"This is Alex Reid. I'm away from my phone. Leave your name and a short message and I'll return the call when I can."
A loud beep resounded.
"Alex," the voice was sexy and a little too familiar. "It's Annette. I need you to call me when you get this, baby. It's really important okay? No ignoring me to make me jealous or sad. I need to talk with you. Its business related and I know how much you love business."
The message ended and Jamie's stomach tightened. He was worried about her and Mark? That was the most ridiculous thing she'd ever heard. She only saw Mark when she was with Alex, and that had been a total of three times, maybe four with all they had going on over his father. She jerked her hand out of his.
Annette on the other hand was an old lover that just wouldn't seem to drop out of Alex's life. The thought of him calling the red-headed minx back left Jamie broken even farther.
“That was nothing.” Alex reached for her hand again. "Hey. Talk to me."
"Really? What do you want me to say?" Her voice was soft and laced with pain.
"Tell me that nothing is going on with you and Mark."
She snapped her attention toward him. "Is that a joke? Of course nothing’s going on! He's your brother, Alex. He's filing for divorce and having money problems. He wants a relationship with you and misses your father. I was just telling him that we were here for him. Excuse me for fucking caring for him. I'll make sure to steer clear in the future."
Alex sat quiet for a long moment. He sighed and spoke quietly, "I didn't know that, Jamie. I'm sorry. I was in the wrong."
The car stopped and she opened the door, moving away from him. "Yeah. You were. Have a great evening, Mr. Reid. Your PA will see you in the office tomorrow."
"Don't do this," he called after her, but she slammed the door regardless. All she wanted was to comfort him, to offer her a piece of her heart and all of her shoulder to lean against. Some good it did...
They were not meant to be together. That much was clear.
Chapter 9
She was still angry the next morning when she got up, but she tried to ignore it. They were meant to be together. They would just have to work things through, there was no other option. She wasn't interested in working for anyone else, and she certainly didn't want anyone else in her bed or in her life.
Her father texted to see if she would be able to join him for breakfast, and she agreed, though the thought of any more drama was a bit overwhelming.
She drove to the small diner he loved best as bitterness over the business trip with Alex tore at her. They were supposed to have spent quality time together the weekend before and again in Philadelphia, but they hadn't. Something always had to come up and as of late, it was him and his shitty attitude.
Getting out of her car, she slammed the door a little too hard, which got her a look from a young couple standing beside a nearby car.
"Sorry. Door sticks." She shrugged sheepishly and moved into the rich smells of maple syrup and coffee.
Her father stood and waved, the smile on his face a delight after the shitty night.
"Hey pumpkin." He moved toward her and pulled her in a warm hug. "Why are your eyes puffy?"
"Can you tell? I tried hard to get them to go back down, but I guess a long night will always show up in one way or another." She sat down and turned the cream-colored coffee mug over that sat in front of her. A waitress stopped by almost immediately. Jamie ordered chocolate chips pancakes with pecans and extra butter and her father got the same.
"Something’s wrong. Talk to me." Her father reached across the table and touched the side of her arm. "Guy troubles?"
"Always guy troubles." She fixed her coffee and let out a long sigh. "Let's not talk about me. Let's talk about you."
"Okay. Well, I wanted to see you to let you know that I'm filing for divorce. I'll be getting myself a place in the city, and it has two bedrooms, so if you need a place to stay there is always a room for you with me." He smiled warmly.
Jamie glanced up and really studied him, finding his complexion clear and healthier than she had seen it in years. His time with her mother had been good for a long time, but the last five or six years, he'd starting looking worse and worse.
"I'm glad. I’m sorry things aren’t working between you and mom, but to be honest, you look really good, Dad."
"I feel good." He lifted his arms in the air and stretched. "I'm sick of being beaten down and kicked around. I'm going to spend the rest of my days with someone that really cherishes me, or alone. I'm happy going at life by myself."
"Me too actually." She shrugged.
"You're too young to be cynical." He laughed and moved back as the food was delivered. "Wow that was fast."