Take A Chance_Be A Doll Spin-Off Novella Page 4

  Time and distance. Maybe that would help.

  ***

  CHANCE

  Playing cat and mouse with your fucking best friend at work when he’s your boss because you’re so fucked up in the head from his little sister’s love declaration wasn’t easy. Damn, it was quite insane and gave me frazzled nerves.

  These past twenty-four and some odd hours had been intense and made for enough stress that I considered asking for a leave of absence to properly get out of my head that fucked up lunch break with Megan. But asking for a leave of absence would be suspicious to Mathis who knew me too well. It wasn’t like I could barge into his office and spill Megan’s feelings for me and how I hurt her without meaning to.

  Winning Mathis’s trust took an eternity, and while our friendship had been going for a really long time and we had shared a lot over the years, it wasn’t conventional. Mathis wasn’t the kind of man to call me to unload some shit going on over a few drinks and in turn, I wasn’t that kind of man either unless it was to share sex stories with him and have a good laugh over our shared viewpoint on relationships and sex.

  Until he decided to marry for the sake of his business with a woman he basically purchased. I had thought it wouldn’t change the man, but I came to realize that marriage, even an unconventional one like Mathis and Lila’s, changed things. For instance, Mathis seemed pretty much obsessed with his wife, and it left me to my own device, now so fucking worried over Megan that I had no idea of what to do with myself. I didn’t even return the dirty texts from that woman from the wedding yesterday or today which ended with one last text that only held one word. Asshole.

  I rubbed my eyes and closed my laptop’s lid just as my assistant packed her things and left with a wave for me.

  I’d usually say something flirty just for the heck of it, but this time I kept my mouth shut and ignored the curious look on Alicia’s face. I was so out of it that I couldn’t find it in me to stand up and leave, not when Megan’s tearful brown eyes kept on appearing whenever I closed my eyes or blinked. She was every-fucking-where!

  Shaking my head in annoyance at myself, I snatched my cell from my desk and then stopped myself. “You fucking moron,’’ I cursed myself aloud and rolled my eyes.

  I had Mathis’ phone number. His mother’s and even his father’s, but I didn’t have Megan’s number.

  I rubbed my forehead and cursed again. I’ve known Megan since she was a gangly teenager, but I didn’t have her number. At that very moment, right when I had convinced myself I’d text her to check up on her, I ended up with the realization that before yesterday, Megan had never registered on my radar. Not even as a friend. She had always been Mathis’ little sister, someone I felt only obligation to salute when I saw her because I was polite and for respect for my best friend.

  That made me an asshole and a self-centered bastard.

  “Chance.’’ Mathis’ voice coming from my office’s open door made me straighten up and push away the guilt plaguing me. When I took in my best friend’s usual closed off face and his harsh stare, I sweat under my perfectly tailored suit. In fact, at that moment as I imagined the kind of hell I’d be trapped in if or when he heard of what happened with Megan, I wanted to undo my tie and chuck it away to breathe easier. “What is it? Don’t fucking tell me there’s something wrong with Tober—‘’

  “No, no,’’ I cut him off and pushed my back further into the chair, the only movement I dared as I schooled my face to my usual easy-going smile. “You should have married old Tober instead of your wife if you’re so obsessed.’’

  Mathis’ glare was famous in the business world and beyond. It often made people shake in their boxers, but I was immune to him, or so I thought before Megan came into the picture.

  “Shut up,’’ he grumbled darkly and then checked his watch. If it was possible, his mouth flattened further. Damn, his little wife did a number on him. My smile turned more genuine as amusement filled me and pushed away the tension that had been a constant this past day. “I’m leaving now. If there’s news about Tober and his company I want you to let me know ASAP. We need to stay on top of this shit or else that marriage was for nothing other than to please my mother,’’ he bit out and then without waiting for an answer, turned around. “And whatever has you twisted into knots, get it over with. You’re usually better at handling your women.’’

  I blinked at the empty space where my best friend had been standing and then cringed.

  If you only knew it was about your sister, man.

  Absentmindedly, I snatched my phone and noticed Facebook notifications. Silently berating myself, I perused my Facebook feed and stopped on Megan’s status posted merely fourteen minutes ago.

  Sometimes you need space to put things into perspective. Doesn’t hurt when you have family in a foreign country. #ParishereIcome

  Shit.

  She was leaving.

  And that didn’t sit well with me.

  Two months later…

  MEGAN

  “I’m so happy you’re back in New York, ma chérie,’’ my mother repeated for the third time since she came to get me at the airport with my brother’s driver. She sipped her tea with all the elegance she’s tried teaching me growing up, but I lacked her refined way of moving and her natural grace. I was more simple and finally ready to accept that about me. It only took a heartbreak and two months of self-imposed exile in France to visit family and heal to come back and feel better about myself and my choices. It didn’t make the idea of seeing Chance again easy or inconsequent, but I was ready, and I accepted that my feelings for him weren’t to be ashamed of even if he would never see me as a woman he could feel something for or be attracted to. That distance helped tremendously.

  “Me too, maman.’’ I nibbled on a biscuit and smiled at her. “I Facetimed Lila yesterday and it’s crazy how Mathis has changed already. They look happy.’’

  “Oh that boy,’’ she said and dramatically rolled her eyes, but the smile stretching her mouth wide told me how happy she was for Mathis. He seemed to shed his long erected walls. “Nothing is easy with him and I’m sure Lila has her work cut out for her, but he’s back.’’ She leaned over and caressed my cheek softly. “I have my two children back now that you’re here.’’

  I placed a hand over hers and squeezed. “I needed that time away. I should have probably waited a little, but I was…’’

  “Sad and you didn’t want to see Chance. I understand, ma chérie,’’ she finished for me when I trailed off. “Your father isn’t too happy that you turned down that junior position at that ad company or whatever it was.’’

  “Tell me something I don’t already know. He believes that since Mathis who used to be a mess at school as a kid was able to study at Harvard and build an empire, I should be as ambitious and successful since I’ve always been a good student. The problem is I’ve been trying too hard to not be invisible to him. I’m over it.’’ I squared my shoulders and stared at my mother head-on. I had never verbally talked about my lack of directions since I graduated from college a couple of years ago. I’ve been navigating from one position to another, always in business and always so bored to tears I had never tried to make an impression as to step up the ladder. I usually ended up quitting to find another job that would hopefully, fulfill me, knowing inside that it would never happen as long as I was trying to do the right thing to finally get praises from my father. Even if we went about it differently, I believed that Mathis and I shared that too since Max died, even if for Mathis things ran a lot deeper and hurt a lot more than for me. Max was his twin after all, and I was too young to remember a lot about him. It didn’t mean I didn’t bear the scars our family had and the wounds that would never quite fully heal.

  “I won’t pressure you, Megan,’’ my mom said with a reassuring smile. “I know your brother is protecting us all financially with parts in some of his business, so I’m not afraid you’re going to run out of money, and you’re not one to spend tremendous amounts on silly things anyway. But I don’t want you to sit at home idle by either. It’s not healthy.’’

  “I won’t.’’ I took a deep breath and then linked my hands together on the table next to my empty cup of tea. “As much as it’ll disappoint Dad, I plan on getting involved with a few charities, as much as financially as with my time. I’m not made for a 9 to 5 desk job with soulless business. Mathis and Dad do that well, and I can’t thank them enough for their work because it gives me the opportunity to live off of their smart investments and the dividends I get, but it’s not for me. I’d rather invest in a few startup companies when the chance arises and give my time to worthy causes.’’

  I expected my mother to frown or express her worries, but instead, she surprised me by smiling brightly. “As long as you’re happy and you’ve made a choice, Megan. That’s all I’ve ever wanted. You seem a lot more grown-up than you were before you left.’’

  “That’s because I’m letting go of that stupid one-sided love that started way back. I’m ready to move on and be an adult.’’

  “It wasn’t stupid.’’

  “Holding onto it and self-sabotaging myself because of it was. But thank you for keeping it to yourself. I owe you and Lila for protecting that secret.’’

  She waved me off with her usual flourish. “We’re all family, ma chérie, and I don’t think we were ready to deal with Mathis now that he’s mellowing.’’

  We shared a good laugh then. It was nice to be home. It was time to let it go.

  ***

  CHANCE

  “You’re so mellow,’’ I said when Mathis checked his watch again. “Man, calm down. Lila is coming back to you. I swear ever since you ran after her to Boston you’re getting more whipped by the day. It’s disturbing.’’
br />   He gave me his signature glare then and flipped me off, something the dignified Mathis Grimes, cold-hearted and distant business mogul, would have never done before he got married.

  “Lila isn’t going to come home until dinner. She’s out with some woman she befriended at the orphan center where she volunteers.’’

  “Then why are you always checking your watch? We rarely spend guy time anymore so for once you call to have a bourbon at your place and you’re distracted, it’s kind of hurting my feelings, man.’’

  “As if. You’ve been off for months.’’

  “I haven’t,’’ I immediately countered and gulped the last of my bourbon, welcoming the sting of the alcohol as it went down my pipe.

  “Good thing you have an affinity with numbers because you suck at lying.’’ I went to protest, but he held up a hand to stop me. “I’m waiting for Megan. She’s back today. She’s having tea with Mom and then she’s supposed to stop by.’’

  “She’s back?’’ I asked quietly, the question flying out of my mouth before I could think better of it.

  Mathis arched his eyebrows and nodded slowly. “Yes.’’ Then, his eyebrows lowered as his dark eyes bore a hole into me. Shit. “Do you know why she up and left so suddenly? She fed me some crap about missing France and our aunt there, but I think she lied and I’m pretty sure Lila and my mother know what it was about.’’

  Shit. Fuck.

  Lila and Sylvie knew.

  Suddenly, my shirt’s neck constricted me, but I kept my hands in my lap, careful not to grip my denim-clad thighs as anxiousness hit me.

  “Why would I know about that? It’s not like your sister and I ever talked much.’’

  “Yeah, you’re right.’’ He sighed then and looked away. I was off the hook…for now. “I worry about her. She didn’t look good when she left, but yesterday with FaceTime, she appeared happy.’’

  “That’s good, man,’’ I mumbled and then tensed even more than I always did when the doorbell rang.

  Mathis jumped to his feet and almost ran to the door, something that shocked me as it showed how much he cared to see his little sister. It’s not that I had ever doubted his attachment to Megan and his family, but I’ve always known him to be standoffish and cold that it took me by surprise when he showed another side of him I had never witnessed.

  And there she was.

  I didn’t hear what Mathis said to her or what she replied. All I heard was her surprised laugh when he willingly hugged her. All I saw was her bright smile and her dancing chocolate eyes, the way her hair fell into thick waves around her face showing a pink hue that breathed life. And then, I saw the woman I had always missed wearing jeans so tight they hugged her delicate curves to perfection and a white v t-shirt that exposed her discreet yet tantalizing cleavage.

  She was all woman and happy.

  Until she noticed me standing next to the couch in the living room with my hands in my jeans pockets.

  Her smile diminished and her eyes didn’t stay on me long enough to tell me if she was still in pain after that damn lunch break. Instead, she risked a glance at her brother who was walking back to the armchair he had occupied earlier while checking his cell for a text from Lila considering the lovesick smile he had on his face.

  “Hi, Chance. Sorry to interrupt guy time,’’ she said, her voice even and betraying nothing of what had happened. She talked to me exactly as she had always talked to me and… Fuck, it bothered me.

  I had spent months thinking about Megan, worrying about her without having the possibility of enquiring about her without risking exposing what had happened, and here she was without a damn care in the world.

  “He didn’t know you were coming back today,’’ Mathis said. “Come and sit. How was your flight?’’

  I had to fight against the urge to frown at the Grimes siblings, but I remained quiet and watched as Megan sat on the couch opposite to the one I was on.

  “The flight was a pain, but at least we didn’t have more than thirty minutes of delay. That’s something.’’ She shrugged her tiny shoulders and smiled at her brother, visibly happy to be reunited with him. “Don’t give me your usual Mathis certified glare, but it’s so odd to see you so…’’

  “Mellow?’’ I supplied when she trailed off, earning a chuckle from her that hit me in the chest and a scowl from Mathis that we both answered to with grins.

  “Oh, shut up with your mellow shit.’’

  “There. That’s the brother I know,’’ Megan egged him on, but instead of getting herself another dark look, Mathis cracked a smile. Well, it looked more like a smirk, but at least it reached his eyes contrary to the empty smirk he used to serve us all.

  “Alright then,’’ I began and pointed at Megan and Mathis. “I’ll let you two catch up.’’

  “Hot date?’’ Mathis asked carelessly. My eyes went to Megan who was now typing on her phone without paying us any attention. She didn’t look interested in the least or bothered.

  “Hm… No. I’m heading home to review a few files.’’ I rubbed my forehead and then went to Mathis to exchange our usual firm handshake and pat on the shoulder. Megan then looked up from her phone and smiled at me with polite parting words. Nothing more.

  CHANCE

  I wasn’t proud of myself. It was ten at night and I was outside of Megan’s door, weighing the pros and cons of knocking after stalking her on Facebook knowing she said that she was finally at home and all. I was supposed to be at my place or better yet, I should be balls deep in a woman, but instead, I had spent the evening thinking about her and wondering how come she could be so chill when we saw each other earlier today.

  I needed answers.

  I needed to apologize for hurting her.

  I needed to see her and I’d rather not think about the reasons why.

  Finally, after starting to worry that a neighbor would call the cops on me for staying there outside of the door without doing anything, I finally knocked. Megan’s building wasn’t anything special, and in fact, before I managed to find her address through paperwork at work, I would have never pictured her living here. After all, the Grimes family had always been well-off contrary to my blue-collar family, so I expected her to be living on the Upper East Side or another neighborhood with high priced apartments. Instead, she lived in a nondescript building that needed a good refreshment and probably a new elevator. The damn thing made so much noise I was sure it’d never reach the fifth level.

  The door opened slowly and then Megan appeared, wearing the same clothes as I’d seen her wearing at her brother’s earlier. Her eyes bore into mine, curious and unsure.

  “Hey,’’ I said and started rubbing my forehead nervously.

  “What are you doing here?’’

  I glanced at the three other doors in the hall and then risked a look above Megan’s shoulder in the quiet apartment. “Can I come in? I’d like to talk.’’

  “Talk. About what?’’

  Taken aback I frowned down at Megan. “You’re not going to let me in?’’

  She blew out some air as if already over this and then crossed her arms over her chest. That only drew my attention to her breasts. I gritted my teeth and forced my eyes away.

  “If you’re here to talk about what happened that day, it’s pointless.’’

  “It’s not.’’

  “Of course, it is, Chance. Oh come on,’’ she went on, her voice losing the disinterested tone she’s been using and instead, icing me with a biting one. “I told you I had been holding a torch for you and you don’t feel the same. There’s nothing else to talk about, and I don’t blame you for not returning my feelings. It’s fine. I’m fine. Stop looking at me like I’m going to break down at any moment.’’

  “I’m not looking at you like that.’’

  “Yes, you are.’’ On another sigh, she stepped away from the threshold. “Come in. Let’s not do this out there. Mrs. Crowsky is a nosy old lady and a real gossip to boot.’’

  “What?’’ I asked as I stepped inside her small apartment. In two steps I was already in the cozy living room where it was obvious Megan had been sprawled on her couch to watch TV. The colorful patchwork plaid comforter was half on and off the couch.