Hewitt: Jagged Edge Series #1 (2 page)

We had so much fun at the park that we really didn't get much of a chance to really talk to one another. Isaac kept us both busy with the playground as we alternated in taking him. It was approaching two o’clock when Isaac finally had enough. He ended up falling asleep on the blanket that Dylan had spread out on the grass. She gathered Isaac in her arms, while I gathered everything else. He didn't even stir when she picked him up. He was out.

On the way home, Dylan suggested I come to her house for a while. She thought we could catch up while Isaac took a nap. I hadn't spent any real girl time with anyone in such a long time, so I couldn't pass up the opportunity with my BFF. We had so many things to catch up on. The last time I spent any time with Dylan was the night her life fell apart.

When she told me Rade was taking her to this sex club, I tried to convince her it was a bad idea. It was funny how things turned out. She managed to get past what happened to her. Now it’s a weekly thing for them. Not too sure how on board I was with this weekly "date night," but it seems to be working for them. Still, I would like to know how it fits into their lives, especially with little Isaac in the picture.

CHAPTER TWO

Lilly

Maria took little Isaac while Dylan and I settled on the back patio. When Dylan told me that Rade had found the perfect home for them on the outskirts of New York, I wasn't very happy being so far away from my friend. Even though I was still living in Paris, I knew that I would be coming back to New York and living here permanently. Call it selfishness, but I wanted to have my best friend close to me. I didn't want to waste any time driving to be with her, especially if I needed her when I was having an emotional breakdown, which I was having a lot of lately.

So how are things with you since you moved back to the states?" Dylan asked, pulling me from my thoughts.

"Pretty good, actually. All of my things arrived this morning from Paris. I still need to find a place for the new gallery, but other than that, really good." I shifted slightly in my seat, hoping that my answer satisfied her question.

"That's not what I meant Lilly. I was referring to you and Peter. Have you seen him yet?" Dylan asked, smiling as she handed me a glass of ice tea.

One thing about my friend, she could be direct and to the point at times. I shouldn't have been surprised though. I didn't give Dylan any reason to believe that my relationship with Peter was over. All she knew was that we had gone our separate ways when I moved to Paris. Now, that I was back, it only seems reasonable that we would hook up again. "I haven't seen Peter. To be quite honest, I'm not sure if I want to see him. We didn't end things with the best of terms when I left."

"I just thought you guys would be able to work things out now that you’re back on a permanent basis. He still asks about you," Dylan confessed.

"What do you mean, he still asks about me?" I shouldn't have cared, but deep down, I thought about Peter more than I should have. Even though things between us ended badly, there wasn't a day that went by that I didn't think about him. He was the only man who could make me feel things that I had never felt before. I was by no means inexperienced, but some of the things he did to me, well, let's just say, you couldn't learn them from a self-help book.

"He still cares about you, Lilly. I really think he feels bad about the way things ended between you two. I'm not telling you what to do, but you should think about talking to him. Give him another chance."

Maybe Dylan was right. Everyone had secrets. Look at her life with Rade. He had enough secrets for the entire population of Manhattan. Everything worked out for them. She had a beautiful home, a beautiful little boy, and, a man who loved her more than anything. "I'll think about it," I replied. I just wasn’t sure if I was ready to get my heart broken again.

Dylan grabbed my hand and gave it a gentle squeeze, signaling her appreciation. "So what is this about a new gallery?"

I was thankful that she had changed the subject. As I told her what my plans were, her eyes lit up with excitement. I almost believed she was more excited than I was. She even offered to have Maria watch Isaac while we looked for a spot for the gallery together. Dylan even went as far as offering to help me name it.

"I almost forgot," Dylan blurted out. "We are having a grand opening for Tetralogy. I want you to come."

"I wouldn't miss it for the world, Dylan. Let me know when and where, and I'll be there." I knew how important this was for Dylan. She worked so hard in getting the new facility up and running. At first she wasn’t sure she would be able to run the new company Rade had purchased. I knew she would make it a great success, especially since everyone wanted the latest in new software to make their lives easier.

"It's a couple of weeks away, but it will be at the new site. I'm very hopeful that there will be a lot of people there," Dylan said.

"Knowing you, my friend, it will be a hit," I giggled, lifting my glass in a toast

~****~

By the time Richard took me back to my condo, it was dinner time. Dylan had offered for me to stay, but I knew there were boxes waiting for me to unpack. I wished I had taken her up on her offer. When I opened the door, I was hit with twenty-plus boxes needing to be unpacked. I wasn't sure where I was going to start, but first things first. If I was going to tackle these boxes, I was going to do it in comfortable clothing. Heading to my bedroom, I took in a deep sigh of regret.
"This is not how I planned on spending a Saturday night. Then again, what kind of plans did I really have?"

It was well past midnight and I had only unpacked a quarter of the boxes taking residence in my living area. I decided to call it quits and opted for a nice hot bath. Nothing like a mound of bubbles to soothe an achy body, a body in dire need of some TLC. As I lay in the tub, I began thinking about what Dylan said about reaching out to Peter. Even though things didn't end well, he hadn’t left my mind since the day I told him it would be better if we went our own way. As much as it hurt, I could never bring myself to delete his number from my phone. There were so many times I thought about calling him just to say "Hi." In the end, I always chickened out and did nothing. Maybe tomorrow morning would be different. Maybe I would be able to actually hit the little green phone instead of just staring at it.

CHAPTER THREE

Lilly

The morning came too soon. It was 6:00 a.m., and I knew that if I wanted to do something else other than unpack boxes, I needed to get started on it. Stumbling out of bed, I went to the bathroom and did my thing, and headed to the kitchen for some much-needed coffee. After having the first taste of my morning pick-me-up, I began digging into the remaining boxes. Most of the boxes were filled with clothing, so I saved those for another time. I did manage to carry them to the bedroom to make more room in the living area. I finally felt like I was making progress. The shaggy white rug I had over the wooden floor was finally visible.

When the last box was emptied of its contents, it was nearly 10:00 a.m. I was glad I hadn't wasted my whole day unpacking. Most importantly, I had plenty of time to check out the new gym I saw around the corner from my building. I was glad that the old empty building finally turned into something useful and not one of those organic markets containing stuff nobody heard of. Changing into my workout clothes, I decided to call Dylan to see if she wanted to tag along with me.

"Hey, girlfriend," I began, “Whatcha doing?"

“Usually when you ask me what I’m doing, it means you either want something or you want me to go with you somewhere." Dylan knew me too well. I guess knowing each other for more than fifteen years; you tend to get to know someone pretty well.

"I was going to check out the new gym that opened up around the corner from me. I thought maybe you would want to go with me," I ask, hoping she would accept.

"I would love to go with you. Give me about an hour. I just need to get Isaac settled and I'll be over."

"Perfect."

While I waited for Dylan to show up, I thought I would occupy my time looking for a real estate agent. Searching the Web, I found one who specialized in commercial properties. I emailed her what I was looking for, and she instantly emailed me back with some listings close to the area I wanted. After looking at the listings, I was beginning to have second thoughts about her. Some of the listings she shared were complete dumps, from what I could see, just by looking at the pictures. The buildings that weren't, were either too small or so outrageously priced. No wonder they hadn't sold yet. By the time I got off the phone with her, I could tell she was annoyed with me. It didn't really matter. If I was going to pay a sizable amount for a spot, then she could be as annoyed as she wanted to. I wasn't about to be talked into something I didn't want.

Just as I was finishing up with the realtor, a knock came at the door. Looking through the peephole, I could see it was Dylan. Even though it had only been a yesterday since I'd seen her, I really missed her. So when my greeting ended in a big hug, it threw her a little off guard.

"I guess you're glad to see me," she said with a smile.

"I just really missed you" It was the truth. I might have gone a little overboard, though.

I grabbed my bag and we headed to the new gym, only it wasn't really new, in the sense that it had been there for a year and a half. I had missed so much while I was gone.

Since it was a gorgeous day, we decided to walk. One thing about New York, you never knew what to expect when it came to the weather. It could be unseasonably warm one day, and a blizzard the next.

When we entered the gym, I could tell it was a popular place. Looking around, I could see that there were several classes going on in various rooms. The main room where most of the exercise equipment loacated, was had people doing their own thing. As we walked up to the reception area, there was no one around. Dylan picked up the bell sitting on the counter and began ringing it. Within seconds, a very fit guy came to assist us.

"Good afternoon, ladies, is there something I can help you with?" he greeted us in a friendly manner.

“Yes, we would like some information on joining the gym," I replied.

"I think I can help you out with that," he smiled as he pulled several forms from behind the counter.

An hour later we were signed up as members. I couldn't believe how much the gym had to offer for the monthly membership fee. It had several classes ranging from low-impact aerobics to high-intensity kick boxing. There was even a special class offered for soon to-be mothers. This was what sold Dylan. She was all about being as healthy as possible during her pregnancy.

As we were leaving, we were so excited about joining that I didn't notice the man walking into the gym. I would have fallen on my ass hadn't it been for his arms reaching out for me. Looking up at him, I couldn't help but stare. He was very handsome.

"I'm so sorry,” I said, blushing from embarrassment. “I should watch where I'm going."

"No need to apologize. I should have been paying more attention," he said, in a deep voice.

As Dylan and I stepped outside, Dylan gave me one of those ‘Are you crazy looks?’ I knew that look and what she was thinking.

"Don't say anything Dylan. I know what you're thinking." I didn't want her to know that I was at a loss for words. I was too busy staring at his incredible body. Hopefully I would have another chance to get to know him better.

When we got to my building, Dylan decided she needed to get back home to Isaac. I knew it was hard for her to leave him for any length of time, and she had already been away from him for a couple of hours. It was a good thing that she made sure that Tetralogy had a daycare center on site; otherwise she would have never agreed to keep working.

Before she left, we decided to meet up again on Wednesday to go to the gym. Wednesdays and Fridays were the two days they offered the low-impact classes for expecting mothers.