Jules looked at Simone. “Don’t you dare give that man the time of day,” she said to Simone. “Don’t even go there with him, Simmie. You can do way better than his old married behind.”
“He’s just in the restaurant, Jules, my goodness. That has nothing to do with me.”
“Girl, please. This ain’t no coincidence! He’s probably stalking you or something.”
“After two years? Give me a break.”
“Don’t let him get you all twisted around again, Simone.”
“I’m not, okay? He probably doesn’t even remember me. He’s probably in town on business and just happened to come into this restaurant. His presence here has nothing to do with me.”
Just as she said that, however, Nick, staring at her, began heading in their direction. “Uh hun,” Jules said. “Nothing to do with you all right.” Then she looked at Simone. “Want me to stay? Because I can move some things around.”
“I’m fine, Jules.”
“You sure?”
“Positive. Goodness.”
Then Nick was upon them. Looking tall and gorgeous as ever, Simone quickly realized. “Hello, Simone,” he said. “Hello, Jules.”
“Remember what I said, Simone,” Jules said, ignoring Nick.
“Goodbye, Jules,” Simone replied, getting flustered. Jules was behaving as if she was some simpleton who would actually jump back into a relationship with a married man without remembering all of that self-inflicted pain of the past. She had to be joking if she thought that. Self-inflicted pain was the last thing Simone ever planned to endure again.
Although Jules didn’t like it, she did leave. Nick exhaled. Simone looked so beautiful to him, so stunning and elegant, that being up close to her again nearly took his breathe away. “Mind if I sit down?” he asked her.
Simone didn’t say anything. She didn’t know if she mind or not. Nick sat down.
He sat more sideways, however, than straight-on, as he crossed his legs and tried his best not to stare at Simone. He failed. “So,” he said when it was clear she wasn’t going to say anything, “how have you been?”
“I’ve been good actually. Working hard. Running my salon.”
“You still have your salon then?”
“Oh, yes. I don’t know what I would have done without my work. I love doing hair.”
“Good. It’s always good to have something.” There was another time of silence, as the waiter came to bring Jules’ coke and realized that she was no longer there, but that a new customer had arrived.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I thought–”
“She had to leave.”
“Well, sir,” the waiter said, “would you care for a drink or—”
“What do you have there?”
“Only a coke, sir.”
“That’ll do,” Nick said and the waiter obliged him, placing Jules’ coke in front of Nick. When the waiter left, Nick looked down at Simone’s hands, at how elegant they looked, and then into her gorgeous, light green eyes.
“You look beautiful, Simone,” he couldn’t help himself from saying.
“How’s your wife?” Simone, angry that he would go there, immediately asked. There was no way she was about to fool around with a married man ever again, she didn’t care that he did happen to be the man she still loved.
Nick sat erect and did a quick exhale. It used to hurt him to his heart to say these words. Now he just said them. “Delia, my wife, died Simone,” he said.
Simone was dumbstruck. She stared at Nick. “She died?”
Nick nodded. “Yes. She was very ill.”
Simone knew that Delia was ill the night she had seen her, even that night she had come to Simone’s hotel room (a night that still embarrassed Simone). But to be dead?
“When did she die?” Simone asked.
“Two years ago. Just around the time that you left Miami.”
“I had no idea, Nick,” Simone said, heartfelt. “I’m so sorry. I know you loved her.”
Nick looked at Simone. He did love Delia. But he still loved Simone.
“So, what happened to you?” he asked her. “As soon as I couldn’t find you, I considered hiring a private detective. I figured you’d gone back to Atlanta.”
“And it took your private detective two years to find me here? He’s not very good, Nick.”
Nick smiled a rare smile. “No, I didn’t hire him. I knew I needed time to get over . . . Delia’s death and I didn’t want to complicate your life either so, I didn’t hire him. Besides, when I came looking for you, I didn’t want to come desperate. I needed time. Now I felt was the right time. So I did hire an Atlanta PI to track you down for me. He didn’t have to look hard.”
Simone realized for the first time that she wasn’t hiding anyway. The thought pleased her.
Then there was another period of silence, where all they did was sit still and contemplate their own thoughts. Until Nick spoke again.
“Why did you leave, Simone?” he asked her. “I thought you would stay at least through Shay’s deposition. But before I knew anything you and Jules both had packed up and gone. I tried to find out what had happened from Serita, but she wasn’t telling.”
“Jules paid for your firm to represent her through the trial, but after that she was on her own.”
“I gathered that. What, she finally pulled one too many pranks?”
“What Shay was pulling was never a prank,” Simone said with confidence. “She was serious and she was malicious and she aimed to destroy. I know that now. But of course you knew it all along.”
“Some people get over it, Simone,” Nick said. “But I could see early on that Serita wasn’t one of those people. If she held a grudge against you, real or imagined, she didn’t rest until she exacted her revenge.”
Simone nodded. “I know. That’s why she started sleeping with Jeremy.”
Nick was surprised. “With Jules old man?”
“Yep. We caught her and Jeremy together. Jules had found Shay’s gun and was going to blow both of them where they undoubtedly belonged. But God had mercy and I was able to stop her.”
“Thank God.”
“Yes. That’s why we left right then and there. Jules couldn’t stay in Miami a moment longer, and I needed to breathe too. So she came to Atlanta with me.”
“Looks like she’s doing well.”
“Oh, she is. Got her real estate license and started doing the kind of work she always wanted to do. She’s real successful with it, too. Bought her a beautiful home and everything.”
“And whatever became of Serita? Or Shay as you call her.”
“She and Jeremy called themselves hooking up after Jules left, but that lasted about a good month. Now Shay’s in jail for beating up some man’s wife.”
Nick shook his head. “That sounds like her.”
“She had the nerve to beg me and Jules to get her out of jail. I couldn’t believe it. She actually thought all of that dirt she pulled on us was justified because we left her behind when we were kids. I used to fall for that nonsense, Nick. I used to really carry that guilt everywhere I went. But enough is enough. And fooling with Shay has put me way on the outside of enough.”
Simone had changed. Nick liked what he saw. So much so that he became suddenly desperate to have her back in his life. “Listen, Simone,” he said leaning forward, unable to shield his desperation, but she cut him off.
“No, Nick,” she said.
“Simone, please.”
“No. We can’t.”
“But I’m not married anymore.”
“That’s not all there is to this, Nick, and you know it. We’re not good together. It never works out for us.”
“But maybe it will this time.”
“No,” Simone said firmly. “Now if that was the reason you came here, then I strongly suggest you go on back where you came from because the answer is now and will always be no.”
Nick’s heart dropped. It was definite. Although he kept trying, using all kinds of
pleas, he finally realized that he was wasting his time. Simone was through.
He said his goodbyes, making clear that if she changed her mind she could find him at the Amberdale hotel. Then he even attempted to lighten the mood. “Thank goodness I purchased a round trip ticket,” he said as he stood. Simone tried to smile at his attempt at levity, but she nor he could pull it off. He left.
***
Later that night, when Simone was back at home attempting to forget Nick, all she could think about was Nick. He looked so heartbroken when she had told him no. He looked so unglued. Then she realized this was not about his well-being, but her own, and she tried to forget about Nick again. Only she failed again, as she lay on her livingroom sofa, the quiet loneliness of her condo now bothering her, and thought endlessly about Nick. And how much she still loved him. And how much she would have loved to have him back in her life.
Then as the minutes ticked away and her heart continued to break, something happened. She realized as if she had never realized it before that she can have him back in her life. Why couldn’t she? His wife was gone. He had properly grieved for her as he should have. She had no one. Why couldn’t they be together?
Simone grabbed her purse and her car keys and ran out of the door. Why indeed, she thought as she ran.
Only she was too late. The desk clerk at the Amberdale hotel stated that Nick Perry checked out nearly two hours ago and took a cab to the airport. Simone, feeling defeated but still determined, took off for the airport too.
Only she was too late. The flight to Miami left nearly thirty minutes ago. She was too late.
Tears began to stain her eyes as she drove herself back home. She and Nick were never meant to be. It was as obvious as the writing on the wall. And her last ditch effort to exchange fate, to somehow correct what was probably not an error to begin with, only made her feel worse. Why couldn’t she just forget about that man and go on with her life? She had managed all this time. How could she allow his mere presence to throw her so off her game?
She parked her car in her condo’s garage and took the elevator to her seventh floor. When she stepped off of the elevator and rounded the corner to her condo, she almost wanted to break down in tears. Not because of what she just knew was her loss, but because Nick suddenly appeared. Nick was standing at her front door. Her heart soared.
She walked slowly, deliberately, to that door.
“Hello, Simone,” he said.
“How long have you been here?” she asked him.
“Over an hour,” he said. “I would have waited here all night if I had to. And I know already. I know your answer is no. But Simone, mine isn’t. This idea that we’re not meant to be together is nonsense. Or I wouldn’t be here. Or I wouldn’t still love you as if you were the only reason I get out of bed every day. I’m not going anywhere, Simone. Not until there’s no doubt in my heart. Not until you tell me that you don’t love me anymore.”
Simone stared at Nick. And she knew it was true too. They had to be meant for each other. Or her love would have weakened too. But it hadn’t. It was stronger.
She walked up to her front door, unlocked it, and then stepped aside. She invited him into her condo, and, while she was at it, into her life.
Some Came Desperate Page 32