Chapter 25
Be careful what you wish for.
“Things will look better in the morning” didn’t apply to the start of my day. Every cell in my body ached with the feeling of loss. Noah Winston told me he loved me. How ironic, after all the times I had prayed to hear those words from him, that when I did, it hurt my heart rather than fill it with happiness.
Even the sun hid behind dark clouds, echoing how I felt. How did I end up here? This was not my intention when I moved back to New York. My life was perfectly fine before Noah and I reconnected, then it was great, now . . . well, now I didn’t know what it was.
My phone buzzed, and deep down I wished it was Noah telling me last night was just a bad dream, but it was Adam telling me he was at my apartment.
When I pulled the door open, he was dressed in his workout clothes, balancing two cups of coffee and a bakery bag in his hands. “I thought you could use this.”
He handed me a cup of coffee.
“Thank you.”
Adam lifted the bag up. “I also got you a blueberry scone and a bag of chocolate-covered coffee beans.”
“Thank you.”
He sat down on my sofa. “Is that all you’re going to say today?”
“I’m sorry; I didn’t sleep well.” I grabbed two plates and set them on the coffee table along with the breakfast treats. “Help yourself.”
“Thanks, but I just went to the gym. It defeats the purpose.” He brought his cup to his lips and took a small sip.
“Did you have a good workout?” I sipped my coffee and sat down. “Was the gym crowded?”
Adam let out a small laugh. “Do you mean, was Noah there?”
“No, just making conversation.”
“You suck at lying. But if you must know, he wasn’t there. Cade said when he called him, Noah told him he wanted to go for a run through the park. Something about needing to clear his head.” I nodded in complete understanding. If I had the stamina to run, I’d run to Staten Island. “Cade also said that Noah sounded like he hadn’t slept.”
I shook my head. “Oh.”
He set his coffee on the side table next to the sofa. “Sis, I know we don’t talk about our love lives, but two people who I love are miserable. What can I do to help?”
“Nothing. No one can help. Noah and I want different things in life. The only thing to do was end it before we got in deeper.”
Adam studied me for a bit. “Do you mean deeper than being in love with each other?”
I wasn’t sure if it was the caffeine or that comment that woke me up. “I never said I was in love with him.”
He chuckled. “I hate to break it to you, but it’s pretty obvious. If it makes you feel any better, he sucked at hiding it, too. As soon as Cade mentioned the name Sally that night at the bar, the night you two were outed,” I smiled at the memory, “Noah’s face morphed into something I’d never seen before. He was truly happy, and I felt the same for him.” Once again, my eyes started to sting. “But when he saw you, he went from content to beaming. The man loves you, there’s no doubt in my mind. When you thought I wouldn’t want you with Noah because of our friendship, that wasn’t the reason.” He waved his hand toward me. “This was.”
“Can we please talk about something else?” I reached into the bag and pulled out a scone. “Are you sure you don’t want a bite?”
“No, thanks. I’m really worried about you. Maybe in time, things will get better and you two will work it out.”
The corners of my lips turned upward into a tight grin, but it wasn’t sincere. “I doubt it.” A tear trickled down my cheek. “I just miss him, that’s all. In the beginning, he was so determined to be with me. It didn’t matter if I told him I didn’t want to go out with him; he’d show up here at my apartment.” Memories of our movie night flashed in my head. “For so long, Adam. All those years I wished and prayed he’d notice me, then when he did, it surpassed any childhood fantasy I had. He was real . . . we were real. And I knew it. I just had a feeling we would end.” I lifted my right shoulder to my ear. “I should have listened to my gut.”
Adam’s arms wrapped around me. “He’s a complicated man. His entire life has been that way, but you were the only woman he has ever fallen for.” My brother put his hands on my shoulders and looked at me. “I’m so sorry you’re hurting.”
“I know.” I swiped away more tears. “I’ll be fine, but I think I want to be alone for a bit.”
He kissed me on the cheek. “Day or night, if you need me . . .”
“Thank you.”
When he opened the door, Haley stood in the hallway. “Hi.” She took one look at me and frowned. “This is all my fault.”
Adam said bye to both of us, and now I was on to round two with Haley, who was currently holding me in a bear hug. “Haley, it’s not your fault.” Her arms relaxed and fell to her sides. “Although you may have just cracked a rib.”
Once again, I found myself on the couch, talking about Noah and all that transpired. “You broke up?” Haley’s shoulders sagged. “Holy shit, Margo. I had no idea he’d react that way.”
“Well, it’s done and over with. How about we get out of here?” Even though I was exhausted, that would be my only saving grace.
“If you’re sure, then yes.”
“Let me go shower and get ready. Give me twenty.”
Haley nodded, and then called out to me, “It’s raining, so grab an umbrella.”
Great.
It’d been seventeen days since I’d seen or heard from Noah. Not wanting to dwell on how much I missed him, I threw myself into work. Poor Rochelle was running around the city talking to vendors and managers for an event I had decided to plan.
Ever since Exquisitely Yours was mentioned in the paper, business boomed. All it took was that one break to get noticed. That’s when it dawned on me that I could do the same for others. And by others, I meant up-and-coming designers and undiscovered boutiques.
Rochelle burst in my office and plopped down on a chair, fanning herself with a manila folder. “I just talked to Alex Logan.”
“The Alex Logan? Owner of The White Orchid?”
“Uh huh. God, he’s even sexy on the phone. I called and asked for Tyler or Brett like you asked, but they were doing inventory or something, I don’t know. And the woman who answered the phone connected me with Alex. Once I stopped stuttering and could complete a coherent sentence, I asked him about the space.” I waited for her to finish her fangirl moment. She straightened herself out. “Anyway, he said we can host our event there as long as we do it on a weeknight, except for a Friday, of course.” Rochelle handed me the folder. “This is the list of confirmed designers and boutiques that will be in attendance. The designers are paying it forward and bringing some new models along.”
“Really? That’s great.”
“I think so, too, I’m going to go work on the invitations. Should I just use your contact list?”
I nodded. “Yes, that would be great.”
Thankfully, the rest of the afternoon flew by. I slid my laptop in my satchel and called it a day. Rochelle walked into my office holding a large rectangular box adorned with a red bow. “This just came for you.” She set it on my desk. “There wasn’t a card.”
“That’s fine, thank you. I’m sure it’s for the event.” My heart hammered in my chest. Grabbing the end of the ribbon, I pulled it and slid the top off.
Atop of red tissue paper, laid a card.
With shaky fingers, I opened it.
With watery eyes, I read it.
Margo,
This arrived at my office today, but it belongs to you. Please don’t send it back; I want you to have it.
All my love,
Noah
I had no idea why I even bothered to look. I knew what it was, the vintage dress from the auction. With gentle hands, I lifted it out of the box to confirm my suspicions.
Rochelle gasped, “Oh my God!” She pointed at the dress. “That’s a Giovanna Grazi original. Do you know how much that’s worth? Did Noah send it?”
“Yes, I do and yes, he did.” I studied it for a moment. When I saw it for the first time, it was on a stage. Now, it was in my hands and more beautiful than I could have imagined. The fabric, although old, felt soft and rich. “I’m going home; you should do the same.”
“Um, okay. Listen, Margo, I’ve done my best not to mention him, but maybe you two can work something out. He’s clearly still thinking about you.”
“Was there anything else?”
Rochelle frowned. “No, I’m going to head on home, too. Are you going to be all right?”
Assuming that was a rhetorical question, I didn’t bother to answer. “Have a good night. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Back in my apartment, I hung the dress up on a satin hanger and covered it with a white garment bag before changing into a pair of sweats and a T-shirt. How was it that my personal life felt so out of control while my professional life was just the opposite? Maybe it was a sign that work should be my sole focus.
My closet doors taunted me knowing what was behind them. He asked me not to send it back, but how could I keep it? Rather than send a text, I called him.