My day is spent googling Medina Enterprise Holdings Inc. It's clearly a legit business so I don't think I have anything to worry about. I find myself searching for pictures of Jay but surprisingly there aren't many. I have to scroll through a dozen pages before finding an old picture of him that I almost didn't recognize at first. Odd. Taking a deep breath, I grab my phone and the card he gave me. Dialing the number, I listen to the dial tone and am about to hang up just before I hear his voice. "Medina." Oh. I thought it'd be a general line but it's direct. I find myself unable to speak. "Hello?"
"Jay, it's Isabel. From the plane."
I hear him take a deep breath then chuckle. "You don't have to remind me. I could never forget your voice."
I find myself blushing again. Why do I feel like a high schooler talking to a boy she likes? Perhaps because I'm laying on my stomach in my childhood bed with my feet in the air. "Um... I've thought about your offer and thought I'd take you up on it if you're serious."
"I was hoping you would," he says. I hear something in the background before he continues. "I'm out of town for the day but I can send a car to pick you up tomorrow. I'll show you around and explain some things to help you better understand what we do."
Pick me up? I figured I'd just borrow my parents car for the day. I bite my lip as I consider my options. What the hell. "Okay. What time works for you?"
"The car will be there at four. Text me your address. We'll have dinner with some of my employees then I can show you around. We'll wrap it up around eight or nine. Sound good?"
"Perfect."
Sitting up quickly, I stare at my closet. Oh no. I have nothing to wear. All of these clothes are from when I was in high school. Squeezing my eyes shut, I throw myself back on the bed and mentally scream. Even if I did have clothes, I still wouldn't know what to wear. "Isabel?" he says softly.
"Yes?"
"I meant what I said. I'd like to be friends so you can be open with me."
It's like he can read my mind. I rub my temple as I respond. "What's tomorrow's dress code?"
"Jeans and a nice shirt will do."
"Okay. I'll see you then."
"Until then," he says, pausing briefly. "Goodbye Isabel."
Hanging up, I fall back onto my bed and sigh. I was lucky enough to secure a great job during my senior year of high school. This is how I was able to be financially independent and move out on my own. I've never had any worries until now. Normally I wouldn't doubt that they'd be willing to rehire me but I helped fill my position before I left. I may have money saved but it's not nearly enough to replace everything I've lost anytime soon. Shopping for clothes is at the top of my list followed by my search for a car. My heart aches at the thought of my first car that I sold to move. It was a Pontiac Grand Prix GXP. It was reliable, fast and had a great sound system. That's all I needed. Mostly the reliability but the rest were nice perks. It was a beautiful car overall with a leather interior and a clean exterior. It'll always hold a special place in my heart.
Standing up, I head over to my closet and rummage through my clothes. It's probably a better idea to buy work clothes after I get a better idea of my workplace. For now, I'll see what I can fit into from my high school years. It's unlikely I'll find much, as I've really filled out over the past few years. The third pair of jeans I try on fit me like a glove. They're black skinny jeans and I decide to pair it with a cute white blouse. This should be perfect.
I look around for shoes and find two pairs. My old Nike's that I wore to gym class. Those definitely won't work, they very worn out and probably should've been tossed out years ago. The other pair are Vans that are a little snug on my feet. Figures. I'll need to make a quick trip to the store. I need to get out of the house anyways. After asking to borrow my parents car, I head into town.
Downtown there is a shoe store owned by a very sweet older couple. Although I am very capable of finding my own shoes, I allow the old woman to help me. She goes on and on about her grandchildren, telling me all of their names and ages. I end up picking a simple pair of Nike's that are on sale then head back out of the store. While I'm fumbling with my keys, I hear a group of people laughing behind me. I glance over my shoulder and see William. Of course. I finally get the car unlocked but his voice stops me before I can get in. "Isabel! Come here."
I pull open the car door and attempt to get in but his hand wraps around my wrist, pulling me back against him. "William, let me go," I demand.
"I miss you," he says, kissing my neck while his arms wrap around my waist.
I struggle to get away, smelling the alcohol on his breath. "I'll scream if you don't let me go," I threaten.
"I like hearing you scream," he chuckles as he loosens his grip slightly, turning me to face him. I'm pinned between him and the car. "I made a mistake letting you go. Come live with me. I know you don't like living with your parents."
"No. I need to go," I say, attempting to move but failing.
"I love you, Isabel."
"I don't love you anymore."
His eyebrows furrow. "Is there someone else? Is it that guy from the coffee shop yesterday?"
I almost laugh. "No, I barely even know that guy."
"Didn't seem that way." Someone calls his name and he quickly glances over his shoulder. "Come with us so we can talk."
"No."
Thankfully his friends come over and pull him away from me. I take the opportunity to quickly get into the car and head back home to my parents house. A few tears roll down my cheek. I can't believe I ever dated that jerk. There was a time when he was the sweetest man I had ever met. He's pure evil now. It brings him joy to see me in pain. I'm finally free from our horrid relationship but now I have to deal with the harassment every time I run into him in public. How can I ever learn to love again? He's ruined me. I wipe away my tears when I turn onto my parents street. Parking the car out front, I grab my bag and head inside while noticing my aunt's car parked across the street. "Isabel! How are you?" my Aunt Linda says, standing to hug me.
I give her a small side hug. "I'm good," I say, turning to my mom. "I'm really tired so I'm going to go to bed."
"Oh, your cousin is in your room waiting for you," Aunt Linda says.
Great. I force a small smile before heading to my bedroom. My cousin Elena is laying on my bedroom floor playing on her phone. This is the only cousin I really get along with and I haven't seen her since before the accident. She's a year younger than I am and extremely beautiful. "Hey," I say, dropping my bag on the floor.
I sit on the floor next to her and cross my legs. "Hey, how are you?"
"I'm good," I shrug. "You?"
"Good," she pauses, watching me carefully. "Do you want to talk about him?"
I sigh. "Absolutely not. Not ever."
She chuckles. "Good. I'm glad that douche canoe is out of your life. Now, can we talk about the stud that was in your hospital room?"
Oh, I guess she did come to visit. I don't remember. "What about him?"
"Are you kidding me?" she says as she sits up. "He was hot. I didn't know how to act around him."
I laugh a little. I highly doubt Miss Confidence over here was effected in the slightest. "I guess he's alright."
"He's more than alright. I think I'd actually be willing to have a baby if he was the one putting it in me."
I laugh, shaking my head. "You still wouldn't want kids."
"You're right. But I'd have fun practicing with him."
I roll my eyes. She's probably the exact type of woman a man like Jay Medina would go for. Beautiful, confident, great personality. She's perfect. "I'm actually going to be working for him. We ran into each other day and he seemed like he genuinely wanted to help me get through this rough patch."
Her eyes widen. "No way! Maybe he likes you. You guys would have cute kids," she says, deep in thought.
I chuckle. "Yeah, right. He's just being nice. Trauma bonding I guess."
She laughs. "You need to get your confidence back. There was a time when you were more confident than me you know."
She's right. That's just another thing William took from me and now I have to gain it back. We spend a little time talking about random things before I announce I'm tired and she gives me a hug before heading out. Throughout the night, I toss and turn, thinking about Jay.