Authors: Nikki Rittenberry
CHAPTER SEVEN
The blackened pot roast was still visible
on the counter as
Jacob approached the kitchen, along with the dozen red tulips she’d left behind during her
sudden departure the
previous evening. After haphazardly preparing a cup of coffee he ambled toward the over-sized window. Gazing over the fast paced streets below had always revived his weary mind, although he acknowledged that it was going to take more than that to comfort him today.
He walked to his bathroom vanity and quickly splashed cold water on his face before settling in front of the mirror. His reflection was disturbing, he thought; his eyes were bloodshot and sunken, his skin was pale, and his dark hair was disheveled. He acknowledged he looked terrible, but he felt much worse.
The physical pain he felt was intense. His broken ribs were tender and he was unsure
whether it was
from Cassie’s
playful swat, or from
falling asleep on his stiff leather couch. Leftover pain medication would certainly take care of that, although the piercing emotional anguish he felt would unquestionably prevail.
He finally plunged his body back onto the red leather couch, making certain to place his coffee mug on a coaster on the adjacent table. He picked up his phone and closely examined his daily planner. After noting that there were no scheduled meetings to attend, he decided to call the office and inform them that he would be conducting his paperwork from home.
He struggled to stay on task and after slaving over the sea of documents for several hours, he decided to take a much needed break. He carelessly flung the documents back into his briefcase and leaned his body against the back of the leather couch. He ran his hands through his thick, dark hair while forcefully emptying the air from his lungs and reflected on the mistakes he’d made last night.
The pain he’d endured consumed his entire body and the sensation of her anatomy nestled closely against his was the only antidote. It seemed as though a higher power had taken possession of his actions and
he began to question
if destiny and
fate really did exist
. Everything from the burnt pot roast to the explosion of agony he’d felt after her playful jab had led them to their kiss. It was magical and he wondered if she’d felt a connection as well.
The lingering questions plagued him. He reached for his phone and dialed her number and when her voicemail signaled, he left her a message.
“Hey Cass, it’s me… Jacob. Look, I wanted to apologize for last night—I didn’t mean for any of that to happen and I want you to know how deeply sorry I am if I made you uncomfortable in any way. I really, really need to talk to you—I know you’re probably busy right now with the seminar, but… please call me back as soon as you get this message. It’s really important.”
Jacob refilled his coffee mug and made an attempt to continue with his work. It was repetitive work and under normal circumstances, he would have been able to complete it effortlessly, but his current mental state prevented him from that. In fact, he’d barely made a dent in the large stack since he began several hours earlier. He had many unanswered questions and he soon realized that he would not be able to properly function unless he sought them.
It was approaching one o’clock. He tamed his wild hair, changed his clothes and rushed downstairs. After situating himself in the backseat of a cab, he gave the driver the address for the Times Square Hotel and indicated there would be a generous tip if he could get him there quickly. The driver pressed down on the accelerator with a heavy foot, catapulting Jacob’s body forcibly against the back of his seat. Anxiety flourished with each passing mile and he silently rehearsed the monologue he would recite when he found her. Adrenaline surged through his veins as the taxi halted in front of the awning. Jacob delivered on his promise; rewarding the driver for his rapid arrival and then quickly entered the building.
Once inside, he followed the signs to ballroom C, where the physical therapy seminar was being conducted. He peeked around the door, skimming over the crowd in search of her, but was unsuccessful. The only thing he saw was an endless sea of chairs filled with health professionals with their backs turned; intently focused on a man standing at the front of the room using his laser pointer to assist his explanation of the visual aid.
He quietly closed the door and found a chair adjacent to one of the refreshment tables. After sitting for a few moments, he observed a metal tripod with a large white sign attached to it; it was the seminar schedule. Intermission was scheduled to take place at two o’clock. He glanced at his watch: one fifty-one.
He was pleasantly surprised to see the ballroom doors swing open right on schedule. Roughly one hundred well dressed therapists spilled out into the hallway herding themselves into four organized lines, quickly filling their plates with a combination of fresh fruit, tea sandwiches and small pastries. Jacob searched up and down each of the lines, but surprisingly she wasn’t there. He peeked around the ballroom door, thinking that maybe she was still inside, but she wasn’t there either.
Okay, don’t panic
, he thought. She was probably upstairs in her room and if he could just convince someone at the front desk to give him her room number, he could deliver his apologetic speech there.
Jacob left the seminar and
journeyed back to the massive, granite lobby desk. He waited for a moment behind the draped, velvet rope until he was called upon.
“Good afternoon, sir. May I help you?”
Jacob moved toward her, making sure to read her nametag as he approached. “Yes, Lisa, I certainly hope you can. I’m supposed to meet a very, dear friend of mine; however I seemed to have misplaced the paper that I wrote her room number on. Is there any way that you can look up that information and give it to me?”
“We don’t normally give that information out—”
“Please, Lisa… It sure would mean a lot to me.” He gave her his best charming smile. “I’m already running about ten minutes late…”
Lisa hesitated for a moment, but finally concluded that he looked harmless. She looked over her shoulder to ensure her supervisor wasn’t observing them before continuing. “Okay… What is your friend’s name?”
“Cassandra Warner. W-A-R-N-E-R.”
Lisa typed her name into the computer and waited for her information to appear. “I’m sorry, sir. She’s no longer a guest at this hotel.”
“
What
? Are you sure?”
“Our records indicate that she checked out this morning around ten-thirty.”
“I don’t understand—the convention isn’t over until later today and she wasn’t scheduled to leave until early tomorrow morning.”
“Well, it appears as though she left early, then.”
“Yeah… it does. Thanks for all of your help, Lisa.”
“It’s my pleasure, sir.”
Jacob advanced toward the exit and retrieved his phone from his pocket. His mind was accelerating with panic and he knew that if he didn’t confess how he really felt about her, he may never get the opportunity to do so again.
“Hey, Cass... I just left your hotel. I didn’t want to say this over the phone, but since you’re probably halfway to Chicago now, you haven’t left me much choice. Spending time with you the last few days has made me realize that I still have feelings for you. I’ve always known it, but after we kissed… I can’t deny it—nor do I want to. We have a substantial amount of chemistry. I felt it and the way you kissed me back—I know you felt it, too. I want you to know that I didn’t plan any of this. The last thing I wanted was to push you away… Please, talk to me—that’s all that I’m asking… just… talk to me…”
The desperation in his voice frightened him. He located a nearby bench and sat down, resting his forearms on his lap. He inflated his lungs and then slowly exhaled, taming his spirit with every breath.
How did you end up here again,
he questioned? Losing her once was hard enough, but twice? Fate had played an unquestionable part in their unforeseen reunion, first in Chicago and
again here in New York; everything
leading up to their kiss could be explained
by it. Although, if fate was
controlling their actions and behaviors, what did her spontaneous escape from
Manhattan mean, exactly
?
* * *
“Ma’am
, would you care for a
beverage
?”
Cassie looked up at the perky flight attendant. “I’ll have a ginger ale, please”, she answered. She watched as the cheerful woman poured her bubbly concoction into a small, plastic cup and then gently placed it on her tray table.
“Would you prefer peanuts or pretzels?”
“Pretzels would be great, thank you.”
Cassie slowly sipped her ginger ale, hoping
that the effervescence would settle
her nervous stomach. She’d fled Manhattan upon receiving Jacob’s earlier
message, afraid that he would corner her;
scared that she would lose control of herself again. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw herself hovering over him; her mind screaming to pull away, her heart convincing her to linger. She was disappointed in herself for allowing the kiss to happen and she knew that it could have developed into something more if she hadn’t left when she did.
That kiss had shaken her to her core, but the observations vocalized by Jacob about Landon weighed heavily on her as well. They echoed with an intensity that angered her and she questioned his motives for verbalizing them. Was he trying to create doubt? Was he employing a method to lure her into bed or was his observations accurate? She acknowledged that Landon’s business consumed a large percentage of his time and up until now it hadn’t really bothered her that much. But, would it be like this forever? Would she be alone while he was away on business, without a solid commitment and without any children to love and take care of?
As the plane was making its final descent, she concluded that she and Landon had some kinks to iron out. She needed to know that she was a priority in his life and that she wasn’t wasting precious time with a man who had no intention of moving forward.
After exiting the plane, Cassie meandered through the airport and recovered her black and white houndstooth-
patterned luggage from baggage
claim.
She journeyed through the
massive, concrete parking garage and positioned her luggage in the back of her SUV before finally taking her place behind the wheel. She reached for her phone, remembering that she’d turned it off prior to take-off, and recognized that Jacob had left another message.
Her body was paralyzed and for close to a minute, she stared at her phone
in silence.
Don’t worry, Jake—I’m not going to tell Landon
.
He’d apologized last night and again this morning on her voicemail. She’d accepted and now it was over.
Cassie deleted his most recent message, refusing to listen to it; refusing to think about what might have been. She wanted to make her relationship with Landon work and she realized that the only way she would be able to move forward, would be to refrain from looking back.
CHAPTER EIGHT
TEN MONTHS LATER
The sweltering sun beamed with a ferocious intensity and gave no indication of mercy. It was unequivocally one of the hottest
summers in Chicago’s
recent history. Rolling blackouts were rumored, although advice from the local news media had kept the dreaded event at bay.