“Hi, you’re Ana I take it?”
I nod my head and shake his hand. He has a nice black suit on with a blue tie. His hair is black and slicked back with perfectly aligned sideburns. My, he does look like Tom Cruise.
“I’ve heard so much about you. I’m glad we’re finally meeting,” I tell him as we make our way into the living room.
Unfortunately we never got round to meeting before. He was always so busy at work—or Jake and I couldn’t make it out for one reason or another—so it never happened.
“Me too,” Jerry answers. “You and Jessie seem very close friends, and I know she is very fond of you.”
“As I am of her,” I smile. “She’s been my rock.” He grins back, happy with my answer, and I gesture for him to make himself comfortable.
“Jessie’s just in her room getting ready. She’ll be out in a minute. Do you want me to get you a drink of anything while you wait?”
Standing tall, he shakes his head. “No, that’s fine. We have dinner reservations for seven, so we will need to get going soon. Thank you anyway.”
Curious, I ask, “Where are you taking her?”
“I have a friend who owns a restaurant near McLean. I’m taking her there.”
My heart constricts after hearing him mention McLean. That was my home until very recently. I try to fight my suddenly somber mood by forcing a smile.
“Sounds wonderful,” I reply.
Jessie then makes her appearance, looking as stunning as ever with her auburn locks and beautiful royal blue dress. I sneak a peek at Jerry’s reaction, and sure enough, he’s taken by her beauty. He’s smitten, and it’s great to see that for Jessie’s sake.
“Wow, babe, you look wonderful,” Jerry purrs.
She visibly blushes. I think that’s the first time I’ve seen Jessie blush. It’s a breath of fresh air.
“You don’t look bad yourself,” she replies huskily. “I see you’ve finally met Ana.”
He nods, looking in my direction. “Yes, I’ve had the pleasure.”
I return his smile as Jessie walks over to Jerry, giving him a deep kiss on the lips. I groan, “Oh, God, please! Get a room.”
She starts giggling into his mouth. “Oh, Ana, I fully intend to later.”
Once I hear his growl in return, I bring my hands up to cover my eyes. “Right okay, I think you need to leave now. Have a great time, and be good. Remember you have work tomorrow.”
“Yes, Mom,” she sasses back.
When I snap my head back at them, Jerry winks at me then pats Jessie on the backside, causing her to yelp and giggle again.
“Please just go! Go!” I shout, but I’m also laughing along with them.
I putter about for the next hour just waiting for time go by as I wait for Michael’s arrival. At around twenty past eight, I hear a knock on the door. I look to see who it is, and sure enough, it’s Michael.
He’s looking rather dapper with his navy trousers and perfectly pressed, white shirt. His hair is a mass of wavy, dark blond curls, and his smile is curved up in a way that would normally melt hearts. Unfortunately, mine is already broken, so it’s impossible to evoke any kind of reaction from it. Why can’t I just fall for a nice, uncomplicated guy who will respect my feelings? The only trouble is I don’t want nice.
I want Jake.
“Hi, Ana, you look lovely as always.”
“Thanks, Michael, right back at ya!” He lifts his arm up, brandishing a present. “Oh, Michael, you shouldn’t have.”
I welcome him into the apartment then sit down to open what he’s got for me. It feels unexpectedly heavy, so I sit down and carefully unwrap it. I place it on my lap and notice it’s another box. I lift the lid up, carefully unfolding the white wrapping sheets, and I stare inside. My eyes widen at the most beautiful figurine of a lady sitting tucked neatly in the box. Careful not to taint her in any way, I pull her out and inspect her more closely. Bronze in color, she has lovely, sleek flowing hair. With one arm up towards her chest and the other cradling her waist, she looks slightly to the side like she’s admiring something—or someone. She has the most alluring white gown that hugs her perfect figure. It trails down below her hips and flows out at the ends at her feet. It’s the most beautiful gift I have ever received. An unexpected tear rolls down my face. Michael notices and places his hand on my shoulder.
“Do you not like it? I can return it and get something else.”
I violently shake my head. “No way! This is the most precious gift anyone has ever given me. Thank you. She’s absolutely stunning.”
He smiles, satisfied that my tears are happy ones. “She reminded me of you, so it was a no brainer. I’m glad you like it.”
I lean over and kiss him on the cheek. “Like it, Michael, I love it! Thank you so much. I will treasure her … I promise.”
Excusing myself, I rise from my seat so I can check my makeup in the mirror. All is not too bad, so I just wipe away the tears, and reapply a few touches.
Sucking in a deep breath, I place the figurine gently on my bedside and grab my bag. I can’t help but take another long, lingering look at her beauty before switching the light off and heading back out to Michael.
“Do you want to talk about earlier? What happened?”
I let out a sigh before sitting down next to him. I knew this was coming, but I had been avoiding having to relive it all up till now.
“Remember a couple of months back when I came back to work, and some guy got a photo of me and put it in the newspaper?”
Michael’s lips thin into a hard line before answering. “Yes, what about it?”
“When I was out for a run, he cornered me—”
“Did he hurt you?” Michael snaps, interrupting me.
“No, nothing like that,” I reply, placing my hand on his, placating him. “He knew my name, knew about Chesterfield, and me being in hospital. He even knew that I’m not living where I was when Tony abducted me and knows my mum’s back. He doesn’t know she’s my mum yet, but he suspects she is.” I rub my forehead with my free hand, the stress getting to me. “He started asking questions about Tony and telling me about other women on social media who think I drove him to murder.”
“Fucking bastard!” Michael spits, fury written all over his face. “He can’t do that. No journalist can do that. Fuck, he’s got some balls.” He then twists his posture so that he’s facing me more. “First thing we must do is put a restraining order on his ass. That is straight up harassment, and he knows it.” I swallow hard, nodding my head. I had been so wrapped up in other stuff that I didn’t even think of that. Fuck, I’m so air-headed at times.
“He even went as far as traveling to Chesterfield to interview one of the nurses who took care of me.”
Michael’s eyes widen, and his grip on my hand tightens. “I hope she told him to fuck off?”
I shake my head. “I have no idea what she divulged. All I know is he got her drunk. He said, and I quote, ’She got a bit loose-tongued after a few vodka tonics’.”
“She’ll get fired for that. What’s her name?”