“What’s the condition?”
Her lips curved up into a faint smile. “Just promise me we’ll have separate rooms this time.”
Chapter 8
Her mother gasped. “Good grief, Heather, you’re only going to be gone for a few days.”
Heather frowned and stared down at her overflowing suitcase that had taken up most of the space on her bed. “Yes, but Linda told me that we’d socializing. Lounging by the pool. Drinking on the beach. That sort of thing.”
They were in her bedroom, which she had spent the day turning upside down in an effort to pack everything she needed for this trip to California. Heather had been packing all day Sunday for the upcoming trip, but she still wasn’t finished.
She started assessing everything in her suitcase, cross-checking everything with the list she was holding in her hand.
“Sounds more like a vacation than a work trip,” her mother murmured. “I must say, it sounds exciting.”
She gazed at her mother, who was busy helping her pack toiletries into a small bag.
“It does,” Heather said. “I’m still nervous, though.”
“Oh, Finn will be just fine, sweetie.” Her mother patted her shoulder gently. “Your father and I will take good care of him.”
“No, it’s not that. I know that Finn is in good hands with you guys.” Her parents always took good care of her son, spoiling him with affection. He was lucky to have such doting grandparents. “It’s the trip. I’m worried about how going on a trip alone with Simon will look.”
Her mother set the bag on her bed. “People are always going to gossip, sweetie. Even if the public hadn’t found out about your relationship with Simon, they still judge women in your position anyway. You know how people love to gossip about women close to powerful men.”
“Simon said something similar a few days ago.” Heather sighed. “I know how people gossip, but I was never the kind of woman people gossiped about.”
Ever since high school, she had just blended into the background. Most people didn’t notice her, and she liked that just fine. But Simon had noticed her. Even after he had become popular in high school. Even after he had become one of the richest men on the planet, he had noticed her. More than noticed her. Pursued her. Protected her. Then, he had betrayed her in the worst way possible. Her heart still hadn’t mended from that awful day. That awful day when he had told her he really thought she was capable of stabbing him in the back. Of spying on him and stealing his work.
The pain in her heart was still so sharp it hurt even worse than their first breakup all those years ago. The pain was so raw now. So much more acute. Back in high school, when Simon had broken up with her, she didn’t know it was to try and protect her from the stress of a long distance relationship. He’d ended things to follow his dreams which she knew he had the right to do. But his accusations hadn’t been about protecting her or chasing a dream. It had been deliberately cruel. And she had never envisioned Simon as a cruel person. That change in him had shocked her down to her core. Thrown her off balance.
But that didn’t stop her from yearning for him. When he had made the offer to come to California, she had projected an air of confidence to hide the fact that she missed him so much she could barely stand it.
Her mother sat down on the bed and motioned for her to sit down. Heather sat on the edge of the bed beside her mother.
“I know you’ve been under so much stress.” Her mother reached out to smooth her hair the way she often did to soothe and comfort Heather. It was working. Heather already felt a tiny bit stronger. “It’s hard to work at such an elite company.”
“You’d think I’d be used to it by now after all the stuff that went down at VLA,” Heather said.
“I don’t think anyone ever really gets used to challenges, hon,” her mother said. “What matters is how you deal with them. And I think you’ve been handling all this stuff remarkably well. You’ve had to deal with the media and your feelings for Simon, which can’t be easy. I remember how hard the earlier breakup was on you. Not to mention you have to deal with how horrible Gary has been to you.”