Chapter 13

Tony read through one of the new fitness equipment brochures the sales representative had left with him. From what he could tell, the new treadmills listed didn’t appear any different from the ones the gym already had, but perhaps he’d missed something on his first pass through the information. Before he made any decisions, he’d go over the brochure again and compare it to the machines on the floor.

“You left your phone on the counter,” Richard said, entering the office. “You missed a call.”

“Thanks. Before you go, take these with you. Let me know what you think.” Tony handed his partner a few of the other brochures. “I don’t think there’s anything in there we need, but I want you to double check in case I’m wrong.” Although Tony knew his way around the gym, Richard remained the expert when it came to fitness and weight training.

With a nod, Richard took the materials and walked away. Once again alone, Tony checked his phone. He didn’t get many calls during the day, and he wasn’t expecting a call from anyone. The number on his screen now didn’t have a name listed with it and it took him a few seconds before he realized it was Charlie Sherbrooke’s number. Sean’s younger sister had called him the week before too, and he’d meant to add her new number to his contact list.

Curious as to why she’d call now, he pressed the redial icon.

“I was just about to try you again,” Charlie said, and he assumed she had his number and name listed in her contact list. “The party tonight is going to be at Turin instead of The Scarlet Letter.”

He hadn’t been looking forward to the little surprise engagement party anyway and now he was looking forward to it even less. He hadn’t been to Turin since his and Cat’s first date.

“Why the change?”

“The Scarlet Letter called this afternoon. They made a mistake and already have a large party scheduled for tonight,” Charlie answered.

He knew if she’d wanted to, Charlie could just do some name-dropping and the manager of the restaurant would contact the other party and tell them to reschedule. After all, not many people said no to a Sherbrooke. However, Charlie would never do that.

“It’s at the same time.”

“I’ll be there.” In the long run, it didn’t matter where the party was held. Sean was his closest friend, which meant he’d be there to celebrate the guy’s engagement.

He knew of at least three different ways to reach Turin. Tonight, he took the one that lead past Cat’s apartment. From the street, he saw the light in her kitchen on and considered stopping. He hadn’t seen or heard from her since he told her to take the position in California. Had she found an apartment? Was she getting excited about the move or was she nervous. A place like Anaheim, California was quite different from the North Shore of Massachusetts.

While Striker no longer gave him evil looks, they still only conversed when they had no other choice, so he didn’t get any information from him. Coach hadn’t mentioned his daughter’s plans either. Right after Thanksgiving, he’d considered stopping in Quinn’s Hardware and asking Jessie for news. She might not know all of Cat’s plans, but she’d know enough to satisfy his curiosity. However, he’d decided that might give Jessie the wrong impression, or worse. She might say something to Cat to make her think, he’d changed his mind. The last thing he wanted to do was stand in Cat’s way, especially when he hadn’t changed his mind and never would.

It took effort, but Tony continued past Cat’s apartment and turned the corner.

The same hostess who greeted him and Cat months ago led him toward the private room in the back.

“I was about to call you,” Charlie said, coming over to give him a hug. “Sean and Mia should be here any minute.”

“Sorry, I got stuck in traffic. Who’s bringing them?” Jake, Charlie’s husband, Mr. O’Brien, Jessie, and Mack were already seated at the table.

“Ma and Ray. She told them she wanted to celebrate their engagement and take them to dinner.”

“They’re coming,” Taylor said, practically running into the room. “Hi, Tony.” She waved at him before dropping into her seat between her father and Jake.

The congratulations started up the moment Sean and Mia entered the room, and Tony watched as the happy couple accepted hugs. Somewhat to his amazement, Sean even accepted a hug from his dad. He’d known that since Mr. O’Brien reentered Sean’s life that summer, they’d been spending more time together, but Tony also knew Sean still held some resentment toward his father. Tonight though, he didn’t see any of that. Even Sean’s mom appeared at ease around her ex-husband. Of course, that might have something to do with the fact Ray, her new husband, never left her side.

“You knew about this and didn’t tell me.” Sean stopped next to him and elbowed him in the side.

Even as kids, Sean hadn’t been big into surprises. He preferred to know just what he was walking into. Tony understood and shared that characteristic.

“Sorry, but I promised Charlie. She would’ve had my head if I told you.” Of course, in order to tell him, he would have had to see Sean. Since the night Sean drove him home because he’d consumed one too many beers, he hadn’t seen the guy.

Sean laughed. “Anyway, I’m glad you managed to drag your sorry ass out of your house tonight.”

He wanted to refute Sean’s claim, but decided against it. “Nothing would’ve stopped me from coming tonight.” And that was about as close as he’d ever come to telling Sean he loved him like a brother.

“Mia’s already started planning. She asked both Charlie and Taylor to be in the wedding. I’d like you to be my best man.”

“No one plans a better bachelor party. Remember John’s?” he asked, referring to his younger brother.

“No strip clubs, Tony.”

Oddly, the idea of going to a strip club, even if it was for a bachelor party, didn’t sound remotely entertaining. “Whatever you say. We should do something different anyway. I’ll think of something.”

After their short chat, Sean joined Mia across the table and various conversations started up around Tony. While he could have joined in any of them, his thoughts strayed away from the here and now and focused on his last visit to the restaurant.

Had a handful of months already passed since that night? It didn’t seem possible. Maybe there was something to that old adage, time flies when you’re having fun, because his time with Cat had gone by in the blink of an eye. He couldn’t recall when months had passed by that quickly. He also didn’t remember the last time he’d been so happy either. Not that he’d been unhappy before, but when he’d been with Cat, he’d felt different. More alive somehow. As if he was where he belonged with the woman he belonged with.

I’m losing it. All the talk around him about wedding dates and color schemes was messing with his brain. When he woke up tomorrow, he’d be thinking clearly again rather than wondering if he’d made the biggest mistake of his life.

“Jessie, are you going to be around tomorrow?” Charlie asked from further down the table.

Next to him, Jessie put her water glass down and looked in Charlie’s direction. “Kelsey and I are helping Cat pack in the afternoon.”

Cat had told him the company wanted her in California by the New Year and she had already gone apartment hunting. Still, the idea of her packing up her place made the move all the more real.

“How about at night then? Sean can babysit Jake for me.”

“More like put me to work. The last time you left me with your brother, he had Tony and me tearing apart a bathroom.” Jake said good-naturedly. “What are you up to tomorrow, Tony? It might be safer if I hang out with you instead.”

Tony liked Jake Sherbrooke. Despite the fact that Jake’s father was the President of the United States and had more money than he knew what to do with, the guy remained down to Earth and approachable. “I’m up for anything.”

“Since Jake’s got a babysitter, I’ll call you when I’m done at Cat’s,” Jessie said, looking in his direction.

“Great.” Charlie turned her attention to her half-sister, Taylor, who was telling Mia about something that had happened at school that week.

Jessie’s arm brushed against his as she leaned closer. “Cat found an apartment while she was in California.” Her voice was low, but he had no trouble hearing it, and the comment sent another stake through his heart.

“That’s good. She must be glad that’s taken care of.”

“I guess, but she still doesn’t seem like herself.”

“She’s stressed out. That’s understandable. Once she gets settled, she’ll be fine.”

Jessie looked over at Mack and then she touched Tony’s arm. “That’s not it. I’ve known Cat a long time, and this isn’t how she acts when she’s stressed.” She stopped as if to consider her next words. “She misses you.”

Tony opened his mouth to speak, but she didn’t give him the opportunity.

“Striker would be furious if he knew I said this, but maybe you should reconsider. Whenever I saw you guys together, you both looked so happy.”

She was right on both accounts. “I won’t tell Striker you said that.”

“Tony,” Jessie paused and then sat up straighter in her chair. “Never mind. Forget I said anything.”

Tony wished he could forget a lot of things these days. Unfortunately, that had become impossible.

***

She needed to stop accumulating so much stuff. Once she got settled in California, she’d have to make an effort to only keep what she needed. Already, she’d packed up two boxes of clothes and books that she no longer needed, and she still wasn’t finished with her bedroom closest.

“What do you want to do with the food in the cupboards?” Jessie stopped in the doorway to Cat’s bedroom. She and Kelsey had arrived after breakfast that morning, and they’d each taken a room to pack up.

“Just leave me a few cans of soup and the cereal to get me through the week. The rest box up, and it can go on the moving truck.”

She turned her attention back to the pile of boots in the closet. A few pairs she wore all the time, but a couple she’d bought and never touched them again. Pulling them out, she added those to the box intended for Goodwill. She might as well start her efforts now to accumulate less.

“I remember when you bought those,” Jessie said. “Ella got a pair just like them.”

Cat looked back over at the doorway, she thought Jessie had gone back into the kitchen. “To bad they’re not her size. She could have these too. I know she wears hers.” She pulled out a heavy ski jacket that had fallen from a hanger. “I don’t think I’ll need this much anymore.”

“You might need it when you come back to visit. And there are places to ski out there.”

“Maybe.” She didn’t want to think about coming back once she left. She only wanted to focus on getting away from the memories that haunted her every day. Thankfully, she’d be gone very soon.

“Charlie had an engagement party last night for Sean and Mia.”

Everyone in North Salem had heard the news about Sean and Mia, including her mom, and she’d called Cat right away to tell her. “I hope I see Sean before I go, so I can congratulate him.”

“Tony was there.” Jessie hadn’t mentioned Tony at all since Cat told her what happened. She’d prefer to keep it that way.

“He wasn’t himself.” If anyone would know, it was Jessie. Like Tony, she’d spent a lot of time at the O’Brien’s house growing up, so they’d seen each other quite often. “He didn’t talk much to anyone. Truthfully, he seemed very sad.”

If he was unhappy, it was his own fault. She’d been willing to stay here. He’d been the one to tell her to move on with her life. Yep, she wouldn’t lose any sleep thinking about Tony’s emotional state.

“Maybe he’s having problems at work. Owning a business must be stressful.”

“I don’t think that his problem.” Jessie walked into the room and sat on the bed. “Does he know you’re moving at the end of the week?”

When she got the offer, she told him the company expected her in Anaheim by the New Year, but she hadn’t had an exact moving date at the time. However, he may have gotten wind of when she planned to leave from someone else. Her pending move wasn’t a secret.

“Beats me. I know I didn’t tell him, but I guess someone might have mentioned it.”

“Not your brother. Mack told me Striker and Tony still aren’t talking.”

That wasn’t her problem either.

“Are you going to call him and say goodbye?”

Someone would have to physically torture her before she’d consider doing that. “Why would I call him? He made his feelings clear the day he was here.”

“Cat, I still think you’re wrong. Tony cares a lot. He destroyed his friendship with Striker and maybe your dad because he wanted to be with you. He’s just being an idiot right now for some reason.” Jessie started folding up the clothes Cat left on the bed. “I think you should call and see what happens. Maybe that will be the kick in the butt he needs.”

“I’m not calling. If he doesn’t already know when I’m leaving, he’ll hear I’m gone from someone else. We both know that. So please just let it go.”

Jessie sighed and stood. “Okay. I’ll tell Kelsey I tried too and get back to work.”

Her conversation with Jessie now made more sense. While Jessie hadn’t mentioned Tony since they broke up, Kelsey and Ella had. It looked like her other two friends had given up and called in reinforcements. Cat didn’t understand why her friends were trying so hard. When Zack had left her, they hadn’t insisted she reach out to him. Instead, they’d set her up on dates. Heck, that was how she’d run into Tony in the first place. The night she met him at the pub, Ella’s cousin had canceled their date at the last minute. If not for that canceled date, she might not have stopped at O’Leary’s that night and never gone to dinner with Tony. A dinner that had led to much more, including a broken heart.

Fate could be such a bitch sometimes.