The doorman didn’t question me when I stepped inside the building. They knew me well. I was always delivering things to his apartment. I’d been to it a million times, and yet he’d only ever been to mine once. It summarized our entire relationship perfectly.
I stepped inside and glanced around. The place was as it always had been. Luxurious but not ostentatious. Simple and clean, with a lingering note of Kane’s cologne. I almost wished I could bottle his scent and take it with me.
I walked to the table and set down my resignation letter, his blank check, and my gift. And then I just stood there.
It felt too impersonal to do it this way.
But this was for this best.
So why couldn’t I leave? Why couldn’t I close this chapter of my life and start over?
“Damn you Kane Stryker and your hold on me,” I grumbled.
I swept all the contents back into my purse and twirled my keys around my finger as I shut the door behind me. I wouldn’t be satisfied until I’d spoken my piece to Kane. So that was exactly what I intended to do.
Chapter Seven
I hit the freeway running.
The Trans-Siberian Orchestra blasted through my speakers and it fit my mood perfectly. Every mile that passed got me more amped up. I was going to give Kane a piece of my mind once and for all.
Three years I’d dedicated to him. I put in sixty hour work weeks and watched him wine and dine a different model every month. Now it was my turn. I was going to move to Florida and fetch me a fabulous new life. Husband included.
I was not too humble to admit that I was pretty by most men’s standards. And I did my Pilates three times a week. I said no to chocolate cake almost 90% of the time. Because I wanted him to notice me, dammit. But not anymore. I was done with all of that.
So I swung into another Starbucks along the way and ordered not one, but two brownies and a pumpkin spice latte. Rebel. That’s what I was. And it felt damn good.
Until I made it to Shandaken.
The snow was really starting to come down, and it made me a little nervous. Of course Kane didn’t own a cabin anywhere in the vicinity of the Catskill’s tourist traps. His was completely isolated on a little back road that was for private use only. I only knew because I’d asked him about it once.
When I turned off, the road was just as bad as I feared. The snow had to be six inches deep, and already I was sliding all over the place. I should have turned back. It was the wise thing to do. But I was far too proud for that. I’d already driven two hours just to speak my piece. Why the hell was the universe making it so difficult?
I took a deep breath and slowed to a crawl. I could do this. I would just deliver this to Kane, and then I could go have a nice Christmas. With lots of Brandy. Yep, that sounded good.
Something furry darted out in front of the car. I had no clue what it was because this was New York. The only wildlife I ever saw was in pet shop windows. I screamed and my natural instinct was to slam on the brakes. It was the wrong one.
The car started fishtailing all over the place, and before I could stop it, I slid into the ditch and crashed into a tree.
My heart hammered against my chest when I opened my eyes and saw the smashed up hood. There was smoke coming out of it, and I knew this car wasn’t going anywhere.
Crap.
I looked around, and all I could see was a blanket of white. I was going to die here.
I grabbed my phone and cursed when I saw exactly zero bars. I was out of the service range. I had no idea what to do. I was several miles from the main road, and when I’d driven up here, traffic had been pretty sparse in this direction. If I walked that way, there might not even be anyone to flag down. But I had no idea how far Kane’s cabin was in the other direction either. It was getting dark already, and I wasn’t confident enough to believe I could find my way through the forest.
I squeezed my eyes shut and let my forehead fall against the steering wheel. Why did this have to happen? All I wanted to do was see Kane one last time. Was that so bad?
The universe was punishing me. I was certain of it.
I took another deep breath and reached into the back, digging around in my grocery bags. I grabbed the bottle of Captain Morgan’s and sugar cookies I was supposed to take to my parents. At least I would die drunk and happy.
***
I’d just shoved a whole sugar cookie into my mouth and washed it down with a swig of spiced rum when I heard something crunching in the snow behind me.
The next thing I knew, Kane poked his head inside the car, his face filled with panic.
