“Of course, honey. Any time. Now get home to your wife.” She smiled and stood up from her chair before leaving my office.
I was just packing my things when my phone rang. My smile grew when I saw it was my mom calling me. We’d been texting pretty regularly, but I hadn’t talked to her on the phone in months.
“Hi, Mom!” I answered.
“Cara, sweetie, I’m so glad I caught you. I miss you honey, how are you?”
I smiled. “I’m good, Mom. Just busy with work. How are you? How’s Maine?”
“Oh, it’s good, dear. We’ve been thinking about moving again. Your dad’s got a job offer and it’ll bring us a little closer to you. What do you think of that? I know you’re an adult, but?—”
“Closer? Where? Yes! I miss you guys so much, Mom. I’d love to have you closer.”
“I’m glad you think that, dear, because we’ve already decided he’s accepting the offer.”
“That’s amazing! Where are you guys moving to? Nevada? Idaho? California?” I listed off the places that sounded reasonable for him to get a job offer.”
She paused for a moment before saying, “Not quite. Seattle.”
My mouth dropped open. “Seattle? You’re coming back home?!”
“Yes, honey. We are. We’ve already been looking at houses out there. And your father talked about retiring after this contract. We are considering staying in Seattle permanently.”
“Oh, my God! We have so much to catch up on. I love you, Mom, and tell Dad I love him, too. I can’t wait to see you guys.”
“Oh we love you too, sweetie. I’ll let him know. We cannot wait to see you and meet this girlfriend of yours. His current contract doesn’t end for another two weeks, so it’ll be next month or so before we get down there, but we’re coming into town before that to inspect the house and sign the papers, so I’ll call you and we can meet up, okay? I love you, honey. I’ve got to get back to work.”
“I love you too, mom. I can’t wait to see you. Be safe. Bye.” I hung up the phone and silently screamed in my quiet office. My parents were coming back to Seattle. I could get lunch with my mom and we could have family dinners again. This had been just the best day ever.
I wanted to keep my happiness to a maximum, so I decided to treat myself to a good book. I walked into my favorite bookstore and was greeted by Kaia’s smiling face. She was talking with Daisy when I approached her.
“Hey, Kaia. Hey, Daisy.” I waved to Daisy as I spoke. I had to slowly sign their names to make sure I got it right. “How are you?”
“We’re good. Daisy and I were just about to go to lunch. Is there anything I can help you with before we go?”
I shook my head. I had come in to browse the shelves and enjoy the rest of my evening. “No, I’m just looking around today. You guys enjoy your lunch.”
They smiled and left me to wander. I was looking for some new books, but nothing in particular. I’d just see what would call out to me.
I found a few Jane Austen novels that I was tempted to purchase. They were special anniversary editions, but I didn’t want Vera to make fun of me for reading them. She probably read dark romance or fantasy novels. I’d have to remember to ask her someday. I walked around some more just thinking about Bali and how different my life was a few months ago.
I felt like I’d been stuck in a rut of work and spending time with friends. Before the masquerade ball, I hadn’t gone out on a date in almost a year. I was just so tired of the failed dates, and I wanted to focus more on work.
Fast forward to now, I was learning to relax a little more and not focus on work as much when I was out of the office. I still had a long way to go, but I was learning.
I never thought the person who’d get me to see things differently and make me feel all types of ways would’ve been someone like Vera. She’s shown me to not judge a book by its cover, so to speak.
Speaking of… I’d spotted a gorgeous foiled cover of a dark romance book and decided I needed it on my shelf. I had no clue what it was, and I rarely read dark romance, but it was too pretty to pass up. I read the back and decided a little stalker romance sounded interesting and I may give it a chance, especially if it was in audio format.
After purchasing my new finds, I decided to treat myself to a pastry at the cafe. I needed to get some work done, but it could’ve waited until tomorrow. I was also trying to distract myself from going to see Vera.
I found myself wanting to spend all of my time with her, but I knew that wasn’t healthy. I’d been independent before her in my other relationships, and even when they ended. I was content being alone. So why was I finding it so hard this time around? Why was she different?Because she IS different, you idiot! And you’re falling?—
“Cara? Hey!” I was pulled out of those scary thoughts when I heard Rylee’s voice.
I smiled and headed to the counter where she stood. “Hey, Rylee. How are you? Still loving it here?”
Her smile brightened and she nodded. “Oh yeah! It’s been amazing. Don’t get me wrong, I liked working at Brewed Awakening… most of the time. But I love being my own boss, you know?”
