Authors: Nikki Rittenberry
CHAPTER TWENTY
Autumn had fallen upon the city. The transition from sultry summer days to the bitter cold of dead winter seemed to symbolize the current chapter in his life. Jacob had rekindled a blossoming relationship with Cassie and in an instant it had perished. A future with her had decayed before his very eyes and just like he couldn’t control the weather, he couldn’t control their ultimate fate.
He’d crashed at the cottage the night of Emily and Tanner’s wedding, refusing to lie in the bed he’d made love to Cassie in, knowing she was across the hall possibly making love to Landon. He’d left Maine the following afternoon in a million little pieces, his heart abducted by a woman he couldn’t have. Upon his return he did the only thing he knew how to do, throw himself into a pile of projects and work his mind into oblivion.
Jacob was one of the first to arrive at the office and typically one of the last to leave. It wasn’t an unusual work ethic for him, but dodging guy’s night the previous month certainly caused speculations to arise. He’d overheard the whispers and he’d observed the stares from his peripheral vision. Rumor was that he’d finally fallen for a woman and she had broken his heart. His battle wounds were perceptible and it unnerved him. Was his heartache that obvious?
Before he could answer his rhetorical question the door to his office swung open.
“Hey buddy.”
“Hey, Tim”, Jacob called. Tim had joined the firm several years prior to him and had caught a big break two years ago when he’d submitted plans to convert an abandoned high rise bank building into a modern, chic condominium in Miami. They’d been promoted to junior partner together and had quickly bonded over their new found responsibilities. With stress levels always at a constant high, they’d began a tradition of twice a week guy’s night at a local martini bar. Stiff drinks and easy women had been a welcomed distraction, a form of stress relief, and an obligation he’d participated in regularly—that is until he’d returned from Maine.
“It’s Thursday night—
ladies’ night
. You in?” questioned Tim.
Jacob shuffled a generous amount of papers on his desk. “Ah… probably not; I’m swamped”, he sluggishly replied.
“Yeah, me too—but, it’s nothing that can’t wait until tomorrow. Besides, a few drinks and an evening out with a hot chick will make you feel better.”
“Don’t know what you’re talking about buddy—I feel fine.”
Tim widened his stance and crossed his arms. He studied Jacob for a long beat, clearly amused. “Are you trying to convince me or yourself? Look, I may not know all of the details, but it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that you were completely fine before you left for your trip last month and you came back a complete mess! You never used to miss guy’s night; you’ve bailed on us the last four weeks in a row!”
Jacob grabbed his chest and gave his head a tilt. “Aw… you miss me. That’s sweet”, he uttered sarcastically.
“Hell yeah we miss you; you always attract the women! We’ve been ignored the last few weeks. I need my wing-man!”
“I feel so…
used
!” Jacob uttered, his sarcastic tone unmistakable.
“We’re not taking
‘no’
for an answer. You’re not bailing on us this time—we’ll drag you, kicking and screaming if we have to!”
Jacob leaned back in his executive chair and placed his hands behind his head. He debated with himself for a moment. He was in no mood for pointless conversation and time spent with a random woman at the bar couldn’t begin to fill the void in his life. Cassie didn’t want to be with him. She’d chosen to move on with her life with Landon and as much as it killed him, he knew he was going to have to try to do the same. He couldn’t avoid life outside of the firm forever—at some point he was going to have to restore some normalcy in his life and there was no better time than the present. “Alright, I’ll go.”
* * *
Cassie opened her eyes to find she
was in the living room, lying on the chaise
lounge with a half empty bottle of blueberry wine beside her on the end table.
Or was it half full?
She reached for her blackberry and read the time: five thirty-seven. She stood and walked to the kitchen; the blinking lights on the stove and microwave indicating that the power was back on. Her mind was cluttered with a mounting to-do list; drop-off her dry cleaning, pick-up some groceries, play catch-up at work,
and oh yeah,
think about her con
versation
with Emily from last night.
No chance of going back to sleep now, she acknowledged.
After showering she dressed for her busy day ahead. She chose a royal blue, sleeveless shift dress and a fitted, three-quarter sleeve black blazer. She finished her ensemble with a pair of black suede, platform stilettos and straightened her long golden hair since she had the extra time. She filled her large coffee mug to the rim and after grabbing her briefcase and purse, she headed to the hospital ahead of schedule.
Being first to arrive at the office had always been the perfect prerequisite for a productive day, but nothing about today was typical. The lack of distractions ironically prevented any progress she’d vowed to make. The eerie silence around her only further amplified the voices in her head.
He didn’t have the right to play God with your life six years ago, just like you don’t have the right to do the same thing to him now. Tell him how you feel. Tell him your biggest fears and let him decide
, Emily had said. She knew Emily was right, but that didn’t make her decision any easier.
She was being hypocritical, she knew, but that was only because Jacob stood to lose so much more than she ever had. She’d walked away from Landon last night with no regrets and she needed to approach her unresolved feelings for Jacob in the same manner. Jacob deserved to know how she felt and he deserved the opportunity to determine his own destiny.
Without a second thought, she dialed the airlines and charged a pricey, roundtrip ticket to New York City to her credit card and grabbed her purse. On her way home to pack, she phoned her partner and informed him that she was leaving town to take care of an unexpected personal matter and would return on Monday morning. She quickly filled him in on the patients scheduled for the day and he assured her that everyone would be taken care of.
She arrived at her two-bedroom condo just after eight o’clock and quickly tossed toiletries, cosmetics, and enough clothes to get by until Sunday evening into her designer suitcase before heading to the airport.
* * *
Board meetings were long and tedious, but a necessary component to his position as junior partner. Twice a month Mr. Anderson and Mr. James held a mandatory meeting with all of the partners. It was an opportunity for Jacob to inform everyone about his team’s progress on various projects and for new assignments to be equally distributed
amongst the remaining nine junior
partners in the firm.
He’d spent the better part of the day in the expansive conference room and finally made it back to his office with an hour to spare before his scheduled guy’s night. He glanced over a stack of reports that his secretary, Ava, had left for him and sent an email to his team regarding their newly assigned projects when Tim barged in with his infamous twenty-minute warning.
* * *
The harsh landing jarred Cassie’s body, reinforcing the reality of what she was about to do. Traveling with a small suitcase and a matching carry-on bag saved a trip to baggage claim, a small victory in itself. She wheeled her petite luggage through the terminal with purpose and arrived at ground transportation. She hailed a taxi and gave the driver instructions to transport her to the Anderson James Architect Firm in Lower Manhattan as quickly as possible.
The roads were littered with vehicles, typical of New York City during rush hour. The driver zigzagged in and out of traffic in an effort to get her to her destination quickly and secure a hefty tip, no doubt. Butterflies danced vigorously in the pit of her gut and once they approached the Brooklyn Bridge, her nerves had reached the surface. Her palms were moist, her hands steadily trembling, and fear of the unknown was unmistakably plastered across her face. The cab came to a halt along the curb in front of the sleek, steel building near Wall Street and Cassie paid the driver an extra fifty dollars to take her luggage to her nearby hotel. He gladly accepted and after a few deep, calming breaths, she entered the building in search of Jacob.
She approached the main lobby desk and waited patiently while the secretary finished her phone conversation.
“I’m so sorry I kept you waiting. How may I help you?” the kind, middle-aged woman asked.
“No problem. I’m actually here to see Jacob Nelson. Can you by chance direct me to his office?”
The lobby secretary glanced at her watch and then removed her reading glasses before re-establishing eye contact. “
Is he expecting you?” she asked
curiously.
“No, I don’t believe he is…” She answered softly.
The secretary tapped the top of her pen against the black granite desk and stared at Cassie for a few long beats before exposing a genuine smile. “Well, I normally wouldn’t do this, but Mr. Nelson has been noticeably mopey the last few weeks and hopefully your surprise visit
will be enough to perk him right back up.”
“Thank you…” Cassie paused
hoping to catch the secretary’s name.
“Mary”, the kind secretary added.
“Thank you, Mary.”
“You’re welcome.” Mary pointed behind Cassie. “You are going to take the
elevator located behind you to the
eleventh floor. Once you exit the elevator, take a left and then head straight. You’ll literally run into his office at the end of the aisle.”
Cassie thanked her once again and traveled the short distance to the elevator. She pressed the button to take her to the eleventh floor with her quivering hands and held onto the railing behind her as she began her ascent. A crescendo of anxiety multiplied with every passing floor and she tightened her grip to prevent her knees from buckling. She’d come this far and now there was no turning back.
* * *
Tim knocked on Jacob’s door and strolled in with a grin that could only be associated with a man who knew he had an excellent chance of getting laid in the near future.
“It’s that time, my friend. Get your shit together and let’s go!”
Jacob shook his head as he stood from his executive, leather office chair. He powered down his computer, grabbed his briefcase and ambled toward the door to turn off the light.
“You’re doing the right thing,
buddy”, Tim said as he slapped Jacob on the back. “Trust me; you’re going to feel
like a million bucks in the morning.”
“I highly doubt it”, Jacob mumbled
softly under his breath
.
They traveled toward the elevator, coursing through a sea of gray cubicles. Jacob was having second thoughts, but he’d already agreed to go and he figured he’d stay for one drink and then hopefully conjure up an excuse to leave. The challenge of luring a random, beautiful woman to his bed no longer appealed to him. What he desired stood approximately five foot-three, with long golden hair and a killer body…
Cassie.