Passion Abroad – A Billionaire Romance Novel

“Well, we came bearing gifts,” Emily said as she pulled out a bottle of champagne from the brown paper bag she was carrying. “We pinched it from the caterer’s van. I mean, they shouldn’t get to keep everything right?” she asked.

“Yeah, they are keeping the security deposit,” Cassandra said matter-of-factly. Erica looked at the two and shook her head.

“I hate to burst your bubble guys but you do know that bubbly is usually used for celebrating stuff right?” she asked. Emily and Cassandra looked at each other and smiled before Emily popped the bottle.    

“Well, we are celebrating,” Emily said. Erica raised an eyebrow. She wanted to ask what her sister meant but she was too tired to let her brain work out the kinks. “Well, you and Eli are officially over and trust me, if ever there was a reason to celebrate, this is it,” Emily added with a smile. Erica shook her head and grabbed the bottle from her sister before taking long gulps from the bottle.

“You do have glasses, right?” Cassandra said as she held her long dark hair up in a bun. Erica put the bottle down and stifled a burp. “Well,” Cassandra pressed. Erica rolled her eyes and walked to the kitchen. She caught a glimpse of the matching his and her mugs. Normally, she would have smiled and probably held Eli’s cup in her hands, maybe even kissed it at some point. She sighed and dumped the two mugs in the trash causing Cassandra and Emily to run into the kitchen. “Are you okay?” Cassandra asked when she and Emily walked in.

“Yeah we heard something break,” Emily said.

Erica turned around and smiled at them. “Never better.”

Emily looked inside the bin and smiled. “I also thought a little spring cleaning could do this place some good,” she said.

Erica smiled and reached for the wine glasses.

“So, what exactly are we drinking to?” Erica asked as she leaned against the counter.

Cassandra handed her a glass and smiled.

“There is the obvious reason, freedom from Eli but then again we could also just celebrate the fact that you never have to be in the same room with his family ever again,” she said. Emily laughed and Erica nodded. Cassandra was right. One of the best things about her and Eli being over was never having to spend a day with Eli’s judgmental family ever again. She raised her glass and took a long sip.

“You know what I don’t get?” Emily started as she looked through Erica’s fridge.    “The fact that men get off so easily.” Erica’s eyes lit up when her sister said that.

“Funny. I was just thinking that before you guys came in,” Erica started. “When a high school girl gets pregnant, she has to take a year or two before she goes back to school. But the guy could very well be on to his next target, maybe even getting another teenager pregnant,” she said.

Cassandra looked into Erica’s brown eyes.

“Is this really about some high school boy?” she asked.

Erica took another sip of her champagne and shook her head.

“No, it is about me dealing with all this crap while Eli is away having the time of his life with his boys and his new woman in Ibiza,” she said. “Maybe he should have been responsible for returning the wedding presents. It was brutal,” she added.

Emily shut the fridge door and looked at her sister.

“Hey, you know what? I am really proud of you,” she said. “Cousin Trisha would have most definitely gone ahead with the wedding just to make sure she wasn’t embarrassed,” she added with a smile.    

“Yeah she would have done that, wouldn’t she?” she laughed. Cassandra looked at them a confused look on her face.

“Trisha? I have been friends with you two since senior year and I think I would know of a Trisha given the fact that I have met most of your extended family,” she said.

Erica took another sip and nodded.

“Actually, you have met her,” she said. Cassandra raised an eyebrow. “Four years ago at the Thanksgiving party. The pretentious light skinned woman who was acting all diva like,” she added. Cassandra frowned.

“Oh, you are talking about miss ‘I can’t believe you don’t have any salad at this party because everything is so fatty.’ That girl?”    She asked. Emily and Erica nodded. “I always knew I didn’t like her.”

“Yeah, two years ago she paid someone to act as her boyfriend because she hated being the only one in the family who didn’t have a man,” Emily said. “I guess I was too thrilled to tell her that my date was actually a gay friend,” she added.

Erica laughed.

“Yeah. I’m sure she is having a field day knowing that Eli and I called the wedding off,” she said. “You know she once had a thing for him, right?”    

“Does she have a thing for everyone?” Cassandra asked shaking her head. Emily and Erica looked at her.

“What the hell are you talking about?” Emily asked.

“The guy I brought to the Thanksgiving party four years ago,” Cassandra started.

“Yeah that guy was amazing. What ever happened between the two of you? What was his name anyway? CJ, DJ…” Erica wondered as she played with a strand of her hair.

“JT,” Cassandra said wondering why Erica was throwing around random letters. “He was cool and everything but he had to move to Guam. Career choices and everything. So anyway, we’ve been keeping in touch over Facebook and stuff but I always notice a Miss Tee posting on his wall. I didn’t know who Miss Tee was at first but when I checked her photo out, I remembered who she was.”    

“Really? What exactly does she say to him?” Erica asked.

“Well, she is always asking if she can visit him in Guam and everything,” Cassandra said as the three of them walked back to the living room.

“Well, that’s Trisha for you,” Erica said sitting back down. Emily and Cassandra sat down and looked at her. Erica noticed her phone ringing again and sighed.

“Need to get that?” Emily asked. Erica shook her head.

“I really don’t. It’s a whole lot of apologies I can’t handle,” she said. Emily gave her an apologetic look.    “Don’t give me that look. I’m okay. Actually the way people are handling this whole thing is the main reason why I have to leave,” Erica said as she looked at her sister.

Emily shook her head and then shrugged. “I’m just concerned. I mean you have been talking of this trip for a week and…are you really sure this is what you want to do?”

“I have never been so sure of anything in my life,” she said with a smile. “A change of scenery is exactly what I need to snap me back into reality.”    

“But what about your job? What did your boss say?” Emily asked.

Erica shrugged.

“I can’t think of that right now. Besides, the guys at Kirkland & Ellis owe me. I haven’t taken a day off in two years,” she said in an authoritative tone. “Besides, my bags are packed and I already bought my ticket. So there is no going back,” she added.

Cassandra topped up her glass and smiled.

“You’re right boo. This is to a new start,” she said as she raised her own glass.

Erica smiled and raised her glass.

“To a new start,” she said before taking a sip. She could already see herself in her new start with the wind blowing in her hair and the sand tickling her feet.