I nodded my head. We weren’t in love—yet. But, this could be what the beginning of first love felt like. There had been a glimpse of it with Harris, but what I felt with Gael showed how insignificant my feelings for Harris had been through the years.
I knew Gael wouldn’t get this until he landed, but at least he’
d know I’d read the note when he got my text.
Me: I’ll wait for you. I can’t stop thinking of every second either. Hurry back.
This was the fairytale I had always hoped for but been too scared to wish for, not believing I deserved to have it. Knowing this gave me a glimmer of hope that maybe I was enough for someone to love. I hadn’t been enough to keep my father for wanting to stay and not take his life. The memory of the gunshot sound rang though my mind, signifying the moment Dad abandoned me.
IT WAS AFTER lunch. A delivery man from Gael’s Place had stopped by with food. For the hundredth time, I reread the note that had been in the bag.
The crustless quiche and chocolate pound cake had greeted me when I opened the containers. I had nearly licked the containers clean, wanting more of the exquisite taste. Before folding the note, I reread it one more time.
Based on the time difference, I figured it would be late tonight or tomorrow sometime when I heard from Gael. I missed his presence and hearing his voice. The day seemed to drag on.
As I was about to rebury myself in my work, my phone rang. It was Amelia.
“Hey, there. How’s the married life treating you?”
She chuckled. “Good. The sex is still great.”
At her bachelor party, she’d announced to the bar that even though she was getting hitched, her sex life would still be explosive. Amelia may have been three sheets to the wind, but we had captured it on video.
A small chortle erupted as I remembered when I showed her then fiancé, Steven, in the parking lot of a restaurant where the three of us had eaten for dinner. The manly barbarian had come out of Steven as he hauled Amelia over his shoulder to show her how their sex life would stay even in marriage.
Quickly, I quipped, “We’ll have to go back to that bar and tell everyone the news. The bartender did say he’d give you a round on the house if you came back.”
We giggled, then Amelia became serious. “Okay, enough about me. Harris called the house in the early-morning hours incessantly until Steven picked up. Steven told him I’d call him back at a more acceptable hour. Harris was furious. I made that bastard wait until after lunch. Ashlin, I had seventy-four missed calls when I did call him. He’s out of control.”
All the warm fuzzies I had been feeling dissipated with her words and the blood drained from my face. Harris wasn’t giving up. Going after my friends wasn’t something I had anticipated.
Barely above a whisper, I asked, “Oh, Amelia. I’m so sorry. What did he want?”
“Are you seeing someone?” Her voice was inquisitive.
That was what Harris had called about. Damn it. If only I had looked to see who had been calling before I had answered.
“Yes.”
There was no reason to deny it to Amelia. I knew I could trust her, but wanted to see where the relationship went when Gael returned from France before he met my friends.
Excited squealing came from the other end of the line, “What? You are? Oh shit, Ashlin. This is fantastic news. I thought for sure Harris was on some self-paranoid induced rant, but holy hell he was right. Who is he? What does he do? When can I meet him?”
“Before I tell you about Gael, tell me what Harris said.”
I heard a door closing on the other end. She huffed. “Gael. Oh, I like the name. I’d rather have the mystery man details.”
Amelia paused to see if I would give in and tell her. After I remained silent for a time that said I wasn’t going to give her anything until she spilled, the conversation resumed. “Harris demanded I tell him who you were seeing. I didn’t know. He said I was lying. We went round and round while I gave him a few good jabs. He said you were forcing his hand with a false breakup that was going to make you both look stupid when you realized what you were doing. I gave him a few more jabs. Then we hung up when he was satisfied that I was telling the truth.”
“He hasn’t called me since we talked last night. I’m sorry you’re getting dragged into this.” My mind tried to anticipate what Harris’ next step would be. No one knew about Gael and me yet so I didn’t have to worry about him contacting Gael before I was able to warn him.
Amelia interrupted my thoughts. “Sweetie, I always knew when you decided to leave it was going to be rough. With you meeting someone before he has accepted you’re really done, has only upped the ante where Harris is concerned. I had hoped he’d set his sights on someone else before you met someone.”
“I don’t want him interfering with Gael. I really like him, Amelia.”
Harris was ruthless and I was afraid I had now become a challenge to conquer. To what ends he would go to try and win, I wasn’t sure. Would Gael think it was too much? The thought of not having Gael in my life made my day seem less bright. Regardless of what he decided, I wouldn’t blame Gael if he decided to not pursue anything with me.
Amelia’s soft voice brought me out of my panicked thoughts. “Ashlin, if it’s meant to be, Gael won’t let the arrogant ass scare him away. Okay?”