Billionairess's Dilemma: Reclaiming His Heart

17: The Cracks That Sealed Their Fate

Polly

“Early, way too damn early. He said noon.” I mutter as I check my phone.

11:44

Sixteen more minutes, really?! I swear I’ve been sitting here longer than five minutes. Salem is camped out at the table next to me, “reading” his newspaper.

A throat clears behind me and I look up as Kevin pulls his chair out. "I'm early." He says but I see a hint of a smile as he looks to me.

"I was earlier." I say deciding to go for humor.

"Ah a new competition. We'd have to set some rules, Polly. Like nothing more than forty-five minutes. We have internships this summer and can't camp out somewhere all day." He joins right in. We always had some little competition going on.

"Thirty minutes but we need a qualifier. Three people have to know you are there first. Like a social media post, text to the group or Uncle Goose."

His eyes light up. "Or you have to already have ordered a drink with photo evidence."

"Deal Kev." I hold back the tears. This was what always made our relationship so special. The ability to feed off each other so easily. And the fun we had. There were never any hard feelings when we played these games no matter who won. Honestly at first, I think he let me win but as I got older he didn't hold back. My Kevin.

We order lunch and I tell him about my first year at college here. "I'm still not sure I want to finish out here but it was a good fit to start with. I wasn't ready to leave my family."

Kevin nods. "I wish I had been able to stay here, but the law program is awful. Stanford is awesome in lots of ways, but it's not anywhere near the people I love."

"You're going to finish early though, right? The accelerated program."

"Yes. I did that because I was so anxious to come home in spite of everything. You think you want to run away and spread your wings so far, but all I wanted was to come home and roost with my family."

We catch up slowly over our meal. I order dessert and ask him if he wants gelato. He shakes his head. "I don't need dessert."

"There's a change. You don't eat dessert anymore?"

"Not really. Maybe cheesecake sometimes but not in the mood for it today." We are paying the bill when I hear a commotion and see Archer's brother, Eric standing outside the cafe yelling through the window at us. He looks pissed off. Uncle Ellis said he had an assault charge. Salem is already on his feet. "Let's go you two. Out the back entrance." He shepherds us that way while talking into his phone. "Yes, Eric Thornton is out front of Nonna's. Heading to Polly's apartment. Let me know where he goes. Keep on him too unless he goes home."

"Drive your Jeep there. I'll take Polly with me. Ellis wants you with me until Thornton is out of range." Salem warns me.

Kevin helps me into my apartment with Salem watching out for anything. He lifts his phone as soon as we get inside talking to Uncle Ellis by the sounds of it. Or maybe Mr. Grant. He now runs the security business that the shark squad uses.

Kevin stands with his hands in his pockets staring blankly while Salem talks. But then I watch him slowly remove them as his face changes. His brow furrows pensively as he takes a few steps to wooden shelves on my far wall. “Polly…” I move to his side. “Is this….is this the one I gave you? Or you replaced it?”

He points to the Limoges box he gave me of Cinderella’s glass slipper on a pillow. “No, that’s the one you gave me. Why would I ever replace it? Those are two of my most precious gifts. It was the last present you gave me.” I let my voice trail off sadly.

He lifts it gently and turns it over. “It is…fucking moron!” He grits out coldly.

“What?” I ask worried and bewildered.

His eyes meet mine and they hold their usual warmth. His voice is tinged with regret. “Not you butterfly. Me. I was a moron. f**k Polly, you shouldn’t forgive me now.”

“Why are you saying that?” I grab his hand. He called me butterfly, which means he’s very upset. It warmed my soul though to hear that again.

“Come take a trip with me to the law office? I need to show you. Can you bring this with you?” He hands me the box.

“Yes, let me wrap it.”

Kevin asks Salem to follow us. Once he helps me into the Jeep, he climbs in and we take off. “I thought you might get something newer than this when you went to Stanford.”

He barely smiles. “I love my Jeep. It has a lot of memories wrapped around it. One day maybe.”

“When you have a family, but you could always keep it for yourself.” I reassure him.

“Yeah…if I have a family.” He turns into the garage and parks. Salem follows us to the door of his office. Once he checks the room, he steps out. “Be right outside the door.”

Kevin goes and unlocks the top drawer of his desk. I move closer as he sets an open box with four chunks of porcelain on it. I catch a glimpse of a metal chain in the drawer before he shuts it. It’s a broken Limoges replica of my slipper box.

He lifts what would have been the bottom of the pillow and stares at it closely. Shaking his head, I hear the muttered curse. He leans on the desk hanging his head. “Kevin what is this?”

His whole face is lined with anguish as he raises his head. “I came back for your graduation. I was going to tell you I was sorry for ignoring you. Talk to you about the transplant resentment issues. But I heard you telling Archer that you were glad I didn’t come. So I went home without telling you I was here. Two days later, this showed up to me. It was when I gave up on you completely. Why I was so awful to you when I came back. It hurt so much seeing this. But I should have known better. Unwrap yours.”

I do and he takes it from me gently flipping it over. “I always wrote the date and PP-SK on them.” He shows me. “But look at this one. Only the date. He didn’t realize the PP SK wasn’t part of the serial number.” I see it. It blends right in.

“Princess Polly…” I gaze at him.

He nods sadly. “And Sir Kevin. I didn’t even think about that I was so upset. Forgive me butterfly. Though I deserve your anger.” He sets my box on the desk and I wrap my arms around him briefly before stepping back so he can see my face. How serious I am about this.

“You deserve nothing like anger. I forgive you for believing that. You had enough evidence against me to not doubt it. And those words you heard. I was repeating what Archer said about you and telling him he didn’t understand how much your absence hurt. It was very sarcastic. I wonder…” my eyes flash. “Were you behind the gazebo that night?”

“Yes.”

I clench my fists. “Because he kept looking that way. He set that up. He knew you were there. And I bet he sent you this. He knew these were special to me. One of our unique traditions in our bond. But he also knew I'd be suspicious if it disappeared."

He lifts it again and opens the box, staring inside for a second. "I am going to tear him to shreds the next time I see him." He says coldly.

"No. We need to tell the sharks about this. They can help. I don't want him to hurt you." I plead with him. "Why is he so obsessed with hurting you? Because it's you he's after, isn't it?" It dawns on me. I'm just a means to an end.

"It seems like it. He tried to hire someone to follow me. I didn't tell you about that." He shakes his head looking tired.

"Well, we are going to show him he didn't break us. Didn't break our friendship. Ready to flaunt it?" I ask him with a smile forming as my next plan starts to form. "We need a to book a time to feed the sharks."