“I’ll be in immediately,” I said, hanging up the phone with a sigh. I walked into the living room and Anna immediately knew something was wrong. “I have to go into work. It’s a big case and they need me to go in and meet with the client.”
“Oh. Well, how long do you think you’ll be?”
“I don’t know. I hope only a few hours.”
She smiled slightly, but I could tell even that was forced. “Well, I’ll see you when you get back.”
I nodded and leaned in to kiss her. “I’m really sorry about this. I promise to make it up to you tomorrow.”
“You’d better.”
I headed for the bedroom and slipped into my best suit and made sure I was everything that represented the firm. I looked classy and put together. I looked powerful. When I walked out of the bedroom, I didn’t miss the almost sad expression that Anna wore at the sight of me in the suit. It was like she hated that this was who I was, but I couldn’t change that. I worked my ass off for my position and I wouldn’t give that up.
Anna
After watching two movies, eating all the pizza, and drinking the entire bottle of wine, I called it a night. It was well past midnight and I was tired from all the wine. I didn’t want to go to bed though, not in this fancy apartment. It didn’t feel like home, and even though it was comfortable and luxurious, it felt stale and too clean all at the same time. Even though my trailer was drippy and ugly, it was still more homey than this white room that made me feel like I needed a straight jacket.
I played with the controller, trying to figure out how to lower the shades. I managed to get every light in the house to turn on, make a pot of coffee, and turn the television on full blast, but I had no luck with the blinds. Tossing it on the nightstand, I flopped back down on the bed and sighed. This was not what I thought this weekend would end up like. I had imagined us laying around and talking like we used to, but we had barely talked at all. It was like we were missing so much information from the past thirteen years that we didn’t know where to start.
I wasn’t sure what possessed him to take me out to that fancy dinner or to buy me those clothes, but it wasn’t me. After knowing me all throughout high school, how could he possibly think that material things were something I craved? He knew that I wanted a family and someone to love. He knew that with a drunk mother that never cared, I craved someone’s attention. That hadn’t suddenly disappeared after all these years.
I rolled over in bed and beat the pillow, hoping I could find a comfortable position. I tossed and turned all night, but still nothing helped. When the sun finally rose in the sky the next morning and there was still no sign of Robert, I decided to call him. The phone rang and rang, but he didn’t answer. What if he got in an accident? In a small town, I would hear about it immediately, but in Chicago, he would just be another person out of millions. It’s not like I would turn on the news and see his face. Right?
I went into the living room and found the keyboard thing to turn on the TV. I got pretty good at using it last night. After pressing a few buttons, I finally found the news and started flipping through the stations, sure that I would hear about his dead body being found in a dumpster or in the river. I passed a new station, but suddenly flipped back when I thought I saw his face. It wasn’t him. It was just a TV anchor that looked similar. I flicked the TV off and got up from the couch, moving to the kitchen to make myself some coffee. Except, I forgot that everything here was run by a damn computer and I couldn’t figure out how to work it.
I got dressed and headed out, snatching the spare set of keys on my way out. I needed coffee and food, and then I could decide what I was going to do from here. It took me fifteen minutes of walking around to find someplace to have coffee that wasn’t extremely overpriced. Who would pay seven dollars for a coffee? I sat down and scrolled through my phone as I drank my coffee and ate my scone. All the rest of the food was healthy stuff that I wouldn’t dare put near my mouth. I decided to try Robert again, just to see if he was coming home sometime soon, but I still got no answer.
Sighing, I grabbed my coffee and headed back to Robert’s apartment. But when I got there, the doorman stopped me from entering.
“Excuse me, ma’am, but you’re not allowed in unless a resident lets you up.”
I shook my head in confusion. “But I just came down here an hour ago. You saw me walk through the door. You told me to have a nice day.”
“I understand that, but just because you’re leaving doesn’t mean you should be returning.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means that our residents are private and they don’t want strangers walking around the building.”
“Well, call Robert Cortell. He’ll tell you that I’m staying with him.”
“Please wait out here.”
I wrapped my coat tighter around myself to ward off the chill and waited as he walked to the desk and asked the person behind it to make the call. At least, that’s what I hoped he was doing. When he returned, he shook his head.
“I’m sorry, but we haven’t been able to reach him.”
“What about at his office?”
“Ma’am, we don’t make a point to call around to our resident’s offices over visitors. If he wants you to be allowed upstairs, next time he needs to put you on the visitor registration form.”
My jaw dropped open and I shook my head. I pulled out my phone and dialed over and over again until he finally just sent me to voicemail. He wasn’t even answering when he knew I needed to talk to him. Because why else would I call over and over again.
“Listen, is there any way that you could go up to his apartment and grab my bag? It’s in his bedroom.”
“I’m sorry, miss. You’ll have to get it from him later.”
Tears pricked my eyes and I pathetically held up his spare key. “But I have his key.”
He shook his head. “I’m sorry. Please let him know to put you on the list.”
Dejectedly, I turned from the building and wandered down the street. I couldn’t believe this was how they treated people here. Back home, if someone needed a place to stay, there was always someone offering a bed or a couch. And if you were locked out, someone gladly came over to help. Even if he lived down by me and I was locked out, his brother would at least let me in.
My head snapped up and I pulled out my phone. “Anna, you do realize that it’s still the weekend. Tell Mrs. Cranston she’ll have to wait until tomorrow.”
“I’m in the city.”
“Um…okay?”
I huffed in irritation. I hated that I had to tell my boss, his brother, this. “Robert brought me to the city for the weekend, but he got called out for work. And when I left to grab some food, the doorman refused to let me back in. I left all my stuff up there. I don’t even have my purse on me. I just grabbed a twenty on my way out the door!” I said hysterically.
“I can pay for your cab home.”
“Can’t you get me into the building? Aren’t you on the approved list or something?”
“Approved list?” He laughed slightly. “I’ve only been there once and that was when he first bought the place. I doubt that he would even think to have me on his emergency contacts list.”
“Then what the hell am I supposed to do? I can’t get my stuff!”
“Did you try calling him?”
I glowered as if he were standing right in front of me. “Now, why didn’t I think of that? Oh yeah, I did. I called him at least twenty times and he sent me to voicemail.”
He sucked in a breath. “That’s not good.”
“No shit. And now I’m stuck here in the city with none of my stuff!”
“Okay, I’ll get you a cab and have you brought home.”
I let out a sigh. “Thank you.”
“But you owe me donuts and coffee tomorrow.”
“Excuse me?”
“Well, this is all your fault. I’m going to have to pay for the cab fare, which will be ridiculous,
so you can bring in coffee and donuts.”
I put my hand on my hip and laid into him. “If you hadn’t forced me to go to Thanksgiving dinner, I wouldn’t have been thrust back into his life. He wouldn’t have followed me home and fucked me, or convinced me to stay with him for the weekend. In fact, if it weren’t for you and your wedding, I wouldn’t have had to see him at all these past few weeks. So, if anyone’s to blame, it’s you. So, you can be the one that brings in coffee and donuts. And I want the good stuff!”
He was silent for a minute and then said, “The usual?”
“Make it a double. I have a feeling tomorrow is going to be a very long day.”
Robert
Shit. Anna was calling me again. I had at least fifteen missed calls from her and hadn’t once had the opportunity to call her back. My boss had kept me here all night, going over New Hampshire laws and how we could work this best for Rebecca Morrison. It would be easy enough to get her a divorce in New Hampshire. She could basically cross the state line and be granted a divorce. There were no lengthy residency issues to deal with.
But the real problem was that we had to prove that Chadwick had been having an affair with the nanny, and in doing so, completely cut him off from receiving any of her money. He would request alimony, and it was my job to make sure that all our bases were covered. I spent the night pouring over New Hampshire laws to make sure that I knew what I was dealing with.
And then I was called into an emergency strategy session that my boss called when he found out that Chadwick had been receiving money from Rebecca for a business deal that hadn’t gone through at all. In fact, all the money had been spent on the nanny. Now, it was seven o’clock at night and I was finally leaving, but I had no idea if Anna would still be there waiting for me. I dialed her number, but she didn’t answer. I drove home quickly, parking in the garage and taking the elevator up. It seemed like we stopped on every floor on the way up. When the doors finally opened to my floor, I quickly unlocked the door and raced inside.
“Anna!”
It was silent. I checked each room, but she didn’t answer. Her stuff was still here, so maybe she just went out to grab some food. I called down to the front desk.
“How can I help you, Mr. Cortell?”
“I had a guest staying with me. Do you know if she went out for the evening?”
“She went out earlier today, but we didn’t allow her back inside.”
“What? Why would you do that?”
“She’s not on your approved list of visitors.”
“But she must have had a key to get back in.”
“I’m sorry, Mr. Cortell, but the rules are clear. If you wish for us to allow someone entry, they must be on the approved list.”
“Well, do you know where she went?”
“No, I’m sorry. We don’t know anything more.”
I ended the call and dialed her number again, but she still didn’t answer. What if she was wandering around the city with no idea where to go? God, this was a disaster. I called Eric. Maybe he could come help me find her.
“It’s about time you answered your phone,” he snapped.
“What? I don’t have any missed calls from you.”
“No, but you do from Anna. Did you know they locked her out of your apartment? She had to call me to get her a fucking cab home because she didn’t even have her purse.”
I swore to myself and rubbed a hand over my eyes. “Alright, where is she now?”
“I don’t know. I don’t keep tabs on her, but I would assume she’s at home.”
“I’ve been calling her.”
“And she’s probably been ignoring you because you left her.”
“I was at work. I didn’t mean-“
“Don’t give me that bullshit, Robert. You asked her to stay with you and then you abandoned her. What the hell did you expect her to do?”
“If you talk to her, just let her know that I’m leaving now and I’ll be down there in about an hour.”
“Are you sure you want to do that?”
I grabbed my keys and walked out the door. “Yes, I need to explain what happened.”
He snorted. “Yeah, good luck with that.”
I pulled up to her house an hour later, relieved that I saw lights on. At least she was home. I ran up her steps and pounded on her door. It swung open fairly quickly, which surprised me, so I stood there like an idiot. My mouth hung open and she glared at me.
“What do you want?”
“I…uh…”
“You know, for a lawyer, you really suck at using your words.”
She went to slam the door in my face, but I blocked it with my hand, holding it open. “Just hear me out.”
“I just did. It wasn’t impressive.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
“Then what did you mean?”
“Look, I got stuck at work. There was a big case and my boss was demanding that I stay and lay out the groundwork for everything.”
“Don’t you have staffers that help you with that sort of thing?”
“This is a delicate case. I needed certain information and I needed to verify it myself. I can’t make any mistakes with this one.”
“And so you couldn’t answer my phone calls?”
I hesitated for a second. “Look, I could have called last night, but by the time my meeting was done, it was well after midnight. I didn’t want to wake you. And then I was called in for an emergency meeting first thing this morning. There wasn’t time-“
“Well, I’m glad that I found out now where I stand.”
She turned on her heel and walked into the house. I shut the door behind me and tried to figure out how to make her see reason. “Look, I might not have handled it the best, but I never intended to just leave you at the apartment like that.”
“You think I’m mad about that?” She laughed lightly and then started laughing even harder. “Robert, you really are stupid.”
“I don’t agree, but we can agree to disagree for now.”
She shook her head slightly. “Do you know what it was like to be stuck in an apartment that only runs on machines?”
I rolled my eyes. “That’s a bit of an exaggeration.”
“Hardly. So, I went out to grab some breakfast, except when I came back, I wasn’t allowed in.”
“I know, and I’m so sorry about that. I’ll have you added in all ways. I’ll make sure you have a key and-“
“You don’t get it!” she stomped her foot. “Nothing like that would have ever happened here. If I need someone, there are tons of people I can call. I had no one to help me there. I had no way to access my purse. Your brother had to pay for me to get a cab back here.”
“I’m really sorry. I can’t apologize enough. But this was a one time thing. It will never happen again.”
“I know, because we won’t be seeing each other again.”
“Over this? Because you got locked out of my apartment one time?”
“Robert, you just don’t get it. It doesn’t have to do with me being locked out. It’s about what it all represents. Look at our weekend. Can you honestly look back and say that we had a good time together?”
I opened my mouth, but she cut me off.
“Robert, we’re so different. Can’t you see that? I can understand a busy job. I can understand you not being able to call. I can even understand getting locked out of your house. But this all happened fifty miles from my own place. You live in the city and I live in a small town. You like gadgets all over your house and I prefer to open my curtains like a normal person. I’m just a simple person. I don’t want to spend my weekends in the city. I want to live out here.”
“In this shithole?” I asked, realizing only seconds later that it was probably not a smart thing to say. “I didn’t mean that.”
“Yes, you did. Robert, you’re nothing like you used to be. We had simple dreams, but somewhere along the way, you started dreaming much bigger than I ever did. And that’s
not a bad thing. I’m not saying that what you do or how you live is wrong. But we’re not the same people now. We don’t want the same things.”
“But if we just had some time-“
“Time won’t change the fact that we are on totally different paths in life.”
“But if you hadn’t gotten pregnant, we would still be together. Anna, I made mistakes and maybe I have a different life now, but that doesn’t mean that we don’t still belong together.”
She nodded slightly. “You’re right, who knows what would have happened if I never got pregnant. Maybe we would have ended up together. But you have to realize there’s a good chance this still would have happened. You were going to college in the city and I was always staying down here. We would have lived different lives anyway.”
I shook my head. I couldn’t believe she was dismissing this all over one weekend. She didn’t even try. “So, that’s it?”
“I’m sorry, Robert.”
I huffed out a laugh. “You know what? I don’t think you are. I think you judged me before you got a chance to know me. So, if that’s the way this is gonna be, I’m better off without you.”
She pursed her lips, but didn’t say anything else as I stormed out of her house. I didn’t know what to do now, where to go from here. I hadn’t expected it to be easy, but I hadn’t thought she would give up either. I didn’t want to head into the city yet, so I headed to my brother’s house. I needed to vent. Surely he would understand. He knew what it was like to have his woman walk out on him.
I pulled into his drive and slammed the door to my car before marching up the steps. I yanked the door open and slumped down in the chair at the dining room table where they were all having dinner.
Collateral Damage: A Small Town Romance Page 13