Uncorked (26 page)

“Someone loosened the lug nuts on
your car. It was no accident.”

“Is Craig still here?”

“Yes.”

“Get him to give you a ride and
go to the penthouse.”

“I’m not leaving you here alone.

“I won’t be. I’ll be here with my
mom. It’s you they’re really after.”

“We don’t know that for sure.”

“I don’t want you here. I want
you to go to the penthouse.”

His words stung. She felt, once
again, that he didn’t trust her to do what was best.

“Mitch, I want to stay. To help
you and support you.”

“Please try and understand. I’ll
get to spend some time with my mom. You’ll be safe, and she won’t be home with
you to stress you out. It’s for the best.”

“Except for the fact that I won’t
get to see you or spend any time with you.”

“That’s nothing in the grand
scheme of things.”

“But you’re always there for me.
Why won’t you allow me to be there for you?”

“That’s not what this is about.
This is about your safety.”

“I have a guard outside to
protect all of us.”

“No. I want you to go.”

“You heard him,” Liz said as she
walked into the room. “Get out.”

“Mom, don’t you dare speak to her
that way. If you’re going to continue with this behavior, I want you to go back
home to Santa Monica.”

Chella left. She was so confused.
She felt hurt, betrayed, and angry with him on the very night she realized and
told him she loved him. True, he may not have heard her, but her feelings
toward Mitch were undeniable.

She spoke to Detective Carter. He
introduced her to the three guards that would take turns watching Mitch during
his stay at the hospital. After handing them a list of people who were allowed
to see Mitch, Chella went to find Craig. He was leaving the cafeteria with two
cups of tea in his hands.

Her eyes welled up.

“Chella, what’s wrong?” Craig
asked, directing her to sit on a nearby bench.

“He doesn’t want me here.”

“Why?”

“He says I’ll be safer at the
penthouse.”

“He might be right.”

“We have armed guards. I’ll be
just as safe here.”

“He’s looking out for you.”

“He’s been there for me. Why
can’t he allow me to do the same? Do you have any idea how much that hurts?”

“He’s not looking at it from that
perspective. He just wants to make sure you’re in a safe place.”

“I’m so angry with him right now.
He’s not always going to be there to protect me. He doesn’t trust me to make
the right decisions.”

“You’re right, but he’s doing
this out of love. He really has the best intentions.”

“His intentions hurt like hell.
How would you feel if Maggie was in the hospital, and she didn’t want you
around?”

“I suppose it would hurt, but
Chella, the circumstances are very different.”

“So if you were me, you’d do as
he asked and go home?”

“I would side with him on this.
You’ll be safe there.”

“How will I ever be able to stand
on my own two feet if the two of you don’t trust me?”

“Darling, we just see things from
very different perspectives. It’s our job to protect.”

“Since I can’t count on you for
support, I guess I’ll just have to take things into my own hands.”

“What’s that’s supposed to mean?”

“Nothing. Just take me to the
penthouse, please. That’s what he wants.”

Craig drove her to the penthouse
in uncomfortable silence. He parked in front of the building and escorted her
into the lobby. When they got to the elevator, Craig looked at her and said,
“Chella, I know you’re upset with Mitch and me right now, but we have your best
interests at heart.”

 “I’m sure both of you think you
do. Thank you for coming to check on me. And for the ride home.” She kissed him
goodbye and went up to the penthouse.

That night, Chella paced, unable
to sleep. She was so worried about Mitch, so angry, so hurt. She realized the
only way she could show Mitch and Craig that she was capable of taking care of
herself was to be on her own, to be independent, no matter how difficult it
might be. Before Mitch came into her life, back when she would run, she took
care of herself. The first step to empowering herself was to move out of the
penthouse. If she stayed there Mitch would always feel the need to protect her,
and she’d never have the guts to stand up and fight her own battles. She felt
safe when she was with Mitch, but he wouldn’t always be around to protect her.
She had to make a plan and be smart about her next move.

She scanned the internet all
night, making a list of things she needed to put in place. She wasn’t sure when
Mitch would be well enough to return home. Even though she was upset with him,
she would never abandon him. Once he was back on his own two feet, she would
make the move.

For the next four days, Chella
checked in with Dr. Forrester every day to find out Mitch’s progress. She and
Mitch spoke a few times a day, but their conversations were mostly superficial.
It was obvious that Liz was in the room.

“How do you feel today?” Chella
asked the Tuesday after the accident.

“Better. I’ll be coming home
today or tomorrow. I’m waiting to hear from Dr. Forrester to give me the
all-clear.”

“Is your mother coming here or is
she going back to Santa Monica?”

“She’ll stay for a day or two.”

So she’ll be there to take care
of you…

“I’ll get the guest room ready,”
Chella replied.

He put her on hold, and she could
hear him asking his mother for privacy.

“Are you still mad at me?” Mitch
asked.

“Yes, but I’m starting to think
this isn’t about you.”

“What do you mean?”

“I think you should know that
when you get home, I won’t be there.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’ve found my own place. Your
mom will be there to help you get back on for feet, so you won’t need me.”

“You’re doing this because you’re
angry with me.”

“I am angry with you, but that’s
not the reason I’m doing this. Mitch, you’re not always going to be around to
protect me, and you don’t trust me to do it myself. I’m doing this to prove to
myself and to you that I can do this. It will be better this way. What happens
if you have to travel? You’re going to tell me to stay locked up in the house?
Or tell me I have to come with you?”

“Chella…”

“This has forced me to open my
eyes and face reality.”

“The reality is there’s someone
out there trying to kill you.”

“No one is more aware of that
than me. That’s why I have to take control of my life and try to get this
behind me.”

“Why are you so angry with me?”

“I don’t want to talk about it
anymore. I’ll make sure everything is ready for your arrival.”

“Where are you staying?”

“I’ll leave you the address on
the bedside table.”

“Chell, I miss you.”

She hesitated, and softly
replied, “I miss you, too.”

Mitch arrived home
with his mom later that evening.
The condo was spotless, the refrigerator was fully stocked and Chella had left
him a get-well-soon basket loaded with healthy fruit on the counter and two
dinner plates in the warming drawer. Not a trace of her things was left behind,
with the exception of a note and a key to her new place. He wondered if he had
made a big mistake. In trying to keep her safe, he pushed her away. He heard
the hurt in her voice when he spoke to her earlier that day. Even though he
wasn’t sure what he had done to cause it, he somehow felt responsible.

“Mom?” Mitch called through the
guestroom door. “I’m stepping out for a while. If you’re hungry, dinner is in
the warming drawer.”

She opened the door. “Mitch,
where are you going? You should be home getting rest.”

“I’m going over to Chella’s. I
don’t know when I’ll be back.”

“I thought you ended things with
that girl.”

“First of all, her name is
Chella, not ‘that girl.’ Secondly, I don’t know what might have given you that
impression, but you couldn’t be more wrong. You had better start accepting her
and respecting her in my life. I love her, and I don’t appreciate the way you
treat her. Did you ever stop to think that the only reason you’re here is
because she picked up the phone and called you? She did that, despite the fact
that she knew you and I weren’t on speaking terms. Keep this up and you’ll lose
me as a son.”

“Mitch, don’t say that.”

“I’ll be damned if I ever let you
interfere in any of my relationships again. If you’re not going to respect her
and my wishes, feel free to leave.”

 His front door slid shut behind
him before she had a chance to respond.

Fifteen minutes later,
Mitch arrived at a gated
high-rise on Coronado Island. He was happy to see security at the gate and at
the entrance to the building. As he walked toward the elevator, he heard Chella
call his name. He turned. Chella was decked-out in gym wear. A man accompanied
her.

“Mitch, I didn’t know you were
coming over. This is Nathan Jones, a self-defense trainer. Nathan, this is my
boyfriend, Mitch.” She kissed Mitch lightly on the lips.

“Nice to meet you,” Nathan
replied, shaking his hand.

“You, too,” Mitch responded.

“I’ll see you the same time
tomorrow, Chella?”

“Sure. Thanks for everything.”

“You two have a good evening,”
said Nathan, heading toward the building’s exit.

Minutes later, they headed up to her
seventeenth-floor condo with stunning Pacific Ocean views.

“If I’d known you were coming,”
said Chella, “I would have scheduled Nathan either later or earlier. How are
you?”

“A little sore here and there,
but I’m fine for the most part. Thanks for everything you did at the hospital
and the penthouse.”

“No problem. I wanted to make
sure you and your mom would be comfortable, and you had everything you needed.
I’m going to grab a shower. Feel free to look around.”

Mitch knew things
would be awkward between them,
but he was surprised at how distant Chella was. When she returned to the great
room, he confronted her.

“Chell, I know you’re upset with
me. We need to talk.”

“I didn’t do this because I was
upset with you.”

“Why did you?”

“This is about me learning to
stand on my two feet, taking care of myself, and proving to myself and
everybody else that I can be alone.”

“Chella, you could have done that
without moving.”

“There was never any plan for me
to live with you permanently.”

“You’re safer there.”

“That’s exactly my point. I need
to create a safe environment for me, one that’s not under your roof. You don’t
trust me to take care of myself. As a matter of fact you don’t trust me,
period.”

“That’s not true.”

“You say that with your words,
but your actions say something entirely different.”

“What are you talking about?”

“This is getting us nowhere.”

“Chella, why are you so angry
with me? What did I do to make you so upset?”

“You shut me out of your life.
You keep information from me, and the one time I should have been there for
you, you shut me out, and you wouldn’t allow me to be there. Do you have any
idea how much that hurt?”

“I was doing what I thought was
best for your safety.”

“Because you didn’t think I could
handle it myself. If you had confidence in my ability to take care of the
situation, you would have never done that.”

“I will always worry about you,
and I will always want to protect you.”

“And where does trust come into
the picture?”

He stayed silent.

“You’re keeping something from
me. I don’t even want you to tell me whatever it is. I shouldn’t have to beg
you to trust me. The fact that you can’t or won’t is symptomatic of a bigger
problem.”

“What are you trying to say?”

“We’re talking in circles. At
this point, you’re not able to be honest with me. Probably not even yourself.”

“Chella, I’m sorry. I never meant
to hurt you.”

“I’m not sure I need an apology.
It is what it is.”

“Where do we go from here?”

“I don’t know. This isn’t
something we can force or create. It’s either there or it’s not, and right now
it’s not there.”