Asher pulled a large envelope from under the table that looked like it was stuffed with money and handed it to him.
“I never want to see you again,” he spoke.
Noah grabbed the envelope from him and when he went to open the door to leave the private room, Daniel and three other police officers were waiting for him with their guns drawn.
“You set me up?” Noah turned and looked at Asher.
“No. Eloise did when she showed me what you had done to her,” I spoke.
“Get him out of here,” Asher said to Daniel.
“Are you okay?” I asked as I placed my hand on his back.
“I just handed my best friend over to the cops, and he’ll probably spend the rest of his life in jail. So to answer your question, no, I’m not okay at the moment.”
He was angry and I couldn’t blame him. All I wanted to do was hold him in my arms and give him the comfort he needed. But with the mood he was in, I didn’t dare suggest it.
25
Two Weeks Later
Asher
I hadn’t seen or talked to Everly since the night Noah was arrested. I needed some time to myself. Now that my father was gone, my uncle was in prison, and my best friend was extradited back to Paris to face his crime, I felt as if my life was unraveling and I needed an escape. A place to go to for a while where I could think and forget about everything that had happened.
As I was lying in bed, I picked up my phone and looked at the text messages Everly had sent me two weeks ago. Messages I never replied to.
“Hey. I’m going to grab dinner and was wondering if you’d like to join me?”
“Are you okay? You know you can always talk to me.”
“Okay. Well, I won’t bother you anymore, Asher. Take care of yourself.”
She didn’t deserve to be ignored, and she didn’t deserve to be with someone like me. The last night we shared my bed together, was the night before Noah got arrested. I never once stopped thinking about that night and the way I watched her while she slept in my arms. I hadn’t just fallen for her beauty, I’d fallen for her soul. The fear inside kept me locked up, grounded, and it held onto me so tight, it was hard to breathe at times. I’d once given my heart and soul to someone very special a long time ago and she betrayed me. She ripped out my heart and tore it to shreds. That night, I vowed never to let another woman do that to me again. My love for her made me weak, and it clouded my judgement and my mind. Never again. But the fear inside me when I was with Everly kept playing with me. As if it was trying to give me a way out. To open the door I’d sealed shut for so many years. It tried to reason with me.
“What if you let it all go? What if you walked through that door and found it wasn’t so bad after all? What if you trusted her? What if you decided to give it a chance? What if you don’t do anything at all and it’s too late?”
I knew it was late, but I needed to hear her voice. Her phone rang and rang until it went to voicemail.
“Hello, Everly. It’s me. I’m sorry I haven’t been in touch. Things were a little crazy and I just—any way, give me a call. I don’t care what time it is. I promise to pick up.”
I laid there for a while with my phone in my hand hoping she’d call back.
A Few Days Later
I still hadn’t heard from Everly and after my second voice message, I decided that would be the last one. It was obvious she was angry and didn’t want to talk to me. Who could blame her? It was a busy day at work because it was my last day for about a week. I had rented a cabin at Lake George and was leaving first thing in the morning.
“Excuse me, Mr. Remington?” Diana poked her head in my office.
“Hi, Diana. Come on in.”
“Richard needs these signed right away.” She handed me a couple of folders.
“Have a seat and I’ll sign them now.”
She took the seat across from my desk as I opened the first folder and looked over the paperwork.
“I called Everly a couple times and left a couple voice messages but she hasn’t returned my calls,” I said as I signed the document.
“She’s gone. She went back home to Rhode Island.”
“What?” I furrowed my brows at her.
“Her grandmother took ill and she needed to go home.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. I had no idea. When did she leave?”
“A couple weeks ago. Not too long after—” She looked down.
“I see.”
“She said she sent you a few text messages and you ignored them. I’m sorry, Mr. Remington, but you just can’t expect her to be waiting for you whenever you feel like talking. Everly knows when it’s time to move on. She’s been doing it her whole life.”
“You’re right, Diana. I owe her an apology.” I signed the last document and handed her the folders. “Tell Richard I said thanks.”
“I will.” She gave me a nod as she started to walk out of my office.
“By the way, Diana?”
“Yes, Mr. Remington?”
“From now on just call me Asher.”
“Okay.” Her lips formed a small smile as she walked out of my office.
I pushed the intercom button on my desk phone.
“Yes, Mr. Remington?” Isabelle spoke.
“I need you to book me a private jet for tomorrow morning to Providence, Rhode Island, and cancel the reservation for my cabin at Lake George. But pay the entire rental fee for the inconvenience with the card they have on file.”
“Of course. I’ll get right on that.”
“Thank you, Isabelle.”
I leaned back in my chair and sighed. I couldn’t believe she left New York and didn’t tell me.
“Excuse me, Mr. Remington?” Isabelle stuck her head through the door.
“What is it, Isabelle?”
“I assume you’re going to need a hotel in Providence?”
“Yes. Book me a suite somewhere nice and in the downtown area.”
“I’ll get right on it.”
“And one more thing. I need the address of a metaphysical shop in the downtown Providence area.”
“A metaphysical shop, sir?” Her brows furrowed at me.
“Yes, Isabelle. Do you know what that is?”
“Yes. I didn’t think you did?”
“Well, I do. So get me the address.”
As I thought about what I’d say to her when I saw her, it hit me that I’d be facing another problem. She’d most likely know I was coming, and she’d probably do everything she could not to see me. It was a chance I was willing to take. She was going to talk to me one way or the other.
26
Everly
“Here, Grandma. Take a sip of water.” I held the cup with straw in it up to her.
“Thank you, sweetheart. You didn’t have to stop here on your way to the shop.”
“Yes, I did.” I placed my hand on hers. “If it were me, you’d do the same.”
“True.” She managed a small smile. “You better get going if you plan on opening the shop on time. We don’t want to keep our customers waiting.”