by Lauren Wood
“I have a pretty open calendar this week,” I interjected. “Surely there’s something I can take off your plates.”
Lucas froze, looking like he was trying to formulate a polite excuse.
“He’s right, you know,” Camille defended on my behalf. “You may not have noticed, Lucas, but Joshua has really stepped up lately. He’s been coming in every day on time. There haven’t been any gossip articles put out on him in weeks. If we have one of our own executives here and ready to work, and he’s perfectly capable… we should use him.”
Lucas blew out a breath and sank back down into his chair. “I guess you’re right.” He rubbed his finger across his chin, his lips pursed in thought as he stared me down.
“What ever happened with that guy I asked you to check up on?” he asked finally. “The one who had been blocked out of his account and was complaining to customer service.”
My heart seized for a moment as I tried to think of an excuse. Of course I hadn’t followed up on that guy. I couldn’t risk Christopher the doctor popping up right now when everything was going so well between Abby and me.
“Yeah, I looked into it,” I lied. “That guy is full of it. He was harassing a woman on the site, and that’s why he was blocked. We shouldn’t be feeding into his complaints. We don’t need men like that using our service. I’m working with the IT team on it.”
His face relaxed into an impressed expression. “Very well then. Camille, Jada, delegate some of your tasks to Joshua. Let me know how he does. I’m proud of you, brother.”
He gathered up his things to leave, along with Jada, but Camille lingered behind. She swayed in her chair, smiling at me.
“Sounds like you need to keep Abby around for a while,” she noted once they were gone. “She seems to be good for you.”
“My thoughts exactly,” I nodded, patting her shoulder before returning to my office.
The rest of the day went smoothly, other than the nagging concern about Christopher. I couldn’t help but feel guilty for lying to Lucas about it all just as I was starting to make headway with him. He was finally coming around to trusting me, and I was botching the first big thing he asked me to handle. More than just botching it, it was my fault the problem existed at all.
By five o’clock, I was eager to see Abby again. I knew being near her would overshadow all the uneasiness. I hopped on the phone to make special dinner reservations, then dialed her number next, knowing I would catch her just as she was leaving her last class of the day. I told her to wear something nice and I’d pick her up in an hour.
Just as I predicted, any bad feelings of the day dissipated the moment she came to her door in a tight red cocktail dress that clung to the curves of her perfect body and popped against her pale porcelain skin and bright blue eyes.
“All is right in the world again,” I sighed as I pulled her in for a kiss. “Did you have a good day?”
“Worked a killer busy catering gig for breakfast at the country club, rushed off to my afternoon classes with studying in between,” she replied. “My feet are killing me and I’m exhausted.”
“Nothing a little wine and a nice meal won’t fix,” I proposed.
“And a few more dozen kisses from you,” she laughed, nuzzling into my neck.
“There will be plenty of time for that in the car on the way.”
I held true to my promise and stayed glued to her lips and tongue in the backseat until the car pulled up outside of Le Supper Club, an upscale french spot that Abby had been dying to go to. Reservations were hard to come by on such short notice, but thankfully they were big fans of our company there. I relished in the way her face lit up at the sight of the sign and awning at the front of the building.
“Oh, Joshua. You spoil me.”
“You deserve every bit of it and then some.” I held my thought while the maître d’ showed us to our table, but the moment we were seated I added, “Speaking of which, have you given any more thought to my offer?”
“Which one?”
“Moving in with me and quitting your job,” I told her.
She laughed and shook her head. “You’re relentless. I told you it’s too soon.”
“That was months ago,” I argued. “And I’ve been so well behaved.”
“Anyone can behave for three months. It’s going to take more than that to convince me.”
“Oh,” I raised my brows. “Something like this, maybe… could do the trick.”
I pulled a wrapped box from my coat pocket and slid it across the table. She flashed her eyes over me with a smile before picking it up. I lived for the way her blue eyes met mine every few seconds as she pulled at the ribbon and lifted off the lid.
“Joshua,” she gasped as she lifted out its contents. A gold band with a new fitbit watch and a small matching gold charm necklace featuring the scales of justice.
“For your morning runs,” I explained. “And a little token of luck for all your schoolwork and promising career ahead.”
“You’re full of surprises,” she grinned as I stood from my chair and circled behind her to clasp the charm around her neck.
I trailed my fingers up and down her neck just before she loosened her grip on her dark brown hair, letting it fall back down to her shoulders. I studied the necklace resting on her chest, just above the pronounced cleavage I couldn’t wait to dive into later.
“Whatever it takes to convince you, however long it takes,” I said. “I’ll do it. I’ve never met anyone like you, Abby. And I can’t imagine ever wanting anyone else.”
“I never imagined this happening between us,” she warned. “But it happened. You could just as easily find yourself getting wrapped up in another woman someday. Which is why it’s important for us to take things slow, to be realistic and make sure we’re certain about whatever this is with you and me.”
“I’m being realistic,” I defended. “And I’m more certain about you than I’ve ever been about anything in my life. But like I said, I’ll give you as much time as you need to see that I’m right.”
Her expression softened into a warm giddiness. I loved it when she looked that way. Because no matter what doubts she expressed out loud, I knew she was feeling the same way I was. She was beautiful in a way that made me want to call her my wife one day, but also sexy in a way that had me itching to coax her into the bathroom for a random sinful rendezvous. I was close to proposing that very thing when the band started playing a slow string melody, soft and sweet, which gave me another idea.
I stood from my seat again and held out my hand. “Dance with me.”
“Here? No one else is dancing.”
“They don’t have a reason to, but we do.” I pulled her up from her chair, tugging her body against my chest as we settled into swaying circles on our feet next to the table.
“What’s our reason?” she asked, resting her cheek on my shoulder.
“We found each other. In this big world and busy city full of so many people… We managed to find each other. It was fate.”
“I want to believe you,” she admitted. “I’m afraid to fall, Joshua. I’m not as bold as you. This kind of thing doesn’t come easily to me.”
“You don’t have to be afraid. We’ll catch each other. But you take all the time you need. I’m not going anywhere.”
“I hope you’re right,” she murmured, clinging to me tightly.
We danced like we were the only two people in the world until the waiter appeared at our table again. He stood there for a moment, but we didn’t see him until he awkwardly cleared his throat to get our attention. We laughed and sat back down, letting him serve us. I didn’t care. If anyone had a problem with how we were acting, it was because they were jealous.
I was finally starting to understand what people felt when they found the love of their life, and I wasn’t going to apologize for it.
14
Abby
The evening was a dream come true. A romantic dinner at an elite restaurant I would nev
er have dreamed of stepping foot in without Joshua paving the way. An incredibly handsome, sweet, thoughtful boyfriend sitting across from me, worshipping the ground I walked on. If someone had told me this would be my life months ago, I never would have believed them. Joshua had said he felt the same way, so maybe he was right. We were lucky, and I just wanted to enjoy the moment.
“If you’ll excuse me, Mr. Meadows,” I said reluctantly, hating to break the mood even for a moment. “I have to go to the ladies’ room.”
“Perfect,” he grinned with a wink. “You go first. I’ll meet you there in five minutes.”
“No,” I giggled. “None of that tonight.” And it really was a case-by-case basis since we had shared a rather scandalous rendezvous in a restroom at a hotel bar just the week before. “This is a real trip to the bathroom, one that I would prefer some privacy for.”
“If you change your mind, text me.”
I stood up from the table and headed for the bathroom, smiling the whole way. I clutched the beautiful necklace around my neck and fantasized about what I would do to Joshua later that night when we went back to his place.
But all those deliciously dirty thoughts dissipated the moment I rounded the corner and ran smack dab into a familiar face. Even after a few months, I knew that strong jawline, muscular chest, and dimpled smile all too well.
“Christopher,” I gawked, looking him up and down.
“Abby!” He stopped, his eyes burning back into me. A horribly awkward silence settled between us, turning the light romantic air from just a few seconds ago into a heavy uncomfortable smog that made it hard to breathe.
My heart pounded as I studied his face for any hint of remorse, feeling like I was transported back to that night he stood me up at the restaurant all over again. I considered yelling at him or saying something snarky, but I was too shocked for anything to come out.
“It’s crazy running into you here,” he said slowly. “This place is usually booked up for months. I’ve had my name on a waiting list for a while now.”
I could tell by the way he narrowed his eyes that he was asking himself how someone like me got into a place like that without the help of someone like him. Little did he know, I did have the help of someone like him. But Joshua wouldn’t have stood me up if his life depended on it.
“We didn’t need the waiting list,” I said crossly, folding my arms across my chest. “My boyfriend got us in. He didn’t even need to give advance notice.”
His face dropped in a way that brought on a strange tinge of guilt inside, one that I couldn’t explain. “Boyfriend? I see. Well… you look great.”
“Gee, thanks,” I scoffed. Of course he would think I looked great now. But apparently not good enough to deserve not being stood up and ghosted.
“It was really great seeing you,” he offered finally, obviously getting eager to escape.
I nodded, saying nothing. It wasn’t so great seeing him. But just as he started to turn to walk away, I knew this was my only chance to get some sort of explanation for what really happened, even if it didn’t matter anymore.
“Christopher, wait. I have to ask. Why did you vanish like that? I thought… well, it sounds stupid now I guess… but I thought you liked me.”
His eyes widened in shock. “Why did I vanish?” he marveled. “Abby… I was told you wanted me to vanish. That you wanted me to leave you alone. I thought it was strange, and I gave them hell about it for a minute. But after a while, I figured there must have been some kind of misunderstanding between us. I didn’t want to do anything to make you uncomfortable.”
“What are you talking about? What do you mean? Who are ‘them’?”
“The Heartstring people,” he replied, so matter-of-factly… as if I already knew. “I got a message saying you didn’t want to see me anymore.”
“You stood me up,” I blurted, feeling like my brain was bunching up in knots. I had to keep revisiting the only truth I knew.
“I didn’t think you would have them ward me off for you and then actually show up for our date. I didn’t think you would have showed up for that date. I would have called to ask what had happened, but…”
“We never exchanged numbers,” I muttered. “Wait. The Heartstring people?”
“Listen, don’t worry about it, Abby. Whatever happened, whatever I did to turn you off… I… I wish you felt like you could tell me to my face, but… I don’t hold any ill will towards you. And it all worked out for the best.” He looked back towards his table where a beautiful woman was waiting—hot enough to be a model. “I met someone shortly after that, and it’s going really well. And it sounds like you met someone too… so… It was all okay. For both of us.”
I shook my head in agreement, but nothing felt right. To make matters worse, Christopher dared to glance over to the table he had just noticed me walking from. His face scrunched up as he turned back to me.
“Wow. Is that… Is that the Joshua Meadows guy? Wait… Isn’t he… Doesn’t he work at Heartstring?”
The pieces clicked for both of us at the same time, though I could only assume the story formulating in Christopher’s mind was far from what actually happened. The true story that was becoming clear for me.
“I see,” he said, not looking at me so kindly anymore. “Take care, Abby.”
I felt like I was about five inches tall from the expression on his face. As if I had made Joshua take care of my problems for me. And apparently he did… just not in any way I requested or ever imagined him doing.
I turned slowly and continued into the ladies room, but I didn’t even need to use it anymore. Instead I went to the sink like a zombie and splashed some cold water on my face. By the time I turned the faucet off, my confusion and shock was rapidly transforming into pure rage.
Within seconds, I was storming back to the table where Joshua waited. I needed to hear his side of things, but I was positive I already knew exactly what had happened… and it painted him in a whole new light. It was hard to even look him in the eye.
“It’s a pity you didn’t change your mind.” He grinned as I sat back down.
“Huh?” I replied listlessly, the irritation in my voice already seeping through.
“About me joining you,” he explained, wrinkling his brow as he picked up on my sudden mood change.
“Oh. Uh-huh.” I was quiet for a moment before sucking in a sharp breath and blurting out the first thing that came to mind...The only place I knew to start. “Remember when we first met?”
“How could I forget? You were the hottest waitress in the room. And by far the most interesting woman I had met in a long, long time.”
“I was seeing someone,” I reminded him.
“That part I did try to forget,” he laughed.
“Did you… Did you do something to scare him off? Did you use your power at Heartstring to make him think I didn’t want to see him anymore?”
He didn’t answer with words, but the look on his face told me everything I needed to know. I tried to hold it together and wait to hear what he might have to say for himself, but the anger inside of me was dangerously close to erupting right there in the middle of the restaurant, making a scene. That was the last thing I needed, one final embarrassment with Christopher.
To save myself, I shot up from the table and snatched up my things. I took off towards the door as quietly as I could, trying not to draw any attention to myself. Joshua chasing after me didn’t help matters.
“Abby, wait! I can explain!” he begged, catching up to me just outside the front doors.
“Okay,” I whipped around, crossing my arms. “Explain.”
People shot us strange looks as they pushed past on the sidewalk. Joshua froze, testing my patience until I started to turn and walk away again.
“I had this feeling like something big was going to happen between us,” he blurted, grabbing my arm and pulling me off into an alley for privacy. “I just knew you were something special, and that… maybe I would be somet
hing special with you. Having some other guy in the picture didn’t feel right, and after the night we had… I didn’t think you needed to be wasting your time with some guy like that.”
“Some guy like what?” I snapped. “A nice respectable and responsible doctor who was apparently better at respecting my wishes than you’ve ever been?”
“Can we please go home and talk?” he pleaded. “Your place or mine. Whatever you want. I don’t want to fight with you like this in the middle of the street.”
I searched his eyes for any semblance of the man I thought I was beginning to see him, but that man had vanished. I didn’t know this person standing in front of me anymore, and suddenly everything he had ever done felt pushy and gross. The line between romantic and crazed maniac seemed more clear than ever, and it didn’t fall in Joshua’s favor anymore.
But I thought maybe if I did go with him… He could find the magic words to make it all better. My heart ached with the fear that it might not happen. That the fairytale was over and had all been one big lie. I so desperately wanted him to keep that from happening, even if I had no clue how he possibly could.
Against my better judgment, I caved and followed him to his car and driver. I gave his address, and we rode there in silence. Joshua erupted into more strings of pitiful explanations the moment we walked into the door, cornering me in the hallway.
“I shouldn’t have done something like that without asking,” he said, growing more desperate by the second. “It was wrong. I fucked up. But that doesn’t have to ruin everything. Would you have really wanted to keep seeing him anyway?”
“You didn’t give me the chance to find out, which was my right,” I seethed.
But as I looked into his eyes again, I couldn’t help but grow soft. I had planned on breaking up with Christopher that night, but who knows what would have happened. It was my choice to make. Not Joshua’s.
