Modern Girl's Guide To Vacation Flings (31 page)

Matt woke at four in the morning with a pounding headache. Jet lag was a bitch. He'd been back in Chicago for almost a week and his sleep schedule was still screwed up.

At least that's what he kept telling himself. It had nothing to do with the raging hard-on the lingering dream of Beth had brought, or the ache in his soul.

Fuck! He needed to stop obsessing about her. It was his own damn fault he was tied in knots. She'd been clear from the start that she was just looking for a good time. It may have taken him a long time, but he'd gotten the message, loud and clear.

His apartment felt unnaturally empty after his trip. The soft light from the city flooded his bedroom through the floor to ceiling windows and he didn't bother to turn on the lights as he shuffled to the bathroom. There was no way he was going to tempt sleep again, and tempt seeing her in his dreams. He had plenty of work piled up from his trip to keep his mind occupied and out of his empty bed.

With a pot of coffee started, he logged onto his laptop. Waiting for him like a live bomb was an email from Holly with "Photos" in the subject line. He hadn't said anything to his family. Beth had talked often enough about meeting her cousin in Spain and about her next assignment out of the country. It was as good as any explanation for her absence and his sour mood on the trip home. His family made their assumptions, and that was fine with him. The less he had to explain the better.

But not telling them she was gone for good meant they kept bringing Beth up, and now, sending him photos. Every bit the masochist, Matt clicked on the paper clip and opened the attached album. There she was in full color and not just the faded memory he'd conjured in his sleep. There were photos of her with his niece and nephew at the pool, with his mom at dinner, and the photo they'd taken at the anniversary party. He immediately dragged the photos to the recycle bin and deleted the email. He'd tell them tomorrow. Perhaps, if he actually said they were over out loud, Matt would finally stop obsessing about her. Not likely, but he needed to try something.

After finishing off a pot of coffee and staring, unmotivated at the project files his assistant Kim had put together, Matt packed up and went into the office. Sitting alone wasn't doing anything for his peace of mind, so maybe interacting with his colleagues would help.

About an hour after he'd arrived, Peter knocked on his door. "How are you progressing on the Abode files?"

Matt looked up from his monitor and frowned. He'd just spent the last half hour meticulously tweaking the hexadecimal color code on the landing page, trying to capture the exact shade of blue Beth had worn their first night together.

"Go the fuck away, Peter." Matt pulled the slider all the way to the right, deciding the page should be green instead. "I'm not some intern you need to keep harassing every thirty minutes. I told you I'd have it done by Friday, and it will be done."

Holding up his hands, Peter walked into the room. "Fine. I won't ask again, but man, you need to check the attitude. You've been an asshole since you got back. This isn't like you. Even Kim is afraid to step into your office these last few days. Something on your mind?"

Peter was one of his best friends, but Matt wasn't ready to talk about it. Not with the wound so fresh. "Nah, I'm sorry. Two weeks with my family," he said, by way of explanation.

"So you're telling me this doesn't have anything to do with this girlfriend your sister thinks you have?"

"What? When did you talk to Holly?" he asked, glaring at Peter over the monitor. "Why the hell was she asking you about Beth?"

"She was looking for this Beth's email address. Evidently, there were some pictures of some shit. You should know that not answering your sister's calls isn't going to stop her. I'm not as brave as you. There was no way I was going to send her call to voicemail. That woman scares me," he said, settling into the office chair across from him. "Next time it would be great if you give me a heads up."

"Fuck. What did you tell her?"

"I told her you don't bring Beth around the office because you were afraid my manly charms would cause her to fall madly in love with me and leave your sorry ass."

"And what did you tell her when she stopped laughing hysterically?"

"She believed me. Actually, she didn't seem surprised that I had no idea who she was talking about." Peter pause a heartbeat and then pressed the issue. "So you going to clue me in or what?"

No use keeping it a secret, and maybe if he told Peter about Beth it would be like exercising his demons. Once he got everything off his chest, he might actually be able to move on. So Matt started with the plane ride.

"Hmm." After almost an hour of listening and that was all Peter had to say.

"So you can see why I'm pissed. She didn't even bother to say goodbye." Matt reached into his pants pocket and pulled out the leather strap with the carved charm that he'd been carrying around like an albatross. "All I have left is this fucking charm."

He stared at the necklace and all he could see was Beth. The way she'd finger it when she was nervous. How she'd lay across the bed naked, except for the leather strap around her neck. The night at the reception was only time he could remember her not wearing the thing, and now it was the only piece of her he had left.

"Screw it. I'm over the whole thing." With his anger finally focused on the right person, Matt tossed the offensive item across the room. Maybe he'd go to the roof tonight and set it on fire; cauterize the wound in his heart. "No use wanting something that isn't going to happen."

"I know what it's like to want someone you can't have. I gave up ever being with the woman I wanted. I'd like to say it gets easier but I'd only be lying to you. You should fight for her."

"That's a bit hypocritical," Matt said, the bitterness thick in his voice. "You say you know what it's like, but you don't seem broken up about this mystery woman of yours. Why should I fight for her? Wasn't your girl worth the fight?"

"My situation isn't the same," Peter said wanly. He got up to leave, but paused at the door. "But I can tell you one thing, if I was in your situation and there was a chance I could have her, I'd be on the first flight to Spain."

By five that day, Matt had failed to get anything but the most rudimentary work done and everyone in the office was still avoiding him. Something had to give.

Peter's words stuck with him for the rest of the day. Matt couldn't decide if he was a genius or if he was crazy to even suggest going after Beth. After replaying all their conversations, it was obvious she'd left because she was scared of getting hurt. Hell, she'd left him the charm her father gave her from Africa. That had to mean something.

Maybe Peter was right. Maybe Beth just needed that grand gesture to prove he was serious. At the very least, even if she rejected him, she'd have to say it to his face. He needed that because this 'what if' shit was killing him.

Matt called the airline to book a flight back to Spain. However, that was easier said than done.

"What dates did you need to travel?" the perky customer service agent asked.

"I want the first flight available from Chicago to Barcelona."

"Very good sir. Let me see what's available." After a few seconds the agent said, "There is a business class seat available leaving Monday at six thirty."

Monday? That was four days away. There wasn't a chance in hell he could wait until Monday. He'd drive himself crazy home alone, obsessing about this over the weekend.

"I need something right away. Isn't there anything leaving tomorrow? Check first class? I'll even take an economy seat or do a layover."

"I'm sorry sir. Monday is the earliest I have. I could put you on standby, but there's no guarantee. July is one of our busiest travel months, and it is last minute."

Here he was thinking he'd just go home and pack a bag tonight and leave this evening. Barcelona was a big port city, maybe he could fly into somewhere else and take a train. "Check another destination. Madrid? Hell it doesn't even have to be in Spain. I just need to get to Europe."

"Yes, sir. Let me check," the woman said, all the cheer gone from her voice. He heard the sound of keys clicking in background, filling the long silence, until finally she returned to the phone. "I have a flight leaving Chicago tomorrow afternoon at one p.m. flying into Toulouse, France. Would that work for you?"

"Yeah," he said, Googling the distance to Barcelona. A train would add another four hours to the trip, but that was doable. "I can work with that."

"Very good. What's the return date?" When he didn't answer right away the agent prompted again. "Do you need a return ticket, or will this be one way?"

He stopped looking up the train schedule, realizing he didn't know what the fuck he was doing. He wasn't exactly sure where Beth was staying. The only thing she'd said was her cousin had an apartment in the
Sagrada Familia
neighborhood. It wasn't as if he could just show up and in Spain and she'd be waiting for him at the train station. Barcelona had millions of people and the chances of him finding one apartment on a first name and neighborhood were slim to none. What the fuck was he thinking?

"I've changed my mind. I don't think I'll need that ticket after all."

Matt hung up the phone, feeling ridiculous. He wasn't that guy; the one that dropped everything and flew across the Atlantic to chase a woman. Peter was the one who'd put that stupid idea in his head. That wasn't Matt's style. He always been steady and focused. The planner of their group.

He might not know where Beth was right now, but he did know where she was going to be in a week. So, instead of heading to the airport, Matt opened a new browser window and started searching for the wedding announcement of Glenn Archer's youngest step-daughter.

Chapter 19

Modern Girl Tip #19: After—You're back home and flipping through your photos when a friend request pops up in your email. You might want to keep your fling tucked away with your souvenir novelty hat and collection of sea shells, and that's fine. But don't be afraid to keep in touch if that's what you both want. You never know, that impulsive one week fling might turn into something more.

Friday crawled at a snail's pace, but at least he was productive. Now that Matt wasn't obsessing about Beth, he was able to knock out the final drafts of the Abode Furniture's summer redesign by ten. That left him free to spend the rest of the day working on his own grand plan.

It was simple. The hard part would be convincing her that they could make things work, something he was more and more convinced could happen. All he needed was some time and a place where he'd have Beth's undivided attention.

The first part of his plan required some digging and social manipulation. He knew the wedding had put a strain on their relationship, but Matt could tell by the way Beth talked about her sister, they were close. So after a couple of hours of calling around to various friends and business contacts, he was able to track down the home number for one Doctor Robert Banner, Cardiothoracic Surgeon at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. It may have helped that Matt had been a major donor for the pediatric wing and his mother sat on a fundraising board.

He was betting that Robert and Sophia were like so many modern couples and living together. So when a woman picked up the phone, Matt hoped it was Sophia.

"Hi, you don't know me, but I'm friends with your sister Beth. Well, I'm not sure I'd call us friends, more like—"

"I'm not giving interviews about the wedding," she said, interrupting him. "Although, I have to give your points for bringing up my sister. Very original. Now, would you please stop calling. I'm getting married in less than a week and I have more important thing to do."

"Wait," he shouted. "I'm not a reporter. My name is Matt Carver and I need your help."

"Matt Carver?" she asked, and Matt could have sworn he heard recognition in that utterance.

"Yes, like I was saying, you don't know me, but I know your sister and I was hoping you could help me."

"Oh, I know you," she said on a laugh. "You and Beth made Sun Times Society page. Mom was pissed that Beth didn't tell her about you. She was, and I'm quoting here, mortified to have to find out from the gossip column. Turns out she's served on the Horticultural Society Women's Board with your mother for years, and she had no idea you two were dating."