Page 45 of Yours to Conquer

I wake with a start.My heart is racing, and I am covered in sweat. I was running in my dream. Each time I turned around, I saw a faceless person. Just before I woke up, he grabbed my arm, and when I turned to look at him, I saw Anthony. Is this my subconscious’ way of telling me I’m indeed running?

I look at the clock and see I’ve slept longer than expected. I get up and throw on some clothes. I walk upstairs and start the coffeeand open my computer and watch the emails rush in. The first in the queue is a message from Anthony.

Emma,

I’ve been away far too long. I booked the first flight I could. I’ll be home tonight. Wear something sexy for me. I’ve missed you so much.

Yours,

Anthony

Wow, I wasn’t expecting that. I’d hoped I’d have a few days to figure this out. Now he’ll be here tonight, and I’ll be gone. I don’t want him to come home to an empty house. I want to get brave and talk to him. He deserves an answer, and I deserve the truth.

I shoot him an email back, hoping he’ll get it before he boards the plane. According to his message, he should be arriving today around 6:30.

Anthony,

Come to Ahz for dinner. I’ll reserve a private room for us. See you when you get here.

Em

I pour a cup of coffee and walk out onto the deck. It chokes me up to know I won’t wake to this view every morning. I look out to the ocean and try to remember the last time I saw Anthony emerging from the water after his daily swim. Can I leave this all behind? Honestly, there is only one answer. It’s yes, you can’t live with a man who cheats on you and then lies about it. My pissed-off girl is back, and she’s in the driver’s seat for the day.

I stroll back into the kitchen, rinse my cup, and put it in the dishwasher.

The house is all locked up, and I’m ready to go. I walk to the garage door and look around me one last time before closing the door on my past. Seated in my car, I start the engine and head toward my uncertain future.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

I sneak into my house, so I don’t disturb Roxy because she probably didn’t come home until the wee hours of the morning. Most bartenders don’t get out until well after two.

I haven’t known her long, but I feel like I’ve known her forever. I’m sure that’s why Chris and Trevor thought she’d be a good fit. She seems to have summed me up in the few times we have hung out.

It takes several trips between my car and the closet to get everything put away, but I finally have it all shoved back in its original home. The coffeepot is calling to me from the kitchen, and even though I shouldn’t be drinking so much caffeine, I put a pot on to brew and sit down at the table with nothing else to do but wait.

What am I going to do about Anthony? I decided that I will show up to dinner with the pictures so when I can’t talk to him, I can at least show him what I know.

A rustle to my left makes me jump. I was so caught up in my thoughts and I didn’t hear Roxy enter the kitchen area.

“Good morning. I hope I didn’t wake you.” I watch as she walks over to the pot and pours herself a cup.

“Thanks for making the coffee. Do you want some?” She pulls a second cup out of the cupboard and waits for my answer.

“Yeah, that would be great. Black is fine for me.”

“I know you don’t know me that well, but do you want to talk? You have yo-yoed several times between houses lately, and I think maybe you might want a sounding board.”

I stare at her for a minute. I’d rather talk to Kat because she knows me and my history. Since talking to Kat is out of the question, I’m happy to speak to Roxy. My computer is in the living room, where I left it when I arrived. Retrieving it and sitting back down at the table, I open the email with the photos. She shifts her chair to see the screen more easily and scrolls through the pics.

“You moved out because he was talking to another redhead some slimy paparazzi happened to conveniently take a picture of. Are you crazy? Did you even ask him about it?”

I’m shocked by her dismissal of his blatant disrespect for our relationship. “I asked him, and he breezed over the subject and disregarded the question outright.”

“Anthony is not the cheating kind of guy. He’s the commitment kind of guy,” she blurts out and then looks at me like a deer caught in the headlights.

“Why is it you know so much about my boyfriend? You have slipped several times about what a good guy he is… blah, blah, blah. Tell me what I don’t know, Roxy.” I cross my hands over my chest and stare her down. She shifts uncomfortably in her seat before she speaks.

“First off, I want you to know I didn’t know you were dating him when I moved in. I knew Katarina was connected to Ahz through Damon, but I thought you were connected through Katarina. I didn’t know both of you were dating Los Angeles’ most eligible bachelors.” She sips her coffee and sits back in her chair.

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