I know that James could have possibly died due to his allergic reaction, but he is just collateral damage in all of this. I have done my last sexual favor for him. I have gotten all of the information I have needed out of him. There is no way the firm will get this contract with this setback. This will surely get Mayson out of the way. Seth and Holden won’t need her around if this project falls through. With the bad luck this project has had, this will follow her no matter where she goes. The important thing is that she goes. If they happen to get the contract even after all of this, I will move onto the next phase of my plan - drive a permanent wedge between the two lovebirds. Mayson may have looked past Holden’s first betrayal or should I say supposed betrayal. I don’t think she will look past a second one. I will need to contact Jennifer pretty soon to see if she is up to help me out. I think she hates Mayson almost as much as I do. She will be a great asset to me. I have prepa
Thank God, that Councilman Jordan is going to be okay. If I was a superstitious person, I would think this project is cursed. I am praying that what we did get a chance to present before the ambulance had to be called for James’ health emergency. The EMTs said it was an allergic reaction to something in his food. The only thing that he was allergic to was peanuts. The restaurant was advised of the special requirements on his food. I am starting to get even more suspicious of what’s been going on. I have everything Diane said in the back of my head about Amelia. The files disappearing was one thing, but was she truly capable of hurting someone. James Jordan could have died if Holden hadn’t noticed he wasn’t feeling good. I can’t imagine, no matter how mean she could be, that she could be capable of murder. I can only hope that the decision from the board will come quicker than two days. Seth had give Amelia the task of finding out what happened at the restaurant that could have conta
I hated having to leave Mayson. Even though she was at her parents, I was still concerned for her safety. Also, the bed felt so cold and lonely without her. Tonight has made me come to a very important decision. I am going to ask Mayson to move in with me. She will probably come up with all sorts of reasons that she cannot move in. I need her with me. I want her with me. Bottom line she belongs with me. I know that. I will ask her to marry me again. I have to wait until the time is right. I don’t want to even think about spending the rest of my life without her. I think about what our lives would be like if we had married after we graduated high school. How many children would we have by now? Would we have moved back to Chance after I had graduated from Penn State? So many questions, and no answers. Eight years was stolen from us. We have the opportunity to start a life together. I don’t think we are that different from when we were eighteen. She is just as headstrong as ever and I
Son of a bitch! I cannot believe what my IT guy just told me. He finally found out exactly what happened to the files on the server. If I didn’t have this is black and white in front of me, I would never believe it. Why would Amelia do this to me? She knows how important this company is to me and how much hard work has gone into getting the contract with the town. She could have easily cost us the entire thing. If we did not have Mayson on our team, we would have never gotten the approvals we needed. We are breaking ground in two days. That is enough stress because we have to put together a ceremony for local publicity. I don’t know how or if I am going to tell Holden. He needs to know because not only is he my business partner but he is my best friend. Since we are this close to getting the approval from the board, I can’t risk telling Holden or Mayson right now. I can’t confront Amelia either. She is acting pretty unstable over the last week or so. I don’t know how she is going to
It felt strange waking up in my old bed. I had become so used to sleeping next to Holden every night. I have slept by myself for so many years and now it’s a lonely feeling. I had missed my parents and I know I should be staying here more. The thought makes me a little sad. I love them dearly but I also love Holden. I need to figure out how to split my time between Holden’s house and my parent’s house. I was so thankful that Daddy has been given a clean bill of health and his cancer is in remission. The next morning I was so excited to see Holden. I did not realize how much I hated sleeping alone until he wasn’t with me last night. Of course Mama had breakfast ready and insisted we both sat down for a good meal. Holden was almost as excited for the breakfast as he was seeing me. When I get into my office, I see the voicemail light blinking on my phone. It’s pretty early for someone to have already left a message. It is probably a telemarketer or a wrong number. It will have to wait
It was hard for any of us to concentrate the rest of the day. We were so excited about getting approvals. I think that in the back of our minds we had expected to get turned down. I know that Holden was worried that if that would happen, Mayson may leave again. They were back together and probably more in love now than when we were teenagers. I guess he had a fear that something would happen that would break that bond again. Amelia’s childish antics sent Mayson packing the first time. The things that have happened since she has been back in town are much worse. I hope that she stays put this time. I don’t think Holden will survive if he loses her again. The zoning department sent over a courier with the permits. I think I am going to have them framed at this point. I do not even want a spec of dust on these documents. I have the permits laid out on my desk when Amelia walks in. She has been surprisingly nice lately and that has me a little worried. Most of the time when that happens
I have had enough with the bad things happening in this town. There is no way that someone from Chance would have spray painted my dad’s car. It was one thing for someone to mess with my car, but when they mess with my parents that’s a whole different story. If someone is pissed at me or about the project, they need to take up their grievances with the board. I am going to do what I can this weekend to put that aside. I am moving in with Holden this weekend. A couple of nights without him next to me was more than enough. I missed him so much. Holden gets to the house way too early for me. Daddy has been up since six which is normal for him. Unless he is sick my dad is up at the crack of dawn. I can’t function until I have had at least one cup of coffee. Mama is neither an early riser nor late sleeper. She lays in the bed for a little while after Daddy gets up so she can let him do his morning routine. “Good morning, sweetie. You learned the getting up early for Daddy. You know I n
Thankfully Councilman Jordan has no long effects from his allergic reaction. The restaurant has no idea what happened with the food. They always prepare it separately from other customers food. I am sure there is an explanation but the important thing is that James is okay. Seth had to get new copies of the permits done after he spilled coffee on them. It did not make them invalid due to this but he wants to frame them after everything we went through to get them. The mayor, Robert Hughes, took the podium for the opening ceremony. He is the longest running mayor int he town of Chance. His ancestors helped establish the town. His voice boomed over the speakers, filled with more enthusiasm than the town had seen in years. He talked about progress and prosperity, about how the building would bring generate extra revenue for Chance. It would put the town on the map again as a success. The memory of the flood was still in there, but its effects will be gone for good. Those in attenda
The shower washed away the grime of the day, but not the worry. As the water cascaded over me, my thoughts were a whirlwind. Who would want to hurt Mayson? And why? It's a question that's been eating away at me since the night it happened. I knew I had to find answers, not just for her sake, but for my own peace of mind. When I came downstairs, the smell of garlic and onions filled the air.Mayson was at the stove, stirring something in a pan, her bare back glowing from the warmth of the stove. She looked so focused, so alive in that moment, that it was hard to believe she had just survived a traumatic event. "Dinner will be ready in a few minutes," she said without turning around. Her voice was a little shaky, but there was a determination in it that I hadn't heard in days. I nodded, taking a seat at the kitchen table, my eyes never leaving her. She had always been strong, but this was a different kind of strength, one born out of fire and defiance. She was reclaiming her life, pie
The office felt normal again. Our team was three strong again. I could tell Mayson was worn out by the end of the day but she’s tough. Holden will not let her out of his sight. I can’t blame him, someone tried to kill her and there aren’t any leads as to who it was. Amelia was the first to leave the office that night. She’s been acting weird lately, even by her standards. Staying out all hours of the night. When I would wait up for her, she would get defensive as to where she was. "Is everything okay?" I had asked her one evening, unable to shake the feeling that something was off. Amelia had looked up from her desk, her eyes narrowing. "Why wouldn't it be?" she replied, her tone sharper than usual. "Just asking," I said, trying to play it cool. But I couldn't shake the feeling that she was hiding something. Her evasiveness was more than just her usual prickly demeanor. It was something deeper, something that made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. The office grew quiet as
I know that I am being overprotective of Mayson. But I can't help it. The thought of her getting hurt again is like a knife in my gut. As we walk into the house, I can see the tiredness etched into her features. The shadows under her eyes are more noticeable against her pale skin. She's trying to put on a brave face, but I can see the fear lingering in the back of her eyes. "Do you need help with anything?" I ask as we enter the living room. Mayson shakes her head, her eyes scanning the space with a hint of unease. "No, I'm okay," she says, though the tremor in her voice suggests otherwise. “i am just going to start dinner.” I watch as she heads to the kitchen, her steps tentative. The house feels too quiet, too still. Like it's holding its breath, waiting for something to happen. I know I can't hover over her forever, but I can't shake the feeling that she's in danger. "Holden," she calls out, her voice echoing through the house. "Could you grab me the cutting board from th
It felt so good for all three of us to be back together. Seth proceeded to fill me in on the projects we had been working on, his words coming in a fast and efficient stream. My mind struggled to keep up, trying to piece together the puzzle of the past few weeks. "And the big news," he paused for dramatic effect, "we are on schedule for completion of the project." I nodded, trying to absorb the information. My office felt smaller than ever, the walls closing in as the reality of the workload hit me. "That's great," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. Seth studied me for a moment before his smile faltered. "Are you sure you're okay?" I took a deep breath and nodded. "I'm fine," I assured him, though my voice wavered slightly. "Let's just get to work." Seth nodded and handed me a stack of files. As I flipped through the first few pages, the words swam before my eyes, and I realized how much I had missed the structure and purpose that work gave me. The office was a haven
I am so ready to get back to work. Holden and I never argue but we have had some knock down drag out fights. He wants me to stay at home until they find out who attacked me. If I stay at home, this person wins by controlling my life. I want to prove them wrong that no matter what they tried to do to me they were not going to win. "Holden, I'm going to work," I said firmly, as I pulled on my favorite pair of boots and grabbed my keys. His eyes followed me with concern, the tension in the room palpable. "Are you sure that's a good idea?" "Yes," I replied, trying to sound more confident than I felt. "I can't let someone dictate my life like this. I have to get back to normal." Holden sighed heavily, his jaw tightening. He knew arguing with me when I was like this was futile. "Fine, but you are not to go anywhere alone.” I nodded, a flicker of relief crossing my face. "Thank you." Holden took a step towards me, his hand brushing mine as he gently took the keys from my hand. "I
I have had so much on my mind lately. Now that Mayson was out of the hospital and on the mend we could get the project back on track. Whenever I have talked to Holden, he said she was so ready to get back to work. The project has been on hold ever since Mayson’s attack. The investigation into Holden caused a couple of sponsors to pull their funding. Luckily the amount pulled wasn’t going to impact the overall budget. We are behind the eight ball on the time frame. It will take a miracle for the project to be completed on the original timeline. As soon as Holden gets back into the office, we both need to be making calls to contractors to get them back into town. We could not afford to pay contractors that were not working for over a month. Thankfully, this project isn’t the only thing that the firm has going on. There are a couple of projects in Clinton that have come in that have kept me busy. It has kept Amelia busy too, which keeps her calm. Ever since Mayson was attacked she’s act
That bitch just will not die. Mayson seems to have nine lives like a mangy cat. I am so over this whole thing. She should have stayed gone eight years ago. My life would not be so complicated if it were not for her. There is no way that I will be able to get close enough to her again to try to finally rid this world of her. After the incident in the hospital, she has not been without some sort of guard dog, Seth included. I had thought about slitting his throat in his sleep many times over the last couple of months because of Mayson. She sucked him into her perfect world just like everyone else. I can’t help but go back to the night of the attack and try to figure out what I did wrong. My footsteps sounded like thunder as I ran across the driveway behind the house. I could feel my heart pounding in my ears. I was so scared that someone was going to see me sneaking through the back yard. I almost could not catch my breath, but I had to keep moving. The stench of the roses that Ma
I ran my hands all over her body, exploring every inch of her soft skin, I let my fingertips linger on the lacy edges of her lingerie. Mayson’s own hands began to work on the buttons of my shirt, one by one. I could not help but moan as she traced the lines of my abs with the tip of her nail. I quickly moved to the clasp of her bra, freeing her breasts with a gentle touch that sent a shiver down her spine. Our kisses grew deeper, more urgent, as we were both seeking to reconnect with the passion that we had lost. The fabric of our clothing seemed to melt away, leaving us both bare to each other's touch. Mayson’s breath hitched as I slid my hand down her back, cupping her ass and squeezing gently. She had to feel how hard I was pressing against her. She rocked her hips slightly, teasing me. I could see in her lidded eyes how turned on she was and she was enjoying the power she had over me. The air was charged with electricity as our eyes met. We were making a silent promise of a pa
I really did not want to go lay down for a nap. I was tired of laying in a bed, but I could see how I really did not want to go lay down for a nap. I was tired of laying in a bed, but I could see how worried Holden was about me. He is blaming himself for what happened that night. I don’t blame him at all. I blame whoever walked into our house like they belonged and tried to take my life from me. I suppose it is a good idea to just leave Holden with his thoughts for now. If I could just remember something about that night after I got home. I know Mama said that I talked to her, but I don’t remember the whole conversation, just bits and pieces. What I really want is to be able to reconnect with Holden. Our love for each other has not diminished, but there is this cloud hanging over it because of what happened here. We need to find our way back to each other. It has been too long since we have laid in our bed together and I miss him so much. I want to feel his arms around me. Holde