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They both look at me in surprise.
“Oh my God!” Beth says, hand on her chest. “Does he have a brother?” The three of us burst into a fit of laughter. I proceed to tell them all about Jake and the time we spent with each other.
Kelly does a quick search online, but it doesn’t materialize anything. I am guessing with his job, he ensures that he can’t be found; it is probably one of his security measures.
We continue our girly conversation about men, and then order pizza for dinner. By 7pm, we realize how much time we have wasted and need to get back to the event prep.
We spend the next three hours mocking up tables, cross-checking the florals, amending and going through the run sheet, confirming the band, reviewing the speeches, and finalizing the silent auction items.
I see on the list that Richard donated something to the cause, and I roll my eyes, knowing that he will be there. He has been calling me today, but as usual, I let his messages go to voicemail. I want nothing to do with him after his little visit to Hancock yesterday.
By 10pm, we are all exhausted and call it a night. I ensure Beth is in an Uber, since she lives on the other side of town, and I want to make sure she is safely home. Kelly’s husband swings past and picks her up, and they wait with me at the front door as I lock up the office and turn on the alarm.
I wave goodbye to them as I walk around the back of my building to my car. Even though I am tired, I have a spring in my step for the first time. I love event planning, hanging with my friends, and then of course, Jake makes me happy. I feel like my shitshow of a life is starting to come together.
As I turn the corner of the building, I stop short as I see Richard standing, waiting with another man right next to my car. I take a deep breath in. Not knowing what to expect, I slowly start walking toward them.
“Hey, sweetheart,” Richard says as he walks to me and leans over to peck me on the cheek.
I look at him in annoyance. “What are you doing here, Richard?” I say, really not wanting to play games with him.
“I saw the office lights on. We were about to come in. I am just out with an old work colleague and wanted to introduce you,” he says, like it is a Sunday afternoon and we ran into each other at the shops.
Sighing, I turn and look at the man standing next to him. Faking a smile, I put on my best acting abilities, because I was brought up with manners. “Hi, I am Isabelle, lovely to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you, Isabelle, I’m John,” he says, and we shake hands. He is a big man, short and overweight. He looks somewhat familiar, but I can’t place him, and I assume that I have perhaps seen him before at one of Richard’s work events.
I remove my hands from his and am a little unsettled by his gaze, which is now openly roaming my body, checking me out. I look at Richard, who is doing the same, so much so I actually look down at myself, thinking I must have dropped pizza on my top or something. But no, I am still all okay, they are both just dirty perverts.
I am starting to feel extremely uncomfortable, so I clear my throat to get their attention.
“We are heading for a drink down at the bar on the corner, why don’t you join us?” his friend, John, asks.
“Thank you, but no. I need to get home. I have had a big day and a long night, and I am exhausted. But you two have fun,” I say, trying to be polite not to piss off Richard, and just wanting to get in my car, lock the doors and get home.
Movement grabs my attention from the corner of my eyes, and I look over to Richard’s car, noticing a third man leaning against it, smoking a cigarette. His head is slightly bowed, but his eyes are penetrating and looking right at me. The feeling of unease I had has now exploded into panic.
I don’t feel safe, and I grip my keys in my hand, which is painful as they bite into my skin.
“Well,” I say in a shaky breath, “I will see you again soon, nice to meet you.” I start to walk, moving to my car, taking deliberate steps away from them.
“See you tomorrow, sweetheart,” Richard says, standing, watching me leave, and his gaze unsettles me. There is no love in his eyes. He is bitter and angry.
I get into my car and lock the doors. My hands shake as I try to put the keys in the ignition and start the car. I slowly pull out of the parking lot and put as much distance as I can between the three men and I.
Just as I pull out onto the road, my cell phone rings, and I practically jump out of my skin. I look at the name on my cell and seeing it is Jake, I breathe a sigh of relief. I press the button on my dashboard to answer it via speaker.
“Hey,” I say as calmly as I can, but I am still jittery.
“What’s wrong?” he says immediately. Clearly, I didn't do a good job of hiding my fears.
“Nothing, I’m fine. How are you, how is Boston?” I try to get the subject off me and onto him, so I can gather myself. I am still shaking like a leaf.
“Belle, what’s wrong, baby girl?” He has softened his voice, but I know he is concerned.
I blow out a big breath, but it doesn't calm me. I feel tears start to well in my eyes, but I don’t want to cry. I am stronger than this. Damn Richard, he is such an asshole for making me feel like this.
“I’m fine, I just ran into Richard and his friends.”
