"If that's where he ties me to his bed, I might be in." She waggles her brows, making me laugh. "I can do a lot with hot and cranky."
I shake my head at her, still laughing. River Jamison better watch out. He's gotten under her skin, and no one ever manages to do that. She's going to give him hell to make him pay for it.
"See you tomorrow," she says, blowing me a kiss.
"See you tomorrow," I call, but she's already rushing through the door. I laugh again, staring after her. God, I love her. My life is way more interesting with her in it.
I spend a few minutes tidying up and locking the doors, trying to distract myself. Eventually, though, my mind takes a sharp right from the task at hand to Lincoln. He's never far from my mind anymore. Now that we're sleeping together, he's hauntingme even worse than he did before. Except…he's not even here for me to enjoy it.
"Ugh," I groan, snatching my phone off the counter.
Me: Hey. Just wanted to check in. Hope your work emergency is going well.
I hit send before I realize how lame that sounds, but it's too late to take it back now. The deed is already done. I wait for a moment, hoping for a text back, but my phone is infuriatingly silent. Aside from a text early this morning, I haven't heard from him all day.
If this is him ghosting me, I may actually kill him. But even as I think it, my mind staunchly refuses to believe he'd do something like that. He may be a lot of things, but he isn't an asshole.
He's one of the best men I've ever met. He's patient, kind, and generous. He has a big heart, even if he does try to hide it. The way he tries to honor his mom—who died of cancer a few years ago—is so fucking sweet. Not many people would donate millions in her name, but he does. He doesn't even talk about it. The only reason I know is because I was a jerk who judged him, and he wanted to set the record straight. My opinion actually matters to him.
His matters to me, too.Hematters to me, far more than doing this all by myself just so I can say I did it does. Pride goeth before the fall, right? Mine is gone, and I'm falling so damn hard.
I scroll to my dad's number and call him before I can talk myself out of it. I know I promised Lincoln that I wouldn't make any decisions yet, but I don't think this counts. Obviously, if my dad agrees, I'll talk to Lincoln about it first and not just blindside him with my bid. But I need to do this now, so it stops weighing on me.
"Hey, baby girl," Dad answers on the second ring, his voice a familiar growl in my ear.
"Hey, Dad. What are you doing?"
"You know you don't want me to answer that," he says with a chuckle.
"Dad!" I groan loudly, dropping my head to the counter. I swear, I don't even know why I bother asking. He's always doing the same thing—trying to find ways to get my mom naked. He's always been that way. He flirts with her shamelessly all the time. He doesn't care who is around or what he should be doing. If she's by his side, his attention is on her.
Growing up, I hated it. I thought the way he loved her was so embarrassing because he never hid it or toned it down for anyone. But maybe I'm finally seeing things differently. Because right now? Well, I kind of like knowing that, yesterday morning, Lincoln was looking at me the same way my dad looks at my mom.
I'm not sure why he hasn't called today, but I know he has feelings for me—strong feelings. He's made that crystal clear.
"Don't ask the question if you don't want the answer, Lilah Jean," Dad says, teasing me.
"I'll stamp it across my forehead so I never forget again," I retort, sarcasm heavy in my voice.
He just chuckles in response. "How are things going there?"
"They're…okay."
"Just okay, huh? That's never good."
"It's complicated."
"I've got time."
I hesitate for a long moment, trying to put my thoughts in order. There are so many of them, I'm not sure where to begin. "I'm going to lose my building," I finally say. "Lincoln Hanover's company put in a massive bid on it. If I don't match his bid, Gary will sell to him."
"Lucy told me."
"What?" I cry, my eyes narrowed. "I told her not to tell you."
"Yeah, well, she didn't listen," he mutters. "She was worried. She knows how much your store means to you and didn't want to see you lose it." He pauses. "You should have told me yourself, baby girl."
"I know," I whisper. "It's just—"
