Chapter 14
14
R AIN
“Thea?”
My voice flies over the people crammed in the airport as I wave at Thea Porter.
Her blue eyes flick left and right until she catches sight of me.
“Hey,” she says, cutting her way to me.
Fresh off the plane, she wears a pair of comfy sweatpants and a T-shirt, her dark hair tied into a ponytail, and a backpack dangling from her shoulder.
“Let me help you,” I say, picking up one of her suitcases. “How you’ve been?” I ask, grinning.
“Good,” she says.
Her eyes glint with a smile.
I pull her into a hug while she gives me a little kiss on my cheek.
“How was your flight?” I ask, looking at her.
“It was good.”
I give her a quick once over.
She barely shows a little bump. Her chest is bigger, though.
A slight tan makes her skin glow, and her eyes look even bluer.
“I’m happy to be back,” she says, scanning the crowd. “My cousin should be here too. She was late when I told her you would come and pick me up.”
“No problem. We can wait for her outside. How’s Ed?”
“He’s fine. He’ll come back as soon as he finishes his work with James.”
She pauses, gazing at me.
“I’m sorry,” she says.
“For what?”
“I know this was not the plan, and we kind of flipped everything upside down. Him moving back. James ending up over there.”
I gesture softly.
“Everything is fine. Hopefully, you two coming back and expecting a baby will make James stay home a little more,” I say, grinning secretly.
My words pull her to a halt.
“Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”
I loop my arm through hers.
“Let’s say your baby news has created a baby frenzy.”
She looks at me with soft eyes.
“Seriously?”
I nod.
“Plus, I just found out my sister is expecting.”
Her eyes beam with delight.
“Oh, my. Congratulations.”
“Thank you. She’s expecting a girl. How about you?”
“I don’t know yet, but we’ll find out soon,” she says, her smile fading.
“Aren’t you excited?”
She flicks her gaze to me—it’s brighter this time.
“Oh. I am. It’s just that even now, after all these months, I still can’t believe this is happening to me. I’m a bit scared.”
“I’d be too,” I say as we walk again. “But you don’t have to be worried. Ed will be with you. And I’ll help you too.”
“Thank you. When do you plan to go to Monaco?”
“As soon as Ed comes home.”
We push through the exit doors when a voice echoes behind us.
We spin around.
A young woman with a curtain of dark amber hair rushes to us.
“Oh, my God,” the woman exclaims, hugging Thea. “I can’t believe you are back,” she says, her eyes dancing with joy.
Wrestling with emotions, Thea turns to me.
“I don’t think I’ve had the opportunity to introduce you to each other. This is my cousin Liz,” she says to me. “And this is Rain Sexton, James’ wife.”
Liz's eyes narrow for a moment as she looks at me with admiration.
“It’s so nice to finally meet you,” she says. “I’ve heard so many things about you.”
“Not all good, I suppose,” I murmur, a rush of blood warming my cheeks.
“No, no. It was all good,” she says in a breath.
I gesture at her, chuckling.
“Don’t worry. It’s all in the past. So... Where are we going from here?”
“I’m hungry,” Thea says. “Maybe we should grab a bite.”
“Or we can all go to my place. Dinner must be ready by now, and I usually eat alone. I wouldn't mind some company. Liz?”
“Sure,” she says.
Thea looks at me.
“I don’t want to impose.”
“You don’t. You can drop off your suitcases first, get what you need from your apartment, and sleep at my place. I usually work at night. I won’t bother you. That goes for you too,” I say to Liz. “Unless you have other plans.”
“Seriously?”
“Yes.”
“Okay, then. I’ll follow you,” she says, pointing to her car and pulling away while my driver greets us.
He tucks Thea’s suitcases in the trunk of his car while we climb in.
One hour later, we leave Thea’s place, slip back into the limo, and travel across town.
Soon, we enter the property, and minutes later, we find ourselves in my home.
The food is on the table on the patio. We all sit as the staff attends to us.
Moments later, we are finally alone.
“This is a bit intimidating,” Thea says, motioning around with her fork.
“It’s beautiful,” Liz comments, chewing slowly on her food.
The evening is quiet, the breeze caressing our shoulders.
“Thank you,” I say in response to her compliment before looking down. “It’s great. I can’t complain. Although sometimes, it’s a bit too big.”
Smiling, I focus on my salad.
“Ed told me you might want to look at new places to live,” I say, tipping my gaze to Thea.
She looks strikingly beautiful in the candlelight, with her hair cascading down her shoulders, her lips plump, and her eyes sparkling.
She gestures softly, grinning.
“I mentioned it at one point, mainly because I couldn’t see myself living in a big place. His home is beautiful––don’t get me wrong––but I always thought I’d live in a small house by the beach. I love the ocean breeze, the empty sidewalks in the summer, and the waves crashing against the shore.”
Liz listens to us in silence.
“My dream house is not much different than yours,” I say. “When I started to write, I had this picture in mind. Me sitting on the porch of a tiny house with the ocean in the distance and the beach within walking distance. Writing and sipping a colorful drink through a straw. That’s how I imagined life before James.”
I pop a small piece of food into my mouth.
“What about you?” I ask Liz, chewing slowly.
Thea’s cousin flicks her eyes to me, a smile growing on her face.
“Never thought about it,” she says before sipping wine.
Thea looks at her as well.
“I’m more of a city girl,” Liz continues. “My perfect place would probably be a one-bedroom apartment with an open layout, a platform bed, lots of pillows, wooden floors, and no TV. Plants, a desk for my computer, and definitely a coffeehouse within walking distance. Or even on the ground level of the same building. I wouldn’t mind it. Oh… And I’d love to write books too,” she also says.
Thea’s eyebrows lift in surprise.
“Since when are you into writing?” she asks.
A soft blush covers Liz’s cheeks, a smile tugging at her lips.
“I always was, but I’ve never had the chance to do it. If I’d have to go all the way while imagining my perfect life, writing would be a part of it,” she says. “I would love to wake up in the mornings, pull on some clothes, snatch up my laptop, and head downstairs for a coffee and a sandwich. The coffee shop would smell like freshly brewed coffee, and only a few tables would be occupied. A few people would sit in the armchairs by the windows, reading while having a snack and a drink. I’d watch people go by and get inspiration for my stories.”
Thea looks at her, her mouth open.
“What about finishing college?”
“I’d be done with it.”
“Why are you studying archaeology, then?”
“Because you can’t make money with your writing. Everybody knows that. Well, maybe Rain can, and please don’t take it the wrong way…” she says, looking at me. “I’m not jealous or anything. But it doesn’t happen to everybody.”
“Then how can you afford the apartment and going to the coffee shop, genius?” her cousin tosses at her.
Smiling, Liz shrugs.
“It’s my perfect life, so anything it’s possible. I may have a sex gig on the side for extra money,” she jokes.
I’m just about to swallow my wine when I choke on it and start to cough.
“I’m sorry,” I say, smiling.
They grin too.
“What sex gig? Does your mom know about your secret plans?” Thea teases her cousin.
Liz flicks her hair over her shoulder, a smile on her lips.
“No, she doesn’t. And as I said before, it’s my perfect life, so I can do whatever I want with it.”
Thea dismisses her with a flick of her hand.
“You wouldn’t do it.”
Liz laughs.
“You don’t know that.”
“What kind of books would you like to write?” I ask.
“I don’t know yet. Sexy books, I guess…” she says, a naughty smile growing on her lips.
Thea rolls her eyes, bringing a chuckle to my lips.
“She can make money with that,” I say to Thea. “You should start writing,” I add, shifting my eyes back to Liz.
“How long did it take you to write your first book?” Liz asks me.
Thea swings her eyes to me as well.
“Um... Well... My first book was not that kind of book. Fresh out of high school, I had this strange idea that I could write anything I wanted and still make money. So I said to myself, why not a book about ancient history? I loved history in school, so I wrote that book. It was an interesting read, provided that the reader was a scholar. It certainly wasn’t for the mainstream audience. I published it, and the book got mentioned here and there. The reviews were good, but there was no way I could make a living with it. And then, I wrote my first real book,” I say quietly. “It was more of a memoir, but it also had romance in it. And a lot of the sexy stuff that usually sells books,” I say, moving my eyes to Liz. “It sold better than I expected.”
“Was it really based on your life?” Liz asks.
“Yes.”
“I read it,” Thea says.
I shift my eyes to her.
“Did you like it?” I ask, my voice lined with surprise.
She nods.
“Yes.”
She tips her gaze down, her cheeks flushed.
“It also helped me a lot...” she murmurs, focusing on her food for a moment.
Liz and I look at her, waiting for her to raise her eyes.
She finally does it, a soft smile tugging at her lips.
“At the time, I was in one of those confusing moments with Ed. Considering all the stuff we'd been through, I couldn’t see how we could end up together. And then I read your story and realized it hadn’t been easy for James and you as well.”
I suck in a long breath.
“No, it wasn’t. It’s never easy with men like them.”
I pause while they stay silent, waiting for me to continue.
“I was lucky because I had no idea how clueless I was when I met him for the first time. I say lucky because had I known then what I know now, I would’ve never had the courage to let myself fall for him. Later, I learned with experience comes caution. And too much caution comes with missed opportunities. I had no experience back then, so I took my chance with him as if he were just another guy.”
Sucking in another long breath, I recollect those times.
“I was stubborn–– and, according to him, a spoiled brat–– but it all worked out in the end. It wasn’t without pain, though, but I have no regrets, and I wouldn’t change a thing,” I say softly.
“What advice would you give to someone in a similar situation?” Liz asks, her eyes filled with genuine curiosity.
Thea shoots her gaze at her.
“Are you dating someone I don’t know about?” she asks her cousin, amused.
Liz breathes a chuckle.
“Can you please shut up? I want to hear her answer. Besides, you never know what the future brings,” she jokes.
“I don’t know if there’s a recipe for success,” I say seriously. “I’ve done many stupid things, and somehow I’ve always pulled through. I guess the most important thing is to stick with it. Never give up. Whether it’s your perfect life in a small apartment with a coffeehouse nearby or a man who can have any woman he wants––yet you think he might have a thing for you––pursue the things that matter to you regardless of how crazy they sound to you or everybody else. You just have to do it. Push through. No one else can do it for you.”