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I square my shoulders, determined not to give him the satisfaction of winning this. I walk up to him and stop in front of him. He says nothing, and it makes it harder that I can’t read his expression. All I know is that he is staring at me.
“My uncle has explained the situation.”
“Good. I hope I won’t have to deal with you running to your uncle every time on this project when we face difficulties,” he says with a deadly calm voice. His subtle insult hits me, and I glare at him in annoyance.
“I don’t run to him. I needed clarification only he could provide, and that’s what I asked him for. I didn’t think you would have a problem with that,” I state while folding my arms and watching him.
“Good. Tyler said you were capable of handling this. I don’t want to believe otherwise,” he says. I clench my fists as I try hard to hold on to my control. I want to call him out for being unnecessarily insulting, but I restrained myself. Of course, I knew this is all part of his distaste for me. I wondered if this is how the project would go.
“Since that’s settled, let’s start going. I don’t intend to get fried under the Miami sun,” he says. I glance at the empty spot of the second car, the car that was supposed to take me. It seems he reads my expression because he says,
“Unfortunately, you will have to go with me to this. Mildred couldn’t wait any longer, so she went ahead,” he says. I arched my brows, not quite believing his girlfriend would leave me alone with him. She seemed like she would be glued to him the whole time. What happened?
“Does she know we will be going in the same car?”
“What else does she expect?” He retorts motioning for me to get in. Despite his reservation about me, he still acts gentlemanly. I walk slowly towards the door, trying not to savor his sweet scent. I get in, and he shuts the door. Two men in black suits sit in the front seats. The car’s interior is stunning, must have cost a fortune. Jeffrey enters through the second door, making me tense. I try to create distance between us.
The car starts moving, but it’s hard to ignore Jeffrey’s presence. He’s absorbed in his tablet, tapping his finger against his chin in concentration, just like Michael. It’s remarkable how similar there are. I force on the busy road, similar to New York. I glance at Jeffrey, but he doesn’t even acknowledge me. It hurts, but I push those thoughts aside. Hopefully, I’ll be able to erase him erase him from my mind completely.
Thankfully, the drive comes to an end, and I’m awestruck by the beach house before me. ends, and my jaw almost drops when I see the beach house. It’s stunning, expansive glass house that captures my attention. I glance at Jeffrey, wondering if he truly owns this. Even from inside the car, it’s clear that this is pure luxury. As Jeffrey exits, I reach for the door, but he beats me to it and holds it open.
“Thank s,” I mumble as I step out of the car. He doesn’t respond before shutting the door.
He takes a moment to set things straight. “Miss Landon, let me be clear. I’m not doing you any favors. Our presence here is solely for business, and once we’re finished, we go our separate ways. It shouldn’t be hard for you considering how you tend to leave people behind when you’re done with them,” he says, striking a nerve. I know that’s what he believes but there’s no points. as soon as he finishes, he walks straight to the beach house. I notice an elderly woman in a uniform waiting at the entrance. They exchange a few words before he goes in. His words linger in my head. I wish I could explain what really happened, but it’s pointless to reopen old wounds. We’ve both moved on or rather, he has. Telling him wouldn’t solve anything. It’s just another reason why I need to stay as far away from him as possible.
10
PHEBE
"Arghhh," I groan as the consistent beeping sound of the alarm I've set filters into my ears. I reach out to shut it off without opening my eyes.
"You've got to be kidding me," I mutter with a frustrated sigh as I unintentionally push the alarm on the floor. That's the cue I need to sit up. I stare at the alarm on the floor with distaste and pick it up. I'm grateful for the silence that follows once I turn it off.
I lean against the bed and breathe a sigh of relief. I glance around room I'm staying in, and memories of the previous day flash through my mind. I hadn't expected Jeffrey to insist on allowing me to stay at his beach house. I thought he would just let me to stay at some hotel. I don't know what's happening in his head because everything about him seems different. He's calmer and smiles more often than I've seen him do since we last met.
It's 7:15 am, and I need to get ready. I gasp as another realization sinks in. My phone beeps, and I smile when I see it's Aunt Maryann calling. We haven't spoken since our last chat.
"Hello, Aunt Maryann," I greet her with a smile.
"Oh, Phebe dear, how are you?" She asks.
"I'm fine, and you?"
"I'm good."
"Oh, I had no idea you were out of town. You’ve barely settled in and now you’re out again. I hate Tyler for doing this," Aunt Maryann says, causing me to smile.
"It's not a big deal, besides, I won’t be gone for long. It's just a business trip."
"Still, he should have given you more time to settle in before this," she says.
"It's nothing. Besides, this is an important business deal," I reassure her.
"Of course, you would defend him," she says.
"Technically, he is my boss now, and a very good one at that," I tell her, and she chuckles. Silence descends, and neither one of us says a word.
"I know you asked me not to bring this up, but I can't help but worry about the things you said. Sweetheart, we need to talk about it. I've thought about nothing else but how I failed you."
