Breathless 3: In Love With an Alpha Billionaire (Breathless 3)

“Destiny, don’t leave,” Mama said as I blew her a kiss and walked out the door.

CHAPTER

6

Clara

Too Little Too Late

“Well, John, are you going to eat or what?” I asked as I watched him sit there playing with his food. In between moving the food around on his plate, his dazzling hazel eyes watched my every move.

“Yes, I’m going to eat. The food is delicious, by the way.”

“I can’t tell by the way you’re playing with it.”

“That’s because I have something to say. I’m just thinking of the best way to put it.”

“Well, you might as well say whatever it is. The clock is running out on our last meal.”

I pointed to the clock on my wall. I intended to give the old geezer thirty minutes to fill his stomach and clear his mind. Then, he had to get the hell out of my house and out of my life. That’s what I felt at the moment.

However, as far as his looks, he looked nothing like an old geezer. His jawline was refined, but it was still strong like it was when he was a young man. The same young man I fell in love with so many years ago. He had sprinkles of salt and pepper amongst his gray. He was still well toned with a pronounced build.

As handsome as he was, I couldn’t stand to look at him much longer. I had killed off the John I remembered when he left me and I was having a harder time than I thought I would with his revival.

“Clara, after I held you last night, it was clear to me what I’ve been missing in my life.”

If looks could kill, John’s ass would’ve been dead on the spot. I knew like hell he didn’t have the nerve to sit at my kitchen table talking about what he’d been missing. “So this epiphany came upon you last night, huh?” I asked.

“Yes, I miss you and I want you back.”

“Well, bravo!” I said, as I clapped in a slow and steady motion. “Clocking in at sixty five years old, you finally figured out what you want out of life. You should really give yourself a hand,” I added as I continued to clap.

“Clara, you don’t have to shoot me down before I get started, especially after the way you responded to me as I held you yesterday. Your body said the same things to me that it used to, when I touched you last night. Now, today you want to act as if it was all a façade.”

“You don’t know jack shit about my body. And I’m not the one who’s married and hitting on another person. You are the one who built a façade.”

“Why are you talking like that? You never talked like this when we were together.”

“Ha! That’s it. I’m not the same naïve virgin you met back in seventy two. You think you know me when you don’t. If you knew me, you’d know I’m a half a second from throwing these hot grits on you,” I said as my hand eased to the bowl that held my grits.

Listening to John profess his love for me brought my anger to a boiling point. I had forty years’ worth of pent up frustration that was ready to be unleashed upon the object of my contempt. He was sitting at my kitchen table ruining the tiny bit of peace I’d managed to weave alone.

“Clara!”

“Clara my ass, John. It’s time for you to go!”

“Clara, don’t make me leave right now. I want you to know just how sorry I am.”

“I know you don’t think I’m going to sit in here and listen to you go on about how sorry you are. On that, we both agree. Next topic,” I said, easing my hand away from the bowl and picking up the spoon. I scooped some of the grits and ate them.

“I’m a good man with a good heart who made the wrong choice. When I got to the biggest crossroad in my life, I went down the wrong road.”

“Is that right?” I asked nonchalantly.

“It is, and I owe you an apology. That’s why I will give you as many apologies as you need, for as long as you need to hear them. But make no mistake about it, I am the furthest thing from a sorry man and you know that.”

“I will not pretend to know anything about you, John. You’re practically a stranger to me.”