“Does a bear shit in the woods? Just you? Or you and Sophie?”
“Lauren is coming to stay with Sophie. She’s promised to behave, and Sophie will call me if there are any issues.” I take a deep breath.
He chuckles. “You want to look at houses?”
“You said you had a few to view. If we’re moving, I think it should be a joint decision.”
“Of course. I wouldn’t have bought one without your approval anyway. But it’ll be nice—house shopping together.”
I laugh. “I didn’t know if I could trust you to do it alone.”
“I’m wounded, Cassie. Deeply wounded.”
“Oh, you big baby.”
“I’m sure you can kiss me better.”
A shiver runs through me. Me and Patrick having a few nights alone together. I can’t wait to be with him again. Now we’ve resolved our past, we have our future to look forward to.
“Maybe. If you’re lucky.”
“When will you be here?”
“This afternoon.” I draw in a deep breath. I’m so excited. For the first time in forever, it’s nice to feel good about something.
“I’ve got back-to-back appointments this afternoon. But Ican leave a key with the receptionist here and you could pick it up?”
I grin. “That sounds great. I’ll pick up the key and grab something for dinner.”
“I’d rather have you.”
“How about dinner and me?”
He laughs. “Even better. See you later. I love you.”
“I love you too.”
“That’s the first time you’ve said it back.”
I swallow hard. “Really?”
“I think you know it is. But it’s okay if you’ve just caught up.”
“I’m more than caught up. See you soon.”
If Sophie was younger, I might hesitate, but I know my girl has her head screwed on right and she’ll contact me if she needs to. Besides, I’m at most a couple of hours away and taking my own car—I can get back quickly if I need to.
I’m still nervous, but I have faith in my daughter and Lauren loves Sophie. The last thing she’d want to ever do is hurt her.
My bag’s already packed—there was no way Patrick would say no. So it’s a simple matter of throwing it in the back seat and then I’m driving away from the old and into the new.
It’s terrifying and exciting all at once.
It’s an easy drive in the middle of the day with light traffic, and my phone tells me where to go to find Patrick’s offices.
I pull into a car park outside the building and make my way into a lovely air-conditioned office. The building is quiet, and the only person in the waiting room is a youngwoman whose gaze catches mine for a second before I reach the reception desk.
The receptionist smiles.
