Better Off Away (BOOK 2)(Wattys2016)

Never Look Back

It's amazing how much information I find within my first hour of searching for Max Creal. At first, I feel like I'm getting nowhere, but then almost magically, names start popping up. Every name I look at that is Max Creal; I find a way to contact them. I start a system where I write the place of residency with the contact information next to it. Then I move on, ready to find another one.

After I've gathered eighty Max Creal's information I narrow them down by ages. Half of them are under the age of eighteen and thirty-two of them are over the age of twenty. I look at the last eight and notice that only one of them lives in England. It has to be Jack's brother.
I quickly type an email to this Max Creal.

Mr. Maxwell Creal,

This may sound extremely strange to you, but I am writing to contact you about your family relations. I was wondering if you were in touch with your biological father at all. Is your father the Jeremiah Creal of Creal Publishing Incorporated, based out of London and New York City?

It is imperative to the research I am doing. I told his son and heir, Jack, that I would do some research for him and track down his brother.

Please write back as soon as possible.

Macey Littlefield

I fall asleep, proud of myself for actually being able to do something.

***

When I wake up, the first thing I do is pull my lap top onto my lap and check my email. There in my inbox sits an email from Max, but my excitement dies within the first line of his response.

Ms. Littlefield,
I'm sorry to inform you that I am not related to Jeremiah Creal, Publishing tycoon and CEO. I know this for certain because my last name came from my step father, who is in fact also not related to the Creal Publishing family. I wish I could help you, but I'm afraid I cannot.

Sorry for the misunderstanding,

Maxwell Creal

I close my eyes and let out a groan, cursing beneath my breath. My phone rings and I jump at the sound and my eyes snap open, hastily answering it when I see that it's Lola. I check the time in a quick glance, seeing that it's nine o'clock here, which means its twelve o'clock in New York.

"Hey, Lola." I let out a sigh unintentionally.

"I have news."

I close my eyes again, internally groaning this time. "Alright, hit me with it."

"Jack is proposing tonight." She doesn't build up to it, but rather, she drops it like a bomb.

However, I take it like a bullet to the heart. It hits me square and I feel the effects spreading over my chest, seizing me and taking me under. "And how do you know this?" My voice is barely a whisper, but it's there.

"Jack told me." She says it with a hint of smugness in her voice and I instantly become confused. This is, after all, the girl who calls him Jackass.

"What?!" I sit up straight and tall, shocked.

"Well, in these two weeks where you and I have been virtually and physically apart, I've busied myself with schmoozing and making friends." A hint of sadness and pain is in her voice and for the first time since I talked to Lola last, I feel guilty.

I never called her back because it was too hard. She was still seeing Jack, hearing about his days, when I was over two thousand miles away from him, holding the pieces of our broken hearts in my hands. "I'm sorry, Lola. I should have called."