Chapter 32
Troy
I spent the hour pacing my office, missing my own lunch break, while I stewed in the fact that my sister and Monica were together. I couldn’t believe Erica had showed up here unannounced without saying so much as a hello to me before inviting her new best friend to lunch. Weeks ago, I would have been thrilled by their friendship, seeing as my sister never liked anyone I had ever been involved with. Now, it just pissed me off.
Mostly, it made me jealous. I was jealous that she got to spend time with Monica when that was the one thing I wanted. Yes, I saw her nearly every single day, but it wasn’t the same. Monica was obligated to be here. It was her job. And since she’d ended things, that was how she treated it. That was how she treated me.
It was driving me crazy not being able to touch her. To talk to her. To reach her. She was so distant and annoyingly professional, but with Erica, she was smiling and laughing at my expense. Seeing her lips curve up at the ends and hearing her raspy laugh just made me miss her more. I hadn’t seen or heard those things in weeks, but it felt like years.
As I paced, I wondered what they were talking about. My stomach dropped at the thought of them discussing me. My sister would pull something like this just to annoy me. I felt anger rise in me, which was probably unwarranted, but I couldn’t help it. I kept glancing at my watch, counting the minutes that had passed and calculating the minutes of when Monica would be back.
Of course, Monica arrived back at the office right on time. I sat back in my chair and watched as she and Erica walked past my office windows to where her desk was. I wondered why my sister was still here. I had a business to run. I was about to go and tell her that when she pushed open my door without so much as a knock.
“Come in. Make yourself comfortable,” I said sarcastically.
“Don’t mind if I do,” she said, closing the door behind her and taking a seat across from me.
“I take it you enjoyed lunch?”
“Very much so.”
“Next time, I would appreciate a heads up.”
“For what? Taking my friend to lunch?”
“Your friend?” I raised a brow.
“Yes, Monica is my friend. Is that a problem?”
“Yes. In fact, it is.”
“Why is that?”
I thought of a good reason, but couldn’t come up with one.
“Because I don’t like it,” I spit out.
“Oh, well. In that case…” She smirked.
“Why are you doing this?” I asked.
“Because I like the girl. She’s smart. Funny. Nice.”
Like I didn’t know.
“And you lost her,” she said, narrowing her gaze. “That’s why this bothers you so much. You want something you can’t have.”
I rolled my eyes, even though I knew she was right.
“So, what the hell happened, Troy?” she asked, crossing her arms.
“I don’t know.” I shrugged before dropping my shoulders in defeat.
I knew I could have talked to my sister. I could have told her everything that had happened with Veronica, and everything that was going on with our father. Just I didn’t know how. Not when I knew I had messed everything up so badly. I couldn’t take any more digs, even though she meant well.
“Well, figure it out,” she said. “Because I’ve never seen you like this. You look like a mess, and Kathy said something about you dropping the ball on a major client yesterday…”
“Kathy needs to mind her own damn business,” I snapped.
“True,” said Erica. “But I’m still worried about you. I don’t know what happened between you and Monica…”
“She didn’t tell you over your little BFF lunch?” I asked.
“No, she didn’t want to talk about it. I tried.”
“Of course you did.” I shook my head.
“But I could see that she was sad about it. I can see you’re sad about it. I saw the two of you together in the Bahamas. It was real . You were more you than I had ever seen you, and I know she played a part in that.”
I stayed silent, my focus pulled to the words that Monica was sad. Sad about us.
Erica stood up and made her way to the door, but not before saying, “If you still have feelings for her, tell her. Prove it to her. Win her back.”
She slipped out of the door, closing it behind her, leaving me with thoughts I didn’t want to be alone with. I stood from my desk once I was sure my sister had left. As pushy as she was, she was right. I had been a mess. Now, I was walking toward the one person who made me less of one.
“Can we prep for the meeting?” I asked.
Monica looked up from her computer and gave me a single nod before following me back into my office. We went over numbers and investments. I wanted to make sure I was prepared and didn’t have a brain that fogged over like yesterday. This job may not be my dream, but I still had to do it until I figured out what was.
A few times, I could feel Monica looking at me, questions in her eyes, but she never asked them. She stuck to the papers in front of us. We met the client in the conference room, Kathy already at her normal post. I refrained from showing my annoyance and led the meeting like only I knew how. Confident, calm, and collected. It went so well, he ended up investing another million.
When he left the room, Monica clapped her hands and let out a little squeal in celebration. I bit back a smile that was threatening to erupt on my face and expose the feelings I still had for her. This was usually when I would invite her to celebrate with champagne at Ocean Prime or come back to my place. For a second, it felt like we were us again. She must have realized it too, because her smile slowly faded and she began gathering the paperwork.
“Er, well done today,” I said awkwardly.
“You too.” She picked up the papers and left the room.
“Glad to see you’re back,” said Kathy, unimpressed.
“Thanks,” I muttered.
I spent the rest of the day in my office thinking about what Erica had said. She knew me better than anyone and here she was telling me that I was the most myself with Monica. That was saying something. I was usually a shell of a person with women I was involved with. I never fully let them in, but kept them satisfied enough with attention and gifts.
With Monica, it was different. No, I didn’t fully open myself up, but I was damn close to doing so. I didn’t have to put on the facade of a suit and tie. I could be myself, blending pina coladas and singing karaoke. Laughing under the covers, away from the world that so many women before had been desperate to be in the light of.
Could I really win her back, though?
It was something I couldn’t think about now. Now I had to go to my parents’ anniversary party, and I still hadn’t bought them a gift. I could have had Monica do it for me, but something about having her run an errand for a celebration of love didn’t sit right. When I left work, I stopped at Bergdorf Goodman and spent too long trying to find a gift. I eventually settled on a set of crystal champagne glasses, and had just twenty minutes to get to my parents’ second New York home, a penthouse apartment that overlooked Central Park.
When I arrived, I rode the elevator up to the top floor and the doors slid open to reveal their expansive entryway that was lined with vases holding fresh white flowers and candles glowing in votives. I was immediately offered a glass of champagne from a server carrying a large tray. I thanked her and took a sip before continuing on to the party that awaited.
I stepped down into the living room that was filled with cocktail tables and crisp white linens, people surrounding each one as they enjoyed appetizers and drinks. Apparently, my parents’ idea of celebrating their thirty years of marriage was inviting half of Manhattan.
I spotted Erica talking to Jeremy, and looking like she needed someone to come save her. I debated being the one to do it after what she pulled today, but deep down, I knew she was only trying to help. I was on my way to interrupt with some sort of excuse, but was stopped along the way.
“Well, well, well. Fancy seeing you here,” purred Veronica as she side-stepped in front of me.
I internally groaned.
She was wearing a white, beaded, floor-length gown. She looked like she could be getting married, which was a ridiculous choice for my parents’ anniversary party.
“Why am I not surprised to see you?” I muttered as I looked anywhere but her.
“Don’t be upset. Your mother invited me.”
“Of course , she did.”
I couldn’t, for the life of me, understand why my mother would want to keep my ex-wife around. I would confront her about it tonight, but didn’t want to ruin her anniversary party. Instead, I would just have to try and ward off Veronica as best as I could.
“I hope you’re not mad.” She placed her hand on my forearm and stepped closer, pressing her lengthy body against mine.
“Mad isn’t the right word…” I sighed.
Annoyed. Frustrated. Disgusted. Those were the sentiments I had toward her.
“I knew you couldn’t stay mad at me for long.” She pressed further into me, her hand straying dangerously close to the crotch of my pants.
“You’ll have to excuse me.” I removed her hand and pushed past her.
“H-hey!” she called after me.
I ignored her and walked swiftly to where Erica stood looking bored out of her mind.
“Hey, sis,” I said as I grabbed her arm and pulled her along with me, completely ignoring Jeremy. “Emergency in the kitchen.”
“Oh, thank God. If I have to hear more about Jeremy’s fitness routine, I think I might puke,” she said as she tried to keep up behind me.
“If I see Veronica show up at one more event, I might puke, too,” I muttered as we posted up in the corner of the kitchen as the caterers bustled around us.
“You’ve got to talk to Mom about that,” said Erica, leaning against the counter and popping a grape in her mouth.
“Talk to me about what?” asked my mother as she rounded the corner and stepped into the kitchen with Veronica by her side. She put her hands on her hips and glanced between my sister and me suspiciously.
“About love,” said Erica, nearly choking.
“Love?” My mother raised a questioning brow.
“Yes, we are so in awe of you and Dad. Thirty years. Wow,” said Erica dreamily.
My mother’s face softened. She bought it.
“When you know you know, and I knew with your father,” she said.
“Awww,” said Veronica, her fake voice dripping with sweetness and laying her head on my mom’s shoulder.
My stomach turned with unease.
“That’s so special, Mom,” said Erica, before narrowing her gaze at Veronica. “I think everyone deserves to be with someone they truly care about. Don’t you, Veronica?”
Veronica’s face dropped slightly before she collected herself and plastered on that smile I could see through so easily. She excused herself to use the restroom, but I knew I would have to deal with her for the rest of the night, despite this brief moment of reprieve, thanks to my sister.