Chapter 44
Rowe
“This little one is going to a great home.” Donner lifts the tailgate of his truck and slams it shut. “The community in Colorado will love her.”
I smile at the piggycorn in the kennel. She lifts her nose to the air and sniffs. “Thanks, Donner.”
He grins, looking up at me from under his lashes. “You’ve got a great business here.”
“Appreciate it.”
He keeps smiling and my heart sinks. “Listen, Rowe ...” He scratches his chin sheepishly. “I was wondering if you’d like to go out with—”
“I can’t, Donner. I’m just not ... I can’t.”
He lifts his hands in a surrender gesture. “No worries. Can’t blame a guy for asking.”
No, I guess I couldn’t. “Let me know when she arrives. I’ll call the community and go over everything about her feed.”
“Will do.” He slaps the tailgate. “See you soon, Rowe.”
“See ya.”
In the past few weeks since Pane’s been gone, it’s been a whirlwind. Calls have come in from across the country about the piggycorns. Donner’s community was the first to have one, and with them, we’vebeen able to work out some of the logistics, like how much starfizz berries they have to eat in order to make electricity. Turns out, not much.
Which is good for me, as it gives the new seedlings time to grow.
Donner drives off, and from behind me, I hear the screen door open and the sound of shoes slapping against the stairs on their way down.
“Did I just hear correctly?” Cristina says, sidling up beside me. “Did Donner Wright just ask you out on a date?”
I sigh. “He did.”
“And you said no.”
“I said no.”
She thumbs toward his truck. “You rebuked the sex god?”
“You sound like—”
I stop myself before his name can slip out.
“Like who?” she prods. “Pane?”
“Don’t say his name.” I pick up a box that was delivered and walk it up the stairs.
Cristina trails behind me. “Why not? Why can’t I say his name?”
Because it’s too hard,I long to tell her. Just thinking about him makes a wound open in my chest—a raw, seeping wound, one that won’t heal.
Since he’s been gone, I’ve been going through the motions, keeping my chin up and my head down in my work.
But it’s been hard. I’ve started cyberstalking Pane, which doesn’t help anything. However, I do know that he’s set up in New York, taking the reins and running the company.
A truck drives by, blasting the horn. I turn around to see Cristina waving to the Collins boys. “From what I hear, Rhett Collins is still looking for a girlfriend. If you want a purely sexual rebound, I’m sure he’d be great.”
I roll my eyes. “No thanks.” Time to get Cristina off me and back on to her. No offense to my best friend, but talking about Pane Maddox isn’t helping anything. “How was your client this morning?”
