Chapter Eleven
The days leading to that particular weekend were chaotic. There was mix-up in the delivery of the materials the mason needed. The cast stone did not fit the adjacent component and she was very specific about the size of the cut stone.
Carla was not happy with the mason’s suggestion to use grout to cover the small spaces in between. He came in late and the materials have been unloaded when the mistake was discovered.
Carla couldn’t get hold of the merchant to return the materials and instructed Jacques to keep on trying. An hour passed when Jacques arrived with the message that he had no luck either.
“Shit,” Carla muttered.
Minor problems kept cropping up. Ordinarily, she would be unfazed. She realized that the reason she was so stressed was because Falcon had been acting rather strangely. He seemed preoccupied and temperamental. Carla attributed it to work he left behind in New York.
She thought it would help if she suggested that he visit New York over the weekend and catch up with things there. She was taken by surprise at his reaction.
“Are you trying to get rid of me,” Falcon asked angrily.
“No, of course not. I know how much your work means to you and you have been here for weeks.”
“I can’t leave you alone here,” he replied.
“I can manage. Everything is according to schedule. And Jacques is here to help me with whatever I need.”
Falcon snorted. It was clear to Carla that something was bothering him.
“Falcon, is there something wrong?”
Falcon stared for what seemed like eternity. Then he said, “Are you keeping any secrets from me?”
Carla was taken aback. Her heart beat fast. Did he know about the baby? But that was impossible. No one else knew except her. Maybe he was referring to the construction. But he was in on every decision she ever made.
“What-what secret are you talking about?”
“I don’t know. You tell me.” He retorted.
Carla stemmed her irritation. If he was going to attack her it had better be for a good reason.
“If you’re not happy with the work I’m doing, just tell me.” She replied hotly.
Falcon threw his hands up in the air and left the room.
Carla watched him go with mouth agape.
What the fuck was that all about. It was the strangest conversation they ever had.
It didn’t help the situation that he was morose all throughout dinner that night. Carla, wanting to avoid any more confrontation between them, decided to keep to herself. That only made matters worse. By the end of the week, they were hardly speaking to one another.
Friday night, she was tempted to knock on his bedroom door and clear things between them. But pride got in the way. In her heart she knew she didn’t do anything wrong. The whole situation bothered her. She missed Falcon, the old Falcon, not the surly one of the past few days.
It wasn’t surprising that she had a fitful sleep. She was tired and exhausted when dawn came Saturday morning. She vowed to talk to him as she finally drifted to sleep.
She thought she was dreaming when she heard the sound of something familiar. She raised her head groggily and cocked her ear. There it was again. Now she was sure it was a helicopter. She rose unsteadily to her feet and walked to her window. The whole estate was still and quiet.
Falcon’s Black Hawk was normally parked a few kilometers away from the house. But a copse of oak trees was blocking her view from the bedroom. Carla searched for her bedroom slippers and donned a robe before making her way down the hall to his bedroom.
She knocked softly at his door thinking she had imagined the whole thing. She didn’t want to awaken him. She twisted the knob which opened silently. She tiptoed in. If he was still sleeping then she could retreat hastily without waking him.
Falcon’s bedroom was empty.
“Falcon,” she called out, thinking he was in the shower.
The bathroom door was ajar. There was no Falcon inside, just his clothes lying in a heap on the bathroom floor. The floor was wet. Falcon showered before he left. She ran to the window knowing the chopper was visible from there. Her heart was beating abnormally fast as she sighted the chopper hover and take off in the other direction.
He must have left in a hurry because some of his clothes were in disarray. Cabinet drawers were left opened.
Carla sat at the foot of the bed.
Where was he going? He only brings the chopper on trips where he wanted to save time. Trips like going to Paris. But why didn’t he let me know he was going there?
He must still be upset over something, Carla thought. The thought was painful. New York seemed so far away. But if it helped, then she would bear the brunt of missing him.
It still bothered her that he didn’t tell her his plans. It was unlike him. But she hoped that whatever it was that made him leave without informing her, would be resolved. She didn’t know how much longer of the silence she could take.
She was glad it was a Saturday and the workers were off for the weekend.
“I can catch up on my sleep,” she mused.
Besides, if she was up, then she would be counting the hours or keeping an eye for the chopper announcing his return. She hated waiting. Passed out in bed would be the best thing to do.
She was about to leave when the familiar sound of Falcon’s ringtone reached her ear. She looked around the room wondering if it was her imagination playing tricks. Then she spotted his mobile phone on the bedside table.
“Surely, he’ll fly back to get it.” Falcon was lost without his cellphone. She went to retrieve it.
The screen flashed with a notification message. She read it and her heart stopped.
“I’ll be at the lobby of the Athenee waiting for you.” The sender was Lindsay.
Carla couldn’t breathe. “No!” She wailed loudly. Her heart pounded like jackhammer inside her chest. It seemed the room was closing in on her and she was beginning to suffocate. She didn’t want to look at the message again. Maybe if she didn’t, then it would disappear.
And yet, she couldn’t resist the urge. It was damning enough that there was no other choice except to read it again. With hands that felt stiff, she was almost afraid to glance at the screen. She had to physically force herself to look down and read it. At that moment she would have gladly exchanged the reality of Falcon’s room with any of her worst nightmares.
Various emotions whirled chaotic inside her head. Shock, disbelief, hurt, anger…each was like a punch in the gut. Suddenly everything fell into place. It was as clear as the sun rising in the east.
Things didn’t work out with Lindsay and Hans. Carla didn’t know the reasons why and she didn’t really care. Lindsay made contact with Falcon, just like she planned. Going back to him was her backup plan. She mentioned it casually that day in the apartment.
What gutted her was that Falcon accepted Lindsay back with open arms. He was on his way to Paris now to see her. He forgot all about her, like she never mattered and was never a part of the equation. It was that easy.
Carla was certain that the reason Falcon had been acting so strangely, his irritability the last few days, had something to do with Carla’s presence. He didn’t know how to tell her that he and Lindsay were back together. Instead he took the easy way out making her think she was guilty about something.
It was all bullshit. He used her. All this time when she thought they had a future, Falcon was waiting. Waiting for Lindsay to return to him.
And the stupid girl that she was, she allowed herself to get carried away by her feelings for him. She not only allowed herself to be a one-night stand, she actually gave him permission to be his rebound girl. She was like a side dish, Falcon’s backup plan.
Carla was shaking so hard as she made it to the door. She didn’t want to cry. She had to stay strong and clear-headed about her plans.
She was still in a daze when she felt it. It was so sudden it took her by surprise. A slight flutter in her abdomen that would have gone unnoticed until it happened once more.
“Oh my god,” She gasped, “my baby just moved.”
She waited again. It was gone. But it was enough. The fog lifted from her mind. She remembered why she had come to France. It was a dream, her dream, of putting up her own company from the money Falcon would pay her. She needed it to secure her future and her baby. She only lost track of her reasons when Falcon became a significant part of her life.
She was assailed by an overwhelming sense of guilt for the child she was carrying. Tears gathered in her eyes before they flowed down her cheeks.
“I’m so sorry, baby,” she sobbed stroking her belly lovingly. “I forgot all about you when my own happiness was on the line. Don’t worry,” she added as she composed herself, “I’ll do the right thing now. Keeping your existence a secret is the worst decision I’ve ever made. I have to tell Falcon the truth, no matter the consequences. From now on, you will always come first, I promise.”