. “The three of us girls can shop, then Frank can meet up with us for a late dinner afterward.”
My mother’s face lit up like a roman candle at the idea, and I dreaded being the one to extinguish it.
“I’m sorry, mom. But I can’t go shopping tonight.”
“But, dear – why not?”
“I have plans,” I said, deliberately evading the specifics. I looked to Allyson in a silent plead for help.
“That’s okay, Mrs. Long. The two of us can go,” Allyson offered. “Besides, I’m way over due for a new pair of boots.”
I was grateful to Allyson for jumping to take the reigns, but there was no fooling my mother. She saw the look that passed between Allyson and I, and her eyes narrowed in suspicion.
“What sort of plans do you have tonight, Krys?” my mother asked. She tried to pose the question as being off the cuff, but I knew her too well.
“There’s just something I have to do, that’s all,”
I tried to shrug off. “If you’re up for more shopping tomorrow, I can go with you then.”
My mother wasn’t falling for it, so she turned to Allyson instead.
“Has she met someone?” my mother asked.
Here comes the third degree interrogation…
“I’m standing right here, mom. You don’t have to ask Ally.”
“So? Have you?” she asked, staring pointedly at me.
Allyson began to rummage through her purse with the pretense of looking for something, while Frank made a loud show of clearing his throat.
“Um, I’m going to check the car to see if there are any more bags,” he announced. Moving quickly to the door, Frank made fast work of slipping his shoes on and out he went.
Thanks for the support.
I knew that there would be no putting this off. I had barely been home for five minutes, but my mother’s radar was already honed in.
“I am talking to someone, but it’s nothing serious,” I admitted.
“Krys, you barely just broke up with Trevor. You don’t need the distraction of another guy right now. You should be focusing on building a career.”
I closed my eyes and tried to count to ten. Just once, I would like to have a normal mother daughter visit, one that I didn’t have to face a lecture or jump on the defense about my personal business. By the way my mother acted, you’d never know that I was a recent college graduate. She still treated me like I was in grade school.
“Actually, it’s been two years since Trevor. And for your information, I found a job. It’s a good one, too. I start on Monday,” I said proudly.
“I’m glad about that, but it’s even more of a reason why you shouldn’t be wasting your time on dating. You should be giving all of your attentions to getting ahead in life.”
I should have known that she’d focus on the guy thing, rather than be happy that I landed the job that she had been hounding me about. I pursed my lips in annoyance.
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