Always Been Mine (12 page)

Isabel took the glass but frowned. “Valerie, you were doing so well. You can’t let a couple of run-ins with him pull you all the way back. These are all tests. You have to get through them.”

Valerie sipped her wine and frowned. “I had no idea being near him would be so hard. I really thought I was over him, but… ”

Isabel shook her head. “Honey, I won’t speak badly of Alex. I know how much he means to you, but he’s done you wrong so many times. I really think you should give Luke a shot. You finally kissed another man. Maybe finally sleeping with someone else will help you move on. What’s the worse that can happen?”

“I’ve slept with other guys since I met Alex.”

“Doesn’t count. That was back in your early party college days. And you were still in denial about actually being in love with Alex.”

Valerie sat back down and thought about it. It was true. It’d been so long since she even considered sleeping with someone else. What was the worst thing that could happen? She really had to move on. She couldn’t go on putting it off forever. Because she knew that’s how long it would be before she got over Alex.

Isabel smiled big, thrilled that Valerie was actually considering it. “I’m sure you have plenty to choose from. You can’t go wrong with black satin, though.”

She was really moving on. Somehow, she thought she’d feel more excited or at the very least relieved. Something heavy settled in her stomach as she took a sip of her wine. But it wasn’t relief and most certainly not excitement.

The next day Valerie didn’t make it to the office until after noon, because she had clients she had to meet in the morning. When she arrived, Luke motioned for her to come into his office. The moment he closed the door behind her, he greeted her with one of the most sensual kisses he’d given her to date. It took her by surprise, and left her a bit breathless. But as usual she didn’t feel much else.

“What’s that about?” She turned to make sure the blinds on his office windows were closed all the way. They were, but if someone really wanted to they could easily see through the small opening between the blinds.

Luke shrugged. “It’s just a couple. You’re the fastest and most efficient. I need this done yesterday. I don’t want to waste my time with those slackers. It’s no big deal.”

Valerie took the files and read them. They were both looking to buy commercial buildings and had big budgets. She didn’t feel comfortable with this. If anyone in the office found out, they might accuse Luke of playing favorites.

“You think you can get a list together and set up something by next week?”

“Yeah, sure.” She started to walk toward the door.

“Hey,” Luke said. “Is sevenish okay for tonight? I’m gonna try to get out of here earlier than normal. I’m a good cook just not very fast.”

“Yeah, that’s fine.” Valerie still wasn’t one hundred percent sure about tonight. She’d just play it by ear.

She walked to her cubicle and pulled out her laptop. The envelope on the screen of her phone when she set it down reminded her of the unheard message from Alex.

She stared at it for a second before picking up the phone and dialing her voicemail. Her heart fluttered when she heard his deep voice. Every word he said made her heart race faster. Then she felt the knot at her throat when she heard the words, “
P
lease tell me you haven’t given up on us
.”

Taking a deep breath, she saved the message. She knew she should just delete it, but there was no way. God, how did he do that? One message and she was close to tears. She missed being with him so much and hearing his voice made her miss him even more. He sounded so sincere. He always did. There was no way she could concentrate now. Valerie glanced at the time. She hurried outside with her phone and immediately dialed Isabel.

“Isabel, it sounded so sincere.” Valerie pulled her hair behind her ear and moved the phone to her other ear. “He said he hopes I haven’t given up on us.”

“Val, hon, he always sounds sincere. We’ve been over this a million times. He has a huge ego. Always has. He can’t stand the thought of you with someone else, but he’ll never be a one woman guy.”

Valerie’s heart was still pounding with excitement from his words. “I don’t know, Isabel. I’ve never heard him like this. You think… you really think it’s just wishful thinking on my part?”

“I know it is. This is the longest you’ve been away from him. He must be feeling the weight of it, too. Seeing you with someone else, I’m sure, is contributing to this sudden urge to be with you. But you know what’ll happen if you go back again.”

She finished the list of properties to show in a matter of minutes. Then she called Sarah to let her know the offer had been accepted on the property next door to the restaurant. She begged her to please let Alex know and she’d update them on the escrow. As unprofessional as she knew that was, there was no way she was calling him directly.

After hanging up, she left early without even saying goodbye to Luke. She’d see him tonight. There’d been plenty of times she rushed out of the office without saying goodbye to him. She didn’t want to start any habits now. But mostly, she was avoiding any possible embraces. It was happening already. Just hearing Alex’s message had begun to affect the way she felt about her relationship with Luke.

Back home, she did everything she could to keep her mind off the message. But she couldn’t fight the urge to listen to it just one more time. She hated to admit it but it made her feel good. Too good. That damn lingering hope was back. As much as she told herself he would never change, something about the way he sounded in the message stood out to her. He’d always been good about pleading his case in the past, but this time he sounded almost desperate.

Damn it, Valerie. Stop it
.

Valerie dialed the voicemail and hit the prompts until Alex’s message was about to start. She put it against Isabel’s ear and watched Isabel’s unreadable expression closely. But when it was over she frowned.

“Valerie, I don’t doubt for a second that he misses you. But what exactly is it that you’re supposed to not give up on? The possibility that he may one day, be able to be with just one woman? That’s pretty selfish, don’t you think?”

Valerie listened and watched as Isabel gathered her things from the counter. She followed her into her room and sat on the bed while Isabel put every little thing back in its place. She even had a holder on her dresser for her sunglasses.

“So, you really don’t think it’s any different than all the other times?”

“Honey, the only difference is that you’ve stuck to your guns longer this time than all the others, and most importantly that he knows you’re seeing someone else now. He’s probably missing you more than he ever has before, and you can hear it in his voice. But I wouldn’t get my hopes up.”

Isabel was right, and Valerie knew it. She forced herself to get ready for her dinner with Luke. She remembered the way he kissed her today. She hadn’t felt much, but he definitely knew what he was doing. Maybe tonight wouldn’t be so bad.

*

Friday nights weren’t as busy as the weekend, but Alex was helping out in the kitchen because two of his cooks called in. This wasn’t the first time these two called in on a Friday night. He’d find replacements for those two bums soon enough.

He walked out of the kitchen and into the office. Angel was there, working on the computer. Alex looked around to make sure Sarah wasn’t within earshot. “Sarah here?”

Sal had told him, but that’s not what Alex wanted to know. “Yeah, he told me. I already made an appointment for the contractor to come out when it closes to give us an estimate on the work and how long it’s going to take.”

“Cool.” Angel turned back to the computer. “Valerie found us this place over by the marina for the restaurant. Sarah fell in love with the location. Check this out.”

Angel moved over so Alex could see the pictures on the screen. Angel scrolled through shots of an abandoned old seafood restaurant, but it was right on the marina. That’s usually all that was out there, seafood. Top quality too. Alex wasn’t sure how Well, their Mexican cuisine would hold up on the marina, although they did have quite a bit of seafood on their menu.

“The Marina? Isn’t that going to be pricey?”

Angel glanced back at him. “Valerie says we could get a good deal because it needs so much work. We’ll get a good price, but we’ll have our hands full getting it up to code. Best part about it is, it’s for sale. So, we wouldn’t be leasing. We’d be buying.”

Just hearing her name did things to Alex. He stared at the pictures a little longer trying to focus on that instead. The place was going to need a major overhaul. “What did Pops say?”

Angel clicked on a few more pictures on the screen, and Alex made small talk about the place. Then he finally walked away. He stopped just before walking out.

Alex frowned. He wasn’t one of those guys, so he wasn’t about to keep asking. If Angel knew anything, he’d tell him. He’d just have to wait until the rehearsal dinner.

He started back out when Angel spoke up. “I’m not sure, because she didn’t actually tell me, but I overheard Sarah on the phone last night. It sounded like Valerie was telling her about him.”

“Yeah, what did you hear?”

Angel looked up trying to remember. Something seemed to come to him but he hesitated. “I don’t think you wanna hear it, Alex. I know I wouldn’t.”

Alex squeezed the door frame. What the hell could he have heard? “Tell me.”

Angel shook his head and looked back at the monitor. “Only reason it caught my attention was because I overheard Sarah ask her something about wearing lingerie.”

Alex felt the hair on the back of his neck rise and his gut tightened. He banged his fist against the doorway. He didn’t need to hear any more. Angel was right that’s the
last
thing he needed right now. He charged back out of the office, infuriated with himself. Why the fuck had he asked?