Page 65 of Dreams That Bind Us
It was like opening the wound all over again. Anna rubbed at the sudden ache in her chest, wondering if the pain would ever go away. James had left Key West and her, and there was no idea when or if he’d ever come back. That he hadn’t bothered to tell her or even respond to her message was telling. He had moved on…and so should she.
It's time to forget him.
That's what her brain wanted. Close the door on what they'd had, consider it a learning experience and leave it at that. But her heart, even wounded as it was, refused.
Anna deleted the email and cleared the rest of her inbox. She’d focus on finishing this damned order and then booking a world tour anywhere James Armstrong wasn’t.
I've heard the west coast of Australia is beautiful.
Chapter 17
Singapore, Two weeks later
James growled into the receiver as his call went to voicemail again. It was at least the tenth time he'd tried to reach Anna in the last two weeks, and she hadn't picked up once or returned his calls.
He stared at the Singapore skyline, not seeing anything, his eyes unfocused. Something was very off—he sensed it, knew it in his gut—but what, he couldn’t be sure.
Actually, that was wrong—he knew exactly what he’d done: treating Anna like a pariah, then leaving for New York, and cutting off all communication.
This was his fault, his fuck up.
Guilt tore through him, the pain sharp. He owed her a huge apology after behaving like an idiot. What had happened in his kitchen hadn’t been Anna's fault. His mother had a message for him and he understood now that she wouldn’t have quit until she’d gotten through to him.
Anna had only done what was natural for her and something she’d even described to him several times. She had been completely transparent about her abilities and trusted him with that part of herself.
And what had he done with that? Suddenly, it was as if the clouds faded and everything was clear again. And he really didn’t like what he saw.
When she’d shared what all those other guys had done, he’d promised he wouldn't do the same thing. And yet that wasexactlywhat he did. Then he'd ran like a coward and didn’t come up for air for weeks.
Shit!
"Fuck, Fuck. Fuck," he muttered under his breath as he scrolled through the contacts on his phone. He found the number he needed and pressed the button, grinding his teeth as he listened to it ring.
"Come on. Pick up."
"Paradise West. This is Annette. How may I help you?"
"Annette! Thank god." James stood and began pacing across the office floor. "I've been trying to reach Anna but she's not answering."
"James?"
"Yes, it's James," he ground out, finding it difficult to hold onto his patience. "I need your help, Annette. Anna's not answering her phone. Have you seen her?"
Annette's bark of laughter was sharp and sarcastic, and distinctly unfunny. "You really screwed the pooch with this one, buddy. There's nothing I can do to help you. But to answer your question, yes, I ran into her yesterday at The Majestic when she was delivering part of your furniture order."
James could hear his heart pounding in his head. "What do you mean?"
"Don't be coy, James. You know exactly what I mean. Anna didn't share much with me, but I could tell from what I pried out of her that you took off after witnessing her psychic powers in play. And the only reason I got that out of her was because Inoticed her red eyes. I could tell she had been crying. What the hell, James? I can’t believe I vouched for you."
"Fuck!" he shouted, his voice ringing against the walls. "She's not answering her phone. I need to talk to her, to apologize and tell her how sorry I am."
"Ah, that's easy to explain. One of those huge delivery trucks ran over her phone a couple weeks ago. Smashed it to bits. She said she'd decided not to replace it and just enjoy the silence for a while. She told Gus to email her if he needed to contact her. Oh, she also said she wouldn’t be taking any further orders for The Majestic."
"Damn it, Annette. I have to reach her. This is a misunderstanding. That's all."
"Then get your ass out here and tell her to her face."
"I'm in fucking Singapore. It's not like I can just be there in a couple of hours."
