Suzy closed the bedroom door and leaned against it studying the room. The bed was still rumpled from their night together. Who would have thought that things would fall apart so quickly? She couldn’t bear to sit there so she walked over to the chaise lounge in front of the windows and settled herself against the cushions. Where did they go from here? She could pack her bags and have Beth pick her up. It would be difficult to navigate the steps to her condo, but she was more mobile now than she’d been a few weeks ago.
If she left though, was it the official end of whatever this was that she had with Gray? Was she ready for it to be over? She couldn’t stay here with him if she felt as if he’d cheated on her. Maybe she was punishing Gray for Jeff’s sins. Although if she thought back, she’d never felt the crushing devastation that she’d felt when she read the messages on Gray’s phone. Jeff had thrown her for a major loop. Maybe one of the main reasons, though, was she just truly never thought Jeff had it in him to be anything other than a straight arrow. Did it upset her because she had been in love with him or was it more shock that he’d dared deviate from who she thought he was? All that she knew was that it didn’t hold a candle to the gut-wrenching pain of imagining a life without Gray in it.
Suddenly, a smile covered her face as she remembered a line she used to tell Claire often when she was encouraging her to get a life. ‘Put your big girl panties on.’ Well maybe it was time she took her own advice. She got up from the chaise and hobbled to the bathroom. She looked at herself in the mirror and wondered who the pathetic person staring back at her was. Her eyes were puffy, her hair was hanging in disarray and she was as pale as a ghost. Screw this! I refuse to be the victim again. That’s my man out there and no whack-job woman is going to ruin my life again. She thinks she’s crazy? Well she ain’t seen crazy yet, but it’s coming.
It took her almost two hours to shower, dress and pack, but already she felt more like herself. The pitiful creature of this morning was gone. In her place was a woman with a mission. She and Gray would go to Charleston and this mess was going to be taken care of. Their lives couldn’t move forward with this hanging over them. She loved him, dammit, and even though it would probably scare the crap out of him, she planned to have him in her life for the duration. She was never one to back down from a fight and this was a fight for the most important thing in her life. Stepping back from the mirror, she gave her reflection one last look. Black leather skirt, check. Off the shoulder silk peasant top, check, one flat leopard skin sandal, yuk. Well two out of three wasn’t bad. She had her hair back in an elegant pony tail and her makeup was flawless. Stiffening her spine, she prepared to do battle if necessary with Gray and with a smile; she acknowledged that he wouldn’t know what hit him.
~~~
Gray had just walked back into the living-room from the deck when the bedroom door opened. Expecting to see a still upset Suzy, he was shocked at the person standing there instead. Gone was the pale, shaken woman in his big shirt. In her place was the beautiful, sexy, confident woman that he had fallen in love. Hope took root inside of him as he stepped towards her, his eyes desperately searching hers for some indication of her feelings. When she turned behind her and picked up a suitcase, his heart dropped to the floor.
He held a hand out to her, ready to plead if he had to. “Baby, where are you going? Please don’t….” Before he could finish his sentence she interrupted him.
“I’m not leaving Gray, we are leaving. Why don’t you pack whatever you need, I’m ready to get on the road before it gets any later.”
“Honey, I’m at a loss here. Get on the road to where?”
As she moved to stand in front of him, Gray thought, my God, when have crutches ever looked this sexy? “We’re going to Charleston, Gray. We have a problem and we are going to solve it…together. I’m finished being left out of the loop. From now on, this concerns both of us. If you aren’t comfortable with that, then there will be no us.”
He was a man who made million dollar deals over breakfast, he was on a first name basis with senators and congressmen, and he was proud of the fact that he was never at a loss for words. No matter what the situation or problem, he was smooth, it was his God-given talent and it had made him a very successful business man. This woman in front of him, with her eyes flashing and her good foot tapping impatiently, had done what no one else could do; she’d made him speechless. He’d expected to grovel at her feet for days, hoping she’d give him another chance. He’d braced himself to see the hurt and betrayal in her eyes again and, God, the tears; those were like stakes through his heart. Yet here she was telling him to pack his bags so they could go handle Reva together. She was exceptional and she was still his.