Page 53 of Irresistible Second Chance

Chapter 15

I showed up to the office extra early the next morning since I knew Chris was scheduled to start that day. I had gone to the salon after work the other day to freshen up my hair cut and I was sad to admit, I had even gone to the mall to pick out something new to wear. I didn’t normally wear dresses to work, but I was going for a different look. A sexier look. I wasn’t too proud to admit it. I wanted him to notice me. So, I poured my body into a tight red dress. Tossed on a blazer, put on heels that weren’t only two inches high and wobbled into work. I say wobbled because I wasn’t the most graceful in high heels. At least they weren’t stilettos, I said to myself.

Then I sat perched in my office waiting for him to show up. I didn’t see him at all that moring. I made sure to pass by the lobby an inordinate amount of times. I didn’t see him at all that afternoon, and I made sure to stalk Robert’s office that was only two doors down from mine.

Anytime I thought I heard his voice, I hurriedly looked in the mirror and fixed my hair and makeup, but he was never there. At the end of the day, I prepared to pack up when I received a message from him. It was actually an email, requesting access to several files. I quickly sat down and emailed him back that he could pick them up from me in the morning.

He quickly wrote back that he was working remotely and asked if the files were backed up somewhere. I tried to bite back my disappointment as I emailed him back. So, he was working remotely. I resisted the urge to ask Robert if Chris planned to be one-hundred percent remote. Instead, I swung by our admin assistant’s office to ask, and she let me know that yep, he was. So much for the sexy outfit, I thought to myself. What a waste.

I climbed into my car feeling like an absolute idiot. I took off my shoes, tossed them into the back of my car and drove home. I walked into my empty house as Starr had called it. I looked around; it wasn’t empty...it was just quiet and...kind of sterile and sad. I told myself that I just needed to hire an interior decorator to make my space more...I don’t know... warm.

I was tired emotionally and physically. My feet hurt. My feelings were hurt. I was just upset overall. I thought about my conversation with Robin as I lay like a starfish across my bed staring at my ceiling and feeling sorry for myself.

I wondered if Starr had gone on that blind date. I wondered if Chris had blocked me on his phone. And I wondered if my life would ever get back on track. Feeling sad, I made myself get up and take a shower. I then then put on my PJs and sat in front of my television. I turned it on not really caring what I was watching.

It was another formulaic romantic comedy. It was about a man and woman trying to find each other after they’d gotten lost in a jungle together. The scenery reminded me of the area around the villa where Chris and I had stayed. I wiped away a tear as I thought of how he had been so caring and had single-handedly kept me safe after I hurt my leg. Although, it had partially been his fault since he had suggested the hike to begin with. I was willing to overlook that since he had taken care of my every need. That was Chris for you.

My phone rang at that moment, and I looked up to see that it was Starr. Happily, I reached for it.

“Hey, thanks for calling, I’m sorry--”

“Sydney, thank God, I reached you--”

I sat straight up, pulled the phone away from my ear to double check who the call was from. Hmm...it said my sister’s name for sure. “Mom? What’s going on? Why do you have Starr’s phone?”

I immediately thought this was some sort of intervention and Starr was trying to force me to talk to Mom, but something about Mom’s voice sounded off. She sounded scared.

“Mom, is everything ok? Where’s Starr? Where are the girls?” I was starting to panic.

“Starr is with your father. We’re at the hospital. He had another stroke---”

“Oh my God,” I got up and raced for my keys and was out the door in seconds. I ran to my car, jumped in and then realized I had no idea which hospital.

I reached for my phone, grateful that my mom was still there. “Which hospital, Mom?”

“The big new one off of Lincoln Street.”

I knew exactly which one she was referring to. I drove by it on my way to work everyday. “I’ll be there in 10 minutes.”

“Ok,” was all she said as she hung up.

I was surprised I wasn’t pulled over considering how fast I was driving. But I had to get there before---I couldn’t finish that thought. I was a mess after my dad’s first stroke. I didn’t know if I could handle even the thought of losing him now.

I pulled into the parking lot, not caring if they towed my car because I hadn’t bothered to pay for parking and rushed into the ER looking around. There was a man sitting in one of the seats, holding a cloth up against his head bleeding. There were family members crying softly in a back row and my heart sank thinking that would soon be me.

Then I felt a hand on my shoulder, it was Mom. “Where is he?” I barked. It was then that I noticed TJ and Johnna with her. They looked like they had been crying. I placed an arm around each of them, hugging them to me.

“He’s back here,” I heard Starr say behind me. I reached for and squeezed her hand briefly before walking in the direction she had come from.

I found my father sleeping in a bed. He was plugged up to all sorts of wires and that’s when the tears came. I remembered this from the first go around. I just wanted my dad out of this hospital. I wanted him to be ok.

“Dad,” I said just needing to know he was alive, not feeling guilty for waking him up. “It’s me, Syd, can you hear me?”

He opened his eyes and smiled at me, and then he reached across the blanket for my hand.

“Hi, cupcake,” he said.

I couldn’t help myself. At the sound of my childhood nickname, I leaned my head against his chest and just cried. He rubbed my back, trying to console me, but I couldn’t help but sob. I couldn’t lose him. I couldn’t lose my dad.

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