I thought back. No, Ihadthrown myself at him.
My phone rang, and I answered it reflexively, hoping it was Hall. But it was his friend Amos, the one with the sexy smile and the smooth words, calling to ask me out to dinner.
I turned him down gently. I wasonlythinking about one man now. Hall with his quiet silences and the way he took minutes to find the right words. The way they sometimes stumbled out of him in all the wrong order.
How could Amos be so open and ready, while Hall was so shut down?
Then I couldn’t hold back any longer. On impulse, I dialed Hall’s number, but it went straight to voicemail.
I left a breathless, desperate-sounding message. “Hey, it’s me, Cassidy. Just thinking about you. I was hoping for some company tonight. Call me back?”
As soon as I left the message, I wanted to claw it back. But it was too late now. It was sitting on his phone, waiting for him to listen to it.
I blew out a breath and looked at the box for the compound miter saw. The insurance was covering almost everything, but there was that pesky ten percent deductible, which meant I had to do some of the work myself.
Hopefully, I wouldn’t chop a finger off. I’d never picked up a power tool before in my life.
Chapter 14
Hall
The Kit-Kat bar didn’t fulfill me like it usually did.
I sat on my back deck, the wrapper crinkling in my fingers as I broke off another piece and chewed mechanically. The stars were out, scattered across the sky like diamonds on black velvet, but I didn’t reach for the telescope.
What was the point?
The light I’d been watching for months was still there, glowing faintly in the valley below. But now I knew exactly who lived in that farmhouse. And I’d let her walk away.
Three days. Three fucking days without a word from her. I’d told her to call if she needed anything, and shehadn’t. Which meant she didn’t need me. Simple as that.
I shoved the rest of the chocolate bar into my mouth and stared at the distant glow of her windows. There were lights on inside the farmhouse and the RV.
Maybe I’d read everything wrong. Maybe the sex had just been stress relief for her. A way to blow off steam after losing her house.
The thought made my chest ache as if someone had taken a sledgehammer to it.
Maybe I’d call her and casually ask how the repairs were going, see if she wanted company. I got up and rummaged around in my bedroom until I found my phone. It was hiding in the pocket of the jeans I’d worn yesterday.
Now that the moment was here, I hesitated.
But what if she says no? What if she’s already moved on?
Pushing past those fears, I pressed the power button.
Nothing happened. The screen stayed dark.
I pressed it again, holding it down this time.
Still nothing.
“Fuck.” I turned the phone over in my hands, jabbing at buttons. Dead. Completely dead.
Of course it was.
“I’m such a fucking jackass,” I muttered to myself.
Here I’d been hanging on a call from her, and she couldn’t even reach me if she wanted.
