Page 32 of The Sound of Silence

I took the card and forced a smile. Without another word, he turned and walked out the front doors of the building. I stared after him for a short moment before carting my groceries and the bag of soiled rags back to my apartment.

Once inside, I closed the door with a sigh, let my head fall back, and closed my eyes. I’d been here for only two weeks, and my situation was already complicated.

13

Derek

Iopened the door to my apartment, and Maisie, my ten-month-old Cavalier pup, immediately began scratching in her crate to be let out.

“There’s my pretty girl! Are you hungry?” I crooned in a not-so-masculine voice that I’d never dare use in public. I bent over to unzip the mesh door, and she came bounding out, her nails scraping on the wood floor as she jumped up to greet me. Picking her up, I allowed her to lick my face, knowing she was equally happy to see me as she was eager to be fed lunch. “Okay, girl. Let’s get you some food.”

After my little companion scarfed down her kibble, I took her up to the building’s rooftop garden, where a section was cordoned off to create a mini dog park for residents with pets. Normally, when I stopped home mid-day, I’d feed her lunch then head back to The Mill until six. As Maisie sniffed around for the perfect place to do her business, I realized I had no intention of going back to work anytime soon. Before I did anything, I had to get over the shock I felt after reconnecting with the runaway bride who’d haunted my dreams for too many years.

She was here—she was actually here.

I paced the perimeter of the manmade greenspace and tried to wrap my head around what happened. Never did I expect to see Gianna—or Val as she was apparently calling herself now—scrambling to collect runaway fruit in the hallway leading to The Mill. It had been three years since our last meeting—three long years. During that time, I’d been with a lot of women. Yet despite a few one-night-stands and many relationships that fizzled out to be nothing more than casual flings, I’d never stopped thinking about the one who got away. I had thought of a million questions to ask if I ever saw her again, but when I finally had that chance, my mind came up blank.

Recalling what she looked like all those years ago in her wedding dress, I knew then she had a great body, but seeing her again put my memory to shame. She had been wearing a cropped top today, just short enough to reveal the creamy skin near her belly button. Her jeans sat low on her hips, molding to her ass and shapely legs. Her cropped dark hair, once a luxurious golden color, had initially thrown me off. However, the moment she looked up at me, I knew it was her. I could never forget those rose-colored lips, the splash of pink on her cheeks, or the flecks of gray in her deep blue eyes. My heart had felt like it momentarily stopped from some sort of power surge, a lightning strike straight to my soul.

She was absolutely gorgeous.

And when our hands briefly touched? Hell, there was no way I imagined that pull—the invisible energy snapping and sizzling between us. It had been there three years ago, and there was no denying it was still there. Had she felt it, too? I couldn’t be sure, but one thing was certain. She was different from how I remembered—and it went well beyond her hair color. Something inside her had dulled, and there was a measure of fear in her eyes that wasn’t there before. She was clearly a woman hiding from something—or someone.

I recalled seeing her with her husband on her wedding night. My jaw clenched from the memory of how rough he’d been with her—how mean.

Was that why she divorced him?

Is that why she told me her name was something other than what I knew it to be?

Was she hiding from him?

So many questions and possible scenarios swirled in my mind. Mixed emotions consumed me, and I couldn’t figure out why. After all, I barely knew her, but there was no denying the intimacy we shared that night, no matter how subtle, so many years ago. It was a moment in time I’d never forgotten but always looked back on as the age of innocence.

She wasn’t the only one who had changed. I had, as well. We were both different now. Back then, she was just a bride with fairytale dreams, and I was still carefree and full of hope, unable to fathom the responsibility I now carried. I’d since learned some dreams were the sweetest before they came true.

While I couldn’t be happier about The Mill’s success at all four locations, the attention I’d received on the road to achieving that success had been unforeseen. Despite being in a city as large as New York, I’d become fairly well known in a very short period of time, thanks to Ryder Malone’s decision to have The Mill become a sponsor of the New York City Marathon. Neither of us could have predicted the amount of recognition I’d receive as a result of that sponsorship, and I had no idea my face would end up plastered all over billboards advertising the marathon sponsors.

Since Ryder was nothing more than a silent partner, he simply rode the wave while I was labeled most eligible bachelor by a local fitness magazine—hence the reason I’d experienced so many empty, casual flings. Too many women believed me to be a wealthy person of importance. As soon as they found out I was just an average guy living an average life, they showed themselves the door. While I welcomed and appreciated every minute of my success, I could live without the notoriety. Still, I counted my blessings every day. I had built nothing into something, and I was proud.

I let out an audible sigh, knowing I needed to get back to work soon. Shift change at The Mill was only an hour away. I whistled for Maisie.

“Come on, girl! Time to get going. Duty calls.”

All in all, I was happy with my life—at least I thought I’d been. I may never have found that special woman who I wanted to cherish the rest of my life but, that was okay. My business was thriving and I’d become independently wealthy, practically overnight. I had Maisie for companionship, and I truly believed I was content.

Somehow, all of that seemed to change in the blink of an eye. Seeing Gianna—or Val—brought back the old wants and desires. A connection I thought I’d only imagined was suddenly back again, pulling me toward her. In a matter of minutes, my content life was upended, and I was trying to figure out how Val fit into the mix. I needed more answers.

“What do you think, girl? Should I play hooky today and do a little research?” I asked Maisie as she and I got on to the elevator that would take us back to my apartment. She wagged her tail in response. “You’re right. We’ll let Lisa run the floor today.”

Once inside my apartment, Maisie curled up on her favorite spot on the couch with her ears perked, watching me curiously as I pulled out my cell phone to call The Mill.

“Thanks for calling The Mill. Lisa speaking. How can I help you?”

“Hey, it’s me.”

“What’s up, boss?” Lisa asked.

“I don’t have any afternoon classes to teach today, so I was thinking of taking the afternoon off. What do you think? Can you manage the floor on your own today?”

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