It rang and rang and rang again.
“Come on, Pam. Pick up, pick up.” I was overwhelmed and I needed to hear her voice.
Her voicemail picked up, but before I could leave her a message, an incoming call from “Pamela Jean” flashed on the screen. I slammed the answer button on the steering wheel.
“Alistair?” she asked, sounding groggy.
Hearing her say my name took my irritation down a notch, and I grinned at the open road in front of me. “Did I wake you, pretty lady?”
“Yeah, but that’s okay. How was dinner?”
Where did I even begin?
“Well,” I took a deep breath. “Jonathan wants to buy me out of the company.”
“And how do you feel about that?” she asked calmly.
“I—I don’t even know. I put so much into that company, and I feel like I’m being pushed out—like I’m not keeping up with the times. He even presented me with an offer.” I was practically yelling.
“What was his offer?”
I huffed a laugh. “It was a lot of money. A whole lot of money. But I don’t need more money, Pam. I’m still young. I’ve worked my entire life. I don’t know anything else but this.” My hands tightened around the steering wheel. “He told me to take some time off to think about it.”
She was silent for a few seconds, then finally asked, “Do you want me to come out there?”
Fuck.
I wanted that more than anything.
“You’re afraid of flying. I would never ask that of you.”
“You didn’t ask. I offered. I know this is a lot for you to process, and it might be good for you to have some company.”
I grinned, practically on the verge of tears. “You’d do that for me?”
She laughed. “I’d do more than that for you. You’re gonna owe me big time, though.”
I liked the sound of that.
“I’ll make it worth your while. I promise. Hell, why don’t you bring Remi? He’s small enough to fly in the cabin, and he might help you stay calm.”
“You wouldn’t mind? What about all his—”
“Don’t you worry about a thing. Transportation, airfare, I’ll take care of it all. You just ensure the two of you make it onto the plane.”
“I think I can manage that. Well, with the help of medication, that is.” She snorted, and gods, I couldn’t wait to hear it in person again.
“I can’t wait to see you,” I said with a sigh. It meant so much that she was willing to do this for me.
“I can’t wait to see you either.” She yawned, reminding me just how late it was there.
“I’ll let you get some sleep, then tomorrow we’ll iron out all the details, okay?”
“Okay. Goodnight, Al.”
“Night, sweetheart.”
The wheels were already turning. If Pam was willing to get on a plane, I was determined to make it as stress-free as possible.
