Chapter Ten
Hanna
As soon as I watched James walk away, I felt my heart sink. His friend, Harry, leaned in and gave me what I could only describe as a lecherous smile.
“James is practically obsessed with you,” Harry said. He narrowed his eyes and smirked. “And I wouldn’t say this to most women, but for once, I actually agree with him.”
I frowned and stepped away. “Good for you,” I muttered under my breath. I knew it was a dangerous game to be playing – disagreeing with James’s best friend – but Harry was such an obvious creep that I couldn’t stand it.
“What? You don’t like me or something?”
“I need a drink,” I said. “Where’s the bar?”
Harry chuckled. The sound alone was enough to grate on my nerves. “You’ve already got a drink, remember?”
Tilting my head to the side, I stared him right in the eyes. “Yeah, I do, and I need another one after talking to you,” I said shortly.
Harry held his hands up in the air and whistled. “Geez, okay, I get it – you’re not so friendly after all.”
Turning on my heel, I stalked away from Harry and into the crowd. What was it with men – why did they always blame women when their advances weren’t welcome? And what kind of a person was Harry, anyway? Why was James friends with someone who was such a prick?
Thankfully, I found the bar after just a moment or two of looking. Like everything else in the crowded museum lobby, it was packed, and I had to elbow my way through just to wave down the bartender.
“What’ll you have?”
I fumbled in my clutch for a wad of cash. When the bartender saw me, he waved his hand.
“No need,” he said. “It’s all paid for.”
“Oh,” I said, flushing hotly and shoving my cash away. “Thanks. Um, I’ll have a vodka tonic. With lime, please.”
The bartender nodded. He darted off and in a matter of seconds, a fresh drink was in my hand. I hopped onto a barstool and glanced around the room. There were three tables at the edge of the room, lining the museum lobby. Each one was piled high with the most delicious-looking food I could imagine. Lobster thermidor, oysters Rockefeller, tons of different cheeses and meats and exotic olives.
“Impressed?”
The sound of a female voice made me jump.
“Sorry,” I said, whirling around. “What was that?”
A blonde woman was standing in front of me – very close to me, in fact – and smiling in a stiff, frozen way. Her teeth were bright white and her blonde hair was practically silver.
“You must be with James West,” she said.
“I am,” I said. I swirled my drink in my hand and took a long sip. Then, remembering my manners, I added: “I’m Hanna, by the way. Hanna Parker.”
The blonde’s smile didn’t budge. “Emily Welsch Harrington,” she said, offering her hand to me. When I reluctantly took her fingers in my own, I realized that her grip was surprisingly strong.
“Nice to meet you,” I said, although I didn’t mean it. “I was just wondering where James had gone to, I should probably find him.”
Emily clicked her tongue against her teeth and shook her head, laughing softly. “Don’t be rude,” she said. “Stay and chat with me for a bit.” She raised an eyebrow and cocked her head to the side. “I’ll bet you’re getting hungry with all that food over there.”
“What?”
Emily rolled her eyes. “I can tell you needed some grease and fishing line to get into that dress,” she said. “You may as well just eat. It’s good, or at least, it should be. Langdon always uses the best catering company in Boston.”
“Excuse me,” I said slowly, stepping back and dashing the rest of my drink down my throat. “I don’t think you have a right to comment on my appearance.”
Emily gave me a wide-eyed look. “Oh, don’t I?” She giggled again – an infuriating small sound, like the twinkling of tiny bells. “I used to date James, you know,” she said confidentially, leaning in close. “And personally, let me give you a little bit of advice, Hanna – he doesn’t like fat girls.”
“I’m not worried about James liking me or not,” I said coolly. “And if you’ll excuse me, I need to go find him.”
Before Emily could open her artificially-enhanced lips again, I pushed past her and stalked off. But I’d barely made it across the room when I felt a hand on my shoulder.
“James?” I whirled around, hoping to see his handsome face and tousled, dark hair. But instead, it was Emily. She was flanked by two more women.
“You can’t just run away from me,” Emily said crossly. She wasn’t smiling now – her face was twisted into an ugly grimace. “I have a right to know what James is doing…or should I say who he’s doing,” she added. The other two women laughed and I rolled my eyes.
“I don’t have time for your bullshit,” I said.
“No, I know,” Emily simpered. “You’re just after James’s money – honey, I understand. But you really should’ve worn something more…flattering. You look like an escort in that hideous dress.”
I glanced down at the gold dress I’d borrowed from Danielle. Sure, it was a little tight – but it had zipped perfectly, and Danielle had said I’d looked great. Suddenly, I regretted ever accepting James’s invitation.
“I think I look fine,” I said coldly, crossing my arms over my chest. “And for that matter, so does James.”
Emily snorted. “I doubt it,” she said. “I bet he was just trying to get into your panties.” She heaved an enormous sigh, like she’d suddenly been tasked with the role of giving me a piece of advice. “Trust me. I know James.”
As much as I wanted to doubt every word spilling out of Emily’s collagen lips, I couldn’t help but feel a shred of doubt. She and I were obviously nothing alike.
What was James doing with someone like me?
“Well, I’m getting to know him,” I said. “And I think you’re wrong. James likes me.”
“Sure he does, honey,” Emily said sarcastically. “Just as much as you like his money.”
The anger that had been building slowly inside of my chest snowballed into pure wrath. I glared at Emily, hating everything about her.
“You know?” I asked, leaning in close.
“What?” Emily giggled. So did her entourage. “What is it?”
“Fuck you,” I said. Emily and her friends gasped, and I could tell she wanted to slap me. But I didn’t give her the chance. Turning on my heel, I ran out of the museum and into the cold Boston night.
When I got home, Danielle was in the kitchen with a book and a bowl of pasta. Suddenly, the idea of eating noodles, red sauce, and parmesan sounded like the best thing in the world…even better than the caviar and filet mignon I’d left behind at the art museum.
“What happened?” Danielle yawned and looked down at her watch. “Hanna, it’s like, eight o’clock. What the fuck are you doing back? Was the party really that lame?”
I sighed.
“And don’t lie,” Danielle said. “Want some pasta?”
I nodded wordlessly.
“Eat up,” Danielle said. She got to her feet and made me a bowl, adding extra parmesan just the way she knew I liked it. “And when you’re done eating, you spill. Okay?”
I nodded again, feeling stupid. Without even changing out of Danielle’s cocktail dress, I flopped down on the couch and ate the whole bowl of pasta until my stomach was full and the hole in my heart was starting to feel just a little better.
“So,” Danielle said when I was done as she took the empty bowl and put it in the sink. “What happened?”
“Danielle, I don’t belong there,” I said, shaking my head. “Not with those people. And I don’t know what James is thinking…am I some kind of novelty to him? Or like, a fixer-upper project?”
Danielle laughed. When she saw the look in my eyes, her giggles died and she bit her lip.
“No, Hanna, you’re not a project,” she said firmly. “It couldn’t have been that bad. Probably just a bunch of rich, jealous bitches.”
“I don’t know about that,” I said doubtfully. I sighed. “It was really bad, D…I almost cried, can you believe that?”
Danielle blinked. “Jesus, what the fuck did they say to you?”
I shrugged. “You know. The garden variety of socialite insults. Called me fat, poor, slutty. Said my dress – sorry, your dress – was much too tacky for an event like the party. Told me James didn’t want anything from me but sex.”
Danielle laughed. “They’re jealous,” she said confidently. “You look amazing in that dress…and I have to give you props for not spilling any marinara sauce,” she added, raising an eyebrow.
I flushed. “Sorry,” I mumbled. “I should’ve changed. I know that.”
“Look, Hanna – Christmas brings out strange emotions in everyone,” Danielle said. She sighed. “And those bitches were just angry for no reason.”
“But what if they’re right?” I asked morosely. The happy, warm comforting feeling from the massive amount of carbs I’d just ingested was starting to fade. “What if James only wants sex?”
“Babe, he met you in another country…and then spent a year looking for you,” Danielle said gently. “You can’t seriously think he’s just interested in sex, can you?”
“Well, I don’t want to think that,” I said stubbornly. “But what if it’s true? We have nothing in common.”
Danielle frowned. “That’s not true.”
“What, then?”
“Well,” Danielle said, laughing a little. “You both work at Magnate Group.”
I rolled my eyes. “Very helpful,” I said.
“It’s true,” Danielle said.
I bit my lip. “I just…I don’t know what I’m doing. Hell, I shouldn’t even be dating him at all! He was my boss until like, a week ago…and now, just because he’s not my boss still doesn’t mean this is right.”
“I know you really like him,” Danielle said softly. “And I’m happy for you. But if you’re going to go all in for this, you need to go all in. You can’t always be standing with one foot out the door, waiting for him to fuck up.”
I sighed. “Maybe I’ll take the weekend and think about it,” I said slowly.
“You may as well,” Danielle replied. She yawned. “Besides, it’s Christmas.”
I looked out the window. The weather had been sunny and clear earlier, but now that it was dark, it was starting to snow. I shivered.
“It doesn’t feel like Christmas,” I said, shaking my head. “Not at all.”
***
James called twenty-two times over the weekend. I didn’t leave the apartment – hell, I barely left my room. Danielle cajoled and pleaded – first for me to come with her to her parents for the holiday, then to go out with her friends when she decided to stay home.
“You should at least call your family,” Danielle said. “I mean, I bet they miss you.”
I frowned. “I don’t know. I think they’re probably all busy.”
Danielle leaned against the doorway and shrugged. “Up to you,” she said. “At least come out and watch a movie with me – I got Chinese on the way.”
I didn’t want to be hungry. Part of me felt like I should be in mourning. I still hadn’t decided what to do about James, and I went back to work in just two days.
“Okay,” I said reluctantly, getting up and lumbering into the living room where Danielle had built a pillow nest on the couch.
“Have you decided what you’re gonna do?”
“Not until I talk to him.”
“Well, you can’t very well do that if you keep ignoring his calls,” Danielle said evenly. She met my gaze as she reached for a beer and popped off the cap.
“I don’t feel like talking to him now,” I said.
Danielle rolled her eyes. “Fine,” she said. “Just eat some lo mein and don’t think about him. You’ll feel better in the morning.”
Except, I didn’t feel better in the morning. I felt worse. I couldn’t stop replaying the night of the party in my head. Emily’s perfect couture dress, her brilliant white teeth. The snarky way she’d condescended to me with every word out of her mouth.
There was no way I could compete with someone like that.
There was just no way.
Magnate Group was closed on Monday, and I spent the day in bed while Danielle went to work. I resolved to make up my mind about James – he was still calling and texting like crazy – but by the end of the day, I was no further to a decision. I knew that come Tuesday morning, I’d have to go into work and hold my head up and act like nothing happened. And that was just it – what exactly was I supposed to tell James, anyway? That his ex-girlfriend had acted like a crazy bitch? Or would that just make him think that I was the crazy one?
On Tuesday morning, I got up early and took a long shower, taking extra care with my hair and makeup. By the time I got to the office, the sun was shining in the sky and the Boston streets were bustling with people, all clearly well-rested from their Christmas vacation.
I went straight to my office and sat down behind my desk with a large coffee. There hadn’t been much social media activity over the holiday, but I responded to a few comments on Twitter and Facebook.
“Hanna?”
I looked up to see James standing in the doorway of my office. My heart skipped a beat and I felt my stomach twist into a thousand knots as he smiled.
“Hey,” I said softly.
“What happened the other night?” James stepped inside, his smile replaced by a look of concern. “I looked everywhere for you, but I couldn’t find you anywhere.”
This is it, I thought nervously as I twisted my hands in my lap. Time to be honest…or tell him the complete truth, even if it means that bitch, Emily, gets involved.
“I left,” I said simply. “I…I didn’t think I belonged there, James. And somehow, I think you know that.”
“That’s not true,” James replied. “Richard was very disappointed that he didn’t get to meet you.”
A hot rush of bitterness came over me and I bit my lip as I got to my feet. “That’s too bad,” I said. “Because your ex-girlfriend seemed to delight in the occasion.”
James’s face fell. “Which one?”
My jaw dropped. “Which one? Seriously, James? How many of those women have you gone out with?”
James gave me an exasperated look. “Hanna, be fair,” he said. “That’s been my social circle since, well, since I was a child. I’ve dated many of those women…not seriously, of course, but it has happened. I didn’t think that would be a problem with you.”
“It might have been nice to know before you asked me,” I replied hotly. “What did you think would happen?”
James’s cheeks turned pink and he looked embarrassed. “I’m really sorry,” he said. “That…that was a huge mistake on my part, Hanna, and I’m really sorry. You’re right – I should’ve been more upfront with you.”
“Yeah,” I said, shaking my head and sighing. “You should’ve.”
“What did she say?”
I rolled my eyes. “Her name was Emily, I don’t remember the six family names she trotted out after that. Tall, blonde. She was a real bitch to me,” I said. “And after she and her gang of femme-bots accosted me, I didn’t really feel like sticking around.”
James bowed his head. “Hanna, I’m sorry. I didn’t think anyone would be rude to you.”
I sighed. “I did.”
“And you were right,” James said. He stepped behind my desk and took my hand. “And now I need to know what it will take for you to forgive me. I mean, really forgive me.” His dark, intense eyes looked into mine and I shivered. Suddenly, I realized I was powerless to stop myself from falling for him. Here he was – gorgeous and kind and charming and funny.
“I don’t know,” I said softly.
“Hold on a minute,” James said. He squeezed my fingers, then took his hand away from mine. “I think I have something that you might like.”
I cocked my head to the side in confusion as James ducked out of my office. A few seconds later, he reappeared, his arms full of red, long-stemmed roses in a crystal vase.
“These are for you,” James said. He set them down on my desk and I couldn’t help but smile. The flowers were gorgeous and huge, and the scent was almost dizzying. The arrangement was so big that it took up over half of my desk and the edges of the petals brushed against my screen.
“Thanks,” I said softly. “They’re beautiful.”
“No,” James said. He reached for my hand again. “You’re beautiful. And please, Hanna, I want you to know how sorry I am.” He stepped closer and a wave of his musky cologne washed over me. “I was so worried this weekend…I thought I’d lost you forever.”
My breath caught in my throat. “How was your Christmas?” I asked.
James shrugged. “I got Chinese takeout and watched bad movies all weekend,” he said. “I barely even worked.” He turned to me with a smirk. “It wasn’t bad, actually.”
I burst out laughing. “My roommate and I did the same thing,” I said, shaking my head. “Actually, it was better than spending time with my family.”
James nodded. “So, Hanna – will you have dinner with me tonight? Please?”
I bit my lip. “Okay,” I said, nodding slowly. “I think that could work.”
James grinned, a crooked smile that melted my heart. “Good.” He leaned down and kissed my cheek, brushing his stubbly jaw against mine. A shiver went down my spine when I thought of pushing myself into his arms and kissing him deeply.
“I have a meeting,” James said as he pulled away. He winked at me. “Think of a place, and call my secretary – she’ll make reservations for us.”
“Anywhere?” I smirked.
“Anywhere,” James echoed.
“What if I want McDonald’s?”
The look on James’s face was priceless and I burst out laughing before waving my hands in the air.
“Kidding!” I exclaimed. “Obviously!”
James snorted. “You’re a trip, Hanna,” he said, shaking his head. He was still chuckling to himself as he walked out of my office and closed the door.
Alone with my flowers, I sank down into my chair and inhaled deeply. I couldn’t believe it, but I was already starting to feel better. Knowing that James didn’t want anything to do with Emily helped…but his heartfelt apology had helped a lot more. He’d seemed sincerely sorry, and I believed every word that he’d said.
I started humming to myself as I opened up my browser and began checking the social accounts once again. Twitter was dead – I figured everyone was still celebrating Christmas or preparing for New Year’s Eve – but there was a new Facebook message that had popped up while James and I had been talking.
When I pulled it up, I frowned. It was sent from what appeared to be an anonymous account – there was no profile photo, and the name ‘Mary Smith’ was anything but unique. It’s probably just spam, I thought as I rolled my eyes. It was unbelievable how many spam messages the Magnate Group social accounts attracted.
But when I began to read, I knew this was anything but spam. As I read on, my hands grew cold and clammy and my heart began to race. No, I thought as I read over the brief message for the second time. This can’t be happening!
Hot fury and anger coursed through my body and I started to shake. I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the computer screen. It was like a nightmare, except that I was painfully aware of the fact that I was awake.
I got to my feet and grabbed the crystal vase filled with expensive roses. For a moment, I thought about tossing it at the wall. Instead, I stalked out of my office and ran up the steps leading to the executive floor.
James’s office door was open and he was talking and laughing – laughing! – on the phone. Just the sight of him filled with me with rage. How dare he, I thought as I stormed inside and stood in front of his desk, panting and clutching the heavy vase.
“Hanna?” James got to his feet and frowned. “What’s the matter? Did you think of a restaurant yet?”
I stared at him, so angry that I felt frozen in place.
“Hanna,” James said slowly. “What’s going on?”
As hard as I could, I threw the vase of roses at his head. James yelped and ducked as the crystal crashed into the wall and shattered into a million pieces.
“Hanna!” James yelped. “What the fuck?”
“What the fuck,” I repeated angrily, stepping forward and putting my hands on his desk. “You seriously want to know what the fuck, James?”
James’s mouth was hanging open.
“There’s some woman in Britain – some Mary Smith in London! – who messaged the Magnate Group to say that she’s fallen pregnant,” I said hotly. “With your baby!”
“What?” James squinted. “Hanna, look, it has to be a—”
“Shut up!” I yelled. Tears sprang to my eyes and I shook my head angrily. “So, you really missed me over the year, did you? Enough to get another woman pregnant?”
“Hanna, I—” James pleaded, but I cut him off with a brisk wave of my hand.
“I don’t want to hear your pathetic shit,” I said. “I’m leaving.”
And before he could stop me, I turned on my heel and ran out of the office, sobbing the entire way.