Page 62 of Dreams That Bind Us
And the way her body had stiffened against the kitchen island, her eyes glazing over and lookingthroughhim...
He shuddered. He'd never seen anything like that before and it had terrified him.
But what really spooked him was the message she'd delivered. It had been his mother—he was certain of it. There was no other explanation, no way Anna could have known any of those personal details.
It's time for you to stop grieving me and blaming yourself. I left the way I wanted and that's all you need to know.
They were words he hadn't realized he'd needed to hear. He'd hated himself for not making time for her the way he should have in the years before her death. Even worse was the thought of her dying alone without him by her side. It broke his heart even as he knew logically there had been no warning, no signs that her time was nearing its end.
But as the shock wore off, her words were a comfort, showing him the way, the path to move on.
He also recognized now that, in the midst of his shock, he’d pushed Anna away. She had explained that her abilities had been the death knell of her previous relationships, which was exactly why she’d blocked herself away for so long. But that warning hadn’t prepared him for the experience.
The fact that he'd reacted the same way made him grimace. Definitely not something he was proud of, but he'd make it up to her.
James glanced at his phone and released a rough breath, more guilt searing his insides. Anna had texted him the day after, but he hadn't responded. For the first week he'd been too raw, too exposed to do anything but work. He knew he needed to call her, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it.
God, I'm an asshole.
A quick rap at his door had him sitting upright in his chair. "Yeah?" he called out.
Gwen pushed into the room with a swish, her arms full of folders. "Here are the files you wanted, boss." She dropped them on the corner of his desk. They landed with a plop but managed to stay intact. "Got a minute? We need to review your schedule and the offers for your mother's apartment on the Upper West Side."
That mention of his mother's apartment brought back her words.
One last thing, my son, I left something for you in that special hiding place in my apartment. You know where—the closet beside my favorite window. You missed something when you packed up my things.
James had almost forgotten that part of the message and hadn't made the time to visit her apartment yet. Right after her death, he’d been so devastated as he’d boxed up her apartment that he’d neglected to check her hiding spot. Whatever it was that she left for him couldn't be too big because it was where she'd always hidden her favorite jewelry and other family keepsakes.
And he doubted it could be that because the majority of her collection had already been auctioned off except for the handful of pieces he'd kept for himself. But he had to check it before the sale of the apartment was final.
"Okay." He released a huge sigh, feeling deflated. "Let's get started."
Gwen squinted, tilting her head as she studied him. "You look like you haven't slept in a month."
James grimaced and ran his hand over his stubbled cheeks. He hadn't slept well at all, most nights he stared at the ceiling missing Anna. There had been no dreams either, which made it even worse. He missed her.
"Yeah, I've been working late every night." He lifted his chin toward the files.
"Sure, we’ll go with that." With a dramatic eye roll, Gwen lifted her writing pad. "You’re traveling nonstop for the next two weeks. You'll be in Boston in two days, Philadelphia for three, and then you head to Singapore. I've scheduled you there for a week because the group buying your subsidiaries is known for taking their own sweet time on deals. But you may be there longer, so don't be surprised if you have to extend for another week or two."
James nodded, dreading the air time in his near future. But it was to be expected considering he was selling off a sizable chunk of his business portfolio.
"Oh, we may also need you in Hong Kong for a short visit while you’re in the region, so be prepared for that." Gwen snagged the top folder from the pile and tossed it in front of him.
"Now let's talk real estate. These are the offers for your mother's apartment and I must say, they're pretty damn competitive. People are paying a significant premium for that location. There are several that are hoping for a fast close, so it can move quickly if you want it to. There are also very nice offers for the Hampton's cottage and the condo in the West Village. I think you'll be happy with all of them."
"Great." James knew he was in bad shape when he wasn't excited about making money.
Gwen scoffed, her mouth going flat. "What is with you? You've been like a zombie stumbling around since you arrived. What's wrong? Did your girlfriend dump you or something?"
James flinched. No, Anna hadn't done anything other than be her complete self. But she may have written him off in his absence. God knows he deserved it. The fact he'd left the way he did without saying goodbye and then ghosting her for the betterpart of two weeks tore at him. He really needed to connect with her. But his insides were still too raw for a phone call.
"No. Nothing like that." He waved a hand in the air. "I’m just a little off, that's all. I'll take a look at the offers tonight and let you know which ones we'll go with. It'll be nice to get those off my back."
"Get them off your back?" She frowned at him. "Since when have you been worried about having too much real estate? You've been gobbling up every possible listing since I've known you, and that's been a really long time."
James forced his mouth into a tight smile. "Just changing I guess. Besides, the property portfolio I’m building in the Keys isn’t exactly cheap you know."
