It’s crazy to think that I just shut my eyes and picked a random city on the map on my phone. I could have ended up anywhere and never met this wonderful man. It’s like something or someone knew what was waiting for me and led me here to find the other half of my soul.
“When I packed up my bags and picked a random place to go, I had no set plans. I didn’t know if I would stay here in Houston, or keep traveling a week or month or a year later. I had no plans until I saw you.”
“I won’t let you go anywhere now. You’re it for me, Saylor.”
“You know this means we are going to have to take a trip up to Wisconsin to pack up all the stuff I left behind, right? I’ll need to figure out how to get out of the lease on my apartment. Then figure out a way to get my other car out of storage and moved down here.” The to-do list in my head is getting longer and longer the more I think about what all needs to be done.
“What made you apply at FOUR?” Corrin pulls me out of my head and changes the subject for now. “Of all the bars and clubs in the city, why there?”
“It’s across the street from my rental. I can see the front door from the living room window. It was too easy of a walk to work to not apply and at least try to get a job there.”
“You live across the street from the club but let me drive you almost forty minutes away to come here?” Corrin dives at me, growling and kissing my neck, tickling me as he takes me down to the floor. We roll and I land underneath him, just barely missing the coffee table. “Woman . . . I could have had you in a bed and inside you again sooner and you didn’t say a word?”
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry.” I try to wiggle out of his wandering ticklish hands, but fail miserably. “I wanted to see where you lived. I would have gone anywhere with you.”
CHAPTER TEN
SAYLOR
The last three and a half weeks of my life feels more like three and a half years at some moments. I have packed quite the adventure, and an even bigger life change into such a shortperiod of time, it doesn’t seem like it is real . . . until I wake up and realize that I am in the arms of a handsome, kind, sweet, occasionally grumpy man, and it all comes back into focus.
This is all real. This is my life. Houston is now my home.
The day after our big talk, three days after meeting Corrin, I canceled the reservation on my short-term rental and we moved all my stuff into the apartment over the garage. Corrin gave me a tour of his downtown condo, which was less than two blocks away from where I was staying, but it felt too cold and sterile to be a home. And the craziest part, Corrin didn’t even have any clothes there. It basically was just a furnished showroom that he was paying utilities and a mortgage on for nothing. After I canceled my rental, he called the real estate agent Tadhg gave him a referral to, and the condo was on the market the next day.
Today is December twenty-first.
I have been in Texas for twenty one days.
Corrin and I have been dating one week.
Christmas is in three days.
The New Year is just around the corner and Nola is due to give birth to her baby boy any day. Corrin and I talked about it, and we decided to hold off traveling to Wisconsin to get the rest of my belongings until after the baby is born and the family is settled back home. I know he wants to be here to meet the little guy, and I’m excited to see Nola be a mom. We have spent a goodamount of time together this week, I guess living under one roof will give you tons of opportunities to get to know someone very quickly. Both Nola and her best friend Remi, Tadhg’s wife, are dolls and I can’t wait to get to know them better.
But until that happens, the show must go on.
Corrin wasn’t exactly thrilled that I wanted to keep working at the club after I was attacked by the drunk patron, but I wasn’t about to let one stupid incident ruin the fun I have at FOUR. I absolutely refused to give up the newfound freedom and friends I’ve met while working here. And after all, it’s a business owned by his bosses, so it’s kind of like we’re working together in a way.
Tonight is the O’Carroll Company Christmas Party at FOUR. While it is still my place of employment, I don’t have to work or lift a finger for this big shindig. Fergus has hired an outside catering company and bartenders to come in and serve us, so none of his employees are on the clock tonight. We get to be taken care of like rock stars.
Every balcony and table and railing inside FOUR is covered in multicolored Christmas lights. There are several Christmas trees around the room that have to be at least twenty feet tall. Tinsel and garland hang from every tree, and there is even mistletoe hanging from a few of the rafters if you look close enough.
All of the employees were encouraged to dress up for the party, so many are wearing various themed outfits and costumes.
I am rocking a slightly slutty black and white elf costume, topped with a black Santa hat trimmed in white faux fur and jingly puff ball on the end. The top is long sleeved but the collar is cut into a deep V-neck. My midriff is showing just a sliver above my knee length black pleated, schoolgirl style skirt. My black leather boots start just below my knees and have a spiked heel, and make feel like a bad-ass bitch who strutted down a runway here all the way from the North Pole.
My work bestie Darcie is wearing a standard issue elf costume that makes her look like a cute extra from any holiday movie that’s been playing on television for the last month. She even has the cute shoes that curl up at the toes and have bells on the end. She’s so adorable I could just squish her.
Corrin is somewhere in the building, probably hiding in one of the offices, talking to someone about something super secretive. I may not be able to see him at the moment, but I sure can feel him. It’s like my body knows whenever he gets within a certain radius of me and I start to tingle on the inside.
An hour later, after shaking our tailfeathers on the dance floor to a few party songs from the early two-thousands, Darcie, Meg, one of the VIP area servers, and I head for the bar to grab a drink. I am also scouting out the buffet line to hit up next, because I have spotted a few people with some yummy looking hors d'oeuvres. They have bacon wrapped water chestnuts, along with some barbeque cocktail wienies that caught my eye, and my stomach is starting to grumble.
Just as we get comfortable in one of the round corner booths, with our drinks and little plates full of snacks, I look up and spotsomeone standing alone at one of the tall pub style tables at the far end of the dance floor. I know I’ve seen this man before. He looks really familiar but I can’t place him.
“Don’t make it too obvious, but look over at that table at the other side of the room.” Say tell the girls from behind my glass as I pretend to take a drink. “Blonde hair, green shirt, about six foot tall. Does he look familiar?”
Darcie reaches to the center of our table to grab a napkin. She pats her lips so her answer isn’t shared with anyone who might be watching us. “Isn’t that the guy who grabbed your ass a few weeks back? The one you pulled the knife on?”
