Read Online Finding Rebecca by Jessica Silver - Free Book Online Page B

door.
    “You got a minute?” she asked.
    “Sure. Come on in,” I said closing up the file I was working on.
    She sat down in the chair in front of my desk and I noticed she was holding a file.
    “I wanted to talk with you about something before I made a decision.”
    “Okay,” I said confused. “What is it?”
    “I got a strange phone call this morning,” she began.
    She paused like she was testing me to see if I had any idea what she was talking about. I definitely didn’t.
    “It was from Neil.”
    “Really?’ I asked as casually as I could. “Why was he calling?”
    I braced myself for what was coming.
    “He asked me to permanently assign him to the office out there. Do you know anything about that?”
    Samantha was studying my face and trying to gauge my reaction. I got up from my desk and closed my office door. I didn’t want anyone to see or hear if I broke down. I carefully chose my words when I finally answered.
    “I got a letter from him a few days ago. He said he wasn’t coming back here. I’ve called a couple of times, but only got his voicemail.”
    “This is a huge shock.”
    I swallowed hard to get rid of the lump in my throat, but was unsuccessful. The tears were welling up in my eyes. I was losing control of my emotions, regardless of my efforts.
    “I don’t know what to tell you, Samantha. I was just as shocked when I got that letter. Like I said, I’ve called several times, but he won’t answer when I do.”
    I wiped the tears and continued.
    “I know he was very depressed when I was there. I thought he was getting better when I came home. If I hadn’t thought that, I wouldn’t have left him. Up until I got that letter, we had talked about how things would be when he did come home. We talked about him coming back to work and all that. I was blindsided by the letter.”
    “You know I don’t want him to leave this office,” she said sympathetically. “As much as I hate to do it, I have no choice but to transfer him to keep him from leaving the firm completely. Will you be okay with that?”
    “The good of the firm takes priority over me,” I told her. “I’ll eventually be all right.”
    “Do you need some time off?” Samantha asked.
    “The last thing I need is to sit at home and have nothing to keep my mind busy.”
    It took weeks for me to get to a point where I wasn’t crying myself to sleep at night, but I finally did. I had eventually given up on talking with Neil about his decision. I left him one final voicemail.
    “Neil, I will never fully understand why you have made this decision, but I respect it. I owe you more than I can ever express for what you have done for me. I met you at a time in my life when I felt like I was nothing. I didn’t feel like I could be loved and you proved me wrong, even if it was only for a short time. You introduced me to a side of me that had never existed. You made me feel beautiful, even sexy. The only way I can express my thanks for that is to allow you to do what you feel is necessary to go on with your life. I love you, Neil. As bad as it hurts, this will be my last attempt to contact you. If you ever want to talk, you know how to reach me.”
    I hung up the phone and had one last cry. It was time to move on with my own life. I had started over once before and I could do it again.
    I saw less and less of Carly, by my choosing. Even though I enjoyed her company, it was a connection to Neil that I needed to sever. I spent a lot of time alone, but I successfully evaluated what I wanted for the rest of my life.
     

Chapter Thirteen
     
    One of the new things that I had come to enjoy was going to a local park. I would take a book and a blanket, find a shady spot, and lose myself in some romantic story of everlasting love. I was pretty cynical about whether or not love really lasted forever, but it was a nice fantasy.
    It didn’t surprise me that the park was so crowded that morning. It was a beautiful spring morning. The sun was