AllFreeNovel
Share Us
ChapterTwo
“Remember, not everyone is traveling on the same wavelength as you are. It’s okay to treat your paths crossing as a chance meeting, but there’s no need to make it more than it is. Let them go; you’re saving yourself a lifetime of pain and regrets. Finally, always take care of you, and fight the urge to make the same choice that didn’t work the last three times you tried. You are special, and you’re unique. Own it.”
After the final word left her mouth and the camera was switched off, Andrea released a long, heavy sigh and slouched in her chair.
Her mind flashed to the conversation she’d had with her sister less than an hour ago. She’d been putting off going back to Oak Harbor, not ready to dredge back up the memories and the regrets they perpetuated. But she heard the despair in Cora’s voice. If she was honest with herself, she knew the moment had been coming. She needed to go home for her mom and to help with the inn.
Her phone rang just as she slipped her bag onto her shoulder. Balancing the device between her ear and her shoulder, she answered, “Hello?”
“Hi, darling.”
“Hi, Kathy,” she greeted her friend while exiting the building.
“I heard Tim didn’t take it well when you turned down his offer to be second vice president at SMW.”
Andrea released a small chuckle. “Took you long enough to call. I knew you would get a kick out of the drama.”
“You know me too well, darling— I live for the drama,” Kathy replied in a southern drawl.
Andrea shook her head in amusement.
“So, what happened? I only heard that he was in a sour mood for the rest of the day after you left his office,” her friend prodded.
Andrea released a long, tired sigh as the day in question came before her. “I’ve never seen him that angry,” she revealed with a swift shake of her head. She was still in disbelief that this was the same man that had been so instrumental in catapulting her fame in the social media stratosphere tenfold. “He literally called me an opportunist who screwed over the hand that stretched out to feed me for the next best thing.”
“He didn’t,” Kathy exclaimed, her voice rattling with shock.
“He did.” Andrea laughed. “He then went on to say that I would live to regret my decision, and when that happens, don’t think that he’ll be there to bail me out. Being a part of his company is a one-time offer that won’t ever happen again.”
“But he’s forgetting you were doing fine on your own,” Kathy reasoned. “You don’t need him, Andrea. He’s just salty because you turned down his offer to go out with him. That’s why he’s taking it so personally.”
Andrea sighed. “Well, it doesn’t matter now. I’m going home, and I think I might be there for a while.”
“Home as in back to Oak Harbor?” her friend questioned.
“Yes. My mom is not doing so well, and my sister didn’t say it, but she really needs my help. That means I’ll have to pass on a few of my clients to lessen my workload,” she explained.
“I’m sorry to hear that, honey. I hope it all works out. You can send a few of them my way if you like. I have a bit more time.”
“Thanks, Kathy. I appreciate it.”
“No worries. You go and visit your family. Give me a shout when you get back or if you come back.”
After hanging up, Andrea placed her belongings in the back of her Jeep, pulled out of the parking lot, and headed for her house.
Stepping through her front door, Andrea placed her bags on the console table in the hallway of her apartment and made her way to the kitchen. She poured herself a glass of the chilled red wine from the refrigerator and rested her back against the kitchen island to enjoy the slightly tangy, fruity taste as she swished it around the caverns of her mouth.
Pouring the remaining wine from the bottle into her glass, she headed for her bedroom and went straight over to her closet. She slid the door open before stepping inside and began packing.
After packing for the past half hour, she changed into her cycling gear and grabbed her bike from the guest bedroom before heading downstairs to her Jeep. Andrea had always needed to burn calories, whether it be with a run or cycling. She needed this ride; she felt overcome with emotions. She just needed to do something to clear her mind.
Andrea could feel the muscles in her legs tense as they guided the up and down motion of the pedals of her bike. The wheels yielded to the pull of the chain, demanding their movement and propelling the machine forward. She loved the freeness she felt as her lungs expanded and contracted from the fresh air that glided against her skin when she picked up momentum. She loved the resistance her muscles felt as her legs worked hard to keep the bike in motion and her body atop it— to her, the experience was far more exhilarating than strength training in a gym.
Where the trees thinned, she was blessed with the view of the planes making their ascent into the evening sky and those making their descent toward the runway at Ronald Regan Airport.
She stopped to rest a bit. She straightened up to look across the horizon as her thoughts switched to her daughter. An instant smile graced her lips as she thought about how proud she was of Rory. Despite not growing up with a father, Andrea wanted to believe that she’d raised her daughter well.
Her thoughts went to Rory’s father, and instantly, her mood changed as she remembered his call earlier.What had she seen in him all those years ago?
