The Platinum Reunion

by T V Hartwell

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  After she and Jake hung up, Amanda downed what was left of her now cold soy latte and then headed out of the coffee shop to make her way back to her hotel. She couldn’t believe her ears. They felt like they were buzzing, hearing the accusation about her dad offering to pay Jake off. Amanda was so beside herself that she was shaking and struggled to walk straight. She spoke softly to herself in disbelief. “This can’t be true. Why on earth would my dad pay Jake not to marry me? This is insane. This is outrageous. This is unreal. I can’t believe it.”

  Amanda couldn’t bear to walk any further and decided to hail a cab. Intense jitters fueled by shock combined with wet, cold weather rapidly freezing her limbs made her feel as though she’d collapse to the ground at any moment. After she flagged a cab down and hopped in, she immediately dialed Lucy. Although Jake had implored her not to repeat what he’d told her to anyone, she couldn’t help herself. She had to tell someone.

  “Hey, what’s up?” Lucy asked upon answering the phone.

  “I just got off the phone with Jake.”

  “And?”

  “He’s coming to New York.”

  “When?”

  “Tuesday. We’re going to meet.”

  “You’re going to meet with him?” Lucy sounded incredulous.

  “I think I have to.”

  “Why?”

  “Lucy, oh my God, you won’t believe what he told me. I’m shaking right now.”

  “What did he say?”

  Amanda sighed. “You can’t tell anyone, Lucy. Promise me.”

  “Okay. I promise. Now tell me.”

  “I’m serious, Lucy. You can’t say anything to anyone. Oh my God, Lucy, I can’t believe it…,” Amanda said as her voice trailed off and then broke.

  “Oh my God, Mandi, you’re scaring me. Are you okay?”

  On the verge of a breakdown, Amanda took a moment to regain her composure. She remained silent and closed her eyes tightly to prevent any teardrops from falling. “Yeah, I’m okay…I’m okay,” she said finally.

  “Where are you?”

  “In a cab headed home…back to the hotel, I mean. Sorry. I’m reeling right now. Calm down, Amanda…calm down. Breathe…breathe,” Amanda said slowly to herself before she inhaled and exhaled softly.

  “What did Jake say to you?”

  “He said that the real reason why he broke up with me, notwithstanding the fact that he was cheating, is that my dad offered him a lot of money not to marry me.”

  “What? Get…the fuck…out. That’s ridiculous.”

  “He said he has proof.”

  “What proof?”

  “That’s what he’s going to show me when he gets here. He must have something in writing, I gather.”

  Lucy snickered dismissively. “Why would Rick do that? That makes absolutely no sense.”

  “I don’t know. Jake said that my dad told him a story about me, and I guess apparently it was enough to persuade Jake to break things off with me. Jake said that he was duped and that he fell for it, whatever it was he was told, and that my dad then offered him money for his silence.”

  “You can’t be serious. This is fucking crazy, Amanda. Do you believe this story?”

  Amanda sighed. “I don’t know. Wait, sorry,” she said to Lucy as her cab pulled in front of her hotel to drop her off. Amanda paid the driver, stepped out of the car, and then continued her thought.

  “I mean, I wouldn’t completely put it past my dad to do something like that. I don’t know why he’d do it, but if he had a good enough reason or a good enough reason to him, he’d probably do it. I actually think he keeps a mistress or two and might even have a love child he’s secretly funding.”

  “Hmmm, you’ve told me that before, but that’s to cover his own ass. To keep his affairs covered up. That doesn’t explain why he’d pay Jake. It’s not like he’s having an affair with Jake, or would he? Does Rick secretly like boys?”

  Amanda smirked dismissively. “I don’t think so, Lucy.”

  “Well, I don’t know. I’m just trying to make sense of this. Maybe Jake has something on him and blackmailed him or something.”

  “No. Jake said my dad told him something about me, to persuade him not to marry me, and then offered him money to keep silent about it.”

  “Oh my God. This is crazy. I can’t believe this, Amanda. Are you going to call your dad to tell him about this?”

  “No. Jake said I should wait until after we’ve met, and I agree. I want to hear what my dad allegedly told him first and see what Jake has to show me. I swear to God, Lucy, if this is true, if my parents, my dad, had a role in breaking us up and offered Jake money not to marry me, shit is going to blow straight through the roof.”

  “I’m in shock right now. I don’t know what to do. What about Adam? Have you told him any of this?”

  “No. Not right now. I want to keep my plans to meet with Jake a secret for now. I’ve already told him that we can’t be seen together.”

  “That’s for sure, but where are you guys going to meet?”

  “I don’t know yet, but Lucy, you have to promise me that you won’t say anything to anyone about Jake coming to New York, about me meeting with him, about what he’s told me about my dad offering to pay him off—not a word about any of this.”

  “Amanda, I promise not to say a word to anyone. I swear to God. I’m literally holding my hand to my heart right now.”

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Jake arrived in New York at eight thirty Tuesday morning after having taken a red-eye flight overnight from Los Angeles. He had made a reservation at a Midtown Manhattan hotel, but his room wasn’t to be available for check-in until three that afternoon. On the cab ride over from the airport, he called to see if there was any way he could check in sooner, but the hotel couldn’t guarantee it as it had been sold out the night before. They put him on standby and told him that they’d send him a text message if a room became available sooner as there’d likely be early checkouts.

  Once he made it to Midtown, Jake had the cab driver drop him off at a diner on Forty-Fifth Street near Times Square. It wasn’t far from his hotel. The diner was full, mostly with what appeared to be tourists, but luckily Jake found one booth left open toward the back and snagged it right away. After taking a quick look at the menu, Jake ordered coffee, a vegetable and egg white omelet, and wheat toast. While waiting for his food, he decided to text Amanda to let her know that he’d arrived.

  Hi, Mandi. I’m in NY. When are you free to meet?

  He didn’t get a reply back right away. So he sat, waited, and repeatedly looked at his phone, anticipating her reply at any moment. However, more than ten minutes passed and still no reply. Eventually Jake’s food arrived. He gulped it down, all while wondering about Amanda. Did she change her mind? I wonder if she ended up calling Rick and telling him what I told her.

  Other than seeing Amanda, Jake had no other business in New York. Therefore, it would end up being a big waste of time if she’d changed her mind about seeing him. And she didn’t necessarily have an obligation to tell him so, especially since he’d given her the impression that he was in town on business and not there just to see her. After finishing his breakfast and sitting there for nearly an hour without hearing from her, Jake became filled with doubt about the likelihood of them meeting. “I’m screwed,” he said aloud to himself as he thought about what to do next.

  He got up, paid his bill, and headed out toward Times Square with no place to go. Lugging his small suitcase along, he walked aimlessly, staring blankly at the hustle and bustle of the city that surrounded him. Just as he was about to turn the corner onto Broadway, he heard his phone ping. The text he’d been expecting had finally come through.

  Hi Jake, I’m tied up in meetings all morning. Where are you staying?

  Hi. At the Hilton in Times Square.

  I have some time free this afternoon.

  Okay. I can come to you if that makes it easier. Are
you staying at your parents’ apartment?

  No. The Gramercy Park Hotel. It’s closer to my office.

  Does your hotel have a bar or lounge where we could meet?

  I don’t want to meet there. Paparazzi stalk the place. Can I come to your hotel room?

  Jake did a mental double take. He wasn’t expecting that. Sure but don’t have a room yet. Check-in’s at 3 but on standby for sooner.

  After 3 is fine. Let’s say 4?

  Okay. Should definitely have a room by then.

  I’ll text you when I’m on my way.

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  Amanda stepped into the lobby of the Hilton Hotel five minutes past four in the afternoon. She was wearing sunglasses and a wool parka with the hood pulled over her head to keep from being noticed. She looked around and saw that the lobby was relatively quiet for such a large and typically busy hotel. Sensing that nobody was paying the least bit of attention to her, she saw a sign for the restrooms and walked in that direction. She pushed through the restroom door, walked up to the vanity, took off her shades, and pulled her hood back to have a look at herself. She immediately started to fuss with her hair and became particularly annoyed with a lone strand that seemed suspended in air by some magnetic field and that refused let go.

  “Oh, who gives a crap? I’m not here to impress him,” she said before pulling her phone out of her coat pocket to call Jake.

  “Hi,” Jake answered.

  “Hi. I’m downstairs. I assume you need an access key to get up to your floor.”

  “Yeah, you do. I’ll come down right now and get you. Are you in the lobby?”

  “In the restroom. I’m about to come out now.”

  “Just go over and stand by the elevators. I’ll be right there.”

  “Okay.”

  Amanda left her hood off but put her shades back on. Staring straight ahead, she observed the scene from the corner of her eyes as she walked cautiously across the lobby floor over to the elevator bank. Although she knew the Hilton was a more commonplace hotel that mostly hosted tourists and traditional business travelers and not high-profile celebrities, she felt a little apprehensive nevertheless. She was now being photographed alone at times, without Adam by her side. She had become an It girl of the moment after all of the attention she’d received following the Golden Globes and Oscars. Her Facebook follows had blown up, increasing by the day, and there was bounty to be had if fresh photos of her could be procured as frequently as possible. All of the attention and scrutiny were new to Amanda and made her anxious. She’d gone from being a rich heiress occasionally mentioned in the likes of Town & Country and the New York Social Diary, because of her parents and family name, to a full-fledged person of interest on her own, covered by Vogue, People, and Us, among other celebrity rags.

  Amanda stood in front of the elevators and waited, feeling slightly anxious about seeing Jake. The center elevator doors opened and there he stood, beautiful as ever. She immediately noticed his blond hair—slick, wet, and perfectly combed with a part on the side like a Ralph Lauren model. His icy blue eyes were especially striking set against lightly suntanned skin, courtesy of the continuous shine and warmth of the California sun. And that body—the lean, muscular definition of which was unmistakably apparent through the lightweight, dark blue, long-sleeved crewneck sweater that hugged his torso.

  “Hi,” Jake said, greeting his former girl love with a warm smile.

  “Hi,” Amanda said back as she fought to maintain her composure, offering a more restrained half smile so as not to seem in any way happy or joyful about being in his presence.

  Jake extended his arm to hold the elevator door open as Amanda stepped in. After the doors closed, they stood and faced each other for a couple of seconds in silence before Jake spoke again.

  “How are you? It’s been a while.”

  “I’m good, thanks. Everything’s good. How about you?”

  “Not bad. This is my first time in New York since—”

  “You were here with me, probably.”

  “Yeah. When was that?”

  “I think the Christmas before last or right before. We went to Alana’s Christmas party.”

  “Yeah, that’s right. I remember,” Jake said as they stepped out of the elevator, having reached his floor. “Can’t believe it’s been that long. That was more than a year ago.”

  “Yep,” Amanda said simply as she followed behind Jake to his room. She stared at his backside from head to toe, observing the man she had once made love to endlessly and thought she’d be married to and together with forever. Sadness and longing fell over her, but she quickly shook them off and broke her gaze, recalling that the same man in front of her had cheated on her and deceived her about who he really was for a very long time. She needed to hold on to that thought in order to stay strong and to remain as unemotional and detached as possible.

  Jake unlocked the door with his key card and then held it open, allowing Amanda to step in first. “After you,” he said.

  “Thanks,” she said as she walked in, observing the room. It was pretty basic with a queen-size bed, a desk and chair, and a larger armchair in the corner with a matching ottoman. Clean, orderly, and unfussy. Kind of like Jake, she thought. She stepped over to the window to check out his view. “Nice view of the Empire State Building,” she said before turning around to find Jake standing there quietly watching her. He looked solemn, if a bit awestruck. Amanda sensed that he was taking her in—taking in the moment of being with her again, alone. It felt a little awkward for her too.

  “Can I get you anything to drink? There’s juice, soda, and water in the fridge,” he said, opening the door of the credenza to show her where the small fridge was hidden.

  “No. I’m fine. Thanks,” Amanda said as she sat on the end of the bed. She sighed huffishly and then said, “So,” to get the conversation started.

  “So…I assume you want to get right down to what it is I have to talk with you about.”

  “I have somewhere else to be by five or shortly thereafter,” she lied.

  “Oh, okay. Well—”

  “You said that you had something to show me, to prove that my dad offered you money not to marry me. And first…can I just say how ridiculous this all sounds?”

  “I know it does,” Jake said as he pulled out the desk chair, turned it around, and sat in it, facing her. He leaned forward, rested his arms on his legs, and clasped his hands together. Very small beads of sweat appeared at the top of his forehead.

  Amanda knew he was nervous and couldn’t wait to hear his story.

  “Do you remember that I told you the real reason I broke up with you was that I was trying to protect you?”

  “Yes, but I thought that meant that you were trying to keep me from finding out the truth about your relationship with Kirby and your attraction to guys.”

  Jake sighed and shook his ahead in frustration. “Amanda, I told you that’s not the reason I broke up with you. Yes, I had been fooling around—”

  “Having sex with,” she interrupted.

  “Yes, having sex with Kirby—”

  “For a very long time,” she interrupted again.

  “And…that was wrong for me do while we were together. I admit that, okay? I’m sorry for what I did, for cheating on you and betraying your trust. Honestly, I am truly sorry. But as I told you over the phone, it’s what your dad told me about you that prompted my decision to end our relationship.”

  Amanda furrowed her brow and looked at Jake skeptically. “What did he tell you?”

  Jake took a deep breath and paused for a few seconds as he looked down at the floor.

  Amanda’s heart began to race with anticipation and anxiety. What can it be?

  Jake then looked up at her with a grave expression on his face and began to speak. “Amanda, about two weeks before our wedding, I was told that you were not well.”

  “What do you mean, not well?”

  “That you were ill.”


  Amanda winced. “What?”

  “At first, Mike Wallace—you remember him?”

  “Yeah. He’s like your mentor and your boss, and a friend of your family’s, I recall.”

  “Right. And you know he’s your dad’s attorney, or at least, one of them. I’m sure he has a few.”

  “Yeah…right,” Amanda slowly recalled. “I think I remember him telling me that when you introduced us at your firm’s Christmas party way back when.”

  “Well, so anyway, your dad had Mike come to me first to try to convince me to break up with you because you supposedly had a life-threatening illness—”

  “What?” she said with an expression of shock and disbelief.

  “—but he wouldn’t tell me what the illness was at first. He said that only your parents and your doctors knew about the illness and that they needed to keep it a secret. They didn’t want anyone to know. And so I said no. I refused to comply with their wishes. I told him that he needed to tell me what your illness was first. I wasn’t going to just walk away from our relationship and not go through with our wedding based on some vague innuendo. I’m like, I’m her fucking fiancé and soon-to-be husband. If she has a life-threatening illness, I have a right to know what it is. It’s my job to help her with whatever treatment she’ll need. But he said that you were in denial about being sick and were refusing treatment.”

  “What?” Amanda said once more, aghast. “Oh my God, I can’t believe this. When was this? When did this guy Mike come to you and tell you this?”

  “It was right before I left for my bachelor party in Vegas. You had already left to come here to New York for a quick business trip.”

  “Okay, I remember,” Amanda said, recalling that weekend to her memory—the weekend when Adam had showed up to Cass Bettencourt’s birthday dinner at Koi, to her dismay, and their subsequent confrontation outside the restaurant before she’d left. It was also the weekend she had become sick, not yet knowing at the time that the sickness was due to her unplanned pregnancy.