I stood up abruptly. “I have to go.”
“You’re not going to finish your food at least?”
I ate another piece of beef. “No. I’m good. I was going to blow off a meeting, but I just decided not to do that. I’ll call you later and we can discuss the… um… The house.”
I rushed out of the restaurant like a fuckin’ scaredy cat. But before I left, I peeked in the window. Duke was just sitting there, his brows furrowed. I spent a few seconds studying his profile and wondered why he looked so good and why everything was different.Do I want things to change? He must have sensed me looking at him because he turned and caught me staring. And because I seemed to be comfortable acting like a lil’ bitch today… I waved, then left.
My stomach growled about an hour later, which basically confirmed that I’d let my wayward thoughts get in the way of sustenance. I searched my desk drawer for snacks and found one granola bar.
Several minutes later, my phone buzzed. I smiled when I glanced at my screen, and accepted the call, putting Dallas on speakerphone. “Hey, boo.”
“You got me on speaker?” Dallas asked.
“Of course. I’m finishing up a complaint.”
“Me too, sis.”
I bit into my granola bar. “What’s going on?”
“So, Duke called.”
I froze. “Oh?” I tried to mask my voice, to pretend that the mere mention of his name wasn’t giving me fits. “What is he talking about?” I’d asked the question because I was genuinely curious to know if he’d told my bestie about that awkward lunch.
I heard chewing on the other end of the phone and my stomach growled again. “He mentioned coming to see you when he got there today,” Dallas explained. “I told him to talk to you about buying your condo.”
I sighed with relief that Dallas still had no idea how crazy I’d acted earlier. “I saw him today,” I told her. “He mentioned the house when he took me to lunch.”
“Well…?” she prodded. “I think it’s a great idea.”
“Yeah,” I said. “I guess.”
“Wait, are you changing your mind about selling?”
“Sorta.” After I’d basically ran out of the restaurant like a teenager with a crush, I’d taken some time to think about his proposal. It made sense to keep the condo since I’d continue to handle business in LA. Having Duke buy an ownership share would be a big help for both of us. It would also save us a fortune in the long run and provide potential passive income if we decided to venture into short-term rentals during times when the house was empty. “It’s just good business for both of us,” I added after explaining the details of his offer.
“True story,” Dallas agreed. “While you’re thinking about that, consider buying Dex’s place here in Ann Arbor. You both spend time here and Bliss might want her spare bedroom back.”
Either way, I’d essentially be tied to Duke. Which would have been okay yesterday. Now, I wasn’t sure I could trust myself around him. It was no secret I had a bad history with choosing the right men.Hello, Dorian.Hey, Tristan. Whether that was purposeful or not, I never wanted to do anything to jeopardize my relationship with Duke. He’d been a constant for me, a light in my sometimes-dark life. I couldn’t risk fucking it up.
“Sis,” Dallas called. “You still there?”
I blinked, surprised that I had zoned out on the call. Clearing my throat, I said, “I’m here. Just thinking.”
“I’m worried about you.”
“Why?”
“Is your mother still calling you?”
“Every damn day.” Although I’d told my mother to fuck off, she’d continued to call me. Sometimes twice a day. Her messages teetered between endearing and threatening, and everything in between. As if that wasn’t bad enough, somehow, my father had been made aware of the conflict. He’d called me yesterday to tell meIwas wrong.The fucking audacity. After he’d spent the better part of a decade hauling her into court with frivolous motions just to torture her. “I blocked her and my father.”
“I’m sorry, sis,” Dallas said.
My office phone rang, and I was grateful for the interruption. I did not want to spend my afternoon talking about my parents. “I better get this.”
“Okay, boo. I’ll call you later.”
An hour later, after trying to finish work, I gave up and decided to leave. The best thing to do was to put the day behind me, but before I went home, I had a stop to make.
