Page 97 of Rainstorm

I see those words again and again blinking on the screen of my cell phone. Why can’t that man take my silence as a negative?

The old me would have given in and accepted his invitation, any woman with two eyes in her head would. Although he’s thinner, Chase still has a body that makes you want to run your tongue over it - that’s with his clothes on, and don’t forget I know what’s underneath.

Jeez, this situation is playing dirty with my sanity.

I decide to ignore my phone, otherwise I might give into temptation and send him a text back, and then it’d be a slippery slope, with me ending up doing whatever that man wanted, and after everything we’ve gone through, I deserve better.

Whoever said that to find your Prince Charming you have to kiss a lot of toads—or marry them in my case—no doubt had a heart as hard as hell, because I definitely can’t get involved without feeling anything. And that is precisely the issue here. I can’t deny that I’m still in love with him, but then I crash with the reality that we are divorcing and that my lawyer is currently ploughing through heaven and earth to find a way to get him to sign those damn papers he threw down on the table at me.

It’s just as well we’ve had a lot going on at the agency to keep my mind occupied, plus I’ve had to deal with the admin for starting the bakery, giving me less time to worry about the Holland issue. All I can hope is that my repeated rejections will mean the man will get bored and finally leave me in peace for good.

We need to put a stop to this never-ending cycle.

He wants me. Then he doesn’t. Then he does again.

We can’t carry on like this. It has to end.

For his sake.

And most definitely for mine.

Ariel seems to find my situation amusing for some reason, and insists that Chase is preparing to take something from me, and it’s not my money.

However my heart...

Damn it.

On Tuesday, when I arrive at the office, the receptionist announces that I have a delivery waiting at reception that requires my signature. So I go to meet the blue cap messenger, who passes me his electronic reader to sign. A woman might expect red roses from a guy, but that’s not Chase’s style. He might have sent me flowers, but they’re made of strawberries and marshmallows. There are so many that I could feed the entire agency, along with the other offices that share our floor, as there are at least six baskets.

Outraged, I drag the baskets to my office. How could Holland possibly imagine I’m going to eat all of this? I furiously throw the envelope containing the card in the trash can, then slump into my chair holding my head in my hands. Not even two minutes have passed before my phone rings with a new message, and even without seeing the screen I know who sent it.

I hope you enjoy my flowers.

Your legs look incredible in that skirt.

And then…

I miss you, Roselynn.

Why does he have to say those things? I’ve missed him too. I think I’ll miss him the rest of my life. But this is insanity. Complete insanity.

Have dinner with me tonight. I’ll pick you up at seven.

I’ve considered changing my number, the only thing stopping me is knowing that by the time I’d got it sorted, he’d already have found a way to get hold of it again.

When I get home that evening and I tell my roomie what happened, far from showing solidarity with my annoyance, she bursts into laughter instead.

“Don’t you dare laugh, Ariel, it’s not funny at all,” I scowl at her.

“I can’t help it, I think it’s all very funny, actually,” she continues laughing. “Don’t they say ‘be careful what you wish for’, and I distinctly recall you telling me how much you wanted your husband back? Well, guess you got your wish.”

I roll my eyes at her. Although Ariel has become the sister I never had, right now she’s being a little traitor, taking Chase’s side on things.

“By the way, Oliver was meant to be getting tickets for the baseball game next weekend. Did you bring them home?” She changes the subject.

“I’d have to be an amnesiac to forget them. It’s so exciting, the Padres are playing so well and we haven’t been to the stadium in a while. It’s only just over a week away, but I’m sure the days are going to be very long.” Ariel and I do a little dance of celebration, then she heads back to the kitchen to continue preparing the batter for an order of brownies commissioned by one of our neighbors.

I change my clothes and quickly leave the apartment to take refuge in a nearby coffee shop, a new place I discovered a few days ago, a hidden treasure I haven’t shared with my roomie and the perfect place to hide since it wouldn’t surprise me if right now Chase is camping out in our living room, sipping tea with Ariel, his new minion.

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