Glancing around the room, he says, “You’ve been putting in some hours here.”
All my free time this week has been spent working on my office. The walls are all painted a light grey, and the trim work is painted white. The built-in bookcase on the far wall that Blake designed and built for me, I also painted white.
When I glance around, I see all the hard work paying off. It’s a boost to my mood. I can envision my desk in the corner, with a couch along the wall by the door. The coffee table with books and magazines strewn around it. And then the bookcase. It’s wall to wall, floor to ceiling. I see all my books lined up on each shelf, along with a few of my sentimental items I plan to display.
“The floor is the last thing for this room. Thanks for coming over. Did dad take Olivia for the day?”
“Yup, they are having Grandpa and Oliva day. Whatever she wants to do.”
“Geez, spoiled. Why was he so hard on us, and yet he spoils his granddaughter?” I say rhetorically. My dad says being a grandpa is very different from being a dad. It comes with much better perks.
He shakes his head as he moves to grab a piece of flooring, scoffing. “Yeah.”
It was a good distraction for me. We joked around, and it kept my mind off Ava. We moved all the furniture and boxes into the office. I’ll work on unpacking and setting it up next weekend. Unless I unexpectedly have some spare time this week, it will most likely be another long stretch of days at the firm.
After saying bye to Blake, I sit on the deck sipping on a glass of my favorite bourbon. It’s smooth as it rolls down my throat. I pick up my phone to see if she texted while I was busy today. Relief rolls through my body when I see the notification. I sit down, and my shoulders relax, tension easing out of me.
Ava:
Have time to chat?
My heart leaps out of my chest, and a smile crosses my face to the point it hurts. She didn’t completely leave me high and dry. But then my smile starts to fail.Why is she reaching out now?I can’t resist the urge to text her back. That sliver of hope she feels that is tethered between our hearts.
Kai:
I’m about to hit the hot tub…give me a call.
I step into the hot tub. It will help soothe my muscles after all that manual labor today. Blake’s a beast when he works; no wonder he doesn’t have to work out. His day job keeps him fit, while I’m over here working out daily to stay in shape.
The ease washes over my muscles; complete relaxation will never get old. Jets beating on my back. I lay my head on the back and let out a sigh, as my mind floods with Ava when she was here, laughing, having fun, and well, being a bit of a tease. I didn't mind.
When the phone rings, another brand of warmth rolls through me. She isn’t avoiding me. I move quickly to slap the controls to shut off the hot tub so I can hear her on the other line.
I answer on half of a ring. Too eager…maybe…but all I want is to hear her voice.
“Hey,” I say with more enthusiasm than I wanted to show.
“Hi, you’re in the hot tub?”
“I was working with my brother earlier, and my muscles are sore. It’s exactly what I need…” It’s perfect that I’m talking to you. It would be perfect if you were here with me, but I keep it to myself, not knowing where this conversation will lead.
I hear a sigh on the other end of the phone, and then she whispers, “Wish I were there.”
My chest tightens, longing for her in my arms. I let out a deep breath and run my hand through my hair and down my neck. “Yeah…I wish you were here too.”
It’s quiet on the other end of the phone, not knowing what to say when there’s not much to say, since she’s hundreds of miles away. Instead, I try to lighten the mood. “So tell me all about your adventure. Let me live vicariously through you.”
The laugh that echoes through the phone has me smiling, but when she snorts, my lips tug hard upward; I’m not sure I can smile any further.
“I can’t believe I did that again, and this time over the phone.” I hear rustling at the other end.
The embarrassment in her voice, I want to reassure her. “It sounds cute on you. Remember what I told you the first time it happened?” I feel my face soften with the memory of her—snort and all.
More silence until I hear her clearing her throat.
“You’re too funny, and yes, I remember.” She pauses before saying, “Living through my adventures, huh? Well, I’m currently in mybedroom…not exciting. But the festival has been exhausting. We are up extremely early to be at our trucks for the morning rush. We have a breather around the middle of the day, but then at dinner time, there’s another rush. I feel like I could sleep for a week.”
“That sounds exhausting, but is it everything you hoped for?” I ask, silently hoping she says no, and that she wants to come back to Saxville. I’m over my head with her.
