When I went to bed, all I could think about was seeing him again. I couldn’t wait.
* * *
I woke up before my alarm. I stared at the ceiling for a few moments, and then tossed the blankets off. I needed to get everything in shape. Xavier was coming today, and I wanted him to see my world, see how I lived.
I’d been nervous last night, but today, I was nothing but excited. I’d given myself plenty of time to get ready, and I forced myself to eat, and then tidy up once more. I went through the house, one more time.
Time to go. The nerves were getting the better of me. I had a nice house and a nice life, but it wasn’t the life Xavier had. I didn’t want him to be disappointed.
For a rebound, I had a lot invested in this. I didn’t want to think about what would happen if this fizzed out. I’d been doing a lot of reading about what happened after people divorced. Everyone seemed to rebound. Then they moved on to a real relationship.
This felt real, though. How could you tell?
I thought about it on the way to the airport. Xavier had told me where to go to meet his plane. It was separate from the larger airport.
When I got to the gate, I told the guard I was meeting a private plane, and he directed me to an office. He also informed me that if I wandered around, I would potentially be arrested.
Sheesh. I didn’t think I looked dangerous.
When I got to the office, I went in.
A young man looked up as I closed the door behind me.
“Can I help you?”
“I’m meeting a plane. I am not sure where I’m supposed to go, and the guard at the gate sent me here.”
Xavier hadn’t been sure as he’d not been here before, but he’d told me that these people would help me out. He said every airport had a section for the private planes, and keeping track of them was their job.
The young man, who wore a nametag that said Dave, smiled. “I can help you with that. When is the plane expected?”
“I was told it was planning on landing at nine a.m.”
He checked a sheaf of paperwork on the desk in front of him. “Where was it leaving from?”
“Los Angeles.”
I could see his eyes moving down the list.
“Oh, yeah, here it is. That flight was canceled.” He looked up. “I’m sorry.”
“What do you mean? I don’t understand.”
“The pilot filed a cancellation as his passenger didn’t show up. The plane never left. You can’t leave without the person who charters the flight.”
My head spun. “What does that mean, the passenger didn’t show up?”
For a moment, there was pity on Dave’s face. “I’m sorry, ma’am. I only know what’s in the notes, here.” He gestured at the paperwork. “It’s all the information I have.”
“Well…” I didn’t know what to do. “Okay. Thank you for your help. I’ll just wait to hear from…the passenger.”
I turned and walked to my car. What had happened? I spoke to him yesterday before work. Then he texted. He’d given me no hint that he wouldn’t be here, wouldn’t be getting on the plane.
Was he hurt? Should I call someone? His manager? Oh, that’s right. He didn’t have one. He’d fired his manager the day we met. Xavier hadn’t replaced him yet.
I sat in my car, trying not to cry.
Either he was hurt, or he’d changed his mind.
Don’t jump to conclusions, don’t jump to conclusions, I told myself. You don’t know anything, nothing good, and nothing bad. There’s nothing to assume.
Inhaling deeply, I found some tissues in my bag and wiped my eyes. Okay. What did I need to do? I needed to make sure that he wasn’t hurt. How to determine that?
The cruise. Check the cruise. It was a no phone cruise, but maybe there was some publicity about it anyway.
I searched for the singer that he’d told me about—the one his friend’s girlfriend liked. I found it, listed on one of the entertainment magazine sites. It had pictures of her walking on board, and then I read the little blurb.
This power cruise will certainly be rocking as they set sail for a weekend of fun in Los Cabos! Stay tuned for pics!
Where the hell was Los Cabos?
I pulled up maps and searched. It was in Mexico, at the tip of the Baja peninsula. I looked at the distance from Los Angeles to Los Cabos. There was no way—wait. I looked back at the blurb.
The words blurred.
…a weekend of fun in Los Cabos!
He’d lied to me.
11
Olivia
I was crying. Not nice little rivers of tears artfully dropping from my eyes, either.
Big, huge sobs.
I drove out of the airport, and once I turned onto the road in front of it, the tears started, and I couldn’t stop them.
There was no way I could get on the highway like this. I could barely see, much less drive.
My nose was also running, which was all kinds of gross.
When I finally looked at my watch, I’d been sitting there for twenty minutes. I couldn’t just sit here, and I couldn’t get in touch with Xavier. He wouldn’t have his phone on him.
Maybe he’d just told me that, so that I wouldn’t call. Oh, God. Was I being dumped already? I didn’t know what to do.
I pulled out my phone and called Momma.
“Sugar bean, I didn’t expect to hear from you until tonight.”
Feeling a huge sense of déjà vu, I burst into tears at the sound of her voice.
I tried talking, but the words came out as unintelligible hiccups.
She didn’t say anything until my crying calmed a little.
“Olivia Anne, are you all right? Are you physically hurt?”
“No.”
“All right, can you drive?”
“I think so.”
“Drive slow, and come to my house, darlin’,” she said.
“O-okay,” I sniffled.
“Put down the phone, take your time, and I’ll see you in a little bit.”
She hung up. I set down the phone and applied the tissue again. I kept some of it out again in case I lost it on the way over.
Why did this hurt so damn bad?
Focus. Just get to Momma’s. Maybe this is a mistake, and it can all be sorted. She’ll help me look at this without being a sobby mess.
That was it, it had to be a mistake. He’ll be calling me soon.
With that thought, I sat up and headed for Momma’s. This sucked, but it would be okay.
If anything, I was taken aback by the strength of my reaction. When I had come to care for him like this?
The phone rang, and I grabbed it, hoping it was Xavier telling me he was fine so I could yell. Get this all out.
“Hello?”
“You are such a bitch.”
You know when a balloon has a tiny hole, and all the air leaks out rapidly? That was me. I gripped the steering wheel, so I didn’t drive off the road.
“Royce.”
“Why are you making this difficult?”
“Hold on for a moment, Royce,” I moved the phone to my handset, and hit speaker.
“…you’re just doing this because you’re pissed! Grow up and get over yourself, Li—Olivia.”
“Okay, first, Royce, I asked you to contact my attorney because I am not discussing the specifics with you. Second—”
He said, “I don’t—”
“Second!” I yelled, my worry and frustration coming out. “I have every right to be pissed. You screwed another woman, and then had the hellish nerve to show up, drop papers on me demanding a piece of everything that I built, with no help from you, and in fact, built into success despite you. So I can and will feel any damn way I want. And THIRD, I told you I am not discussing anything with you. We’re almost divorced. I don’t have to listen every time you have a temper tantrum because you’ve shit your own pants and are wanting someone else to wipe your ass! Do NOT call me again!” I punched End on the phone.
/> I stared out the window, listening to the silence inside my car. I couldn’t believe I’d just talked to him like that. I didn’t talk to anyone that way.
Although if anyone deserved it, it was Royce. Asshole. I couldn’t believe he was still calling me. Probably—
Oh, God. Because he thought he’d get farther bullying me.
How long had I just accepted this?
The realization that this was just the chickens coming home to roost in a situation I’d allowed made me start to cry again.
I grabbed the tissues I’d left in a handy spot, and swiped my face. It wasn’t much further, which meant I could get out of the car and cry on my momma’s shoulder.
I knew she’d ask what I was crying about. Apparently, I’d need to go down a numbered list. There was more than just one thing.
Which made me laugh. In that crazy, slightly unhinged way.
As I pulled into her driveway, I wondered if I was having a breakdown. JC on burnt toast, I couldn’t get myself in a straight line.
Momma was out the door before I even got out of the car.
“What is going on?”
“I am having either the worst day of my life or a nervous breakdown. I don’t know which one.”
“Where’s Xavier?”
I inhaled. Please don’t let her say it.
“His plane never took off. So he wasn’t there when I went to pick him up.”
Momma looked at me. Her nostrils flared, but all she said was, “Come in and let’s talk.”
I followed her in and found Lloyd sitting in the front room.
“Hey, Lloyd—hey, did you do something else with the divorce that I don’t know about?”
He looked at Momma, and they both snickered.
“Yes, dear, we did.”
They looked gleeful, which distracted me from my crisis for a moment. “Okay, what? I got a call from Royce, and before I screamed at him and hung up, I got the impression he had a new burr under his ass to bitch about.”
This made them both laugh even more.
“What did you two do? I don’t need your mean girl stuff making it tougher for me.”
That sobered Momma immediately. “As if we would do anything to jeopardize you legally. No, my suspicious daughter, the only thing we did was enforce the law.”
“How?”
Lloyd sat back down. “It wasn’t even deliberate. I’ve had my PI following Royce and the young lady—Suzan? And he called me two nights ago letting me know that I might want to check the arrest records the next morning. Apparently, Suzan was out with friends, drank too much, and then got in the car to drive home. He said she was really drunk, and he didn’t feel he had any options other than to call the cops. So now, not only does Royce find his legal position is shaky, his lady love is facing DUI charges, and…did you tell her yet?” He looked at Momma.
“No, I haven’t had the chance.” She grinned. “Remember that I told you that Jessie was still friends with Suzan? Well, Lloyd reminded me that any and all emails sent from one of our web addresses are our property, and suggested that we take a look. And honey did we hit gold!”
“What did you find?”
“After Suzan left, and the news came out about you and Royce,” her mouth twisted, “Jessie emailed and asked her if the rumors were true, and not only did the bimbo admit it, she also said that Royce was going to get our agency for her to run! Can you believe the nerve of that girl?”
I nodded. “I can. I also reported her actions to the university. If she’s going to intern, she really shouldn’t be sleeping with the boss’s husband.”
“I can’t believe she thought she’d just toss you out,” Momma was indignant.
“I can’t believe she believed Royce,” I said. “But she’s young. I was fooled, too. So how much of this does Royce know? What is it he’s blaming me for?”
Momma shrugged. “No one but us knows about the emails. But the DUI—well, since he’s shacked up with her, he has to know about that. Maybe he blames you? Who knows? That man has never taken responsibility for anything other than good things and other people’s efforts.”
Exactly the sort of thing I’d screamed at Royce.
“Enough of him. What is going on, Olivia? You scared me when you called.”
“Like I told you, I was supposed to meet the plane this morning. It didn’t show up because it never left Los Angeles. The pilot notes said the passenger never showed up.” I could feel tears welling up. I ignored them and went on.
“Xavier told me it was something going on Friday night. But I read an online gossip piece that it was all weekend. He also told me it was a no cell party—that everyone had to hand over their cell phones, so no bad pictures get out, apparently. I can’t even call him.”
“Call him now,” said Momma.
I pulled out my phone and texted. I didn’t want to try and talk when I was such a mess.
‘Hey, you okay? The plane didn’t leave, so it obviously didn’t get here. I’m worried.’
Then I stared at it, willing an answer to come back fast like he usually did.
Nothing.
“So that’s it? He didn’t show up?” Lloyd asked.
“Being stood up is nothing to scoff at,” Momma rounded on him, hands on hips. “C’mon, honey, let’s go have some coffee. He’ll get back to you.”
“What if he’s hurt?”
“You think that wouldn’t be in the news?” She towed me into the kitchen, where a pot of coffee was already brewed. “Someone like him?”
She had a point. I sat down, feeling even more like the deflated balloon.
Waiting sucked.
* * *
Later that day, I gave up and went home. Xavier didn’t text. I hadn’t found anything online, despite being a stalker and searching several times. Momma finally took the phone from me and sat on it while we watched a movie.
What could have happened? My mind went to all sorts of things but kept coming back to the simplest, easiest answer.
He didn’t want to see me anymore, and this was his way of telling me. Part of me not only wasn’t surprised but didn’t blame him.
I wasn’t anything special, couldn’t even manage to keep a jerk content. Why did I think I could be good enough for someone as amazing as Xavier?
Well, he’d be amazing if he wasn’t ghosting me.
I hoped he wasn’t. I’d rather him just tell me.
When I finally flopped into my bed, I plugged the phone in and put it on my bedside table. I didn’t want to miss his call. If he called. I was still hanging on to some sort of hope.
No matter what he said, I had to hear it from him. Even if ‘it’ would break my heart.
The sunlight hurt my eyes. I looked over at the clock and saw that it was morning, and somehow I’d slept through the night.
Feeling like an addict, I went for my phone—nothing. No call, no text.
Nothing.
Just like an addict about to hit rock bottom and taking the hit anyway, I searched the site where I’d initially seen the news about this thing being all weekend and not just one night.
There were pictures. I hit the slideshow button, cursing my phone for taking too damn long.
Scrolling through, there were pictures of the guy that I guessed was his friend proposing to the girlfriend, her crying, the ring—and then I saw it.
Xavier.
With a woman wearing what I supposed was called a bikini lounging on his lap. With her hand on his face.
I studied his face. I couldn’t tell what he was thinking. It looked like a lot of his pictures that were public.
But he wasn’t pushing the perfect looking nearly naked woman off his lap, was he?
Or brushing her hand away from his face. The face I’d only been touching a few days ago.
The face, I admitted to myself, that I was starting to think of as mine.
Studying the picture, as much as I wanted to, I couldn’t find any major faults in the woman. She was gorgeou
s. And she was with my date this weekend.
Was this why he hadn’t gotten on the plane?
Or even called to cancel?
It’s not like I wouldn’t understand. I’ve been in a state of shock on one level ever since I met him. I’m not part of his world. She is.
Setting the phone down ensures that it doesn’t get thrown across the room. I get up, leaving the phone on my bed, and head for the kitchen. I need coffee.
As I start to make it, I see the label, and the tears burst forth like a dam breaking.
It’s Community chicory coffee.
* * *
Xavier
“What the hell do you mean, it’s all weekend?”
I stare at Marcus, lost for words for once. This can’t be happening. I have plans. I have a plane waiting for me.
Olivia is going to kill me. Well, I don’t know that. But if I were her, I would kill me. I’m gonna look like a dick because I already stood her up once.
I can explain, I know that. But it will be another hurdle to this budding whatever, and I don’t think it needs that kind of hit.
Damn it all to hell.
“I have plans this weekend, man!” I said, unable to keep the frustration from spilling over into my voice. “Plans I cannot change, Marcus.”
He held up his hands. “Hey, hang on, man. Kristine,” he said to his girlfriend, “Give us a minute, okay?”
She looked from him to me, and then back at him. He nodded, and with a half-smile, she left, tossing one last nervous look over her shoulder.
“Okay, look, we’ll just talk to the captain, or whoever it is that’s driving this thing, and see if we can get you off here, okay?” He looked at me earnestly, not wanting me to pull the plug. Jazmine hadn’t sung yet. She was on for during and after dinner, and Marcus had already arranged for a couple of minutes to pop the question.
“Listen, no, you do your thing,” I said. This was his time to set his life up for the future. “I just wish I’d known this was all weekend.” I would have insisted that Olivia come with me.
“You sure, man?”
“No, but I’ll work it out.” I cursed the fact that I hadn’t told anyone about her so that they would know how important she and our time was.
Forgotten Wishes: Djinn Everlasting Book Two Page 15