Determined: To Win (Determined Trilogy Book 3) (8 page)

I jumped out of bed and threw on a dress, and then ran over to the bathroom to brush my teeth. Luckily, my hair didn’t look too bad, so I pulled it into a low ponytail and it actually looked artfully messy, like I’d planned it that way. I sent Elliot a quick text, letting him know I’d meet him downstairs in the garage, before grabbing my purse and running into the elevator.

Once on the bridge, I checked the time again and calmed down. It would be close, but it seemed like I was going to make it on time. I didn’t want to be late. Because of my general sense of responsibility, yes, but also because I didn’t want to be that person who, just because they were leaving, started giving up on the job. Our gallery was a small team, and we relied on each other. And they deserved that respect.

As luck would have it, I slid my key into the door of the gallery at three minutes to noon. I was just putting my things under my desk when the door jingled. I looked up. It was Kate, my replacement.

“Hey, hey, hey!” she greeted me.

“Hey, yourself! You’re in a good mood this morning,” I replied.

“I guess so! Why not, right? I mean, we’re alive, employed, life is good, right?”

I couldn’t help but be suspicious. Normally Kate was a bit more sarcastic than this. Today she sounded like a flower child.

“Okay, what’s going on Kate?”

“What makes you think something is going on?”

Uh, because you are smiling from ear to ear?
I raised an eyebrow and cocked my head to the side.

Kate took a deep breath and looked down at the floor and then back at me. “Okay, I’ll tell you, but you have to promise you won’t be mad.”

Okay, now she really had me intrigued. What could she possibly have done? I examined her face and then held up my hand. “Scouts’ honor. Now tell me. You look like you’re in love or something.”

She blushed. “Oh, no. Not love. But, uh…” She focused on the far end of the room, unable or unwilling to meet my gaze. “So you know your friend Greg?”

Greg? “My neighbor?” I squeaked, my eyes growing wide. No, she didn’t.

“Um, yeah. The one who came in the other week? Well, he came in yesterday looking for you again. And we got to talking…”

I felt a small twinge in the pit of my stomach and immediately recognized how wrong it was. I mean, I loved David. Craved him with every fiber of my being. Why was I reacting with jealousy to Greg? I mean, sure, he was cute, but that was it.

Kate must have continued talking while I had zoned out.

“Sam, Sam? Are you listening?”

I shook myself. “What? Sorry, yes. So you guys went out? That’s great.”

Kate looked relieved. “Oh, I am so glad to hear you say that. I mean, Greg said you weren’t—I mean, I wasn’t sure if … I didn’t want to…”

I managed a tight smile. “Kate, relax. I’m taken. He’s all yours. He’s not too old for you?” Kate was even younger than I was.

Kate shook her head and beamed. She was pretty taken with him. It was cute.

“So,” I said, redirecting the conversation, “what did you guys do last night? I mean, for a date?”

Kate gave me a play-by-play of their dinner-and-a-movie date while we unpacked a few shipping boxes. The date sounded innocent enough, and in a way I was glad to not have to worry about Greg anymore. I turned my attention to the work in front of me. The pieces for the show next week had all arrived, and we just needed to check their condition before dismantling the current show. It was a pretty laid back afternoon, and very few customers came in. We got lots of work done and before I knew it, it was dark outside and time to go home.

We gave Kate a ride to her apartment before jumping back onto the bridge to go back home.
Home.
I silently wondered when I’d get used to saying that. For now, it still felt like I was staying at David’s place.

12

As I crossed the threshold into the apartment, I could tell David wasn’t there. My stomach dropped slightly and then almost if on cue, my phone vibrated.

Need to work late. I’m sorry. I love you.

Seriously? I mean, I was pretty understanding of the demands of his job, but lately it seemed like it had gotten worse. Way worse. My mind immediately jumped to the blond. I wondered if she was with him, if they were eating takeout on his conference table. I felt rather territorial toward that conference table. It was the same conference table that David liked to take me on whenever I surprised him at his office. Well, except for this last time. Yesterday when I visited he didn’t even let me in the door.

I picked up the phone and dialed room service and ordered a hot fudge sundae. It was an exercise in defiance as much as comfort. David’s place was one of the twenty residential units in the hotel tower, and they enjoyed the same perks as the rest of the hotel guests. I knew Mr. Health-Freak would have frowned at my menu selection, but he wasn’t here now, was he?

I changed into what was quickly becoming my nightly uniform of yoga pants and a sweatshirt just before the doorbell rang with the delivery. Part of me felt like a stereotype as the attendant wheeled in the cart; me, a girl, clearly alone on a Sunday night, ordering an ice-cream sundae in stretchy pants. So I tipped them generously, my face on fire, and prayed for the elevator doors to close quickly.

I ate the ice cream slowly, savoring it as I watched a rom-com on HBO. Honestly, in different circumstances, it wouldn’t have been a bad night. But a cloud of discontent circled about me. Something felt off, and I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. David had been acting strange and busy with work ever since he asked me to move in with him. That coincidence hadn’t escaped me, but I tried once again to push the thought out of my mind. I knew he had asked me to move in with him because we had something, something special. I could feel the energy we had between us, and I knew he did, too. David Keith just wasn’t someone who did things because other people expected him to.

He told me when we’d first met that he was someone who was used to getting what he wanted. And if that was me, why should I argue? Yes, he wanted me here. Otherwise he wouldn’t have asked. I needed to forget about this morning and wait for everything to work out.

My phone buzzed around eight. I picked it up, hoping it was David, calling to say he was on his way, but it wasn’t. I slid the phone open to answer the call.

“Hey Mom.”

“Hey sweetie! How are you feeling?” I knew she was talking about my physical state, following the accident, rather than my current emotional one.

“Good, Mom. I’m feeling basically one-hundred percent. How is Erin doing?”

“Oh, she’s all right. We have an appointment with the specialist again tomorrow, and they’ll be able to check how well everything is healing. But she’s in good spirits. Dad is spoiling her with DVDs and ice cream.”

I looked down at my empty bowl and laughed. “Must be nice.” I’d give anything for the company of my mom and dad right now. David’s huge apartment felt very, very empty.

“I think she’s enjoying it. The trick will be making sure she doesn’t enjoy it too much. Anyways, I wanted to call and see how the first week at your new job went, hon.”

“Oh, right. It was good.” God, had it really only been that long? It felt longer. “We spent one day at the de Young, so I could get a sense of her taste, and then Friday I spent the day at her house doing measurements.”

“And that’s in Belvedere, right?”

“Tiburon.”

“Right. And do you like her? Your new boss?”

“Gina? Well, yeah.” I said, exhaling. “I mean, she’s no Curtis, but then who is, right? But she’s nice enough. She’s giving me a lot of leeway, which is cool.”

“That’s good, hon. When’s your last day at the gallery?”

“Tuesday.” Boy, I couldn’t believe it was so close.

“Already? Wow, that felt fast. How is everything with David? Is he excited for you?”

“He is. He’s been very supportive.” I paused, trying to decide whether or not I should tell my mom we were moving in together. I mean, both my parents loved David, but they were also a little more old-fashioned. When we all stayed together at my family’s cabin at Lake Tahoe, they insisted on separate bedrooms. I couldn’t figure out how to break the news, so I decided to wait.

“Well that’s good, honey. I’m so glad he encourages you. It takes a strong man to do that.”

I smiled over the phone. She was right. I was really lucky. I decided to save the moving news for another day. I had some time. After all, I hadn’t even scheduled the moving van yet.

“Well, I don’t want to keep you too long, hon. I just wanted to call and check on you.”

“Thanks, Mom. Will you text me and let me know how Erin’s appointment goes tomorrow?”

“Of course, Sammie. You take care now. Give our best to David.”

“I will. Say hi to everyone for me.”

“Will do. Talk to you tomorrow, Sammie.”

“Bye, Mom.” I pressed end on the phone and sat there for a while, watching the television continue on mute. I loved my family, even if they could drive me nuts occasionally. I made a mental note to try and get down to visit them sometime soon.

Later, I went to sleep for the second time in two days without David.

13

The sun woke me up the next morning. Cool, gray sunlight. I extended my arm under the blanket, expecting to find David next to me. But he wasn’t there. I looked up. His pillow hadn’t moved since last night and the covers were still tucked in. Where was he? Did he not come home? My mind started to race and as I started to look up, the door to the bathroom opened.

Thank God
. David was standing there, freshly showered, with just a towel wrapped around his hips.

“Hey,” I said, my voice still husky from sleep. “What time is it?”

He noticed me stir, and came over, sitting next to me. “Sorry baby, I didn’t mean to wake you.” He kissed me on the forehead and I inhaled deeply, my body instinctually taking in his scent. “It’s seven.”

“Is everything okay? Did you sleep last night?” I asked, looking him over. Despite the shower, he looked trashed. His eyes were red and had dark circles under them. Even the skin on his face looked dried out and worn.

He rubbed his eyes. “No. Too much to do. I just came home to shower and get a change of clothes. I’ve got to head back to the office by eight.”

“David,” I said carefully, “What is going on? You’re starting to worry me.”

He looked down at me, his expression carefully guarded. I could tell he wanted to say something. I sat up against the headboard.

“Please. You are working around the clock. Clearly, you’re exhausted. If you are going to put yourself through this, I need to know it’s important and that you are okay. Or that you are
going
to be okay. It’s only fair. What if I suddenly started disappearing for days on end? You would feel entitled to know what was going on, right?”

He closed his eyes and took a breath. I couldn’t tell if he was angry. I braced myself.

“You’re right, Samantha.”

I swallowed and nodded, encouraging him with my eyes. “Tell me. Please.”

“I can’t tell you everything, for your own good. But it’s Brian.”

I swallowed again. “So what’s happening?”

“I can’t say.” His voice was soft. It was the voice of a man who had been exhausted from battle.

“You can’t say, or you won’t say? Why? Are you in trouble? He’s not back, is he?”

David shook his head slowly. “We aren’t sure. He’s doing a damn good job of covering his tracks. Every time we get a handle on him, he slips away.”

This was very troubling. Brian was taking David’s attempt to buy his company as a personal affront, and was fighting back with more than just business prowess. He had already demonstrated that he wasn’t limiting the fight to lawyers and courtrooms.

“Are we safe?” My thoughts immediately went to my sister. Even having a security detail hadn’t kept us safe.

David pulled me in by the shoulders and rocked me gently. “Don’t worry. I am doing everything in my power to keep you safe, Samantha. There is no way he is going to get to you. There is no way I will let him. Do you understand? No way. I need you to trust me. I will take care of this. Just give me a few more days.”

I pulled back and looked at him in the eyes. Those poor, sweet eyes. The normal heat I felt had been replaced with desperate longing and exhaustion. I wished I could press the fast forward button and skip past all this for him.

“Just promise me you’ll be safe,” I whispered. I fell back into him, and he wrapped his arms around me.

“I will baby. I will.”

David left soon after, but not without leaving a kale smoothie for me in the kitchen. As soon as I saw it, I realized I had completely forgotten to ask him about the woman I saw him with. I tried to put it out of my mind. I needed an answer but I also didn’t want to stress him out while he was dealing with Brian. I grabbed the bright green liquid and meandered around the apartment, feeling a little listless. I had to volunteer at the children’s center, but that wasn’t until the afternoon. I wandered slowly from room to room, taking stock of my new home. David’s fortress in the sky.

I passed David’s empty office. I padded in quietly, and sat down at his desk. The chair was very simple looking but extremely comfortable. I sat there for a few minutes, drinking my green sludge, taking in the office from his perspective.

I glanced down at the picture of us he kept on his desk and smiled. I liked that I was the one piece of color in the entire space. I ran my hand along the desk, knowing he had rested his hands there countless times, and then I scolded myself. Was this what I had been reduced to? So desperate to be close to him, that I’d settle for residual skin cells? I glanced around the office. It was clean. Very clean, actually. I pulled at the drawers of his desk. They were all locked except for the top one, which contained a plastic organizer, filled pens, paperclips and other miscellanea. I ran my fingers over the office supplies, expecting nothing of consequence, when a glint of silver toward the back of the drawer caught my eye. I pulled open the drawer. Sure enough, halfway buried between a set of black ballpoint pens was a thin silver chain. I pulled it out of the drawer and held it in my hand. It was the Celtic knot necklace that David had given his college sweetheart, Sara, as an engagement present. I stared at it, as if it held a magical power. And in a way it did—over me at least. During the first month of our relationship, I had struggled to trust that David was interested only in me. After all, he had women fawning over him every time we went out in public. But despite my reservations, he convinced me that what we had was special. That I was different than anyone who had come before. So when I found out that David had been engaged, I felt like someone had sucker-punched me in the gut.