Read With Love; Now & Forever Online
Authors: Raeanne Hadley
Tags: #Romance, #Fiction, #General, #Paranormal, #Suspense
When Anastasia had called Sally at six-thirty that evening, Sally had thought it was so that Ana could continue the argument. When Ana told her that she had indeed called Hayward’s Heath and learned of Austin’s death, that she was in Austin’s will and had to be there by Wednesday, Sally’s jaw dropped. She immediately jumped into a cab and headed over to Ana’s penthouse, showing up in flannel pajama bottoms and an oversized sweatshirt, her norm for a comfy, stay-at-home night. They stayed up until three o’clock in the morning going over everything that needed to be taken care of in the office while Ana was gone.
By Monday morning things were settling down and Ana was just about ready to head off to the airport when guilt once again began to flood over Sally. Ana would not be in this mess, flying to another country, finding out her first true love had just died, was married and that Ana was in his will, if Sally had just kept her nose out of Ana’s business. Sally tried to focus on the final instructions that Ana was going over with her, bound and determined to make sure everything ran perfectly while Ana was out of the country. She was going to make sure that nothing else was going to go wrong, so Ana wouldn’t have another problem to deal with, she owed her that much.
Seeing the guilt on her friend‘s face, Ana paused, taking the time to give her a hug.
“It’s OK, Sally. I’m actually looking forward to this. I will get a chance to see what Austin has been up to all these years and to meet the woman that he chose to marry. After this, I will not have any more questions. There is no way to talk to him and to tell him that I’m sorry but at least I can go to his grave and apologize to him in my own way.”
“I truly don’t know what to say, Ana. I hated seeing you in so much pain and now it seems I’ve caused you even more, that is not what a best friend is supposed to do! If you don’t want to tell me any more of your deep dark secrets, I will truly understand! I just love you so much, Ana.”
“This is my fault really, I was just saying to myself that I needed a vacation and to get away for a little while. Isn’t there a quote that states be careful what you wish for?”
Sally waited outside with Ana until her cab came and handed Ana her briefcase when she got in. She stood there and watched the cab pull away, whisking Ana away to the airport. Ana had promised to call her when she got to England and fill her in on all of the details once she got settled in her room. Sally hoped that this trip would begin the healing process for Ana.
Ana sipped the complimentary champagne and eased back into her seat, enjoying the soothing jazz music that was coming through her headphones. She had flown hundreds of times and had of course, started out in coach. Once Greg exposed her to first class however, she realized that she could never turn back and return to flying coach. The perks of flying first class were worth the extra expense and you were more likely to be able to get a seat in first class on the flight you wanted as opposed to hoping that the seats weren’t sold out in coach.
She knew she wouldn’t be able to sleep on the flight; too much information to process in her mind would prevent any kind of rest. She had called Jennifer on her way to the airport, knowing that it was mid-morning in London and she would be awake. She gave Jennifer her flight details and Jennifer again insisted that Ana stay at the manor. Ana didn’t tell Jennifer that she had hotel reservations; she wanted to keep the room, just in case. Situations tended to change once people’s chemistry and personalities got involved. It was one thing to talk to each other over the phone; it was another thing completely to have to be under the same roof and forced to interact with each other.
The flight was uneventful and actually very quiet. Ana reflected on her history with Austin, wondered what Jennifer looked like and what her life had been like with Austin. Many times during the flight she found herself extremely jealous of the relationship that Jennifer had with Austin, wishing it was she who had been married to him, living across the ocean and proudly linked on his arm during his showings. Then reality would hit and she realized she would also be the grieving widow and she needed to keep her perspective. It was Jennifer who had lost her husband, not Ana. She needed to be there for the reading of the will, not to make Jennifer’s life more difficult. Compassion would be her key mantra while she was there.
As the hum of the jet engines lulled her into a calm state of meditation, her mind wandered back to the beginning of her career, which sometimes felt just started yesterday while at other times felt like it was a lifetime ago. Anastasia's career had been sudden and unplanned. While working part time at a travel agency, a wealthy
businessman, Dwayne Allen, had come in to book a week in Fiji for some potential investors. When he walked in and saw Ana, he offered her a job on the spot as his ‘personal travel planner’. Ana had known that he was only interested in making her his mistress but the money he offered was what she needed to get her out of the small town with the painful memories. She quit her part time position and went to work for him full time. She was able to fend off his advances with the excuse of having to get the Fiji plans completed. The night before his trip to Fiji, he once again made his advances on her but when she wouldn’t give in and explained she was a travel planner and not a concubine, he became furious, throwing her wages at her and telling her she was fired. She had gathered her money and walked out the door with as much pride and stature as she could muster. She didn’t start sobbing until she was a mile away from the mansion.
The salary he had paid her was enough to live frugally where she was for about six months or she could pack up and head south, getting away from the town, the pain and the haunting memories. So she spent the week downsizing and packing to fit as much as she could in her little car. The day before her departure, she was startled by her phone ringing. Not having any friends, she reluctantly picked up the phone, preparing herself to her mother‘s drunken meanness.
“Oh, great! Ms. Cassadine, my name is Greg Smith. I was one of the investors that took the trip to Fiji with your boss, Dwayne Allen.”
Ana’s stomach roiled with anger, no longer confused as to why he was calling her. Dwayne had probably lied and boasted about how he bagged this beautiful blonde, naïve girl, while she booked his week in paradise and now this Mr. Greg Smith was hoping to get a piece of her too.
“Excuse me Mr. Smith, but I no longer work for that jackass and I am not interested in providing a sexual outlet for men!”
“Um, Ms. Cassadine, I’m confused. Mr. Allen told me that you are a travel and vacation planner. I’m sorry I bothered you, I was needing someone to plan my company’s working vacations and since I thought you did such an excellent job, was hoping you’d be interested. Please forgive my intrusion.”
Slightly embarrassed but allowing instinct to rule, Ana jumped in, “Mr. Smith, I’m the one that needs to apologize. I jumped to conclusions when you mentioned Dwayne Allen, please accept my apologies.” Ana explained what had happened with her employment with Dwayne.
“I’m so sorry that you had to experience that. Not all of us business owner’s are jerks, some of us actually have manners." Greg explained about his firm which restructured failing businesses and soon she and Greg were laughing like they were old friends.
“I knew he was sleazy by the way he treated the female wait staff at our resort and restaurants but I never knew he would cross the employer-employee relationship line. I’m sure glad I followed my gut instinct and not go into business with him! “
Ana giggled. “Speaking of guts, did he use the Jacuzzi?”
Greg joined her laughter. “Yeah, he acted as if he had the body of a young Arnold Schwarzenegger instead of Alfred Hitchcock!” At that comment, Ana couldn’t hold back anymore and burst into amused laughter. The thought of Dwayne flaunting his soft, flabby body around had Ana laughing even harder. “How mortifying! I bet he never even had a clue!” Greg snorted into the phone which sent them both into another round of tearful fits. After a few moments, Ana regained her composure and wiped her eyes.
“Mr. Smith, I appreciate your retelling of the Fiji trip and lightening up my day but I’m sure that’s not why you called, you mentioned something about a job?”
“Greg, please, and you’re right. I was calling to offer you a job, a legitimate one!” He quickly added.
At Ana’s hesitation, Greg quickly stumbled on. “The vacation was amazing! The resort, the restaurants, all of the tiny details, I didn’t have to request a thing. You did an amazing job and I want you to come work for my firm.”
Ana’s throat closed up and she was unable to catch her breath. Less than an hour ago, she was jobless and getting ready to flee her little town like a dog with its tail between its legs. Now she was being offered a job with a firm doing exactly what she loved, planning fantasies and freedom, a week or two away from reality. When the rich and famous decide they need a vacation to get away from their "mundane" lifestyles, they pay highly and the
recommendations are priceless. Taking Ana’s silence as reluctance, Greg switched to his business negotiating voice. “I assure you, this is a completely legitimate job, 401(k), two weeks paid vacation, medical, dental and vision and of course, your own office. Um, the salary is only sixty thousand per year but….”
“When do I start?” she asked excitedly into the phone, cutting off Greg’s unnecessary rambling. The next day, she set off for Florida, where her salary allowed her to stay in a hotel and take her time to find a great apartment.
When she had met Greg for the first time, she had been surprised and taken aback; he was ten years her senior but appeared closer to her age. His reddish blonde hair accented the sparkling green eyes and the spatter of freckles across his cheeks and bridge of his nose. He was about the same height as she was and had a lean, muscular body. Deep dimples creased his cheeks and lines formed around his eyes when he smiled, which she found out, was often. He was generous, considerate and seemingly, the perfect boss.
For seven years, she worked for Greg, booking unforgettable trips and earning a top-notch reputation with the more elite business owners. She learned about fashion, travel and business and after securing a hefty nest egg and splurging on a new wardrobe consisting of exquisite suits and designer dresses, she focused on securely establishing her name in the industry. Greg had agreed early on to allow Ana to take on clients on the side to build her own clientele. At the end of the seven years with Greg, she had built her very own business that had grown so fast, she found herself needing to hire support staff of her own, which included Sally Edwards.
Sally worked for a larger hotel chain in New York, so Ana had dealt with her frequently while setting up accommodations for Greg’s clientele. It became apparent very early on that the hotel wasn’t using Sally to her full potential and Ana jumped at the chance to hire Sally fulltime as her assistant and office manager.
Sally was two years younger than Ana and an absolute go-getter in her profession. The petite brunette thrived on challenges and had visions outside of the box. She enjoyed wearing fun, titillating outfits that showed off her attractive frame with colors that shouted out to be noticed. What made her a perfect match with Ana was that she never had the desire to own and operate her own business. She enjoyed having the responsibility and satisfaction of doing a great job but also of being able to leave it at the door at the end of the day. She partied as hard as she worked, spending her weekends at dance clubs and social gatherings.
Ana hired her as soon as she could financially afford it, wanting to be able to offer Sally a very generous package with benefits. It was a decision neither one of them ever regretted and proved to be profitable for them both.
Greg had been both supportive and heart-broken when Ana told him she was leaving his firm to run her own company. He had allowed her the time off she needed to get her business settled and even gave her the use of his personal jet when she needed to go to New York for meetings and handle business affairs that required her presence. When it became apparent that she was needed more in New York than in Florida, she packed up her personal things and moved there permanently.
The good-byes between her and Greg were tearful and emotionally charged. Greg had believed in her and had fulfilled all of the promises he had made to her. Although he had made his personal feelings known to her after two years of working together, he had never been angry or bitter when she told him they would be nothing more than friends. He had never spoken of his feelings again until the day they had said goodbye.
“Ana, you know I still love you after all these years and I’m hoping that we can remain friends and keep the lines of communication open. If ever in the future, you exorcise the ghost that’s been holding you hostage, know that there are warm and loving arms here to surround you.” Seeing the tears and sincerity in Greg’s eyes, Ana couldn’t stop her own eyes from welling with tears. She had never told Greg of Austin or her past but he was so in tune to her that he had known, all these years, that she was still in love with someone else, a ghost from the past. She
had
wondered, over the years, why she wasn’t attracted to him, he was kind and generous, easy to laugh with and very handsome. But Greg couldn’t fill the emptiness that she felt inside, only Austin had filled that void and she had blown that, so many years ago. So she kissed Greg on the cheek and told him that they would stay in touch, she thanked him profusely for the opportunities he had given her over the years. As she left, she found she couldn’t bear to look back.
Surprising many people, they did stay in touch, she continued to handle his more important clientele and he even came to visit her the first couple of years she was in New York. Ana’s reputation grew on the eastern coast, spread along the Canadian border and in no time at all, she had clientele all over the world. She had multi-billionaires who would post-pone their scheduled holidays and wait until she had time to book their affairs. She was working seven days a week, almost fifteen hours a day and with Sally being single and just as dedicated, worked right along with Ana.
Because of the long working hours, their professional relationship merged into a mutual friendship and it was then that Ana had told Sally of Austin. Sally could see the pain in Ana’s eyes as she relived that fateful night. She also saw the relief in Ana’s face, being able to confide in someone that she trusted, to expel the feelings of embarrassment and loss that had no doubt festered within Ana all these years.
Only after Ana had told her of the tragic tale, did Sally question Ana. “Oh God, Ana! That would’ve been mortifying to have his mother walk in on you like that, to have her throw you out of the house. But if you two loved each other so much, why didn’t you go back over and try to talk to his mom again, to work things out, or even talk to his dad, see if he could talk reason into Austin’s Mom?”
Sally saw fear flash over Ana’s eyes as she stumbled over her words. “Things happened that couldn’t be taken back. I didn’t want to cause Austin anymore pain.”
Seeing her boss and her friend start to shut down, she didn’t push the subject further. Maybe his mother was worse than Ana described. Wanting to lighten up the conversation and not lose Ana’s confidence in her, Sally told Ana of her failed relationships and the latest loser she was dating because of the great sex. By the end of the evening, they had gone back to work, getting more done and she even had Ana laughing at her failed romantic escapades.
Turbulence jarred Ana out of her memories and she gazed down at the approaching city below. Taking a deep breath, she prepared for the landing.