“I guess this is goodbye for now,” she said to him sorrowfully as they stood together outside of her apartment building. “Good luck with your company and New York. Enjoy yourself. I mean it.”
He looked at her and she thought she saw the faint glimmer of a tear in his eye. “This isn’t goodbye,” he said. “It’s farewell. I’ll be back here to visit with you before you even know it. And next time won’t be as big of a surprise.”
She smiled at him, tears in her own eyes now. “But you admit that it will still be a surprise.”
Ashton nodded. “Only because I know you like surprises. Good surprises.”
They threw their arms around each other and gave each other the biggest hug they possibly could. Then Becca turned around and went into her building, too emotional to look back and see what he might be doing. She had a feeling that he waited until she was safely inside, so he could get one last look at her as she was walking away.
I’m going to wonder if I should have turned back to look at him until the next time I see him, Becca thought, letting herself cry now that she was out of his sight. But at least that’s a better thing for me to be regretting than the last time he left.
As soon as she got back into her apartment, she changed into some pajamas and lay there in her bed, trying to will herself to fall asleep. It was impossible for her to sleep now that there was nothing for her to look forward to. Tomorrow was going to be back to business as usual, only now, she was going to be missing him and thinking about him with renewed fervor. Like all of those years had melted away and she was back to being a sad teenager, finding out too late that he wasn’t going to be there with her anymore.
I don’t even want to tell my friends, she thought despondently. They’ll only feel bad for me. And I’m sure they already know that he won’t be here much longer.
The only solace was that the internet existed now, so they’d be able to keep tabs on each other through Facebook and texting. But that was a far cry from being able to hold his hand or hug him. And the saddest thing to her was that she didn’t even begrudge him for going back to New York. She still just wished that she was going with him, too!
Chapter Eleven
He said he wasn’t going to reschedule his flight a second time and he meant it. As soon as Ashton got back to his parents’ house, he carefully packed up his things into his suitcase so he would be able to go and catch his private jet the following afternoon. His mother was tearful when she saw him getting everything ready to go, and his dad’s stoicism had returned in the face of his son leaving again. “Don’t forget that you promised to visit more often,” his mom said to him the night before his flight.
“I won’t forget,” Ashton vowed. “I have several reasons to come back now.”
His mom was tickled to hear him say that. He had a feeling he knew one of the main reasons… But he didn’t want to go into it right now. He was feeling quite a few emotions about it at the moment.
It wasn’t a great shock to find out that Becca had been hurt when he left town. Anyone with a soul would have noticed the sad way she’d looked when he gave her the news that he was leaving, and anyone with eyes could see that she still carried a lot of that sadness and that doubt with her to this day. But one thing he’d been surprised to learn was that she also felt envious that he got to leave the small town and seek his fortune elsewhere. Becca had always struck him as small town girl who embraced the vibe that Meridian gave off. It was a shock to realize that it wasn’t at all the way she actually saw herself.
I wish we’d stayed in touch, he thought as he lay in bed that final night. If I had only known, maybe I could have helped her get away, too. Instead of her becoming sort of stuck in a rut.
She’d always been such a smiley, happy-go-lucky girl in his memories. He knew that he’d shared his dreams for the future with her, so they couldn’t have possibly caught her off guard. But perhaps it was more in his handling of things. Becca clearly hadn’t anticipated him just running off right away. Perhaps they could have planned things out together. That’s what people in relationships did, they did things together.
Ashton was glad that he’d grown up in that regard. He knew what he’d done was wrong, and now he thought that he knew of a way to fix the situation.
The following morning, he had breakfast with his parents in the kitchen before taking Skipper for a walk. The dog was much improved compared to when Ashton had first arrived back in town, and he was so grateful to know that he wasn’t going to have to say goodbye to him for hopefully another few years. His parents knew how to take care of the beagle now, and he trusted them to do a good job.
“He’s going to miss you, Son,” his dad told him. “We all are.”
Ashton shook his dad’s hand and then they gave each other a half hug. “I’ll come back to visit. I promise I’ll be better about that.”
He gave his mom a farewell hug, too, and then before he knew it he was packing his things back up into the trunk of a waiting limo and on his way to the airport.
“We’re going to be making one pit stop first, though,” he said to his driver.
The chauffeur nodded his head, not even questioning that. There was more than enough time for Ashton to catch his flight. The car drove to Meridian Animal Hospital, just as he’d requested. As soon as the car was stopped out front, Ashton stepped out and then into the place, his eyes darting around in search of Becca.
He spotted her standing behind the reception counter, looking through some charts on plastic clipboards. Instead of just going up to her and trying to engage her in conversation like a normal person, Ashton cleared his throat a bit. And then he started to sing a random rendition of a song he knew.
“Doctor Rebecca, doc of pets
How do you like your job so far?
Doctor Rebecca, best of vets
What a kind and caring vet you are…”
Becca looked up from the charts as soon as she heard his voice and he could see her blushing before he’d finished the first line of his song. He grinned at her and she set aside the charts, coming closer to him so they could talk, the counter still between them.
“What are you doing here?” she asked him, smoothing some wayward strands of hair behind her ear.
Ashton knew that so many people were watching them now. “I was on my way to the airport when I realized that there was no reason that only I should get to go to New York,” he said. “I really want you to come and be there with me.”
Her mouth fell open. “What?”
“We could try to do this long distance,” he conceded. “We could give that a go and I’m sure that it would be fine. But now I know that what you’d really like is to be given the same opportunity as me. You don’t have to decide right away. And you don’t have to worry about how you’re going to pay for it. I promise to help you however much you want me to. But I want you to be there with me. I want to see you experiencing all the things that I love about New York. Because you make every experience that much better.”
Becca was looking at him with tears in her eyes now. She appeared as if she didn’t know what to say, which Ashton took as her just being incredibly touched.
“Also, I wanted to make sure that I saw you again before I took off,” he added. “We’ll be in touch, okay? Take your time and think about it. I’ll be waiting for your answer.”
He turned to leave and he could hear the sound of the top of the counter being moved so that Becca could step through it. She suddenly appeared behind him, tapping him on the shoulder. Ashton turned around and she gave him a kiss.
It wasn’t anything crazy that could get her in trouble at work, but it was such a sweet and soft kiss that it still sent shockwaves through him. He wrapped his arms around her for a moment as they locked eyes and then he let her go so she could get on with her work and he could get back in his limo for the airport.
All throughout the flight, Ashton couldn’t stop thinking about what he’d done. He hoped that Becca would accept
his invitation and come be with him in New York. I know that it’s a lot to ask, but if it’s something that she wants, then she has the power to make it a reality. Just like I did.
She was going to have to give up working in the animal hospital. From the sound of it, she didn’t really enjoy working there all that much. She loved what she did, but the fact that she was so tied to Meridian was making her wish that she could do somewhere else and enjoy new things. He didn’t know if New York would really be the answer to all of her longing, but he thought that she could at least live there for a while and see how she felt about it. Plus, if she moved there, they could give their relationship the second chance that it deserved.
He told himself not to get his hopes up too much, and in time while he was still in the air, he was thinking about other things like work and how nice it was going to be to go back to the social club and see his friends there. Now that he was on his way home, he realized that he really missed his friends and he even missed the office and Alexa. It was going to take him some time to get back into the swing of things, but he was actually looking forward to it. He could go right back to being the control freak that all of his employees knew and loved.
As soon as his private jet landed, his limo driver was waiting for him on the tarmac and was helped into the backseat of the car, along with his suitcase. He’d definitely left New York thinking that this was going to be short and sweet trip but now it had been about a month and it felt new and exciting to be back home again.
“Thank goodness you’re back,” Alexa texted him as soon as his plane had landed. “Do you have any idea how difficult it is to go into an investor meeting when you have no idea what they’re going to be talking about? Because that was me for nearly three weeks!”
“It’s okay, Alexa,” he replied. “Everyone knows that you’re my assistant. No one expected you to be a miracle worker. But close, of course. I hope you told them I was going to be back at work on Thursday.”
Ashton wondered if he’d been too hasty, thinking that he could just hop right back into work the day after he landed back in the city, but he was nothing if not a go-getter.
He rode the limo back to his ranch house in Scarsdale and as soon as he was home, he passed out in his comfortable, downy bed. Meridian was a great little town, but it certainly didn’t have beds like his.
The alarm went off far too early the following morning. He rolled over in his bed, trying his best to plug his ears and protect them from that assault. Before he’d gone on his vacation, he’d been on the road towards becoming a morning person, but things were so easy going in his hometown that he’d easily slid back into his old ways. That, coupled with his new caffeine rules, meant that he’d been sleeping on Meridian time and not New York time. His housekeeper essentially had to drag him from his bed and thrust an outfit into his hands before he was ready to actually get a move on.
When he arrived in his office building, Alexa was there to place a to-go cup of coffee in his hand and give him a bit of a briefing before his first meetings.
“Good morning, sir,” she greeted him. “You look terrible. This coffee should help.”
Ashton took a swig and then practically retched. It tasted more like fuel than coffee. He didn’t want to complain about it, though. After all, she’d gone out of her way to go get it for him even earlier than he’d been there to receive it.
She smiled slightly at her handiwork. “No sugar or milk,” she explained. “It tastes like rocket fuel, doesn’t it? You’ll be awake in no time.”
“Yeah, awake and in search of better coffee,” he joked. But he seriously did want to grab Starbucks as soon as he had a bit of free time during the day. Which, judging by the schedule Alexa had created for him, he wasn’t going to have much of.
He finally sat at his desk at around two p.m., overwhelmed and achy from so much sitting and looking at screens. Of course, he was now looking at yet another screen, but this one was different. This one was the fun screen. He checked his email and noticed that he had one from his friend Kevin. Apparently he knew that Ashton was back in New York now.
Please don’t forget us little people, the email said. We could really use an investor like you to help us along.
Wait, did the email say that, or was he just remembering that from their conversation?
Ashton shook his head and then gave his face some gentle slaps for good measure. I shouldn’t have come back to work so soon, he thought.
Then he noticed that there was an email from Becca in his inbox as well.
Dear Ashton,
I know that you’re back in New York and focusing on your work and everything. You told me that I could take my time getting back to you in regards to your question/invitation. I just wanted you to know that I’ve decided – I’m going to move to NYC to be closer to you and try and see if it works for my dreams as well as yours.
I really hope that your offer still stands and that you haven’t changed your mind about me. I’m sorry that I didn’t say yes right away. You caught me off-guard, mainly. How many vets get serenaded at work (and not by dogs or cats)?
Anyway, you don’t have to respond to this email. You can always text me if it’s easier. Or you can ignore this. I’m determined enough to make it there without your help. But I hope that won’t be the case.
Love,
Becca
Ashton stared at his computer monitor in disbelief for a few moments. She was coming! She was actually coming! He didn’t quite know what to do with this information at the moment. He didn’t think that he could do very much when he was feeling so tired and out of his element.
“Alexa,” he said to his assistant over the phone. “Please run and get me a venti triple shot latte.”
As soon as he had some good coffee – and a good amount of it –in him, he hit ‘reply’ on that email. He had other meetings that he could be going to, but at the moment this was a much more pressing matter.
Hey Becca,
Thank you so much for letting me know and for making a (what I think is) GREAT choice! I would be more than happy to help you with whatever you need, and you’ll find my personal assistant indispensable to you as well. Her name is Alexa and I swear, she is a godsend.
I’m so exhausted from trying to keep up with everything here. I slept almost too well last night, so work is kicking my butt now. I hope that everything is going well for you. I hope you won’t miss the animal hospital too much, but like you said, there are plenty of places for you to be a vet. You’re great at your job, so I doubt you’ll have a hard time finding work here. :)
I look forward to seeing you again soon. Let me know when you’re planning to move here so we can order a huge pizza and have a proper moving in celebration!
Love,
Ashton
He hoped he got the point across.
The work day ended and he couldn’t have been happier. As soon as he got home, he put his feet up and just lounged in front of the TV, doing his best impression of Skipper. He made a few calls to see if he could help Kevin’s tech company, putting his feelers out to see if it was doable. He knew that his friend didn’t need help so much as funding, and Ashton was indeed in the funding business, so this seemed like the perfect partnership for the two old friends.
After he took care of that, Ashton retired to his bedroom to get a solid night’s sleep. It surprised him how much of a difference there was between Meridian and New York. Going from the slower-paced town to the fast city was quite jarring.
“Two weeks!!” Becca texted him. “I gave the animal hospital my notice and they said that they’re going to put in a good word for me. I’m not surprised. They’ve always been really supportive.”
Ashton smiled at his phone. “That’s awesome,” he replied. “Of course they’re supportive of you. You spend so much of your life being a support system for so many others. Deciding to leave is a huge step. I’m really proud of you.”
He watched as the messaging app showed a bubble wit
h “…” for a long time, signifying that Becca was typing. But in the end, all she wrote was “Thanks. I’ll see you soon!”
It wasn’t like her to keep things from him, but he got the feeling that there was a lot more that she wanted to say to him than just ‘thanks, see you soon.’ He figured that she would just talk to him about it when they were together. Then again, the bright lights of the big city might make her forget what it was she was going to talk to him about. He hoped that it wasn’t something bad.
He texted Alexa to let her know that Becca was going to be moving to NYC and they needed her help with those arrangements. It wasn’t often that a personal assistant ended up helping out her boss’s girlfriend as well, but he knew that Alexa would be able to handle the extra burden. She had a lot of good apps and people at her disposal in order to make things happen, so he knew that Becca would be in good hands.
Ashton went to bed early that night, feeling like a bit of a loser for retiring so early in the city that doesn’t sleep. But at least he lived in the ritzy suburbs so it didn’t quite count. People knew the importance of quiet and rest in Scarsdale. That was why the place was perfect for a ranch like he had. You can take me out of Colorado, but you can’t take the Coloradoan out of me, he thought with a smile as he closed his eyes and fell fast asleep.
Now that he knew that his girlfriend – he didn’t have to think of her as his ex anymore – was coming to be with him in New York, Ashton could sleep better. He hoped that he hadn’t talked things up too much. Things weren’t going to be easy for her there, at least not at first. But she seemed to be a hard enough worker with enough stamina to pull through.
It’s kind of funny, he thought. I promised Mom and Dad that I’d be coming back to visit for a few reasons, but now one of those reasons is coming to me instead.
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