by Unknown
“Are you sure nothing happened last night?” Jenny asked, and Alice knew her friend sensed something was off with her, but she wasn’t ready to talk about what had happened with anyone, not even Jenny.
“Nothing that matters,” Alice sighed before she quickly changed the subject. “I will be at the shop in a couple of minutes. I will see you when I get there.”
“Okay,” Jenny sighed, but something told Alice that this conversation was far from over.
She hung up the phone and slipped it back into her bag, as she continued on her journey.
As she walked along the street, she thought she noticed one or two people looking at her strangely, which she found a little bit unsettling. She thought that maybe she was just paranoid. The encounter with the photographer had unnerved her, and part of her was half expecting someone to jump out and take her photo once again.
When she reached the coffee shop, she was surprised to see Jenny, Sam and one of the other waitresses, who was called Bonnie, standing behind the counter, looking at a newspaper, and the shop was empty.
“Hey,” she said as she walked into the shop and slipped off her jacket. “Why is it so quiet in here?”
“We haven’t opened up yet,” Sam said as he lifted his head and looked at Alice, giving her a weird smile. “What are you doing here anyway? I thought you had quit.”
“I know,” Alice said and cringed as she remembered how upset Sam had been about her leaving. She loved Sam, and in some ways, he had been almost like a father to her, so letting him down was probably the worst thing she had ever had to do. “But I am here now. Is it okay for me to just stay and help out? Just for today.”
He didn’t reply. Instead, he just stared at her, as did Jenny and Bonnie.
“What?” Alice asked, suddenly feeling more than a little uneasy. “What’s wrong?”
“Have you seen the morning papers, Sweetie?” Jenny asked as Alice moved slowly towards the counter.
“No,” she shook her head. “Should I have?”
Without replying, Jenny handed her the paper and gave her a worried smile.
Alice took the paper and then took a deep breath before she looked down at it.
Her heart almost stopped when she saw the picture of her on the front page with Parker and the headlines beneath it. Who’s that girl?
“Oh, God!” Alice cried as she looked up at her friends.
“That’s not the worse part,” Jenny sighed as she pointed back to the paper.
Alice dropped her eyes back down and read through the article. It said that it was unconfirmed, but inside sources said that after a whirlwind romance, the mystery girl and the playboy billionaire had tied the knot in a private ceremony at city hall.
It went on to say that after recent photos of Parker having sex in a bathroom with two girls, the mystery girl was said to be heartbroken, so Parker decided that getting married was the only way he knew to prove how serious he was about this girl. That he was crazy about her.
Finally, it said, despite this, there were also unconfirmed reports that Parker was seen leaving a club the night before with a blonde beauty that was not the mystery girl, and it questioned if the marriage was already on the rocks.
Alice dropped the paper and closed her eyes. She refused to cry. Not over Parker O’Neill.
Why the hell did I agree to this? She asked herself in her mind.
“Are you okay, sweetie?” Jenny asked as she softly touched her hand.
“I will be,” Alice said as she opened her eyes and forced a smile on her face before she looked at Sam. “If you want me to leave, I understand. I can’t promise that they won’t find me here. But I would really love to stay and work. I need this, just for today.”
“Sure, Honey,” Sam nodded and gave her a warm smile. “This is where you belong.”
“Thanks,” Alice said with a grateful smile.
She walked past the three of them, into the back room where she hung her jacket up on the coat hook before she slipped her handbag into her cubby.
Give me the strength to do this; she whispered in a silent prayer as she closed her eyes and took a deep breath before she headed back out to the coffee shop.
“Let’s do this,” she said as the other’s looked at her expectantly.
Chapter 9
Parker
“THIS BETTER BE A JOKE!” Robert yelled at a sleeping Parker, almost killing him with fright, as a newspaper hit him in the head. “Please tell me you haven’t married some cheap bimbo, just to prove a point to your mother and me.”
“JESUS!” Parker exclaimed as he rolled over in his bed, relieved he had made Blondie leave the night before once they had finished their party. “Have you ever heard of knocking, or maybe even calling before you come barging in here. I gave Mom a key for emergencies, not to give you free reign to come in here screaming every time you’re pissed at me.”
“Tell me that this is bullshit, Parker,” Robert pleaded with his son.
“Which part?” Parker said as he got out of bed and headed for the bathroom.
“The part where you married some bimbo to prove a point,” Robert repeated his earlier remark.
“She’s not a bimbo,” Parker said as he closed the door in his father’s face so he could use the toilet in peace.
His father didn’t reply until he emerged several minutes later.
“Dad, is this going to become a regular thing, where you come and yell at me, then stand outside my door while I pee?” Parker sighed as he walked through the bedroom and headed straight for the door, still wearing just his boxer shorts. “Because I’ve got to tell you; I’m not loving it.”
“Don’t get smart, Parker,” Robert said as he followed his son down to the kitchen and watched him attempt to make some coffee. “No one is amused by your crap anymore.”
“What do you want from me, Dad?” Parker said as he put the coffee pot down on the counter and looked up at his father. “You said you wanted me to get married, so I did, and now you’re pissed. I honestly can’t win.”
“I wanted you to marry a good girl,” Robert replied looking his son in the eyes. “I wanted you to marry someone with values, someone who would calm your selfish ass down.”
“Alice is someone good,” Parker replied knowing that was the one thing about all this that was true. “She is not just some bimbo.”
“And what do you know about this Alice?” Robert demanded. “How did you meet her? Who are her family? How do you know she is not just after your money?”
“I know enough,” Parker sighed. “And no, she is not after my money.”
“Tell me you at least had her sign a pre-nup,” Robert asked, and Parker knew that his father was completely thrown by this turn of events.
“Give me some credit,” Parker sighed once more as he finished off making his coffee. “Of course I got her to sign it.”
“Is it air tight?” Robert asked still with an air of panic in his voice. “Maybe you should let my lawyer look at it.”
“I have my own lawyer,” Parker said as he set the coffee pot back onto the machine, then leaned against the counter to wait for it to brew. “This has nothing to do with you.”
“This has everything to do with me, Parker,” Robert insisted. “You married her. You want to take over my company. How do I know that when you fuck up, you won’t lose half of everything I have worked so hard to build?”
“Because I am not a child,” Parker replied impatiently. “Despite what you and mother think of me. Besides, I already told you, Alice is not like that. She is not like most girls.”
Parker thought of Alice, and the memory of how upset she was the night before crashed into his mind, and he released a deep sigh. Then he had to get drunk and bring some bimbo back.
What the hell was I thinking? He thought miserably. He was just relieved he got rid of her before Alice woke.
“Look,” Parker said knowing he needed to say something constructive to calm the situation with his father in
stead of winding him up more. “I know this seems random, and maybe it is. But Alice is sweet, kind, thoughtful and I love her. I know that seems crazy to you, but it’s true.
Parker knew it was a long shot. He knew that his father knew he didn’t really believe in love, but he at least had to try.
“Don’t bull shit me, Parker,” Robert sighed. “The only person you love is yourself.”
“Okay, so maybe love is a strong word,” Parker sighed impatiently. “But you knew how I felt on the matter last week when you issued me with the ultimatum, so you don’t get to use it against me now. I did what you wanted. I got married. Now accept it.”
“What happened to your hand?” Robert asked suddenly changing the subject, as his eyes dropped to his son’s hand. “Were you fighting, or was that your handy work out in the elevator?”
Parker looked down at his bloodied knuckles and sighed as he remembered his disagreement with Alice the night before, once again. He knew if he was going to make this arrangement work, he had some making up to do. Okay, they were never going to be loves young dream, but if they were going to pull this off, liking each other would be a start.
“It’s nothing,” he sighed as he looked back up at his father. “It won’t happen again.”
“Good,” Robert sighed before he changed the subject slightly. “So when are we going to meet the blushing bride?”
“Whenever you want,” Parker said as he wondered if Alice would be up yet. “She should be around here somewhere.”
“Didn’t she share your bed?” Robert asked as he raised his eyebrows and gave his son a questioning look.
“Of course she did,” Parker lied and tried to think quickly. “She said she was going to the gym or use my office. I was half asleep.”
“Well, maybe I will go introduce myself while you put on some clothes,” Robert said much to Parker’s annoyance.
“I will go get her,” Parker quickly intervened. “The last thing I want is you giving her the Spanish Inquisition and scaring her off. You stay here and have some coffee. You clearly need some to calm you down.”
Parker disappeared out of the kitchen and hurried down the hallway to Alice’s room.
When he reached it, he tapped softly on the door, hoping his father didn’t hear him. He waited for a moment, but there was no reply, so he knocked once more, this time a little harder.
Still, there was no reply.
Parker slowly pushed open the door, and was surprised to see her room empty.
Okay, he thought to himself. Where the hell is she at this hour on a Saturday morning?
He sighed as he left the room, then quickly checked the gym and his office, before he walked back up along the hallway back through the living room, stopping to check the TV room, but there was no sign of her.
“Have you lost something?” Robert asked his son as he walked back towards the kitchen.
“Funny,” Parker said, giving his father an unimpressed look. “She must have gone out.”
“I see,” Robert replied, but Parker knew his father was suspicious. “Well, maybe you can join your mother and me for dinner. I know Nicole will be excited to meet her new sister-in-law.
Parker felt like a complete shit. In all his plotting, he hadn’t considered he would have to lie to the most important person in the world to him; his little sister.
He knew his father had made that comment to get to him, and it had worked.
One point to Dad, he thought to himself as he forced a smile on his face.
“We can come over this week,” Parker replied brightly, knowing there was no way around it. They would have to meet Alice sooner or later, so it may as well be sooner. Now all he needed to do was find her. Where the hell would she have gone?
“I will tell your mother to expect you Wednesday,” Robert said with a smile before he walked towards the door. “I trust you’ll be able to find your bride by then?”
Parker sighed but didn’t reply. When his father had let himself out of the apartment, Parker hurried back to his bedroom to get his mobile phone. He quickly brought up Alice’s number and hit dial.
He waited for her to answer but it just went straight to voice mail.
“It’s me, call me,” he said before he hung up.
That’s when he spotted the newspaper his father had so rudely woken him up with.
He picked it up from the bed, and a sinking feeling developed in the pit of his stomach when he saw the headlines under a photo of him and Alice.
“FUCK!” he cried as he continued to read down through the article. When it got to the part about him and the blonde, he balled up the newspaper and threw it across the room in a temper.
He knew if Alice seen this, she was freaked.
Maybe she left? He thought as he ran back down the hallway to her room. Opening the door, he stepped inside and looked around. He felt a little relieved to find her belonging still there. At least it gave him some hope, but where the hell was she?
He hurried back to his room and grabbed his phone once more. Calling her again, he sighed in frustration when he just got her answering machine yet again. Was she avoiding him?
He needed to track her down and fix this before there was nothing left to fix.
Parker found himself standing outside the coffee shop once again, and sure enough, she was there. He watched her as she worked flat out, just like she had the first time he had stood there and watched her.
He was surprised to find her there because he thought she had quit. She said she had, even though he knew when he insisted she gave up her job in the coffee shop, she really didn’t want to.
It just didn’t make sense for the wife of a billionaire to be working so hard for minimum wage.
However, as he stood there watching her, he realised he had taken everything from her, and he had made no effort to give anything in return. He needed to step up.
He took a deep breath before he pushed opened the door.
The minute she looked up and saw him standing there, she froze.
“Hi,” he said as he became aware everyone in the coffee shop was watching him, too.
“Hi,” she said as she turned back to the table she was clearing and continued with her work.
“I woke up, and you were gone,” he said in a hushed voice as he moved closer to her.
“I didn’t think you would’ve missed me,” she replied as she turned without looking at him and headed back behind the counter, then disappeared in through the back door.
Parker stopped at the counter and glanced at Sam, who was standing at the far end of the counter, glaring at him. He hesitated for a moment before he decided to follow her.
“You can’t be back here,” Alice said when she turned and saw him standing there. It was the first time she had looked at him. Parker could see she was upset, so he knew she had seen the newspaper.
“I need to apologise,” he said quickly, knowing that at any moment, Sam could come and drag his ass out of there. “I know I fucked up, but this is all very new for me.”
“That’s not an excuse,” Alice said as her eyes filled with anger. “Decent people don’t act like you. You humiliated me, then you come here and think I should accept it because this is new for you?”
“I know you’ve seen the newspaper…” he began to reason with her.
“You think I am upset over the newspaper,” she cut in before she stared at him for a moment. She took a step closer to him and held his gaze with hers. “Tell me, did you enjoy your wedding night in the end? Because it sounded to me like you did.”
Parker felt sick. She had heard what he said. She had heard everything.
“Why are you doing this, Parker?” Alice asked still holding his gaze. “If keeping your father’s company means that much to you, why not just change. Why not just grow the hell up.”
“It’s not that simple,” Parker replied.
“Isn’t it?” Alice asked. “Because from where I’m standing it’s very simple. If you want
something, you do whatever it takes.”
“I can’t be the man he wants me to be,” Parker replied honestly.
“You can’t,” she asked. “Or you won’t.”
Parker stared at her for a moment, unsure of how to even respond to that. She was right, he knew it, but it didn’t change anything.
“Now if you’ll excuse me,” Alice said as she gave him one last look. “I have to get back to work.”
“Are you coming back?” He asked, stopping her in her tracks.
“I will be home when I’m finished my shift,” she replied before she continued to the front of the coffee shop.
Parker followed her out, and headed straight for the door. He stopped and glanced back at Alice, but she didn’t look at him.
As he climbed back into the car that was waiting for him outside, he thought about the things she had said to him. He knew she was right in everything she said. He needed to try harder, but harder at what, he really wasn’t sure.
It was a little after five when Parker heard the keys rattle in the front door.
He walked out into the hallway to greet Alice as she stepped through the door.
“Hey,” he said nervously, suddenly feeling like a kid in high school once again. “How was your day?”
“Fine,” Alice said cautiously, as she set her keys down on the hall table.
“I thought you might be hungry,” he said as he watched her, and tried to read her reaction. “So I made dinner.”
“I’m starving,” she replied with a small smile, and Parker felt happy that he had managed that much. “Thank you.”
“It’s nothing special,” he said as he turned and led her through to the kitchen. “It’s spaghetti and meatballs. It’s the only thing I know how to cook.”
“I like spaghetti,” she said with another cautious smile.
“I was going to set the table in the dining room,” Parker explained as he walked towards the stove and began to put the final touches to dinner. “But I thought, seems as it’s just the two of us, here was better.”