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“Aren’t we though?”
“Hey, sweetie, sorry I’m late.” Jess interrupted, placing her coffee cup on the table between them.
William and Addie stood, but neither of them took their eyes off the other. “Jess, this is William Hartman. William, this is my best friend, Jessica.”
William turned slowly towards Jess and extended his hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Jessica. Well, I really should be running, so we’ll finish this up later, Addison? Word has it you’ll be in the office today.”
Addison bit her lip. Fuck. She sank back in her chair and watched as William strode confidently out the door.
Jess cleared her throat, clearly enthralled with the show that had just taken place. “Yeah, okay, so I get it. That man is . . . Well, he’s even yummier in person. But what in bloody hell was that all about? I thought you ended it.”
Addie rolled her eyes and grinned. “Yeah, I did too.”
“Girl, you are so in over your head. You do know that, right?”
Addie raised her eyebrows, shook her head, and changed the subject to the only thing that made sense to say. “I asked Patrick for a divorce, Jess. My attorney is filing Wednesday.”
Jessica drew in a deep breath and reached for Addie’s hand. “He’s not going to let go easily, is he?”
“No, he’s not.” Addie replied as the tears spilled over.
Jess squeezed and smiled a little. “Hey, on the bright side, you’re not even sure which of them I’m talking about, are you?”
Addie shot her a look that could kill. “Ha. I’m afraid there isn’t a bright side in this situation.”
They sat in silence for a long while before Jess spoke again. “I want you to know that I’m here for you, Addison, no matter what. Always know that I’m in your corner.”
“I know. It helps.”
“Oh and you know there’s always a silver lining, right? Sometimes you just have to look really hard to find it.”
Addison finished off her coffee and smiled weakly. “Can I get that embroidered on a pillow or something?”
Jess winked at her. “I think that can be arranged.”
Addison walked the few blocks to her office, feeling uneasy, fairly certain that she was being watched. It was only a matter of time before Scott Hammons would strike again, and Addie knew she had to be preemptive.
Walking into the office, she noticed not much had changed, except the receptionist at the front desk, that is. “I’m Ruby. You must be Addison.” The peppy voice exclaimed.
Addison extended her hand. “Hi, Ruby.”
The peppy brunette handed over a stack of papers. “Here’s your itinerary for the day. Ms. Sheehan will see you as soon as you get settled in. Oh, and this was here left for you.”
Addie surveyed the stationery. Hmm. “Thank you, Ruby. Please let Sondra know that I’ll be ready for her in my office in ten minutes.” It’s best to play on home field if given the chance.
Closing her office door, she grabbed the letter opener and carefully sliced through the envelope. Addie impatiently pulled out the note, knowing exactly who’d sent it.
Dearest Addison,
You
were wrong about so many things, but I’ll start with this: I did want to hear from you, that day, today, and every day in between. I love you, Addison, and I know you love me too. But love isn’t always that simple; this I understand.
The thing is, Addison, I’ve spent a great deal of my life loving people who never loved me in return. I can see that you have too, and I think perhaps that’s just a small part of why I fell in love with you. Despite what you tell me, underneath it all, I believe that there’s a girl who, just like me, wants to love and be loved—she just can’t quite figure out how to go about it. I want her to know that the story doesn’t end here. She’ll figure it out. My greatest hope is that that we’ll figure it out together. I want that girl to know that all she has to do is to take my hand and jump. I’ll be her soft landing.
I realize that you need me to let go right now, just as you have asked. And so I will. But maybe in another life I will love you and you will love me back at the exact same moment. And time will stop for the both of us. I see us going on a grand adventure, and it will be more beautiful than anything either of us could imagine in the here and now.
I’ll end with this: I believe I’ve loved you before, Addison, in another time, in another place. And I will love you again. Just wait and see.
