by Jill Sanders
So far, since that day she’d confronted him, they hadn’t heard a word from him. Had they really meant that little to him that he wouldn’t even try to win them back?
Julie had been shocked when she’d told her friend the situation. She’d done what all good friends would have—she bad-mouthed him until Marina had felt a little better about her decision.
Now, as she stood looking at her somewhat larger apartment, she wondered if she had made the right choice. She should have demanded an explanation. He had to have a reason for dragging their relationship out for almost three months. Right?
As she unpacked, she found herself not caring where everything went. She tossed things in drawers, hung clothes out of color order, and even ended up putting a few dishes in with the pans. This is what he’d done to her. He’d turned her into a slob. When she found the kitchen knives in one of the desk drawers, she sat down on the floor and cried.
Over the next few weeks, she went back to work. Each night she would try to organize the new apartment, and each night she would fail. Tommy took to working in his room after dinner and she allowed him the time. Eventually, he stopped asking about Trent and she was happy, or so she kept telling herself.
It wasn’t long after that she received a phone call from Reggie with a personal request from the mayor himself to review a new restaurant. He didn’t give her a name, just an address, and told her what time to be there tomorrow. She added it to her schedule on the following day and realized that life would go on without Trent, and that she needed to focus on Tommy and herself now.
When she stopped in front of the recently remodeled building the following evening, she paused and stared up at the sign for almost five minutes. There in thin white letters was her name. Knowing it had to be a coincidence, she shook her head clear and walked through the front doors.
The place was gorgeous. The gleaming wood tables were covered in classic cream-colored tablecloths. The high-back chairs were a warm leather, accenting the light colors and making the place feel comfortable and intimate.
There were a million tiny lights hanging from the ceiling in an intricate, chaotic design. Tall private booths lined the inside walls and surrounded a two-story spiral staircase. She’d never seen such a massive structure. A large crystal chandelier hung over the gleaming stairs and railing.
She heard someone clear their throat behind her and realized she’d been standing in the entrance, gawking at the view. Then she realized that the place was completely empty.
“I’m sorry. I hadn’t realized you weren’t open yet.” She backed up towards the door.
“We are open. Follow me, please.” She looked around again as the thin man motioned for her to follow him towards the staircase.
“How long ago did you open?” she asked, climbing the stairs. She enjoyed the rich feel of the gleaming wood in her hand as she followed him up the stairs. Her eyes caught every detail of the room as she looked at it from above.
“Grand opening is set for later this weekend.”
“Oh, but I thought…” She dropped off when she saw that the upstairs, a long narrow room that normally would have housed a dozen or more tables, had one small table set for two in the middle of the floor with tall candles surrounding it. Then she noticed the man standing next to one of the chairs and her back stiffened as she stopped in the middle of the floor. The thoughts about the beauty of the room and the building were replaced by fear and anger.
The maître d’ had quietly disappeared, leaving them alone in the massive room.
“Please.” Trent motioned towards the chair. “Give me a chance.”
Looking into his eyes, she decided she couldn’t deny him this one chance to explain himself. After all, she’d assumed that he had been going along fine without her. Now, she could see that his eyes were tired and full of fear that she would walk out of the room forever.
She walked forward and sat in the chair he’d pulled out and had been holding for her without saying a word.
He walked around and sat down across from her.
“Thank you. First I’d like a chance to explain myself.” When she nodded, he continued. “Since your review of Manhattan Nights, I’d been looking for M. Jensen. I’d read a few online articles claiming that the elusive M. Jensen was actually a woman instead of a man. There were even some grainy photos of you entering a half dozen places.” He sighed and then continued. “I’d hired my security friend Ethan to find out who was trying to destroy my business, thinking that you were on the take or being blackmailed. Then I saw you walking towards me that day on the sidewalk outside of the coffee shop and I knew it was you. After talking to you, I knew I had to find out more.”
He paused to pour them a glass of wine, which he took a sip from, then he quickly returned to his story. “Then something changed.” He set his glass down and looked her in the eyes. “You confirmed my new thoughts about your character, that you hadn’t been bought or threatened into tearing my restaurant down. I know I should have come clean then, but…” He shook his head and closed his eyes. “It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life, letting you walk away that day.” He opened her eyes and she could see the anguish in them. “I deserved it. I deserved to be left to suffer. I should have told you once I knew I’d fallen for you.” He shook his head. “Not just you, but Tommy as well. That kid means so much to me. Please, Marina, give me another chance. I promise you I will never lie to you again.” He sat across from her, his eyes pleading with hers as tears streamed down her face. She’d sat there, silently listening to his speech, knowing that he’d probably gone over it a million times.
“Trent, I don’t know if—”
“Wait,” he broke in. “Before you say anything, please.” He clapped his hands and two men in dark suits came in carrying plates. “I’ve made something special, just for you.” He nodded to his staff and they disappeared as quickly as they had arrived.
“Trent?” She looked down at the gorgeous food. Then she smiled and looked up at him. “Are you trying to buy me off?”
He chuckled nervously. “You’ll let me know if it worked?” She nodded. “Good. I can wait for your answer until after the food.”
She looked up at him and sighed, then nodded.
“How’s Tommy?” he asked, as she took up her fork and knife.
She sighed again. “He misses you. He’s mad at me for not letting him see you. He’s taken to staying in his room most nights.”
His eyebrows furrowed. “It’s not your fault. If you want, I can talk to him.”
She smiled and nodded.
“Does he like the new place?” Surprise must have shown on her face. “I stopped by shortly after you moved out and talked to Julie the next day. You didn’t have to move, you know.”
She nodded and looked down at her food, which she had yet to try. “There were too many ghosts. Besides, the place felt empty.”
“I know what you mean.” She glanced up at him. “I’m hardly at my place now. Even though the place is finished, it just doesn’t feel right.”
She cut a piece of the dark meat and took it up to her mouth. When the richness of it hit her tongue, her eyes closed and she stifled a low moan. A zip of flavor flooded her senses. Her mouth watered for more and she actually felt goose bumps rising on her arms. She took up another piece, thinking it must have been a fluke. The next taste was even better than the first.
“Do you like it?” he asked, his eyes on her every move.
She didn’t have any words, so instead she nodded her head and took another bite. She tried the rice and gravy and then moved on to the spray of vegetables.
“It looks like you’ve finally found a wonderful chef,” she said in between bites.
He chuckled, causing her to pause with the next bite in midair.
“I cooked everything you see here tonight. I don’t know what happened when you visited Manhattan Nights before, but this”—he nodded to the plate—“is the quality you should have gotten ther
e.”
She shook her head and frowned. “This is nothing like the meal I ate.”
He nodded. “I know. I still don’t know how you were served the food you got. I fired the first chef, thinking it was just his lack of experience, but then you wrote that cursed letter.” He chuckled and then frowned. “Then I knew someone was sabotaging me. I’ve had to watch all my employees very carefully, so much so that I think that whoever it was tried a different tactic.”
Realization hit her. “You think they broke into your place and trashed it?”
He nodded. “They hit this place too. I hired a security company to watch both places. I think that’s why they stole your phone and threatened me with your safety.”
“Who would do something like that?” she asked, taking a sip of her wine. The smoothness of it caused some of the sickness about the whole situation to settle a little.
He shrugged his shoulders. “I’ve had Ethan and his team on it for weeks.” Shaking his head, he frowned down at his forgotten plate. He was silent for a while, and she realized that she knew what she had to do. She knew that she didn’t want to live another day, spend another night alone without him. Even Tommy was becoming unbearable without Trent around.
“Did you really name this place after me?” she asked.
When he nodded his head and smiled a little, she set down her fork, stood up and walked around the table until she stood before him. He quickly got up, almost knocking the table over in the process. She chuckled and took his face in her hands.
“Trent, I would love it if you would come back home with me where you belong.”
He smiled and shook his head. “No. I know it’s a lot to ask, but my place is a lot bigger and Tommy would have a courtyard to play in.” He pulled her closer. “Move in with me?”
She smiled. “We’re pretty much still packed since I could never muster up enough willpower to unpack without you.”
He leaned down and placed a soft kiss on her lips. She’d missed the feel of him next to her, the taste of his mouth against hers. When he moaned, she knew then that she’d done the right thing. They belonged together.
“Marina,” he said pulling back a little, “I want you so much. I’ve missed you.” He looked into her eyes then looked around and frowned. “Come back to my place, just for a while. Then we’ll go get Tommy and some of your stuff.” She nodded and took his hand as he practically dragged her down the stairs.
Trent felt like running back to his place, but he knew that if he carted Marina over his shoulders like he wanted, they would get too many looks. Instead, he hailed a cab and waited patiently as they drove the dozen blocks back to his place. He held her hand in his and pulled her close every turn they made. By the time the cab stopped, he was kissing her until they were both breathless. He threw some money at the cabbie and they rushed up his stairs quickly. When he opened the door, they were both still breathless and his desire had grown painful.
He didn’t give her time to recover. Instead, he shut the door behind them, pushed her up against it, and took her heated mouth with his. Her hands pulled his head down to hers, her lips crushed under his as his hands roamed over the silk dress she was wearing.
He’d been happily surprised to see that she’d worn tall boots with the green silk dress. She’d left her hair down and he ran his fingers through it now, noticing how soft it was. He’d missed the feeling of it and her skin next to his.
Using just a finger, he pulled the thin strap of her dress off her left shoulder.
“I must have left my jacket in the restaurant,” she said and he could hear the nerves in her voice.
“Don’t worry, I know the owner,” he said, watching her skin turn pink under his gaze. When he had pushed one strap off her shoulder, he reached for the other one as her fingers pulled his dinner jacket off his shoulders.
Her head fell back against the wood door when he dipped his head down and tasted the skin just below her ear. When her fingers started tugging on his buttons, he moved back and pulled the shirt from his pants.
“You are so beautiful,” he said, coming back to her. The dress had a thin belt the same color. He reached down and pulled it open and, to his surprise, the dress fell open to her waist. “Nice.” He smiled up at her and then used a finger to pull it open even further.
She was wearing silk underneath silk, and his mind fogged when he noticed the garter belts.
“I love these,” he said running a finger over the smoothness of it and her skin just below the silk.
She smiled and wrapped her arms around his shoulders and kissed him. He hiked her legs up around his hips and took her right there against the doorway to their place. The sweet sounds she made as he claimed her were his undoing. By the time his release found him, he knew without a doubt that he didn’t want to spend a day without holding her in his arms.
“It’s getting late,” she said against his skin. They had ended up on his new couch, her almost-naked body sprawled on top of his. She pulled back and looked down at him. “Did you hear me?” she asked, smiling at him.
“Hmm.” He nodded. “Who’s watching Tommy? Julie?”
She nodded. “She and the boys came over to the new place for a while.” She glanced at the large clock over his fireplace and frowned.
“Don’t worry, we’ll go get him.” He sat up, almost dislodging her in the process. “Oops,” he laughed as he picked her up and carried her to where most of her clothes were. “We can take a cab. It’ll be faster.”
She nodded as she wrapped the green silk around her and tied it shut with the belt.
“What do you call that kind of dress?” he asked, hardly taking his eyes from her as she slipped on her tall boots.
“It’s a wrap dress.” She frowned and looked at him. “Why?”
He smiled. “You’ll have to buy more of those.”
She laughed.
“Here.” He reached into his closet and pulled out one of his jackets. “It’s probably gotten a lot colder out there.”
She wrapped it around the silk dress as they walked out the front door.
Less than ten minutes later, they stopped in front of a newer brick building. He’d seen the places going up a few years back and had always wondered what they looked like inside.
“How’d you find this place?” he asked as they walked up the short set of stairs near the back.
“Luck. Julie had been on a waiting list to move in for almost a year, but after hearing what I’d gone through, she gave her spot up for us. Besides, she can’t afford the new place with Juan’s father not paying child support anymore.” She stopped and turned towards him when she reached her door. “Did you know your big friend has been seeing her?”
“Who?” He frowned.
“Javan.” She smiled and unlocked her door. “It appears he’s crazy about Julie and the boys. I wouldn’t be surprised if…” She stopped dead when she saw a blonde woman sitting on her couch across from Julie. Tommy stood in the middle, crying. When he saw Marina and Trent standing in the doorway, he threw himself across the room and into their waiting arms.
“I don’t want to go. Tell her to go away!” he kept shouting.
Marina looked at the other woman like she’d seen a ghost. When she stood up, Trent realized instantly who it was and his heart broke.
“Trina?” Marina finally stuttered out. “How?”
“You didn’t make it easy for me to find you.” Her sister’s voice was higher than hers. Too high, in Trent’s opinion. “When you moved, you forgot to message me.”
“I did. I sent a text to the last number I had for you, but it bounced.”
Trina walked over and pulled Tommy from her sister’s arms. “I didn’t get a text,” she said, looking between Marina and Trent. “Is this how you’ve been watching my son?” She crossed her arms over her chest and frowned at the pair.
“What?” Marina blinked a few times. “I was working tonight.”
“Right. Well, I’m back now.” S
he turned to Tommy and grabbed his arm tightly. “Let’s go pack up your things; we’re leaving for Boston tonight.”
Marina stepped forward and put a hand on Tommy’s shoulder as he cried and shook his head no.
“Listen, I really appreciate you watching him for so long. It’s taken me a while to get back on my feet. Now, if you don’t mind, I have a very busy schedule.”
Marina’s eyes heated. “Julie”—she looked at her friend—“would you take Tommy into his room and stay with him please?”
Julie nodded and gently picked up the crying boy who was still screaming that he didn’t want to go.
“Trent, I’d like you to stay since this affects you as well.” She took his hand and stopped him from following Julie and Tommy. He nodded and gripped her hand more firmly.
“I don’t know what has gotten into you, but you are not taking that boy tonight. You can’t just barge in here after a year, two months, eight days, and…” —she looked at her watch—“two hours and expect to snatch him away from us with no warning.”
She dropped Trent’s hand and took a step towards her sister. “I know you, Trina. Don’t think that I don’t see the red in your eyes, that shake in your hand.” She motioned towards her sister’s hands, which Trina quickly tucked into her long coat. “You’ve still got the price tag on the coat, which means you’re probably going to return it tomorrow and spend the money snorting it.” She put a hand up. “Your tactics might have worked on me a few years back, but you’re not fooling anyone now. Tommy is not yours anymore. He’s ours.” She nodded towards Trent. “And if you want him back, you’re going to have to fight us for him.” She crossed her arms over her chest.
“Yeah!” the little boy said from the doorway.
“I’m sorry,” Julie said, rushing into the room. “He got away from me.”
Tommy’s red eyes were now dry and full of anger. “You can’t have me. I have a new mommy and daddy now. Tell her.” He looked up at Trent with pleading eyes.