Chapter Eight
I stopped at the grocery store on the way home and picked up a bottle of wine and a box of cookies. And a family-size bag of potato chips. I could have bought more but reminded myself that my pants were getting a tad tight and that I didn’t enjoy working out all that much. But I needed them for the spectacular mope I was planning for tonight and possibly Saturday. And I hoped that a couple of glasses of wine, cookies, and chips would provide some inspiration on how to respond to Landen’s texts.
Texts. As in multiple messages.
Now that he’d seen me with another man, he wouldn’t leave me the heck alone. If he hadn’t hurt my feelings with his behavior, I would have found the situation hilarious. Well, you know, if it was happening to one of my friends. Yes, I know, that’s kinda bitchy, but they all knew this about me and loved me anyway. God help them.
I arrived home and immediately stripped off my dress and heels. The bra came next and I slipped into an ultra soft and comfy tank top and a pair of cotton pajama pants.
My phone buzzed again and I sighed. It seemed Landen was determined to have a conversation tonight.
Call me or I’m coming over.
I scoffed at his high-handed attitude. He’d never been to my apartment. Then I hesitated. I’d also never given him my cell phone number but he had that. Did I want to risk him showing up at my door?
The door in the lobby required a key for entrance but it was nine on a Friday night. People would be coming and going for the next few hours. I wouldn’t put it past him to sweet talk one of my neighbors into letting him in. I’d witnessed his ability to schmooze firsthand and it shocked me. Considering his intensity and sometimes abrasive personality, I hadn’t expected him to be able to rein it in long enough to charm people.
Chewing on my bottom lip, I stared at that message and ran through the possible scenarios. Calling him seemed like the lesser evil of them all. With a sigh, I tapped the screen of my mobile a few times and lifted it to my ear.
“I was just about to get into my car,” he said by way of greeting.
I rolled my eyes and wandered into the kitchen where my purchases were still sitting on the counter. “What is your problem?” I asked as I began to put away the chips and cookies, leaving the wine on the counter. Once that was done, I untwisted the screw top on the wine, because I was classy like that, and poured myself a glass.
Landen was silent for a tense moment. “I told you I didn’t like to share,” he all but growled.
I gulped back half the wine before I answered. “True, but you have to be in a relationship before it’s considered sharing.”
There was more silence and I could all but feel his frustration across the phone line. “I thought we came to an understanding when we went to dinner,” he finally said.
I laughed but the sound was utterly devoid of amusement. “I did too, Landen. But then I didn’t hear from you for ten days, so I assumed that you’d had a change of heart and didn’t bother to tell me.”
He growled again and I drained the last of the wine in my glass before refilling it. I didn’t say anything, just waited for him to speak. I intended to use the trick Phillip used tonight to my advantage. And, sure enough, it worked.
“I’m…” he paused. “Sorry.” The word sounded as though it didn’t want to leave his mouth. As though apologizing was akin to flaying the skin from his body, something painful that he’d rather avoid.
I huffed. As far as apologies went, his sucked. “So what happened? Did you trip and fall into a parallel universe?”
Landen laughed. “That would be better than the real reason. And a hell of a lot less frustrating.” He hesitated. “There was an issue with one of my companies in another state. My business partner couldn’t handle it, so I hopped a plane Tuesday morning. I just got back at three a.m. today.”
My eyes narrowed and I drank more wine before I said anything. “Okay, that explains why I didn’t see you, but there are these handy dandy inventions. One is called a cell phone. You can carry it around with you and make phone calls or send messages. You can even email. If you aren’t sure what email means, it’s a shortened version of electronic—”
“I know what both of those things are, but thank you for breaking it down for me,” he answered dryly. “Is there any way we can talk about this without you giving me shit?”
I hummed beneath my breath as I pretended to think about it. “Nope. No way. You ghosted me and now you’re pissed because I went out for drinks with someone today? Do you not see the issue with that?”
“I do,” he answered. His voice was strained. “The problem with my company, it’s big. Apparently, there have been some harassment complaints and I was not made aware of them until two weeks ago. There is also some suspicious financial activity. My business partner has a hunch about the identity of the culprit, but we had to find proof. And get the police involved.”
The strain in his voice softened my anger a little. Just a bit. “I’m sorry you’re dealing with that.” I knew how much work those sorts of situations could be because Chris handled them regularly. But still, why the fuck couldn’t he be bothered to send me an email?
“I’m glad you understand,” he stated.
“Uh, I said I was sorry you were dealing with it, not that everything was hunky dory. You could have at least sent me an email and told me that you might not be able to call me for a few days. Or even a week.”
He groaned. “Jesus, why are you such a hard ass?” he asked.
Though he couldn’t see me, I shrugged. “Just the way I’m built, I guess. I want to make sure that you understand why and how you screwed up so you don’t ever do it again.”
“I am sorry, Chelsea,” he said again. And this time it actually sounded like he meant it. “Give me another chance.”
God, he was so damn bossy. Exactly the kind of guy I typically avoided because it drove me bonkers. I hated it when the men I dated told me to do things rather than asked. It was just plain rude! “I’ll think about it,” I hedged.
Then he said something I never thought he would say. “Please.” The word was soft and I wouldn’t have heard it if my apartment hadn’t been completely quiet.
I hesitated. If his withdrawal hurt after a single date, how would I feel if he did it again? Or broke up with me when he got tired of my personality?
“Chelsea?” he asked.
“I’m thinking,” I replied, my voice just as soft as his. Then I took a risk. One that felt huge. “You disappearing on me…it didn’t feel good. I need to know that I can trust you not to do it again because if I pursue this with you, my emotions will be involved. If we’re dating, exclusively, not hearing from you for a week would not only hurt me, it would piss me off. And considering how much I know about you and your businesses, that could be a bad thing.”
Landen chuckled but the laugh faded quickly. “It won’t happen again.”
It sounded like a promise.
“All right. I’ll give you another chance. But you’re on probation. If you fuck up like this again, there won’t be another. I also reserve the right to give you shit about this in the future.”
He laughed and it finally sounded sincere. “I wouldn’t expect anything less.”
“Now, tell me exactly what happened that kept you from contacting me for ten days.”
I heard his heavy sigh through the phone. “Let’s just say there’s an FBI agent combing through the financial records of my company right now.”
I sipped my third glass of wine. “You had to get the Feds involved?” That was bad. Very bad.
“Yeah. I think I managed two or three hours of sleep a night while I was there. It was a shitty situation. For a few days I thought I might be brought up on charges as the owner of the company.”
“They were going to arrest you?” I asked. My heart was racing and I gulped back more wine. Shit, I probably wouldn’t have called me either. That sounded terrifying.
“For the first few days, I thought they were. They certainly acted as though they intended to arrest me. Then, as we combed through the financials, they realized that someone else was taking out the money. But I shouldn’t say more since the investigation is still ongoing.”
Great, I was dying of curiosity and now he had to zip his lips. That figured. Also, the wine was going straight to my head.
“Okay, killjoy, I understand, even if I think it’s cruel for you to refuse to tell me.”
He chuckled. “Killjoy? You were enjoying my tale of potential jail time?”
“Maybe just a little,” I retorted, which made him laugh louder. Then I swayed. Damn, I needed to lie down. “Well, I just chugged three glasses of wine, so I’m feeling kinda sleepy and relaxed. And if you got in at three this morning, you’re probably tired too.”
“I am, but I need to know something before we hang up.”
“Fire away,” I said, pouring one more glass of wine, which emptied the bottle completely. Not because I was still drowning my sorrows but because wine should never go to waste, no matter how cheap it was.
“Are you busy tomorrow?”
“Nope,” I answered immediately.
“Then I’ll pick you up at eleven. Dress for a picnic and maybe a hike.”
“A hike?”
I could hear the smile in his voice when he replied, “Well, maybe not a hike, but definitely wear comfortable shoes and clothes.”
“Roger that,” I retorted.
“I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Good night, Landen,” I said.
“Sweet dreams, Chelsea.”
My eyes drifted closed at the sound of his voice. It was deep, resonating in my ear in a way that made me shiver. I lowered the phone from my ear and disconnected the call.
The depression that had been riding me earlier lifted a bit, but worry still niggled at the back of my mind. I wasn’t brilliant like Landen, nor was I as successful. He was the kind of man who spent a week cleaning up a mess at one of his companies that was worth millions of dollars. Just one.
The only messes I cleaned up were disordered files and cluttered schedules. I wasn’t sure I would be able to keep up with him but I had to try. He was the first man in a long while that gave me butterflies and seemed to enjoy my smart mouth.
It had been a long time since I took a chance on a relationship. I was due.