Running To You (11 page)

“Grayson, this is more than I can possibly process in just a few minutes, but I still want to know about Harrison and PMC?”

“Yes, I knew that Harrison had interest in PMC which is why I avoided business dealings with them, regardless of their product. I later learned his partnering with them was over. I didn’t know until the night of our dinner meeting, that he had helped you get the job, because he knew your father. He had no idea that he would push you to me or he wouldn’t have had you hired, I am certain. I didn’t know until I walked into the dinner meeting and saw him, that he was reestablishing himself with Phillip, your CEO, and PMC

“The night we made love was the best experience for me as you said it was for you. Such a beautiful night and one that I will never forget. I am not ready to stop thinking about it. However, we have so much to discuss, we need to spend time together and work through all of this. Cooper was there to hear me out after the gala and he told me where to find you. I needed to see you, no more secrets. Please come back with me to Dallas. I believe there is something between us and I know we can start over.”

“Your 5 minutes are up. Grayson, I wish you well, but you need to go back home and build your own life. Please, I beg you, just let me go.”

With his heart exposed, I sent Grayson Brooks out of my life.

Chapter 7

It appeared as though Harrison had been patiently waiting in his car, like he knew this moment in time would come. When Grayson would let me down and he wanted to be there to help me pick up the pieces.

On his way to the cab, Grayson had so much anger on his face when he saw Harrison sitting in his car. “Harrison, stay away from Alexandra. This is not your battle and you are certainly no good for her. Leave her alone, your presence here isn’t helping, go home!!” There is so much anger between the two of them, I just can’t function thinking about it right now. They are exhaustive together. I waited for Grayson’s cab to leave and I walked out to Harrison’s car and let him know that he should go home. I needed time to process everything.

“Get in Alex, we are going to rip what little fun is left in this evening and enjoy ourselves, if it kills us, you game?”

“Sorry, Harrison, I don’t believe that I am good company to anyone right now. If you will excuse me, there are a few calls that I need to make. Can I take a rain check on the fun for another time?”

“Absolutely, Alex. If you’re up for it, I have tickets to the Bears game tomorrow. You are free to join me, just give me a call in the morning. Alex, people move on from hardship to become stronger for the next chapter in their lives. Whatever I can do to be a friend to you, please let me know, I’m here, but I am not going to crowd you.”

Stepping back inside and closing the door, I was finally free from the Brooks boys and their drama, for the evening anyway. Although I wasn’t free of my thoughts or the emptiness that I felt. Any other time I would be jumping up and down, cheering to be attending a Bears game, but my heart was breaking for that which was lost. The empty look in Grayson’s eyes as he left and the abandoned relationship that was beginning to bud. Just when I felt I could trust someone and move forward enough to enjoy a physical relationship; it all comes crashing down.

I poured myself a glass of wine and curled up in my bed, just wanting to disappear into a pleasant dream when then my iPhone beeped with Cooper’s text.

Hey Al, catch me up. Hugs
.

As I lay in bed thinking about all the information Grayson laid on me, so much to process:

They were engaged, she cheated, the evil plastic bitch screwing it up for everyone else

They slept together, she was pregnant, then not...

Only time will tell the truth on that one. I sent him home.

I didn’t feel like talking to anyone, I couldn’t quit crying, my eyes were swelling shut. How could all of this be happening? I could feel the anxiety taking over me, it was all too much. I put my iPod onto play, and finally drifted off to sleep. I didn’t even hear Dad and Gretchen when they came home.

The sun was shining bright in my room when I woke up, my head was pounding. Maybe too much wine, maybe too many tears, or a combo of both. The tension in my neck was so strong that both of my arms were tingly. A morning walk/run would do me good. I grabbed my workout clothes and as I dressed, I thought of Coop, with his “tall, tight ass” comments whenever I put my workout clothes on. Today I couldn’t even muster a smile thinking about it, just the pain of missing Coop, my new life, the pain of Grayson and all that he made me feel. I grabbed my iPod and off for a run I went. I had no idea where I was going, I was just running. It felt good and I was doing well until
Mazzy Star’s Fade Into You
came over my ear buds. I couldn’t run anymore, the passion for what I was losing was so overbearing. I melted into the sidewalk in a ball, overcome with anguish. All the love, the torment, the hysteria came out in uncontrollable sobs, I could no longer hold back.

I don’t know how long I was there, but I felt the comfort of strong arms picking me up off the pavement, asking me if I was okay. Grayson...Harrison, hell, I couldn’t tell the difference. His arms were so strong around me, his shoulders so broad, he smelled so manly. It felt comforting and that was all I needed to know as I snuggled into this rescuer that had come to help me.

“What are you doing here?”

“I came by the house to see if you wanted to hit the game with me today? You need a fun diversion, Alex. They said you were out for a run, but you’d been gone a long time.”

Oh, good, it was Harrison, he calls me Alex and I could see the crooked smile.

“I’m okay Harrison. It was just a song that caused emotion to overtake me. I am much better now, and you can just drop me off at the house. I appreciate you rescuing me from my public display of weakness.”

“It’s not weakness, you are under considerable stress. If you would like to enjoy the Bears game, we need to get a move on. You in?”

“Thank you for the invitation Harrison, but I don’t think that I would be good company. I’m in a funky mood, if you haven’t noticed.” Maybe I was trying to distance myself from him.

“Alex, you're a Bears fan aren’t you? And besides, you need to lose yourself in something besides drama!”

“Okay, okay, you’re right. I think that is a perfect diversion. I am a huge Bears fan; I can be ready in 30 minutes.”

“While you shower and change, I will let your dad know that you’re okay and you will be spending the day with me.”

I grabbed a quick shower, but this hair is full and unruly. It made me think about Coop, and I hadn’t returned his calls or texts. I would do that on the way to the game. I grabbed my jeans and favorite Bears sweatshirt and I was ready to enjoy a Grayson, drama free day.

On the way to the game I read over the many texts from Cooper, it was easier just to give him a call.

“Hey Coop, I know I have worried you, I am sorry.”

“Alex, what is going on, and don’t leave anything out!”

“Coop, I sent him packing last night. I need time to process everything; all of it is just too damn much in the last 24 hours. Well, the last 8 weeks have been a revolving door with him. I just want to step away from it for awhile. I don’t know when I will be back in Dallas, it’s just too much!”

“Alex, he loves you, you know that and I know that. You need to come home and face this, you can’t run forever!” Coop sounded almost angry, like he was fighting as hard for Grayson as Grayson was for me.

“Coop, I can’t talk about him anymore right now. I am on my way to the Bears game
. It will do me some good just to think about something else for the day. I love ya and I will call you later!” Hanging up, I realized just talking to Cooper wounded me all over again. It was just too raw to think about it. If Grayson did love me, he couldn’t allow himself to say it for whatever reason.

Oddly enough, even though they were identical, I didn’t feel like I was with Grayson, the same chemistry wasn’t there. I was comfortable with Harrison as if we were old friends, without all the drama. Obviously, Harrison had heard my side of the conversation with Cooper, but he didn’t say anything for the longest time. I am sure he was full of all kinds of questions. He seemed confident that Grayson was back in Dallas, so I am certain he was overjoyed with that idea. We talked the rest of the way to the stadium about the Bears and some of our favorite games and plays from past seasons. He was as much a fan as I, although we didn’t exactly agree on coaching.

Harrison has season tickets with a really nice view, just off the 40 yard line. As we took our seats, I noticed some of the surrounding folks taking a long hard look at me; they must be friends with him. It was at that moment that I realized, do they think we are dating and does Harrison look at this as a date. It must have changed my demeanor and it seemed as though Harrison was a mind reader.

“Alex, I am glad you decided to join me. I have needed a controversial seatmate to argue with during the game for some time
,” with a chuckle in his voice and a twinkle in his eyes.

“Controversial seatmate?”

“Well, we don’t see eye to eye on the coaching, and I am sure today’s game is going to be decided on coaching, so it may be controversial seating today.”

“Well, if you knew you were going to behave bratty today, you shouldn’t have brought me, so I accept your challenge and game on!”

We enjoyed the game and the folks all around us pitched in to give a great debate back and forth. The afternoon was a lot of fun and I enjoyed Harrison’s company.

“Alex, if you are up to it, I would love to grab dinner. You game?”

“Absolutely, I would love to, in fact, I am starving. You owe me dinner for losing the bet, anyway.”

“For the record, I didn’t lose the bet. The coaching cost me that bet, but you're on for dinner.”

Harrison picks up his phone and makes a few calls like he is arranging a corporate merger and then settles in for the drive to wherever we are going. It was comfortable being with him. He hadn’t pushed to find out answers about his twin and refrained from asking about all the drama. He truly just seemed interested in getting to know me.

“How do you know my dad, Harrison?”

“We met about 10 years ago. I was just starting my practice and getting my feet wet with corporate mergers. At the time, there was a group that was interested in buying your dad’s newspaper business
. It was not the right buyout for your dad and even though I brought their interest to him, I was honest with him telling him what I thought. He respected me for my transparency and we have been friends ever since. We have partnered on some business dealings, been on opposite sides of some deals and even challenged each other on the golf course, but yet we still seem to have a mutual respect for each other.

“Alex, I know that you and your dad are not close and your relationship with Gretchen is strained, but they both love you very much and just want to see you happy. When the opportunity crept up for PMC, you seemed to be the perfect match for what they wanted in a candidate. I simply let Phillip know what I thought. That was the extent of my involvement. To be totally honest, I was sad not to see you at the coffee house any longer, but I knew that you would move on from there regardless.”

Minutes later, we pulled in to the private parking garage for the
Legacy at Millennium Park
and I quickly gave Harrison a questioning look?

“Alex, I am not looking to get in your pants. I have a penthouse here with a breathtaking view of the harbor and I have a chef that will prepare meals on the fly, that’s all. I thought it might be an evening for you to enjoy without all the fuss of going out. But it’s your call if you don’t feel comfortable?”

“I am not up to going out right now, this is a great idea and I’m looking forward to a simple night, just to relax and forget about the rest of the world for a change!” As we made our way up to the penthouse level, Harrison was right. Upon opening the door, the view was magnificent and breathtaking. The penthouse alone was exquisite and of modern sophistication with charcoal grey marble floors, large artwork pieces and elegant furnishings. Decorated with a very metro-sexual appeal, neither feminine nor masculine. It was difficult for me to tell if a gal-pal had decorated it or not. As we walked in, the aroma of the meal the chef prepared smelled fantastic. They spoke French to each other and the chef greeted me with a nod. He had set a table for us al fresco and there was music playing softly in the background.

At first, it would appear as a start to a romantic evening, but just a few minutes after we walked in, Harrison immediately opened some doors on a wall to reveal a large screen television, quieting the music and turning on the post-game show on the sports channel. Aha, sports, just my language.

Harrison opened the glass doors, bringing the indoors out and we sat down to a table for 2 on the patio with a beautiful view on one side and the post game coming at us on the other, just perfect! On my plate was a small note card that read...

I don’t like debts, so I am paying it forward, whenever you are in town, you can be my controversial seatmate anytime. Please enjoy the season tickets...HPB

How awesome is that? He gave me his pair of season tickets. I couldn’t be happier! I love the Bears, or did he know that already?

“Harrison, that is a thoughtful gift and I am very appreciative. I love the Bears, but I can’t take your season tickets. You may need them for a girlfriend or business guest?”

“Alex, currently there is no girlfriend and I have access to a corporate box anytime I want. You won our bet and I pay my debts, plus it would mean that I could see you again!” He said with a glimmer in his eye and a slight crook to his smile. He had the same masculine looks as Grayson, but now that I have had time to study him and interact with him, his personality is completely different. He is charming, but in a fun-boyish way. His hair and facial features are exact to that of Grayson, square, dimpled chin, firm, a deep angular jaw line, pointed nose and those sapphire blue eyes. But when Harrison smiles, his smile is not full throttle like Grayson, rather a crooked, slight upturn to the right side of his lips. His lips are redder than Grayson’s. With time, I am sure that I will be able to tell many more differences. He also wears his watch on his right wrist, opposite of Grayson.

“I would love to catch another game with you. I don’t plan on losing, but I will have to get creative in case I have to pay back my debt!” We both chuckled as we enjoyed our dinner. The chef prepared grilled fish with seasoned potatoes, which was delicious or I was famished, one or the other. I can’t even remember when the last time it was that I ate, but all of a sudden, hunger had come over me.