“Yeah. I need to get away and totally disconnect from the world. And I know how hard it’s going to be for you, but you can’t call me. I have to give them my phone when I get there, and I can’t have it back until I leave.”
He looked down and started rubbing his forehead.
“When are you leaving?”
“Three days.”
“Okay. Personal leave of absence granted. But you better come back.” He pointed at me.
“I will.” I smiled. “Thank you, Eric.”
“You’re welcome, kid. Now get out of here and go do some work before you leave. I want a month’s worth of Everything Laurel on my desk before you board that plane.”
I got up from my seat, walked over to him, and kissed his cheek.
“You got it, boss.”
****
One Month Later
The moment my plane landed in Seattle, a smile crossed my face. As much as I loved Thailand, it felt so good to be home. The one thing I couldn’t wait for was to sleep in my big, warm, comfy bed. I felt good, rejuvenated and at peace.
“God, I’m so happy you’re back,” George spoke as he hugged me tight.
“Thank you. It’s good to be back.” I smiled.
He drove me home and helped me with my bags.
“Anything new and exciting happen while I was gone?”
“Umm. Nope. Same old stuff.”
His answer sounded hesitant and I had a feeling there was something he wasn’t telling me.
“Nothing at all?”
“Nope.”
“You’re lying. I know when you lie.” I pointed at him.
“You’re exhausted from your flight and you’re being paranoid. Get some rest.” He kissed my forehead. “I’ll see you at work tomorrow.”
I sighed as I went into the bathroom and started the water for a bath before I went to bed for the night. After changing into my pajamas, I decided to facetime Craig to let him know I was back.
“Laurel!” His handsome face appeared on the screen with a wide grin. “You’re back?”
“Hi, Craig. I just got in a couple hours ago.”
“How are you? God, it’s good to hear from you.”
“I’m really good. Thailand was awesome.”
“Glad to hear it.” He smiled. “You look great.”
“Oh, please. It’s okay to tell me I look like a hot mess from that flight. How’s Maddy?”
“She’s really good. In fact, we’re really good. I feel like my life is back on track. I love her so much, Laurel.”
“Aw, Craig. I’m so happy for you. Maybe I missed my calling in life. I need to quit being a journalist and go into the matchmaking business. What do you think?” I grinned.
He let out a chuckle. “I think you’d be amazing at it. I really don’t want to bring it up, but I feel like I have to. How are you feeling about you know who?”
“I’m in a good place. I did a lot soul searching at the monastery. I’ve dealt with my feelings about relationships and my family. There was a lot of sadness and crying at first, but then everything clicked, and I’ve made peace with it all. For the first time in my life, I feel like I have clarity where my life is concerned.”
“I’m happy to hear that, Laurel.” He smiled. “You deserve nothing but happiness and I want that for you.”
“I am happy, Craig.” I grinned. “And I’m also exhausted, so I’m heading to bed. Tell Maddy I said hi and I’m going to try to come for a visit soon.”
“I hope so. Or maybe we can come to you. We’ve been talking about getting away for a few days. Get some rest and we’ll talk soon.”
I ended the call, placed my phone on my nightstand, sank into my comfortable bed, and slept like a baby.
Chapter Thirty-Five
“There’s my girl.” Eric smiled as he hugged me. “Welcome back, Laurel. You look great. Much better than when you left here.”
“Thanks, Eric. I feel great and I’m excited to get back to work. I have so many ideas for the magazine that I need to run by you.”
“Have a seat. There’s something I need to discuss with you.”
I didn’t like the way he sounded, and a nervousness rose up inside me.
“What’s up?” I asked as I sat down across from his desk.
“Some things happened here while you were away.”
“Like?” I cocked my head.
“We sold the magazine division.”
“What? Why?” My brows furrowed.
“An offer was made the higher ups couldn’t refuse.”
“Who bought it?”
“A company called Timeline Publications, Inc. They’re based in New York.”
“Okay, so we’ll just keep doing what we were doing before the magazine. Not a big deal, right?”
“Laurel, the company that bought the magazine wants me to run it and I want you and George to come with me.”
“To New York? As in move there permanently?”
“Yes. They made me an offer I couldn’t refuse. As much as I love working for the Seattle Times, I think it’s time for a change. Change is good for the soul. I’m sure you learned that in the monastery. I need you with me.”
“Eric.” I shook my head. “I don’t know. I’ve built a life here.”
“Listen, darling. You’re not tied to anyone here. You can build a great life in New York.”
“And George?”
“George is on board with it but will only go if you go. Think about it, Laurel, we’ll be running a magazine. Making it our own. With you and George on my team, we can do great things. You’ll be making a lot more money. This company is willing to pay well.”
“But it’s in New York, Eric. That’s the last place I want to be, let alone move there permanently.”
“I know, and I thought about that. But this is an excellent opportunity for you. Didn’t you learn anything at that monastery?”
“Of course, I did.”
“Then put your practices to use. Embrace the change and start a new life. It’s time to spread your wings.”
“I’ll think about it.” I got up from my seat.
“You have until tomorrow, Laurel. I’m sorry, but the company wants us out there as soon as possible.”
“And what about my condo?”
“They said they would take care of everything for us. They’ll put our houses up on the market and pay for all moving expenses.”
“I’ll think about it,” I spoke as I walked out of his office and into George’s. “You’re on board with New York?” I spoke without even saying good morning.
“You talked to Eric I take it.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” I snapped at him.
“Because you had just gotten back from your trip and Eric threatened me if I told you. He wanted to be the one to talk to you about it. I’ll only go if you go. This is something we should do together.”
“And what about Veronica?”
“She’s actually excited and has already started looking for a job there. She loves New York and it’s closer to her parents. Laurel, I know why you’re hesitant, and I get it. I really do. But, you can’t turn down a great opportunity because of one person.”
“I’m over him and that whole thing.”
“Okay. Then what’s the problem? Is it because your sister is there?”
“No.”
“You’ll be closer to your family?”
“I don’t have a family anymore, George. No one has even bothered to try and contact me.”
“You have a family, Laurel. We’re your family and we’ll be there with you. You won’t be doing this alone. In fact, maybe we can move into the same apartment building.” He smiled as he walked over to me and grabbed my hands. “This is a good opportunity for us.”
“What did your dad say about all this?”
“He told me to do what I want. He thinks it’s an amazing opportunity and I should go for it. But I’ll only go if you do. If you stay, I stay.”
&
nbsp; “Eric gave me until tomorrow to give him my decision. I have to do some work now. We’ll talk later.”
“Don’t overthink it, Laurel,” he shouted as I walked out of his office.
After the work day ended, I went home and gave a great deal of thought about accepting the job and moving to New York. Once I meditated and tamed the chaos in my head, the answer I sought out was clear.
****
I spent the last three weeks packing up my condo. We didn’t need to worry about finding an apartment because the company owned an apartment building on East 34th Street, which had apartments available for rent. I googled the apartment building, because what if I didn’t like the apartment? I wasn’t about to live in something I didn’t like. But it looked amazing and I was actually starting to get excited about the move, even though deep down inside, I still had some reservations. What would I do if I saw Wyatt on the street? Should I or shouldn’t I tell him that I was moving there? Those were the questions I pondered every single day and meditated on them. The answers I got: Wyatt Coleman was my past and that was where I needed to keep him.
The moving truck with my boxes and furniture had already left for New York a few days ago and everything should be there when I arrived. It was the crack of dawn when George, Veronica, and I had to be at the airport for our six thirty a.m. flight. Eric had already been in New York for over a week getting things set up. By the time we arrived and made our way to our apartments, it was five p.m. It didn’t help that our layover in Atlanta was delayed by an hour.
I stepped off the elevator onto the eighteenth floor and found apartment 18C. As I slid the key into the lock, I took in a deep breath and opened the door to my new home. White walls with white crown molding and light maple floor greeted me as I stepped inside. My furniture was placed neatly while all my boxes sat stacked against the wall. Even my TV was hung on the wall. Walking into the bedroom, my bed was set up with my nightstands on each side and my dresser sat against the wall next to the closet. I walked over to the large window and looked out at the city that was now going to become a part of me. New city, new job, new start.
The next morning, George and I headed to the building where the magazine was located at West 57th Street around eight a.m. Eric was there to greet us when we arrived with a huge grin across his face.
“Who’s excited about this? I know I am. This is going to be great!” He hugged us both.
He showed us around, introduced us to the rest of the staff, and showed us our new offices, which were right next to each other. We spent the day going over operations and ideas for articles that would make the magazine stand out. It was five o’clock and I needed to get home to get ready for a welcome party that was being thrown tonight at The Roof for the magazine at eight o’clock.
“I’m heading home now, Eric. I’ll see you later.”
“Don’t be late, Laurel, and by the way, good work today.” He smiled.
After touching up my makeup and throwing some curls into the ends of my hair, I slipped into my pastel pink spaghetti-strap lace-fitted dress with a delicate sweetheart neckline and gave myself one more look over before sharing a cab with George and Veronica to The Roof.
“Are we finally going to be able to meet the owner tonight?” I asked George. “I’d like to meet the man responsible for making this change in our lives.”
“I’m not sure. I would think he’d be here.”
“I’m heading over to the bar,” I spoke.
“I’ll meet you there in a minute. I need to ask Eric something,” George said as we parted ways.
I walked over to the bar and waited for the bartender, who was helping someone else, come over and take my drink order.
“What can I get you, miss?” he asked.
“She’ll have a neat martini straight up with two olives,” a voice behind me spoke and suddenly I became paralyzed. “You look absolutely stunning, Laurel.”
I couldn’t turn around. My heart was racing at the speed of light and a sick feeling formed in the pit of my belly.
“What are you doing here, Wyatt?” I asked without looking at him.
I grabbed the glass out of the bartender’s hand before he had a chance to set it down and took a large drink.
“Aren’t you even going to look at me?” he asked.
I slowly turned around and stared at the six-foot three sexy man dressed in a tailored black designer suit. A smile swept across his face as our eyes locked on each other’s.
“Can we have that talk now?” he asked.
“Hey, Laurel.” George walked over to us.
“Hello there, I’m Wyatt Coleman.” He extended his hand.
“Oh. Um, George Locke.” He lightly shook it. “You okay, Laurel?”
“I’m fine.” I finished off my drink.
“I’ll leave you two to talk, then.” He walked away and a part of me wished he wouldn’t have.
“What talk are you referring to, Wyatt?” I asked as I signaled for the bartender to bring me another drink.
“The one I begged you to have with me back in Boston.”
“For God sakes, Wyatt, let it go already. If I wanted to listen to your lame excuse as to why you lied to me about your meeting and why you didn’t call me after I left, I would have done it by now. That’s all in the past and that’s where it’s staying. Like I said to you before, if my absence didn’t affect you, then my presence had no meaning.” I walked away, and he lightly grabbed my arm, pulling me close to him.
“Your absence did affect me and that’s what I’m trying to tell you. Now, can we have that talk?” He cocked his head.
“Listen, this is a work party. Wait a minute.” I shook my head. “Why aren’t you asking me what I’m doing in New York? You don’t even seem shocked that I’m here. And what the hell are you doing at my work party?” I narrowed my eye at him.
“I can explain that too.”
Suddenly, a lightbulb went off in my head.
“No!” I shook my finger at him. “Oh hell no. I’m going to ask you a question and I want you to tell me the truth. If you don’t tell me the truth, I will never speak to you again. Do you understand me?”
“I don’t appreciate the way you’re talking to me, but fine, I will tell you nothing but the truth.”
“Are you the one who bought the magazine and brought me here to New York?”
He stood there for a moment, staring into my eyes while he took in a deep breath.
“Yes.”
One simple word. That was all he said. One word that changed my entire life.
“You bastard.” I slowly shook my head as I raised my hand to slap him, but he grabbed it before I had the chance.
“I knew you were going to try and do that.”
I yanked myself from his grip.
“Don’t touch me.” I pointed at him. “You’re crazy if you think I’m going to talk to you. Especially now.”
“Okay, fine. I didn’t want to do this and make a scene in front of all these people, but you’ve given me no choice,” he spoke as he picked me up and threw me over his shoulder.
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing? Put me down.” I started pounding on his back.
“Nope. I’m going to speak and you’re going to listen. You’re not winning this one.”
He carried me down the stairs and out of the bar. I had never been so humiliated in my life as everyone stopped and stared. Once we were outside, Ryan opened the door to the limo and Wyatt put me inside, climbing in next to me and then shutting and locking the door.
“Drive, Ryan,” Wyatt spoke.
“You’re a goddamn psychopath!” I yelled at him.
“No. You’re just being unreasonable, and as soon as you calm down, we can talk. I gave you enough chances to call me and you refused.”
“So, because I didn’t call you back, you resort to kidnapping?”
“This isn’t kidnapping, Laurel. Don’t be ridiculous. You’re free to go at any time after we talk.”
<
br /> “That’s what kidnappers say after they get the information they want.” I cocked my head at him.
“Like I said, you’re not winning this one, sweetheart.” He smirked.
I closed my eyes, took in four long, deep breaths, and sat completely still.
“What are you doing?” Wyatt asked.
“Shh. I’m meditating. Do not say another word.”
“Why are you doing that right now?”
“It’s to prevent me from killing you. Now shush!”
A light chuckle escaped him. After a few moments, I took in one last deep breath, let it out, opened my eyes, and glanced over at him.
“I’m ready to listen to you. Where would you like to have this conversation?” I calmly asked.
“Anywhere you want,” he spoke.
“Central Park.”
“I was hoping somewhere a little more private, but if you want to talk in Central Park, then fine. Any specific area?”
“Nope. Anywhere is fine,” I replied.
“I think I know the perfect spot. Ryan, drop us off at 72nd and Central Park West.”
“Very well, Mr. Coleman.”
“Thank you, Laurel.” He reached over and placed his hand on mine.
An electrifying shock tore through me, just like it always did when he touched me. I pulled my hand out from under his.
“Don’t, Wyatt.”
We sat there in silence until we reached 72nd and Central Park West. We walked for a while until we reached Cherry Hill and we both took a seat on the bench that overlooked the lake.
“Had I known I was going to be doing all this walking, I would have worn better shoes,” I spoke as I took off my heels.
“Sorry about that, but you wanted to talk in Central Park.”
“Now that you’ve successfully kidnapped me and tortured me in heels, you better start talking.”
Chapter Thirty-Six
“I’ve been preparing for this talk for quite a while,” he spoke. “To be honest, Laurel, you scare me.”
I let out a light laugh.
“You’re not the first, Wyatt.”