When Sparks Fly (90 page)

Grant

After my face-to-face with Rachel, I hung out with more of my friends. I was heading back to Virginia Beach in a couple of days, so I hit the local bars they frequented and decided to let go of the resentment I had towards them.

The night is in full swing, and I can’t help but wonder what Jordyn is doing to ring in the New Year. Is she engaged? Married to Jeremy by now?

The light is on in the family room when I return home. My grandmother has one of the New Year’s programs from New York City on TV.

“Did I miss the ball drop?” I give her a kiss on the cheek before falling onto the couch.

“Not yet, just a few more minutes to go.” Her eyes drill into me. “I didn’t think you’d be back until the sun came up. What happened?”

“Nothing. I just want to ring in the New Year with the most important woman in my life. That happens to be you.”

She chuckles. “You need to find yourself another woman, then, honey.”

“Gram, it wouldn’t matter who I found. No one will be more important to me than you.

I woke at three in the morning in a cold sweat, clutching my chest. “Jordyn,” I murmur. The dream was so real. So vivid.

I walk into my house and dump my helmet bag by the door. She’s there.

Her back is to me, but I know its Jordyn. I’m mesmerized, watching her sway back and forth. When she turns around, a baby is bundled in her arms.

“There’s your daddy,” she says, her eyes so soft, so warm, so full of love. “Happy New Year, Grant.”

I’m desperate to get them both in my arms. I need to hold them, feel them. Never let them go. But they vanish before I reach them.

All that remains is the sound of her voice, lingering in my head, seizing my heart.

‡
Chapter Six

Jordyn

February

It took a week for my memories to fully return. A week after, my father told me I needed to go back to work. I wasn’t thrilled about it, but at least it got me out of the house and doing something productive.

I fought with my parents about moving back into my apartment. They said it was too soon. I disagreed. They said I still needed my therapy sessions and the house was the most convenient place for it to occur. Carlos agreed. So we compromised. I moved into the guest house with an agreement that they were not to show up anytime they pleased or expect me at every meal at the house. I would come and go as I pleased, or else I would just go.

They agreed. Grudgingly.

Grant is in so many of my waking moments, and features nightly in my dreams. Sometimes they’re nightmares of him telling me he doesn’t want me. Others are sweet snippets of the life I still want with him – walking along the beach hand-in-hand as the sun goes down. Some are of the two of us on the beach, among other places, making love.

Carlos and I are in the middle of a session. It’s a beautiful day, and I’m happy to get out of the office and enjoy the sun. I hate being cooped up inside, preferring the outdoors, no matter what the temperature. I don’t know where my future is headed, but I know I’m not going to continue to work in the family business much longer. I want something different. Something I choose.

I just have to figure out what that is.

“So, big plans for Valentine’s Day?” I ask.

“I’m taking Dusty to her favorite vegan restaurant, and then we’ll stroll along the beach. After that?” He shrugs. “It’ll be up to the stars, as Dusty says.”

“Sounds wonderful. Have a great time.”

“What about you?”

“Oh, huge. First, a long, hot bath until every inch of my body is pruned. Then, exfoliating, highlights, and painting my nails. If I have time after that, I’ll curl up in bed with a romance novel and fall asleep dreaming of prince charming.” I give him the cheesiest grin I can muster.

“Have you thought about trying to reach out to Grant at all?”

“What for? I told you, my parents’ said he didn’t want a relationship with me.” I grunt, dropping from a downward dog to a plank and holding it.

“And you believe them? Do you have proof this conversation ever took place?”

“No, but my father offered to show me all the emails between them.” We both move to an upward facing dog. I let out all the air in my lungs and relax into the pose, dropping my head back so my face is to the sky. “He would lie about that, would he?” Carlos looks at me, deep creases in his forehead. “What am I saying? Of course he would lie to me.”

We finish up our session and I take off for the main house and head straight to my father’s study.

“I want to see the emails from Grant,” I say.

My father looks up from his computer. “Hello, Jordyn. Come in, have a seat.” He leans back in his chair. “Now, what is it you’re requesting?”

“The emails – you said you had Grant’s emails – I want them.”

“Well, I don’t have them anymore. I deleted them after our conversation.” He waves his hand in the air, trying to make me feel like a silly little girl even as an adult.

I stand with my hands on my hips. “You know nothing is ever truly gone in this electronic age. Have IT retrieve them from the server.” There’s no way he’s going to push me away with his rebukes.

“I will not waste the IT department’s time hunting through the server so you can discover that I’m telling the truth. You’ll just have to take my word for it.”

“No.”

“What did you say?” He angles forward, his hands gripping the edge of his desk.

“You heard me. I will not take your word for it. So unless you want me calling IT, or flying down to Virginia Beach to get the story straight from Grant, you better come clean to me about the emails, because you can bet I’m going to verify every single word you say.”

His nostrils flare and his face turns a deeper shade of red. I’m not giving him an inch, glaring right back at him. I’m done being intimidated by this man.

“Fine. There were no emails. I had no discussions with him regarding your accident or injuries. Want to know why? Because he never once reached out to me, Jordyn. I know you were supposed to meet up with him that weekend in Chicago. And I know it never happened. Your friend never once tried to find you. Never called the house or the company, never asked one person why you hadn’t shown up to meet him.”

The blood drains from my face and he must’ve seen me waver slightly because he grins as if he’s discovered a crack in my stoic veneer. He reclines, tenting his fingers in front of him, a smug smile across his face.

“No, not one inquiry as to whether or not you had been hurt. If you had made it back home safely. Not one call to try to talk to you. Oh, I know, your cell phone was smashed in the road when you were hit by that car. But we got you a new phone. Kept the same phone number and everything. But nothing. Now, I don’t know about you, but that doesn’t sound like a man that truly cared about you at all.”

“You lied to me.”

“Yes, I lied – to save your feelings. Would it have been better if I had told you the truth? That the young man you thought so highly of didn’t give a damn about you? Would that have been better?”

“Yes. It would have. Because now all I can see is a man who didn’t respect me enough to tell me the truth and let me handle the information the way I thought best. You may have thought you were sparing me, but I’m still hurt by the information. The truth is, Grant has no idea I was in a car accident. He may think I’m the one who doesn’t care. I could’ve corrected this weeks ago and found out the truth.”

“Well, what’s done is done.” My father focuses on his computer again, his voice flat.

“I’ll tell you what’s done. We are.” I turn and storm out of the study without another word. I don’t stop moving until I make it to my little cottage.

I call Carlos because I have no idea who else to call. He’s my only real friend these days. I haven’t re-established connection with any friends. Not that any of them were really my friends. None of them even knew about my accident. My family hadn’t told anyone. They preferred to keep it ‘just in the family’.

Carlos answers on the third ring. I barely give him time to say hello before I blurt out, “They were never in contact with Grant. They lied. And I don’t know what to do now.”

“Jordyn, calm down. Let’s talk this out. So, it’s not really that surprising they lied. Disgusting and despicable, but also predictable. As for the what you do – you tell Grant what happened.”

We talk for a few more minutes and then I head into the shower. The hot water helps to soothe me. My brain writes a script of what to say to Grant when he answers the phone. How am I going to keep him on the line long enough to explain about the accident, the amnesia, and my parents meddling?

Beg, plead. Cry, if necessary. If he hangs up on me, I’ll call back until he finally listens to me. I just need him to know the truth. And pray that he still feels something for me. Anything is better than nothing.

*

Grant

I’m sitting on the balcony in a hotel in Singapore. It’s our first port call of this deployment. It’s also Valentine’s Day. A few of the wives came over to meet up with their husbands for the weekend and celebrate.

I’m staying in and ordering room service. No need to venture out and see one more reminder that the woman I want to be with is most likely with another man.

I also have no interest in getting shit-faced like I did during the last deployment. I don’t want to cover up the pain and hurt. I want to deal with it. So, no matter how much it costs me to make an international call with my cell phone, I’m going to get answers from Jordyn.

I check the time. Still mid-afternoon in California. Plenty of time before she heads out for the night to celebrate.

I hit the speed dial for her number.

“Hello?” A man’s voice.
Fuck!

“Can I speak with Jordyn?”

“Uh, well, she’s in the shower right now. May I ask who’s calling?”

“Grant.”

“Oh, right, the Navy guy?”
Asshat.
“This is Jeremy, her boyfriend. We’re getting ready to go out. I’m planning on asking her to marry me. Of course, it’s really just a formality. I already know the answer…”

I hang up. I don’t have to sit and listen to that pompous ass telling me about how he and Jordyn are going to live happily ever after.

I have my answers. She went back to Jeremy and they’re getting married.

She’s not the woman I thought she was after all.

*