"So, I leave tomorrow morning. I was thinking perhaps you could join me."
I closed my eyes. "Perhaps," I lied. He hadn't wanted to travel with me in years. I swore he was doing this on purpose.
"What if I told you I just booked your flight?" he asked, kissing my neck.
I swallowed hard. Kate had been right. I should have known he would pull this. "Great," I murmured.
"What do you say we crawl into bed?" he whispered into my ear, his lips grazing along the skin of my neck.
One thing I had learned over the years was never to turn Kendrick away. If I did, it would just lead to another fight, and it was another argument I already knew he wouldn't let me win. Without hesitation, I put the cloth I held in my hand down and allowed Kendrick to lead me to the bedroom.
I woke to the sound of Kendrick smashing things around in the bathroom as he got ready for his day. I rolled onto my back and flung my arm over my eyes. The bathroom door opened, and he marched into the bedroom and growled my name. "Jessica, get up, we'll be late. The car will be here in ten minutes."
I curled into a tight ball and held onto my stomach, moaning in fake pain.
"What is with you? Come on and get up."
"I was up all night sick," I cried.
"Jessica, stop this nonsense. Get up. Your flight is non-refundable. I’m not in the practice of giving flights away," he barked as he grabbed his suitcase.
"Kendrick, I'm sick. I'm not going."
"Fine. Don’t go," Kendrick bit out, stomping around the room.
I lay in the fetal position while Kendrick packed. Once he was out of the room, I heard him on his phone, talking about a flight and picking someone up shortly. Minutes later, the condo door slammed shut, and once I was sure he wasn't coming back, I jumped out of bed and got dressed, pulling the already packed bag out from under the bed. Then I headed for the kitchen. Climbing on the stool, I reached into the back of the cupboard and emptied the cookie jar, shoving the contents into my wallet. I then went back into the bedroom and went back through my packed duffel bag. I needed to decide what would come with me and what would stay. If I took everything, he would know I was missing. This way once he returned he would think I had just gone out for the night.
I took one last look around the condo I had grown to hate and zipped up the bag. I looked down at my left hand and pulled at the wedding band that I wore on my ring finger. I wanted to get this ring off, and with a little soap and water it finally slid off. I set it in a ring dish that Kendrick probably didn't even know we had on top of the dresser.
I called Kate as soon as I left the condo, and by the time I was down on the sidewalk, I only waited for a few seconds until Kate pulled up to the curb in her car. I threw my duffel bag into the back seat and climbed in. Kate pulled away from the curb. I didn't even look behind me as we sped away from the building. My life now only sat ahead. Behind was over.
Chapter 7
Ben
The days were getting longer as summer neared. Things were picking up. We'd scheduled five projects in the past week. The increase in work had left me feeling exhausted. It was Friday, and I was looking forward to a cold beer, only I knew this one would taste better than last Friday’s. I had to finish one appointment and then stop into the office before I started home. Cold beer and the start of vacation was calling me.
It was a little past three when I marked off the last section of the checklist for the job we had just spent the last year and a half at. It had finally been completed, and I stood in front of a beautiful home and a thrilled couple. I traded Mr. King the keys to their new home for my pen and the release documents he’d just signed.
"I hope that we have met your expectations," I said, smiling.
"Ben, you have done a wonderful job. Anna and I are both thrilled."
I immediately remembered the words my father told me the day we opened this division. “Make sure that you always leave the customers with a smile on their face. If you can do that, you will succeed.” I valued those words to this day, and always strived to make my father the happiest he could be, even though he had handed my sister, Jules, and me complete control over the entire company three years ago when he was diagnosed with cancer.
"I am glad that you are satisfied with everything. If you need anything else, if anything needs touching up, call the office. Julie will get you booked, and I will make sure someone is out as soon as possible."
"Thanks, Ben. I will send some recommendations your way. We have a few friends looking to get some work done." Mr. King shook my hand, and I climbed into the driver's seat of my truck. Mrs. King waved as I backed out of their driveway.
It took me a half an hour to get back to the office. I parked my truck in my usual spot and grabbed the Kings’ file. I climbed the stairs to the office door and walked into the cool air. It didn't matter how long I had been working in the city, I still wasn't and never would be used to the dreaded city heat. I dropped the signed documents on Julie's desk and removed all the mail from my mail cubby. I opened the door to my office and sat down behind my desk, beginning to weed out the junk from the pile of items that were actually important. The Kings’ project had been the biggest renovation this division of Sunset Builders had done. Even though I was excited to start my next project, I was also itching for some rest and relaxation. I flipped on my computer screen and was greeted with the view of the lake that my cottage sat on—a view I was looking forward to visiting next week.
I opened the first piece of mail that sat on top of the pile when Julie, my sister and office manager, came flying into my office. She sifted through the pile of papers on my desk, removing two invoices that were buried.
"I wasn't expecting you to be back here so early this afternoon."
"Well, I turned the keys over to Mr. King. It is Friday, so I thought I would bring you the signed documents and their check. Plus, it's too late to drive over to the other job sites. I left the envelope on your desk." She looked at me and shook her head, knowing that the excuse of it being too far to drive was exactly that, an excuse. I could tell she was about to rip me a new one for being lazy when the phone rang.
"Whatever. Oh, don't go anywhere. Just give me a second," Julie said, darting out of my office, running to grab the ringing phone. I chuckled to myself, watching as my sister flew around the reception desk and grabbed the phone.
Jules’ voice murmured in the background while I did my best to figure out the best route to take to the cottage. I glanced up from my monitor to see Julie taking down some notes. I was about to go back to studying the map when I heard my name and then saw her hesitating to book an appointment. I frowned, watching as she briefly made eye contact with me, then turned around and assured the person on the other side of the phone that someone would be there tomorrow morning.
I gritted my teeth as she hung up the phone and began walking towards my office. I had a feeling I knew what was coming. Seconds later, with her hands behind her back, she came wandering back into my office and sat down across from me. "What are you doing?" she sang with curiosity in her voice.