Missing You Again

Surf City

I slid my sunglasses down over my eyes and glared at the driver and car waiting for me on the tarmac. This was not what I wanted. It may have been convenient but I hated feeling like the kind of moneyed bitch who expected a limo to be waiting for her as she stepped off her private jet. It wasn't exactly a limo waiting for me but it was a sleek black town car and I was descending the steps of a private jet.

Even worse than the feeling that I didn't truly deserve the perks I'd worked bloody hard for was the destination that those perks were delivering me to. I'd fought long and hard but Sean had dug his heels in. He could be surprisingly stubborn when he chose to. Six weeks after I'd last seen Zacky I was touching down in Orange County because Sean had decided that he really couldn't stand the weather in San Francisco and he wanted some more consistent sunshine.

The conversation where he'd revealed his master plan was still burned into my brain. I was in London staring at my open closest trying to decide just how many of my clothes I needed to take to the USA with me and Sean's voice was chirping through the speaker on my phone. I was so busy trying to decide how many pairs of shoes was too many that I almost missed the bombshell when Sean dropped it.

"So that's probably the thing that made me decide upon Huntington Beach for the new US office base." Sean's words drifted over to me as I tried to convince myself that a silver studded black snakeskin stiletto really could do double duty at the office so was worthy of inclusion in my suitcases.

I'd stepped away from my shoes as if they'd been electrified and scrambled for my phone. "You fucking what?" I was not panicking. I. Was. Not. Panicking.

"Huntington Beach. I've leased the office space there. San Francisco was a firm no from me." I heard the sound of champagne cork popping in the back ground.

"Sean! Are you day drinking? We have a bloody company to run. What time is it there anyway? Midday?" I was fuming and pacing in front of my bedroom windows. For once the soft, silk carpet caressing my toes and the view of the lingering summer's evening in the pretty square outside my window didn't soothe me. It had taken me a long time to learn to appreciate my flat but once I had everything about it made me feel calm. Nothing could make me feel calm after what Sean had just told me. "You cannot make decisions like that without me. I am the one who signs off on stuff like that. This is NOT OKAY WITH ME!"

"Kelly, darling. You seem upset." Did he want me to discover I had some crazy Matrix power where I could reach down the phone line and rip out his throat?

"That's because I am upset Sean. You need to cancel that lease, if you don't I will." I could barely open my mouth to speak I was clenching my jaw so hard. A picture of Sean, Wes and me mocked me from one of the bedside tables as it faced off against the photos of Steph and Caitie that sat on the other. My secrets were going to be blown wide open. The thought had my stomach churning.

"Kelly I live to make you happy but I can't cancel the lease. There are massive penalty clauses. I'm sorry petal, I thought you'd be happy," Sean sounded apologetic but I swear I could hear the sound of champagne bubbling as it was poured into glasses. The words 'penalty clauses' had sealed my fate. Wes would fight tooth and nail to stop us having to pay those. Although why he'd given the okay in the first place was beyond me and I wondered if the decision had been made in the boardroom or the bedroom.

"Oh my god Sean. You couldn't even run this by me? Please don't tell me you're celebrating making the US base of our company Huntington Beach. For fucks sake, it's not like we make surfboards!" I sat on the edge of the bed and glared at Sean's photo.

"Okay darling I won't tell you I'm celebrating our new company base in Huntington Beach. What I'm actually celebrating is my latest investment."

A feeling of dread rolled over me. "What else did you do?"