chapter FOURTEEN #2
Crystal and I just shake our heads and laugh.
At least Lisa has someone to go home to at night.
Crystal and I are still hopelessly single, though not for the lack of Crystal’s efforts.
She is constantly on Tinder and Match, swiping left and right.
I think working all those weddings every weekend makes her wistful.
I just hope she doesn’t choose someone based on what society thinks she should do by a certain age. No woman should ever settle.
“Hey, Emma, I saw I have eight kids in my Introduction to the Violin class. That’s too many,” Lisa says, her lips perched on her paper cup.
“I know,” I say apologetically. “I couldn’t deny the little guys. I mean, a seven-year-old who wants to play the violin? That’s amazing. What did you want me to do, tell them they had to take the drums?”
Lisa’s head tilts forward and gives me her deadpan stare. “I need a co-teacher. It’s impossible to teach that many kids, that age, with no musical experience, at once.” She ticks off the challenges using her three fingers.
“I asked Frank. There’s no funding for another teacher. Sorry.”
She gives me an exasperated look, her free hand flying out in a dramatic gesture. “You’re a classically trained violinist. Why can’t you teach them with me?”
Damn Frank for boasting about my has-been career. I hate this. I hate that I can’t even teach a child to hold a bow. I hate that everyone knows I’m incompetent in my craft. I rub my hand and try to figure out a way to avoid the conversation.
Crystal senses my unease. “Emma is way too busy setting up the program. If she had the time to teach she’d be doing so. Maybe she can get you an intern or something.”
Lisa nods and tells Crystal that’s a good idea. I, in turn, thank her with my eyes.
News reporters, students, teachers, parents, and local political representatives have all arrived for the special occasion. It’s a beautiful October day so a spot in the afternoon sun is greatly appreciated.
Cameramen point their cameras at a podium situated a few feet from the front of the building. First, a woman from the Children’s League makes a short speech and introduces the mayor. Everyone claps and listens as he deems the Juliette Academy a great asset to the city of New York.
More people have appeared in the crowd, many seem to be nosey passersby looking to see what the commotion is. My back gets slightly jostled and I have to steady myself on the pavement.
Calm down people. It’s just a school opening. Not a Jay-Z sighting.
“Oh, my God, he’s here,” Crystal breathes out in a loud whisper, moving closer to me and Lisa.
I hip check the guy to the side of me and let him know two can play this game. “Who’s here?” I ask Crystal, missing part of her statement.
“—No one has seen him for months. He just disappeared one day,” Crystal continues, her breath hitching a bit.
“Eh, I don’t see the appeal. At all.” Lisa rolls her eyes.
I get shoved again and am about to tell the person to shove it when the mayor says something that causes my jaw to drop, my stomach to lurch, and my heart to nearly explode.
“Alexander Asher.”
The crowd erupts in applause. I look up at the podium.
Asher.
He’s here.
He’s walking up to the podium.
He’s shaking the mayor’s hand.
I gasp at the sight of him.
The last time I saw him, his arms were wrapped around me, and he was begging me not to go.
The man next to me pushes so hard into my side, I fall forward onto a woman, causing her to yelp.
My hands hit the pavement to prevent myself from a complete fall.
I rub the tiny pebbles, from the blacktop that has indented into my palms, on my pants as Lisa pulls me up by my shoulders, erecting me into position.
“Thanks.” My voice is shaking as I push my wayward hair off my face. The woman in front of me gives me a nasty look as I offer my hushed apologies.
It’s at this moment I notice the crowd is eerily quiet, all looking up waiting for the man at the podium to speak.
I look up myself and see why he’s not speaking.
He’s staring.
At me.
Golden eyes hit me like a Mack truck and I instinctively grab hold of my stomach to keep it from falling apart. I stand here like a deer in headlights just waiting to get run over.
His mouth opens slightly, the sides tentatively curve up before they clench down.
His lips purse as molars rub together, a look of pure disgust on his face.
It all happens in a flash. The look he gives me, the change in his expression and then he turns his attention back to the mayor, offering him a full, boisterous smile.
I’ve thought about what it would be like to see him again. I daydreamed about what I’d do. I’ve imagined everything from kicking him in the balls to screaming to pretending I don’t know who he is.
What I wasn’t planning on was him being angry to see me and for me to be so utterly devastated by the look he’d give me.
I stand and wait for Asher to make his speech. When he does, I try to listen but my mind is a scrambled mess.
“The Asher Foundation has been a cause near and dear to my heart for some time now. Over the years, with the help of the great city of New York, we have raised millions of dollars for children’s charities. Today is the culmination of our efforts.”
Looking about the crowd as he speaks, his tone is jovial and kind, yet his hands are on each side of the podium, holding on with white knuckles as if to ground himself from being swept away from the current.
“Where do you think he’s been?” Lisa whispers in Crystal’s ear.
I know exactly where he’s been. Cruising the Mediterranean with an urn full of ashes and a bed full of women.
“I don’t know, but he looks amazing.” Crystal sighs all too appreciatively for my taste. I can’t believe these two know who my Asher is.
My Asher.
Ugh. I have to get out of this city.
When his speech is done, Asher and the mayor shake hands and pose for a photograph. They then make their way off the stage and talk to a media outlet that is positioned to the side ready to interview them.
No sooner is the ceremony over, I am pushing past the crowd toward the front door of the school. I need to get inside and away from him. Why is he here? Why am I so confused about how I feel about him being here?
I should be mad. I should be angry. Instead, I am so damn muddled I need to get my head on straight.
I am almost at the door when a strong hand grabs hold of me and pulls me in the opposite direction. I lurch back and am swung around to come face-to-face with eyes so dark they’ve lost their golden touch.
“What are you doing here?” Asher’s voice is harsh; that full mouth is in a hard line. Using his body as a shield, he pushes me into the corner where our building meets the one next to it.
I blink in disbelief. Pulling my arm back, I try to get loose but he tugs harder.
“I work here.” My face contorts as I try to get away from him. Anyone looking at us would think we are just talking rather closely. He is keeping his hold on me hidden.
“Since when?” His voice is hushed but angry nonetheless. I can’t help but notice he no longer smells of sea and salt.
“Two months ago. I got a call offering me a job and I took it. If I knew you had anything to do with it I wouldn’t have accepted.” I give my body a final yank and release myself from his grasp.
Asher’s eyes narrow on mine, becoming beady and accusatory. “I promise you I had nothing to do with you being here. Who would do this?” he asks, massaging the back of his neck with his hand.
Rubbing my arm, which is now tender from his abrasive hold, I lean back and look to my right. I’m about to tell him how I know Frank when I see a familiar giant in a black suit standing near an SUV on the corner, just behind the barricade.
Devon’s hands are clasped in front of his body, standing at attention. The two of us make eye contact, and I am offered a kind smile and a shrug in apology.
Asher follows my gaze and lands on the not-so-innocent giant.
Without a word, he turns from me and makes his way toward Devon. I use the opportunity to rush inside and get my head together.
By seven o’clock my head is a flurry of new faces I will soon come to recognize and a sea of kind words from the many parents who walked through the door with their children in tow.
Since the media was here, I strolled the halls with them, showing the various classrooms and the teachers conducting lessons. Whenever someone asked for a quote on camera, I politely pointed them toward Frank.
I sat in on a violin lesson given by Lisa to seven students, a guitar introduction with one of our teachers, and the twelve teenagers who are dreaming of being the next Taylor Swift or Ed Sheeran or whoever their current idol is.
It’s been a hectic day I’ve been looking forward to it for six weeks. Problem is, I wasn’t expecting it to start the way it did.
With everyone gone for the day, I take a seat in one of the chairs in the corner of Crystal’s empty classroom. My small office doesn’t have a window so I come in here to enjoy the view. The sun is setting as I sit idly in the corner going through the schedule for tomorrow when the door swings open.
The sound of leather Oxford loafers echo in the empty room causing my head to rise and take in the figure walking in.
I swallow, hard, at the sight of him.
Six feet tall and absolutely stunning.
Asher walks into the room, each step controlled, commanding, and with purpose.
He is wearing a black suit that frames his broad shoulders perfectly and is tailored to showcase his lean, narrow torso.
His white shirt and silver-gray tie make him look like a man in charge.
And he is. Because right now I couldn’t lead a moth to a flame if I tried.
His skin is still golden from his many months in the Mediterranean sun. Those gorgeous highlights are brushed back, accentuating the masculine structure of his face. And those eyes? Gone are the honey wheat, kind eyes. These here are so dark, I fear the Asher I know isn’t there anymore.
Maybe he never really existed.
I take a deep breath and steady myself in my seat. I am suddenly very nervous. Very much like the first time we met.
He takes in the classroom. His hands deep in his pockets as he looks over the decorations on the walls and the various seats and stands that are in place for the students to learn.
The tick of his jaw is tight but his brows are closed, sloping at the ends; his lips are pursed as if he’s trying to put the pieces of a puzzle together.
It’s uncomfortable watching someone from a dark corner in the room. Part of me wonders if he even knows I’m here. He doesn’t say a word, nor does he look at me.
Still I can’t open my mouth to say anything.
“You’re not teaching?” he asks and I startle at the question.
Okay, so he does know I’m here.
I clear my throat and look for the right words. “No. I still can’t play.” My hand flexes out of habit, and I feel the burn in my palm, up through my fingers.
Asher’s attention turns to me. He doesn’t look angry like he did earlier. Instead he looks . . . God, I wish I knew what he was thinking. I gather my papers off my lap and grab my bag off the floor.
“Why didn’t you come find me?”
I halt putting my papers in my bag. My eyes scrunch together in confusion. “What?”
Asher is standing on the far side of the room. His feet are spread wide apart, his arms now crossed in front of his body. His chin rises, and he stands as if prepared for a duel. “You’ve been here for two months. Why didn’t you track me down?”
I shake my head in disgust at his bold attempt to assume I’d even want to see him. “Why would I look for you in New York when you didn’t have the decency to stay for me in Capri?” The hair on the back of my neck stands up, as nervous energy takes over. I’m unprepared for this conversation.
Studying the pattern of the hardwood floor, I wait for him to answer me.
Silence fills the air, and I have the need to fill it.
With a shaky hand I swing my tote over my shoulder and start to move.
“Guess I was just another one of your playthings, Asher . . . or Alexander. Whatever the hell your name is.”
My feet are mid-stride when he steps in my direction, coming to a stop in front of me.
“You would know all about that. Some actress you turned out to be.” His hands rise in front of his body, palms up.
For as jittery as I am feeling at this moment, he is exuding complete control.
“Don’t play dumb. You knew who I was the entire time. ”
My mouth opens in a huff and I breathe out an expletive. “I know nothing about you. Just some pathetic made up stories.” I brush past him with my shoulder and make my way toward the exit.
“You had me followed.” My feet come to a screeching halt. What the hell is he talking about? “My boat was pinged, my information gathered.”
I turn my head to the side, peering over my shoulder, and look at him out the corner of my eye.
Asher takes a step toward me, his presence close yet so far away. I wish my body wasn’t so aware of him, sensitive to him, even if it is screaming with fury and pain. My heart is pounding out of my chest, and it’s not only because of anger or hurt—and that makes me angry and hurt all over again.
“Why was Adam Reingold researching me?” It’s not a polite question. It’s filled with accusation and judgment.
Adam was worried his future wife and sister-in-law were being taken advantage of. He feared we’d be hurt while gallivanting with some billionaire on his yacht. He cared for our safety.
Is it so difficult for someone like Asher to assume a person cared so much about his loved ones he went out of his way to keep them safe? Does he always think someone has an ulterior motive? Are we all untrustworthy?
After everything I shared with him. In seventy-two hours I laid my soul bare to him, gave my body to him. In return, he’s accusing me of something so heinous, it’s as if the moments we shared meant nothing.
He takes a step closer. His jaw is clenched, his arms flexed in agitation. He’s mad. I can see that. But I can also see something else in those golden eyes.
He’s scared.
Of what, I have no idea, and I’m not going to stick around to find out.
With my back to him, I cast my words over my shoulder; he doesn’t deserve my full attention.
“You’ve been looking for a reason to walk away from me since the moment we met. Let me make this easy for you.”
I turn my head back around and walk out of the room and out of the building, my feet not stopping until I’m back, grounded on the pavement outside.