The doors slid shut. She pressed the button to her floor, knowing it would take her straight to the penthouse floor without stopping, and when the doors opened again, the long walk down the hallway to her door awaited her.
She began unlocking the first of three locks, then slipped in fast enough to disarm security before it began to sound, but she was home.
Almost immediately the difference between the ivory tower and her childhood home was like a slap in the face. She hadn’t been living up here. She’d just been existing. There were no friends, no community feeling, no place to be, no one to see. Just her and the walls and windows of cold luxury.
Asher Kingston would suffocate in a place like this. And now that she’d breathed the air of childhood, this placestifled. She turned up the thermostat, then rolled her suitcase to her bedroom, sat down on the side of the bed, and sent Asher a text.
I’m in my ivory tower once more, and never has it felt this sterile or unwelcoming. I miss you madly. Call me when you can. I await the day you tell me to come home to you.
Love you forever,
Me
Hitting Send was the same thing as watching him walk out the door. Until he responded, he was still gone.
She hung up her coat, started the water running in her Jacuzzi tub, added a liberal sprinkling of the jasmine bath salts, then began unpacking.
When the tub was full, she stripped and climbed in, easing down into the steamy depths of heat and feeling the stress of the drive slipping away, before turning on the jets. The instant surge of water from all directions was like a deep-tissue massage as she leaned back into the force and closed her eyes.
* * *
Asher contacted the home health nurse—a man named Benny Armstrong, who lived in Tulia. It was the perfect solution for Jacob’s situation. A man who wouldn’t ruffle Jacob’s feathers, lived close enough to be timely, and was strong enough to help Jacob up and down until his legs were stronger. The timeline was set, and Asher was satisfied. He decided to only wash the sheets on his dad’s bed, and sleep on the spare bed in Dylan’s room, then strip all the beds later after the brothers were gone.
Then he gathered up all the bath and kitchen towels and headed for the laundry, as Dylan came in from outside.
“I got everything outside winterized,” Dylan said. “I’m going to start cleaning in the living room,” and went to get the feather duster and the dust mop. Mopping floors would be the last thing he did before going to bed, so that they would still be clean when they left tomorrow.
Asher put the first load of towels in the washer, added detergent, set the water temp, and hit Start. Before he could turn around, his phone signaled a text. It was Nora!
He read the text with a lump in his throat, and then went to the quiet of his bedroom to call her.
* * *
When Nora’s phone began to ring, her heart skipped. That had to be Ash. She turned off the jets and dried her hands before answering.
“Hey, you,” she said.
He grinned. “Hey, baby. Am I to assume you are safely home?”
“Yes, and in a tub of jasmine-scented bubbles that are rapidly popping. I already miss you,” she said.
He groaned. “Wish I was there.”
She laughed. “Is everything okay with Jacob?”
“Yes, he’s coming home tomorrow. I have a nurse named Benny Armstrong who will be with him daily until he’s officially healed. Dylan and Gunner are flying home in the morning, and after I get Dad settled, I’m flying home tomorrow afternoon.”
“The helicopter, right?”
“Can’t push it home. Too far. The only way to get it back where it belongs is to fly it there,” he said.
“Funny guy. Now it’s going to be up to you to let meknow when you get back to Austin. I need to at least know you’re back on the ground.”
“Yes, ma’am. As for moving in with me, you tell me the day and I will come get you.”
“I’ll get myself there,” Nora said. “What I need to know is if you have a spare room that I can use as an office. A lot of my work is sensitive, and I need space and quiet for the times we have video conferences and Zoom meetings.”
“Darlin’, there are four bedrooms in my house, besides my office. You can have your pick, as long as you sleep with me.”
