Tempting Fate (21 page)

“Of course.”

Abigail grabbed her bags and followed behind her a little confused as to what was going on. They were heading back towards the front lobby. Should she ask where she was going? They stopped at the elevators in the lobby and Abigail’s stomach dropped to her feet in the same instant the young woman had pushed the up button. Up was better than being shown to the front door. She wondered whom she would be going to see, Mr. Michaels himself? As his name crossed her mind this time it rung a bell with her. It seemed more familiar than before but she couldn’t place it. Abigail shrugged off the felling quickly; she had seen his name on papers here and there for almost two weeks now.

“My name is Jessica Jansen. I’m Mr. Michaels’ personal secretary. He was very impressed with what you have done. I overheard him when Mr. Stanly came in and showed some of your presentation. He said, ‘It is like she has read my mind, and I didn’t even know what I was thinking…’ It must be good, I have never seen him this excited about anything, ever.” A thick southern accent in her voice revealed itself the more she spoke. At first Miss Jansen’s speech was calculated as if she was trying to pronounce each word perfectly, though it did not take long for her pace to quicken and the thick sound of a true Texan slid out in her words.

“Um, thank you. Impressed? Really? Wow what a strange day I’m having.”

“I bet, you might get to go home earlier, or you could spend the rest of your trip sight-seeing. Have you ever been to New York City before? I moved here about, oh, five or so years ago from Texas.” She leaned in closely as if to tell Abigail a secret. “To tell the truth, I think I got this job because of my accent, I wasn’t really that qualified. But he told me right out that he just loved my accent. He’s about the only one I'll tell you. Not many others here like it at all, been trying very hard to let it go, but it is just not that easy.”

Abigail wasn't sure what to say, Miss Jansen was a talker it seemed, “I can imagine it would be very hard.”

Miss Jansen had started talking again right away, but Abigail’s head was reeling with its own thoughts. She did this good? She thought she had, but if he had really said those things, wow. It was the only word that came to mind to sum up her day so far.

The elevator doors were opening up again and Abigail glanced above the doors to see they were on the top floor. She placed a smile on her face, not that it was too hard, as she walked out into a smaller lobby with large black and white oversized chairs and a large black desk in the middle of the room. She watched as Miss Jansen walked toward the desk.

“Mrs. Dalton you can put your bags down on that chair if you like. Then if you would please wait in the conference room to your left, I will let Mr. Michaels know you have arrived. He will be with you shortly. Can I get you a bottle of water or something else to drink?” she asked, her Texas twang gone and a professional attitude and slow enunciated speech back in its place.

“Oh no thank you; I’m fine.”

Abigail placed her bags on the chair and walked into the conference room to her left. The table inside was big enough for six people and there were black and white pictures on the walls. She walked around the room and looked at each one slowly. These were just what she had in mind for the lobby. The images had the ability to transport anyone looking at them into another world.

She started thinking about the call she was going to make to her boss when she got back to the hotel. Maybe she really would get a promotion out of this job. Abigail smiled at the thought. She really wanted to jump up and down and scream the way she would have done in high school or college.

She picked her chair carefully, close to the door but not facing it. Abigail straightened her clothing out and made sure her hair was in order before she sat down. She somehow thought it would be more dramatic if when he came in, she could turn around slowly. She could hear a slightly muffled male voice in the lobby and then took a deep breath. It was hard to relax and look calm when she wanted to act like she was a screaming teenager at a concert. The footsteps came toward the door slowly and Abigail tried to look unaffected by his presence.

“Mrs. Dalton I just had to meet you. This is amazing; I would love to know where you got the idea for it.”

Abigail turned the chair around slowly, feeling confident and keeping a smile on her face. As she looked up at him, her smile changed into a look of shock. Mr. Michaels was looking down at her sketches and Abigail’s voice was caught in her throat. After a few seconds of no response from Abigail, he started to speak again and looked right at her. No words came out of his mouth and his own expression turned to one of complete disbelief. Abigail stood up sharply but her knees gave way and everything started to spin as she fell towards the floor.

Mr. Michaels had dropped everything he was holding and Abigail was now in his arms. She looked up and he was just staring at her through his dark rimmed glasses. He stuttered the word
amazing
and Abigail reached up to touch his face. When she placed her hand on his cheek, the world went black.

Chapter 21

When Abigail started to stir, she could feel that she was lying down on a hard surface. She tried to rack her brain as to where she was, and when it came to her, she froze instantly afraid to open her eyes. Maybe it was all just another dream. She could hear a voice calling to her; it was in the distance but slowly creeping closer. Slowly the feeling of someone’s warm hand began to tingle on her cheek. Abigail opened her eyes slowly and the face above her came into focus. A million thoughts were swirling around in her head at one time.

Miss Jansen was coming in the door with a bottle of water in her hand. She had a look of worry and wonder on her face as she placed the bottle on the table.

“Thank you Jessica; please shut the door behind you.” Mr. Michaels’ eyes never left Abigail’s face as he spoke to her.

He helped her up slowly and guided her gently into a chair. As he handed her the bottle of water, Abigail just stared at him. Part of her kept expecting to have his face change into that of another person. How could this be real at all? Was he really right in front of her now, sitting just a few feet away? She slowly lifted her hand up to his cheek and hesitated for a moment before touching him. As her hand touched him, his eyes closed and his hand went over the top of hers.

He opened his eyes slowly and looked at her again with tears starting to form in the corners. She pulled her hand down and he looked away from her. “Oh God Abs, I’m so sorry. What you must be thinking of me right now.”

She was trying to put what he was saying together. Abigail stood up abruptly as anger jolted through her. She crossed the room without looking at him. How could he do this to her? What the hell was he thinking? Was all this some idea of a sick joke? When she finally spoke she did so with disdain, “Why the hell would you do this to me Westly? After all this time, you bring me here, and for what? After what you did to me! Did you just think I would forget about it all? Forgive everything after seeing you again?”

She tried to steady her breathing but it was hard to do, every second that passed the anger inside her was over taking more of her. Even if she wanted to reign in her rage, she was not sure that she would be able to. Just when she thought the anger in her had peeked the emotions from that day hit her in the stomach like a wrecking ball. She lost control of herself as the pain from so long ago, the same pain that hit her last night, clamped onto her whole being. It took a few moments for Abigail to gain control of herself again, to set aside all sadness and pain and just feel the anger igniting a fire within her. She stopped pacing – something she had not even realized she was doing - and looked at him, his head still hanging low.

“Look at me - you, you coward! Why was I not good enough? You leave with that sorry excuse of a letter; then I don’t see you for almost fourteen years! What did you think was going to happen? I was just going to swoon at the sight of you?”

Abigail’s arms were crossed at her chest as she glared at him, tapping her foot on the ground. Mr. Michaels was staring at her in shock, with his mouth hanging open. He closed it and then opened it to speak again, but Abigail cut him off.

“No, don’t you dare try to say anything.” She threw up her hands, waving them back and forth. She shook her head and then looked right into his eyes, staring him down as if she dared him to try and speak again. “I’m not done with you yet. You got the last word before; it’s my turn damn it!’

He closed his mouth and just looked at her, shocked. Abigail started to pace back and forth again. There was so much she wanted to say to him. She just needed a moment to get it in order and figure out where to start.

“Abs, I.”

She jerked around as he started to speak and cut him off, “NO! You know what! You can just keep your mouth shut for a minute.”

He watched her continue to pace without saying a word. She wanted to keep yelling but too many things were coming to mind at one time. She stopped and turned sharply looking toward him; she was across the table from him now. She uncrossed her arms and leaned on the table with both hands in fists. Her right foot was tapping the ground faster and her face felt like it was 140 degrees.

“I have one question for you then I’m leaving; do you understand that? I’ll give this account to another associate when I get home. You got that Westly?”

All Mr. Michaels did was lower his head again as he nodded.

“No you look at me while I say this.” She could see the sadness in his eyes when he looked at her and her heart almost gave way to him. “I don’t want this poor me routine, I’m not playing your games this time buddy.”

She knew she needed to start talking again before she melted. She lowered her head and took in a deep breath hoping her words would put some fire back into her that had already started to fizzle out.

“Where did you go? Why did you leave me like that? What was going on that you thought you could not tell me about? I would have gone anywhere with you Westly, didn’t you know that? That letter; that was all I got? That was the best you could do? Did you think I would just be ok with it all? Did you think for one second about what it was going to do to me?”

His face instantly looked like he was traumatized by her words when she looked at him again. Abigail waited no more that thirty seconds before she spoke again, “Well, answer me damn it! I deserve to know; I gave you everything I had and you just destroyed me. I wish you could know what I went through for weeks after that. Why Westly? Why would you do that to me?”

Abigail leaned back against the wall and folded her arms again, hoping they would help her to hold onto her anger. She felt like her whole body had ignited itself again with anger as she watched him slowly lean back in the chair and that crooked smile spread across his face. Once upon a time that would have melted her like butter, but not now. This time she saw nothing more than smug arrogance in it and she grit her teeth to keep from jumping over the table to slap it off his face.

“That was more than one question Abs.” His smile grew wider, and his casual demeanor made her work harder at maintaining herself. Every emotion she had was about to explode inside her. Anger was loosing its grip and pain was rising higher till it ripped through as if she had been stabbed right in the heart. Tears pressed hard into the corners of her eyes. Abigail had to use ever bit of anger she had left to hold them back. She bit the inside of her cheek; she was not going to let him see her cry.

She walked around the table back to his side with her hands clenched tightly in fists. “Don’t you
dare
call me that name! You gave that right up a long time ago.” It took a great amount of strength not to punch him. “Just answer my questions and don’t be such a smart ass. Be very thankful I have not punched you in the face yet,
Mr. Michaels
.” Abigail put every ounce of disgust and hatred she could find inside her into his name.

A faint sound came from outside the door and they both turned to look in its direction. Was she really yelling at him that loudly? She must have been, there was a shadow at the bottom of the door like someone was standing there listening to them.

“Miss Jansen, there are easier ways to eavesdrop on what is going on in this room. Why don’t you take a break and go get something to drink.”

Abigail looked at Mr. Michaels and made a mental note to try not to be so loud again. She grabbed the bottle of water off the table and jerked it open. As she was drinking he stood and crossed the room taking the phone’s cord out of the wall.

“Abs. I’m sorry, Abby, will you please sit with me?”

“My name is Abigail! And no I’m fine standing; thank you very much.”

He walked back to her with his head down and his hands in his pockets. When he stopped he was less than a foot from her; her knees started to become weak under her and she grabbed the chair and sat down. “Fine, I’ll sit.” There was no way she was going to let him have the chance to catch her again if they completely gave out on her.

He unbuttoned his suit coat as he sat down across from her and then leaned in before he started to speak. “That day I got a call in the afternoon. My older half sister and her husband had died in a car accident that morning. I hadn’t talked to her in years, but I was listed as her next of kin. You might remember that my father had passed away years before then. I was making and receiving calls most of the afternoon.”

Abigail leaned back in her chair, with a look of confusion on her face. She didn’t understand what any of this was supposed to mean. She was trying to listen, to understand, but the look he had on his face that day and the way he was acting was running through her mind. His voice was quiet but strong, and slowly, just like he could years ago, he drew her into him with his wonderful eyes.