I thought about the last week of my time here. Like Hawaii, one of the best of my life. Wes’s visit and our new-found relationship and commitment to one another was the highlight. He’d left the day after we finished filming on the video. Said he’d do his best to take the days off that I had available but would likely have to work a little. Mostly in his home office. For me, I only cared about being with him. Resting up for the next job.
Dallas, Texas and an oil tycoon. I didn’t know much about what he wanted me to do other than pretend to be his long lost sister. One he’d never met. So apparently, my appearance didn’t matter, only that my name and birthday were the same as hers. It took me a few days to realize that Millie had not mentioned his name. Turned out, he’s Maxwell Cunningham. I did some quick research on the cowboy. He owned fifty-one percent of Cunningham Oil & Gas, one of the top twenty-five oil companies in the world. For a man only thirty years old, it was quite an accomplishment. However, during my research I learned that he inherited his half of the company only a year ago. It didn’t say who the other forty-nine percent belonged to, but I knew in most giant companies, smaller percentages were often owned by the investors. Either way, he was paying me to be his sister, Mia Saunders. It was definitely odd. When I pulled up his photo, I felt as if I’d met him before. Made me wonder if he and I had been at one of the same swanky shindigs over the past six months.
Figuring I’d found out soon enough, I went over to my bag and pulled out my stationary.
Anton,
How does a person thank someone for helping them deal with a trauma? It’s not like I can go to Hallmark and pick out a card that says, ”Hey, you helped bring me back from the ledge. Thanks buddy!” <tee hee>
Honestly though, you handled me with care and respect, the way a true friend would. Sharing your history with me, allowing me to share my experience with you saved me in ways I cannot express. I’m thrilled that you worked out your business and personal relationship with Heather. She’s a beauty with a ridiculous work ethic. You’ll never be able to pay her what she’s worth because even you don’t have that kind of money. Just make sure you pay her back in praise and love for a job well done. Even hard-assed managers need a pat on the back once in a while. Especially when they are from your best friend.
The video experience was one I’ll never forget, but the memory I’ll hold most dear was our motorcycle ride. Pure thing of beauty. Thank you for sharing your toys with me. ;-)
I know this next song is going to set the world on fire. I’ll buy it the minute it goes live.
Until next time.
Your Lucita,
~Mia
Heather -
Meeting you was a gift. I hope you know that no matter where I am, I’ll always be your friend. Call, text, bug me as often as you’d like and I’ll do the same. Why? Because that’s what friends do! I look forward to hearing about all the shenanigans Anton puts you through. I’m also glad you worked things out with one another. Best friends, the kind that last a lifetime, always find their way back to one another.
Good luck in the new job!
Your friend,
~Mia
On that note, I gripped my suitcase handle, left the key to the apartment on the table, locked the door and left. Anton and Heather thought they were meeting me here in two hours, but goodbyes aren’t my thing. I prefer to fly off into the sunset to my next destination knowing that the next adventure is just around the corner.
I’ve taken back my life, and I feel good about the decisions I’ve made, where I am and what my future holds. The possibilities are endless, especially as I imagine my movie-making surfer in a pair of swim trunks, sand around his feet and stuck to his ankles waving me into the open expanse of the Pacific.
Time to go home…at least for a little while.
Mia’s journey continues in August Calendar Girl.
Excerpt from August Calendar Girl (Book 8)
I arrived at the airport with a crick in my neck and a heavy heart. Leaving Wes to come to Dallas to meet with my new client did not go over well. He’d wanted me to stay, take the money he kept offering and call it good. Stubborn man could not accept that I needed to do this. Pay this debt to Blaine as much to save my dad as to save myself. Finish one thing from start to finish and come out the victor. Knowing that once, and for all, I was the owner of my destiny. Every decision I made from here on out was because I made it. Me.