My Unexpected Love: The Beaumont Series: Next Generation

by Heidi McLaughlin

  This time she laughs. “Ben and I aren’t dating.”

  “You’re not?”

  “No, I’m subletting from him.”

  As her words sink in, I try not to cry. Ben moved and didn’t tell me. Am I that big of a bitch that he’d keep something like this from me. “Oh, right. I’m sorry to bother you.” I rush back to the apartment I share with Quinn, slam the door and run to my room where I collapse onto my bed. Tears that have been building for weeks finally come to fruition and pour out of me like a faucet. He left me because I’m selfish, evil, and have made the most deplorable mistake ever.

  My door opens, and the smell of Quinn’s cologne fills my room. “What the hell is going on?” he asks, sitting down on the edge of my bed. I look at him with my tear-streaked face. His face falls and pulls me into his arms. “Talk to me, Elle.”

  “I messed up so bad, Quinn. You were right, I need help, but it’s too late because Ben’s gone.”

  “What do you mean, Ben’s gone?”

  “He moved to New York,” I say through ragged breaths. “He lied about the girl living in his apartment. He told me her name is Talia and it’s not, her name’s June, and he’s moved. He didn’t even say goodbye.” I cry louder, and Quinn’s grip on me becomes firm. He rocks me back and forth, telling me everything will be okay. But he doesn’t know that. No one does. I screwed up and lost the one person outside my family I could count on.

  “There’s more. I slept with him and acted like I didn’t remember.” My crying sounds like a wailing child who doesn’t get what they want. Typical, Elle.

  “Why did you lie to Ben?”

  I sit up and wipe away the tears and snot. “I didn’t, not at first. I honestly didn’t remember. I had so much to drink at his birthday party, and when I woke up, I was confused. My therapist says my mind blocked it out, out of fear of losing Ben, but I lost him anyway because he’s gone. What am I going to do, Quinn?”

  It’s an open-ended question. I know this. His answer could be anything sarcastic, like stop partying, drinking and doing who knows what else. The thing is, I have stopped, and I don’t know if Quinn has noticed. However, I stopped too late, and now Ben’s left me for good.

  “I can’t believe he’s dropped out of school.”

  “I know, right? That’s so unlike Ben.” And it’s unlike me to sleep around, but I did that, and now I’m paying the price.

  Quinn shakes his head. “I don’t know what you’re going to do, but wallowing isn’t going to help. Get dressed. You’re coming with me.”

  I look down at my clothes and back to him. “I am dressed.”

  “No, get, like, going out dressed. I have a gig, but I want you to hear the opening act.”

  My eyes go wide. I’m in no shape or form to go out. Not to mention, he told me he’d never hire me so why would he encourage me to listen to another band. “Quinn…”

  He stands and holds my hands. “Listen to me. I know I said some mean stuff, but I’ve seen changes in you. Big changes and so have Mom and Dad. Come with me tonight and listen to some music. It will take your mind off things. Plus, it might inspire you and remind you of what you want to do.”

  “The only thing I’m inspired to do is lie in bed and feel sorry for myself.”

  “Which is code for texting and calling Ben until he answers, right?”

  Oh, look, fuzzball. I pick at my comforter, refusing to answer Quinn. I hadn’t thought about either of those things because I don’t know what I’d say. Calling him earlier wasn’t because I wanted to talk… well, it was, but it was to see if he was home, and I wanted to hear his voice because I miss him.

  Does Ben miss me? I like to think so, but after learning what I have done, I don’t know if I’d miss me if I were him. He’s smart to ignore me, move away and do whatever else he’s doing.

  “What if Ben has a girlfriend in New York?” I ask Quinn out of the blue.

  “Random,” he says. “And what if he does?”

  I shrug.

  “Are you saying you like Ben?”

  I shrug and feel my cheeks heat up. I shouldn’t be embarrassed for liking someone, but it’s Ben, and Ben is different. Ben is… well, he’s my Ben and always has been. For years, we were accused of dating on the sly, but we never did, and now I’m asking myself why not. What held me back? He has everything I’m looking for if I were looking. Ben’s sweet, caring, and family oriented. My parents and siblings love him. His brother doesn’t care for me, but whatever. Ben’s ambitious and supportive. He’s hot, sexy and his smile used to make me weak in the knees. After so many years, I’ve become immune to his charms, but I don’t want to be anymore. I want to be the woman he smiles at and who has to hold onto him so she doesn’t trip. I want my best friend back, but I want so much more with him.

  “Elle?”

  “What?” I say sharply.

  Quinn shakes his head but can’t hide his smile. “Get dressed, Elle. If you come with me tonight, I’ll try to help you out with Ben.”

  “Really?” I ask, hopping off my bed. “Are you serious, Quinn?”

  “Serious, now get ready. I have to leave in ten minutes.”

  I scream. “Ten minutes!”

  “I warned you,” he says from down the hallway.

  By the time I find something to wear, fix my makeup and put my hair up, it’s almost twenty minutes. Thankfully, Quinn didn’t leave me behind, not that he would, but he did give me a rash of crap for making him late. I promised to make it up to him later, although I don’t know what I’ll do.

  In the car, I lean over and kiss him on the cheek. “Thank you, Quinn.” He pats me on the leg. “I mean it. You’ve put up with a lot over the years, especially from me and more so lately. You could’ve ditched out on me, but you didn’t.”

  “And you could’ve been horrible to me when our parents got together, but you weren’t. You and Peyton gave me a family and allowed your mom to become mine. You have no idea how much of an impact having a mom has had on my life.”

  I pull my brother into a hug and try not to cry. While our dad is amazing, knowing his biological mom didn’t want him, has been hard on him, even if he denies it. Our mom though, she stepped up and adopted Quinn.

  He finally puts the car in drive and heads toward the club where he’s performing. “Do you remember adoption day?” I ask.

  “Badoption,” he corrects me. We were so young we had no idea what the process was called. All we knew is we wanted our parents to be our parents. “Not so much the actual day, but the day I asked Mom if she’d be my mom forever. I was so nervous, afraid she would say no.”

  “Peyton and I felt the same way. We were scared that if Dad became our dad, we’d erase our father, but Dad was so adamant that Mason would always be a part of our lives.”

  “We have great parents, Elle.”

  “We do, don’t we, Quinn.”

  For a few minutes, we ride in silence. I haven’t asked him about the band he wants me to check out, but I’m excited he’s thinking about my future. I’d love to sign someone before I finish school. Doing so means I have to start out on my own, and while I know I can do it and have some connections, I think I want to start at the bottom and work my way to the top with a firm, where I can expand my network and really excel. However, there’s one more thing I want more.

  “I want a love affair like our parents have.”

  “You mean have three kids and never get married?”

  I laugh. He’s right. For some reason our parents won’t get married, which doesn’t matter anymore because they’re considered common law, but still. Both have been very adamant a piece of paper won’t change anything between them, so why get it. “No,” I say. “I want the kind of love where either of us walks into the room, and no one else exists. Noah and Peyton have it. I want it.”

  “And when you walk into the room, who do you see standing there, waiting for you?”

  “Ben,” I say. “It’s always been Ben. It's just taken me years to fig
ure it all out.”

  24

  Ben

  My anxiety levels increase when I step into my cubicle. There’s a file on my desk that’s the size of a ream of paper, and there’s a sticky note from Margie sitting on top of it, asking me to go and see her. From my tiny space, I can see that the light is still off in her office, which gives me time to try and figure out what’s going on.

  After taking off my jacket, I pull out my chair and sit down, setting my phone next to my monitor. I thought about calling Elle back all through the night, and the temptation was almost too strong to resist. I wanted to know what she wanted, but I couldn’t bring myself to make the call. As a result, I was up most of the night, waiting for her usual three a.m. calls. It was sometime between two and four in the morning when I realized I miss those calls. My time in New York is coming to an end, and while I’m not ready to leave because I love this job, I am ready to go back to California to see Elle. Since I left, her Instagram has been quiet, which is really unlike her. Her last post is a picture of the two of us, taken on my birthday. Seeing it hurts. Not only does it remind me of a night I’d like to forget, but it’s reminiscent of a friend I’ve lost.

  “What’s that?” Talia asks as she hands me my cup of coffee. This week, she’s the coffee runner, filling our orders in the morning. Against my brother’s advice, I’ve splurged on Starbucks because it’s what I’m used to. I tried to drink the cheap stuff from the corner bodega, but couldn’t stomach it. He’ll be surprised to know I haven’t spent a penny of his money though, and I plan to give it back to him. I only have to figure out how to do so because Brad won’t take it if I hand it over to him.

  “I’m not sure. It was here when I walked in.” I haven’t even flipped the cover yet to see what’s inside.

  “Looks important. Is it from Margie?”

  I nod, agreeing that it does look important. The question is, why’s it on my desk and where’s Talia’s copy? “I think it’s meant for someone else.” Which it could easily be since my name wasn’t on the note.

  “You probably won the competition.”

  “If I did, that means you did as well. They’re picking a team, remember?”

  Talia sits down in her chair and faces me. “Ashley heard that the managers changed their minds, something about some people outworking their partner.”

  “Well, they can’t be talking about us. We’ve worked equally as hard.” I offer her a smile before turning my attention back to the folder. With my coffee in one hand, I open the file and look at the first page. It’s a proposal for a pharmaceutical company. The following pages include their budgets, targets and a copious number of notes by Margie. Still, until she arrives at work, I’m not going to assume anything. Besides, I’m only an intern. For this file to be on my desk, it has to be a mistake.

  A mistake that’s giving me anxiety as I watch the clock. I’ve been here for almost two hours, and Margie has yet to walk in. If I could pace, I would, but my other project, the one with Talia, needs my attention. Except as I look at the words, they’re blurred. My focus is off and my mind’s racing, wondering what’s going on.

  My cell phone rings. It’s Brad. I don’t know whether to take it or not so I let him go to voicemail only for him to call right back. This time I answer, “Hello.”

  “Sup.”

  “Trying to work,” I tell him. Our jobs are so different. If Brad’s sidetracked, he can move onto painting or hammering out a dent.

  “Job too hard?” He laughs.

  “It’s challenging. What’s up?” I can feel someone staring at me. I look around, expecting to see Margie standing outside her office, but it’s Talia, smiling softly. As soon as our eyes meet, she waves. She’s cute, and I like spending time with her. Lately, we’ve gone out with the other interns, and I’ve thought about asking her out, just the two of us because I’d like to get to know her better. I return the smile but leave the waving to her.

  “Just checking in, see what’s going on.”

  “Not much. Work keeps me busy, but I’ve seen some of the city.” Our group has spent Saturdays doing the tourist thing. We’ve done everything from Rockefeller Center, Times Square, Coney Island, and have even managed to get tickets to a few baseball games. Nosebleed seats are cheap unless you’re a Yankee’s fan.

  “Are you ready to come home?” It’s like my brother is a mind reader. How did he know this has been weighing heavily on my mind?

  “Yes and no. I like it here, and I don’t know what I’m coming home to.”

  “One pissed off hot chick,” he says. “You know, I used to think Elle was hot in high school, but as we got older, my thoughts changed on her because I felt she was always leading you on. Now though, she’s smoking hot and a complete bitch. I get why you have a hard time staying away from her.”

  “When did you see Elle?” I ask. It doesn’t bother me if Brad thinks Elle’s hot. She is. I’m the first one to admit it. I can’t even argue with the part about her being a bitch because she can be, even when she isn’t trying to be one. As of late, I chalked her attitude up to anger and maybe a bit of depression, but when it boils down to it if Elle doesn’t want to do something or isn’t getting her way, she lets you know about it.

  “She came by, asking where you were.”

  “When was this?”

  “A week or so ago, I don’t remember exactly,” he tells me. Why did he wait so long to call me? I know better than to ask him, already knowing his answer. It was with his encouragement that I came here and avoided talking to Elle. He’s right. I have to forget her and start living my life. Speaking of, I glance to my left to see what Talia’s doing. She’s typing furiously, likely transcribing our notes from yesterday.

  “Oh, right,” I say, not wanting to know what Elle wanted with my brother.

  “Anyway, I didn’t tell her where to find you.”

  “Thank you.” I never thought Brad would tell Elle anything. The last I knew, they couldn’t stand each other. “Hey, listen, my boss just walked in, let me call you back later.”

  “Later, bro.” Brad hangs up without giving me a chance to tell him goodbye. He’s never been one for the niceties when it comes to a conversation.

  As soon as I set my phone down, I pick up the file and head toward Margie’s office. Her door is open, but I knock anyway.

  “Come in, Ben.”

  “I won’t take long. I believe this is your file. It was on my desk this morning.” I hold out the file to her, but she only looks at me.

  “Please close the door.”

  “Um…” I turn and do as she says. When I look back at her, she motions to the chair in front of her desk. The same one I sat in on my first day here.

  “There’s no question in my mind that you’re carrying your team. Talia does fine work, but it’s subpar compared to yours. The file I set on your desk is a project I’d like you to work on.”

  “What about the Eo project?”

  Margie shuffles some papers on her desk, pulling out a sheet and handing it to me. Once again, the words blur, but my mind knows exactly what it says. The words ‘job offer’ and ‘position’ jump out very clearly. “As you can see, we’re offering you a job. This is away from the intern competition going on. You’ll be a level II account manager with a secretary and five accounts. It’s very rare we offer a job like this to a graduating senior, but your knowledge, work ethic and ability to step in and do work outside of your project has spoken volumes to the senior managers.”

  “Thank you, Margie.”

  “No thanks are needed, Ben. You’re a rarity, and we’d love to have you on our team. The job would start on July first, giving you time to move and settle after graduation.”

  I nod and look at the letter again. All the right words are there, making this a dream come true. “Can I think about it?”

  “Of course. In the meantime, I want you working on the pharm project. We need fresh eyes on it.”

  “You got it.” I leave her office, but inste
ad of going back to my desk, I take a walk down the hall, wishing I had my phone because I need to call… Elle. She’s who I want to call and tell my good news to, but I can’t. I won’t. Our conversation will have to wait until I’m home and we’re face to face.

  Back at my desk, Talia watches me as I come down the aisle way. “How about dinner tonight?” I ask.

  “Sure, I’ll ask the others. What time?”

  I shake my head. “Just us.” Talia’s eyes light up, and she nods. “I’ll make the reservation.” As soon as I sit down, I glance quickly at Talia, but can only see her shoulders. My guess is she’s hunched over, typing on her phone, telling whoever the recipient is of her message that I asked her out. It’s a ballsy move, but one I knew she’d say yes to.

  The rest of my day goes by seemingly. Even though Talia needs my assistance on our project, I manage to familiarize myself with the pharmaceutical file. Margie and I will meet and go over a plan of action to increase their brand awareness.

  Once five o’clock hits, I’m packing up most of my stuff and waiting for Talia. Not once since we started, have we left at closing time. It’s probably my fault, and my desire to be the best at everything I do, which seems to have paid off with the job offer. I can’t wait to tell Brad, but again, I think it’s something I’ll do when I’m home. Taking the job seems like a no-brainer, and I’d be stupid to pass it up.

  “Where are we going?” Talia asks as she steps out of her cubicle. She places her arm in mine, something she’s done from the first day we met.

  “I made a reservation at Delmonico’s.”

  Talia stops walking and pulls my arm, making me stop as well. “Ben, Delmonico’s is too expensive.”

  “It’s fine, and we deserve a nice treat. Our time is almost up, might as well enjoy it.”

  “If you say so,” Talia says, but there’s hesitancy in her voice. She’s right when a restaurant doesn’t list their menu prices, you know it’s way over your budget. But I want to celebrate, even if I can’t tell her why. Maybe once the winner of the competition’s announced, I’ll give Talia my news.