Fifteen Weekends (23 page)

  Nodding her head, she replied, “I’m fine, just shaken. Do you need me to take you to the hospital, Ethan?”

  “No, but did you get a good look at that car?” he asked panting through deep breaths. Ethan began to stand up. “License plate? Anything?”

  “I think so.” Her voice was a bit shaky. “I can see the license plate number in my head. I’m going to take down everything I remember right now.”

  Pulling out her phone she began to take notes typing fast and muttering to herself. Looking up she noticed Ethan was on his phone.

  “Hey buddy, it’s Ethan Carlson. You got time to do me a favor?” he inquired. There was a long pause. “I’ll pay you double the fee if it will get my name to the top of your list.” Ethan winced as he let out a low chuckle. “Great, thanks. Can you meet me at my house tomorrow morning before you leave for Chicago?”

  Ethan turned back to Emily. “My buddy is a Private Investigator. Actually, he’s a little more than that, but that’s all I can say.”

  Emily gave Ethan a perplexed look, but realized that if he needed to keep a secret she wouldn’t push the issue.

  “He’s going to find this asshole who is stalking us. I know that fucking car meant to do one or both of us harm.”

  Her insides began to churn. Desperately trying not to think that this event was related to the break-in and the calls, Emily offered a sympathetic smile and said, “Okay, I understand. Are you sure you can drive Ethan?”

  “Yeah, just follow me okay, Em?”

  Emily nodded, and they drove out of the parking lot.
Hopefully this will all be over soon and Ethan’s friend can help us find out who is messing with our lives. Who could want to hurt us?
The initial shock

wore off, leaving Emily completely terrified. Tears started running down her face, and she realized the very dangerous turn the situation had taken.

Chapter Twenty-Nine:

Ashleigh

  It had been three weeks since Ashleigh had returned from Montreal. Three weeks had gone by since her ‘Liam Epiphany’. That is what she was calling her revelation, realizing she did in fact have strong feelings for him.  Three weeks had gone by, and Ashleigh had done nothing about it. Ultimately she wanted to tell Liam in person, and this trip to London was just the right moment.

  Over the last few weeks she had thought endlessly about precisely how she would tell Liam she loved him. The moment had to be perfect. It was almost as if she was planning a proposal or something. Ashleigh had done a lot of self-reflection over the past few weeks, but there was no way she was ready for that to happen. Or was she?

 
I’ve got to let go of this need I have to control my life.
Love, loss, pain, sadness, fear and anger, I want to experience all the emotions. Not the ones I allow myself.

  She couldn’t stop thinking about Liam as she looked out the window of the plane staring at the clouds below. In a few short hours she would see him, and they would probably spend the entire weekend in bed together. Before boarding she had stopped by the gift shop at the airport and picked up a “Pure Michigan” ink pen for Liam. She was going to give the pen to him along with a card when she told him how much she loved him and was ready to begin her life with him. She knew that Liam would appreciate the thoughtfulness of her gift, just as she adored the Union Jack keychain he had given her. Placing her headphones in her ears she leaned her chair back and drifted off to sleep.

  Liam’s driver had picked Ashleigh up from Heathrow and was taking her to the Corinthia Hotel, the hotel where she and Liam met for the first time. Ashleigh would be meeting him there in a couple of hours for dinner. She made reservations for two at The Northall and would suggest after dinner drinks at The Lobby Lounge. For the final touch of her plan she had booked The Hamilton Penthouse, just for one evening though. Ashleigh hoped the weather would be nice so that they could sit under the stars on the terrace like they did all those years ago drinking champagne and talking all night. She checked into the hotel on Foursquare and sent Liam a Facebook message letting him know she had arrived.

  The smell of fresh flowers rushed over Ashleigh as she opened the door. The penthouse was breathtaking, and it looked just as she remembered. Her favorite room was the bathroom in the upstairs master suite, which hosted a separate walk in shower and a freestanding Apaiser stone bath. Her phone buzzed as she was hanging her clothes in the wardrobe room of the upstairs master suite. It was a Facebook message from Liam saying he could not wait to spend the evening with her.

  After a quick nap Ashleigh began getting ready. She had selected a silver, floor-sweeping Jenny Packham gown for dinner that had a sexy slit in the front. For the special night, she had purchased a few pieces of very sexy lingerie from Chantelle, including a nude Demi-Cup bra and matching thong. Styling her hair straight, she pulled her tresses back in a low ponytail and swept her bangs to the side before adding the final touches to her makeup. A few strokes of black Diorshow mascara thickened up Ashleigh’s long lashes and a slick gloss of red painted her full pout. 

  Looking in the mirror Ashleigh smiles, “Damn, not bad Ashleigh. Eat your heart out, Liam.”

  Ashleigh grabbed her gift for Liam that was sitting on the table in the entry way. She had placed the pen and card in small gift bag with tissue paper and tied a white ribbon on the handles. The white ribbon symbolized hope for their future together, and inside the card she wrote:
MY
DEAREST
LIAM
,
SOMEHOW
I
ALWAYS
KNEW
IT
WAS
YOU
.
YOU
ARE
MY
LOVE
,
MY
FUTURE
.
I
AM
HOME
WHEN
I
AM
WITH
YOU
.

 
She also included a quote from Maya Angelou,
  “
LOVE
RECOGNIZES
NO
BARRIERS
.
IT
JUMPS
HURDLES
,
LEAPS
FENCES
,
PENETRATES
WALLS
TO
ARRIVE
AT
ITS
DESTINATION
FULL
OF
HOPE
.”

  One last check in the mirror and Ashleigh made her way downstairs for dinner. She was slightly nervous, but confident.

  She noticed Liam right away. There he stood at the end of the bar sipping a martini, he was wearing a sleek navy suit with a light blue shirt underneath paired with a slate blue tie. Ashleigh stood at the hostess station for a moment just staring at him. He spotted her, and she walked over to him where he was motioning to the bartender.

  “Hey love,” he said kissing her on both cheeks. “What are you drinking?”

  Ashleigh felt as if her insides were melting like butter, replying sweetly, “I’ll have a glass of the Macon Blanc white wine please.”

  Liam couldn’t take his eyes off Ashleigh, taking note of how especially beautiful she looked that night. Although for Liam, she was always the most breathtaking creature on any given day. Ashleigh caught his gaze. She turned away to yawn. She was tired, but her adrenaline was keeping her going.

  “Ashleigh my dear, you look positively breathtaking this evening. How was your flight?”

  “You’re looking quite dapper yourself, Liam. The flight was good, I was able to have a row all to myself in business class, and I managed to sleep a bit, too.”

  “So you’re staying in The Hamilton Penthouse tonight? I did not take you for such a lavish spender,” Liam teased as he took a sip of his martini.

  Ashleigh giggled and said, “I just wanted to do something special. I rarely treat myself, so I thought I would indulge a bit.”

  Closing the gap between them, Liam whispered, “Special night? I do love those. What do you have planned?” He brushed Ashleigh’s hand with his, and she felt his breath on her cheek. The blood sizzled in her veins merely at his brief touch.

  Before she could answer, and not that she was going to admit anything yet, a man in a black jacket approached saying, “Miss Preston, your table is ready. Please follow me.” 

  Liam had already ordered another drink for himself and for Ashleigh. Seeing the couple was being seated, the bartender stated that he would have the drinks delivered to their table. 

  The smell of roasted garlic and grilled peppers stirred Ashleigh’s senses as they crossed the restaurant passing by several tables. As they were seated, Ashleigh noticed the couple beside them was enjoying a chocolate and hazelnut dessert, which made her mouth water. Placing the gift she had for Liam on the seat next to her, she reached for her menu. The server came over, introduced himself and told them about the specials.

  “So how have you been Ashleigh? How is summer in the States treating you?”

  “The summer has been interesting. I’ve traveled a bit, and I’ve managed to keep my social calendar filled on the weekends I’m home.”

  She went on to tell Liam about some of the things happening at work. She told him about how she, Emily, Ethan and a few others spent a wonderful weekend at Ethan’s lake house, while also giving an update about Emily’s unfortunate stalker situation.

   “How about you, Liam? What have you been up to this summer?” Ashleigh inquired.

  The server arrived at the table with their second round of drinks just as Liam was about to answer her question and asked if they were ready to order. Liam said he was ready, but Ashleigh had been concentrating on their conversation, not looking at menu choices. Quickly, she decided on the Goosnargh Chicken with braised celery, bacon and shallots.

  After she took a sip of wine Ashleigh returned to the conversation with Liam, asking, “So what’s new with you?”

  “Work has been going very well, and I too have been able to keep a busy social schedule this summer.”

  Ashleigh was curious. Liam was always social. He rarely had a night home where he just sat around watching television. He often worked late, had meetings to attend or was out with friends.  That is why it was so hard to catch him online. It seemed as though he was never home.

  “Oh yeah? What’s been keeping you so busy?” Ashleigh inquired while flashing him a sweet smile.

  Liam cleared his throat and said, “Well, I’ve met someone, and we’ve been dating for about a month. She’s quite charming. Her name is Lydia, and I think you would like her very much.”

  Ashleigh was blanched, feeling like all the air had been sucked out of her lungs. The smile slid from her glossy lips as she felt her mouth go dry. Suddenly her ears were buzzing.
What did he just say?
Reaching for her wine glass she took a drink, a very large drink. She swallowed hard, and her eyes met Liam’s. Hoping Liam didn’t realize she was in total shock, she tried to open her mouth, but there were no words. Her mind was racing. Time was going by, and she’d said nothing.
Come on, Ashleigh. Say something!

  “You’ve… met someone?” she managed to croak out. “That is…that’s so nice to hear, Liam.” Ashleigh was mustering all the strength she could to keep from crying in front of him. “Liam, will you excuse me? I need to use the ladies room.”

  Liam stood up as Ashleigh left the table.

  She pushed through the crowd and threw open the door to the bathroom. She tossed her clutch on the makeup vanity. Glancing at her reflection in the mirror, she noticed her chest was splotchy red.
How could he be dating someone?
A million thoughts came to mind. After years of keeping him at a distance, Liam had probably realized things with her weren’t going to happen, so he stopped waiting. Maybe Liam just happened to have met Lydia innocently and they had an instant attraction? Worse, what if it was love at first sight? Ashleigh grasped the notion that she may have missed her window for a relationship with Liam and quite possibly her second chance for happiness.

  Ashleigh’s heart sank.
What should I do? Fight for him? Declare my feelings and see if he picks me? What if he doesn’t pick me?
Gathering her composure, she realized she had to remain calm and make it through their evening together.