Page 72 of Dreams That Bind Us
She jolted when Annette draped a warm hand over hers and gave it a light squeeze. "You don't have to answer right away. There's something I wanted to show you upstairs. Would you care to join me?" Annette lifted her eyebrows expectantly and lifted her chin toward to upper floors.
"Sure." Anna slid off the bar stool and took another swallow of the sangria, blinking at the bite. She set the glass down and turned to follow Annette.
"Bring it with you," Annette said over her shoulder, then she looked to Miriam. "We'll be upstairs for a bit. Make sure the others don't interrupt, okay?"
"Sure thing, honey." Miriam lifted her glass in a toast. "We'll be down here working on the party details. Uhhh… I mean, discussing romance books," she added with a wink.
Annette chuckled as they climbed the stairs to the third floor. "That should keep them busy for a while."
"They're always looking for a reason to party. I'm honestly surprised they can keep up as well as they do," Anna noted. She noticed the glass of water in her friend's hand. "Are you missing wine yet?"
Annette grinned. "Every once in a while, to be completely honest." She patted her stomach. "But it's worth it. Besides, this is only temporary."
"When is the baby due?"
"Mid-December," Annette replied as she began climbing the circular, metal staircase to the Widow's Walk. "I'm hoping we don't have a Christmas baby. It would probably suck to have a birthday near the big holiday."
"I can see that."
Anna took a deep breath of the fresh evening air. There was something about being nearly fifty feet up from ground level that made the air cooler. The breeze was salt-laden and chilling in the topical humidity.
They sat in two lounge chairs that faced the west. Annette lifted her glass toward the western sky where the sun was beginning its descent into the ocean.
"Now that's a sight I never get tired of seeing. There's something about a Key West sunset that can't be beat."
Anna hummed her agreement into her sangria. She'd drank over half the glass and now wished she had poured a refill before they'd made the trek to the roof. But she was enjoying the slight buzz she felt moving through her bloodstream and the way it made all her worries fade away.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Annette murmured softly.
Anna heaved out a huge breath. She had desperately wanted to talk, but now that she had the opportunity, the words wouldn't form.
"What happened?" Annette urged.
"It was the last day we were together. He was making me breakfast, and I was getting ready to head to my workshop." Anna paused for a long minute, staring out at the horizon. "Did you know James lost his mother before he moved to Key West?"
"Yes."
"I had been letting my psychic guards down, little by little, relaxing and enjoying my freedom with James. He'd swore that my gifts didn't scare him, and to be honest nothing that he’d seen from either Aunt Louise or I had phased him. So I wasn't prepared when his mother pushed. She channeled through me and I can't remember what she said, but I'll never forget his face as I spoke those words. He looked at me like I was a monster."
Anna closed her eyes and let the tears flow down her cheeks. "His assistant called right at that moment and he couldn't get away from me fast enough." She let out a bitter laugh. "He walked by me like I barely existed, just telling me he had a couple of emails to send and he had to go to New York." She glanced at Annette. "I've never felt so worthless before."
"I'm so sorry, Anna. I can't imagine how horrible that must have felt."
Anna nodded. "I trusted him and he turned out to be just like the others."
Annette sighed and sipped her water. "Or…"
After a heavy silence, Anna's frowned. "Or what?"
"Or maybe he hasn't fully come to terms with his mother's death and hearing her speak to him through you was a shock he wasn't prepared for."
Astonished that Annette would side with him, Anna stared, speechless as her jaw sagged.
"I'mnotdefending his actions, but I am playing devil's advocate here." Holding her hands up, Annette leaned in. "Look, I've known James for a very long time, and I've never seen him this distraught about a woman. In fact, I’ve never seen or heard him this upset period. I don’t think you realize just how special you are to him.”
“The moment you two met, he started changing his schedule, cancelling meetings and trips, and even selling his businesses. The man has fallen hard for you and he made a mistake." She shrugged and turned her gaze to the south. "What he did was wrong, but I think you need to ask yourself if you're willing to let everything go over that. Sometimes you need to believe that it will all work in the end. At a minimum, you should hear him out and make sure he really hears you. That's all I'm saying."
Anna's ears buzzed with the truth of Annette's words, and a surge of hope shot through her.
