Flirting with Revenge

by Kristel Ralston

  She paid the driver, glad that the terminal wasn’t too full.

  She got a cart, piled her luggage on it, and walked to the counter, where she handed the assistant her printed check-in voucher. Then it was just her and her luggage. She looked at her watch. She had forty minutes until boarding time. She sat next to a soda dispenser and bought a drink.

  Her phone went off. It was Piper on WhatsApp.

  “Everything okay?”

  “Hi, Piper. Yes. I think I got here with plenty of time.”

  “Say hi to aunt Ariel for me, though I don’t think she likes me that much.”

  “Don’t be silly. She’s told me she wants you to visit her one of these days.”

  “I’ll see you when you get back. Try to give life another chance, and I’m sure life will give you one. All right?”

  “Piper, I have palpitations when you get so cryptic.”

  “Ha, ha, ha. Bon voyage!”

  “Tell Delaney not to forget to pay this month’s rent to the landlord, please. I transferred the money into her current account.”

  “I’ll tell her. Bye, Rachel.”

  “Bye.”

  ***

  He hadn’t taken the transfer to New York. He was comfortable in Chicago, and that was where he intended to stay. Dereck and Eugene were skeptical when he refused to go to another city with triple the quarterly bonus, plus a loft in Manhattan. Michael knew now what his priorities were, and they did not include climbing the economic ladder, because he already had everything he wanted. Or almost everything...

  As he drove through the city, he turned the radio on.

  He focused on trying to contain his anxiety. He parked in Rachel’s building, called the elevator, and waited for it to arrive. When it did, he pressed the button for the twelfth floor. The elevator stopped on the ninth floor. A petite woman with an expressive face got on.

  She looked at him with curiosity. Then he saw her smile. He hoped there were no maniacs in the building.

  “Michael Whitmore, right?” she said.

  He furrowed his brow and nodded.

  “I think I know more about you than I should. I’m Delaney Garth...”

  “Rachel’s best friend,” he completed, shaking the girl’s extended hand. “I would have liked to meet under different circumstances. I have something important to discuss with your friend.”

  The young woman’s smile widened.

  “I was coming up to collect some things I left at hers the other day... I’m sorry about how things ended between you, but if you must know, I disagreed with Rachel’s plans from the beginning. However, I would be lying if I told you I did not understand her. She’s been through a lot. Her family has ripped away from her in terrible ways when she was very young. I’m not justifying her actions...” she shrugged but continued in a cheery voice. “What a speech from someone you just met. I’m sorry, sometimes I talk too much...”

  Michael laughed. The elevator stopped. He held the door and Delaney got out.

  “A habit you share with Rachel.”

  “I’m afraid you won’t find her here today.”

  Delaney pulled out a key and opened her friend’s apartment. They both walked in.

  Michael breathed in the floral scent he’d gotten so used to, and felt an inexplicable emptiness. The emptiness that had invaded every day and every night since Rachel had walked out of his life. He wasn’t sentimental, but he only felt his usual vitality rush back to him when she showed up the day before, so sure of herself and yet so nervous, so strong and so vulnerable.

  Every time he remembered how he’d hurt her with his words, he cringed. He could not believe he’d wanted to hurt someone he loved. Because he did love that woman. With a force that was capable of sweeping away the effects of her deception and his vulnerability.

  If any other woman had come to see him after he’d ended their relationship, instead of staring at her in surprise, he would have had security escort her out of the building. As he’d done with Heidi once. For a man used to being in control of the facts and any foreseeable problems, Rachel’s appearance had hit him like a tornado.

  “It’s Saturday, and it’s noon. I know the routine...” he ran his fingers through his hair, “or I knew Rachel’s routine. It’s been months since...”

  “You broke her heart, Michael. Despite everything, she fell in love with you. And, even though you had every right to be angry, what you said to her was wrong.”

  “I know.”

  “If she weren’t pregnant, you’d never have seen her again.” He knew that. And the very idea seemed unbearable. They had to talk. Seriously. He wasn’t going anywhere. Rachel Galloway was going to hear him out. “You won’t find her here. She left Chicago,” she said, giving him a stern look.

  “What do you mean she left Chicago?” he asked, unable to control the bewilderment in his voice. “Is she on a business trip, or did she leave for good? Where did she go?”

  “I don’t think she wants you to know.”

  Michael walked towards Delaney.

  “Listen, Del. I can call you Del, right?” The girl nodded. “Good. The thing is, Rachel lost her right to vote on that when she decided to toy with me. And also when she insinuated that I could think that the child she’s carrying isn’t mine, and think I would be satisfied with just giving the baby my last name. As if she did not know that my sense of loyalty to my family is the most important thing to me,” he said, with impotence.

  “You can’t blame her...” she replied, crossing her arms. “Your words weren’t exactly encouraging. Especially when you said you never wanted to hear from her again. Besides, Rachel isn’t family... she’s just... the future mother of your child.”

  Michael did not like having his words thrown back in his face, but he had to accept that the girl was only explaining the obvious. He stared fiercely at Delaney.

  “Rachel is the woman I love. And the one I plan to marry. She will be part of my family. She will be my family. So, if you don’t want me to kidnap Rachel and drag her kicking and screaming to Las Vegas to marry me, depriving you of the chance to be her maid of honor, you’d better tell me where she is.”

  “What makes you think she’d marry you?” she shot back. The idea of not celebrating the wedding they’d always dreamed of stung her. The bastard! “She’s proud. She doesn’t want to see you...”

  Michael’s confident, smug smile made Delaney frown.

  “Let me deal with that, Del. So, where is she?”

  “You’re not going to elope to Las Vegas with her, then...?”

  “Only if you answer my question and stop beating around the bush.”

  Delaney grimaced.

  “At her aunt, Ariel’s in Ogunquit,” she said grudgingly.

  “We’ll get along great, Del. A pleasure to meet you. I’ll see you at the wedding.” He walked out of the apartment, whistling.

  CHAPTER 17

  She could answer his calls. Or his texts. But she did not feel like talking to Michael. When the baby was born, only then, he’d hear from her. Right now, everything was calm around her, and she wanted to keep it that way.

  Seeing her aunt Ariel was just what she needed. Since she’d moved to Chicago, she’d gone back to Maine four times. And now she had spent five days enjoying the quiet and catching up with some acquaintances in the area. Many already had several children, and some had migrated to other cities. All things considered, the town had barely changed at all.

  She sighed. Though her levels of stress were low, her heart ached. Not a single night went by that she did not yearn for Michael’s warmth. The sensuality in his voice. The sound of his laughter. She hoped time would do its job. Though, for the moment, it seemed very hard.

  The sun was disappearing on the horizon, and the cold breeze could only be kept at bay with a cup of hot chocolate her aunt had made. She was the best. Rachel took several sips and sighed with pleasure. It was the best hot chocolate in the world.

  “How are you, sweetie?”
asked Ariel, walking out to the porch. Her hair was completely white. She refused to dye it. She said she was a woman who was proud of her years and conscious of her experiences. She did not want to hide it.

  She sat on the rocking chair next to Rachel’s. A small outdoor heater was on.

  “It feels good to be away from the bustle of the city,” she stretched out her hand and put it on her aunt’s, “I’m happy to be with you again, aunt Ariel, So many things have happened.”

  “Experiences and lessons. Why haven’t you been in touch with the baby’s father? I’ve seen the agony in your eyes every time the phone rings. Now that you know the truth, maybe you can put the pieces back together.”

  Rachel looked out at the sea.

  “We have nothing else to say to each other. Or at least, he said everything he needed to when he threw me out of his life. Just as I told you.” She’d skipped over some of the details, of course.

  “Yes, honey, it was cruel to talk to you the way he did. But lies, no matter what you think of them, hurt. You lied to him. Maybe he wants to apologize.”

  Rachel laughed joylessly. She rocked calmly in the old, comfortable chair. She had a thick blanket over her legs.

  “Or maybe intends to find a way to pay me back in kind.”

  “Be reasonable. How would you have reacted if the roles were reversed, and he’d pretended to be someone else to try to hurt you? Both of you made mistakes... Whatever you decide to do is up to you. I’ll always be here when you need me.” She smiled at Rachel. “Are you going to sit out here much longer? Why don’t you take a stroll along the beach?”

  “You know me well, auntie. You know this is the only place in the world where walking alone is a true pleasure.”

  “I’m going to go shopping. I need a few things.”

  “Don’t worry, I’ll hold down the fort,” she said with a smile before getting up to go to the beach. “I’ll be back in a little while.”

  “Take your time, sweetie.”

  ***

  Had he known that the house was going to be a mess due to the caretaker’s negligence, Michael would have hired a cleaning company beforehand. None were available in the area when he arrived, so he spent the first day airing out the beach house and cleaning it. It needed a good coat of paint, but a new company in the area took care of that. They were very efficient, he had to admit.

  While the house was being repaired, he was staying at the Taj Mahal Maine Beach Stars. The best hotel in Ogunquit. The chain had opened the hotel three years ago, providing jobs for several residents. At least those were the praises he heard from the employees at every turn.

  Now, two days later, the house was newly painted, gleaming and smelling of lemon. And of course, he had fired the caretaker. He was taking care of the firm’s business from his old study, but he made sure not to get lost in the details. That was why he’d left Angelique in charge of the team of paralegals and associates that worked for his department.

  Frustration had been eating at him since he got to Ogunquit. However, he could do nothing about it, because he needed to get the property in shape first. And now that everything seemed to be going smoothly, it was time to set his plan in motion. It would be a pleasure to take his revenge.

  Rachel would not answer his calls. Or his texts. That did not surprise him, but it was still annoying. His plan was ready. He went out to the car he’d rented and headed off towards Ariel Galloway’s house.

  It wasn’t hard, in a town with such a small population, to find someone else’s address. Anyone would give him directions and help him out. One good thing about small towns like this one was that the locals trusted and protected each other. The bad thing was that everybody wanted to poke their nose in your business as if it was their right.

  He drove to a secluded area. There were a few homes. The woman at the reception desk told him that Ariel was with her niece, who’d just arrived from Chicago. That the house was white with a bluish roof, and that from the lookout point on the road he’d be able to see a small part of her porch with a wind chime made of oyster shells.

  “If you walk there, a few yards away you’ll even find a beautiful view of the beachfront. It’s not fair. It’s one of the most beautiful properties in the area,” the woman had said. He thanked her and gave her the same generous tip he would have given to any employee of a hotel in the city.

  When he saw the house, he turned off his engine. He took a deep breath, letting the pure sea air fill his lungs. Far from the smog and the constant noise of the cars. He was wearing black jeans, running shoes, and a blue, long-sleeved shirt. Over it, he’d pulled on a sweater that matched his jeans. He did not usually feel chilly, but he’d rather not catch a cold.

  He left the car and started to walk. The sky was tinged with orange. The night would fall soon. He stopped when he saw a woman in the distance. She was unmistakable, and his heart raced. Her reddish hair seemed to shine like flames in the sunlight. How many times had he stroked that hair, breathed in its scent, and gazed at its owner in his bed?

  He crossed the narrow road and was soon on the sand.

  ***

  Rachel felt the sand beneath her feet. She liked that feeling, so natural. The beach was empty. The waves were crashing close to her, but it was low tide, so she could enjoy the water’s edge without worrying about getting hit by a sudden wave.

  She wore a dusky pink dress with long sleeves and a round collar, which cinched just under her breasts. It opened into an A-line, so she could move in it. She wondered when her belly would start growing.

  She carried her sandals in her left hand and had thrown on an elegant black leather jacket to stay warm. Her hair danced over her shoulders. The previous day, she’d had it cut in layers, and they framed her face differently. She felt different, and her new look reflected that.

  She felt joy as she walked through nature. She sat on an old tree trunk close to the shore and stared out at the sea. It filled her with calm. She closed her eyes and focused on the sound of the ocean.

  “I also find the sea calming. I hadn’t been here in a while,” said a voice Rachel knew too well. It was painful. She did not believe that she’d thought about him so hard she was imagining him. What has he done here?

  She slowly opened her eyes.

  “I missed this place,” she answered, turning back towards the sea. She was trying to slow her beating heart. She longed to stand up and throw herself into his arms, feel him hold her with all his strength. Instead, she remained wary. Careful. “Whenever I had a bad day as a teen, I would come here.”

  Michael took his hands out of his pockets.

  “May I sit?” he asked.

  “I assume we still live in a free country,” she answered, her eyes on the water.

  He sat in silence. Besides her. His fingers itched with the desire to hold her. Shake her. Make her react somehow. He hated this passive, unnaturally calm woman. He needed to find his impulsive, defiant Rachel.

  “Don’t you want to know why I’m here?”

  Rachel exhaled wearily. She was dying to know what he was doing so far from the office on a Tuesday.

  “I don’t think you and I have the right to ask each other anything.” This time, she turned away from the sea and looked him in those beautiful green eyes. “You made that clear. I only went to your office to tell you what I thought you had a right to know,” she shrugged her shoulders, “no lies, no tricks.” She turned back to the horizon. Because it was safer and less distressing than having the man she loved, who did not love her back, by her side. ·

  “The sea view is beautiful, but I’d prefer it if the person I’m talking to would look at me during our conversation.”

  Rachel laughed dryly and ignored his request.

  “You’re in no position to state your preferences and expect me to care, Michael. I don’t know why you’re here. I’m also not interested. You’re ruining my personal moment.” She stood up abruptly. Michael did the same. “I have nothing that belongs to y
ou. My baby is mine.”

  “A new method of self-conception?” he asked sarcastically.

  “I need to go home for dinner. Goodbye, Michael.” She ignored his taunts.

  Michael reached out and held Rachel’s arm. She clenched her jaw. He waited for her to look at him. It took seconds for her to do so. The roar of the waves was starting to fuse into the night as it fell.

  “I came because you owe me something.”

  “And what would that be, for example?” she asked, not managing to pull her arm free from him, hard as she tried. He wrapped her in his arms and held her against his body. Rachel gasped.

  “Time. The time you pretended to be a different person with cruel intentions. I want you to give me three months of your time to try to make up for the past. That’s what I came for. Because you have a debt to pay.”

  “And who told you that I would be interested in giving you my time?”

  Michael did not want to do it this way, but he would have to play a despicable card.

  “Your aunt Ariel isn’t an expert in legal matters, you know?” That sparked Rachel’s interest. So Michael continued, feeling relieved that it had worked. How could he get revenge if he did not have her on his turf? “I see you don’t. Perhaps it’s her age, but her house has a problem with the deed. Despite the fact that she paid the mortgage off, and the house is apparently hers, there’s an heir that, if he were to find out about it, could claim the house as his own, because the person who sold it to your aunt decades ago had no ethics. He conned her. The house had belonged to someone who seemed to have no heirs, and the house was abandoned. The seller made a few unscrupulous adjustments and sold your aunt the property. But the previous owner had an heir. I think he’d love to find out he has a beautiful house on the beach.”