“Exactly,” Michael said. “And I hated that. I just wanted to get to know you. You have to know that I never intended for things to go so far. When I sat down to talk to you, it was just to talk. I didn’t think I would like you so much.”
“Why did you talk to me at all?” I asked softly.
“I knew about your relationship with Josh,” Michael said. “I knew how he treated you, and I knew you didn’t deserve it. I can’t tell you how many times he pissed me off when we would talk about you.”
“I can imagine,” I said. “Joshua was never very kind when it came to me.”
“He told me about your breakup,” Michael said. “And then, there you were. Just sitting in the café. I was surprised, but I also couldn’t walk away. It was like a magnet was pulling me to you. There was nothing I could do to fight it.”
I closed my eyes and listened to his voice. Everything he said sounded perfect. It was exactly what I’d wanted to hear for days now. But I was scared. Terrified. The idea of getting hurt again was almost too much to bear.
“I’m sorry I lied,” Michael said. “It was wrong.”
“I think I understand,” I said weakly. “It wasn’t an easy situation.”
“That doesn’t make it right,” Michael said firmly. “I fucked up.”
“You really did.” I laughed.
Michael laughed with me, and soon, we were just talking. I told him all about Christmas with my family, and he told me about the trouble he’d been having at work. We talked for hours, steering clear of any more emotional topics. Instead, we laughed a lot and bantered back and forth just like always.
By the time our conversation came to an end, I felt lighter and more like myself. I still wasn’t ready to forgive Michael for everything, and I didn’t know where we stood, but I wanted to see him.
“When do you get back to town?” Michael asked.
“Tomorrow,” I said.
“Can I see you?” Michael asked. There was a hint of nervousness in his voice that made me smile.
“Yes,” I said. “I told you. I miss you.”
“I miss you, too,” Michael said.
“Well, tomorrow it is then.”
“Perfect.”
We said goodnight, but I stayed outside for a little longer. I felt relieved and more relaxed than I’d been in days. The promise of seeing Michael tomorrow was enough to bring a smile to my face. I didn’t know if we’d be able to pick up where we left off. Too much had already happened between us, but I was hopeful that, if nothing else, we could start over.
CHAPTER 28
Michael
Tuesday morning found me in back-to-back meetings. After losing the Richardson account, I couldn’t afford to slack on business any longer. Plus, after Julie finally called me, the weight was lifted off my chest. I could breathe again. My brain felt less foggy. I could focus without thoughts of Julie invading my mind. Just knowing I would see her later that night was enough to keep me going throughout most of the day.
“I’m glad we sat down,” Frank said when our meeting ended. “Good to see you, Michael.”
“You too,” I said. “Call me if you need anything else, all right?”
“Will do.”
Frank left my office with a smile on his face. He was my first meeting of the day and, soon, more clients were filing inside. I had Marcy hold all my calls and filter my emails to her account. For right now, there was nothing more important than taking care of my clients in person. I wanted to be perfectly free when I saw Julie later, and I knew I wouldn’t be if I was still worried about my business.
My meeting dragged on slowly, but I felt confident that everything was going well. By the end of the day, I was fl
ying on cloud nine. My remaining clients were all satisfied. Some even put in extra orders, and a few praised me for my holiday party.
“My wife had a blast,” Aaron said. “She was completely taken with that girlfriend of yours.”