Page 49 of One Night Bride
I backed up, snatched my shirt off the floor and exited the room. I heard her following me after a second, but I didn’t slow down.
“Where are you going?”
I grabbed my keys off the kitchen counter and kept going for the front door. “Out. I have my own business to save and my family to deal with. Thanks for that, by the way.”
Right before the door slammed in her face, I muttered the one thing I should have said a long time ago when I first stood on this doorstep.
“You’ll be hearing from my lawyer.”
22
Esme
The door slammed shut with a finality my brain couldn’t seem to comprehend. A roaring noise filled my ears, and I knew it couldn’t be the crash of the ocean waves outside. All I heard was static that filled every crevice in my skull, numbing me from the pain I knew I should feel at Remington leaving. My thoughts blanked out, and I just stared at the wall.
I wasn’t sure how much time had passed when the door cracked open again. My heart leaped into my throat and I jumped forward like I’d been prodded by one of Oakley’s Taser guns. Maybe he was back.
Izzy’s smiling face pushed through. “Everyone—”
She startled when her gaze fell on me, opening the door fully and stepping inside. “Are you okay?”
My heart had dropped to my feet. Not Remington. He wasn’t coming back.
I sank to the floor right there in the foyer and put my head in my hands. A tidal wave of that pain I’d held at bay was threatening to cut off my air supply as it crashed. My insides heaved and I felt physically sick. I was aware of Izzy dropping down beside me and wrapping an arm around my shoulders. She murmured something I couldn’t make out. All I could think about was the hurt in Remington’s blue eyes when he stormed out. All I could hear was his words lashing at me over and over again.
Not much of a business…
Everything I’d done since I was sixteen was about growing this business. I’d barely slept the last eight years while I got everything up and running. Friends had fallen away as I poured all my time and attention into this company. I hit the million-dollar mark and even then I had goals to chase down before I could rest. Not much of a business?
This business was everything to me.
Izzy left my side at some point to return and shove a wad of tissues at my face. I had no idea what it was for until I realized I had tears streaming down my cheeks and snot getting into the mix. The gold ring on my finger felt like it was mocking me, flashing in the morning light streaming through the windows.
“Oh, honey,” Izzy murmured, rubbing my back. “Your business means a lot to you, I know. I mean, look at this gorgeous house right on the coast. Look what you’ve accomplished!”
She was trying to cheer me up, and I clearly must have been mumbling out loud, but as I mopped my face and looked around, I realized that all I really had was a broken heart. A couple of pictures posted online and suddenly my business was imploding. Remington had been right. Wasn’t much of a business if I built it on a lie that could be torn down with a few pictures.
My business was everything to me. Past tense. And that was the problem. It had been my sole focus for so long I didn’t realize that Remington had somehow snuck onto my priority list. He’d rearranged everything I thought I wanted.
“Oh my God, Izzy,” I moaned, my face dropping back into my hands. “He’s a disruptor. A paradigm shift.”
“I don’t understand,” Izzy said, her voice picking up volume as she questioned me. “Stop using that weirdo business jargon, Esme. The ring is on your finger. So…did you turn him down? Did you have a fight? What happened?”
I shook my head and straightened up, my head feeling like a ten-pound bowling ball. I probably looked a total mess. Hell, I was a mess. I didn’t blame Remington for walking away. I’d been a total jackass of epic proportions. I hadn’t even stopped for two seconds to see how my statement would hurt him. Or affect his own business. Or his parents.
I groaned. “Oh my God.” His parents. They would certainly hate me now.
“Esme!” Izzy barked.
“Don’t yell at me!” I yelled back. I needed at least one person on my side today.
“I was fishing from both sides of the pier.” At her warning glare, I explained in plain English. “I was trying to have Remington while also having a business that didn’t create space for him. I wanted to have it all, but because I wasn’t truthful, I ended up with nothing. Remington’s gone and my business is imploding online.”
Izzy’s face softened again. “Oh, honey. I’m sorry. It can’t be that bad. Maybe Remington just needed some space?”
I lifted an eyebrow while I wiped my nose. “He said his lawyers would be in touch.”
Izzy cringed. “Well, I’m sure your business will be just fine. You gotta give it time.”
