I entered the house to see Melinda walking downstairs in a sexy blue wrap dress. She was meeting her husband for dinner and that was in part what we made our plans around. I told her to have a good time, and she hugged me as always. I loved this family so much. When she was gone, I went to take a shower and dress for my own date, singing softly in the shower.
I left the bathroom wrapped in a towel, jumping when I saw Remy sitting on the bed. He was staring at the floor and I frowned at him as I dried my hair. “Rem? Everything okay?” I asked as he lifted his eyes to look at me. He looked exhausted.
“It was a weird day at work.” He replied as he ran a hand through his hair.
“Are you still up to dinner?” I asked as he seemed to consider the question.
“Yeah. We need to talk.” The words chilled me, and I froze as he glanced at me. “It’s not bad, not like that. I just have to tell you what really happened in Seattle and why I left. The past has come back to haunt me.” His face looked drawn and pained as I bit my lip. “Get ready. We’ll go to that seafood place you like.”
I returned to the bathroom and ran some product through my hair before walking to the closet. We had the room set up for both of us now, sharing the generous closet and adding a desk in front of a window where I could work if I needed to be alone. I loved our space, but I dreamed about decorating an entire house someday. I glanced at Remy as I pulled out a gray sundress that brought out my eyes and a thin cardigan. His tie was loosened, and he stood to walk into the bathroom wearily as I shivered.
I didn’t think that he was going to break up with me, but Remy was concerned about something. When he was done in the bathroom, I walked in to change into my clothes and add a little makeup to look less like a porcelain doll with my pale skin. I slipped my feet into some sandals and glanced around to see that our room was empty. I walked downstairs and found him in the kitchen, drinking some water. “I’m ready.”
“Okay.” He rinsed the glass and set it in the sink before walking towards me, pulling me against him. “I love you so much.” He pressed his face to my still damp hair and breathed me in as I wrapped my arms around his waist.
“I love you,” I breathed, realizing we hadn’t said this before. We knew it and acted on it, but there was something heavier in the air tonight. Remy found my lips with his, pressing against me in a searing kiss that made my knees shake.
We left to go to town, pulling into the little parking lot of my favorite place. It was a nice building but little and I loved the intimacy about it. The food was amazing as well. When we walked inside, the hostess seated us against the window and I looked at Remy. “I’ll drive home. Have a beer or two.”
“Thanks. That sounds great.” He replied, and I nodded. He waited until dinner before staring at me for a moment. “We had an interview at work today for the position that we need to fill.”
“That’s good, right? You’ll be working less?” I asked as he nodded. He’d be home more and hopefully with more energy.
“It is. Of course, it is. The thing is… I need to start this from the beginning.” Remy tucked his napkin in his lap and sipped his beer. “I left Seattle because I had a girlfriend and I had a business partner. Everything was great though I wasn’t anywhere near as crazy about her as I am you.” I forced a smile, waiting for more. “Anyway, I caught them together a little bit into setting up the firm with Ian. I could tell that it had been more than once or twice but that didn’t matter to me. What bothered me was all the work I put into our firm. The hours, the mental and physical exhaustion, and above all that I felt guilty for not seeing Amy enough through that. Seeing them together was like a slap in the face for me.”
“What happened?” I asked softly as he looked at me.
“We fought. Her and I. Him and I. I ended things with her immediately and packed what I needed, taking it to a hotel. I tried to talk to him about the business and he pulled the plug on it. He said he’d run it himself from then on and offered to buy me out of it.” I frowned. “I accepted his offer. Things were too ugly, and I couldn’t stand the sight of either of them. He told me that he was going to black ball me in the industry, so I’d never work again. Ian was one of my closest friends. We met in college and had such plans together. It was a fucked-up way for things to end.”