18. Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Seventeen
I don't know how this man does it, but he arranged all his meetings to be done on the computer for the next day. After a delicious breakfast, and an even better wake up call, the two of us were sitting at the kitchen table on our laptops working.
Even though we were working remotely, Jordan was dressed up in his suit for the meetings — even donning socks with little red hats printed over them.
I'm told there's an amazing steakhouse nearby, so we make plans for dinner, heading there once we finish work for the day.
As soon as we walk in, I'm hit with the smell of food, my stomach grumbling. I guess all this new exercise is making me have quite the appetite.
At dinner, we polish off a bottle of wine together, and when we get back to the apartment, the two of us curl up on the couch. My legs spill across his lap, his hands stroking my shins as we talk more.
Before we even realize the time, it's late. We both need to get up early, so reluctantly, we crawl into bed, holding each other as we fall into a blissful sleep.
It's exactly what I needed — a little impromptu trip to spice up my week.
Jordan wakes before me, and when I emerge from the bedroom, he's sitting at the table, deep in concentration.
I sit down across from him, a gut breaking smile coming in my direction when he spots me.
"Good morning, beautiful," he says warmly. "Did you sleep well?"
I nod, muffling a yawn. "I wish I could have slept longer. But this is the best sight to wake up to in the morning." I wiggle my eyebrows at him, smiling.
Jordan laughs. "Well, then you're going to love me when I tell you what I've done."
I think I already do…
"What did you do?" I ask, ignoring the comment.
He grins at me from over the top of his laptop, a devilish glint in his eyes. "I may or may not have booked us a trip…"
"What?!" I shout. "Sorry," I lower my voice. "What trip?"
"Well, we were talking about the beach and it made me realize how much I want to go. So, I hope you don't have any plans the weekend after next?" he asks sheepishly.
He just booked us a trip away. A romantic weekend to the beach!
"I'll have to check my busy schedule," I mutter, pretending to check my cell. "Oh, look. I'm completely free."
Jordan laughs, shaking his head at me. "You're mean. I should have waited to check with you first but I wanted to surprise you."
"It's definitely a surprise. A good one though. I've never had a trip away with anyone before."
"Seriously?" he asks in disbelief. "Never?"
I shake my head. "Only with family, and that was a rare occurrence. Never anything like this."
"Are you excited?" he questions, looking a little nervous.
It's nice seeing him look nervous for once. It's usually me.
"Are you kidding?" I smile brightly. "I'm so excited. I can't believe you'd do that for us. It will be so much fun."
He relaxes in relief. "Thank God," he laughs. "I was worried you would think I was moving too fast."
"Not at all. I can't wait. I'll be sure to pack my swimsuit. And just make sure you pack the wand. I think we'll be needing that."
"I'm home, Blaise!" I call out as I step inside the house.
Reluctantly, I pulled myself away from my little impromptu trip. As much as I would have loved to have stayed longer, we both have work commitments — we're lucky to have the option to work remotely, but it's best we don't take advantage of them. And now that I have a weekend getaway to look forward to, I was feeling better about things.
"Welcome back," Blaise says warmly, emerging from his room. He's dressed casually — in a pair of fitted black jeans and a dark blue cotton shirt. Like me, he also looks better than he did on Monday. "How was it?" he asks.
"So good," I answer, putting my bag down. "Thank you for pushing me outside of my comfort box."
He smiles. "I'm glad it helped. And I saw you did all your work — I was surprised."
"Why?" I ask, worried. "I wouldn't skim out on my work because I'm working remotely."
"Ah, I didn't mean that. I assumed you'd be in Jordan's bed, away from the laptop."
My face drops as I give him the 'are you serious?' look. "I'm dedicated to the job. Give me a bit of credit," I mutter, poking my finger into his chest. "Besides, Jordan had to work too."
"I'm just messing with you," he laughs. "You seem better."
"As do you," I point out. "Are you doing okay?"
Blaise gives me a small nod. "I'm getting there. On the plus side, we landed a new client today. The contract and scope will be a decent sized one."
"That's amazing," I gasp. "Well done."
"It's a team effort, Sky. I couldn't have done it without your help."
I tilt my head in confusion. "I've only done admin work. It's all you. That's your talent and blood, sweat, and tears."
"I've been able to be more productive because of your help. We're a team, and I really value you."
"Thanks," I say softly. "I've never been told that before."
Blaise scoffs. "Because Marco Barfo was an asshole. But honestly, it's going great. I'm happy to be as flexible as needed. Now, fill me in about your little getaway."
I smile. "He was really happy to see me. And he even booked us a romantic weekend away for the one after next. I'm so excited. And I found out his last name — Harding. He's real and I can't believe it."
His eyes light up, a smile breaking across his face. "That's amazing. He seems like a really great, genuine guy."
"He does," I agree. "I really feel like he could be the one."
"Let's hope so," Blaise responds warmly. "You deserve it."
In the days that pass, Blaise and I get sucked into the work. We manage to make waves, smashing through targets and projects.
Jordan and I were texting and responding, but with both of us being so busy and now with plans being made, they slowed down in intensity. We still facetimed a little, but mainly just checked in with each other during the evenings.
I was hoping to see him on the weekend, but he sent me a message letting me know he was still stuck away and needed to hang around Sanctuary View a few extra days to sort out the stuff with the terminated employee. Apparently, it was a key position so they needed to fill in urgently. While he was there, upper management decided he would be the best person to conduct interviews, so it was a very hectic time.
It gave me and Blaise the opportunity to catch up — the two of us staying home and watching movies. I know he is adamant that he doesn't need support right now, but I can see the pain in his eyes when he doesn't know I'm watching. The problem with relationships ending at our age is we didn't just lose someone we loved — we lost a future.
We spend so much time preparing for the future. In our mind, we see ourselves getting married, potentially having children, buying a house. And in the blink of an eye, that future is gone. So, it's not just the present we mourn, but the future too.
Blaise is such a giver. I knew that from the moment I first met him. He wants to help everyone, and he gave so much to Nathan. Juggling schedules, making time to work with Nathan's work hours, and traveling back and forth, it was a lot. And now, it was just for heartbreak.
But with endings comes new beginnings — something I have learned myself recently.
We never know when another opportunity will come. Sometimes it's just around the corner when we least expect it.
It's Sunday night and I'm laying in my room, researching the world's deadliest aviation disasters when my cell starts ringing. I pick it up, expecting to see Jordan's name on the screen, but instead I find it's my mom.
"Hi, Mom," I greet warmly, pushing the laptop away. "How are you?"
"Hi, Moon," she says, and immediately I can hear the tension in her voice. She sounds like she's been crying, and I sit up.
"What's wrong?" I ask, cutting to the chase.
She sniffles, and my heart breaks. I can see the conversation coming before she even verbalizes it.
"It's Uncle Logie. Sweetheart, he passed away this evening from a heart attack."
I gasp, covering my mouth with my hand. "No!"
"I'm so sorry to have to tell you over the phone," she mutters, distraught. "It was unexpected. He was fine. Earlier he was helping out with work and complained of a sore back. When I went to check on him after dinner, I found him."
Tears spring in my eyes, my chest tightening up as I try to process the news. My first instinct is to stay composed though, worried that if I break, Mom will lose it too.
"I'm so sorry, Mom. Are you okay?" I ask, voice deeper than usual as I fight back the oncoming breakdown.
She hiccups, and I realize she's crying on the other end of the line. "No. But it will be okay. He's in a better place now. At least, that's what I'm trying to tell myself."
I shake my head, neither of us believing that. He's not in pain now, but his life was still going. How are we supposed to move forward when someone has just been ripped away from us?
"Can I do anything?" I ask her quietly.
"No, sweetheart. I'm going to meet with the funeral home tomorrow. I'll let you know the details. But Uncle Logie didn't want anything extravagant so it will likely just be something small and easy. He hated all that stuff."
A small laugh escapes my lips as tears roll down my cheeks. He really did hate funerals, always refusing to go. He lived by the notion that life was too short, and while death was inevitable, he wanted to remember people how they were. I remember him telling my mom to just give him a Viking send-off; on a boat, set alight as he floats out on the river. Unfortunately, we'd get in trouble for that so we'd have to settle for something different.
"Okay. Just call me if you need me. I can come home anytime," I say to her. I hear my dad's voice in the background, his deep tone comforting mom and I lose it. I have to grab my pillow, holding it over my face to muffle my cries.
"I will. Sending my love," Mom murmurs, and I manage a quick response before the phone line clicks and the floodgates open.
Holding the pillow over my face, it's still not enough to silence the sobs. My body shakes as I lose control, grief hitting me in waves I never expected. Our family is so small that I've never lost anyone before, never felt this level of loss. It's soul-wrenching — my heart physically hurting as reality hits me that I'll never see my uncle again. I'll never hear him comment on my funny knees, or how I'm the perfect mix of my parents. He'll never hear about my adventures, or see me get married. Every important milestone in my life will be missing a face, and I'm not prepared to face that.
"Sky?"
I'm still so distraught with devastation that I don't hear my bedroom door open until Blaise is standing by my bed, staring down at me with distress.
Quickly, I wipe my face, putting the pillow next to me.
"I'm fine," I choke out, unable to focus from the hazy blur in front of me.
"Bullshit," he whispers, sitting on the edge of the bed. "What happened?"
More sobs break loose, and Blaise reaches over, pulling me into a hug. I flop loose against his chest, crying into his shirt as I manage to stutter out the words between broken cries.
"Oh, shit. I'm so sorry, babe," he mutters, stroking the back of my head. "I'm here."
It's comforting to know someone is with me, but I can't stop the tears or cries until eventually, my body just gives out with exhaustion.
I pass out against Blaise, hiccupping softly until the pain stops temporarily and all I see are nightmares in my mind.