The Exception (8 page)

Jillian

“It’s so good to see you.” Kristen hugged me tight as I stepped inside her apartment.

“It’s good to see you too. How are you?” I broke our embrace.

“I’m okay. I just put on a fresh pot of coffee. You must be exhausted after that flight.”

“Not really. I slept well on the plane.”

My flight from Hawaii didn’t get in to New York until ten a.m. I really had no choice but to sleep, because if I didn’t, I would have spent the entire twelve hours thinking about Drew, and I was trying so hard to put him to rest. Following Kristen into the kitchen, I took a seat at the table while she poured us each a cup of coffee and set a plate of assorted donuts in the center of the table.

“My favorite.” I smiled as I took a vanilla frosted one. “Did Noah go to work?”

“Yeah. He left about an hour ago. He said to tell you hello and that he’ll see you later. So, tell me all about Hawaii.”

As I sat across from Kristen, my heart felt sad seeing her so frail. Her skin was pale, her eyes were sunken in, and the beautiful blonde hair she once had was replaced by a headscarf. Six months ago, she was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor and had been undergoing chemotherapy and radiation to try and shrink it. Not only was she my best friend, she was also my half-sister. A sister I didn’t even know I had until she contacted me, via Facebook, two years ago and asked if my father was Donald Bell. Our father had an affair with her mother when they met at a business conference. It lasted about a year until she told him she was pregnant. He gave her silence money to quietly walk away and agree to never let anyone know who the father was. He made her sign a contract that his crooked lawyer drew up stating that she wouldn’t put him as the father on the birth certificate or ever disclose that he impregnated her. She saw what kind of man he was and took the money and ran as far away from him as she could. Before Kristen’s mother passed away a couple of years ago, she told her everything about our dad. Who he was, where he lived, and about me.

When she contacted me, I wasn’t surprised. I always suspected my father cheated on my mother. Kristen was my secret and I loved her; after all, we were sisters and only born one month apart. After she found me, we skyped almost every day and I came to New York a few times to visit her. Of course, I lied as to where I was going because if my parents ever found out that we found each other, it would open up a scandal that would rock the business world. It saddened me that my father could be so cold as to know he had another daughter and didn’t care about how she grew up. He was a soulless man who was married to a soulless woman.

“Hawaii was great.” I gave her a small smile.

“Did you by chance meet anyone there?” She grinned.

“You talked to Kellan. Didn’t you?”

“Yeah.” She took a sip from her cup.

“Drew is a great guy. He’s fun, sweet, caring, and really hot.”

“You slept with him, Jill. I can tell,” she spoke with excitement.

“Ugh.” I laid my head down on the table. “I didn’t mean to. It just happened.”

“And?”

Lifting my head, I looked up at her. “And then we said goodbye.”

“You said that as if you were sad to say goodbye.”

“Sort of. I don’t know. Drew is —” I sighed. “He’s the type of guy who I could see totally falling head over heels for.”

Kristen gave me a small smile. “It looks to me like you already have.”

“No.” I held up my finger. “I’m in search of me, nobody else.”

“Maybe you found yourself already the moment you sat next to him on the plane. The world works in mysterious ways, Jill. Of all the hotels in Hawaii, he stayed at the same one you did. Plus, he broke up with his girlfriend.”

“I see Kellan filled you in on every little detail.” I smiled. “I was going to tell you everything when I came here. I didn’t want to burden you with my problems when you’re going through so much already.”

“But your problems are my problems, dear sister. Without your dysfunctional life, I’d be bored to death.” She smiled.

I couldn’t help but laugh. “You look tired.” I pouted.

“I am. I hate that I feel like I need to go take a nap when you just got here.”

“Go take a nap and when you wake up, we’ll go to Central Park and sit under a big tree for some sisterly bonding time. In the meanwhile, I think I’ll take a shower and change. I feel gross from the plane ride.”

As the hot water streamed down my back, I couldn’t stop thinking about Drew, and I wondered what he was doing and if he had heard from Jess. She didn’t seem like the type of woman to go away quietly. Running my hands down my body, I swore I could still feel his tender touch. He was a god in the bedroom and I’d never had so many orgasms in such a short period of time in my life. I needed to put him to rest in the depths of my mind. I was living a single, free life now and nothing or no one was going to get in the way of that. My focus was solely on me now and, of course, my sister. She needed me. The only family she had left was Noah, her boyfriend of five years, and me.

Stepping out of the shower and wrapping a towel around me, I sat on the edge of the bed and dialed Kellan.

“Hello, Jilly Bean.”

“Hey, Kel. I finally made it to New York.”

“How’s Kristen doing?”

“She’s okay. She’s napping right now and then I’m taking her to Central Park for a while. Any news on the home front?”

“I saw your mom yesterday and she gave me the evil eye.” He laughed. “Then she had the nerve to come over and try to talk to me.”

“What did she say?”

“Just asked if I heard from you yet and that she can’t believe you would do what you did. She said poor Grant was so broken up, and that the wedding that didn’t happen was the talk of the yacht club. She said she had to leave because of the embarrassment.”

“Ha ha. Good.”

“I told her that I saw Grant with some sleazy-looking chick the other night and he didn’t look too broken up to me. She just huffed and said goodbye.”

“Good for you. Thank you.”

“Anything for you, babe. Hey, how about if I come to New York next weekend for a visit?”

“Ah. I would love that and so would Kristen and Noah.”

“Are you going to get your own apartment there?”

“I was thinking about it, but I don’t want to get stuck in a lease for a year. I may not be here that long.”

“True. I’m sure you can find something with a six-month lease, or hell, just buy a place. It’s not like you can’t afford it. Then when you leave, rent it out, and it becomes an investment.”

“I might just do that.”

“Hey, how are you doing after your little romp with plane guy?”

“I’m okay.”

“Jilly, that wasn’t very convincing. Are you still thinking about him?”

“Sort of. He’s a hard man to forget.”

“Then maybe he’s not worth forgetting. You have his number. Call him.”

“I can’t.”

“You won’t. I dig your whole self-journey, but if he put a real smile on that pretty face of yours, don’t you think maybe, just maybe, he was thrown in your path for a reason?”

“Now you sound like Kristen.”

“Great minds think alike. Listen, Bean, I have to go. I’m being summoned into a meeting. Love you.”

“Love you. Talk to you soon.”

I met Kellan Jones at the yacht club when were thirteen years old. His family had just moved to Seattle when his father took the CFO position for one of the biggest hotel chains in the country. It was love at first sight. We created a bond that day and had been best friends ever since. My parents disapproved at first because he was a boy and they feared some sort of romance was brewing. They couldn’t grasp the concept that a boy and a girl could be nothing more than friends. There was a period of time when my parents tried to stop me from seeing Kellan, but that quickly dissipated when they found out he was gay and no longer a threat.

****

I wheeled Kristen to The Lake in Central Park. Since receiving her chemo and radiation treatments, she tired easily and walking would have been too much for her. I found us a spot on the grass under a big tree near the lake. After helping me spread out the blanket we brought, we both kicked off our shoes and sat down.

“God, it’s so beautiful here,” I spoke.

“It’s one of my and Noah’s favorite spots.”

It was a beautiful June day. The sun was shining brightly and there wasn’t a trace of wind anywhere. Despite all the people that were around, I found comfort and peace here.

“Tell me you have pictures of Hawaii.” Kristin smiled.

“Of course I do,” I spoke as I pulled my phone from my pocket.

Opening up my pictures, I began to show her the serenity and beautiful world of Hawaii.

“These are the dolphins I swam with.” I smiled.

“Wow. They are adorable. I’d love to do that.”

“You will. As soon as you get better, I’m taking you there and we’ll swim with them.”

She gave me a small, unconvincing smile. I knew exactly what that smile meant and it scared the hell out of me.

“Is this him?” she asked as she stopped on the picture of me and Drew.

My heart started to ache at the sight of him.

“Yes. That’s Drew. I took that picture of us on our last night there.”

“He’s hot.” She grinned.

The corners of my mouth curved slightly upwards. “Yeah. In more ways than one.”

“Why did you take this picture?” she asked. “I mean, you knew you were never going to see him again and you have no plans of ever contacting him.”

“I guess for a memory,” I spoke in a mere whisper as I looked down at my hands.

“It’s okay to like him, Jillian. You’re human just like everyone else.”

“If only I had met him a little later in life.” I stared straight at the lake.

She reached over and took hold of my hand. “Sometimes life is too short to worry about the small stuff.”

“You’re going to be okay, Kristen. I truly believe that.”

“Maybe or maybe not. And if not, I’m okay with that. I’ve come to terms that the chemo and radiation may not be helping.”

I didn’t like hearing her say that. It killed me inside to think that I might lose her. She had only been in my life for a short while and I wanted many more years with her. She was my sister and I needed her.

Drew

I had just returned from a meeting when I heard my office door open.

“You can’t—” I heard Lia’s voice.

“Oh please. And really? Those shoes?”

I turned around and clenched my jaw when I saw Jess.

“We need to talk, Drew.” She stood there with her hand on her hip.

I sighed and took a seat behind my desk.

“Jess, what are you doing here? I told you that I didn’t want to see you.”

“I know, but I needed to see you. Please just hear me out.”

“There’s nothing to hear. It’s over.”

“Stop saying that. I’m sorry for everything. Please give me another chance. I can’t bear to be without you.” Tears started to stream down her face.

“No, Jess. It’s over. You deserve someone who can give you everything you need.” I got up from my chair, walked over to her, and clasped her shoulders. “I can’t do that. And you know why I can’t?”

She slowly shook her head.

“Because I’m not in love with you. I don’t mean to hurt you, but it’s how I feel and there’s nothing you can do to change that.”

Her bottom lip started to tremble. “But I need you. Don’t you understand that?” Streaks of mascara ran down her face.

“You don’t need me, Jess. You need a man who can love you back and I’m not that man.”

“God, I hate you!” She began to pound her fists into my chest. “I spent a year with you. I gave you my everything. I gave you my heart and my love and this is how you repay me?”

I grabbed her wrists and held them tight so she’d stop pounding into me.

“Darling, the only thing you ever gave me was a headache. Now please leave before I call security.”

Letting go of her wrists, I turned around and headed towards my desk.

“You’ll regret this, Drew. You’re going to wake up one day and realize what a mistake it was letting me go and then you’ll be the one crawling back, begging me to take you back!” she shouted.

Rolling my eyes, I sighed. “Goodbye, Jess.”

“Fuck you, Westbrook!” She stormed out of my office, slamming the door behind her.

After a few moments, when I knew she was out of sight, I opened the door, looked at Lia, and shrugged.

“She’s crazy. What can I say?”

“You did the right thing, Drew. I didn’t like her.”

“Nobody did.” I winked.

Lia, my secretary, was an excellent employee. She was a forty-year-old single mom of two girls. She came to work for me as a temp while my other secretary, Joy, was on maternity leave. When Joy decided to become a stay-at-home mom, I hired Lia right on the spot. She excelled at her work and needed the stability of a full-time permanent job so she could provide for her children since her deadbeat ex barely paid his child support.

“I need you to do me a favor,” I spoke as I walked over to Lia’s desk.

“Sure. Anything.”

“See what you can find on a girl named Jillian Bell. She’s from Seattle.”

“Really?” The corners of her mouth curved upwards. “You’ve never done anything like that before.”

“I know. I feel like a damn stalker.”

“Who is she?”

“She’s a woman that I spent some time with in Hawaii. Actually, we met on the plane. She had the seat next to mine and we stayed at the same hotel. Let’s just say she’s someone I can’t get out of my head. Maybe you can track down a phone number or something.”

“I’ll see what I can do.” She smiled.

“Thanks, Lia. I’ll be in my office.”

Just as I shut the door and was walking back to my desk, my phone rang and it was my mom.

“Hey, Mom.”

“Drew. How was Hawaii?”

“It was good.”
Only good because of Jillian.

“Did you and Jess get some things worked out?”

I leaned back in my chair. “We sure did. I ended things with her.”

“Oh?” There was a hint of excitement in her voice.

“It’s okay, Mom. Just say it.”

“You want the truth, Drew?”

“Of course I do.”

“I’m happy you ended it with that little witch. You know how your father and I felt about her.”

“I know you didn’t like her and I’m sorry I didn’t end things sooner.”

“Well, what matters is that you did end it. Listen, honey, I have to get going. Why don’t you come over tomorrow night for a barbeque?”

“Sounds good, Mom. I’ll be there.”

After ending the call, I set my phone down on my desk. I wished they could have met Jillian. She was the type of girl that my mom would fall in love with.

“Excuse me, Drew,” Lia softly spoke as she poked her head in the door.

“Come on in. Did you find anything?”

“The only thing I could find on Jillian Bell was this article.” She handed me a white sheet of paper. “I don’t think that’s her, right?”

“That’s her.” I smiled as I stared at her picture.

“She left her fiancé on their wedding day?” she asked with a twisted face.

“Yep, and for good reason. Her story is a little complicated.”

“She’s pretty.”

“Pretty is an understatement. She’s a beautiful woman with a beautiful soul.”

“I’m sorry that’s all I could find, Drew.”

“It’s okay, Lia. Thank you.”

I could have just hired a private investigator to find her, but I wouldn’t do that. I said goodbye to her for a reason and I wasn’t going to interfere with her life. As badly as I missed her and wanted to talk to her, I needed to respect her journey. I had no clue what I was thinking when I asked Lia to see what she could find out. Jillian had my number and, hopefully, one day, she’d think of me and call.

****

Jillian

When Kristen and I walked through the doors of The Ellington on West 52
nd
Street, we stepped inside the elevator and took it up to the 28
th
floor where I was meeting, Rick, the realtor who was going to show me the apartment.

“Hello, you must be Jillian.” Rick smiled as he held out his hand.

“Nice to meet you, Rick.”

“My pleasure, and this is?” he asked as he looked at Kristen.

“I’m the sister.” She smiled.

“Ah. Nice to meet you. If you’ll follow me, I’ll show you around this gorgeous apartment. Will it just be you living here, Jillian?”

“Yes.” I smiled as I looked around.

“Then this is the place for you. Come over here,” he spoke as he led me to the balcony off the living room. “Look at this view. You can practically see the entire city from up here, and at night, it’s gorgeous. All you need are a couple of lounge chairs, a small table, and an expensive bottle of wine.” He winked.

“What do you think, Kristen?” I asked.

“I think this place is great. I could totally see you making this space your very own.”

“Me too.” I smiled as I continued to look around.

“Oh, and the best part is that the laundry room is right down the hall.”

“That’s a plus. How much is the rent again?” I asked.

“Forty-five hundred.”

“Okay. I’ll take it.”

“Excellent.” Rick clapped his hands together. “I will let the owner know and I’ll draw up the lease agreement. How soon do you want to move in?”

“This weekend if possible.”

“Perfect. I will call you in a couple of days when the paperwork is ready, you can swing by the office to sign them, and I’ll hand you the keys.”

“Great. I look forward to it.”

****

Drew

I had just arrived home from work when my phone rang.

“Hey, Rick,” I answered.

“Drew, I have great news. I rented your apartment today to a very nice young woman. She’ll be moving in this weekend.”

“Ah. Excellent news. Thanks for letting me know.”

“Any time, buddy. Have a good night.”

“You too.”