by T. K. Leigh
“Trust me,” Clinton says. “It’s not a stiff competition. Most in the family are—”
“Uptight,” Sadie offers.
“Pricks,” Clinton interjects immediately. “I was going to say pricks.” He beams down at Sadie, an affection between them I haven’t seen much out here. It’s obvious she has a great deal of respect for her uncle, and he has a great deal of admiration for his niece, regardless of any fallout from her marrying Christopher. “But I suppose uptight is more agreeable.” He returns his attention back to us, extending his hand toward Julian. “Clinton Alderman.”
I stare at it, horrified over the idea of Julian shaking his hand after what he just did, then realize he used his left one with me. If he was that talented with his left hand, I can only imagine what he could do with his predominate one. A blush heats my cheeks as they shake politely.
“Julian Gage.”
“Nice to finally meet you, Julian.”
“And you.” He turns his attention toward me. “This is my girlfriend, Guinevere Fitzgerald.”
Clinton looks toward me, his eyes finding mine. But unlike so many other men I’ve met here, he doesn’t appraise me like a piece of meat. He looks at me like I’m a human being. It’s refreshing.
“Lovely to meet you, Guinevere.”
“Evie,” I correct. “You can just call me Evie.”
“Evie.”
After we all exchange pleasantries, Clinton turns back to Julian. “Sadie mentioned you’re in the process of expanding your charitable branch overseas and are trying to get the ball rolling to open up shelters for women in high-risk areas.”
I snap my head toward Julian, surprised by this. I’m not sure what I thought this big project of his was. I simply thought it was to build some ridiculously luxurious hotel in Dubai, something that could increase his income substantially. But to find out it’s a charitable project? Another piece of the Julian Gage puzzle snaps into place.
“I’m sure I didn’t get all the details correct,” Sadie adds. “Just what I picked up from Christopher.”
“It’s something I’ve been wanting to do for a long time.” He turns his attention to Clinton, his demeanor becoming serious, flipping the switch from seductive Julian to businessman Julian. “When I inherited Theodore Price’s fortune, the first thing I did was begin a charity here in the States. Our mission is to provide a safe haven for women in abusive relationships. At least here, we get some assistance from criminal justice agencies. Which got me thinking about what it must be like for women in countries and cultures where this kind of abuse isn’t frowned upon. In fact, it’s encouraged as part of their customs. I want to do something to help these women, but expanding overseas isn’t as easy as I thought it would be. There’s quite a bit of red tape I have to cut through to even consider the possibility.”
“Well, I may just be able to help you. I’m not sure what Sadie’s told you about me, but I’m in the oil industry.”
“I know.”
“And in the oil industry, red tape is our specialty.” He winks, then jovially slaps Julian on the back. “Come with me. A few of us are digging into Graham Salazar’s cigar stash. You should join us.”
“I’d love to.” Smoothing the lines of his shirt, he steps away from me, exuding all the confidence and poise I’ve come to expect from him.
“Chris, you should join us, as well.”
Christopher’s dark eyes widen. He drops his hold on Sadie, joining Julian and Clinton.
“Great to meet you, Guinevere,” Clinton offers with a smile.
“Likewise.” My gaze shifts from him to Julian. We haven’t finished our conversation about the unexpected fireworks display earlier. Maybe it’s for the best. Maybe it’s one of those things we shouldn’t discuss, that we should just forget happened. “You boys enjoy those cigars.”
Clinton tips his imaginary hat, then turns, leading Julian and Christopher away from the verandah.
When the men are out of sight, Sadie winks. “That never would have happened if you weren’t here.”
“What do you mean?”
“My uncle. He’s great, don’t get me wrong, but he’s from a different generation. He recognizes things aren’t how they once were, but he’s still from old money. He hasn’t fully embraced this new dynamic. It shouldn’t matter if Julian were a bit of a playboy. But it does to these people. They don’t want to be associated with someone like that. So seeing him with a woman…” She shrugs. “Some of them are coming around and accepting him as someone who will be around for the foreseeable future, someone they could benefit from doing business with. They’re starting to see what I see.”
“And what do you see?” I ask, although I’m unsure I want to know the answer.
“I see a man falling hard for a fun, down-to-earth woman.”
My face reddening, I avert my gaze, looking back out over the ocean. A breeze picks up and I pull Julian’s jacket tighter around my shoulders, basking in the warmth and earthy aroma from it.
“And I see a woman living the fairy tale we all secretly hope for. Enjoy it.”
I meet her eyes, smiling a small smile. “I am.”
We remain on the verandah for a little longer, making the rounds as Sadie introduces me to even more people. After a while, I politely excuse myself, wanting to take a moment to freshen up. I feel as if my earlier indiscretions with Julian are plastered on my face, in my eyes, on my complexion.
Once my makeup is refreshed and I ensure it doesn’t appear as if I’d just had one of the best orgasms of my life, I make my way out of the bathroom and back toward the ballroom. As I skirt past dancing couples, I spy the bar and decide to make a detour before rejoining Sadie.
Approaching the counter, I catch the bartender’s eyes and order a manhattan, draping Julian’s jacket along the surface of the bar. When he places the drink in front of me, I thank him, opening my clutch to leave a tip. All I have are a few hundreds that Julian left me this morning to use for gratuity at the spa. With a shrug, I place one down. The bartender doesn’t even flinch. I surmise he must get that a lot at these kinds of parties.
“You really love those things, don’t you?” a voice comments as I take my first sip. I look over the top of my glass to see Trevor standing before me.
“It’s a step up from the Boone’s Farm we drank freshman year.”
He laughs at the memory, a boyish glint in his eyes. It reminds me of the Trevor I first met all those years ago. The one who used to paint his face red for football games. Who used to drag me out to have snowball fights during the winter. Who stood on one of the tables in the dining hall and shouted to the world, or at least a small portion of the student body of the University of Nebraska, how much he loved me.
Then his expression hardens, leaving the man he’s turned into. A serious, workaholic who bears no resemblance to the Trevor I fell in love with. Does he feel the same when he looks at me? Is that why he ended things? Did we really commit the awful crime of being too blind to realize we’d fallen out of love with each other?
“You look good, G.”
“You clean up pretty nice yourself.” Spying a piece of lint on the lapel of his tuxedo jacket, I reach for it and brush it off, an old habit. Once, it felt normal to do something like this. Now it’s different. It’s not my job anymore. I don’t want it to be my job anymore.
I raise my glass to my lips, looking around the ballroom. A few weeks ago I would have done anything to have a chance to talk to Trevor like this. Now all I can think is that I hope Julian won’t be upset I’m speaking to him, as ridiculous as that sounds.
“I mean it. You look… Wow. I barely even recognize you.”
“I could say the same about you.”
He furrows his brow. “What do you mean? I wore suits nearly every day the past few years. But you… You seem like a completely different person than I remember.”
“That’s the problem then, isn’t it?” I place my drink on the bar, squaring my shoulders. “Becau
se I’m the same exact girl I was when you broke up with me, Trevor. I haven’t changed much in the past twelve years. Sure, I may have a few more pounds and bigger breasts, but everything about me is the same. The way I sleep. The way I talk…” I trail off, my voice wavering, more out of frustration than heartache. Frustration I didn’t see the truth years ago. “The way I love. It just wasn’t enough for you.”
I’d kept my feelings locked up for years, even though I constantly advised my readers not to, that the hallmark of a solid relationship is being open and honest, that keeping your feelings hidden is simply a ticking time bomb. I did just that. I smiled and pretended to be someone I wasn’t so Trevor would love me. Nothing about our relationship was ever real. This thing I have with Julian is more real than the love I thought I shared with Trevor.
I lean toward him, my eyes fierce, the veins in my neck strained as I finally tell him exactly how I feel.
“At least now I’m with someone who thinks I am enough, who thinks I am serious enough to be with. He appreciates me, quirky sense of humor and all.” I grab Julian’s coat off the bar and turn from Trevor. I only make it a few steps before I stop, whirling around to face him once more.
“You know what? Maybe I have changed. Maybe I was tired of having to be someone I wasn’t just to make you happy. I’m done with that. Now is the time to make myself happy. And Julian makes me happier than you ever did.” My chest heaves as emotions overwhelm me. Then I lower my voice. “I’m just sorry it took me twelve years to realize this. Goodbye, Trevor.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
“Okay, tell me everything,” Chloe orders as she flies into my cubicle a little before five on Monday.
She plops onto the free chair, interrupting me from sorting through more of my scribblings about August Laurent. We exchanged several emails over the weekend, in which he revealed more information about his background. Now I’m trying to organize everything into an outline to make it easier to determine which direction to go with his story.
“Nice to see you, too,” I respond sarcastically. “Where have you been? And why are you just getting in when it’s practically time to leave?”
She smooths her hair behind her ear, avoiding my eyes, which is the Chloe tell that she’s purposefully being evasive. “This isn’t about me. This is about you. How did it go?”
I study her, unable to shake the feeling she’s keeping something from me, but I’ve been itching to see her since Julian dropped me off at her apartment yesterday afternoon. A nice surprise since I expected Reed to drive me again. When she wasn’t home, I had no option but to obsess over every little thing that happened, which resulted in the conclusion that Julian is obviously bipolar. Or, better yet, suffering from multiple personality disorder. What other explanation is there?
“Come on, Evie! Dish!”
“I don’t even know where to begin.” It’s true. It seems like a lifetime’s passed since I stepped into that chauffeured town car and was whisked off to the Hamptons for a weekend of excess and privilege.
“Start with what happened when you got there.”
I sit back in my chair as I stare into the distance, trying to collect my thoughts. “To be honest, I wasn’t sure what to expect, how Julian would act around me, considering this is just supposed to be a business relationship. But when I saw him and he saw me…” A blush builds on my cheeks as I recall the adoration in his eyes when they fell on me wearing that two-piece.
“Yeah?”
“There was a spark.”
“But…” She arches a brow, sensing there’s more.
“But every single action, every word made me question his motivation. I constantly got swept up in the moment and believed it was all real, only to be reminded it wasn’t the next minute. The entire weekend, I felt like we were on a see-saw or playing a constant game of tug-of-war. He’d have me so wrapped up in him I’d forget the reason I was there. Then he’d retreat, acting like I had some infectious disease. And at the gala…” I trail off.
“Yeah?”
“It’s just…” I fidget with my hands, still struggling with how to process what happened on the verandah during the fireworks display. Once we left the party, we hadn’t spoken of it. For the rest of the weekend, it was as if it had never happened. At first, I considered it to be a good thing. Now I’m not too sure.
“What is it, Evie?” She places her hand on my knee, her voice filled with compassion. “You know you can tell me anything.”
I blow out a breath, lifting my eyes to meet hers. “Things got a little…heated.” Butterflies flit in my stomach at the memory. “Actually, things got very heated.”
“Heated?” This catches Chloe’s attention. “Heated how?”
I chew on my lower lip, trying to find the right words.
“Come on, Evie!” she all but shrieks. “You’re a sex and dating columnist for crying out loud. This shit is what you do for a living.”
“He touched me,” I blurt out.
She waggles her brows as a slow smile builds on her mouth. “Where? Your arm?”
“You know where,” I scoff, rolling my eyes before swooning from the memory. “God, Chloe…” I squeeze my legs together. Just discussing this leaves my body desperate for more. “It was so wild, so crazy, so out of character for me.” I lower my voice, inching closer to her. “We were on the verandah. It was a little chilly, so he draped his tux jacket over my shoulders. Then he wrapped his arms around me, keeping me warm. One thing led to another and before I could stop the train from derailing, he slipped his hand under the slit of my dress and took me to pleasure town.”
She stares at me, processing my story.
“I wore this dress with a long, flowing skirt. There was so much fabric, it masked what was really going on.”
She waves me off. “I know what you were wearing.”
I blink at her. “You do?”
“Of course. Photos were all over the gossip websites as everyone tried to figure out who the mystery woman on Julian Gage’s arm was. That’s not what I’m questioning.”
“It’s not?” I ask, unsure what to think of my photo being plastered all over the Internet. I knew this would happen, but I’d been living in my fantasy world all weekend. This explains why my mother’s been trying to get in touch with me. She probably saw my picture with someone other than Trevor. I make a mental note to call her and tell her we broke up, considering I no longer have any interest in getting back together with him.
“Pleasure town, Evie?” Chloe bursts into a giggling fit. “Really? That’s what you’re going with? Did you ride his rocket all the way there, too?”
“No! There was no rocket riding. There was no rocket fondling. Hell, I never even caught a glimpse of the launch pad, although I certainly felt it.” I laugh along with Chloe. This is exactly what I needed, a few moments with one of my best friends to make sense out of the weekend.
“But he worked your…command center?”
“Did he ever. The fireworks in the sky were nothing compared to the explosions down below. He knows his way around…ground control.”
“Okay, okay.” Chloe waves her hands in front of her, tears forming in the corner of her eyes as she struggles to breathe. “You need to stop with all these spaceship references or I’ll never be able to watch Apollo 13 again, and you know how much I love Kevin Bacon.”
It takes a few minutes, but our laughter gradually wanes. When it does, she comments, “So you broke the no kissing rule.”
“What? No.”
“But you let him—”
“Explore ground control,” I interrupt with a smile.
“Find your pleasure center,” she corrects, “yet you still refuse to kiss him?”
“It worked for Julia Roberts’ character in Pretty Woman.”
“Actually, it didn’t. She still ended up falling for Edward.”
“Because she kissed him. I haven’t kissed Julian; ergo, I won’t fall for him.”
She assesses me
with her analytical stare, then states, “Are you sure you haven’t already?”
“I’m not sure of anything, Chloe,” I admit after a pause. “All I do know is being with Julian made me realize I haven’t been true to myself. I put on an act for Trevor so he’d love me. You were right. I shouldn’t waste my time on someone who doesn’t appreciate me for me. And Julian does. He makes me happy, makes me feel beautiful. Even if it’s only for a few months, it’ll be worth it.”
Her eyes brimming with enthusiasm, she wraps her arms around me, planting a kiss on my temple. “I’m happy for you. Don’t think about the future. Have fun. Live in the moment. Let Julian explore your command center until he has all its functions worked out properly. Hell, maybe you can even play on his launch pad.”
I laugh, this entire conversation bordering on ridiculous, but in a way that makes me feel incredibly grounded in reality.
Pulling away, she holds me at arm’s length, her eyes trained on mine. “You’ve always been a planner, and I love that about you. Your obsession with planning out every second of every day with stickers and notes is quirky and adorable and what makes Evie…Evie.” She drops her hold on me, then continues. “I’ll admit, I was skeptical of this arrangement at first, since I know how you are, but now… I don’t know. You’re...different. I like this side of Evie. You’re confident and self-assured.”
I give her a sanctimonious look. “I’ve always been confident and self-assured. Need I remind you I got up in front of an entire bar a few weeks ago and told them all about my embarrassing breakup?”
“That doesn’t make you confident and self-assured. All that evidences is the fact you’ve been screaming for someone to notice you because Trevor never did. Now someone finally has. So who cares if nothing comes out of this? Stop making plans for the future. Enjoy the ride.” She pulls me closer again.
“On his rocket ship,” I add, then we both burst out laughing.
“Come on,” Chloe says when she sees it’s after five. “Izzy’s off today. Let’s all go surprise Nora at the yoga studio and hijack one of her classes.”