Chapter 10
Chapter 10
JORDAN
I roll on my side as the sunlight streaming into the room smacks against my face. I have plenty of excuses to not work out this morning. I need to get a few more hours of sleep as I didn’t fall asleep last night until the early hours of this morning.
I can hear movements in the hallway. I force my body into a sitting position, rubbing my eyes gently. It’s Friday and I have to be at the office before 8 am for my first appointment. I’ve set up a team and they are putting up a presentation to settle on the product designs and total number of toys to be produced for the first batch.
I swallow an oath as I bump my knee against the dressing table on my way to the adjoined bathroom. Gritting my teeth, I flip on the light switch, bathing the dark room in bright light that makes my eyes hurt.
There’s a rap on my door then Nelson calls out to me, his voice muffled. We had talked about running this morning. I found out there’s a small group and Nelson says it’d be good for me. He wants me to mingle in the hope that I’ll find a woman to warm my bed.
“I’ll be out in a minute!”
I passed the kitchen on my way out. Melisa is humming a happy tune and tapping her foot on the tiled floor. She doesn’t notice my presence, allowing me to study her for a moment.
“Good morning, Sir!”
The voice startles me and Agatha. She turns, wide–eyed, and her hands hovering close to the stove.
“Be careful Mel. That pan is hot.”
She flushes. “Good morning, Mr. Remington. Mr. Wright, it’s good to see you all relaxed and ready to take on the city.”
Nelson rolls his eyes. “I have no choice. I miss my city. This place is too rowdy for me.”
“You’ll get used to it.” She then shifts her focus to me. “Mr. Remington, a message came in for you last night.”
I look at my watch. The group will be meeting in about ten minutes. “What’s the message about?”
“A welcome party in some resort downtown.”
I frown. I don’t remember any of my friends mentioning a party. “Who’s hosting it?”
She picks up a card from the counter and crosses the large room to where I’m leaning on the door. “Here, there’s a name and a phone number on it.”
1 open the card. My gaze quickly goes to the name at the bottom. Peter Volkov. Peter?
“Is it someone you know, Sir?”
My knees weaken and my heartbeat picks up. I’ve been trying to get across to him all these while and a card just rolls into my house with his name?”
“Mr. Remington?”
I snap my head up to stare at the two people watching me intently. Melisa has a worried frown etched on her face. Nelson takes the card from my hand.
“It’s Peter, my best friend.”
“The Peter you’ve been talking about?” Nelson asks
“Yes.”
1/3
Chapter 10
He skims his eyes over the eyes. “Wow! It’s your party and it is tonight.”
What? I didn’t see that part.
have a dinner meeting with the production manager tonight. It’s important.”
“‘t handle that for you. You can’t miss the party.”
Agatha’s face brightens. “The Volkovs are good people. I know his wife.”
still can’t believe I’m finally going to meet Peter. I miss him. I miss our bond. I take the card from Nelson and read the address. “Call the driver Agatha. I want to go see Peter right away.”
While Agatha grabs her phone to make the call, Nelson asks that we move to the sitting room. After we settle on the couch, he turns to me with a serious expression.
“You can’t go and see Peter now. Wait until it’s time for the party. Do we have to go to the stores for anything?”
* have a black Tux. I’ll need a gift for his wife and his daughter. She was three years old when I left.”
“Do you want me to call your PA to get the gifts?”
“No–no I’ll do it myself. But call her. Tell her to cancel all my appointments for today”
Nelson hesitates briefly and then he nods and picks up his phone from the side stool beside his couch. That’s when I noticed the mug with coffee. I grab it and take a long sip. His gaze not wavering from my face he says, “Sure.”
Two hours later, after shopping for some pieces of jewelry and flowers, then a bottle of perfume for Peter. I remember he used to love Munjul’s then. I instruct David to drive by the resort on our way back.
A part of me hopes to see Peter or his wife. I won’t recognize his daughter because Peter never shared a photo of her. He talked about her a lot and thDae day she started dating in high school, my best friend almost had a stroke. He complained about the boy’s southern accent, his hair, his dress, and the way his daughter was acting like some lost puppy.
We lost contact weeks later and I always wondered if Peter ever found a way to break the teenage love apart.
1 chuckle as other memories crawl to the surface. I’ve been neck–deep in worry, wondering if I’ll get to see him again. Wondering if he’s okay or if I’ve lost him the way I lost my wife.
I’m almost choked by relief when David announces that we’re at the resort. It’s quite big – more than I imagined. I let him drive through the large iron gates and then park beside a navy blue Camry.
“Are you sure this is the address?”
Yes, Sir. Palm resort. It’s the only one around this part of New York.”
I glance through the window at the long pathways. There’s a beach and a long line of plan trees complimented by trimmed bushes. There’s no sight of Peter or his bubbly wife. Those two, are a force to reckon with.
They met at a college party and Peter told me a few hours after dancing with her that he was going to marry her. He was charmed by her spunk and her stunning smile.
Of course I believed him. He’s not the kind of man to go around throwing words of commitment to score points with a woman.
A year after our graduation, when he bagged his first business deal with Laycon shipping company to supply them with materials for their new office space, Peter also bagged his woman and I was beside him all through the journey, as his best man and only family.
He returned the favor a year later when I proposed to Anna. Peter and I have always had each other’s back.
2/3
Chapter 10
A car door opens, snapping me out of my reverie. I tilt my neck towards the sounds and regret the action almost immediately. It’s her. The beautiful lady I met at the bar last week, I’d recognize her anywhere, any time of the day.
Those round curves, her shapely hips, and her hair. How could I forget those lips I worshiped? Right now she’s captured it between her teeth, her face tight with what I assume to be anger. She had talked about her boyfriend. And I, my late wife.
We didn’t share personal details, like contact, names, and addresses, but we talked about our pains and bonded over it and that night, we offered each other comfort and nothing more. Despite the fact it was glaring that we wanted each other for more than what we were willing to offer.
Does she think about me at all? Will she recall my face if we meet again?
God help me but I want to see her again. Now that she’s a few feet from my car, I can’t help but replay our night together like it happened yesterday.
Her phone rings. She digs it out of her red purse and frowns at the screen before placing the device on her ear.
“David, do you know that lady leaning over the Camry?”
David lowers his head to glance at where the car is and gives me a nod before turning to face me. “Yes. That’s Astrid Volkov. She’s Mr. Volkov’s daughter.”
My heart shatters and the warmth I felt minutes ago from thinking about Peter dissipates.
Oh God, it can’t be.
I ask David to confirm and he does by showing me an Instagram page with pictures of the younger woman standing with her arms wrapped around Peter
and Stella.
The caption reads: my beloved parents.
Fuck!
“Turn the car around,” I say after I’ve taken a moment to gather my wit. I know for a fact that Peter will have my limbs if he ever finds out I had sex with his daughter. It’s an unspoken rule we both had and nothing’s changed even though we’ve spent nineteen years apart.
We’re family, and now, I’ve broken the first rule. I don’t want to think about the consequences right now. First, I’ll go home and rethink my decision to
attend the party.
Astrid Volkov?
Whatever had stopped me from being logical? I should have asked for her name! I should have played with my fucking head not a raging libido.
God! I palm my face with both hands and let out a muffled scream as pain spears through my chest and cold envelopes me.
The only way to avoid getting into trouble with my best friend will be to stay away. Life has taught me that wanting something doesn’t always align with receiving. I’ve waited for this moment to see Peter again, dreamed it, and now that it’s right in my palm, all I want to do is bolt.
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