A couple of hours later, Rachel was stepping out of her class when she spotted Shelly and Lena getting off the treadmills. Waving at them, she made sure she plastered on a wide smile as she stopped in front of the girls.
“Well, well, if it isn’t the late-night streetwalker,” Lena quipped as she swung a small towel over her shoulder.
Rachel gave Lena a shocked look and tried to hide her grin. “Honestly, Lena, how am I ever going to have a successful sex life if I have to check in with Mason every night?”
Shelly let out a laugh and shook her head as they all moved toward the front doors. “Well, at least he doesn’t know about Whipped. If he ever found out, he’d never back off.”
Rachel looked over at the perfectly put-together blonde with the shit-eating grin.
How did I end up being so close to these two women? They were the furthest things from herself that she could have found.
“I’ll have you know that I haven’t been there for quite a while.”
“Oh, and why’s that?” Lena uncapped the water bottle she was holding and took a gulp.
“Did a certain someone run you off your stomping grounds?” Shelly teased.
Resisting the urge to punch her in the arm, Rachel zipped her jacket as she glared at Shelly. “Can it, Georgia. Cole Madison did not run me from anywhere. I just haven’t been in the mood, and I haven’t been sleeping well lately.”
“Why not?” Lena asked, concern showing in her green eyes.
Rachel turned to Lena and thought about how close they had become, as though she were her own sister. “I keep having dreams. Well, they’re nightmares actually, but that doesn’t matter. That’s all they are.” Slinging her gym bag over her arm, Rachel turned to Shelly. “Are we still going to your place for lunch?”
Shelly nodded and pulled her sweater over her head. “Yeah, Josh said to remind you to pick up the beer.”
Rachel rolled her eyes as they pushed open the doors and walked out into the cool air. “Of course he did. Those two never could watch Sunday football without beer.”
Rubbing her arms, Rachel promised to be there at two. She waved once and made a dash down the street. Luckily for her, even if the rent was too high, her place was only a hop, skip, and jump away from the gym they all worked out at.
It’s official. I hate football, Rachel thought as she sat on the couch. She started to zone out while Josh and Mason yelled at the TV, and Lena and Shelly talked about work. As much as she hated to admit it, she had started to feel like the fifth wheel lately.
Who would have ever thought these two would end up so committed? Certainly, not me, she thought incredulously.
It wasn’t as though she begrudged anyone a happy ending, but the way both Mason and Josh had become so domestic almost mystified her. All they needed were a pair of rug rats to complete the picture of domestic bliss.
Oh, who am I to be sitting here, envying them their happiness? They all deserved it. It wasn’t their fault she was feeling the way she was and at the rate she was going maybe she could be the old single aunt with the bright hair.
Hell, I knew I should’ve stayed home and dyed my hair today, I’m even annoying myself.
Standing, Rachel excused herself and made her way down the hall to the bathroom. As she passed a room that Shelly must have converted into what now looked like an office and gym, Rachel smiled and moved across the space to the punching bag hanging from the ceiling.
This is what I need installed in my place. The only problem was that she didn’t own her place. She rented, so bolts in her ceiling beams were not allowed.
Turning to leave for the bathroom, she walked past the old desk in the corner and happened to glance down. There, sitting on the desk, was an official-looking piece of paper that had Mitchell & Madison, Attorneys at Law written across the top.
Cole.
Rachel felt her pulse accelerate as if he were in the room with her. Gingerly, she let her fingers creep onto the paper as she pulled it closer to the edge of the desk. Ignoring the contents beneath the header, she peered at the writing across the top, focusing on the address and phone number printed boldly under the firm’s name.
Before she could even think about it, she took out her phone and snapped a picture of the letterhead. She dashed out of the office, ran straight into the bathroom, and locked the door behind her. Moving to the edge of the tub, she sat and stared at the number.
It’s Sunday. He wouldn’t be there today. Would he? What if he is?
Quickly, she dialed the number before she could change her mind. After three rings, just as she suspected, a recorded message came over the line.
“Hello. You have reached the law office of Mitchell & Madison, and we are currently closed. If this is an emergency, you can reach Logan Mitchell at 312-555-1467 or Cole Madison at 312-555-7173. Thank you, and have a good day.”
Rachel hung up and stared at the phone. She thought about what she was going to do for less than two seconds before she hit redial. She quickly typed the digits following Cole’s name into her contacts. After she ended the call this time, she stared at his number like it would bite her.
Should I or shouldn’t I?
Oh, what the hell.
Cole was halfway home from Lake Forest when his phone began ringing, the sounds coming through his car speakers. Glancing at the display, he didn’t recognize the 773 area code number offhand. Pressing the button on his steering wheel, he was about to answer as a car cut in front of him.
“Jesus!” he cursed as he slammed on the brakes.
He noticed there was silence in the vehicle, and he realized no one had said anything on the other end of the line. “I’m sorry. Hello?”
More silence. “Hello?” he greeted again.
That was when the call ended.
He stopped at a red light and decided to call the number. With the unprofessional way he had answered, maybe the caller hadn’t realized it was him. As the call connected, he waited for a greeting. When nothing came, he decided to speak up. “Hello, this is Cole Madison. You just called me. I wasn’t sure if you had the wrong number.”
The light turned green, and he slowly pushed his foot on the accelerator, letting his Peugeot purr as it began to move.
“It’s Rachel.”
Immediately, his eyes glanced at the number on the display. Rachel? Well, now, isn’t this interesting?
“Hello, Rachel.” Tapping his finger on the steering wheel, Cole finally cleared the traffic and let the car power forward. “Rachel? Are you still there?”
“Yes, I’m here,” she replied, like she was annoyed that she was.
Cole couldn’t help the twitch of his lips at her tone. “Okay, I was just checking. This is a surprise. How did you get my number?”
“Do you really care?”
“No, not really. But you don’t seem to be saying much, so I thought I should fill the silence.”
“With questions you don’t really care about?”
“Well, it was that or ask you why you are calling, but I’ve figured out that answer already.”
He thought he heard her scoff softly before she spoke again.
“Oh? And why did I call you?”
Surprised at the feeling of satisfaction he felt at that moment, Cole replied, “Because you want to ask me something obviously.”
“Is that right?”
“Oh, come on, Rachel. I hardly think you hunted down my number to make sure I got home alright after Thursday night. It’s Sunday. That’s a wide window of time for something to have happened to me.”