Authors: Tessa Dayne
“He didn’t push me, Dad. He’s a first class jerk, who only thinks of himself, but he doesn’t deserve to go to jail. I asked him to move out. Speaking of moving out, I am selling the loft.”
“You are going to sell your loft? You love that place.”
“I did. It was my dream home. That is, until Darren used it as his own private love nest while I was at work. I can’t ever stay there again and be happy. I know that now. Besides, I have the cabin.”
“What about Jonas? Where does he fit into all of this?” William asked, taking a sip of his coffee.
Paige shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know. Being swept up into a whirlwind romance before, I think we are both a little leery of falling into the same situation again. I want to be with him. I do love him.”
“Then you need to tell the man.”
“I was hoping to go to Madrid, to see him, that is if I can get things here taken care of first.”
“What do you need done? We are all here for you, Paige.”
“Well, I want to sell the loft. If I do that, I have to find somewhere to store my things. I was hoping I could use the garage and my bedroom for whatever I don’t sell. I am thinking of selling the loft with all the appliances included and maybe some of the furniture, if the buyers want it. Then I will have less to have to store.”
“You can store whatever you want to here. If you want to keep your furniture and it doesn’t fit in the garage, we will rent you a storage unit. Now, what is your time frame, you think?”
Paige shrugged her shoulders. “I guess it depends on how fast I can sell the loft. Jonas will be in Madrid for at least another four months and I would like to spend whatever time he has away from the film there with him.”
“Okay, you get started on your end; I will clean out the garage and tell your brothers to be ready for moving duty. We will get you out of that loft and on the path to your new life.”
Paige stood from her rocking chair and wrapped her arms around her dad. “Thank you, Daddy. I am going to head in to the office and tie some things up there. I have to finalize my resignation and talk to a realtor about the loft. I will see you later,” she said, reaching for her purse.
William watched as she skipped down the steps and headed back for her car. As she opened the driver’s side door, she turned and waved. He returned her wave and smiled. He was happy that she was moving on with her life, even happier that she was pursuing her happiness with Jonas.
As she drove away, William thought about what he could throw away out of the garage that would make room for the boxes she would inevitably be bringing home.
~*~
Paige parked in the underground lot of Watkins & Milian and slid out from behind the wheel. She grabbed her purse, locked the car and strode across the lot to the elevator. Having made her decision, she was confident that Darcy would see that her way was best.
Riding the elevator to the fifth floor, Paige stepped out of the car into the busy offices. She said hello to several of her colleagues, striding right to Darcy’s office.
“Hey, can I come in?” she asked, knocking on the open door.
“Paige!” Darcy cried. “It’s so good to see you! Come in!” she said, waving her into her office. “I assume that since you are here, you are ready to get down to brass tacks and get back to work. We have restocked your office with supplies and I have the new file right here,” she said, reaching for the manila folder on her desk.
“Darcy, stop. I’m not here to start work,” Paige said, settling into a chair.
Darcy sank into her plush chair and folded her arms over her chest. “This doesn’t sound good. What’s going on Paige?”
“I remembered everything. The resignation over Abner Watkins, walking in on Darren and his mistress, meeting Jonas and falling in love, I remember it all.”
“That’s wonderful, Paige. But I don’t understand. Why aren’t you coming back to work? We moved Abner to another department. If it’s a raise or a promotion, I am sure that can be arranged. We all know how much work you have put in here.”
“It’s not that, Darcy. I just want something more. I want Jonas, if he’ll still have me,” Paige said softly.
Darcy laughed aloud. “Of course he still wants you! He loves you, Paige. He loves you, you have to know that.”
“I know he loves me, Darcy. Our whirlwind romance back in December created some strong feelings for both of us. Lying to the world about the baby, the accident, my memory loss, it’s been a trying few months. I have to be sure that what we have is strong enough to last. What if it’s not?”
“Paige, the only way to find out is to go to Spain and see him, talk to him and figure things out together.”
Paige smiled. “I’m glad you agree.”
~*~
March 27
th
With a little help from Darcy, Paige found a good realtor and listed the loft with him. She was hoping that since it was in a good neighborhood and had a parking spot included, it would sell quickly. She told him to include all the appliances and all the furniture, except her grandmother’s rocker and her mother’s vanity. She didn’t care about anything else. Once her personal belongings were packed, showing the apartment would be at his discretion.
Pulling into her parking space in the garage of her building, Paige gathered her purse and some of the empty boxes she had gotten from a moving rental place. They were expensive, over $85.00, but she could at least get started packing. She had already started throwing things out and giving things to charity at her dad’s house to make room for her belongings from the apartment. Struggling with the boxes, tape, markers and her purse, Paige stepped into the elevator.
Hopefully, Darren would be gone. She had asked him to leave two days ago and since he really didn’t have a lot to pack, she expected him to have cleared out. She really did not want to have to deal with him while she packed her home.
The elevator door slid open and she headed down the hall to her door. Unlocking it, Paige slipped inside, finding it blissfully empty. He was gone. Her gaze fell on a piece of paper and a set of keys on the kitchen bar. Crossing the room, she snatched the note from the counter.
Dear Paige,
I know you can never forgive me for what I have done to you, but know that I never meant to hurt you. You were the best thing that had ever happened to me and I threw it away, fool that I am. I truly hope that you find the happiness you deserve.
Darren
Paige crumpled the paper in her hand and tossed it into the trash. She didn’t really care what he said or did any longer. They were over and she was moving on. Sighing, she grabbed a Coke out of the fridge and looked around the apartment. No time like the present to get started on that packing, she thought.
~*~
March 28th
Darren entered the motel room he had rented and looked around at the shabbiness. It was very different from the loft he had shared with Paige. Sighing, he dropped to the bed, placing his head in his hands. He had no one to blame but himself for how far he had fallen from grace.
The numerous affairs, the lies, the accident; all of it could be laid at his feet. And he had actually thought of selling his story to the tabloids and blackmailing Paige. What kind of person was he?
Had he just been honest with Paige from the beginning when things had started to fall apart, maybe he wouldn’t be here. Hindsight was indeed 20-20, he thought. Had he been able to go back and change things, he definitely would.
His phone rang, startling him. Not recognizing the number, he debated on answering it. Figuring his life couldn’t get much worse, he flipped it open and connected the call.
“This is Darren Armstrong.”
“This is Detective Robinson from the Chicago police department, Mr. Armstrong. I am just following up to the car accident Paige Harper was involved in last December.”
“Yes, how can I help you?” Darren asked.
“I wanted to let you know that you have been cleared of any wrong doing in the matter.”
“I was a suspect? In an accident? I don’t understand.”
“There were several witnesses that put you at the scene, but Miss Harper came into the office and gave her statement. We wanted to put your mind at ease.”
Darren ran a shaky hand over his face. “Okay, well, thank you for letting me know, Detective Robinson. You have a good day,” he said, hanging up the phone.
He had been a suspect in her accident. He knew that people had seen him at the scene, but he had no idea that the police had thought he was the cause of Paige’s accident. He couldn’t imagine what kind of charges he would have been facing had Paige not cleared him with the police.
He dialed Paige’s number, hoping she would pick up, even though it was him. He knew she had no reason to talk to him, but he wanted to thank her.
He was thoroughly surprised when she answered the phone.
“What do you want Darren?” she asked.
“I’d like to see you, if that’s okay.”
“I’m busy, Darren. I’m selling the loft and I have a lot of packing to do.”
“Please, Paige.”
She sighed in exasperation. “Fine, but not here. I’ll be at Darcy’s later. I’ll meet you there.”
Darren hung up and was about to head for the shower when his phone rang. He thought that maybe Paige had changed her mind and was calling to say she didn’t want to see him after all, but it was someone from the gallery where he showed his paintings last.
“Darren, it’s Clarissa. I have wonderful news. A client of mine from San Francisco called. He loves your work and wants you to paint a series of pictures for his holdings. Darren, this is a big deal. This is your big break. It will mean a lot of money. Are you there?”
Darren dropped back to the mattress and rubbed his face with the palm of his hand. Could he have finally gotten that break he had been waiting for all these years?
“Yes, Clarissa, I’m here. Oh my God. You aren’t pulling my leg are you?”
Clarissa laughed on the other end of the phone. “No, I’m not joking. Pack your bags Darren. You are moving to San Francisco.”
~*~
Paige walked into the living room, watching as Darcy let Darren into the apartment. He had called her earlier, wanting to talk to her one last time. Once he was inside Darcy turned her attention to Paige.
“Will you be okay?” she asked, eyeing Paige for a sign that she didn’t want her to leave the room.
“I’m fine, Darcy. It’s okay,” Paige said, knowing that there was nothing left for Darren to do to hurt her. She had already lost a baby, and possibly Jonas. He couldn’t do much more to hurt her now.
“Paige…thank you. I know I don’t deserve this, you hearing me out one last time,” Darren said, joining her in the opulent living room.
“Darren, I really don’t know what we have left to say to each other,” Paige said, sitting down on the couch, her legs curled up underneath her.
“I know. I was a real bastard to you, you didn’t deserve the way I treated you. The police told me your statement was the reason I was cleared of wrongdoing. I wanted to thank you for that.”