Chapter 8

“Mr. Harrington,” she stammered.

How much worse could this day possibly get? she thought.

“I’m so sorry,” Audrey apologized, giving a slight bow.

Scott snatched his phone from her hand, shot her an irritated look, and walked away without another word, leaving her standing there, questioning her own life choices.

At that moment, Audrey wished the ground would open up and swallow her whole. The embarrassment was unbearable.

Why did she have to get on his bad side?

She hurried out of the mansion, eager to put as much distance as possible between herself and the man.

****

“If I hadn’t known you for years, I would swear something was bothering you right now.”

Michael swirled the wine in his glass, casting Scott a sidelong glance.

“Far from it. You know things don’t get to me,” Scott replied confidently.

“Then why have you been staring into space since we got here? For someone who is usually the life of the party, you are pretty dull tonight.”

Michael lowered his glass and studied Scott’s face.

“You started by trying to cancel our boys’ night out, which has never happened before. After I practically had to convince you to come, now you are here looking all grumpy.”

“Well, let’s just say a man is getting old,” Scott joked.

“You? Scott Harrington, getting too old to party? That will never happen!” Michael burst out laughing. “I bet even when you are old and gray, you will still be begging your grandchildren to take you along when they go partying.”

“You are not serious, man!” Scott laughed.

“Come on, man. Let’s dance this dull mood away!”

Michael grabbed Scott by the arm and pulled him into the crowd, where they moved to the beat of the music.

Scott tried his best to enjoy the night as he usually did, but something was off. No matter how hard he tried to get into the mood, his thoughts kept drifting back to the incident earlier that day.

He just couldn’t get it out of his head.

Especially that girl, Audrey.

Why was she stuck in his mind?

Who the hell was she, anyway?

The questions kept circling through his thoughts throughout the night, refusing to leave him alone.

****

“Tonight was fun. I enjoyed every bit of it,” Michael said as they walked out of the club.

He glanced at Scott, who was walking a few steps behind him.

“Are you sure you are okay, man? You have been unusually quiet all night.”

Scott slowed down and turned to face him.

“Yeah, of course I’m good,” he replied with a chuckle.

“Alright, then. Micheal glanced at his wrist watch. it was already past midnight. “I guess we should call it a night.”

He patted Scott on the shoulder.

“Sure,” Scott murmured.

He walked over to his car, got behind the wheel, and drove off.

*****

Audrey kept tossing and turning in bed. For some reason, the shame she had felt earlier still clung to her. After taking a long bath that night, she had thought the water would wash it all away. But why was she still feeling so embarrassed?

Perhaps it was because she was used to satisfying her customers. She had always received positive feedback from them, and knowing that her work left people happy gave her a sense of fulfillment.

But this particular customer was different. She knew she had failed to satisfy him, and the thought alone made her stomach clench.

I should get some sleep. I will be fine by morning

She tried to draw comfort from her own words, shifting into a more comfortable position beneath the covers. Slowly, sleep began to overtake her.

“You need to stop thinking about it, Audrey. Besides, you will not be meeting with him ever again, so just let it go,” Alex blurted out.

Audrey had shown up at Alex’s apartment early that morning, still shaken by the previous day’s humiliation. She had barely caught her breath when she began recounting the entire incident, pacing around his living room and repeatedly insisting that she had nearly died of embarrassment. Even after Alex had listened to her story and tried to reassure her, she could not seem to let it go.

“You do not understand, Alex.” Audrey sat up. “I have never regretted delivering a piece of work as much as I regret delivering that one. It was as though I was forcing something on someone who did not want it, and it was so embarrassing.”

“Okay. Sorry about your little embarrassment. Can you please eat your noodles before they get cold? I had to order extra plates because you said you could swallow a whole human being, but you have barely touched a strand.”

“It is not little,” Audrey protested, picking up her glass and emptying it.

“Fine. Just eat,” Alex said, chewing his noodles.

“You know, you should have declined the moment they asked you to deliver the painting to the Harringtons. And since when did you start delivering your work in person?” Alex asked with a chuckle, swallowing his noodles.

“I know, I know. But I thought delivering it myself as the artist would get me more deals, considering how much people appreciate my work.” Audrey’s face darkened. “Besides, the person who ordered it did not even give me a chance to say anything after handing over the painting.”

She slumped back against the couch.

“You know what, Alex?” Audrey suddenly stood up, as though a realization had just struck her.

“You are right. I should not be bothered about that little embarrassment.” She rolled her eyes. “I will never have to meet him or any of the Harringtons again.”

She sat down, picked up her bowl of noodles, and stuffed a mouthful into her mouth, wearing an expression of satisfaction as she chewed.

“I will get going now!” Audrey announced, suddenly springing to her feet and heading for the door.

“But you have not finished your food!” Alex shouted after her.

“Maybe next time!” she called back, waving as she hurried down the street.

Alex let out a soft laugh.

That was not the first time Audrey had shown up at his apartment early on a Saturday morning to talk about whatever was bothering her, only to rush out the moment she had received the comfort she needed.

She had been overjoyed when he moved into an apartment just a few blocks away from hers. It meant she could drop by whenever she wanted, unburden herself, and leave whenever she felt better.

****

Audrey collapsed onto her bed, exhausted. Monday shifts at the diner were usually hectic, and all she wanted was to take a long bath and sleep away the stress of the day. Fortunately, she had the entire house to herself.

James had called to let her know that he would be spending the night at a friend’s place, and, as usual, their mother was away on another work trip. Who knew how long this one would last?

Growing up, Audrey had always known how much her mother loved investigative journalism. It was more than just a job to her; it was a career she had once dreamed of pursuing seriously. But after they lost their father when Audrey was eight, her mother had put those ambitions on hold. With two young children to raise on her own, she had chosen to focus on being there for them, putting her dream aside to give Audrey and James the stability they needed as they grew up.

Audrey knew her mother had always wanted to return to that path, but investigative journalism was demanding. The work often required traveling at short notice and staying away from home for days or even weeks. Back then, she could not bear the thought of leaving her children alone for that long, so she took on other jobs that allowed her to remain close to them.

Now, with Audrey and James grown and able to take care of themselves, there was little reason for their mother to keep putting her dream on hold. A few years ago, they had encouraged her to pursue the career she had once given up, assuring her that they would be fine on their own.

Since then, her work trips had become a regular part of their lives.

Audrey did not resent her mother for it. She was happy that her mother finally had the chance to do something she had always wanted. Still, there were times when she wished things were a little different. It would have been nice to come home after a long day, find her mother there, and sit with her to talk about how the day had gone. She missed those little moments more than she cared to admit.