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In the past, there might have been hurt feelings on either side, maybe a few tears, but clearly, he’d pissed Ashley off big time. He’d never in his wildest dreams thought that she was that emotionally invested. She’d been one hell of an actress.
Had he been ignoring all the signs? Was this all his fault because he couldn’t forget Mia?
It might be time to do something about this, once and for all.
* * *
“You have that faraway look in your eyes again.”
Grimacing, Mia couldn’t tell her best friend Lane that she was wrong. They were sitting on Lane’s back patio, each one of them with a glass of wine to celebrate the end of a successful job. Lane’s husband Mike was working the grill of hamburgers that smelled heavenly.
“I was,” she conceded. “I guess I’m just tired. I need about a week of sleep.”
Mia had been burning the candle at both ends, working long hours to meet a deadline. She and Lane ran their own website design and building company, and to their shock, it had been an almost instant success. Word of mouth was powerful, apparently. They worked hard to make their clients happy, and in return, they were highly recommended to friends and family.
It was a far cry from the day that Mia had shown up at Lane’s house, on the run and not having a clue as to what she was going to do with her life. It had been Lane’s idea to start the consulting company, and Mia had been cautiously enthusiastic as long as she was never put front and center in any of the marketing. She’d wanted to keep a low profile.
It turned out that she didn’t need to. Kevin had been arrested not long after she’d run away. He and his sketchy friends from work had been running a burglary ring. He’d case homes using his job as a cable television installer and repairman, and then go back and rob them. He was currently incarcerated in state prison. Hopefully, he’d stay there for a long time.
At first, she’d still been careful, keeping a “bug-out” bag under her bed, and always looking over her shoulder. Once he was firmly behind bars, she’d begun to relax slightly, although she was sure that she wasn’t ever going to be that naive and carefree girl that she once was. She was older, wiser, and just a bit sadder. She was also a survivor, and she’d built a new life from the ground up.
“We could both use a long vacation. It shouldn’t be so bad going forward. That job was a tough one.”
It had been but worth it. The money and the business contacts they’d made were immense.
“We could go somewhere tropical,” Lane suggested. “Maybe take a cruise.”
“I’m all for that,” Mike called, lifting his beer bottle in salute. “Let’s do it.”
“We live somewhere tropical,” Mia pointed out. “We live in Florida, remember?”
“Florida is semi-tropical, I believe. I was thinking the Virgin Islands. We could sip cocktails on a sandy beach.”
“We can do that here, too.”
“Fine, how about an Alaskan cruise? Mike, how about Alaska?”
“I love the idea. You ladies make the plans, and I’ll be there,” Mike vowed with a grin.
“That might be something to think about,” Mia conceded. “I have always wanted to visit Alaska.”
“Or you could just think about him,” Lane replied, her brow arching in question. “Have you been thinking about him a lot lately?”
Lane didn’t have to say his name out loud. They both knew she was talking about Grant Anderson. Mia was still haunted about their one night together over three years ago. It almost felt like a lifetime, and at the same time like yesterday.
She could still see the gold in Grant’s green eyes, feel the stubble on his chin, and smell the fresh citrus of his body wash. She could vividly remember how safe and warm she’d felt when he’d held her in his arms. Like nothing in the world could ever touch her. That night while the rain poured and the wind howled, they’d been the only two people on the face of the earth.
“I may not have been thinking about him now. Maybe I was thinking about Alaska. Or fruity cocktails.”
“You could have been, but you weren’t. I’ve learned to recognize that expression.” Lane took a sip of her wine before setting the glass on the table between them. “You could call him. Or go see him. Aren’t you curious?”
“Leave her alone, babe,” Mike said. “Maybe she doesn’t want to talk about it. Maybe she’s put the past in the past where it belongs.”
“Or maybe she’s never gotten over him,” Lane argued. “Maybe she needs to see him again.”
“Can we not discuss my life choices?” Mia asked. “This isn’t up for a public vote.”
She didn’t make decisions by committee. For better or worse.
