His rich voice comes through, smooth like honey. It pullsme in. “Hi, Juliette. You always answer the phone like that, or am I just special?”
Heat rises in my cheeks. “Maybe a little of both,” I reply, trying to keep my tone light. “How was work?”
He lets out a heavy sigh that seems to be laced with a mix of exhaustion and relief. “Busy, but that’s not a bad thing. Just leaves me worn out by the end of the day.”
“Mm, I know all about that,” I reply. “I’m always drained after those busy days, but they’re always the most productive and rewarding, too. What did you have going on today?”
A shiver races down my spine as his low, husky laugh filters through the line. Almost like a whisper just for me. “Just the usual. Meetings, calls, and more meetings. I’ll spare you the details.”
“I’d love to hear about it if you want to tell me. You’re not going to bore me if that’s what you think.”
There’s a brief pause, just long enough for me to wonder if he’s trying to decide how much to share. “Knox? Are you there?” I ask, glancing at my phone to make sure the call hasn’t dropped.
“Aye, sorry. You really want to hear about all the meetings I had today?” His voice carries an edge of surprise. Did he not expect me to ask?
“Of course, I do. I’d love to hear about anything that’s important to you.”
He doesn’t hesitate, launching straight into his day, talking through meetings, new product ideas, a call with Rose about the magazine feature. There’s pride in his voice. When he mentions a meeting with the local hotel about tour packages, that’s when he really lights up.
He talks about his work like it’s all part of something bigger, like every moving piece matters. I find myself hangingonto every word.
“You are definitely a busy guy. How exciting, though. All of it.”
“It is,” he agrees. “Enough about work, though. I actually called to ask you out again.”
“Whatcha got in mind?”
“I was able to snag some time away from the office on Wednesday afternoon. Would that work for you?”
Two days from now. Only two days, and yet, I find myself disappointed that it’s not tomorrow…or today. Where are those chill pills again?
“Wednesday works great. What are we doing?”
“It’s a surprise. But dress for the weather and wear comfortable shoes.”
I smirk, silently guessing what’s coming.Hiking. I can already sense my legs protesting, but I’m excited nonetheless. “Noted. I’ll be looking forward to it.”
“Same here, lass,” he replies. “I have to go into the office for a bit that morning, but I can pick you up once I’m done there.”
“Yep, that works for me.” A spark of excitement zips through me at the thought of spending more time with him. Just the two of us, no distractions.
“Great. Well, I’m about to pull up to the house, but I’ll talk to you later?”
“Sounds great! Have a good night. Give Beastie some love for me.”
I can practically see his grin and the shake of his head when he says, “Aye, I’ll do that. Have a good night, Juliette.”
“Talk to you later, Captain.”
I hang up, letting out a deep sigh. The nagging question ofwhat the hell am I doingcreeps back into my mind, just as it does every time I finish a conversation with him. I seem to forget that there’s no middle ground in this situation. I eitherstay or I go, and let’s be real, abandoning my whole life for the sake of a few moments of bliss doesn’t seem reasonable.
Just when I start to settle into my “mature” frame of mind, trying to be all responsible and sensible, my phone buzzes with a text from Knox. I roll my eyes at myself for even trying to act like I’ve got this figured out.
I open the message and almost die. It’s a picture of the kitten, curled up on Knox’s chest.
Knox
Uile-Bhèist says hi.
