at me. I shook my head and went back to searching for a flight out.
“ There’s a luncheon. Can you join us? ” Chased asked, completely ignoring Quinn.
“ Sorry, I can’t, but thanks for the offer. I’m looking for a flight out tonight, and I want to be packed and ready in case something opens up. Could you just take me back to the villa? ”
I expected Chase to try and persuade me to go with him to the luncheon, but to my surprise he simply nodded and instructed the driver.
We sat in silence the whole way. I wasn’t sure if Quinn was sleeping or passed out. When the driver opened the door I looked at him, but he didn’t move. Chase got out and gave me a big hug.
“ Thank you, for everything. I hope this isn’t goodbye. ” He had an irresistible boyish charm.
I gave him a soft kiss on the cheek. “ Milwaukee is a short drive from Chicago. The next time you’re in the Midwest, look me up. ”
“ Count on it. Later, then. ”
“ Later, Chase. ”
I watched as the limo pulled away with the hollow shell of a man who still held my heart captive.
“ Happy Birthday, Addy, ” I sarcastically said to myself. “ However will you top this next year? ”
*
I tried in vain to get a flight out that day. After succumbing to the reality that I wouldn’t leave Spain until the morning, I rummaged through the refrigerator and found something to eat. I also found a bottle of wine that Elena and I never got the chance to open.
What the hell, it’s my birthday.
After starting a fire in the pit out back, I settled into a patio recliner and watched the tide over a bottle of red wine. A few hours later, darkness surrounded me with the exception of a quarter moon and the few remaining embers in the pit. Standing with a slight wobble, the heavy numbness of the alcohol claimed my body. Looking down, I realized I was still in my dress.
“ This is the worst dress ever. It reeks of death and misery, ” I slurred to myself.
I unzipped the dress and clumsily stepped out of it. Wearing only my black bra and matching lace panties, I marched out into the sand. As soon as I reached the water’s edge, I tossed the dress into the endless sea. “ Adiós! ”
Turning around, I drudged through the sand back to the deck. I grabbed the wine bottle and went to pour more in my glass but noticed it was almost empty. I set the glass down, lifted the bottle, and tipped it back until the rest of the wine slid down my throat. With little regard for much of anything, I tossed the empty bottle in the sand and reached for the door. Instead of the knob, my hand grasped an arm.
“ Holy shit! ” I jumped back.
My heart was racing as I worked to focus my intoxicated eyes on the dark figure standing in the doorway.
Quinn.
“ What the hell are you doing here? ” I shoved him aside as I stumbled through the doorway.
My eyes screamed in protest when I flipped on a light to find my way to the bedroom. I fumbled through my suitcase on the bed until I found my short pink satin robe. When I returned to the living room, Quinn was standing by the French doors looking at me. He still had on his black suit pants, but his tie was gone and his shirt was untucked with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows.
“ You’re drunk, ” he said. It wasn’t a question because he knew the answer.
“ You would know, ” I threw back in an irritated tone. “ What do you want? ”
“ My fucker of a little brother locked me in the basement during the luncheon until I sobered up. ”
I grabbed a bottle of coconut water out of the refrigerator and unscrewed the top. “ Kudos to him, but that still doesn’t explain why you’re here. ” I guzzled down half the bottle. “ Especially since I. Don’t. Want. You. Here . ” I’d hoped the words would resonate with him, but from the look on his face I wasn’t sure if he even remembered saying them to me earlier.
“ I didn’t have much of a choice. After I was released from the basement, Chase and Mitch
“ There’s a luncheon. Can you join us? ” Chased asked, completely ignoring Quinn.
“ Sorry, I can’t, but thanks for the offer. I’m looking for a flight out tonight, and I want to be packed and ready in case something opens up. Could you just take me back to the villa? ”
I expected Chase to try and persuade me to go with him to the luncheon, but to my surprise he simply nodded and instructed the driver.
We sat in silence the whole way. I wasn’t sure if Quinn was sleeping or passed out. When the driver opened the door I looked at him, but he didn’t move. Chase got out and gave me a big hug.
“ Thank you, for everything. I hope this isn’t goodbye. ” He had an irresistible boyish charm.
I gave him a soft kiss on the cheek. “ Milwaukee is a short drive from Chicago. The next time you’re in the Midwest, look me up. ”
“ Count on it. Later, then. ”
“ Later, Chase. ”
I watched as the limo pulled away with the hollow shell of a man who still held my heart captive.
“ Happy Birthday, Addy, ” I sarcastically said to myself. “ However will you top this next year? ”
*
I tried in vain to get a flight out that day. After succumbing to the reality that I wouldn’t leave Spain until the morning, I rummaged through the refrigerator and found something to eat. I also found a bottle of wine that Elena and I never got the chance to open.
What the hell, it’s my birthday.
After starting a fire in the pit out back, I settled into a patio recliner and watched the tide over a bottle of red wine. A few hours later, darkness surrounded me with the exception of a quarter moon and the few remaining embers in the pit. Standing with a slight wobble, the heavy numbness of the alcohol claimed my body. Looking down, I realized I was still in my dress.
“ This is the worst dress ever. It reeks of death and misery, ” I slurred to myself.
I unzipped the dress and clumsily stepped out of it. Wearing only my black bra and matching lace panties, I marched out into the sand. As soon as I reached the water’s edge, I tossed the dress into the endless sea. “ Adiós! ”
Turning around, I drudged through the sand back to the deck. I grabbed the wine bottle and went to pour more in my glass but noticed it was almost empty. I set the glass down, lifted the bottle, and tipped it back until the rest of the wine slid down my throat. With little regard for much of anything, I tossed the empty bottle in the sand and reached for the door. Instead of the knob, my hand grasped an arm.
“ Holy shit! ” I jumped back.
My heart was racing as I worked to focus my intoxicated eyes on the dark figure standing in the doorway.
Quinn.
“ What the hell are you doing here? ” I shoved him aside as I stumbled through the doorway.
My eyes screamed in protest when I flipped on a light to find my way to the bedroom. I fumbled through my suitcase on the bed until I found my short pink satin robe. When I returned to the living room, Quinn was standing by the French doors looking at me. He still had on his black suit pants, but his tie was gone and his shirt was untucked with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows.
“ You’re drunk, ” he said. It wasn’t a question because he knew the answer.
“ You would know, ” I threw back in an irritated tone. “ What do you want? ”
“ My fucker of a little brother locked me in the basement during the luncheon until I sobered up. ”
I grabbed a bottle of coconut water out of the refrigerator and unscrewed the top. “ Kudos to him, but that still doesn’t explain why you’re here. ” I guzzled down half the bottle. “ Especially since I. Don’t. Want. You. Here . ” I’d hoped the words would resonate with him, but from the look on his face I wasn’t sure if he even remembered saying them to me earlier.
“ I didn’t have much of a choice. After I was released from the basement, Chase and Mitch
Similar Books
