She gave my hand a squeeze and prepared to leave, but when she tried to let go, I kept holding onto her manicured hand. Our eyes locked as I whispered softly, "Thank you, Angela. For everything."
"No problem. I didn't do it for you. I did it for me. The office is falling apart without you, and Stan is going nuts. I'd better get back to him before he completely loses it."
"Do you think he could do without you for a little bit longer?" I asked, giving her my best puppy dog look.
"Maybe? What did you have in mind?" Angela looked weary.
"I've got to plan something big to win Kayla back and I need your expert help."
"You've got it." She grinned, and I told her my plan.
"Do you think it will work?" I asked worriedly.
"No girl could say no to this, and if Kayla does, then let me know and I'll say yes to you," she laughed. It gave me the boost of confidence I needed to carry it through. I just hoped she was right.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Kayla
"He hasn't called you yet?" my mother sounded genuinely surprised. Conversations with her over the phone had become a regular thing since my breakup with Mick, and I really valued being able to turn to her, especially at times like these. She clucked into the phone and said, "I thought for sure he would have called by now."
"No," I said sadly. "But why would he? I told him it was over between us if he wouldn't commit. You should have seen the look on his face. I guess I don't really have a right to expect him to call. After all, I broke up with him. He was just expecting things to carry on as usual."
"When a girl brings a man home to meet her family over a three-day weekend, it's clear she's expecting the relationship to be going somewhere. He's not a kid. He's a man of 42 who runs a major business and has billions of dollars. He knew what he was getting into when you brought him home to meet us. He can't play dumb now and act like you blindsided him. He'll see the errors of his ways and come back to you. Just give him time. He'll call."
My mother sounded so certain, but I knew better.
"I'm not sure I even want him to call," I confessed. I heard her gasp on the other end of the line.
"What are you saying? Why on earth not? He was handsome, charming, and the way he treated Tommy and got along with everybody — it's like he was already part of the family. How can you not want him to call?"
"Whose side are you on?" I asked, making her cluck with chagrin.
"I'm sorry. You know I'm on your side. I just know how much you really loved him, and I want what's best for you."
"Well, that's why I said I don't know if I really want him to call. I told Ethan I loved him, and he didn't say it back. Then, I said I couldn't keep seeing him if this relationship wasn't going anywhere and he refused to commit to me. It's been a week since I walked out on him and he hasn't called. If he loved me, he would have shouted it out right then. If he had wanted to commit to me, he would have done it by now."
"Oh, sweetheart. Maybe he's just one of those guys who needs time to miss a girl before he can admit his true feelings for her." My mother sounded sympathetic on my behalf and it touched me.
"Thanks, Mom, but I don't know if that's the kind of man I really want. I want a man who knows he loves me and isn't afraid to shout it out. I want a man who is willing to commit to me, not because of some ultimatum, but because that's what he truly wants, too. I think if Ethan does call me again, I'll be better off just hanging up the phone and not even taking his call."
"Oh, sweetheart, are you sure about that? I saw the way you two looked at each other. It was the same way your father and I used to look at one another, and we've been happily married 30 years. I really think you just need to give Ethan more time."
"Thanks, Mom, but I really think he's had enough time." I glanced at my clock and gasped. "Speaking of time, I have to go. I'm having dinner tonight with Vick Bruckheimer."
"You're dating someone new so soon?" My mother sounded aghast, and it made me giggle.
"Not quite. He's an old friend of Ethan's, and he's got a girlfriend. She'll be there, too. I told them both I was worried about how Ethan was doing since I'd heard that he hadn't been going to work half the week and they asked me to meet them tonight to talk about it. They sounded concerned, too; but no matter what they say, I'm not going to go back to Ethan just to get him out of some kind of blue funk. He has to want me back, and he has to be willing to commit to me to do it."
"Good for you, sweetheart. Stay true to your heart," my mother encouraged me and we said our goodbyes.
I didn't know where Vick and Gwyneth were taking me for dinner that night, but judging from the last place they wanted to meet, I had a feeling it would be someplace fancy.
&n
bsp; Ethan had given me a blue cocktail dress before we broke up as a gift. I'd never worn it, and it seemed like an appropriate choice. It wasn't the kind of thing he'd be able to return to the store since it had been tailored specifically for me, and I knew I wouldn't want to wear it to a date since it had come from an ex-boyfriend, but dinner with friends felt okay.
The shimmering bodice with a low V-cut neckline hugged my curves perfectly, showing just enough cleavage to be alluring without crossing the line into vulgar. When a black luxury sedan pulled up in front of my apartment, I was ready to go.