CHAPTER TWO
2110 Words
CHAPTER TWO
Vaughn pulled up outside the lobby at seven p.m. on the dot. Stella liked that he was always early or punctual, and never late. It gave her a sense of security.
As always, she’d made sure to look her best for him. Her hair was glossily blow dried and her make-up flawlessly applied. Tonight, she was bubbling inside with the amazing news she couldn’t wait to share. She knew he’d be proud of her for landing her dream job and be as thrilled as she was that she could now afford to stay in her lovely apartment.
“Hello, babes!” he greeted her as she opened the BMW’s door.
“Hello, handsome!” Climbing inside, scissoring her legs into the low-slung car, she stowed her bags in front of her and turned to kiss him.
Staring into his warm, hazel-green eyes, she felt lucky all over again to be with this tall, fit, and gorgeous man. His chestnut-brown hair was tousled casually across his forehead. The way he smiled when he stared at her always made her stomach flip.
“You look stunning,” he complimented her. “I love how that gray top brings out the blueness of your eyes.”
He stroked his fingers tenderly down her cheek, twining them through a shiny lock of her hair.
Then, rubber burning, he sped away.
“So, there’s this new bar, Mojos, that’s just opened. It apparently does killer tapas and margaritas. I thought we could go there tonight.”
“Sounds great,” Stella enthused. She couldn’t wait to experience it. Vaughn had a knack for finding fabulous restaurants and clubs. They’d shared so many memorable evenings together at trendy local hotspots. What fun it had been, experiencing what was now their home city, together.
“How was your day?” she asked, watching the lights of downtown shimmer in the distance as the road unrolled ahead of them.
“My last working day with Colston Corporate? t*****e!” He made a face.
“What do you mean?” Stella said, staring at him in consternation. His last working day? He’d just been offered a full-time job. What had gone wrong?
“I can’t tell you how glad I am to have that behind me. Talk about purgatory. I feel incinerated. I hated every moment I spent with that stupid firm.”
Stella felt her mouth fall open with shock, and quickly shut it again.
She’d had no idea that Vaughn hated his job so much. He’d seldom spoken about work, but now it sounded as if he was letting loose all the negativity he must have bottled up over the past few months.
“Was it really so bad?”
“It was tedious. Annoying. Humiliating, in fact. It was a step down for me and I only did it because I was forced to. The only good thing about my time here was meeting you. The rest of it was a waste. But even so, I made myself a promise that I was going to ace it and be the guy they wanted me to be.”
Stella felt as if her world was falling apart. Of course, he’d never have accepted a full-time job if this was the way he felt. How could she have assumed so wrongly?
He glanced at her and laughed. “What’s up? You’re very quiet. Aren’t you happy I did well?”
Her heart was pounding. She had no idea what she should say. Wasn’t he just as worried about their future as she was?
But, if he wasn’t worried, there was surely a reason. Thinking fast, Stella realized what that must be.
Vaughn was from an extremely wealthy family. In fact, he was the eldest son of an ex-senator who lived in Greenwich. She’d been astounded when she found that out. For a while it had made her nervous about taking the next step in their relationship, despite Vaughn’s laughing protestations that he hadn’t chosen where to be born. Since then, the differences in their approach to money, and to life, had caught her by surprise a few times.
Vaughn could pick and choose where he wanted to work. He wasn’t running out of money like she was. He didn’t need to accept the first offer he got. Putting herself in his expensive leather shoes gave her a different perspective.
“I’m just surprised how much you hated it,” she explained, glad there was no need for panic after all. “And I’m thrilled you aced it.”
He glanced at her and grinned. Taking a hand off the wheel, he squeezed her thigh.
“Yeah, I think they’ll be pleased with me back home. I know I did my best.”
Back home? Stella felt her stomach clench. It sounded like he was going to leave.
Her fragile sense of security felt shattered all over again.
Arriving at the tapas bar, Vaughn swung the car neatly into a parking space that had just opened. Then they hustled inside, where he snagged the last two chairs at the glitzy bar, just as another couple approached.
“Gold Margarita?” Vaughn scanned the menu. “They have a really classy Patron tequila option here.”
While he ordered, Stella gazed around, gathering her thoughts for the difficult conversation ahead. The bar was done to the nines in crazily trendy pink and green décor, with paisley decorations, sombreros and floral-embossed skulls patterning the walls. It was an expensive place and she realized that Vaughn had probably ordered the priciest drink on the menu.
Stella would have looked at the prices first. Vaughn never even glanced at them.
Suddenly, the divide between their circumstances felt unbridgeable again.
The barman, sporting a pink waistcoat and spiky hair, brought their drinks. Sure enough, the glasses were topped with a twist of lime, draped in gold leaf.
“Cheers, gorgeous.” Vaughn turned to face her.
Stella sipped from the salt-encrusted glass, needing the courage that the drink’s lemon-tinged kick would imbue.
“There’s something important we need to discuss,” she said.
“What’s that?” Now he was looking at her quizzically, as if her words, and their serious tone, had surprised him.
“I got the job that I’ve been hoping for. It’s the jury consultancy job with the Chicago law firm. It’s a step into my dream career, Vaughn. But it means I’ll be staying here, for a while at least. So we need to discuss our future.”
If there is a future, Stella thought, feeling suddenly sick with nerves as she took another gulp of the drink. She could see his face was taut with consternation.
“Stella, no!” Vaughn sounded frantic. He pushed his drink aside and it stood, forgotten, as he stared at her. “I thought that job was in New York?”
“No, I said the law firm also had a branch in New York,” Stella explained, feeling stressed that he’d misunderstood.
“I’m heading back to Connecticut soon. That was what I wanted to tell you tonight.”
“You are?” Uncertainty curdled inside her. Perhaps she could change his mind. “But you were offered a job here. I know the firm wasn’t the right fit for you, but you could easily get another. Are you sure you don’t want to stay? For a while, at least?”
He had so many options, and she had only one. She was terrified of losing him and felt breathless as she waited for his answer. Would he consider the move? Or would his next words be that he was breaking it off with her?
He shook his head. “I already have a job back home. This stint was the final preparation for it.”
She nodded somberly, her heart plummeting as he continued.
“Now that I’m done here, I can start in the role I’ve been aiming for. I’ll be a hedge fund manager for one of the top finance firms in Connecticut. Stella, this is my goal. It’s what I’ve been fighting for, every day I’ve stuck it out here.”
Vaughn’s chin jutted and she could tell that he was set on achieving his aims. His ambition and determination were two of the qualities that had first drawn her to him.
“Then we can make it work long distance,” she tried. “I’ll be earning a good salary. We’ll be able to commute to see each other. I might even be able to transfer to their New York branch in a couple of years, if I do well. In the meantime, we can manage.”
Even though she forced the hopeful tone into her own voice, she found herself filled with doubt. What if it didn’t work? She knew that wouldn’t be what he wanted.
Vaughn shook his head.
Stella stared at him, waiting for the hammer-blow to fall, expecting him to say that he was ending it.
“I want to be together with you. Not to battle in a long-distance relationship. We’ll lose what we have. I can’t afford to lose you. Please, you can’t do this to me,” he entreated.
“I – I don’t know what to say.” She gripped her glass, realizing her hands were shaking. She was all out of choices and couldn’t think of any other options.
She started saying, “What do you want me to do?” because she felt trapped in this predicament, but he spoke over her.
“Stella, come with me. Come to Connecticut.”
“But –” Her mouth felt dry. How could she throw away the opportunity of a lifetime? She’d have to start afresh in a new city, and right now she didn’t have the resources to do that.
His hazel eyes were warm, intense, flecked with gold as he stared at her.
“Marry me,” he said.
An icy splash of margarita spilled onto her hand. She felt numb with shock as she rattled the glass down onto the bar. What had just happened? Had he really said that? Could he really mean it?
He reached out, his hand trembling ever so slightly as he stroked her hair, cupped her face.
“I mean it, Stella. Please, marry me. I love you. I want us to be together, forever.”
Of course she’d dreamed that one day in the future, if things went well, they might take the next step and move in together. But marriage, now?
Fear flooded through her. This would mean giving up her dream job. She’d never get another opportunity this good. And what would the implications be, marrying into such a wealthy family? She wished she’d had more time to get to know and understand his world, because at the moment, it felt unknown and terrifying to her.
It was as if she saw two different pathways for her life, branching in front of her. She had to pick one and when she did, the other would vanish forever.
Think of the positives, Stella implored herself, worried that her shock might prompt her to make a decision she’d regret forever.
She’d be spending the rest of her life with the man she loved. A brand-new life, and she’d become a new person, Stella Marshall. They adored each other. That was a certainty, and she knew both of them felt equally strongly. Of course they could make it work.
There would be other jobs. She could find the perfect workplace, where she’d be able to further her career and skills.
“Will you?” He sounded anxious now and she realized that none of her frantic thoughts showed on her face. They never did. She was used to keeping her feelings hidden.
In a rush, Stella decided to go with her heart.
“I accept,” she said breathlessly. “I love you too, Vaughn. Let’s make a future together.”
As soon as she’d spoken the words, he leaned over and hugged her so tightly she felt as if he was squeezing the breath out of her. Hugging him back, she was uneasily aware that her happiness was already tinged with worry.
Vaughn would be arriving home after four months away, with a brand-new fiancée. She hadn’t even met his family yet. How would that go down with them?
Would his wealthy, prestigious parents accept that their eldest son was engaged to a girl from the Midwest, estranged from her own family, who came from a humble background and had no fortune or social standing to offer?
- Writer
