Derrick hunched over his chin resting on his chest. "I've been patient." His voice sounded low and hoarse.
"Straighten up. Go back to work. This will all work out."
Derrick stood and walked towards the door. Just as he was about to leave, Teddy called him back in. "Derrick, how about you get away for a couple of days?"
"What... where... alone?" He asked. Derrick's shoulder slumped over and Teddy could see the slack in his face. He looked like a defeated man.
"London. I need someone to check in on our client, and I need something delivered. It's imperative the package is hand delivered."
"To be honest, I want to stay around her in case Erica surfaces." Derrick's hand gripped the doorknob.
"I think a few days away won't hurt and I need someone I trust to make this delivery."
"I guess you're right; a few days won't hurt. When do you want me to leave?"
"As soon as you like. First, come to my place tonight. I want to show you something, and I'll give you the package that needs delivering."
Mr. Adler's butler opened the door and showed Derrick into the study. Mr. Adler lived at one of the most prestigious addresses in the city. His brownstone worth millions seemed a little large for Mr. Adler at this point in his life but looking around Derrick could understand why he stayed. It was his home, and Derrick felt its warmth with the first step inside.
Derrick scanned the hundreds of books that lined the floor to ceiling bookshelves in the study. An impressive George II mahogany writing table placed in front of the large bay windows at the front of the home made for the rooms conversation piece. Derrick sat down on the worn burgundy colored leather couch and continued to scan the room. He stopped as he noticed a picture placed on the hutch next to the door. He stood, walked towards the hutch, and picked up the frame to get a closer look. The picture was of a younger Mr. Adler seated on a couch with a woman who looked like the entertainment, a beautiful woman with long fiery red hair and green eyes adorned from head to toe in jewels, draped over his lap. She wore a short skirt, and Mr. Adler wrapped a hand around her bare long legs. Derrick could see the happiness in Mr. Adler's face through the camera's lens. Derrick placed the picture down when he heard footsteps coming closer to the door.
"Derrick, my boy, welcome." Mr. Adler shook Derrick's hand. "Follow me. The package I told you about is in the great room, and there's also a decanter of scotch."
Derrick followed Mr. Adler down a long wide hallway to a room off to the back of the house. Mr. Adler opened the double doors, and the first thing Derrick saw was a buck staring back at him.
"I didn't know you hunt."
"There's a lot you don't know about me." Mr. Adler walked over to a small table with a silver tray on it. He moved two glasses closer together and poured the golden liquid into the glasses. He handed Derrick one glass and made a quick toast. "To things we don't know."
Derrick took a sip of his scotch as he continued to look around the room at all the animals mounted and hung from the walls. Derrick never had the stomach for hunting. He hated seeing animals dead on the side of the road. He couldn't imagine looking down the barrel of a gun seeing a sweet little deer staring back at him and pulling the trigger.
Mr. Adler motioned to the couch. Derrick sat and looked up at the wall in front of him. Mr. Adler sat in the chair next to the sofa. "Have you ever hunted?" Mr. Adler asked as he tapped his finger on the chair's armrest.
"No. I like guns, and I've spent time at a gun range skeet shooting, but I have no desire to kill Bambi, but I have nothing against hunters. I understand the philosophy behind it."
"Good because I'd hate to think you were judging me based on my hobby." There was a hint of humor in his voice.
"No. Never."
"You know Derrick; you're like my son." Mr. Adler sat towards the edge of the chair.
"Thank you, Mr. Adler, I respect you as a father."
"Good, come with me I want to show you something." He stood up.
Derrick followed Mr. Adler to a sunroom off the kitchen. Shades of blush and white covered every surface of the small space. There were glass tables at both ends of the couch, and one long glass table stood behind the couch with a matching glass coffee table placed in front. A variety of picture frames covered every flat service.
"Derrick, this was my wife's room, now it's my shrine to her."
Derrick looked at Mr. Adler then inspected the room. Every picture showed Mr. Adler with the beautiful woman with fiery red hair and green eyes just like the picture in his study. Derrick looked at Mr. Adler. "This was your wife?"
"Her name was Beatrice, and she was my whole world."
"You look so happy."
"I was. Every day I spent with her was a happy day."
Derrick smiled when he thought about Erica. "She's like my Erica."
"Derrick, when I got married no one showed up except my Beatrice. Everyone swore I'd curse the day I married her. My family came from old family money. They were snobs and had a narrow way of looking at the world. They thought she was a harlot because of the way she dressed and her free way of thinking. She was the most elegant woman I've ever known. She brought me so much peace and happiness, but I have to admit in the beginning I wanted to hide her away and only bring her out when I wanted to play, but she put an end to that."
"How?"
"She told me that she needed me to be a man. She needed me to be proud to be with her, and she said when I became that man I would learn how good it felt to have a woman like her love me." Mr. Adler wiped a tear from his eye. "And she was right. Her love elevated my life. I only ever knew happiness and excitement. I'd come home never knowing what to expect, and every day I couldn't wait to get home. That kind of love is rare, but you have it with Erica, but she needs you to be that man."
"Mr. Adler I want to be that man for her, but I worry how people will make her feel. I see what happens when she walks in a room and I see how jealous people will want to tear her down."
"My son, you need to have more faith in her. She shows up no matter what. She's a strong girl who enters every situation with love, and if love is not shown to her, she moves on. So, you need to ask yourself, is it Erica you're worried about or yourself? Are you a strong enough man to be with a girl like Erica? Trust me when I say this Derrick, Erica will never fade into the background."
"I know, and I don't want her to. I am strong enough. I took time to figure it all out, but I want her with me for the rest of my life."
"Well, okay, you go to London deliver my package, come home and see what happens."
About an hour later, Derrick walked out of Mr. Adler's townhouse carrying a 4x4 brown cube with only an address in London but no name. Mr. Adler gave no specifics about the contents of the box, but it felt light as air. Mr. Adler assured him that if he delivered the box to that address and handed it to the owner the job was complete. The box had to get into the owner's hands, and he could not leave the box with anyone else.
The next day Derrick sat on a plane flying to London. Derrick arrived at The Kensington Hotel and went straight up to his room. Tonight he stayed in and order room service. Tomorrow he had to meet with the firm's client and in the afternoon he needed to deliver the package for Mr. Adler.
The next morning, Derrick woke early and worked out in the gym, he showered, dressed and had the car service take him to the Square Mile. He spent most of the morning sifting through legal documents for his client and reiterating what rights they have and don't have regarding their most recent business transaction.
When he finished, he made his way over to Oxford Street to deliver the package. The address was difficult to find since there was no sign on the outside of the building. Brown craft paper covered the windows, but the double glass doors were unlocked, so Derrick walked in.
The space was empty except buckets and paint cans scattered around. Sheets of plastic separated the area. Derrick called out; his voice echoed throughout the empty space. No sign of anyone around.
It looked like a construction site.
Derrick moved further into the room and noticed a back entrance ajar. Just as he approached the door, it opened, and a burly man with his white t-shirt and jeans covered in dust and spackle walked in.
"Hiya."
"How do," Derrick replied.
"Aye, not so bad. How can I help you?"
"I'm looking for the owner."
"Aye, not here today. The owners are coming here Friday to inspect my work."
"Do you know them?"
"Never met 'em... My company tells me where to go, and what I do, but I know we need to finish by Friday because the owner is coming. Come back on Friday."
"I will. Thanks for your help." Derrick wanted to interrogate him further, but he knew it was futile. This man was the painter. He knew nothing more. Derrick with the small box left.
He had a late lunch at one of his favorite pubs, The Blind Pig. He sat at the bar and ordered a Slap 'n' Tickle, a drink made with gin and brine, and an order of duck fat chips. Just as he brought the glass up to his lips, he heard a familiar voice.
"Oh my God, is that Derrick Anderson?"
He looked over his left shoulder, and there she stood. He put down his glass and stood. Jennifer rushed over and wrapped her arms around him.
"What are you doing here?" Derrick's words muffled by a mouthful of Jennifer's hair. He Pulled away and tried to extract a loose strand of her hair from his mouth.
"I live her. I married a Brit." She shoved her hand at him. "Isn't it beautiful? Almost as nice as the one you got me."
"Beautiful. I'm happy for you." Derrick was happy for her but seeing her only reminded him of Erica. He wished he were back in New York. He needed to find her.
"Are you visiting or living here?" She asked.
"Work. I'm here for work."
"When are you leaving?"
"Sunday."
"Oh good, you must have dinner with my husband, Michael and me."
"Oh no, I don't think it's a good idea."
"Are you kidding me, of course, it's a good idea. Besides, I have a friend staying with us; we have reservations for tomorrow night at The Ledbury. You being there will be perfect. This way she won't feel like the third wheel."
"Oh no, Jen, I don't want you setting me up." The last thing he needed was to be entertaining one of Jen's friends. Pastel, pearls and high-pitched squeals flashed before his eyes.
Jennifer cringed at the abbreviation of her name, but she let it go. That was the old Jennifer this was the new London Jen. "Derrick, it's not a setup. Trust me, you are not her type, and she is not yours. Please!" Jennifer pleaded with him.
"It's an incredible restaurant, hard to get reservations."
"Okay, what time should I be there?" He was less than enthusiastic.
"Eight o'clock." She rapidly clapped her hands together. "Yay, this will be so much fun. I can't wait for you to meet Michael."
Jennifer leaned against the bar to talk to the bartender. "I have an order for Pierce to go."
The bartender reached behind him taking the plastic bag off the counter. Jennifer with her food in hand took one last look at Derrick and smiled. "I'm so glad I ran into you." She took his cocktail napkin and rummaged through her purse. She pulled out a pen and wrote her contact information down. "Don't forget and don't you dare cancel."
"I'll be there. Eight o'clock, The Ledbury."
Jennifer left, and Derrick resumed his position at the bar. Dinner with Jennifer and her husband was a good and bad thing. On the good side, it would be a distraction and something about seeing Jen made him feel closer to Erica. On the bad side, something about seeing Jen made him feel closer to Erica. He missed her, and though he wanted to think about her, he didn't want to think about her. Derrick would never tell Jen about Erica and him, but running into Jen brought back the happy memory of that fateful day.
The next night, Derrick walked into the restaurant a few minutes after eight. The hostess greeted him and showed him to The Pierce's table. A somewhat handsome guy with red hair and pale skin stood to greet him.
"You must be Jennifer's friend."
"Yes, I'm Derrick, and you must be her husband."
"Yes, Michael. Wait, Derrick her ex -fiancé?"
"The very one. Jennifer didn't tell you who was coming to dinner, did she?"
"No, she said it was a surprise."
"You're okay with this right?" Derrick pointed at himself then at the table.
"Yes, but she does this all the time." Michael motioned to Derrick to sit in the empty chair across from him. "She invited a friend to stay with us for a couple of weeks but only told me the day her friend arrived."
"She keeps you on your toes." Derrick laughed.
"Let's get you a drink." Just as Michael said those words, the waiter arrived to take his order.
"A Hendrix martini please."
"The girls are on their way. I came from work, but Jennifer just texted me that the car is a few blocks away."
The waiter brought Derrick his drink. Michael ordered appetizers for the table. When the waiter left, Michael raised his glass. "To ex's."
Derrick took a sip of his martini but almost spit it out when Jennifer walked in with her friend following behind. He stood up, his chair almost falling backward. Michael turned. "Lovely, they're here."
Erica didn't notice Derrick as she walked behind Jen. It wasn't until they were a few feet away that she saw him standing there. Her initial reaction was to jump in his arms and kiss him, but she knew she couldn't. She thought about Julie and the baby. Was Julie here, maybe in the ladies room? She couldn't do this. Erica wanted to run, but Jennifer didn't know about her and Derrick. She had to stay and act like nothing bothered her. She caught her breath and began the charade.
She gave Derrick a knowing look and a subtle wink. Derrick caught on and braced himself. There would be no hug.
"So I see you two met," Jennifer said then kissed him. "So no introductions needed here." She stood next to her husband and gestured to Erica. "Derrick, I don't know if you remember Erica from our engagement party, but she was my college roommate for all four years."
"I vaguely remember meeting you." Derrick held out his hand for Erica.
At first, Erica just stared at Derrick's hand. Then he moved closer and reached for hers. "Yes, of course, I remember you, I mean that's why we were all there, right?" Erica joked.
Michael pulled out the chair for his wife and Derrick did the same for Erica. Erica sat to his right. He wanted to stare at her, she looked happy and, of course, beautiful. He couldn't imagine what brought her to London. Just visiting Jen made little sense. He had to know more, but he had to tread lightly. Erica gave him a look that told him she did not want Jen to know about their relationship. So he had to be careful how he approached their conversation.
"So Erica what brings you to London?"
"Me." Jen answered for her. "I begged her to visit me."
Erica shook her head in agreement. "You did."
"Where are you from?"
"She's from New York."
"Jen, I can answer for myself."
"I'm sorry. I'm just so excited to see you both, and I still can't believe I ran into you, Derrick."
Erica and Derrick smiled while Michael rubbed Jen's shoulder. The waiter came over with the appetizers Michael ordered for the table. "Eat everyone; the food is superb."
Derrick attempted to watch Erica whenever Jen and Michael's heads were down looking at their plates of food. He wanted to touch her, talk to her, tell her everything, but it had to wait. It didn't even matter if she was angry with him. He knew as soon as she heard the truth, she'd understand, and they could move forward.
"So Derrick, tell me do you have a girlfriend?" Jen asked in between mouthfuls.
"No. I don't."
Erica's head whipped in his direction.
"So no one since me?" Jen sounded flattered.
"There is someone, but I need to convince her to be with me." Der
rick looked at Erica.
"I don't believe it. Any girl would be thrilled to be with you." Jennifer announced.
"That's not what you said yesterday." Derrick cocked his eyebrow at Jennifer.
"What did I say yesterday?" Jen was unsure what conversation Derrick referred to.
"Remember, you said I'm not Erica's type. So that means there are girls out there that wouldn't be thrilled to be with me." Derrick turned the conversation towards Erica. "Yesterday when Jen invited me she said she was bringing her friend, and I thought Jen was trying to set me up."
"Yeah, and you freaked out. I didn't want to scare you away, so I just said that. I don't know if you're Erica's type or not." She waved her hand at Erica.
"Derrick, as I'm sure you remember, my wife will say anything to get her way," Michael added to the conversation. Jen folded her arms in front of her and pouted.
Derrick wanted to put Erica on the spot but decided against it. Instead, Erica put herself on the spot. "I'd have to get to know you, but, so far, you're my type." She made no eye contact. She stared down at her plate and nervously straightened her silverware.
In that second, Derrick wanted to grab her and pull her onto his lap. He wanted to blurt out, "Jen, Erica was an almost a one night stand years before we met and I fell in love with her at our engagement party and Erica, marry me." Instead, he reeled it in and thanked Erica.
"Well, forget it. My friend and ex-fiancé cannot date." Jen would elaborate, but Michael cut her off.
"Jennifer." Michael reached for her hand. "Jennifer, my love, Derrick, and Erica are adults they can do whatever they like." Jennifer attempted to interrupt him. "Eh, eh, let me finish." She closed her mouth and sagged back in her seat like an errant child. "You are married. You are my wife so you don't care who your ex-dates, sleeps with or marries or whatever Erica and Derrick may end up doing."
Derrick and Erica glanced at each other and chuckled. "I think we should get married," Derrick suggested as he reached for Erica's hand.
Erica smiled at him. "Agreed," she would play along, but she still felt so unsure about everything.
"Oh, you two stop it. You're teasing me but if something happens between you remember who brought you together. Hell, it would be bad enough that my friend and ex-fiancé end up together, I should at least get credit." She fixed the napkin on her lap. "Save face." She mumbled under her breath.
The In-Between Girl Page 15