Filed to story: Young Girls Forbidden Love Series: My Best Friend’s Daddy
I should have gone after Shelby instead of the guy taking pictures, but now I couldn’t help but wonder if she even wanted me to.
“Sir?”
The voice shook me from my thoughts, drawing me back to reality. Reggie was standing in the doorway, a somber expression on his face as he rocked gently from side to side, as if contemplating how to tell me something.
“Yes, Reggie? Is there something I can do for you?” My voice sounded exhausted even to my own ear. I hoped that whatever he had to say didn’t have anything to do with work. That was the last thing on my mind at the moment.
“No, I was actually coming to tell you I just got back from dropping Shelby off at the airport. I ran into her when I was driving back from picking up a few things at the store for the chefs this morning. She was dragging her suitcase through the gravel at the end of the drive.”
My heart crumbled again at hearing the confirmation that she was really gone. She’d left–without a word. “Thank you for making sure she got to the airport. Did she say why she was leaving?”
“She didn’t give me much detail. She looked really upset, though. She mentioned fighting with Lauren. I have no idea what they fought about, but a couple of the maids said they heard Lauren screaming at someone early this morning. No one really thought much of it; they just figured she was yelling at a member of the staff.”
It certainly wouldn’t be unusual for Lauren to scream at a staff member–or her friend for that matter. “That girl needs a reality check,” I said with a loud sigh.
I truly was embarrassed to find out that my daughter had yelled at my staff members so frequently that it was considered perfectly normal. I would have to rein her in before she did some real damage. I also needed to find out what she had said to Shelby to make her leave.
I suddenly felt exhausted at the thought of having to confront my daughter. Getting blackmailed by my deranged, bastard half-brother was enough for one day.
“Thank you, Reggie. Will you call my housekeeper at the New York home and let her know to prepare for my arrival please?”
Reggie raised his eyebrows slightly but then nodded. “Of course, sir. When should I tell her we will arrive?”
“Tell her we will be there tomorrow. I don’t want to stay here any longer than I have to.” My mind was made up, which did make me feel slightly better about the situation.
Reggie nodded and left me alone with my thoughts.
So she really did leave. The fact that Blaine knew she left meant he was having her followed.
If I went to see her, I would lead Blaine right to her.
My only option was to act as though Shelby didn’t matter to me. The only way to keep her safe was to keep my distance.
I wouldn’t go after her.
Not until after I’d tracked Blaine down.
*************************
*Shelby*
A knock sounded on my door, but I didn’t want to get out of bed. The room that was usually cluttered but tidy, was full of moving boxes, in corners pushed as out of the way as possible. It had always been a tight squeeze with all three of us in one room, but now it just felt claustrophobic.
I closed my eyes and wished sleep would come, wished it would give me a break from my thoughts that continued to run back to Michael. I missed him but knew I could never face him after all of the trouble I had caused.
I hadn’t talked to him after he ran off after the photographer, so I had no idea how much he had to pay the man not to publish those photos.
I’d only guessed that he had eventually spent enough money, because I never saw my face plastered all over the front of a gossip tabloid, blog article, or magazine.
I had panicked the entire flight home, but I’d decided not to react to the picture the unknown number had sent me, it wasn’t like I could do anything about it anyway. I had nothing of value to my name, I wouldn’t be nearly as convincing as Michael with his money.
“Shelby? Please come out. You have barely left your room since you got back. We just want to know that you are okay,” Aubrey said from the other side of the door.
I had decided to keep the incident in the cove from my friends. I did not need them to worry, and honestly, I just couldn’t handle having to talk about it. I thought about it enough already. It seemed like it was all I could think about.
“Shelb, come on,” I heard Lin crack the door open and hit one of the moving boxes that were stacked next to the door. We all shared a room, so I didn’t have much privacy, Aubrey was just less pushy than Lin.
“I made pancakes,” Lin cooed through the now halfway open door.
“Uh, fine I will get up,” I said and I rolled to see my two roommates standing in the doorway looking worriedly at me. Lin was holding a plate of pancakes, probably hoping to lure me out of bed with the smell alone.
It wasn’t a bad idea. I could never say no to pancakes, even if I had a broken heart.
Aubrey and Lin smiled as they followed me out of our small shared bedroom and to the even smaller kitchen. I would really miss this place when I moved. I had spent so many years of my life here, I had become an adult here, and I had met two of the best people in my life here.
I sat down at the small table, and Lin gently set the plate of pancakes in front of me, as if any sudden loud noise would be enough to set me off and send me back into hiding.
“What are your plans for the day?” Aubrey asked, always the motherly one of our group. Elementary education really was her true calling in life.
She would be staying in the apartment while she finished up her degree and then searched for a teaching position, where she could mold the next generation’s minds.
“I don’t know,” I offered with a small shrug.
“Shelby, I know you are hurting, but we are moving to our new place in less than a week now,” Lin said, trying her best to be sympathetic.
Lin and I were both accepted into Harvard Law school so we found a lovely two bedroom apartment just off campus. The rent was going to stretch my already thin budget even thinner, but if my interview at West Law Firm went well, the rent wouldn’t be a problem.
I had gotten an email confirming my interview, just a few days after I returned. I couldn’t help but be reminded of Michael when I saw the message. He’d done so much for me in such a short time.
I swallowed and said, “You’re right. I need to go and cancel my gym membership. It would really suck to get all the way to Massachusetts and realize I was still paying for a gym membership in New York.”
“That is a great idea!” Aubrey said with a little too much enthusiasm.
“You are going to shower right? How many days has it been now?” Lin said. I couldn’t help but smile and my friend’s bluntness.
“Three. Thanks for keeping track, Lin.”
“Anytime,” she said with a smile, and I shoveled another bite of pancakes into my mouth.
A few pancakes and a quick shower later, I was walking down the crowded street to my gym. The gym had always been an expense that I had found a way to fit into my budget. I often used it as a place to destress after a long day of school.
In such a small apartment, it was nice to have somewhere to escape to.
I walked in the front door to see the familiar receptionist sitting at check in.
“You’re not really dressed for the gym today,” she said, referring to my jeans.
“I am actually here to cancel my membership,” I said, stopping and leaning my forearms on the check in counter.
“Oh, no! That is so sad, you’ve been a regular ever since I started here,” the receptionist said as she slipped the cancellation form to me.
“I know, I will miss this place. I am moving at the end of the week, and I don’t know how I will ever replace this gym,” I said while I filled in my information.
“Where are you moving to?”
“I start at Harvard in the fall,” I said and slid the form back to her.
“Well, good luck. We will miss you here.”
“Thanks so much,” I said with a small wave as I made my way back onto the busy street.