“Yeah, I saw the way he had his hands all over you, and under your skirt.” He looked away quickly and no longer met my gaze. “Hell, I didn’t even know you liked beer. How do I not know that about you?” He laughed humorlessly and the pain on his face mirrored my own. There was an ocean of regret between us. Our relationship had become a failure the minute I gave up on being myself in order to become someone I thought he wanted. It only took me until now to realize that. I couldn’t resist wrapping my arms around him and he responded by pulling me tightly against him.
“Derek, I love you,” I said against his shoulder. “But our time is over.” I felt him stiffen before he let out a long breath.
“I don’t want it to be, JoJo,” he whispered against my ear. “But I think you’re right.” I felt a tear slip down my cheek as I mourned the loss of my dream life with Derek Vaughan.
What do you want, Josette?
Aidan’s words filled my mind. I thought about how he would ask— no insist, that I tell him what I wanted. The entire time I’d been nothing but myself with him, and I didn’t even have to try. I knew exactly what I wanted this time and all I needed to do was go after it.
****
After Derek left I looked up the address for Secure Point Systems and drove the ten minutes to the office. When I walked inside a girl sitting at the front desk greeted me with a polite smile.
“May I help you?” she asked.
I had no idea what I was doing there other than the fact that I needed to see Aidan. I wanted to tell him that I was free of Derek, and even though I had no idea where my life was headed, I wanted him to be a part of it. I only hope that he wanted the same thing. Except it felt crazy to just show up at his work with this revelation, but I was already here so I needed to follow through.
“Yes.” I cleared my throat as I stepped forward. “I am looking for one of your technicians, Aidan Ross. Is he here?” I asked as I looked around wearily. The girl’s eyebrows pulled together briefly.
“Um, I’m sorry are you looking for a technician or Aidan?” I considered her question for a moment as I tried my best not to look confused.
“Aidan Ross is the name of the technician that installed my security system,” I replied, and the girl’s eyes suddenly lit up with recognition as she nodded.
“Oh, right. That install a few weeks ago. That was an unusual circumstance. We were short a technician so he had to make the call himself. Aidan is not one of our technicians, but I am happy to get one scheduled for you if you are experiencing problems with your system.”
“Wait, if he is not a technician then what is he?” I felt panic rise as I did my best to control my voice as hysteria threatened. What if I’d been catfished this whole time?
“Aidan is the owner of the company,” she answered as she pointed to the hierarchy board above her head. Sure enough at the top of the list: Aidan Ross. Owner and CEO was listed next to his name. I immediately thought back to our conversations and whether he mentioned that he owned his own company, and I couldn’t think of a single time he’d said anything other than he’d worked here for five years. Why would he keep that from me? Was he keeping it from me?
“Josette?” I heard Aidan’s voice from behind, and I turned. “What are you doing here?”
“It’s over between Derek and me,” I blurted out. Aidan shot a quick look at the receptionist and charged forward.
“I can’t do this here.”
“But?.?.?.” I started to speak, but he was already gently guiding me toward the door.
“Not here. Not at my place of business,” he stated firmly.
“I had to see you.”
“You could have called me,” he said once we were outside.
He was right. I could have called him.
“I guess I haven’t been thinking clearly the past couple of weeks.”
“Oh, and now you are?”
“Yes.”
“And what conclusion did you come to?”
“That I’m not going to move to California,” I said as I watched his reaction, but his face remained impassive.
“Oh?” he replied. “So what are you going to do then?”
“Well, that depends.” I stepped forward until I was only a foot away from him. “I’ve got all of these feelings for a guy from Kentucky who installed my security system, asked me to go on five romantic rendezvous with him, and made me feel sparks.”