Taylor: My interview is downtown. Want to meet for lunch?
Jeez, was I going to have to wait until Wednesday to see her? I’d spent nearly every waking minute with her the past week, and sixteen hours was already too long to not see her, kiss her, or touch her. I wanted her here with me tonight. I wanted to ask her to come stay with me, but I knew I wouldn’t get any sleep tonight with her in my bed, and my day back in the real world would start early tomorrow morning. Besides, her absence at home after a week away would raise too many questions. Ones we weren’t ready to answer yet.
Me: I’d love to.
Taylor: Great, it’s a date.
A date. With Taylor. I loved the idea of going on a date with her. I’d just have to figure out how to either tell Aiden about us before then, or avoid being seen out together. If he heard about us from someone else, he would most definitely murder me.
***
When my alarm went off Monday morning at six a.m., I slammed my hand down on my nightstand, patting around for my phone. I found the button to silence it and sat up, rubbing my eyes. I tossed and turned last night, missing the feel of Taylor’s warm body snuggled against mine. Maybe I should have just asked her to come over and stay the night.
I showered and dressed in my blue pinstripe suit, leaving my house in plenty of time for my usual Monday morning stop. After picking up a coffee from my favorite little cafe, I headed into the office. Opening my email, I winced at how many were waiting in my inbox. While I tried to stay on top of them while I was gone, I’d gotten distracted too many times to count, finally giving up when Taylor and I started spending more time in the bedroom.
I spent an hour sending out replies and scribbling notes on my legal pad about things that would need my attention in the next few days and was tapping away on my keyboard when my boss barged into my office. His face was pinched and a little ashen, his tired eyes full of panic.
“Is everything alright?” I asked as he strode up to my desk.
“We have a problem.”
His serious tone made my hackles rise. Did I screw something up? I’d been so distraught over my broken engagement during the week leading up to my trip, it was entirely possible that I’d made a major mistake and he was waiting until I got back to confront me.
“What’s wrong?”
“There’s an issue with our facility in Seattle, and Jim’s out after his knee replacement.” Jim was my counterpart on the West Coast, and if he couldn’t take care of the issue in Seattle, they would send…
“I need you to fly out there.” His request cut off my train of thought, confirming my fears. “I know you just got back, and I’m sorry to do this to you after…” his voice trailed off and his gaze shifted away from me, “everything,” he concluded. “But we’ve gotta get ahead of this, and you’re the only person I trust to take care of it.”
His eyes pleaded with me and for a moment, it almost seemed as if I had a choice. But in reality, I didn’t. Refusing him would jeopardize my career, and truthfully, I didn’t have a good reason not to go. Wanting to stay close to Taylor didn’t count. Even though I wasn’t yet privy to the details of the West Coast disaster, I had a feeling I’d be gone for more than a few days. This felt big, like something that would have me on the opposite side of the country for at least a week, maybe longer.
“When do I need to leave?”
“Tonight,” he replied.
“Tonight?” I asked, taken aback.
“Yes, the sooner the better. Take care of what you need to here, then head home to pack. I’ll have your assistant book your flight and hotel.”
Fuck. This was not how I’d planned on starting back to work. But there was nothing I could do about it except excel at my job. I needed to be proficient and get this situation under control so I could get back home as quickly as possible.
When I landed in Seattle several hours later, it was already dark and I was ready for a hot shower and a good night’s sleep. I took my phone off airplane mode when I got into the car my assistant rented for me, and it immediately dinged with several text alerts. Thinking it would be Taylor, I glanced down and noticed not only a text from her, but three from Gianna. Dear Lord, what could she possibly want? Against my better judgement, I opened hers first.
Gianna: Hey Dalton. How are you?
When that text went unanswered, she sent another.
Gianna: I’d really like to catch up with you. Give me a call when you get this.
Was she insane? Catch up? She called off our wedding five days before we were supposed to be married! Why the hell would I want to talk to her? I scrolled down, curiosity my only incentive for wanting to read what came next.
Gianna: Look, I know I’m probably the last person you want to talk to, but it’s really important that you call me back. There’s something I need to discuss with you. Can you meet with me this week?
Hard pass. I didn’t care what she needed to talk to me about. I had no desire to see her after everything she did to us.
I considered leaving her texts unanswered, but I knew how persistent she could be. If I didn’t respond, she would call and text until she got something from me.
Dalton: Can’t. I’m out of town for work.
Gianna: Didn’t you just get back?
Of course she would know that. Someone told her I went on that trip without her. Did they also tell her Taylor went with me? Did anyone else but Aiden know she was going? Maybe Taylor posted about it on social media and Gianna found it. That was probably why she was suddenly interested in talking to me. She found out I’d taken another woman on our honeymoon, someone she knew had been in my life for years, no less.
Me: Emergency in Seattle. Had to go.
I kept my responses brief, not wanting to encourage her. She would keep going if I gave her too much or not enough. I knew how she operated.
Gianna: When will you be back?
Me: No idea.
It was the truth. I didn’t know what awaited me tomorrow morning or how long it would take to sort out the mess.
She sent me a string of emojis, mostly frowny faces and little yellow circles with a tear running down their faces. I suppressed the urge to roll my eyes. I could just see her pouting, the corners of her lips turned down in disappointment. She could pout better than any child I knew. It was a little ridiculous for a woman her age. At one time I found it endearing, but now I cringed just thinking about it. My phone chimed with another text message.
Gianna: Call me when you get back.
I didn’t respond. I had no intention of contacting her when I got home. The only woman I wanted to talk to was Taylor, and I planned on going straight to her house the moment I got back.
Taylor
I’m flying to Seattle tonight. Work emergency. I don’t know when I’ll be back.
That was what Dalton’s text said yesterday evening. I hadn’t heard from him all day and was getting worried. I certainly didn’t expect him to jump on another plane and fly across the country. I supposed that was a risk you took working in the corporate world.