by Hazel Kelly
“I don’t get what’s in it for you,” Jolie said, leaning against the butcher block.
“Some time with you is all I was after,” I said. “And if it’s going to come to nothing as you say, I should respect your wishes and be on my way.”
She dropped her head for a moment. “You don’t have to do this.”
“Oh but I do.”
“I’ll leave you two alone,” her mom said, inching towards the front room. “It sounds like you have some things to discuss.”
“Don’t worry about it, Mom. We’ll go upstairs.”
I raised my eyebrows.
“You can bring your tea,” Jolie said before walking out the door and stomping up the worn grey steps.
“You’re in love with her?” Mrs. Monroe asked me in a hushed voice.
“I am,” I said, slipping the papers back in my pocket.
“Why does she seem so angry about it?” she asked, still whispering.
“Hopefully I can figure that out,” I said, rising to my feet.
She nodded. “Good luck.”
I thanked Mrs. Monroe, walked up the back steps, and knocked on the edge of the screen door.
Jolie threw it open and gave me an exasperated look. “What are you trying to do, Adam?”
“Drive you crazy?” I joked, stepping inside.
The lofted space was surprisingly open, and while she’d obviously tried to make some sort of visible separation between the sitting room and the bedroom, they were one and the same.
“I’ll say,” she said, pulling a bottle of vodka out of the freezer and making herself a short screwdriver.
“For what it’s worth, there are other ways I prefer to do it,” I said, my eyes lingering on her unmade bed.
“I can’t buy the hotel from you, and you know it.”
“I’m not asking you to buy it,” I said. “But you’re the rightful owner and the only one I trust to make sure my investment doesn’t go to waste.”
“So that’s it?” she asked. “You’re just going to fuck off because I hurt your feelings?”
I walked up to her, backing her into the corner of her kitchen. “You didn’t hurt my feelings, Jolie.” Her lips were so close to mine all I could think about was tasting them. “You broke my fucking heart.”
Her eyes bounced between mine.
“There’s a big difference.”
“Don’t you think you’re exaggerating?” she asked.
“Don’t you think you should sign the papers and stop torturing me?” I pulled them from inside my jacket and held them in the narrow space between us. “The sooner I can start making arrangements to leave, the sooner I can look forward to getting over you.”
“I’m not the only one who cares about you here,” she said, pushing past me. “No one else wants you to leave.”
“But you don’t want me to stay.”
She pushed a hand up her forehead. “I didn’t say that.”
I tossed the folded papers on the world’s smallest kitchen table. “Ever since you told me off, you’ve done nothing but made me feel unwelcome here. Why should I put up with that?”
“I’m sorry. I’m not trying to make you uncomfortable. I’m just trying to keep from getting hurt.”
I furrowed my brow. “By hurting me?”
“What am I supposed to do?”
“You’re supposed to let me love you,” I said. “And you’re supposed to love me back.”
“But I don’t.” She swallowed. “And I never will.”
It hurt to hear her say it again. And I swear the more she said it, the more I feared that I would start to believe it. “Then I can’t stay.”
She took a deep breath and lifted the folded stack of papers off the table.
I watched her eyes scan the first page.
I lowered my voice. “I wouldn’t hurt you, you know?”
She turned the page and kept reading.
“I understand a woman’s inclination to protect herself, but you don’t have to protect yourself from me.”
“Look,” she said, lifting her eyes. “I care about you, Adam. I do. You must know that.”
“I’m listening.”
“But I know all about your intentions, and I know how this story is going to end.”
I shook my head. “What are you talking about?”
“Your mom told me everything.”
“What?”
“She explained the situation perfectly, and I get why you picked up with me again. I do. And I understand why you’d want a bit of a release this summer with all the stress of work getting on you, but I want you to move on.”
I narrowed my eyes at her.
“I want you to have fun with someone who isn’t going to be as hurt as I’ll be when you leave at the end of the summer.”
I stepped up to her.
“I’m sure there’s no shortage of girls who want to be used by you, but I’m not one of them,” she said. “And I don’t have it in me to use you back. We have too much history, too much… chemistry.”
I put my hands on her shoulders. “Jolie.”
She looked at me, her brown eyes pleading like a tired puppy’s. “What?”
“I have no idea what the hell you’re talking about.”
Chapter 39: Jolie
My heart was pounding. Why did I have to open my big mouth?
Adam pulled out one of my kitchen chairs. “Sit down.”
I let his hand nudge me towards the seat.
He grabbed the other chair and pulled it up beside me. “I want you to think very carefully for a second.”
“I haven’t been very good at that lately.”
“I’m serious,” he said without blinking. “I need you to tell me exactly what my mother said to you.”
“I’m not sure I remember.”
“Jolie, please.” He sat back. “It’s important.”
I stared at him until I realized I had nothing to lose by telling the truth. “She said you don’t really love me.” I glanced down at my lap. “The same way you don’t love Victoria.”
He clenched his fist and splayed it out against his thigh. “What else?”
“She said you were going to break up with me at the end of the summer.” As hard as it was to repeat her words out loud, something about letting them out made me feel lighter. “She said you were just looking for a good time, and that she wanted to warn me so I wouldn’t get hurt.”
His lips twitched and the corners of his eyes sagged in a way I’d never seen. “Is there anything else?”
“She said it was her dying wish for you to end up with someone like Victoria, someone well-traveled. And educated.” I guess I did remember.
He turned away from me, put his elbows on the table, and held his face in his hands.
I waited for a minute, unsure of what to do. “Adam?”
His eyes were glassy when he sat back up, as if he’d been blinking back tears.
“Are you okay?”
He cleared his throat. “I am so sorry.”
He looked so hurt I wanted to hug him, but I didn’t know if he wanted me to let on that I could see he was upset.
He pushed some hair behind my ear and held one hand against my cheek. “She had no right to say any of those things. They’re not even true.”
I raised my eyebrows.
“Except for the fact that I don’t love Victoria,” he said. “And the part about her dying wish.”
I bit the inside of my cheek.
“Do you think I could have some of that vodka?” he asked.
I nodded and went to get my glass and an extra before making a quick return trip to grab the orange juice and the vodka.
He poured a shot into his glass and knocked it back, skipping the orange juice entirely.
I watched his mouth pucker as he exhaled sharply.
“That’s not bad out of the freezer,” he said.
“It’s undrinkable if you don’t keep it cold.”
He topped up m
y screwdriver before making one for himself.
I scrunched my face. “Do you want to tell me what you’re thinking?”
“I do,” he said, nodding. “Assuming you’re absolutely positive my mom said that shit to you.”
“She did.”
He sighed. “I wish I could blame it on her being sick, but just because someone has cancer doesn’t make them cancerous.”
I draped my fingers around the bottom of my glass.
“Bitter,” he said. “That’s what I mean.”
I took a sip of my drink.
“Is this why you’ve been acting so crazy?” he asked. “Why you’ve been pushing me away so hard?”
“Can you blame me?”
He squeezed his temples with the hand that wasn’t squeezing his drink.
“Do you have a different story you want to tell me?” I asked.
“I don’t have any stories,” he said. “I only have the truth, and I’ve been doing nothing but telling you that since I showed up here.”
“Wait. So in the suite when you said you loved me…?”
He fixed his eyes on me.
“And in the meeting earlier…?”
“That was the truth,” he said. “It’s been the truth from the beginning.”
I took a deep breath. Part of me wanted to say I loved him, too, but I didn’t know if it was a good idea. After all, the hotel papers were still lying between us, and he’d already told everyone he was leaving.
He pulled his phone out of his jacket pocket and laid it on the table. “I was horrified at the way she spoke to you when we got back from our date, like you were some lowly baggage handler that didn’t deserve her respect.”
I swallowed.
“I told her I was going to put her on the next plane- just like I did with Victoria- if she didn’t apologize to you personally.”
I remembered the way she avoided shaking my hand that night and felt a burning sensation in my chest. I washed it down with another sip of vodka.
“All that other stuff is made up.” He stared at the phone. “Please forget she said any of that. Leaving you is the last thing I want to do.”
“But today you said-”
“Because you’ve given me no choice,” he said, lifting his eyes. “And I’m too proud to stick around here while you go on not returning my feelings.”
I scooted to the edge of my chair.
“You’re not here,” he said, picking up his phone and swiping the screen with his thumb.
I watched him hold it up to his ear.
When it started ringing, he put it on speaker.
“What are you doing?” I mouthed.
He raised a finger in front of his lips.
“Hello, honey.” His mom’s familiar voice rose in the air between us.
He kept his eyes on me. “I have a question for you, Mom.”
“I’ll do my best to have an answer,” she said.
I leaned back in my chair and hugged myself.
“Remember when you were down here visiting? Remember how I told you that I was in love with Jolie?”
“I do.”
My heart floated up in my chest.
“Then why the hell would you tell her I didn’t love her?” he asked, raising his voice at the black screen. “And that I was going to break up with her at the end of the summer?”
Silence.
“Hello?” he said, craning his neck forward.
“I don’t think those were my exact words,” she said halfheartedly.
“You fucked up, Mom.”
“Oh don’t be angry with me, Ad-”
“I’m way past angry,” he said.
“I only want the best for you.”
“She’s the best for me,” he said. “And if you’re too selfish to see that then… then I don’t know if I want you to be part of my life anymore.”
“Honey, please,” she said. “Forgive me.”
He shook his head. “I don’t know if I can.”
I’d never seen him look so angry.
“I didn’t mean to cause any trouble, Adam. I only meant-”
“I don’t want to hear it,” he said. “I’m only calling to tell you that I know what you did, and that I’ve never been more disappointed in anyone in my whole life.”
“I’m sorry,” she said, her voice meek.
He sighed. “If I decide to forgive you, I’ll let you know.”
I watched him end the call and hang his head. I couldn’t tell what he regretted more- the way he’d spoken to her or the things she’d said to me.
“Forgive me,” he said. “I never should’ve left you alone with her.”
“Look on the bright side,” I said. “Now you don’t have to sign the hotel over to me.”
He drained his glass. “I want to do that anyway.”
“But-”
“If you don’t want it, I’ll find someone who does.”
I gripped the seat of my chair. “Are you sure this is what you want?”
“I’m sure.”
I didn’t know how to cheer him up. “Well at least you don’t have to leave at the end of the summer now.”
“No,” he said, standing up. “I suppose I don’t.” He walked his glass over to the sink. “But it’s too late now. I’ve made the announcement and the arrangements, and a man is only as good as his word.”
“Can we at least talk about it?” I asked, rising to my feet. “You must have options.”
He walked around me and pushed the screen door open. “Have a look over the papers and get them back to me when you can.”
“One more drink, Adam. Stay for one more-”
But he was gone before I could finish, and I was left talking to the screen door, feeling more confused than ever.
Chapter 40: Adam
“You wanted to see me?”
I looked up to see Jolie’s face peeking into my office. “Hi.”
She smiled, timidly. It was the same smile she’d been offering me since we spoke at her place, and I had to admit, I’d been feeling a little out of sorts since then, too.
“What’s up?’ she asked, taking a seat in the chair opposite my desk. Her long hair was pulled back in a high ponytail that filled my mind with unprofessional thoughts.
“I got the papers you signed back from the lawyer.” I slid a manila folder out from under a legal pad I’d been writing on.
“Wow,” she said. “He took almost as long with them as I did.”
I handed the folder across the desk and watched as she opened it, her glossy lips moving as she scanned the page.
“It’s official,” I said. “She’s all yours.”
She looked up at me. “I’m not going to ask if you’re sure this is what you wanted because-”
“You already did that six thousand times?”
“Thanking you seems grossly inadequate,” she said. “I mean, this is a dream come true for me and my family.”
“I know,” I said. “I’m just sorry your dad isn’t here to congratulate you. I know he’d be really proud.”
“I don’t know,” she said, closing the folder. “It’s not like I earned it.”
“Yes you did.” I folded my hands on the desk. “You’ve been earning it every day since you started working here, which was…?”
“I think I got my first paycheck when I was seven,” she said, smiling at the memory. “For combing the path to the beach all summer.”
“That’s hard work for a seven year old.”
“Tell me about it,” she said. “It used to take me all day to do what the landscaping guys do in ten minutes now. I used to worry I was going to turn into Hulk Hogan.”
I laughed.
“Thanks, though,” she said, lifting the folder. “It means a lot to keep it in the family.”
“You would’ve gotten it back eventually,” I said. “Regardless of who took over. And the place is better for it.”
She shrugged. “Time will tell.”
�
�Consider it a lucky break and don’t look back.”
She cast her eyes down at her lap.
“How are things going with the wedding planning?” I asked.
Jolie lit up.
“I didn’t call you in here to tell you who the couple is so you can stop making that face.”
She groaned. “It’s literally killing me. The rumors going around are out of this world.”
“I’m aware.”
“There are almost as many people speculating about it as there are telling me I’m crazy to let you get away.”
I froze. It was the first mention of our relationship she’d made in weeks.
“Your announcement didn’t make it easy on me anyway,” she said, blushing.
I decided that ignoring the comment was the only thing to do. “Carrie told me you were struggling with the planning in the beginning, but she said you’ve really come into your own.”
Her eyes turned down at the corners when she realized I wasn’t interested in talking about us. “She gave me some great tips.”
I raised my eyebrows. “Oh?”
“I hope they’re great anyway,” she said. “I guess we’ll find out when the happy couple arrives.”
“What did she say?”
“She said I should plan it with the same attention to detail that I would plan my own wedding, except I should actually enjoy it because I’m not the bride.”
I nodded.
“And of course she’s given me some pointers on little details that will make the whole thing more high end.”
“Good,” I said. “I’ll let her know we’re going to keep her on the payroll then.”
“Definitely. That girl is worth her weight in gold.”
“Let’s keep that between us,” I said. “We can’t afford to pay her any more than we already are.”
“Are you still planning on leaving after the wedding?” she asked.
“I am. No sense in hanging around and breathing down your neck when I’ve done all I can do.” God what I wouldn’t have given to be breathing down her neck at that moment.
“Can I be honest with you?” she asked, clasping her hands in her lap.
“Of course.”
“I’ve missed you.”
A lump formed in my throat.
“I thought we might spend some time together after the misunderstanding with your mom blew over, but you’ve been so distant.”