And still, he had to see for himself.
He paced in the dark, every second sucking more air from his lungs. Finally, an interminable number of minutes later, the doors opened, and musicians carrying large black instrument cases walked out. Jamie’s heart slammed against his chest as he watched them file out, say their goodbyes to one another, then turn and get into their cars. He waited as the parking lot emptied, his hopes deflating further with each passing car.
When the last car left, the remaining air left his lungs in a rush. He couldn’t believe it. He’d felt her honesty. Felt it!
He was a fool.
An idiot.
Thank goodness for Mark. He’d never doubt him again.
He went back to the car and grabbed his phone to call him. The message light was blinking. He’d forgotten to turn the volume on after the meeting. Probably Mark wanting to know if he’d opened the stupid envelope. He pressed the voicemail icon and listened to the messages.
The first one was from Mark. Listen. I know you’re pissed, but after you read the docs, call me. I apologized to Amelia, and…sorry, man. The whole thing’s a pisser.
He lowered the phone for a beat.
Then he lifted it to his ear again as the next message played.
Hi. His pulse quickened at the sound of Jessica’s voice. I miss you, and I’m sorry. She sounded so sad, so sweet. He reached for the car as his throat thickened. Oh, Jamie. I miss you so darn much.
He turned at the sound of the heavy metal door opening, and beneath the haze of the bulb above the door, he made out two dark forms. A large man and a lithe woman appeared. The man was carrying a large instrument case. The woman carried nothing other than a purse over her shoulder, her arms crossed, shoulders rounded forward as they walked toward the front of the building.
Numb with anticipation, he pressed Jessica’s speed-dial number into the phone. He had to talk to her, regardless of his deal with the devil, or what the papers said, or the Internet, or anything else in the entire universe. He had to speak directly to her and hear her tell him that she’d lied.
The phone rang once.
Twice. Pick up. Pick up.
He turned at the sound of a man’s voice behind him as the phone rang a third time.
JESSICA DUG HER phone from her purse and stumbled at the sight of Jamie’s name on her screen.
“Millicent, are you okay?” Charlie caught her by the arm. “Careful in those heels.”
It took her a second to remember to respond to her given name. “Mm-hm. I um…I have to answer this. Thank you for carrying my cello.” She took it from his hands.
“Are you sure you don’t want me to wait? Call you a cab?”
They had planned on sharing a cab, but Jessica could barely think. It probably wasn’t a good idea to be in a cab with her manager when she fell apart. She’d need time to recover from whatever Jamie had to say—good or bad.
“No, thank you. I’ll get one. Thanks again.” She waved as if everything was fine and turned back toward the rear of the building for privacy. The interaction took three seconds, but in those three seconds her legs had gone weak, and she felt like she was riding a roller coaster to an impossible height. Reaching for that shred of hope she allowed herself to dream of a hundred times over the last few days, she made it five steps before needing to lean against the railing next to the building as she answered the call.
“Jamie.” She sounded as breathless as she felt.
“Jessie.”
She heard the smile in his voice, the tenderness that she remembered, and it stole the rest of her strength. She crumpled to her knees, right there beside the building. The cello case banged against the pavement. She was riding that coaster down. Down, down, down from that impossibly high peak.
“Yes,” she whispered as tears streaked her cheeks.
“Jessie. I’m sorry. Please, don’t say a word and—”
“Jamie.” She swiped at the salty tears sliding between her lips. “I’m sorry I—”
“No, please, Jess. Listen to me.” His words tumbled urgently from his lips.
Jessica tried hard to concentrate through her anticipation.
“Jess, I don’t care that you lied to me. I don’t care who you work for or what you do. I just want to be with you. I don’t care if you’ve slept with a hundred guys, or…Jessie. I love you, and I’m sorry. Please give me another chance.”
Breathe. Breathe. Breathe.
“You…you think I lied to you?” Her entire body shook and shivered on the hard pavement. She covered her eyes with her hand. “Jamie?”
“I don’t care. That’s what I’m trying to tell you, Jess. I love you. I made a mistake. I…I…”
She heard his tethered emotions and knew he was holding back how much he wanted to see her. He sounded just as he had the night on the beach, when he’d wanted to make love to her, and the same way he sounded after they kissed that very first time in the quad, when the bonfire had burned down to embers and the fire between them had come to life.
“I need to see you. Please,” he pleaded. “Tell me where you are and I’ll come get you.”
You think I lied to you? She couldn’t bring herself to say it aloud again. She didn’t want him to hang up. Couldn’t fathom another night apart. “I’m…” Her voice hitched.
“Baby, I’m so sorry. I’ll spend my life making this up to you. Please, tell me where you are, Jessie. I can’t go another day, another hour without seeing you.”
“I’m at the Hall. Next to.” Her breath hitched. “The Hall.”
“Hall?” He sounded confused.
“Symphony Hall, where we play.” She didn’t recognize her own voice, could barely hear it.
“Where? Where are you next to it?” His voice grew louder, and she could tell he was walking—or running.
She grabbed hold of the railing and pulled herself up to her feet, clinging to the metal bar for dear life and looking out at the main road. Thankfully, Charlie was gone. He hadn’t seen her fall to pieces.
“Boston Symphony Hall. Are you in Boston?”
Silence.
Oh no. No!
“Jamie? Jamie?” Her lower lip trembled, followed by fresh tears as her voice escalated. “Jamie, oh no, Jamie, please be there. Oh, please, please, please.”
“Jessie.”
She spun around and her arm fell to her side. The phone landed on the pavement with a high-pitched crash. Goose bumps chased her rapid heartbeat as she drank him in. In that instant, she knew she must be dreaming. He was too close, and closing the gap between them fast. She was powerless to move a muscle. His strong arms circled her, his big hands pressed against her back, and his heart—his generous, loving, tender heart—beat at the same frantic pace as hers.
“Jessie. Forgive me, please.”
“Okay,” was all she could manage. She was too confused to think straight. He smelled so good, so familiar. Her throat swelled with emotion, threatening to silence her. She had to figure out what was going on. “What…What did I lie about?”
“I don’t know. I don’t care.” He took her face in his hands, and she saw a flash of the mood ring, still on his finger.