Leaning forward in my seat, I took deep breaths to settle my nerves. Walking into that room was a reminder that could be my undoing. I didn’t know if I was mentally strong enough to go through with it, but disappointing Isabella and Mick wasn’t something I wanted to see happen either.
With my feet planted firmly on the floor, I pushed up and quickly marched to the barn doors with Isabella on my heels.
“Chelsie, don’t.” She pulled my arm back. “Wait, don’t do this. I can see the pain coming over you. I’m sorry. My request was selfish. I didn’t realize the effect it would have.” She gripped my hand holding the combination lock.
Seven…one…seven…
I entered the combination for the lock, July seventeenth, Ian’s birthday. As I opened the doors, the realization that his birthday was a week away sent me into an emotional tailspin, ending with me falling into the fetal position on the floor.
“Oh, God, Chelz. I’m so sorry. I did this to you.” She stroked my arm and pushed my hair away from my face.
“No, he did.”
The door chimed. “Honey, quick, over here,” Isabella called out to someone.
Strong arms carried me to my office and sat me down in my chair. When I looked up, Mick bore a sad look on his face.
Please don’t pity me.
Isabella handed me some tea, and I took a little sip, but nothing satisfied me. “I need to go.” My utterance was more like a revelation.
I needed to get away—far from anything that was Ian, 5th Avenue included. “I’m honored you want to hold your engagement party here, and you have my blessing to do whatever you like with the place.”
She kneeled down in front of me and held my hands in hers. “It’s not going to be until the end of August because Mick has a big conference coming up, and we’ve got market to go to for the last of the holiday buying, so you’ve got time to think about it.”
Rather than continue to discuss the painful exploits of my past, I just nodded in agreement.
Shawna and I sat on the patio, watching a storm roll in, as Jorge flipped the burgers, her latest craving.
My phone beeped, and of course, I couldn’t help but jump to it. Carson had sent me a text with a photo of Ty getting on the ship, and the happiness on his face warmed my soul.
“What’s got you smiling?” Shawna asked, waddling toward me.
“Ty’s going to enjoy the cruise. Look at this adorable snaggled-tooth kid.” The change of scenery was going to be great for him, and I was openly jealous he was having fun without me.
“He’s getting so big. He’s gonna be in high school by the time this kid drops outta me,” she snarked while massaging her expanding belly.
“Girl, you’ve still gotta finish out this last trimester. Just wait.” I laughed, happy for her but also happy for myself. I was patiently waiting for the little bundle of pink to arrive.
“Burgers up,” Jorge yelled.
We were like moths to a flame, and six hands moved hastily over the counter to fix our own burgers just the way we liked them.
“I’m just happy you’re eating,” Shawna said, while patting my back. “How much weight are you down?”
“Um, I have no idea.” I kept busying myself with the food.
“Yes, you do.” Jorge’s strong, manly voice stopped the movement.
I looked up to meet his eyes then over to my left, where Shawna was just watching me with a surprised expression.
“You need to go see him. Push your way in. It’s what he would do. It’s what he did when you were in the hospital. Go out there and force your way to him.”
His declaration shocked me. “Have you spoken to him?”
He didn’t answer.
I let my plate slam to the table. “You have, haven’t you? You owe me an answer.”
“Yes, but only a couple of times. He called, checking on you.” He took a few steps backward until he bumped into the back of the recliner.
“And you didn’t tell me?” I looked over at Shawna who shrugged her shoulders, showing me it was news to her. “I seem to have lost my appetite.”
I left without so much as touching my food or saying goodbye.
Traitor.
The short, unexpected storm beat against my bedroom window, but I swear I cried more tears than the sky released in raindrops. Jorge’s words echoed in my mind. Go to him.
The Internet was a resourceful thing to have at your fingertips, but it didn’t go so far as to provide a home address for Ian’s parents. Unwilling to give in so easily, I researched his father’s practice and got an office location. Who needed an appointment?
With a plane ticket booked for Monday morning and Isabella and Mick agreeing to dog-sit with Yolo, I had a plan.
Chapter Sixteen
A large hat and sunglasses weren’t out of place in Los Angeles. So, wearing those paired with a sundress, I thought I’d fit right in until I eyed all the tanned beauties walking briskly down the sidewalks.
Dr. Briggs’s office was located on the tenth floor of a medical pavilion to a major hospital. I sat in the lobby until his office staff returned from lunch.
“I’d like a few minutes with Cary please,” I said with authority.
The older woman dropped her chin slightly and bowed her shoulders back. “Cary, is it? Is he expecting you, Miss?”
“Peterson. Chelsie Peterson. No. Please tell him I’m here.”
She slid the glass window closed, and I made myself comfortable with a magazine. Two hours and numerous articles later, Dr. Briggs opened the door.
“Chelsie, what brings you all this way?” He didn’t even offer to move from the doorway. I suppose he wanted an audience, so there wasn’t an uprising in his waiting room.
My mom taught me to keep my shoulders back for more of a stout presence when you’re a small person. “Perhaps a moment of privacy for us?”
He looked past me at the other patients waiting in the office and gave me a less-than-agreeable nod.
He moved to allow me entrance to his inner office, and I waited for him to lead the way.
He didn’t take a seat, but offered me a chair and took the liberty of trying to tower over me. “Again, I ask what brings you all this way?”
“I want to see Ian, and I’m not leaving this state until I do.” I crossed my legs and sunk into my chair, allowing him the knowledge that I had all day.
“You know what they say about wanting.” His brows rose in pleasure with his snarly attitude.
“No, I believe you’re mistaken. Look, the easiest way to get rid of me is to call your son and ask him to see me. Allow me to gain the closure I seek.”
He took his seat behind the desk and nervously flipped a pencil. “Not happening.”
Leaning back into the chair to get comfortable, I crossed my arms and watched him.
It didn’t take long before he pulled his cell phone from the pocket of his long, white doctor’s coat. “We have a visitor who would like to see you at my office.” He paused. “That’s what I told her, but I suppose she needs to hear it from you.”
He handed the phone to me.
“Ian?”
“Go home, Chelsie.” His voice was soft. God, I’d missed the sound of his words and hearing his breath on the phone. I craved to hear my name roll off his tongue as he screamed in pleasure.
“No, please. I need to see you. Five minutes. That’s all I ask.”
“There’s no need. I, um, there’s someone else. I’ve moved on. You need to do the same.”
Liar.
The phone went silent.
Dr. Briggs’ attitude was smug as he took the phone from me.
Plan B.
I went to my car and changed into jeans and a T-shirt and covered my head with a ball cap. Unsure of where the employees and physicians parked, I rode the elevator up and down a couple of times until I saw a doctor with his backpack and followed him.
Since the garage required a badge for entry, I had to lie to the attendant tha
t I was picking up a car for detailing. As far-fetched the idea was, he believed me. Once in the doctors’ garage, I waited almost four hours until I saw Cary Briggs get into a black Lexus sedan, which I closely followed.
He pulled into a parking lot for a Chinese restaurant that was close to his office. Something told me to wait and see who else arrived, but after forty-five minutes, I didn’t see anyone I recognized. Before I decided to leave, I thought I’d try to inconspicuously see who he was with.
I spoke with the lady at the front counter and told her I was a surprise guest for a birthday and was supposed to wait for my cue. I asked if I could take a peek around. Her English wasn’t that great, but she nodded in agreement.
Sitting in a booth toward the back of the restaurant was Cary, Elizabeth, Ian, Oliver, and a younger blonde woman.
They laughed and chatted, and I watched as Ian used his left hand to pick up a fork to eat, rather than use his favorite chopsticks. His right arm was still in a cast covered mostly by a blue brace. A smile came to my lips as I remembered him showing me how to use chopsticks and how he had a love for the ethnic food, always his favorite.
His once long hair was cut short on the sides and a bit longer on the top. Without the weight of long layers, I saw the dark curls Oliver had inherited. His Ray-Ban aviator sunglasses rested on the top of his head like always. So much different and yet much the same.
Oliver sat between Ian and the blonde woman and carried on a vibrant conversation. As I watched him move his hands about, his bright smile warmed me to the point of tears. He seemed happy, and that meant the world to me.
“Ma’am.” The hostess touched my arm. When I acknowledged her, she handed me tissues. I had no idea how long I’d been staring at them, but long enough for my face to be covered in a wet mess.
“Okay?” she asked.
I ran out of the restaurant and leaned against my rental car.
Sobbing.
Anger.
More unanswered questions as to why.
How dare he move on and leave me hanging for months.
As I wept, I thought about all the plans we’d made, and the memories of our times together flashed before me. At first, I cried because I hurt from the loss. Then, I got pissed, and when I cry because I’m mad, everyone should move out of the way.
Leaning against the trunk of my car, I waited until they exited.
“Ian,” I called to him.
“Ms. Chelsie!” Oliver came running.
I hit the pavement and almost fell over from the strength of his embrace. It was almost sunset, but I could feel the presence of Ian’s shadow over us.
“I missed you. How are you doing?” I asked Oliver, ignoring the shroud from his father.
He looked around me. “I miss you too. Is Ty here?”
“No, kiddo. He went on a vacation with his dad. Any chance I can get another hug before you go?”
He gave me a big smile and hugged me before running off toward his grandparents. I rose to my feet and faced my giant.
“You shouldn’t be here,” he said.
“I had to come. Even Jorge said I should push my way to you. If you didn’t care, why did you call him and ask about me?”
He looked different—older—but his tan was gorgeous. His eyes still had the sparkly mischief I’d fallen in love with.
“I’m human. I care about you, but it’s over. “
“Over because of her?”
He glanced at his parent’s car.
I waited for what seemed like an hour for his answer. “Yes.”
His eyes didn’t warm at the mention of her or the declaration that she was in his life.
“You’re a liar.”
Suddenly, the idea of forcing my way to see him seemed like a mistake. I ran to the driver’s side of my car and fumbled with the keys to get in.
He approached me. “I’m sorry. I never meant to hurt you.”
“Only lies are hurting me, Ian. I hope your new life is worth them.”
Driving out of the parking lot, I noticed a McDonald’s just across the street. I turned in and waited until I saw Ian’s father’s car. I didn’t know what everyone else was driving, but the Lexus I knew. I followed him at a distance for about thirty minutes until he turned onto a well-lit street.
When he stopped to enter his code at the gate to his driveway, I grabbed their address from the painted number on the curb, 22734 Knottinghill Estates Road, and drove away.
I kept driving until I couldn’t drive any further. When I was exhausted from the tears and the time change, I pulled over to a hotel to get a room. The first six I stopped at were booked up. Finally, I used my phone to search for a bed and breakfast and found a Malibu Vineyard Guesthouse that was available.
“What brings you to the area?” the owner asked while I filled out the renter’s questionnaire.
“My, um, friend was injured in a skiing accident. I came to visit with him and decided to stay a little longer.”
“Here’s your key.” He pointed to the right. “Follow the path around the front of the house and let me know if you need anything. If you hear a dog barking, we have a very old Sheltie who likes to bark at the birds, but he’s harmless.”
The guesthouse was very modern with wood floors and leather furnishings. It looked like it belonged in New York, not at the beach. But when I woke up the next morning, the view of the vineyards made up for the coldness of the room.
Touring the grounds, I heard the bark of the dog before I felt him sniffing at my hand.
“He won’t bite, but he’ll lick you to death,” an older woman said. “Hi, I’m Stephanie. Alan said you’re visiting an injured friend?” The patio had a sofa and two chairs, and she motioned me to sit.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Chelsie Peterson. Yes, it’s Ian, my boyfriend or now ex-boyfriend, to be exact.”
“I’m sorry. Relationships are so hard. After two divorces, I decided to shack-up as the kids say. Funny, my shacking up has lasted longer than both my marriages combined.” Her laugh was almost sinister.
“We were skiing for spring break, and he was critically injured. It changed him, and he left me right before the altar.”
She served me some coffee. “As painful as it is, sometimes life doesn’t explain itself, so you have to wait for history to do all the talking.”
I thought about what she said. I’d never heard that saying before. “There’s truth to what you say. The truth is something he won’t give me. He keeps lying, saying he’s moved on, but it’s not the truth. I could accept it if it were.”
She leaned forward and touched my knee. “Maybe you should try moving on. If nothing else, you might make him jealous.”
Make Ian jealous?
I stayed two more days and journaled my thoughts about Ian, trying to find reasons for the demise of our relationship. Was it not strong enough to survive an injury?
He’d been ready to propose. Wasn’t marriage supposed to be for an eternity?
I’d had no luck with the men in my life staying true to any form of a commitment. What hurt the most was that I’d honestly believed Ian had committed to me.
Would I ever be trusting of another man again?
During my three-day getaway, I left Ian message after message to please call me, telling him I was still in town, but he never did. His silence was closure I could not accept. It didn’t explain anything.
Perhaps Stephanie was right. History would have to tell the story because my wimpy-ass ex-boyfriend didn’t have the balls to do it.
I couldn’t recall much about the flight home, but when the headlights of the car service made contact with the For Sale sign in front of Ian’s home, my heart ripped into shreds violently.
Chapter Seventeen
The following weekend, Ty returned from his cruise a tanned little boy and a much happier one. I realized my depression had caused issues for him as well, so I made a daily declaration to move on from the situation. His dad had most of the summer with him
as part of his normal visitation schedule plus the extra time from spring break. I only had two weekends with Ty before school would start again.
“Where do you want to go next weekend?” I asked him when they stopped by the store. He and Isabella were playing chase around the racks. Something they’d been doing since he was little.
Carson was eyeing the locks on the doors. “Aren’t you ever gonna open that place? Or is it still an electric nightmare?”
How did he know that?
Deciding to play dumb, I remained coy. “Yes, as a matter of fact, it will open in the fall. Watch for the headlines.” That slipped out, and I hoped I could make good on my announcement. Otherwise, he’d get the last laugh.
“Mommy, I want to go to NASA.”
“Again? We went there last summer. You don’t want to do something different like skydiving or deep sea fishing?” It was hard to compete with a cruise. There were so many activities and excursions. He’d pretty much wiped out the fun list.
“Nope, NASA.” He loved the space stuff—books, shows, and the Discovery channel.
As they left, I thought about what Carson had asked, and my intuition told me there was more to that story.
Isabella was helping a customer, but as soon as she finished, she came to our office. “Why was Carson here?”
“You know, I’m not sure. I mean, he brought Ty to see me, but he asked about the bistro and mentioned the wiring. Can you ask Mick to stop by?”
“Sure.”
“Asking about wiring isn’t a crime, Chelsie.” Mick was taking notes for his report. “There needs to be something else. Maybe the guy Carson suggested you hire got pissed off you didn’t go with him and left it a mess on purpose.”
That didn’t make sense. “He wasn’t on the premises after I gave him the news.”
Mick looked over at his partner, Brent. “Man, your family is in the business. You got any ideas?”
Brent scratched at his reddish scruff. “It’s possible he messed things up intentionally and was going to show it to you for extra billing to fix. Construction guys don’t have folks watching over their shoulder 24/7, so it’s a long shot, but possible.”
Complicated on 5th Avenue: 5th Avenue Romance Series, Book Two Page 9
