Page 94 of Twin Flames
‘My colleague said she ordered a taxi, and Ms Bailey left for the airport over an hour ago.’
‘Oh, right.’ George felt winded as he stared at the rosy-cheeked receptionist.
He tried to gather his whirring thoughts.
‘Did she leave any message?’
He had to ask. Surely, she wouldn’t just leave without letting him know. There must be some misunderstanding; some explanation.
‘Give me a moment, please. I’ll go and check for messages.’
He wouldn’t get to see her after all. What a strange turn of events. Perhaps she’d had second thoughts. Or, maybe he hadn’t allowed her a way to refuse politely, and so she made up an excuse to avoid seeing him. Thoughts bounced around his head.He’d made a fool of himself. It wasn’t like him to have his defences so low.
‘May I ask your name, Sir?’
‘Cavendish. George Cavendish.’
‘Ms Bailey left a note for you with my colleague.’ She pressed an envelope, embossed with the hotel insignia, into his hand.
‘Apologies, once again, for not realising Ms Bailey had already checked out.’
He took the envelope and thanked the receptionist, a bemused expression on his face. He tore it open; his heart beat fast as he raced out of the hotel lobby. He jumped into the jeep and read the note.
Dear George,
I’m so sorry I missed you. I had to dash for an earlier flight and didn’t want to disturb you by calling at the crack of dawn.
Have a good breakfast meeting and perhaps we’ll see each other again.
Kind regards,
Cara
p.s Please give my best wishes to Kate.
George stared at the note.Kind regards.
His stomach lurched. She was so formal. Had he completely misread the signals? Why hadn’t she messaged him to say she was getting an earlier flight? None of it made any sense—unless she didn’t want to see him.
But a little voice in his head said he hadn’t imagined the attraction between them even though she didn’t recognise him.
He pulled out into the heavy morning traffic towards the airport. Maybe, there was still a chance of seeing her. He decidedhe would message her when he arrived; on the off chance she was delayed.
George wasn’t a man used to being brushed aside by women. His ego was wounded, but it was more than that. He was devastated, and most confusing of all, he had no idea what had happened to his old life—and now she had no desire to see him. By the sounds of it, she’d taken more of a shine to Kate. Not that he didn’t appreciate Kate’s charm; she was extremely likeable. Perhaps if he’d said his sister would join them, Cara would have been more at ease to meet them for drinks.
She would be gone soon. He drove as fast as the traffic permitted. A depressing fog settled upon him and he turned on the radio in an attempt to distract himself. He shook his head and wondered what to do for the best. He was agitated and didn’t like it one bit.
He pulled into the airport and decided to call her. He must hear her voice. Perhaps she’d really had to go early. No answer. He had only ever clicked with Cara in this way. He didn’t want to let her go without giving it his best shot. If she wasn’t interested, then there was nothing more he could do. He felt a haunting sense of loss.
Cara buckled her seatbelt and stared out of the window at the rays of sun glinting on the smooth, sharp lines of the runway. It was a beautiful day, and the flight was on schedule.
Cara was uneasy about lying to George. She hoped she’d done the right thing. But it didn’t feel right. She hadn’t known what else to do. She’d fretted late into the night and barely slept. There was no way her conscience would allow her to repeat the same mistake with him, no matter how much she longed to see him. The fall out on both sides would be too great. He didn’t know what he was getting into. She must protect them both.
It had been unkind to let him come to the hotel to pick her up. She hated being cruel; especially to him. She couldn’tface listening to him talking about his life with Kate, or even worse, flirting as if he were a free agent. She knew she was assuming the worst; it was possible he was genuinely interested in the manuscript and wanted to help. But she couldn’t take the chance. If that’s all she was to him, then she couldn’t bear to face that scenario. However she turned it over in her mind; it was a lose-lose. What a mess she was in. Again.
‘Please turn off all electronic devices.’
She fished her phone out of the side pocket of her bag and saw a notification. There was a missed call and a new message—both from George. Of course. No matter what timeline they were in, she recognised his familiar traits. He didn’t give up easily.
