The drawback was that she was left all alone each evening with no one to talk to, no one to reign in her mind that constantly wandered to a man who could not care less about her.
And what was the use of having friends who were halfway across the world? Serena sighed and picked up the phone. She’d call the one person in the world she knew she could always talk to, no matter what the time of day.
Sylvie picked up the phone on the third ring. “Hello?” Her voice was bright and cheerful, no matter that it was almost eleven o’clock at night.
“Grandma, can you talk?” Serena tried to keep her voice light and happy but there was a tremble to it that must have given her away.
“Are you alright?” There was a world of concern in Sylvie’s voice.
“I’m fine,” she replied with a soft sigh. “I just need to talk.”
“It’s about Roman, isn’t it?”
Serena bit her lip. “How did you know?”
Sylvie chuckled softly into the phone. “I know you, Serena. Your father told me about your sudden departure from Steele Industries. That could only mean one thing. You had a falling out with Roman. And it had nothing to do with work.”
“But how could you know?”
“Child, I’m a woman with several decades head start on you. I know when a man’s involved.” Then her voice turned serious. “I wanted to ask you about this but I didn’t want to be a nosy mother hen. It’s your life and I have to let you learn at your own pace. I knew you’d reach out to me when you were ready.” For a moment Sylvie was silent. Then she said, “Do you want to talk?”
The question opened the floodgates for Serena. Without telling her grandmother everything she revealed that for the first time in her life she’d fallen head over heels for a man who, ironically, did not feel the same way about her.
Sylvie gave a soft laugh. “Now you know how those young men felt, the ones you dismissed so easily.”
Serena sighed. It wasn’t much fun when the shoe was on the other foot.
“But how do you know he doesn’t love you, too?” Sylvie asked.
“How could he? He rejected me.”
“Did he? Or did you walk away?”
Now what kind of question was that? She’d walked away because he’d rejected her. What was her grandmother getting at? “He was the one who-”
“How badly do you want this, Serena?” Sylvie asked, cutting her off. “What have you done to let him know how you feel?”
What had she done? Hadn’t she done enough? She was about to say just as much to her grandmother when the words sank in. She, more than most, knew how fleeting life was. She’d only had her mother the first six years of her life. She’d almost lost her own life two years later. If she wanted anything in life she needed to act decisively and act now. Life flew by a lot faster than generally thought.
Could she afford to deny herself whatever happiness life could offer? No, she couldn’t. She wouldn’t. Even at the risk of being rebuffed she needed to know for sure. She had to see Roman one more time.
***
Roman lifted the glass to his lips and took a sip of Bacardi as his eyes skimmed the room. There were beautiful women everywhere, all in attendance at the agency’s launch of the Enchanted product line. Members of the press milled around with cameras hanging from straps around their necks. Models preened in front of them, posing for pictures.
But as his eyes scoured the room there was one woman, only one who he wished would fill his vision. But she was nowhere to be found.
He’d had Theresa send invitations to both Richard and Serena. Richard was there but he’d come alone. The disappointment of Serena’s absence was bitter on Roman’s tongue.
He could not believe that he, a calm and collected man at the mature age of thirty, had been floored by a slip of a girl. Try as he might, he could not get her out of his mind. Serena had come into his life, grabbed hold of his heart then walked away…taking his heart with her. But whatever the cost - his friendship with Richard, his pride or her scorn - he had to see her again.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
The next morning did not come fast enough for Roman. Now that he’d made up his mind to take action he wanted to move right away. He’d beat himself up over the past few weeks since Serena left. He knew he was the one who had driven her away and he felt like a heel for treating her that way. Still, he justified it with the thought that it was all for the best.
The guilt was eating him up. How could he explain his actions to Richard? Would the man accept that he’d fallen in love with his daughter? Hell, he hadn’t believed it himself. He’d never believed in love at first sight but here he was, the victim of the very thing he’d derided.
And then there was the matter of the difference in their ages. Would Serena, fresh out of college, really be interested in him?
These were the questions that swirled around in his mind, immobilizing him when all he wanted to do was find her and make crazy love to her.
Now he pushed those questions to the back of his mind. He was going to swallow his pride and self-doubt and seek her out. If she slammed him and told him never to contact her again then he would have to honor that. But he had to know how she truly felt.
He leaned forward and reached across his desk then picked up the phone receiver. Before he could change his mind he dialed the number for Van Buren and Associates.
It took just a few seconds for someone to answer the phone and advise him that Ms. Van Buren was not in office. Damn. He didn’t want to wait till tomorrow to talk to her. He scrolled through his phone and found her cell phone number. He dialed. It went straight to voicemail. Now what?
He stared at the phone, deep in thought. Maybe this was just not meant to be. Then he shook his head. No, he would not give up so easily. He got up, reached for his jacket and grabbed his car keys. He had to find her.
***
Serena hopped into her yellow Porsche, a belated graduation gift from her father, and sped out of the parking lot of her apartment complex. Now that she’d made up her mind nothing was going to stop her.