by Tia Siren
“What, like your soulmate?” Landon said with a grin, his blue eyes squinting with the motion.
I shrugged. “Maybe. I know you don’t believe me, but there was a connection. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve thought about her since that night.”
“Uh, you don’t have to. You’ve already told me. A lot,” he quipped.
“It’s unexplainable. It’s like knowing you like chocolate, or knowing you shouldn’t walk down a dark alley,” I said.
Landon laughed, his brown hair falling over his forehead. “I have no idea what the hell you’re talking about. Of course I like chocolate. Who doesn’t? And everyone knows you don’t go in a dark alley.”
I nodded, still struggling to get my point across. “That’s what I mean. You just know. I just know she is the one. My head, heart, and brain know it. I hate that I let her go that day without getting her name. I was so convinced one night was all I’d ever want. Dammit! I was so wrong.”
“No leads?” he asked, referring to the private investigator I’d hired a couple years ago to track her down.
“No. I wanted there to be, but I knew it was a longshot. How could there be? I think the PI thinks I’m a nutcase. I doubt he’s even actually looking. That rational side of me knows it’s futile. He’s talked to every person who was on the guest list that night. None of them are her or know who she was,” I said, acknowledging that the angst of not knowing was the most difficult.
“Why her?” Landon asked. “You have probably, very literally, been with at least a hundred women since her. You’ve met at least twice that many. I don’t even remember seeing this girl of yours and I was there. She was forgettable.”
I glared at him. “She was anything but forgettable. You didn’t see her or talk to her or kiss her.”
He laughed. “No, I didn’t. If I had, this would be a very different conversation.”
I smiled. Just thinking about her tended to make me do that. “She’s gorgeous, but it wasn’t just her looks. I’ll admit that’s what drew me in at first. The way she filled out that dress…” I closed my eyes, recalling the image I had been relying on for the last four years.
“There are plenty of beautiful women,” Landon pointed out. “Just look behind me. They’re everywhere.”
I nodded. “Yes, but it was something else about her. She was smart and sassy. She wasn’t like the other women that flock to those balls. She wasn’t there to be seen or get her picture taken with someone famous or rich. She seemed out of her element, but cool with it, relaxed and ready to go with the flow,” I said, thinking about the woman who had captivated me.
Landon didn’t seem impressed. “Okay. Again, not so unique.”
I thought about our night together but refrained from telling him about that part. Those dirty details were mine to cherish. I didn’t want to share.
“She wasn’t impressed by me in the least,” I finally admitted.
Landon hooted. “Well, shit! That makes her one in a million.”
“She didn’t know who I was. At least I don’t think she did. If she did, she didn’t let on. Hell, she told me to get lost at least ten times,” I said, smiling at the memory. “The very fact that she didn’t ask for my number or want to hook up again means she didn’t go to bed with me for the money or my name. She went with me,” I said, remembering how good it had felt to have a woman want me for me and not anything I could offer.
“Maybe she’s married and just wanted a one-night thing,” Landon pointed out.
I shook my head. “Nope. She had just broken up with her boyfriend.”
“You were the revenge sex.”
Again, I shook my head. “I don’t think so. She wasn’t eager at first.”
He rolled his eyes. “But you convinced her otherwise.”
I laughed. “Damn straight I did. I’m irresistible.”
“Then don’t you find it odd she’s vanished into thin air? Maybe you are more resistible than you think.”
“Or maybe she has been pining for me too but doesn’t know who I am or how to find me,” I suggested. “Maybe we’re star-crossed lovers,” I said, feeling like a total sap.
“Good God Almighty! You’ve really lost your mind.”
I chuckled. “You’ll never understand.”
“Good,” he said, sipping his drink. “You know, she could have been one of those party crashers.”
“What do you mean?” I asked, noticing a woman walking toward us. I looked away, effectively shutting down her approach.
“There are people who crash parties all the time. They do it for the free food and drink. Or there’s a chance she was a professional girl,” he said, waggling his brows.
“Shut the fuck up!” I growled. “She wasn’t a hooker.”
Landon burst into laughter and held up his hands. “Testy, testy. Fine, she wasn’t a professional, but I think you have to admit she wasn’t invited. That means she isn’t in our social circle and was probably crashing the party to see how the other half partied.”
I hated how snobby he could be. “If you remember, the ball was to raise funds for the poorer areas of the city and people from those neighborhoods were invited.”
He shrugged. “So she’s one of them.”
The way he said the words pissed me off, but I wasn’t going to mention it. Landon had been born into a wealthy family. He had no idea what it was like to struggle to pay rent or figure out if you wanted to buy groceries or pay the electric bill. Poor or working-class people weren’t a subgroup of humans, like Landon and so many of his counterparts thought. I appreciated every dollar I had, every one of the billions, but I had vowed long ago to never become like Landon in that regard. He was my best friend, but he could really be a snob at times.
“Will you please take that woman home or tell her to get lost?” I grumbled. “She keeps looking over here like she wants to eat you alive. It’s kind of creeping me out,” I muttered under my breath.
Landon turned to look back at the woman he had been flirting with earlier. He was smiling when he turned back to me. “Are you good? Can I trust you’ll make it out of here in one piece? There are a lot of hungry ladies out there wanting a little piece of Tyler Case. Is your security around?”
Rolling my eyes, I replied. “No, they’re not around.” My voice sounded irritated even to myself.
I had security all over my house and occasionally had them with me. I hadn’t realized how intrusive people could be once they thought they knew you because your face was on the cover of a few magazines or you gave a few speeches. I had worked hard to keep a low profile ever since a minor scare in the early years of my wealth. I had been mugged simply for looking rich and being in the wrong place at the wrong time. I had been arrogant and cocky back then.
I was still a little arrogant and probably a little cocky, but I had humbled myself and toned down the blatant expressions of wealth.
“I’m going to take off. I’ll catch up with you Monday,” Landon said, throwing down a hundred-dollar bill for his two drinks before heading over to the woman devouring him with her eyes.
The waitress came by and quickly picked up her generous tip. She had been waiting on us for months and we had come to be on somewhat familiar terms with her. She never tried to flirt and was always kind. Landon had a reputation for paying for a single drink with a hundred. Everyone thought he was being generous. It was more due to the fact that he only carried hundred-dollar bills and hated waiting around for the change.
“Can I get you another?” the waitress asked, looking at my nearly empty drink.
I looked down at my glass and shrugged. “Sure. Thank you.”
She smiled and headed off to fetch another bourbon that I wasn’t interested in drinking. I watched the room, looking for a woman who would help fill the hole my mystery lady had left.
The waitress returned with my drink. “The woman in the red dress bought this for you,” she said, nodding her head. “I told her you would refuse, but she insisted
.”
I looked up, saw the woman staring me down, and gave her a quick nod of my head. “You’re right,” I told the waitress, quickly checking her nametag, “Kendra. I’m going to go. I appreciate you taking such good care of us,” I told her with a genuine smile.
“Anytime, Mr. Case.” She smiled. “I’ll just take this back over there.”
I nodded my head, stood, and walked out of the bar. I had to find that woman. I wasn’t sure I would ever truly feel whole if I didn’t. Maybe I’d find her and realize it wasn’t what I thought it was. Then, at least, I could move on with my life.
“The car’s over here, sir,” my driver, Alex, said, grabbing my attention.
“How’s the wife?” I asked him.
He smiled. “She’s cranky as hell,” he said, his happiness obvious. “She’s got another six weeks to go, but she says she’s ready to have the baby now.”
I laughed. “I would suggest you keep her happy with ice cream and whatever else she demands.”
Alex bobbed his head as he opened the back door of the black town car. “I do. Trust me, I do. I’m stopping at the store before I go home tonight and getting another gallon.”
I climbed in the car, thinking about Alex and what he had. I made sure the man was paid well. He was loyal and had been with me for nearly ten years. I considered him a friend. I had been in the man’s wedding and gotten to sit back and watch from the sidelines as his life changed and evolved for the better. I was a little jealous of him.
Chapter Two
Emily
I unlocked the door to my two-bedroom apartment, kicking it open with my foot while juggling the bag of groceries and my purse in one hand and holding on to Tommy’s little hand with the other.
Tommy dropped my hand and walked inside our tiny home with tired old furnishings made even gloomier by the single window in the living room. I hated the apartment, but it was all I could afford, and the neighborhood was relatively safe.
“Can I, Mom?” Tommy asked again.
I sighed. “Buddy, I’m not sure yet. I know you think daycare is boring, but you are learning some new things,” I said.
“No, I’m not,” he whined, flopping down on our ugly brown sofa.
“You’re three. You don’t need to learn everything today,” I said dryly.
My son was smart. Too smart. His pediatrician had told me early on he was an advanced learner and I would need to keep him busy. I had tried. I had bought books at the secondhand store for him to fill his little mind with, but they were old. He wanted more. I wanted to give him more, but I also had to work to keep a roof over our heads. Waitressing didn’t exactly pull in the big bucks.
“I’m so bored!” he wailed.
I rolled my eyes. I had heard the same phrase every day, several times a day, for weeks. The kid was three, but he talked as if he were at least twice that.
“Okay. Tomorrow after work, I’ll buy you some workbooks,” I promised him.
He popped his head over the couch. “You will?”
“Yes. Now go pick up those toys in your room while I make dinner.”
I unpacked the few things I had picked up to make spaghetti for dinner. I hated that Tommy was bored. One of the well-meaning daycare workers had told me about a preschool for gifted kids. She was convinced it would be perfect for Tommy next year. The only problem was, it cost a small fortune and it was on the other side of the city. The commute through the San Francisco streets would take at least an hour. I had thought about it a great deal. I wanted him to have the chance to learn with the brightest in the city, but that came at a high price. They did offer scholarships to a select few. I was embarrassed to try. If I could figure out how to get him there five days a week and get back to the other side of town to work, I would swallow my pride and apply.
“Mom!” Tommy shouted from his room.
“What?” I hollered back.
“Where’s my dog book?”
I sighed. The kid was always misplacing that book. He loved the book. It was about a dog that went on some grand adventure. He couldn’t read the words yet, but he knew the story well enough that he liked to think he could.
“Look by your bed,” I told him, knowing he had probably gotten out of bed last night and looked at it after I’d put him down for the night.
Four years ago, I never would have imagined my days would be filled with finding things for a small human. Socks, favorite toys, shoes, and pajamas seemed to magically disappear, and only a mother with mother powers could find the things. I smiled while thinking about my absent-minded son and wondered if it was a trait he had inherited from his father. If I knew his father’s name, I could ask for a little child support and possibly afford that preschool.
“Mom, can you read me the book?” Tommy asked, plopping the hardcover book on the minimal amount of counter space I had in the kitchen.
“Not right now. I need to finish dinner. After dinner, we can read it,” I said.
He sighed and watched me for a few more minutes. “How about a couple pages,” he said, pushing the book toward me and knocking over the full open jar of spaghetti sauce.
“Tommy!” I shrieked, quickly righting the jar. “I said after dinner! Now look. You’ve got sauce all over the counter and your book,” I said with frustration.
I grabbed the book and quickly wiped it off before smacking it down on the small table in the kitchen. We weren’t so lucky to have a dining room.
Tommy started crying and walked out of the kitchen, heading for his room. I wiped up the spilled sauce, trying to calm my anger. I had overreacted. It was only a couple tablespoons of sauce. It wasn’t a big deal.
“Dammit,” I muttered.
Being a single mom was hard. I’d never expected it to be easy, but some days, even the simplest things were so much harder, like making a cheap and easy spaghetti dinner. Most days, I felt like I was on the verge of tears, like now. I could feel the tears welling and was pissed at myself for wanting to cry. There were millions of single mothers. I wasn’t the only one dealing with the struggle.
A knock on the door pulled me out of my pity party. I already knew who it was.
I wiped the tears, took a deep breath, and put on my best cheery smile. “Hi!” I greeted Sarah.
“Uh oh, what happened?” she said the moment she saw my face.
My shoulders slumped forward, and I gave up my ruse. “Just another happy day in the Preston house,” I mumbled.
Tommy came running out of his room. “Aunt Sarah!” he squealed.
“Hey, squirt. How are you?”
“I’m okay.” He sneaked a looked at me. “Mom’s mad.”
“She is?” Sarah asked with exaggerated astonishment.
Tommy slowly nodded his head.
“I’m not mad,” I said. “I’m sorry I yelled at you. Now go wash up. Dinner will be done in a couple minutes.”
Tommy ran toward the bathroom.
Sarah looked at me. “Long day?”
I shrugged. “They all are. It was nothing. He wanted me to read him the book, and when he pushed it onto the counter, he spilled the spaghetti sauce.”
She nodded her head. “You’ll be happy to know I brought wine,” she said with a smile, pulling a bottle out of her monstrous purse.
“Oh God above, you are really my best friend now.”
She giggled. “I know. Now, let’s get you a glass ASAP.”
She poured a couple glasses while I finished dinner. Tommy sat at the table, his feet swaying back and forth with his chin resting in his hands. I watched him and felt so much love for him, my heart nearly burst. He had my green eyes and brown hair that could have been mine or his dad’s, but the shape of his face and those eyes with dark lashes were all his daddy. I had a feeling the brains came from his father as well. I was more of an artsy person, not so much book smart. I loathed math.
“Dinner’s ready,” I announced, setting the bowl of spaghetti and meatballs on the table.
I dished up Tomm
y’s plate before getting my own. Tommy carried the conversation throughout dinner, telling Sarah all about the books he was learning to read and my promise to get him workbooks the following day. She listened intently, smiling and praising him.
“It’s time for you to get in the tub,” I told him, earning a groan.
He may have been a little baby genius, but he was still a typical boy in many ways and dreaded baths.
I returned to the living room after getting him bathed and dressed in pajamas. He was playing a bit before bed, which gave me time to chat with Sarah.
“So, why were you short with him today?” she asked. “And don’t tell me nothing, because I can see you’re stressed about something.”
I sighed before taking a long drink from my wine glass. “Leo came by the restaurant today.”
Sarah groaned. “Let me guess: He’s single and wants to work things out with you.”
I laughed. “Yep. I hate when he gets dumped. He won’t leave me alone. I can’t believe, after all these years, he actually thinks I would want anything to do with him. His beer belly has grown exponentially. He is still bouncing from job to job.”
“And?” she gently prodded.
“And what?”
“Something else has you worked up.”
I shook my head. “I really want to get Tommy into that school. It would be so good for him. I think I have to accept the fact that I’m never going to find his father. I’m on my own.”
“Don’t give up yet,” she said with a smile. “You always find what you’re looking for when you stop looking. He’ll show up one of these days.”
I groaned. “When Tommy’s eighteen probably.”
“What about a scholarship?”
I nodded. “I know, and I will apply, but I still need to figure out the logistics. I dread the part about his father’s information. Gee, I don’t know who he is. I mean I know who he is, but I don’t know his name or where he lives in the world,” I said sarcastically.
Sarah laughed. “Just say he died. Leave it at that.”
“Who died?” Tommy asked, coming into the room.