Unexpected Arrivals(32)

The second Letty’s door closed behind me, I pulled my phone from my pocket.

Cora: I love you.

That was it. There was no way in hell she could send those three little words and not answer the damn phone. I didn’t care what time it was or what she was doing. If she had time to text that sentiment, then she could talk. However, she didn’t pick up on the first try, or even the second.

Me: If you think I’m letting that go, you’ve apparently forgotten who I am. Answer the fucking phone, Cora.

I was pissed. These games were sucking the life out of me and keeping me from moving on. True, I was happy sticking my dick in a gorgeous woman, but I’d never feel the comfort of another pussy if it meant there was any possibility of getting Cora back.

She sent my third call to voicemail.

Me: Are you kidding me with this shit? Call me. Now.

Cora: I can’t talk right now. I just needed you to know I was thinking about you.

Me: If you can’t talk, why are you texting?

Cora: I’m in a meeting.

Me: That’s hardly fair. Why is it you can reach out to me then don’t answer when I reciprocate?

Cora: I’m responding now.

Me: You know what I mean.

Cora: Can I call you tonight?

Me: Tonight for me or tonight for you?

Like it mattered. If she cared to talk at noon or three or midnight, I’d stop what I was doing to answer.

Cora: A few hours. When I’m out of work.

Me: Sure.

Cora: I do miss you, James.

I didn’t respond. I wasn’t willing to go down that road until I heard her voice and knew what was really going on.

Several hours later, my phone rang and the woman I’d loved my entire adult life lit up the screen. God, I wanted to stare at her image, except I had to answer to actually speak to her. I hadn’t allowed myself to wallow in pictures of her or of us since she’d left. I tucked them all away in a box, and after I’d moved, I hadn’t brought any of them back out. They were safely stored in my closet—nothing was in plain view.

“Hello?” That one word came off harsher than intended.

“Hey, James.” Her voice softened my resolve. I hadn’t wanted to let her back into that place she’d occupied for so long…the one I’d shut off, though the sound of my name on her lips had me ready to surrender.

I waited for her to speak, leaving us in silence, I finally asked, “So what happened?”

The sigh that echoed through the speaker broke my heart. “This has just all been too much.”

“So come home.”

“I don’t have a home there anymore. Plus, I signed a two-year contract. I’m here until it’s over.”

“You always have a home here.” I hadn’t meant to say the words. I’d thought them, and they’d escaped at the same time. “And why did you sign a two-year agreement?”

“Those were the terms of the job.”

“Is it iron-clad?”

“I don’t think they can force me to stay, but if I break it, I’ll never work for another large firm as an engineer. So, yeah, I’d say it’s pretty iron-clad.”

“You going to tell me what happened?”

“I don’t know. There’s not really much to tell. I just think I should have taken more time before I jumped to make so many life-changing decisions so quickly.”

“Have you met anyone there? You’re not lonely, are you?” I wasn’t asking about guys when the first part had come out, but then I wondered if she had and whether or not I cared to know. “Do you at least like your co-workers?” Maybe if I kept speaking, the questions would morph into something that was more obscure than finite and prying.

For the first time in ages, Cora started talking—like we had in high school and college. Once the gate had been opened, the information came flooding through. Yet none of it pertained to Drake Halifax or any situation he’d been a part of. I learned all about her job, the people she worked with, how frustrated she was by her limited French—she believed the ability to communicate in the native tongue was the difference between being treated like a tourist and a citizen. Cora loved the food and the clothes and the culture—but missed the States.

I couldn’t tell her much about my life other than the business had finally turned around, I’d moved out—which she was already aware of—and I’d made friends with Eric and Cason. I mentioned the other girls at the bar, although I did so in a much less familiar context. She didn’t need to know I’d been intimate with anyone else any more than she’d willingly admitted she’d been with Drake Halifax and now regretted it. We both had secrets that would only serve to hurt the other, and we skirted the issue.

I’d been so thrilled to hear from her, I’d forgotten about being at work and ignored my line ringing and cell phone dinging and emails arriving…until Neil showed up in my doorway with an irritated glower on his face.

“You going to work today or shoot the shit with one of your latest harlots?” He’d said it loud enough that Cora heard every word before I could cover the receiver.

I could have ripped his tongue out. “I’m on the phone with Cora.”

His eyes went wide just before a sheepish grin engulfed his features.

“Hey, Cora. I’m going to need to go, but it was great talking to you. Don’t be a stranger, okay?”