Past Promises Chapter 7

Jedidiah woke in the middle of the night when he heard a sound against the window. He sat up suddenly and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. His vision blurred before it settled and he realized he was no longer in his room, but on the couch in the living room. He had a pounding headache and his throat was cotton dry. The sound echoed again and he looked at the window. It was the darn tree branch that kept swinging toward it when the wind blew. He had to remind himself to get it cut down. He stumbled to the floor and realized he’d been looking at photos of him and Anna. There was an empty Whiskey bottle and he sighed deeply. He was getting too old for this. It kept happening night after night and his body wasn’t taking it too well. He cleared his throat, walked to the kitchen, and opened the fridge. As he reached for the bottle of water, his phone rang. He stilled and let the machine answered.

     “Hey, Jedidiah, it’s Heather. I was just wondering if you were home and if you had plans for this weekend. I thought we might get a bite to eat. Call me, please.”

     He sighed and rubbed his face. Heather was a daughter of Kelly’s friend. Kelly introduced the two of them at a dinner a few years ago and Heather had been hooked on the idea of trying to get him to fall in love with her. Heather was good looking, but he just couldn’t find it in him to make any part of him feel a thing for her. She was forward with him about her feelings and there had been times where she had cried because he hadn’t felt anything with her.

     He reached for the bottle of water and took a long drink. He placed it back into the fridge and walked back to the living room where he saw the memories of yesterday staring at him. They lived inside his veins, swam in his blood, and ate at his heart until he felt he caved in. He fell to the ground and stared at her smiling face, her beautiful face, the face he could never wipe away from his mind. Each day when he woke, he found he hungered for her touch, her laughter, and her voice. When he slept, it was to dream of only her. And when he woke and found he was alone, it was like a poison that slowly killed him. She was the antidote. But where was she? Would he ever find her? He took a deep breath and shut his eyes. Would he ever find a break in this hell?

    

     Jedidiah threw the folder on his desk and took a deep breath. The last hour of the day always seemed to be the longest. Of course, he could just walk out of here if he wanted to, but he wanted to be fair to his employees. He leaned back in his chair and took his tie off. He set it on the desk and rolled up his sleeves. He was just about to unbutton his shirt when his intercom beeped and his secretary’s voice came on.

     “Heather is here.”

     He groaned. “Ugh…what’s her reason?”

     “Does she need a reason?”

     He laughed. “You’re right. Alright, I’ll be right out.”

     “Actually, she just walked right past me.”

     “Great.”

     Jedidiah stood up just as Heather walked in. She was holding a basket of food and he could see a bottle of wine peeking out. She was dressed in white capris and a blue silk top that made her hazel eyes even darker than usual. Her blonde hair was curled and sprayed until it didn’t move.

     “Heather, what brings you here?” he asked.

     She smiled and walked to him. “Do I need a reason to see you? You never returned my call. I was worried.”

     He laughed. “I assure you, I am fine.”

     “But I’m still worried. You haven’t been yourself lately. Is everything alright?”

     He nodded. “Yes, everything is fine.”

     She beamed and then she pointed to the basket. “I thought we could have a little picnic after work. I’ve got chicken, potato salad, bread, pie, and wine.”

     He stared at the basket and smiled politely. “Heather, this is too much, really.”

     It seemed to go right past her, his comment, and she just smiled brighter. “It’s nothing, really.”

     He tried again. “I’m not really in the mood for a picnic at the moment. Can I take a rain check?”

     Her smile faded and she looked away for a moment. “I’m here and you’re turning me down? Come on, Jedidiah! It’s free food! You have to eat, don’t you? I promise I won’t bite.”

     “Look, Heather—“

     “No buts, Jedidiah. You’re coming this time. I’ll wait outside here for you, ok? You just go and do what you have to do. When five rolls around, just come out and I’ll be here waiting for you.”

     She smiled and walked out as he let out a breath. He caught his secretary’s fearful smile and he felt the pain already. He shut the door and wondered how he would get out of this one. He walked to sit down at his desk and thought long and hard. Nothing came out and he felt as if his heart was about to give in. The intercom beeped again and his secretary’s voice came on.

     “You’ve got a guest here.”

     He sat up. “I do? I don’t remember anyone coming at this moment.”

     “He just flew in and thought he’d visit you. It’s Mr. Brown.”

     Owen Brown, an old friend of his from college. He stood up and smiled. This was the escape from Heather. He smiled and almost wanted to run out of his office. Owen, a tall man of his height, was wearing a blue suit and was chatting with his secretary. He was so overjoyed that he almost wanted to kiss his friend. But he opted for a hug that surprised his friend.

     “You’re this happy to see me?” Owen asked.

     Jedidiah laughed. “Oh, yes! You didn’t tell me you were coming in!”

     Owen laughed and his blue eyes twinkled. “Well, I wanted to surprise you. I have someone I’d like you to meet.”

     Owen pointed toward a woman who had her back facing them. She was wearing a black jumpsuit with her hair down and curled. Jedidiah smiled as Owen’s face brightened up like a radish.

     “It has taken years for me to get her to this point. Finally, she’s agreed to wear my ring,” Owen said.

     Jedidiah slapped his friend on his back. “Oh! That is great news! Introduce me.”

     Owen smiled and said, “Anna.”

     The moment the name slipped from Owen’s lips, Jedidiah’s heart stopped. When the woman turned around, he almost fell to the floor. Anna was his Anna, the Anna he couldn’t forget, the Anna, he loved so dearly. The Anna he fought so hard to find. Here she was, in the flesh, alive, and more beautiful than he ever thought possible. Gone was the young girl he used to know and here was a woman with curves and twice the passion and beauty he had yet to unveil. He swallowed hard and almost tripped over his own feet as she walked toward them. Her eyes never left his as she reached Owen, who immediately took her by the waist.

     “This is my good friend, Jedidiah. We went to college together, honey.”

     Jedidiah watched as she stared at him without smiling. He wanted to grab her and kiss her senseless. But she slowly reached out her hand and took a deep breath.

     “It’s nice to meet you,” she said.

     He hesitated before taking her hand. It fit perfectly in his. “Likewise.”

     Owen smiled. “We should go out tonight.”

     Heather came up running at the moment and took his arm. “Hi, I’m Heather.”

     He saw Anna’s eyes roam over to Heather. He saw a small flicker of jealousy flash before her eyes and he smiled. So…she still felt something for him. So she wasn’t as cold as she appeared to be. He saw that Owen’s hand never left her waist. So he did something he never thought he’d do. He slipped his arm around Heather’s waist.

     “Let’s go to dinner, the four of us.”