I nodded. “She wants to meet, and I think I need to know who she is… whether she’s real and whether…” I trailed off, knowing they’d know what I meant without the pain of me having to dig any deeper.
Claire grinned. “And we’ll all be there.”
“Oh my gosh, I’m excited!” Rose squealed. She turned to William, who had been nuzzling against her neck. “Overpowerbrings people together.”
“How will you know it’s her? Are you going to arrange a meeting spot?” Neema asked at the same time as Shaun joined us in the living room with a tray of coffees.
I looked down at our open chat and the small silhouette of a woman with pink hair. “I feel like I’ll know.”
I finally typed out a reply.
@theanswerisno:
I’m sorry it’s taken me this long to message you. It’s a long, complicated story that I think I owe you at some point but for now, yeah. Let’s take it to the next level.
Sleep evaded me.
I kept thinking about the message I’d sent, and apparently checking your phone one hundred times does not increase the likelihood of a reply. It may even decrease your chances.
It was markedread.
Maybe she was angry at me for leaving her hanging for such a long time. Which was understandable. Maybe I didn’t deserve a reply.
The sun peeked through the gap in the blackout curtains, and my phone started making noise for all the wrong reasons.
I slammed the snooze button even though I wouldn’t fall asleep again. The twisting and turning in my stomach weren’t slowing. I was too anxious.
Lily. Work. Elizabeth. Meeting Lily. Promotion. Man stalking Elizabeth. Final internship test. Moving house. Mom. Dad. Work with Elizabeth. Lily not replying. Elizabeth being scared.
I was unraveling.
When I got to the office, Elizabeth was slumped over her desk. Maybe she had a rough night too.
“How are you?” I asked, freezing at the doorway and taking her in.
Her copper hair was tied back, revealing her pretty but tired face. Her gray eyes were hidden under lowered brows.
“I’m fine. You can stop worrying about me. I’m ready for our site visit.” She lifted one foot to reveal her clunky site boots, which didn’t look as though they fit properly.
Without making eye contact, I made my way to my closet, where I kept my boots, vest, and hard hat. “Just so you know, you can call me if you ever need me…”
“Thank you,” she whispered.
The sincerity in her voice only further pulled the last threadholding me together. I grabbed everything I needed and changed the topic. “There’s a really good bakery along the way.”
Her bright smile returned. “You know the way to my heart.”
That’s something people say all the time.
Ignoring the urge to obsess over everything she said, I gestured for her to follow me downstairs, and once we got outside, I unlocked my truck. The lights on my black Ford F-150 flickered.
Her eyes widened in my direction, and I got the sense she was back to her usual self.
“Is this yours? Or a company car?” She made her way over to the passenger side.
“Mine.”
“You know what they say… the bigger the truck, the—”
