Page 246 of Champagne Nights

My first thought was to go over to my parents’ house and confront my mother. But I wouldn’t give her the satisfaction of knowing she succeeded in breaking us up. How did she even know who Ellie was? My best guess would be she hired someone and had her followed. I grabbed the bottle of scotch off my bar and took it over to the couch. Pulling my phone from my pocket, I sent Ellie a text message.

“I am so sorry. Can we please talk?”

I sat and watched as my message failed to send.

“Fuck!” I threw my phone across the room and drank from the bottle until I passed out.

I opened my eyes and tried to make sense of where I was at. Placing my hand on my head, I sat up and looked around. I was still on the couch, in my clothes from yesterday, and with a killer headache. My phone was lying on the floor across the room, and I had no idea what time it was. Until I heard the elevator ding. It must have been seven a.m. because that was the time Delilah started work.

“Delilah? Can you come to the living room?”

“Good morn—” She stopped dead in her tracks when she saw me. “Are you alright, Henry?”

“Can you grab my phone for me?” I pointed across the room.

She walked over, picked it up, and handed it to me. Bending down and picking up the empty scotch bottle from the floor, she arched her brow at me.

“Long night?” she asked.

Checking my phone, I opened the text message I sent to Ellie last night to see if it went through. It didn’t.

“Something like that,” I replied.

“What happened? Did you and Ellie get into an argument?”

“She broke up with me after my mom tracked her down, met her in a café, and told her all about Kirsten and the baby.”

“Wait a minute. What do you mean ‘baby?’”

“Kirsten is pregnant with my kid. Go figure. I can’t get that woman out of my life for nothing.”

“And your mother told Ellie this?”

“Yep. She told me she could never trust me again.”

“Henry, I’m so sorry.” She placed her hand on mine. “Are you going into the office today?”

“I have no choice.”

“Then I’ll go make the coffee and get you some aspirin.” She patted my hand.

One Week Later

I was sittingin my office staring out the window when my phone rang. Glancing at it, I saw my mother was calling. The anger I’d already felt grew stronger. Answering her call,I pretended everything was okay. I was saving the mass destruction I was going to unleash on her when the time came.

“Hello.”

“Henry, darling. How are you?”

“I’m good, Mom.”

“I’m happy to hear that. Anyway, your father and I need to speak with you about something, so we’d like you to come to dinner tonight.”

“What time?”

“Six-thirty. Will that work for you?”

“Six-thirty is fine.”

---