3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

ROMAN

D amn, where am I? It’s so dark in here. There’s no light coming in from anywhere. I tried to adjust my eyes to focus on something, anything. What time is it? I rubbed my hands over my face and wince. My head feels like I got hit with a bat. I need to get back to the office for those meetings.

I need some water. Shit, my head fucking hurts. I squinted my eyes and glanced out the window. The sun’s no longer shining, but instead there’s a gentle haze on the horizon, letting me know it’s later than it would be if I took a quick nap. Guess I didn’t make any meetings this afternoon. I better check my messages.

I rolled to my side and reached around on the table to feel for my phone without having to get up. Either the phone was on mute, or I really needed that because I can’t seem to find it. Well, the phone’s ringing just fine now so I must’ve needed that sleep, although it doesn't feel like it did anything for this damn headache. I pried myself up off the couch, grabbed my head and looked around for my phone.

“Hey.” Harrison said, “You ok?” He actually sounded worried. I’d smile if I could.

“Yeah, just have a headache,” I groaned. I got up and dragged myself to the kitchen and reached into the fridge for a cold bottle of water then took two blue gel caps, rubbing the icy bottle over my forehead to get some relief.

“Okay, well, I just finished up your last meeting. I’m heading up to your place so please put the code in. Or do you just want me to do it?”

I punched the code in from my phone. “I got it.”

“Damn, man, you look like shit. Are you sick or something?” Harrison says as he walked in from the elevator, giving me a look that tells me I may look worse than I thought.

“Thanks, I feel better now.” I said, laced with sarcasm. Alex must’ve rubbed off on me.

He arched an eyebrow clearly not amused, realizing that wasn’t my usual response to his quips. Normally they don’t bother me but nothing about my life has been normal recently. I made my way back to the sofa where I sat down and rolled my neck a few times to try and loosen it up. The head pain created some major tension in my neck and shoulders.

“I’m not good at this stuff, but do you want to talk about it?” He seemed genuinely interested in talking but I wasn’t.

“Not really, it’s just a headache.” I had my face down in my hands so I couldn’t see how irritated I knew I was making him.

“Do you need to talk to mom about your headache?” He was taunting me. This isn’t helping.

“Harrison, are you trying to be annoying, or does it just come naturally? I just have a headache.” I lifted my head up in frustration, but that movement wasn’t good either and a wave of nausea overtook me, and I put my head between my knees.

I guess he lost his patience with me because he said, in an uncharacteristic tone, “Just a fucking headache, huh? You walked out of the office at noon and didn’t come back. No phone calls, nothing. Just left me and Amelia to figure out the four meetings you had for the rest of the day because you wouldn’t answer your fucking phone.”

Yeah, this isn’t helping my head. But I had to chuckle a bit anyway because it was kind of funny listening to him scold me.

“Yeah, how did they go?”

He’s right, he did me a favor. “I came up here to take a quick nap and I just woke up ten minutes ago. I guess it’s one helluva headache.”

I needed to calm him down. I wasn’t planning to sleep that long, that's for sure. I leaned back and lay my head gently on the back of the couch. Harrison settled into the chair beside me.

“Amelia told me about the detective coming to visit. Did that have something to do with this? By the way, your meetings went fine. They were just updates. Amelia took notes for you.”

She’s the best assistant I’ve ever had and getting Harrison to step up makes her even better.

“Thanks. Um, I don’t know, maybe. This is just a real cluster fuck, you know? ”

“I don’t even know what to say. I thought you two had a good thing. I was happy for you. I even think mom was too, and that’s saying something,” he pointed out.

“Harrison, I know you’re trying to help or whatever, but that is definitely not helping. It feels more like salt in the wound.” Definitely not making the headache better. I turned my head to glare at him.

“Shit, sorry. I told you I wasn’t good at this stuff.”

“I appreciate it, but I’ll be fine. I’ll see you tomorrow.” I waved the back of my hand at him hoping he’d get the point and leave.

“Alright man. Call me if you need anything, but I probably won’t answer.” I managed to let a small laugh escape because that was the truth. He wasn’t much into talking about feelings.

I took a shower to see if that would help then went through all the calls and texts that came in while I was asleep. I stood at the kitchen island leaning on the counter sifting through the messages. Most of them were from Harrison and Amelia wondering if I was okay, or coming back to the office. There was a text from Matt letting me know Alex actually spoke to the girls at class today. I was happy she was talking to them again. He said she wanted to start going to brunch with her friends again. Good, some signs of normalcy. I wish I knew if I should try and contact her or not. I didn’t want to communicate through her friends because I didn’t want her to push them away again.

Yep, this was really pretty sad. I definitely needed to get my shit together. This wasn’t helping anybody. Harrison may have been on to something. I stood up and walked back toward my bedroom to change. Time to call Doctor Mom.

***

ALEX

“Hey Jerkface!” Maggie yelled into the phone as she answered. I couldn’t help the smile that lit up my face hearing my friend’s greeting. I missed them so much. Not having them to talk to was really hard. I know they won’t understand how I’m feeling though, and they’ll try and fix me, but this is not something that can be fixed with a girl’s night out or a Sunday brunch. This is some serious mind fuck, and I had to work through it somehow.

I responded in kind, “Hey bitches!” I tried to sound like the old me as much as possible while also maneuvering this big SUV back to my apartment while getting on and off the highway. My focus should really be on the road. This phone call could’ve waited.

Abby sounded excited, “Hell yeah, there’s our girl.”

“Well, I can’t guarantee I won’t go silent again, but I would like it if we could do brunch on Sunday.”

“You mean you return to brunch again. We never stopped.” Maggie rebuked.

I laughed, happy that they didn’t go into depression mode too.

“I deserve that. Abby, how’s the baby bun?”

Abby’s pregnancy should be something to keep me happy, since it will mean having another godchild.

“We’re doing well,” She said, “we just miss our threesome. And what do you mean you can’t guarantee you won’t go silent again?”

“I don’t know Abbs. I just have a lot going on and I’ve been feeling overwhelmed.” I took a breath and tried to keep the conversation light…“ I totally miss our threesome too. Oh and also, I won’t be doing the Monday class anymore. Just Wednesday kickboxing. I decided to get some private training.” There was a moment of silence before Maggie spoke up.

“You planning to do that MMA fighting for real? ”

“No, not in competition. I just want to learn to control the crazy a bit. You know, an outlet.”

Abby snorted and said, “Good luck with that.” Seriously? Well, maybe she has a point.

“Are you insinuating I might be too crazy?” I said, rolling my eyes already knowing the answer to that.

“Oops, did I say that out loud?!” Abby asked in a cutesy voice. We all laughed, and I was able to relax for the first time in three weeks since all this shit happened.

I think enough time has gone by that I can start reaching out to see how people are doing. I think tomorrow I’ll go see Shay and Grant at the real estate office. I should find out how they’re working together. I felt like such a jerk for dumping all that work on Grant and basically abandoning Shay. I needed this time, though, to figure out the next steps and clear my mind. Tonight, however, I think I’m going to sleep well.

***

I was jerked out of sleep soaked in a cold sweat, the alarm sounding. I grabbed my phone to shut it off and thought, what in the hell was that? Usually, it’s my mom telling me the same thing she did to wake me up in the hospital. I thought I was good last night when I went to sleep. That dream or whatever that was, was messed up. I was making love to Roman, and his face turned into Tanner. Thank God for the alarm. I have to get to the gym and try to get this garbage out of my head. I pushed the covers back and hurried to get dressed.

I got a lot out of my system this morning– swam laps, even. Usually, it’s too crowded to swim laps. The sauna is my absolute favorite, though. It melts the tension right out of me even though my mind wandered to that dream–mostly the part about making love to Roman. Does that mean I’m starting to feel normal about him again? I can’t get distracted right now and he doesn’t need all the drama in his life. I should just let it go and concentrate on the case. I leaned against the wooden slats as the wet heat from the sauna dripped off me, taking the toxic thoughts from my mind with it.

Finding something to wear seemed like a chore these days since I had nowhere to dress for. I’m going to the office just to check on everyone. I sat in the closet looking at all my work clothes wondering what I should do with them. I grabbed a pair of ripped skinny jeans off the hanger and threw them on. I grabbed a white t-shirt from dresser to go with it. I slipped into my white leather Adidas court sneakers and pulled my hair back in a ponytail. I snagged a bottle of water quickly out of the fridge and tossed the strap of my crossbody bag over my chest, then opened the front door.

“What the f…?” I looked both ways down the hall to see if anyone was still here. The concierge must’ve brought them up. The biggest, most colorful bouquet of flowers was left right in front of my door. I almost tripped over them. I brought them in and sat them on the counter then snatched the card to read in the car. They’re so beautiful. I have no idea what kind they are except for the few African daisies. It reminded me of the bouquet Roman had brought me. They matched the inside of my apartment perfectly, which made me think I might know who they’re from. I opened the card, ready to see Roman’s name. I guess I didn’t quite have him right in my head yet. I really needed to see a doctor and find out what’s going on.

“Alex, I hope these flowers find you well and make you smile. Amelia. ”

Well shit, I felt like a total jerk again. I was just getting to know Amelia– we were becoming friends. I felt like the invite was still open but she’s Roman’s assistant and they’re quite chummy. Not sure it’s such a good idea to go there right now. I should at least call her and say thank you.

She answered with that bubbly personality of hers. “King Construction. Roman King’s office.” My heart skipped a beat, and my stomach did flips just hearing his name. I sunk into the seat of my car and sighed as I laid my head back against the headrest and a single tear fell down my cheek. I brushed it away and pulled myself together before speaking.

“Hey Amelia, it’s Alex.” I mumbled out, hoping she wasn’t mad at me for hurting Roman.

“Hey girl. How are you?” She sounded so upbeat, it was refreshing. I was sick of all the sympathetic greetings. With her I was more worried about being chastised.

“Not too bad. I was just calling to thank you for the beautiful flowers.” There was a twinge of melancholy in my voice and I’m sure that didn’t sound super enthusiastic, but I hoped she understood my intention.

“I’m glad you received them. I don’t like to send flowers when everyone else does. Then you have a ton of flowers and mine get lost in the crowd. I like to stand out.”

I laughed because this woman was almost six feet tall, she always stood out. She was right about the flowers too. I had dead flowers in vases all over the place, it was nice to see some fresh ones.

“Well, they're beautiful and they will definitely stand out among the graveyard of flowers I have going on right now. ”

“That’s funny and you’re welcome.” She continued before I could say anything else. “Hey, would you like to have lunch with me this week one day?”

I paused for a moment. “Yeah, I would. I’m trying to be ‘normal’” I did air quotes that she clearly couldn’t see through the phone for my own benefit but I’m sure she could hear it in my voice. I wanted to try to get back to a somewhat regular routine, whatever that may look like, and maybe being around Amelia would help with the Roman issue too.

She laughed then whispered, “Little secret, lunch sustains life and normal doesn’t exist. Just be you.” I anticipated having a genuine friendship some day from that statement alone.

“Can you do life sustaining lunch tomorrow?” I sheepishly asked.

“Of course, how would noon work?”

“Perfect.” I said as I pulled into Johnson Realty.

I walked into the office expecting to be greeted at the reception desk by Shay. I totally forgot we had a new receptionist.

When I came to the desk she beamed, “Good morning, how can I help you?” She was so cute, like a cookie cutter version of Shay, only happier, if that were even possible. She was probably about nineteen or twenty with a perfectly straight, blonde bob and hazel eyes. I may have to have a sit down with her and see what her future endeavors looked like. I loved team building; except I don't work here anymore. I let out a breath of frustration.

I reached out my hand as I said, “Hi, I’m Alex Kennedy. We haven’t exactly met yet.” Her eyes got so big.

“Are you the Alex they talk about in the office all the time?” Why did she look nervous? What the hell did they tell her about me?

I cautiously inquired, “Uh Oh, that depends, is it good or bad talk? ”

“It’s really good. You’re like a celebrity.” I burst out laughing and leaned across the counter to get a better look at her name tag.

“Felicity, is it?” I squinted as I read her name. She nodded and I looked up at her and said, “Don’t listen to a thing they say about me. I’m not a celebrity, I’m just a normal person like you…Ahhh” I screamed as I was picked up and swung around. Ryan put me down quickly but squeezed me into a hug so tight I could barely breathe.

“It’s so good to see you.” Ryan was the friend that I felt was never going to settle down. He’s one of those guys who’s good looking and knows it. I was happy when he started seeing someone before things went bad for me.

He excitedly replied, “This place is not the same without you.” Then I heard Landon and Shay yelling down the hall and I turned swiftly in that direction in case I was going to get run over or mauled.

I turned to Felicity with a smile, “It was nice to meet you. I’ll see you around.”

“Okay, sure. Nice meeting you too.” She smiled and resumed answering the phone.

I hugged everyone and they ushered me into my old office. It had been turned it into another conference room, but nothing had been touched. Even my personal pictures were still on my desk and the bookshelves. Grant was positive I was coming back at some point and wouldn’t let anyone have my office. I ran my hand over the top of my desk, picking up the picture of my family, tracing the outline of my mom with my finger. I held it for a minute just staring at her and imagining what she would be saying to me right now if she knew how hard all this was for me. Would she find a way to encourage me, or would she do what she always did and tell me this was the best there is for me. I shook off the thoughts and put the photo back on my desk .

“Where is my old man anyway?” Grant was in his sixties. A total silver fox. He was more of a father figure to me though. I went over and sat on the sofa because I didn’t want anyone to think I was there to work, so I stayed away from my desk after walking down memory lane.

Landon said, “He’s out showing one of those estates again to your Italian clients.” The Santoro’s were a very wealthy family from Italy who were starting a winery in Ohio just north of Cincinnati. I’ve been wondering how that was progressing. I cringed thinking about the things I had saddled Grant with when I suddenly took an indefinite leave of absence.

“Really, has anything been cleared up with the zoning on that?” It was a huge deal and a reason to buy or not buy. I got comfortable on the sofa and crossed my legs, casually laying my hands in my lap as I waited for a response.

Shay said, “On Friday, Grant got a message from some construction company that commercial zoning had been restored.” All of a sudden? King Construction?

“Construction Company?” Less of a question and more of an “oh really.” How the hell did Roman fix that? I thought as I sat up a little more alert now.

Shay said, “Yeah, we thought it was strange too, but Grant said he’s been working with King Construction on a project, and they pulled some strings for him.

I burst out laughing and said, “Was I really that secretive?” Did no one here except Grant know I was seeing Roman King of King Construction?

Ryan said, “What do you mean?”

“Do you guys know who owns King Construction?” They gave me a clueless look at each other shaking their heads .

“No, should we?” Landon looked confused.

Landon’s the kind of guy I would’ve loved to have found before I married Luke, my ex. Good looking (without being cocky), successful and charming. One of my rules is not to get involved with people I work with though. It has served me well and I’ve retained really great friends as a result.

“Roman.” I held my hands up with raised eyebrows. Even saying his name has a profound effect on me that is part swoon and part nausea.

Ryan blurted out, “Oh shit, we never met him, so we didn’t put two and two together.”

“Never?” Boy, I really must not mix business with pleasure.

Shay said, “No, we were supposed to meet him that one night at your place, but he had a late meeting.” My excitement waned upon hearing that and my shoulders slumped slightly.

“You mean the night the shit hit the fan?” Everyone looked solemn now, and I don’t need to go down this spiral again.

“Can’t dwell on it guys, so let’s not think about it, okay?” I obsess about it enough for everyone.

“How are you and Roman doing?” Shay asked quietly.

I simply stated, “We aren’t.” Then I didn’t wait for pity talk and asked, “But how are you and Owen?” Owen and I were supposed to meet up for a one nighter after the closing of a big deal between their investment company and ours. When I realized Owen might be interested in more than a quick fling, I shut it down before it started and quickly found out Shay had a crush on him, so I encouraged that instead.

She had an ear-to-ear grin on her face and sat up all excited with her hands clenched in her lap. “Wonderful. We’re official. We’re talking about the future but not jumping into anything.” I gave her a hug. I was happy for her and wanted to keep the attention away from my love life, or lack thereof.

“Honey, I’m so happy for you. How’s training going with Grant?” I was supposed to be training her myself, but things just haven’t worked out in any way that I had hoped.

She was practically bouncing up and down in the chair when she shouted, “I’ve already got my first house under contract.”

I screamed because, oh my god, that was amazing and a huge deal.

“I knew you’d be great at this. Get ready to put your name on my office door!” We squealed with excitement.

Ryan whined, “Hey what about my name?” Ryan was an arrogant go-getter. No way was he interested in being just an agent for too long.

“Please, you don’t want an office, you want an agency.”

He laughed and rolled his eyes. “Yeah, you’re right.” He shrugged, trying hard to hide a smile.

“Ryan, how’s the new girl?” Time to see if he’s changed his ways.

“Which one?” He said with a devilish smirk on his face. That’s kind of what I figured but I was hoping he really liked this last one. As much as I’d like to see my friends happy and settled, that life is not for some of us.

“Oh no, again? What did you do this time?” I held in the smile the best I could by putting my hand over my mouth. He looked hurt but his head and his eyes were facing the floor, so I knew he was really trying not to laugh.

“Wait, why am I the one that did something?” He popped up with brows furrowed. I gave him that “tell the truth” look.

He had the guiltiest smirk on his face. “I may have found someone else before we broke up. ”

Nice way to say he cheated. I shook my head. Definitely still a manwhore.

“You know how I feel about that crappy behavior.” I reached over and smacked his arm hard.

“Ouch, I know, but I couldn’t help it, she was hot!”

“That’s no excuse.” I yelled. "Then don’t let her think you’re committed, cheaters suck.” He looked like a scolded child as I shoved him playfully away from me.

“I know, trust me, I had your face in my head reprimanding me.” They knew how I felt about cheaters after having been cheated on by my ex-husband for all those years. I took in a deep breath to stave off the memories.

“Good! I hope it was my super bitch face.” I tried to make that face, but he was one of my dearest friends and it’s so hard to stay mad at any of them for long.

He pulled me to his side. “Scared the shit out of me.”

I relinquished Ryan’s hold on me as I turned to Landon and inquired about his love life next. “So, Prince Charming, what’s new with you and Piper?” The three of them suddenly got excited looks on their faces.

“I asked her to marry me!” Landon blurted out.

I looked at everyone and asked as curiously as I could, “Did she say yes?” I knew she would, but I had to mess with him.

He didn’t look amused when he huffed, “Haha! Of course she said YES! What the hell.” I gave him a big congratulatory hug.

“I better be getting an invite to that wedding.”

“Of course you are, I was thinking about asking you to be my best man. Don’t want to muck up the wedding with some douchebag trying to sleep with all the bridesmaids. ”

We all started laughing and Ryan shoved him knowing exactly who he was talking about.

“Like hell you were. I’m the only best man at your wedding.” God, I missed this place. Watching the guys pretend to fight has been the highlight of the past three weeks. The past three weeks that I barely remembered that seemed like a year ago.

Just then the door opened with a loud moan from the hinges as Grant entered. “I’d recognize this party anywhere,” he said with a smile on his face staring right at me.

I jumped up, throwing myself into Grant’s welcoming arms. He was tall with perfectly groomed gray hair and a well-trimmed gray beard to match. His suits were all Italian and expensive along with his cologne, which had always been a source of comfort to me. My guess is he was born in Italy. As much as he tried to hide it, I can hear a little bit of an accent even though he’s never said one way or another if he is from there. He’s a good-looking, older man with very expensive taste in clothing– that is what I do know for sure.

“Alex, where have you been? You need to come around more often.” I nodded my head trying to hold back the tears. I was so sick of crying all the time, but this seemed to be a daily occurrence for me now.

“I will, I promise, just needed to get some space.” I grabbed a tissue off the desk to blot the tears that were threatening to spill over.

“Yeah, I know. By the way, there’s a couple in my office you need to see.”

I told the crew I’d be back, and I followed Grant to his office.