The Critic (31 page)

We held hands walking into my place, and rather than releasing her, I held on tighter. I looked at our fingers, and I realized with her there, I was truly home. I would miss her terribly if I couldn’t convince her to come with me.

She flexed her fingers and looked at me. “Everything okay?” Her eyes softened, and her cheeks flushed.

“Perfect. Everything is almost as it should be.” I walked to my sofa and pulled her along with me. As I sat, I made sure to position her on my lap.

“Almost?” Her voice had become shaky.

“Andi, I don’t want you to go back to Jersey.” I held on tighter to her.

“I don’t have anything with me, but I can stay the night if you’d like me to.” She smiled, but she didn’t seem to have understood what I wanted.

“No. I don’t want you to stay the night.”

Her face fell. “Oh. You’re confusing me.”

I picked up her hand and placed it on my heart. “Not just tonight. I want you here all the time. Would you consider staying here with me? Gina can move in too, after I leave. Then I won’t have to worry about either of you commuting back and forth to Jersey. It makes sense. You both need a place to live in the city, and mine will be available.”

The pulse in her wrist quickened under my fingertips. I watched her chest rise and fall with each quick breath. My nerves spiked, which I was sure she could feel with her hand on my chest.

“You can think about it if you need to,” I said. “But know that I love you, and even if you say no, it won’t change how I feel. I just want you here with me when I wake up and before I go to sleep. If you’d rather wait until I was gone, that’s fine too.”

She pivoted so she was straddling me. The skirt of her dress rose, and my hands found the smooth skin of her thighs as she placed her hands on my cheeks. “I don’t need time to think about it.” She placed a chaste, sweet kiss on my lips. “Living with you isn’t something that requires a lot thought. I’d love to live with you, and I’m sure Gina will be grateful as well.”

“Then it’s settled. Every night when I go to sleep in London, I’ll be able to picture you in my bed here. Just knowing that makes me happy.”

She licked her lips, and I felt my excitement growing beneath her. I claimed her lips as my hands pulled her ass closer. She tilted her hips and ground against me, rubbing me with her hot panties. I needed to be inside her. I pushed off the couch with shaky legs and carried her down the hall . . . to our room. I planned on loving her until we fell asleep in each other’s arms.

Bentley and I sat at the table, me with my coffee and him with his orange juice. I couldn’t help staring at him. He looked so great in the morning that it really wasn’t fair. I’d pulled my hair into a ponytail just to look half-way presentable, and he was naturally beautiful.

He looked at me. “You’re staring.”

I laughed. “Am I? Hmm . . . I hadn’t noticed.”

He leaned forward, took my hands, and brought them to his lips. “I’m going to miss you.”

I swallowed hard. “Today’s the day, isn’t it?” I knew he had an early meeting. Time was about up.

“Yeah, I actually need to pack. I’ve procrastinated long enough.” He grabbed his cell off the table and handed it to me. “Scott texted me last night. I saw this when you were in the bedroom.”

I took the phone and stared at the screen.

Scott:
Hey, buddy. Get packing. Chatfield wants you on a plane day after tomorrow. Meet in my office at 10 am tomorrow to get ticket and info.

I stared at the message until my vision blurred with unshed tears. I set the phone down and dabbed my eyes with a napkin.

“Andi, I didn’t know. I mean, I knew it would be soon but not tomorrow. I wanted to help get you settled here before I left.”

I slowly nodded. “It’s okay. Gina and I can handle it
.” Be strong, Andi.
“I can help you though. Do you even know how much to bring?”

“I don’t. I’ll just wing it, and what I don’t have, I’ll buy there.”

“Okay.” I walked into the kitchen and set my cup in the sink, trying not to lose it.

Bentley came up behind me and spun me in his arms. “Shower with me. We can worry about packing when I get back. We can go get some of your stuff too.”

“I’ll call Gina and tell her our plan. If she’s okay with it, which I’m sure she will be, then I’ll pack some things.” I tried to sound chipper, but it was definitely forced.

He could tell, but he didn’t call me on it. “Sounds good, but after we shower.” He pulled me along as he walked backward toward his room.

Bentley drove us to his office and then gave me his car to take to Jersey. “Pack what you need, and you can get the rest later. I’ll call you when I’m done with my meeting.”

I slid into the driver’s seat. “Thanks for the car, and I’ll talk to you later.” He leaned in and kissed me. “Bye.”

He tapped the car door and walked away. The word “bye” felt heavier today. I needed to change that to “see ya later” or something less final. I weaved through traffic and crossed into Jersey before I used my speakerphone and dialed Gina.

“Hey, Andi.”

“Hi. Are you around? Can you meet me at my place?”

“Yeah, are you in the car?”

“Bentley’s car, yes.” I glided my hands over the steering wheel as if I were touching him.

“Oh, hey, Bentley!” Gina giggled.

I laughed. “He’s not here, but I’m sure he says hi.”

“Oh. Ha-ha. When will you be at your place?”

“About thirty minutes or so.”

“Okay, I’ll bring food. Love you.”

“Love you too.”

“Bye, Bentley.” She giggled and hung up.

I shook my head and smiled at my friend’s goofiness. Yeah, I’d be okay as long as I had Gina to keep me entertained. I turned on the radio and listened to a talk show until I pulled into my complex.

Gina came over with subs and chips from a nearby deli. “I’m starving.”

My stomach growled. “I guess I could eat.”

We sat at the table and unwrapped the hoagies.

“So, I have news.” I took a bite of my sandwich.

“Yeah?” Gina popped a potato chip in her mouth.

“I’ve decided I can’t go with Bentley, so he’s offered us his apartment. Isn’t that great?”

She tilted her head and studied me. “Yeah, it is, but are you sure you don’t want to go with him? You don’t have anything lined up right now. Even if you only went for a week or so, take a vacation.”

I shook my head. “That’s just putting off the inevitable. I’d leave, and he’d stay there. It’s better this way.”

“Nope, not buying it. But it’s your life. You need to be comfortable with your decision.” Gina continued to eat her lunch.

“I don’t know if I’m comfortable, but hey, we have a place in the city now. So that’s good.”

She grinned. “It is. Okay, so when is all this moving taking place?”

“Tomorrow.”

Gina started coughing. “I almost choked. I thought you said tomorrow.”

“I did. He’s leaving tomorrow. I’m actually here to pack up some things and head back to his place. I thought maybe you’d help me. Then we can go grab some of your stuff and go to the city together.” I pushed my lunch aside. “What do ya think?”

“Yeah, I can do that. I suppose I need to tell Seth and my landlord.”

“Shit, I forgot to call Seth! I can talk to Bentley if you want Seth to move in with us.”

She shook her head. “I talked to him yesterday, and he said his landlord agreed to a month-to-month lease, so he’s okay for now.” Gina stood. “Let’s get moving! We have a lot to do. I’m going to head out and grab boxes.”

“Sounds great. Thanks, G.”

I emailed my landlord my notice and headed into my room to pack. As I looked around my room, I thanked God I had to give my landlord thirty days’ notice. It would take me that long to go through everything and pack what I wanted to take. I took the pictures and news clippings out from around my mirror and smiled at how far I’d come.

I grabbed my duffle out of my closet and packed a couple days’ worth of clothes and my toiletries. My shoes were a different story—I gabbed about a week’s worth of those. I loved my shoes, and just taking one or two pairs wasn’t an option.

Bentley:
Hey, babe. You at your place?

Andrea:
Yes, but I’m getting ready to leave soon. Waiting on Gina. How’s the meeting?

Bentley:
Over. I’m taking care of some things in the office and then I’m done. Can you pick me up or should I take a cab?

Andrea:
I’ll come and get you. I’ll call when I’m on my way.

Bentley:
Drive safe. Love you.

Andrea:
Love you too.

Gina came back with boxes and tape. “Hey, I talked to my landlord, and she’s letting me out of my lease early, so I only have five days to pack up. So if you’re okay here, I’m going to go home.”