Page 35 of Sins of Bliss

I should have known he would show up here—that he’d try to see me—but my delusional self had hoped he’d simply give up.

As soon as I’m back outside, the warmth of the summer day envelops me, and in conjunction with my heart rate, a thin layer of sweat immediately prickles at my hairline.

Cars speed past where I stand on the sidewalk, my arm outstretched in the air to hail a cab. The sound of zipping tires against asphalt and motors revving does nothing to calm the pulsation of nerves zooming through my bloodstream. After a moment, a yellow taxi pulls alongside the curb and I waste no time pulling open the door and climbing inside. Grabbing my phone from my clutch in lieu of buckling my seatbelt, I dial Cecilia’s number as I tell the driver, “Greenwich and Vestry.”

Loyal to a fault, she answers on the second ring. “Hey.”

“Hey. Are you home?”

“Yeah,” she says through a yawn. “I just woke up from a catnap.”

“Lia, I think he’s on his way to the apartment right now.”

There’s a rustling against the speaker, and I picture her sitting up on the couch. “He, who?”

“Sly,” I tell her, then gasp when the cab driver slams on the brakes and lays on the horn.

“Watch it, ya idiot!”

My fingertips curl along the edge of the cracked leather seat.

“Where are you?” Cecilia questions.

Pinching the bridge of my nose, I close my eyes. “I hopped in a cab. Listen, if he shows up…”

“I’m not even home,” she singsongs into the phone, and I sigh with relief.

“Thank you,” I breathe.

“Look…I understand why you’re going through with this, and why you’re avoiding him, Vins, I really do. But don’t you think there could be some other solution? Maybe if you just talk to him, you guys could figure out a plan.”

“Trust me, I’ve been over every possible option in my mind. I don’t trust August as far as I can throw him, and I just can’t take that risk.Especiallynow. Sly almost died, and it had nothing to do with August.”

“Exactly. Repeat that sentence again, Vinnie. Sly almostdied, and it hadnothingto do with August. It’s like he’s been given a second chance. Don’t you think you should take advantage of that?”

I’m quiet, and she lets the silence stretch, not pressuring me to answer. For several minutes, neither of us speak and it’s like her presence is with me in the car instead of just on the other end of the line. It’s calming, and I appreciate that she’s just being in the moment with me as I think about her words and the feeling in my chest.

All too soon, the driver pulls in front of August’s building—a historical site that’s been transformed into luxury condominiums at which he owns the almost nine-thousand square foot penthouse.

Reaching into my clutch, I grab my wallet, fish out a few bills, and hand them to the driver.

“Thank you,” I tell him as I climb out.

“Does August know he’s back?” she asks at the same time as the doorman greets me, “Ms. Paladino.”

I smile and dip my head in a nod as I pass through the door that’s held open for me.

“I can only assume.” I address Cecilia’s question. “I suspect if he does know, I’m about to find out.”

The elevator pings and I step inside, holding my electronic keycard against the card reader for the penthouse floor. The doors are painfully slow as they close.

“Do you want me to meet you there before the rehearsal? Ride with you guys and act like a buffer? I could ask Ross to bring me.”

“No, it’s okay.” I watch the numbers ascend above the elevator doors.

“I wish you’d let me help you…” her voice trails off, the sadness behind her words like a shot in the heart.

“I know,” I tell her, smiling sadly to myself. “I have to go, I’m almost there. I’ll see you tonight though, okay?”

---