Thank you to Marie Astor for providing this excerpt from her novel Lucky Charm! Please visit her tour page on CLP Blog Tours for all the excerpts, and to enter to win some fabulous prizes!
“Annabel?”
The familiar voice stopped her dead.
“Annabel.” Jeremy was standing a few feet away from her.
For a moment she froze, uncomprehending. “What are you doing here?” she stammered.
“I was hoping we could talk.”
His voice broke, and Annabel felt a familiar emotion surge inside her. “What is it Jeremy? What do you want to talk about?”
“I miss you, Ann.” He stumbled closer toward her. “I’ve been miserable without you. I am a fool, an idiot for not appreciating what we had.”
Jeremy halted, and Annabel thought she spotted a glint of tears in his eyes. He looked miserable indeed: his expensive white summer suit had more creases than an unmade bed, there were dark circles under his eyes, his usually coiffed hair was in desperate need of a cut, he looked thinner, and his shoulders stooped.
“Jeremy, what’s wrong?” Despite all the hurt he had caused her, she could not turn him away, not when he looked so beaten up.
“It’s you, Ann – I can’t be without you. You are the glue that holds me together.” Jeremy reached for her hand, but she moved it behind her back, and, seeing her gesture, he sighed.
“I don’t know what to say, Jeremy. I haven’t heard from you in months.”
“Is there any way you could forgive me? Please, hear me out.”
“I’ve met someone else.”
“I understand, but does he love you the way I love you?”
“The way you love me? If you loved me so much, Jeremy, then why did you cheat on me with Athena?”
“Oh, Annabel, it didn’t mean anything. I admit it – I screwed up. I was smitten by all the glitz and glory, but I never loved her. I love you and I can’t live without you. Please.” Jeremy dropped on one knee, “Will you take me back?” In his fingers he held out his grandmother’s sapphire ring – the same ring Annabel had returned to him after she caught him cheating on her with Athena.
To her dismay, Annabel found herself thinking how easy it would be to say yes: how comforting it would be to have someone to hold her at night, to feel safe and secure again, to stop wondering whether the handsome, dark man across the Atlantic still cared about her. The temptation scared her so much that she knew she had to put an end to it immediately.
“Get up, Jeremy – you’ll get your suit dirty. You made your choice when you started seeing Athena behind my back.” She was about to walk away, but Jeremy’s pleading glance stopped her – old history was not easy to forget. With a sigh, Annabel added, “If you need a friend, you know where to find me, but that’s all I can offer you – friendship.”
Back in her apartment, Annabel stared at the ceiling. Does he love you the way I love you? Jeremy’s plea hooked itself into her mind. Did Etienne love her? The truth of the matter was that Annabel did not know the answer – except for a handful of one-line emails, she had not heard from Etienne for over five days. She tried to call him several times, but kept getting his voicemail. She told herself that he was busy at work and the time difference made it difficult for them to connect, but deep inside she wondered if there was something else that prevented him from calling. As of yet, they had not made any plans for seeing each other again and the last time they spoke, it seemed to her that Etienne’s voice was strangely constrained and distant. Annabel kept telling herself that it was all in her imagination, but the facts spoke for themselves. Maybe she should have listened to Lilly when her friend told her to keep things light – maybe her time with Etienne was nothing but a fling, and she should get the clue and move one before she made a complete fool of herself. Maybe, she should give Jeremy another chance.
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