“It’s your birthday next week. Twenty-four. Are you excited?”
“No,” I grumble.
Because I’m not.
Who wants to be excited about getting older?
“Well, we are. August wants to know if you want steak or burgers.”
“Neither. I have to go,” I reply, then hang up on her.
Some days are harder than they should be.
Some days, I dream of her. And when I do, I wake up drenched in sweat.
As I said, whiskey helps. I don’t dream after whiskey. I simply pass out. So I walk over, grab the whiskey and a lowball crystal tumbler.
Sitting on my couch, I press play on my phone. My apartment has speakers installed throughout. Every room you walk into, the music blasts, deafening me, helping me to drown out any unwanted thoughts.
I down a shot.
Those beautiful eyes smile with such ease as she stares at me.
I shoot another shot.
Her hand touches mine, and I feel the spark, the electricity that flies up my arm whenever she touches me.
Another shot down the hatch.
I get lost in it.
One more.
I get lost in her.
I scrub my hand over my face. Fuck, tonight is worse than the other nights. Some nights her memory haunts me more than others. The women, the sex, the booze help to drown it out, but it’s always her.
Always her face, I see.
Always lost in her.
Even when we were simply friends.
My head drops back on the couch as her lips come into play.
I would have died a thousand deaths to kiss those lips.
I finish the bottle.
My head is heavy, and when I close my eyes again, it’s not her I see.
It’s blackness.
Nothing but blackness.
Chapter 2
Jacinta
I’ve been working for the Harley family business now for a few months. I was first assigned to work directly with Beckham, but that changed when his old assistant pushed back her retirement. Beckham, or as we all call him, Mr. Harley, has been working with Gloria since he started. And before that, Gloria was the assistant to his father, who built the company.
Beckham, during his time in charge, has helped the company grow and mature into something that is now, well, massive.
He is a bit of a superstar around here, he and his sister. She is the genius with numbers, while Beckham is the genius regarding business practices. I had heard Beckham wasn’t even meant to take over the company and that it was to be Rylee, but then she fell pregnant and refused to take on the heavy workload due to wanting to be with her daughter.
Beckham also lost someone dear to him, which in turn has forced him to change his plans.
The people in the office gossip—a lot.
I try not to listen, but sometimes it’s hard. You overhear things even when you are not meant to, as we work in an open space environment, so it is natural to hear voices while we are working.
I walk over to Rylee’s office to find Shandy at the door. She is one of the accountants and is also good friends with both Rylee and Beckham.
“Jacinta.” Rylee smiles as she sees me.
I once despised everything there was to hate about her.
When I was eighteen, I had thought I’d fallen in love with a man who loved me too. But, to my surprise, he was with another woman, the one standing in front of me. I had that man’s baby and left. You see, Anderson has a powerful family, and I knew I had to protect my son at all costs. So, I left and didn’t return for five years.
But that’s not the kicker of the story.
The real ugly part is I got married in those five years I was away. I did it to change my name and protect myself and my son from Anderson’s family finding us. And that man I married, that broken, tortured man whom this town doesn’t like, was also in love with Rylee. Rylee was in love with him. I married him. And here she sits, still not hating me.
I think I may love her a little now. Go figure.
“Hey, I’m working for your brother today. Any tips?” I ask. She laughs, and so does Shandy. “What?” I state while staring at both of them.
“He’s an asshole to work for. Just don’t quit. Okay?” Shandy says, which makes Rylee smile.
“Why do you think my office is at the other end of the building and not next to his?” Rylee adds.
Oh geez, I didn’t even think of that.
“I’m sure it will be fine,” I tell them.
Well, I hope it will be.
I met Beckham once when I was pregnant over five years ago. He was a good guy. Protective of what he loved but overall nice.
However, people change.
“As long as you keep on believing that …” Shandy pats my shoulder and walks off, muttering, “… that’s all that matters.”
Taking a step into Rylee’s office, I spin around and shut the door behind me, then take a seat in front of her. “Oliver has been asking to see more of August. Would that bother you at all?” I ask. She offers me a sad smile. I didn’t want to ask, but Oliver loves August, and he was a father figure in his life for a few years.