Can't Resist You (Second Chance Diaries Book 3)

by Emma Vikes

  Opening the fridge, I opened a can of beer and downed half of its content immediately, desperate for anything to calm my nerves. I tried to relax on the couch, wanting to ease my nerves but when my phone vibrated again, it still startled me. I thought it’d be Ansel calling but I was surprised to see Taylor’s name flashing on the screen. “Hello?”

  “Oh, I’m glad you answered my call,” she said with amusement in her tone, “I got off work early and found out you’d already headed home. I bought Subway sandwiches and a pack of beer. I’m on my way to your place. Is it okay to drink with Sage around?”

  I couldn’t help but smile. “She’s with Joanne at the bakery.”

  “Alright. I’ll see you in five.”

  True to her words, Taylor arrived after five minutes with sandwiches and a pack of beer.

  I welcomed her in my small apartment. “What do I owe this visit?”

  Taylor placed the food on the small coffee table and sprawled down on the floor. “I was worried about you. I found out that after talking with Alice and Doug, they dismissed you before your shift ended.”

  I sat cross-legged next to her as I took a bite of the sandwich, closing my eyes and savoring the taste. It was only then when I realized I hadn’t eaten lunch because I never got to have any of the takeout Ansel had provided for our lunch. “They didn’t yell at me or anything but they were clear that they were disappointed with me. I think that felt a lot worse than them yelling at me, to be honest.”

  Taylor placed a comforting hand on my arm. “Is it okay to ask you where you were?”

  I set the sandwich back on the table then downed the first beer I opened. Next, I popped open another one. Taking in a deep breath, I knew I had to tell someone the truth. Taylor had already been suspicious about Ansel and me and there was no point trying to make an excuse. I couldn’t even come up with one anyway. “I was with Ansel.”

  Her eyes widened and excitement showed on her face as she reached both hands and placed them on my shoulders. “Oh my god! I knew it! I knew it! I knew there was something going on between you two! Oh god, oh my god, congratulations!”

  I couldn’t understand why she was congratulating me but I didn’t bother asking why. Instead, I took a gulp out of my beer again.

  Taylor immediately stilled as she stared at me. “I’m right here next to you, completely elated at the fact that my ship is sailing. But you seem to be drowning your sorrows in beer. Is it because of the food critic?”

  Shaking my head, I bit my lower lip and sighed. The food critic was the least of my worries. “It’s something Alice said that bothers me. She knows there’s something between Ansel and me. She said that she thought I would be able to balance my personal life and my career.”

  Taylor nodded her head, understanding what I meant. “And why does that bother you so much?”

  For a moment, I wondered if confessing my doubts to Taylor would be safe for me to do. She had no idea of my history with Ansel like Joanne and Giselle did. But Taylor could offer a fresh perspective. Sometimes, Joanne and Giselle were clouded by their own anger at Ansel for hurting me as they had actually been present when he had hurt me all those years back. Maybe it’d be nice to hear it from someone who only heard the story and did not witness my pain.

  “Ansel and I dated eight years ago,” I began.

  Taylor’s eyes widened even more, her mouth opening in shock.

  “And he cheated on me, so that’s why we broke up.”

  Taylor nodded her head in understanding. “That’s why you were cold to him in the beginning.”

  “I had every intention of staying away from him,” I told Taylor, “but Ansel managed to weasel his way into my heart again.”

  “They say it’s impossible to ignore someone you loved,” Taylor told me with a kind smile, “because even when things had ended between you two, your heart still fondly remembers how it felt to love him.”

  I closed my eyes as I sighed. Pulling my knees to my chest and resting my chin on them. “I had handed in a resignation letter in the beginning. With Ansel’s advances, I knew I couldn’t work in a hotel he owned, wherein he could have his way with me and use his power to do so. But he stopped me from resigning and promised that we’d be professionals over the situation. But I had lowered my guard down earlier and looked what happened,” I said with another sigh. “Maybe Alice is right. Maybe I’m incapable of balancing my personal life and career. Maybe I really can’t work under the same roof with Ansel. Things will only get messy for both of us.”

  Taylor placed a hand on my shoulder. “Maybe you’re overthinking things, Maia. You didn’t expect the food critic to come. No one knew he was coming. And it’s never a crime to follow your heart and give in to your desires. Granted, you’ve learned your lesson not to make the same mistake twice. But do not let one situation define what’s going on between you two.”

  Not to make the same mistake twice.

  For some reason, her words spoke to me loudly, giving me the clarity I needed. After Ansel broke my heart eight years ago and after hearing him say such things about me, I knew it was my mistake for letting him have my heart. Ansel had the ability to hurt me and I might not be able to handle him hurting me again.

  What made things different this time was Sage. Letting Ansel back in meant that the truth would soon unfold and if it did, Ansel might not want to do anything with us. He was at the peak of his career and his life was headed in the direction he wanted. Despite how close he was with Sage, I was certain he wasn’t ready to be a father.

  Ansel hadn’t prepared such a responsibility and because of that, I was afraid it might hurt Sage if he walked away. But if it was the other way around and I walked away, from him Sage would understand. I didn’t necessarily have to tell her the entire reason, she had been fine before he came into her life and she would be fine again.

  After Taylor left, I opened my laptop, clicking on the file I had written a few months ago. I edited the file over and over, writing the same words again and again but deleting each change right after. I spent nearly an hour working on it until I was finally satisfied then I opened my email and sent it respectively to Alice, Doug, and even to Ansel.

  Tomorrow, I would not be going back to Onyx Shrine. My resignation was meant to take effect immediately.

  21

  Ansel

  I’ve tried calling Maia over and over again ever thirty minutes after she left the penthouse but she hadn’t been answering any of my calls. I hadn’t gone down to my office yet since there wasn’t anything much for me to do and Joey would still inform me if there was. I stayed in the penthouse, pacing around the living room, hoping Maia would answer my call.

  Yet each time I called her, she immediately rejected it.

  The whole thing was sending me an unsettling feeling, making me anxious about ‘us.’ I knew we’d crossed a line earlier and wanted to believe it was the reassurance I’d needed. I wanted to believe Maia was willing to be with me again, wholeheartedly and with no hesitations. But given how she rejected my offer to help her before she left, I felt like we were suddenly back to square one.

  In a sudden panic, I rushed down to Alice and Doug’s office.

  Alice and Doug looked up when I came in.

  Doug sighed when he saw me. “Are you here to defend your girlfriend?”

  “She did nothing wrong,” I said almost instantly in response, “I was the one who distracted her and asks her to come and meet me. Maia was adamant that we kept things professional at work but I couldn’t help myself and I missed her. I wanted to see her even if it would only be for a little bit. And then we just…we lost track of time.”

  Alice removed her glasses and gave me a pointed look. “Did Maia ask you to come here and apologize on her behalf?”

  I pursed my lips and then shook my head. “No, she didn’t.”

  She nodded. “Then why are you here?”

  My eyebrows furrowed at her question. “Because I’m the one you should be mad at, no
t her. Maia didn’t do anything wrong. I was the one who kept her distracted and made her sneak out. You shouldn’t reprimand her.”

  “We only had her finish her shift early, Ansel,” Doug informed me. “We didn’t fire her or suspend her. The review isn’t even up yet, so we can’t reprimand her until then.”

  “Don’t. Look, I’ll do something to fix everything if the review is bad but don’t make Maia suffer because of my mistake.”

  “You’re already supposed to be the one fixing things because you’re the CEO. It’s your hotel that suffers anyway but I don’t think Maia will appreciate you stepping in for her.”

  I remembered how Maia had vehemently stopped me from doing anything earlier. “Then don’t tell her.”

  Alice sighed and looked at me levelly. “Even if I don’t, she’ll figure it out, Ansel. I think you’ve already forgotten how she nearly resigned from her position because of your relentless advances. Maia’s a strong and independent single mother, I don’t think she wants to be seen as a damsel in distress.”

  “I only want to help.”

  Alice nodded and gave me an understanding smile. “I know but only help her when she asks you to, not when you think you need to.”

  I rubbed my hand over my face in frustration when my phone rang. I thought it might be Maia but it was Joey, asking me where I was because I wasn’t in the penthouse anymore. I told him I’d meet him at the office. As I headed there, my mind still remained occupied by thoughts for Maia. I wondered what she was doing or how she felt. I needed to know.

  I needed to see her.

  “What is it?” I asked Joey as soon as I came in, sitting down on my chair. My hands still fiddling with my phone as I constantly called Maia’s number from time to time.

  “I know that everything is suddenly stressful and hectic after the whole incident with the food critic but you’re still scheduled to go to the opening of Shaun Ander’s club.”

  I waved a hand at that. “Send him something to congratulate him for the opening. I need to see Maia.”

  “It seems that you’ve forgotten that JC will be there and this is the only chance you have to meet with him here in San Francisco.”

  I squeezed my eyes tight and pinched my nose in annoyance. “Ah, shit, I’d completely forgotten about that. But wouldn’t he be opening the club late? I can still see Maia.”

  “You’re scheduled for dinner with some of the shareholders tonight too, Ansel.”

  Ah, shit. It wasn’t like I could cancel the dinner. “Shit.”

  “A piece of advice, I think it’s best to give Chef Maia some space right now. She seemed frantic and upset earlier and Taylor had mentioned to me that she would drop by Maia’s place to comfort her later.”

  In truth, I didn’t want to give Maia the space Joey was suggesting but I also knew he was right. Maia must’ve been overwhelmed by today’s events. She needed time to think and evaluate everything. I sighed, sinking deep in my seat while rubbing my temples with my hands. “Fine but I’ll see her first thing tomorrow, so clear any morning schedules that I might have.”

  Joey nodded in agreement.

  I went back to the penthouse to get ready for the dinner I was supposed to have with the shareholders of Onyx Shrine. I couldn’t help but wish the whole thing wouldn’t take much of my time. But then again, I also didn’t want to go against my word and see Maia, before she had the time to process everything.

  Dinner with the shareholders took most of my time until it ended at around nine. None of them were aware of the food critic and the blow the Seacoast took from him. If he happened to have a bad review with ours, I had to think of damage control. The only good thing about the whole situation was that there hadn’t been many reviews about us yet, because we were new.

  The downside? We were new. A bad review might slow us from rising to the top. Even with making sure the whole place was as luxurious as the popular ones, we didn’t have the same foundation as theirs. But I felt confident I could figure out a way around it and I had been informed that Doug had taken the reigns of the kitchen when Maia had stepped out.

  The food critic’s meal had been made by the head chef. As confident as I was about Maia’s skills, I was even more confident with Doug’s. Whatever review the critic had, I was certain it wouldn’t be half as bad as his review on Seacoast. So it wouldn’t be so hard for me to do damage control.

  At around eleven, I finally drove to Shaun Ander’s new club, hoping to finally meet JC but I felt slightly hesitant now. For some reason, Alice’s words kept on echoing in my mind, over and over again. I kept remembering how she told me I should only help Maia when she asked me to. Maia never asked me to meet her ex-husband. She would never ask me to tell her ex-husband to be a better dad to Sage.

  But I wasn’t solely doing this for Maia. I was doing this for Sage too. I had to remind myself of this over and over until the loud, lively music of the club drowned out my thoughts.

  I was directed to the VIP section where I immediately congratulated Shaun, “This is amazing, Shaun. You finally made your dream come true,” I teased him as I gave him a brotherly hug. Shaun was in the same fraternity with me back in college. I graduated ahead of him but he was one of the few brothers I kept in touch with.

  “I’m glad you could come, Onyx Shrine,” Shaun teased me, grinning widely. “Garrett’s actually over there. Go and join him and I’ll be there with you guys soon.”

  I really wanted to get my real business over with here but I also couldn’t just ignore Garrett’s presence. I went over and greeted him, catching up with him for a bit as I subtly looked around for JC. Joey had provided me with a picture so I knew what he looked like.

  “Are you looking for a woman to bang?” Garrett asked, downing his Jack Daniels as he stared at me with a smirk.

  I rolled my eyes. “I’d have you know that I’ve straightened out. There’s no fucking way I’ll ruin what I have now.”

  Garrett ‘ooh-ed’ at what I said. “The first time I heard you say that was when you were with Maia. The second time you mentioned her, you were mindlessly drunk and regretting letting her go.”

  I punched him on the shoulder but let out a soft exhale. “I found her again.”

  Garrett paused mid-drink and stared at me in disbelief. “No way.”

  I smiled softly, looking down. “I’m not gonna let anything ruin this ever again, Garrett. There’s no way I’ll let that happen.”

  Garrett patted me on the shoulder but we didn’t stay on that topic for long. We started talking about something else and as I looked around, I finally saw the person I came here for.

  JC had taken a seat at the bartender’s counter, seemingly in a conversation with the bartender.

  I told Garrett there was someone I wanted to meet and excused myself.

  I sat next to JC who ignored me and I ordered myself whiskey on the rocks. He didn’t seem to mind me and I decided to start on some small talk, “You’re also friends with Shaun?”

  JC turned to me when I began to speak and nodded. He raised his glass just in time for mine to arrive. “Colleagues, more like it. A colleague of mine introduced him to me and he called me up a few months ago to ask for my help in the specialty drinks he wanted to be served.”

  I pursed my lips as I sipped my drink. “You must have a thing for mixing drinks then.”

  JC shook his head and leaned away a little. “It’s more like a side interest of mine. Food will always be my main thing.”

  “So does that mean you’re a chef?” I asked, trying to sound amazed.

  He must’ve bought it because he grinned quite smugly. “JC Hale. I used to be the head chef of Juniper Leaf but resigned a few months ago to start my own restaurant in LA.” He spoke as if I should know him.

  I accepted his handshake firmly but did not introduce myself yet. “It’s a pity for San Francisco to lose you and even more for me to not have met you sooner. I’m aware of the reviews of Juniper Leaf and it’s quite a crowd favorite. It’
s the go-to restaurant for celebrities too.”

  JC’s grin only widened with my compliment. “Do you run your restaurant too or…?”

  “I own a hotel and it would’ve been great if you ran the restaurant for me but alas, we’ve met too late.”

  He looked at me curiously just then. “I’m sorry but I didn’t get your name.”

  A part of me knew when I introduced myself, he would instantly know who I was… if JC was aware of who Maia had been with before they’d met. It wasn’t unlikely that Maia would mention me and if that was the case, it meant I had to bring her up. “Ansel Moore,” I answered, trying to sound as friendly as I could.

  The moment he heard my name, his expression changed as it transformed into amusement. JC shook his head, an amused smile on his face. “Ansel Moore. Oh hell, I didn’t think I’d ever meet you!”

  My eyebrows furrowed in confusion for a moment but I didn’t let the reaction stay long for him to notice. “You know me?”

  He clasped his hands together and leaned closer. “My ex-wife is, Maia Hale… I mean, Maia Quincy. I’m sure you remember her but dude, if you don’t, it’s totally understandable. She doesn’t really stand out much.”

  The last comment made me feel slightly annoyed because he made it seem like Maia was someone who could be easily forgotten when I never forgot about her in all the years since I lost her. “Of course, I still remember her. Maia’s hard to forget. Actually, she works for me in Onyx Shrine.”

  JC’s eyes widened and he let out a rude guffaw as if I just told him the world’s funniest joke. “Oh Jesus, now I understand why you said it’s a pity for you to have met me now. The bitch can cook but she’s nowhere near Michelin level and probably never will be at that level. You just hired her because of her pretty face, didn’t you?”

  I gritted my teeth and then downed my drink to try and calm my nerves at his rude remarks. “My executive and head chefs were the ones who made the decision. I do trust them.”