Page 37

ISABELLE

Miss Alessi,

This arrived for you.

Rosa.

O pening the bag, I peer inside and it’s a foil box. I’m so confused but there is a note on top of it.

Issy,

Now you don’t have to be hungry.

PSP

When I open the foil lid, I see a home-cooked meal inside.

Did Pierre make me dinner? Tonight, it was chicken and rice casserole.

Pulling out the meal, I follow the instructions and heat it up in the microwave.

This was so sweet that it gave me butterflies.

I’m going to have to thank him because, honestly, I couldn’t look at another takeaway menu.

Issy: I got your parcel. Thank you so much.

Pierre: Not a problem. I made too much and thought you’d enjoy it. You said that you haven’t been eating much since I left.

Issy: That is true. Well, thank you. That was so kind of you.

Pierre: Anytime.

I pull out my meal from the microwave, take my glass of wine, sit down in front of the television, and turn on the sports channel. Something we would do most nights, and now it’s just me. Alone. Which sucks.

“Issy there was a delivery, it’s on your desk waiting for you,” Anna my assistant says as I walk into the office. I wasn’t expecting anything. Then I see the lunch bag on my desk.

Issy,

I know you have been skipping breakfast.

Don’t.

It’s important.

PSP

I reach in and find a yogurt with granola and a fruit cup.

Issy: You sent me breakfast. Thank you.

Pierre: Because I knew you hadn’t been eating it.

Issy: You don’t have to look after me.

Pierre: I know. Have a great day at work.

For the last couple of weeks, every single night after work there is a home-cooked meal waiting for me, and I look forward to coming home and grabbing them.

It’s one of the sweetest things a man has done for me.

And every morning, a lunch bag is waiting for me on my desk with breakfast. Of course, I text him when I get home and then again in the morning after I get my breakfast, it would be rude not to.

Slowly over the course of the past couple of weeks, the text conversations have been getting longer until we are chatting until late most nights.

We both sit down with a glass of wine and watch the sports channel, and text each other about what we are watching.

I think I’m falling for him.

Today the boys headed off to training camp for three weeks, and Pierre informed me he wouldn’t have time to cook me meals every night like he has been, so he batch-cooked three weeks of dinners and breakfasts and sent them over for me to pull from the freezer.

I couldn’t believe he did that for me. He also said that he would try to text me while he is gone, but I know how hard the guys work during training camp.

He is going to be exhausted, and I don’t want him to stay up talking to me.

I told him I’ll speak to him again when he’s back, which seemed to settle him.

He’s become part of my daily routine again.

And I like it. I look forward to it. I need these three weeks to work out my feelings toward Pierre.

I don’t want to lead him on. He’s doing everything right, and he doesn’t have to.

I hate the thought that I’m making this man jump through hoops for me, but my feelings are my feelings. But I need to sort them out soon.

It's girls’ night and we are all heading to Harper’s place to help cheer her up, and little do they know they are cheering me up, too.

I let myself in, we all have keys to each other’s homes. When I arrive, everyone is in the living room with glasses of champagne and nibbles. Harper, Kimberly, Meadow, and Camryn.

“Issy, you made it,” Harper slurs. Looks like someone has started the party early. I lean over and give her a kiss, but then she starts crying.

“Oh, babe, I’m sorry,” I say, hugging her tightly.

“We were so close to being sisters.” She sniffs. I don’t know about that.

“She’s been like this all afternoon,” Camryn whispers.

“I’m sick of talking about Felix and me, I want to know what’s going on with you and Pierre,” Harper asks.

I still. Every woman’s eyes are on me.

“Issy and Pierre?” Camryn questions.

“They used to date when they were teens until she caught him cheating,” Meadow explains.

“No.” Camryn gasps.

“They were each other’s first,” Harper adds tearily.

“Didn’t you two date for a couple of years?” Kimberly asks.

“Three years. High school and college. He used to live with us,” I explain to the group. If they want me to answer questions, I’m going to need a drink.

“Here,” Meadow says, handing me a glass of champagne.

“I had no idea you two were childhood sweethearts. I didn’t think you knew each other at The Hamptons,” Camryn states. That was on purpose.

“They haven’t seen each other in fifteen years until I forced Issy to babysit him,” Harper adds.

Camryn is surprised. “Okay. Can we back this story up? I have so many questions.” She looks over at me.

“Basically, we were dating in college. Harper didn’t trust him as she had heard around campus that he was cheating. She forced me to go to a party at his frat house, and I walked in on him getting a blow job from Missy Jenkins.”

“She was such a bitch. I heard that she’s getting divorced, her husband caught her screwing her boss who happened to be her best friend’s husband,” Harper mumbles. No way. Guess she hasn’t grown up since college.

“Then what happened?” Camryn asks.

“I fled to Europe and ended up in London for the next ten years, running the European division of our company,” I tell her.

“And you never saw Pierre again?” Camryn asks.

“On and off, but no. I tried to make sure that I wouldn’t run into him.

He flew to London that summer we broke up, looking for me, but couldn’t find me.

My dad kicked him out of the house and stopped inviting him to family dinners.

I had no idea any of this had happened till he told me at his funeral,” I explain.

“Which was the next time she saw him,” Harper adds.

“I’m sorry about your dad,” Camryn says.

“Thanks,” I say, taking her condolences. “I never told any of you what happened at the wake. It’s why I freaked out so much when you showed up on my doorstep with Pierre.” I look over at Harper.

“Issy!” She gasps.

“What happened?” Kimberly asks.

“He kissed me.”

The room erupts. “He was still engaged to Kitty then,” Meadow adds.

“I know. I was so angry with him. For making me the other woman,” I explain to them.

“How did it happen?” Harper asks.

“We started arguing. I was so annoyed to see him in my childhood bedroom. Suddenly all these memories of the two of us hit me. I was already an emotional wreck. Then he hugged me. I broke down and he comforted me.”

“Bet he did,” Harper says, wiggling her brows. I give her a filthy look which makes her giggle.

“Next thing I know he is kissing me.”

“Was it good?” Meadow asks.

“Yes, for one blissful moment until I remembered he was engaged, and I lost it. He made me think he hadn’t changed. He cheated on me, and now he’s cheating on his fiancée.”

“Totally understandable,” Kimberly adds.

“I can’t believe you never told me,” Harper says, sounding hurt.

“I was mortified. I couldn’t believe I let him kiss me. I wanted to forget it ever happened.”

“Until I showed up on your doorstep with a runaway groom.” Harper gasps. I nod. “And I told you it would be a great idea. Thinking that you would just magically iron out your differences, but you were struggling. I’m so sorry, Issy.”

“Not your fault. You were right, though. I needed to talk through what happened all those years ago because it changed me, and not for the better when it came to relationships. There was a lot of anger that I had against him, and it wasn’t healthy to hold on to it, especially after all these years,” I explain to the group.

“And what about now?” Meadow asks.

“Confusion,” I answer honestly.

“Because you guys reconnected?” Kimberly asks. I nod. The girls squeal.

“He asked me to take a chance on him. I kind of turned him down.” My friends gasp. “All because I’m scared. What if he breaks my heart again?”

“Every relationship is a leap of faith, Issy. Do you miss him since he’s moved out?” Camryn asks.

“Yes. He used to cook for me every night and give me foot rubs while we watched sport together,” I confess.

“Girl.” Meadow looks at me as if I’ve lost my mind.

“I know when I say it out loud, he sounds perfect. In The Hamptons, I drunkenly told him I’ve been hungry since he left.”

“I bet you have,” Harper teases which makes me laugh.

“He’s been sending me home-cooked dinners every day to my home and delivering breakfast to the office after his morning runs.” The girls ooh and ahh over that. “We’ve been texting every night since, and now I don’t know how I feel.”

“Do you have feelings for him?” Meadow asks.

“Yes,” I answer honestly.

“Is it love?” Kimberly pushes.

“Maybe,” I confess.

“Would you be jealous if he started dating someone else?” Harper asks. “Because I think I would die seeing Felix with someone else. It would rip my heart out.”

“I think I would feel the same,” I tell her. Harper gives me a knowing, sad smile telling me she gets it.

“But you’re just fearful he could cheat on you again?” Camryn asks.

“Yes.”

“And that’s your only worry?” Camryn questions.

“Yes.”

“Has he done anything that would make you feel like he would cheat again? Like checked out girls. Gotten a girl’s number?” Camryn continues to ask.

“He was not in the least interested in those four girls that Sam brought over when we were at the club,” Kimberly adds.

That’s true, he looked uncomfortable. “But was that because I was there?” My friends all look at me as if that question is ridiculous. “I’m overthinking this.”

“We like to overthink things.” Harper chuckles. Hope this is helping her.

“Do you want a second chance with Pierre? Can you see a future with him now that he is permanently in New York?” Kimberly asks me.

“Yes.” Covering my face, I hang my head in shame.