by Brenda Ford
Chapter Thirteen
James
I walk Rue to her bedroom as if we have been on a romantic date rather than randomly screwing on the dining room table, but that’s exactly how it feels. There is something brewing here between us. Sure, it’s crazy, and it will cause all kinds of issues, but we can’t help it if we’re fiercely attracted to one another.
“Well, this is me,” Rue says with an adorable giggle. “Thank you for walking me home.”
“Of course. I’m a gentleman. No one can say that I’m not.” I bow playfully. “A man always looks after his lady and makes sure that she gets back safe. You don’t know what creeps are hanging about.”
She hooks her hand around my waist and pulls me towards her. “I don’t know if you’re the gentleman or one of the creeps that I should be avoiding.”
She wiggles her eyebrows before kissing me. Her lips press softly against mine in a much more romantic kiss than we have shared before, and it feels really nice. There has to be something about Rue, because I don’t want to run at the first sign of her being sweet rather than sexy. I want to climb into bed beside her and hug her all night long. I want to cling to her and never let her go.
I could fall for this woman; I tell myself as I kiss her. I could fall for her and love her… one day.
But of course, me and Rue wouldn’t have a straightforward love story even if we did go down that route. Not with our family in the way. I know my father wouldn’t be happy and Mary would have a whole lot to say in her own delightful way. But I still cup my hand around Rue’s cheek and kiss her longer.
“I used to be a creep,” I tell her as I rest my forehead against hers to stare lovingly into her eyes. “But for you, I would always be a gentleman. Maybe not in the bedroom, but everywhere else.”
She giggles once more with that lovely blush flooding her face. “Oh, the bedroom is another matter. I’m all good with you being less than a gentleman there. In fact, I command it!”
We kiss for a little while longer, before a noise from Mary’s bedroom makes us leap apart as if we have been electrocuted, which ends the moment for us. It’s time to get to bed before we end up hooking up again.
“Good night,” I whisper softly as I press my lips to her nose. “See you in the morning.” I want to make a comment about her being beautiful, but I stop myself at the very last moment. “For coffee.”
“Where you will be a gentleman again. Of course. I look forward to it.” A shiver runs down her spine. I can just tell that she’s thinking about us having sex, and it brings a Cheshire cat grin to my face.
“Hmm, maybe I will be a gentleman… for a while.” I shoot her a wink. “But it won’t last long. I don’t know how long I can keep that up around you. You just do something to me, and I can’t explain it.”
“I hope that it doesn’t last long, because I think I might prefer the freak in the hallway.”
“You are too much.” I tuck a stray strand of her now sex mussed up hair behind her ear. “Corrupting me.”
“Ooh, corrupting you, hey? I like the idea of that. I might be the end of you, before this is over.”
She slides into her bedroom, which is good, because I don’t know if I would be able to walk away given half the chance. But as the door closes behind her, a sadness over comes me, taking away the happy glow that I was existing in only moments before. Mostly because watching her leave only reminds me that we have another hurdle to overcome, and it’s a big one. The fact that she lives in England and will be going back soon.
She isn’t even an option; I remind myself as I walk away. I need to get used to the idea that this is a fling.
It might not even be a fling, maybe it was just a one-night thing. A way to get it out of our systems… not that it feels that way. It’s just made me hungrier for her. I want her again and again; I don’t even want to leave her right now. I have a feeling she feels the same way. I don’t think that it’s just flirting, I really do believe that she wants it to happen.
Trust me to find the one girl who isn’t interested in me because of my name and bank balance, and she doesn’t even live in the country. Would long distance be a thing? Could that work? That’s one hell of a distance. Hours on the plane, expensive too. Not something that we could maintain long term…
Oh God, I’m thinking long term. I have kissed her and slept with her once, and now I’m thinking about a future with her. What the hell has happened to me? And being in the bedroom that hasn’t been redecorated since I moved out, isn’t helping. I don’t really feel like I’m that person anymore, nor do I feel like I’m where I need to be in my apartment either. I don’t really fit in anywhere anymore.
I lie down on my bed and try to shut my thoughts down, but they don’t go anywhere. I think that Rue might be under my skin forever, even when she is over the other end of the world.
I tap my pen against the table, desperately trying my hardest to get my head in to my classes, but Rue is even affecting that now. I can’t lose my post grad grades over this mess; I won’t have anything then. It’s hard to get my head off of her and on to the Education industry where it needs to be.
“Are you okay?” Noah whispers to me as he walks past my desk. “Do you need anything?”
“Er, no I’m okay. I’m just… I’m trying to get things down on paper now.”
I give him a smile, trying to reassure him, but I don’t know if he gets the message. Noah still looks incredibly worried about me, which doesn’t help things, since most of this mess is of my own doing. My father can’t be helped, and Mary’s bull shit at the hospital is something else, but Rue… I’m the one who can’t let her go.
“How is your father? Are things alright with him? Is he still hanging in there, in the hospital?”
“He took a bad turn yesterday,” I admit. “But nothing major. He’s stable again now.”
“Who is with him right now? Is Mary there causing more trouble for him?”
Urgh, I don’t want to think about that train wreck and all the trouble that she caused for the doctors and nurses. She nearly ended up getting thrown out by security. The only reason she didn’t is because I stepped in. I’m sure my father’s surname helped as well. We’re a well known family in this area, and again, the bank balance got in the way. It might have taught her a lesson actually, but she was probably too drunk to remember.
“I’m pretty sure that she’s too hung over today to go anyway,” I reply wryly. “So, I think he’s safe.”
Rue said that she has plans with Annie today, but that she will pop in on him later, so she could be there now making sure that he’s with someone with a level head until I arrive. I know for sure that I can trust her. She also seems to really care about my father as well which is nice.
“Okay, well I will leave you to your assignment then.” Noah bangs his hand against my desk. “But I am here if you need anything. Any questions or advice or whatever. I’m just over there.”
As he heads over to his desk, I smile at him gratefully, before trying to get my head back to work. Or into it in the first place. I’m good at working which is why Noah has allowed me to help him out, to give me that extra chance. I need to be that me again. The one who is dedicated and focused.
“Dad?” Oh my God. I’m shocked to see him sitting up in bed and eating. “Oh my God, you’re okay.”
“I am.” He smiles and nods, but I can see him wince in pain. I don’t think he’s out of the weeds just yet.
“Why didn’t they call me the moment that you woke up? I would have been here earlier.”
“I have been with the doctors since I woke up, being poked and prodded, and all the rest. I have only just had a moment to myself. I would have got them to call you and Mary, once I finished eating.”
I can’t believe this. He took a turn for the worse yesterday and now he’s awake. Not that I’m going to question it because this is a miracle. This is exactly what I wanted to happen. I’m just so pleased.
“Well that’
s great. God, I’ve been so worried, I’m so glad you’re alright.”
“I hear it’s been a tough time.” Dad gives me a knowing look. “And Mary hasn’t handled it well.”
I suck in a breath and think about Noah and Leo’s advice. This could be the time to have a conversation about it. I get that it isn’t ideal, since he’s just woken up, but her behavior has been so bad.
“She has been awful, Dad, a drunk mess insulting everyone who is helping you.”
“Yes, because she has been upset.” He rolls his eyes. “I have apologized.”
“But, Dad, it’s been more than that. It’s been awful. I don’t think you understand. I’m sure this is something that me and you can have a talk about…”
Dad’s face hardens and I instantly realize that the heart attack hasn’t helped him to see things differently. “I don’t want to have this conversation with you. I never have, and I never will. I don’t comment on your personal life, and I don’t think it’s right that you comment on mine. You know that about me.”
Hmm, maybe he’s right, considering my personal life isn’t exactly up to standard right now. “Sorry, Dad, I just… I just want to talk to you about the way that things are going to be… Because it has to change…”
“Things are going to be exactly as they were,” he tells me firmly. “Aside from me needing to rest for a while. Work is going to challenging while I can’t do a lot, but there you go.” He shrugs. “I will do what I can.”
This is a hint, a hint for me to get involved in the family company, but of course that isn’t going to happen. That doesn’t mean I won’t help though. I will find a way to make it right when it comes to my dad in my own way, and I’m sure that he will respect that. If not right away, then at least in the end.
Chapter Fourteen
Rue
“Wow, Annie,” I gasp in stunned surprise. “Your company is incredible. I know you said that it’s big and growing all the time, but I didn’t realize that it was to this scale. You have done something great.”
“Well, it wasn’t the easiest to start,” she tells me modestly. “I had to do a lot of traveling, and face to face meetings to get clients and sign up with publishing housing. But now we have a great reputation, so the Internet is our greatest tool. We can set up meetings online and work from there. It’s awesome.”
“You have really put your blood, sweat, and tears into it, haven’t you? I can tell.”
This is a side of Annie that I know well. The hard working, dedicated version of her, that puts her mind to anything and achieves it. I never really thought about it, but it makes sense for that to follow her in real life.
“Ah, Rue!” I spot Alex across the office and he comes to me with his arms outstretched. “Good to see you.”
“Good to see you too.” I let him embrace me, smiling to myself as I do. This is such a strange reunion, it’s like being back in high school all over again. “This place is incredible.”
“Thank you, but as I’m sure you can imagine, Annie has done most of the work. When she puts her mind to something, it happens, and that’s where this editing company has come from.”
He extends his arms wide and spins around, clearly proud of himself and his fiancée. I’m proud of them too. It makes me wonder where my life would have gone if I’d stayed in America. It isn’t that I regret doing most of my growing up in the UK, but things could have been very different for me if I hadn’t…
“I hear that Annie is trying to get you on board. It would be great to have you.”
“Oh yeah?” God, I can’t stop myself from being intoxicated by the fact that they both want me here. “Well, that’s nice. Thank you for believing in me.”
I spin around and drink everything in, able to picture myself here, working in the middle of it. There is such a happy environment here. It’s a productive place where I can just feel a lot happening. I don’t quite know how Annie has achieved it, but I feel like all of her employees are happy to be here.
I kinda want to be here too, I can’t deny it. I feel like this would be a good way to use my education… if only the situation was easier, and I hadn’t promised everyone in England that I was coming back. I think that Dad and Kira would understand if I wanted to try here, they would hurt, and Lydia would kill me.
But I can’t live my life for other people. I have to do what is right for me, and at the moment, there are a lot of potentially very exciting new things happening for me. Things I want to explore.
“So, how would you feel about it anyway?” Annie asks with a raised eyebrow. “Have you made any choices about what might be next for you? I know you are torn at the moment between here and England.”
“I’m still no closer to any choice,” I admit. “Not that I don’t appreciate the opportunity.”
“Well, since you’re going to be around for a while, for the next couple of weeks at least, why don’t you come in and do bits and pieces for us. I would pay you, of course, just to give you a taste.”
“That’s too tempting for words,” I laugh. “You’re making it impossible to say no to you.”
“Good! I don’t want you to say no. I want my friend to come along on this journey with me. I know that it’s been a long time and we kinda lost touch a bit over the years, but you have always been my friend.”
That speech has me nodding before I really know what I’m doing. I don’t see what the harm is, it would get me out of the little rut I’m in. I guess it would give me a glimpse as to what I could have in America if I decided to create a life here. It’s just a little taste… plus, it will look great on my resume.
“Okay, why not?” I offer Annie a one shouldered shrug. “It could be fun, couldn’t it?”
“Oh, it will be fun, believe me,” she promises. “You will have the best time here. We all will.”
“I take it we won’t be going out for boozy lunches and things like that though, if you’re the boss?”
“Boozy dinners afterwards, maybe,” Annie laughs. “But I’m not great with booze anyway. I’m a light weight.”
“Oh, me too, so I guess that will be interesting. I’m looking forward to it.”
“I don’t know if I am,” Alex chuckles. “Picking you both up… but I will. Erm, honey…” he directs to Annie.
I take a step back as Alex engages Annie in a conversation. It’s quiet and intense, so probably about work, but the way that he looks at her as he speaks is with sheer love. It’s so obvious that he loves her. They are making the whole childhood sweetheart things really work. That’s what I want, someone to look at me like they love me more than anything in the world. The closest I have ever gotten to that was James last night, just as he was wishing me good night, but it’s impossible to know where that will lead.
Then again, if I’m going to stay here, then maybe I will find out…
I feel a little weary as I get back to the house, as if I have been at work all day long. I intended to go to the hospital after I left Annie, to check in on Benjamin, and my mother to be honest, but I was too tired. I had a lot on my mind, so I walked around for a bit just thinking, until coming home for a break and some quiet…
Only, it isn’t quiet at all. There is a lot of noise which is surprising because the hospital is still holding visiting hours, so I don’t quite understand why it seems like everyone is here, arguing again.
I move tentatively, picking up on what I can while I go. “I am staying here to help,” James yells as my mother screams her disagreement with that plan. “It doesn’t matter what you think you can do. I’m still staying.”
I peer my head around the kitchen door to see James and Mom standing over a wheelchair containing a very weary looking Benjamin as they yell at one another like he isn’t there. It’s terrible to see.
“Oh my God, Benjamin.” I rush to him, ignoring the other two. “You are back. How are you?”
His eyes nearly pop out of his head. “Oh, Rue, it’s you. I mean, of course you look a lot older than
you were the last time I saw you, but I can tell that is your face. Thank you for coming to see me.”
“Of course.” Unexpected tears fill my eyes. A wave of emotion hits me because I’m so grateful he made it. “Are you feeling much better?”
“I feel like I have been hit by a bus. But it beats being in the hospital, that’s for sure.” He gives me a look as James and Mom continue to yell at one another over our heads. “I hope you know that I have thought about you a lot over the years. I always blamed myself for you choosing to live in England.”
“I didn’t choose…” It hits me that this is the excuse my mother must have given. “Mom wanted it.”
Before he can answer me, I’m dragged into the arguing above me, which I knew that I would be eventually. Mom tugs on my arm and yanks me to my feet before facing me towards James.
“Tell him that we don’t need him here,” she sneers. “That we can cope on our own.”
“Er… I don’t know… what do you mean?” I beg. “With Benjamin? That’s James’s father.”
“Yes, and he can come and visit, can’t he? Like he never used to before. He can come and see his dad to check on how well he’s doing. He doesn’t need to leave his apartment and come back to live here. That is basically suggesting we don’t know how to do it ourselves.”
“Well, I don’t know if I can be around all the time, Mom,” I reply honestly. “I will be with Annie…”
“Annie has a company. She doesn’t need you hanging around like a lost puppy.”
That stings. “Mom, it isn’t going to be like that, I’m helping her out.”
“Oh, so you would rather be free labor than help me out with Benjamin, that’s really nice.”