Chapter 11
11
R AIN
His eyes narrow, a frown creasing his brow.
“How is David Moore?” he asks flatly.
“Good,” I say in a clipped voice.
“Still married?” he inquires, merely looking for a confirmation.
We lock eyes.
“No,” I say.
A knowing smile arches his lips.
“Hmm. Interesting.”
“He, um... Things didn’t work out in the end for him or his wife.”
“They never do, do they?” he asks, shifting in his seat.
Suddenly, he seems restless.
He glances at the pack of cigarettes, tempted to retrieve one, yet changes his mind and pushes it to the side.
His elbows rest on the table, and his fingers are locked together while he studies me through his lashes.
“So, how much did he pay her?”
“She got half of his money.”
He nods.
“I’m not surprised.”
“He has enough left,” I say.
He tilts his head back and runs his hand through his hair, a cocky grin touching his lips.
“I bet,” he comments.
Holding his gaze, I notice his turmoil.
“What else would you like to know?”
The irony in my voice registers with him, yet he stifles his retort.
Looking down, he plays with his lighter, his lips tilted into a smile.
“So, if he’s single, and he’s always had a soft spot for you, and now you two are business partners... It begs the question...”
He pauses.
“Yes?” I murmur.
“Are you two together?”
I search his eyes.
“What if I said yes?”
His eyes darken, and his lips tense.
“Then, I don’t think we have an entire week together,” he says.
“Why would I be here with you if that was the case?” I ask softly.
His eyes brighten a bit.
“We live in a strange world, baby, and even though I can’t think of a valid reason why you’d do something like that, it wouldn’t be completely out of the question, would it?”
“You said you didn’t want to hear about my men, but I think you should,” I say, picking a blueberry from the cup in front of me.
I squeeze it between my teeth, drawing his eyes to my mouth.
“Are you sure it’s a good idea?” he asks.
“Yes. It would make things clearer for you.”
“Okay,” he says, his eyes frosted.
I pause for a moment to study his hands, their tension almost palpable, and then I flick my eyes up.
“I stopped taking clients after the week we spent in New York last Christmas.”
Surprise floods his eyes.
Baffled, he slumps back in his chair, his eyebrows lifting, his eyes glued to mine.
“In the beginning, I used the vacation as an excuse, and I kept postponing going back to my clients. I also started to think about other ways of making money. Lex showing up at my door, followed shortly by Daria, was another turning point for me. When she started to blabber about moving to New York, I knew why she wanted to do it. I instantly knew I had to get out of that line of business. There was no way I could cross paths with her in that world and not risk my living. It was clear to me that she was still harboring animosity toward me. I knew she’d get me in trouble. Besides, I’d been having this idea of doing something else for some time, but I needed more than that. I had to develop a plan and find some capital and know-how. A seasoned partner, perhaps. David’s enterprise focuses on business development, as you may know.”
“I do know,” he says curtly. “But why him?”
“I trusted him,” I say.
He looks at me as if I put a dagger in his heart.
“So how come he didn’t want you for himself?” he asks, sadness claiming his eyes.
I can tell this conversation affects him, so I slide my hand over his and cup it tenderly.
He looks at me, puzzled.
“No man wants a woman with a broken heart except, perhaps, the one who broke it.”
His eyes glisten with emotion as he absorbs my words.
I lean closer and kiss his cheek, bringing more confusion to his eyes.
“You smell good,” I say before nuzzling his face and inhaling his scent. “Are we going to do something today or not?” I ask in a different voice, breaking away from him while grinning.
Snapping out of his trance, he clears his throat.
“Um… Yeah. Sure.”
Without another word, he pushes out of his chair, takes my hand, and walks me back into the house.
A side door catches my eye.
“What’s in that room?”
Stifling a smile, he checks the time on his phone.
“Nothing.”
“James?”
“Yes...”
“What’s in that room?”
His mysterious grin fuels my imagination.
“Oh...” I murmur. “I think I know. Am I going to see it?”
“I don’t know... Maybe,” he says.
“I want to see it. You’ve made me curious.”
“You’ll see it... Don’t worry,” he says, curling his arm around my shoulders, unable to hide his grin.
* * *
RAIN
Moments later, we climb into his LaFerrari.
“You still like cars, I assume,” he says.
“Mm-hmm.”
“Good. We’ll go car racing this afternoon.”
“Seriously?”
“Yes.”
He glances away while handling the wheel, the car rolling slowly toward the gate.
The scent of roses envelopes us.
Soon, the property stays behind, and the car speeds up onto the open road.
“I love it,” I murmur, relishing the freedom that comes with it.
“What’s with you and cars?” he asks.
I laugh softly.
“Are you asking me this question?”
He slows down and glances at me, smiling.
“Yeah... I’m asking. I know why I like them, but women don’t usually care much about a car unless they give a shit about the dick that comes with it,” he says.
Grinning, I shake my head.
“I don’t know… I always loved them. Even when I was a little girl. I like road trips in general. They take me somewhere––hopefully, to a place of freedom and adventure where I can see people, nature, and new places so I can feel alive. I love the roar of an engine, the power under the metal frame, and the vibrations beneath my foot. I love speed, the rush, and the thrill that comes with it. That’s what driving cars is to me. What about you?”
“The same.”
I steal a glance in his direction.
His eyes absorb the sunlight, and his dark-green irises are now dotted with gold.
Nervously, he rakes his fingers through his hair.
I dip my gaze to his corded neck and hard pecs.
“You’re eyeing me,” he says, looking at me.
“No, I’m not,” I say, smiling and peeling my eyes away from him.
An hour later, the real estate agent, a sharply dressed woman with a mane of curly red hair and an oval face, shows me the fourth house on my list.
We conclude our tour shortly before I walk outside.
Propped against the car, James is waiting for me patiently. He raises his eyes from his phone.
“It’s still not what you are looking for?”
“No. They’re either too old or too big.”
“What’s wrong with big?” he asks.
Amusement flickers through his eyes.
“I wasn’t talking dicks, Sexton,” I say, gingerly waving goodbye at the real estate agent and plastering an ingenue smile over my face.
I feel James’ stare on my cheek.
“Good thing you didn’t lose your sense of humor.”
“Mm-hmm,” I say, my eyes still on that lady.
“And hopefully, you’re not one of those women who are looking for a fake boyfriend because she’s no longer interested in sex,” he slips to me.
“No,” I say, distracted, not looking at him, missing the meaning of his words completely.
His laugh rolls in my ears.
I cut my eyes at him, grinning.
“Are you fucking with me?”
He narrows his eyes, amused.
“Just checking,” he says.
I wave him off.
“Can we go, please?”
We climb into his car.
He starts the engine and slowly backs away while I observe him, unable to peel my gaze away.
A knowing smile moves his lips.
“Don’t even think it works in your favor,” I say.
“What’s that, sweetheart?” he asks, his eyes dancing with a playful grin.
“You know what,” I say, smoothing my dress. “It’s pure happenstance that I haven’t been with anyone since I spent time with you. Don’t let it go to your head.”
“I’m sure it is, darling,” he says, entertained. “Happenstance or not, I’ll take credit for it anyway.”
I huff with frustration.
“You’re unbelievable. I shouldn’t have told you.”
“I would’ve known anyway,” he says, tucking a cigarette between his lips.
He lets it dangle at the corner of his mouth while he flicks the lighter open and runs the flame over the tip.
He takes a drag off it before tearing it away from his mouth.
My eyes are still rooted to his lips.
“How could you possibly tell?” I ask, shifting my gaze to his eyes.
“I would’ve known the first time I touched you.”
“How can you be so sure you’ll touch me?” I ask, unable to suppress a smile.
Laughter rocks his chest, his eyes flooded with light.
Spellbound, I drink him in, still having a hard time believing that we are in the same space, breathing the same air, and taking a shot at recreating ‘us’.
“Is that even a question?” he tosses at me.
I look away for a moment.
“You know everything about me, don’t you?”
I shift my gaze to him, meeting his eyes again.
“I know a lot,” he says in a softer voice. “But there are parts of you I still want to uncover.”
His voice is warm and smooth, like honey.
“If you allow me,” he says seriously this time, a loving smile curving his lips.
Shifting in my seat, I lean to him and slide a hand up his neck while cupping his face with the other.
He slows down the car and lets it roll as I gently kiss his lips.
“Try not to disappoint me, James,” I say, his eyes locked with mine.
“I won’t,” he says seriously.
I pull away from him, and the car picks up speed again, silence keeping us company for a while.
As we get closer to downtown, he shoots me a sultry glance, blowing out the smoke, a naughty smile gleaming in his eyes.
“Can’t you think of something else for a moment?” I toss at him, frustrated.
His quiet chuckle makes me hot.
“No, I can’t,” he says.
I bite my lip to stifle a grin.
“So you’re practically a virgin?” he says.
I laugh, amused.
“Why did I have to tell you?”
“Don’t worry, babe. You’re not going to be for long,” he says cockily.
“You’re such a jerk.”
Smiling, I wave him off and look away.
We swivel our heads as we drive past homes with ‘For Sale’ signs in the front yard.
“Are you going to see your parents’ house? It’s on our way,” he says in a different voice.
My smile fades.
“I guess.”
His grin withers away as he notices my reaction.
We take a side road that leads us to what once was my childhood home.
A couple of cars are parked in the front. A young couple and the real estate agent walk out the door.
James pulls the car to a stop and turns the engine off.
I stall for a few moments as the real estate agent waves the couple goodbye and nods a greeting in our direction.
I’m suddenly tense, and my stomach is tied in knots. The memories come back to me, wrapped in sadness.
“You know what? There’s no point in seeing it. I don’t think I can live here, anyway.”
He gives me a sidelong glance.
“Okay,” he murmurs, shifting the key in the ignition.
“Wait,” I say, clutching his arm. “Perhaps I should check to see if anything has changed.”
He turns off the engine as I slide out of the car. I run a nervous hand over my dress while ambling to the entrance.
He stays behind.
Something hurts in my chest when I push the main door open.
It’s only been two years, yet it feels like it was a different life, and now I walk into a dead person’s home.
The place has been renovated and redecorated.
The colors––calming shades of buttercream and caramel seasoned with fiery tangerine––are warm and complement the dark espresso floors.
They give the house a modern feel.
My mom’s pastels and cottage-chic fabrics are long gone.
And yet... As I walk through the rooms, the past comes back to me, a big dark shadow sliding over everything, and all I see are the bits and pieces of my old life.
The corner of the room and the armchair where my father used to sit. The small table by the window where my mother had her coffee in the afternoons.
I walk into my room, and it seems so much smaller now.
Breathlessly, I take everything in. The walls, the ceiling, and the windows. The spot where my bed used to lean against the wall.
It’s hard to believe this is the same space where I opened my eyes for the first time to a vibrant new world in which, naively, I only saw the good.
Here I thought about the future.
Here I talked to Eve for hours and wrote something in my diary for the very first time.
It wasn’t much at the time, a random thought, perhaps, about nothing, which later became the beginning of something else.
Here I shed tears when I fell in love for the very first time… with the man waiting for me outside.
The man who broke my heart.
The walls still harbor the echo of our laughter, a muffled sound of slammed doors and rushed steps as Eve and I ran out of the house, eager to get outside, take our bikes, and ride them to town.
The memories fade as my evenings flash in front of my eyes, with Daria constantly harassing me, making me spend hours on the phone, sharing everything with Eve.
It’s all gone now.
Tears mist my eyes as I get a glimpse of a life that once belonged to me and now is no longer mine.
The girl who used to live between these quiet walls has long died, her ghost still haunting the house, her giggling still bouncing around the place.
I can see her vividly, her eyes sparkling with life, her long blonde hair entangled, and her skin always kissed by the sun. Her heart perfect, pure, and eager to love.
It all slipped away.
It’s gone now.
And her heart is gone too.
Taking a long breath, I lean against the wall.
“Are you okay, Miss?”
The woman walks in front of me, a folder tucked under her arm. Her smile dies out the moment she gets a glimpse of my face.
She grips my arm.
“Miss?”
I smile and straighten, hiding a stray tear.
“Yes. I’m okay,” I say.
“Would you like me to give you a tour of the house?”
“Maybe some other time,” I say.
She hands me a leaflet.
“Okay. The information is inside. The house has been completely renovated and furnished. It’s all top quality. You can see for yourself,” she says, smiling warmly. “It’s a great buy, one of the best properties we have on the market,” she adds enthusiastically. “All my contact information is in there too.”
“Thank you,” I say.
Smoothly, I pull away from her and walk out the door.
“How does it look?” James asks, his face darkening as he takes in my expression.
“It looks great,” I deadpan.
“And?”
“I don’t know. I’ll have to think about it,” I say, a storm of emotions making my voice catch.