Resplendent (23 page)

Call Ended.

Fuck, fuck, fuck. I tried calling her back. Six times. Finally, I decided to call Tommy instead, before he started wondering what the fuck happened to me. At least he answered on the first ring.

“Hello?”

“Tommy, I need a favor,” I blurted out without giving him a chance to respond. “I need you to call Victor for me and re-schedule.” I frantically grabbed a tin of mints I kept in one of the cup holders and held the steering wheel with one hand while I weaved in and out of traffic. I popped one in my mouth to try and distract my mind. This was going to be a long drive, and I needed to keep myself occupied.

“What? Why?” my office manager stuttered. He sounded shocked and I couldn’t blame him. Shit, I was shocked myself, but for a different reason.

“Please!” I let out a breath. I didn’t have time now to explain why. “Just do it and if re-scheduling is not possible, just pull me out of the whole thing.” I quickly glanced in my rearview mirrors and switched lanes to get on the Florida Turnpike heading south. I pulled on the collar of my polo shirt. I could feel the beads of sweat form on my back.

“You all right, boss?”

I heard the beep of an incoming call and saw that it was Carmin. I gritted my teeth.
Ignore.

I searched for my sunglasses in the middle console and put them on.

“No, I’m not. Email me his response.” I hung up the phone and speed-dialed Peach. Straight to voicemail. She’d let it ring when I called a few minutes ago, but it seemed like now she had turned it off. I decided to leave a message this time.

“Peach,
please
call me back. We need to talk about this. I love you.”

I hung up and pressed down on the pedal. I should have answered Carmin when she called me, but I was so livid, I didn’t even know what to say. When I had woken up the morning after the night at the club, I had no recollection of how I got home. My first thought was to grab my phone on the night table and call Peach. Then moments later I saw Carmin standing in my doorway, wrapped up in a towel. Her hair wet from using
my
shower. I hadn’t remembered taking her home with me, but it was obvious what had happened once we got there.

She’d told me how far gone I was that night and that she’d followed me home to make sure I was okay. I made her promise not to say anything to Savannah, but now, here I was racing against time. Instead of talking to
me
first, she’d told Peach God knows what. I gripped the steering wheel tighter.

“Things have a way of coming back around, Andres.”

Had that little bitch planned the whole thing? How long had she been watching me that night?

The sun began to set as I passed each county. I took a sip from my water bottle. The A/C was working fine, but I was sweating bullets. I would either not make it in time or I’d get a massive ticket. The problem with the ticket is that it would delay me from reaching her. I only stopped for gas and when I tried calling Peach again, the phone was still off. She said she’d be gone when I got there. Was she just at a friend’s house? What did ‘gone’ mean? I tried to think of who she hung out with in Miami, but I only knew her friends from Boston. I had no clue who that girl Christina from high school was! We hadn’t been able to spend enough time together for me to meet who she still kept in contact with. I had no information! Who would she have confided in from high school? The answer to that question was me. I grimaced, thinking the two people she trusted most had disappointed her.

I heard my ringtone and quickly grabbed the phone. When I saw it was Carmin again, I ignored it and slammed my fist on the steering wheel. I decided it’d be best that I see her in person. I knew Peach well enough to know she wouldn’t be speaking with Carmin if she wasn’t speaking with me. There was no need for me to answer that call.

The phone rang again. Everyone was calling me except the girl I really wanted to talk to.

“Hey,” I huffed.

“Hey, yourself. I just found out you cancelled on Victor?” My sister asked on the other line.

“There’s an emergency,” I said and lowered the radio.

“What’s wrong?” She sounded alarmed and I cursed myself for making her worry.

“Nothing, I just need to straighten some things out. That’s all.”

I pulled in my bottom lip as I waited for the slowest driver in the world to move out of the lane.
Don’t people know the left lane is the fast lane?
I flashed my lights hoping he’d get the hint.

“Is it Savannah? Is she okay?”

“V, I just need to take care of something. Once I get to Miami, I’ll call you and explain everything.”

I knew she didn’t like my answer, but she couldn’t help me from where she was. I didn’t need her to get all worked up over something that I prayed would turn out to be nothing.

“Okay, but please call me as soon as you get home?”

“I will,” I promised.

As I disconnected the line, I passed a sign that read: Miami - 112 miles

I put my radio on full blast and picked up speed.

An hour and a half later, I reached her apartment building and ran toward her door as soon as I parked.

“Peach!” I yelled and banged on the door at the same time.

I waited a few seconds, but it felt like minutes before I tried again.

“Peach, open up!” I knocked harder this time and stepped back. Nothing. I ran to the back of the building where her balcony was and tried to peek in through the sliding door, but the curtains were pulled tight. I leaned over the railing and knocked on the glass. Nothing.

When I came back around, I saw that a short elderly lady stood outside of the apartment right in front of where Peach lived. She peered at me through thick glasses. She had salt and pepper hair and a purse in her hand. I decided she was my best shot as I walked up to her. “Have you seen the girl that lives in this apartment today?”

She took a step back and clutched her purse. Planning on going to my meeting this afternoon, I was dressed in pants and a dress shirt. I wasn’t exactly scrubby, but I’m sure I looked crazy.

“Que?”

I repeated my question in Spanish. She shook her head, and I turned toward Peach’s door to knock again.

“Peach, let me talk to you,” I said with my forehead on the door. Nothing.

I patted my pockets and remembered I’d left the phone in the car. I could try calling again. When I turned to walk away, the elderly lady spoke.
“Señor?”

I turned and looked at her hopefully. She must have seen the desperation in my eyes. Or maybe she just figured out I wasn’t going to hurt anyone and was actually just worried. Whatever it was, she began to tell me what she knew. She was having lunch when she heard a lot of noise outside. She looked through her peephole and saw Peach, clearly upset, walking back and forth from her apartment to her car. When she opened the door to walk her dog, the door was slightly open and she could see boxes.

I squeezed the bridge of my nose and let out a pained breath.

“She couldn’t have fit much in her car, but it’s clear she was ready to leave.” She finished in Spanish.

“Gracias,” I smiled meekly at her and walked back to my car.

I had broken every speed limit to get here from Orlando and
still
hadn’t made it in time to catch her. The lady was right; she couldn’t have moved everything in just a few short hours. I knew Peach had a sofa. What about her bed? Was she staying at a hotel until that was delivered?
When
would it be delivered? Why didn’t she tell me she had found a place? Why didn’t I insist she tell me what area she was looking into? I didn’t have a clue where to start. Maybe it wasn’t far; maybe she had stayed near the West Miami area. I should have just
told her
to stay with me. I should have convinced her to cancel her apartment search. I had made a deal and I’d lost. I know she said not to look for her, but I was now desperate. We
had
to talk about this. I punched the steering wheel and backed out of Peach’s parking spot. Carmin’s number flashed on my screen, and I gritted my teeth. I had no other choice but to go over there and speak to her. Get the facts on what had happened between them and somehow prove that she was pregnant. How was she sure it was mine? I had been careful for so many damn years!

I drove to Carmin’s on autopilot and thought back to that fucking night.

“Two more,” I requested, and jiggled my empty shot glass at the waitress as she walked back. I glanced down at my watch and noticed it was past midnight. In about twenty minutes, I’d call it a night. I wanted to be sure I got some rest before seeing Peach tomorrow morning. Maybe I should set my alarm now.

As I pulled out my phone from my pocket, a familiar voice cooed near my ear, “Your girl left so early?”

I looked up and knitted my eyebrows. “I thought you’d left,” I told Jessica.

She adjusted the strap of her blouse and plopped herself down next to me.

Great.

“I told you, I’d be around.” She leaned her head back and laughed loudly, drunk as shit.

“You calling it a night?” I asked as I mouthed my thanks to the waitress for bringing me my drinks.

“Are we in grade school?” She snickered and extended her arms over her head. “The night is young!” she said in a sing-song voice.

Maybe I should still offer her money to get a cab,
I thought. After I chugged back one of my shots, I could see Carmin out of the corner of my eye. She was walking toward me, and I tried not to cringe. This night just kept getting better and better.

“Well, well, well, look who’s here.” She smiled wickedly at me.

I looked her up and down and nodded my head in a greeting.

“More girls, Andres?” Jessica narrowed her eyes at me. “Are we sharing tonight?”

I blew out a breath and grabbed my second glass. Forget the twenty minutes, I’d just leave now.

“Oh don’t worry,” Carmin said and sat down opposite of me, “I don’t share.” She swirled the glass in her hands and then held it up to us. “Cheers!”

Jessica hiccupped and grabbed one of my empty glasses. “Cheeeers!” she shouted.

I was done with this place. I got up to leave, but Carmin held my wrist.

“Leaving so soon?” she pouted.

I tugged my hand from her grasp and looked down. “I need to wake up early tomorrow and help Savannah out.”

She raised her eyebrow. “Oh? I thought her boyfriend was going to help her?”

My ears perked and I sat back down. What did she know about Peach’s shitty boyfriend?

“He’s in Boston,” I said cautiously and gave her the side eye.

She ran her finger over the rim of her glass and then waved a waitress over.

“Not for long, he’ll try to move down here. He can’t be without her.” She took a sip of her drink and smiled at me.

Fucker. I had to talk to her first thing tomorrow and get a feel for where they stood. If he came down, then she might change her mind about moving in with him.

“I’m not in the mood to listen to this shit, I’m going dancing!” Jessica stood up and wobbled away, grabbing a guy’s hand that was all too happy to be picked up. I shook my head. Maybe I should keep an eye on her after all, call a cab for her and get her home safe. Some guys were fucking weirdos.

“Want some?” Carmin asked and I turned to see her hand extended, offering me her drink.

I waved my hand, dismissing it. “No, tell me about Savannah. I don’t think she’s serious about the guy.”

Carmin leaned her arm over the back of the sofa and sighed. “We’ll have to share a few drinks if you want me to talk about Savannah’s love life.”

I rested my head and closed my eyes.
I have to wake up early tomorrow, but I could squeeze in a few more minutes to get a little bit of four-one-one on my competition.
Just a few years ago I’d been known to stay up till sunrise and still function at work! I could hang.

But I never got to hear about her love life because I couldn’t remember the conversation. I woke up with a jackhammer in my head and a ball of fire on my face. Or that’s what it felt like, until I covered myself with my sheets, head to toe. How could the sun be so bright so early in the morning? I absentmindedly reached for my phone on my nightstand and saw two missed calls. Both from Peach and the time said 2:13 PM. Fuck! I’d overslept! I lifted my head too quickly and the room spun. As I placed my hand on my forehead to quiet down the noise that was going on inside I wondered:
Did my alarm not go off? What time did I get home? HOW did I get home? I could have sworn I had set an alarm. No, wait, I forgot to when fucking Jessica came by and distracted me.