“Silas is going to increase his hours. I wouldn’t expect you to take Han Solo out every day once I’m gone. I know how busy work is, and I think you’ve been pushing too hard as it is.”
Of course, he didn’t need me. He had Silas all lined up to increase his hours. I was the only one who was hoping nothing would change.
“Well, that sounds like a good plan,” I said as we stepped inside, and Finn put on a pot of coffee while I ran to the bathroom to fix my hair really quickly.
He was pouring it into a to-go cup for me because he knew I’d need it.
“Thank you,” I said, as I leaned my backside against the kitchen counter. “I’ve got that meeting with Georgia and Maddox about doing the décor for the casita they’re adding on to their place.”
“You all right? You look a little pale.” He studied me, his eyes filled with concern.
How did he always know when something was wrong? I was tired. I’d been working long hours and not sleeping nearly enough.
“I’m good. Between work and getting ready for the holidays, it’s just been a lot.”
He nodded before pulling back and grabbing a banana and a muffin and dropping them into a paper bag. “Take these and eat. I’ll bring you lunch, okay?”
“I know you have a busy day. You don’t need to bring me lunch.”
“I’m never too busy for you, Miney.”
“You’re just hoping I’ll let you have your way with me, aren’t you?” I teased as he followed me out to my car. I looked up to see a few snowflakes starting to fall from the sky.
“I’m always hoping you’ll let me have my way with you.” He opened the car door, and I slipped inside. “Eat that breakfast, you got it?”
“Yes, sir. And are we still set to go Christmas shopping tonight?”
“Absolutely. And we can grab some dinner at Reynolds’ afterward.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
He leaned over and kissed me hard. Like it was perfectly normal to kiss me goodbye. How would we just suddenly turn this off after this had turned into a full-blown relationship with my best friend?
He shut my door, and I drove the short distance to my office, parking in the back lot and walking around to the front door. Carl was leaning against the wall, holding a bag and a coffee cup from Cup of Cove.
“Hey, I was hoping to catch you real quick.” He appeared nervous. We’d only spoken once since he’d made that appearance at Georgia and Maddox’s house on Thanksgiving, and that was the day I’d finished the project at his house.
“Hi. Sure. I have a meeting in a little bit, but I have a few minutes.” I opened the door and flipped on the lights, and he whistled as he looked around. I slipped my coat off and hung it on the hook beside the door.
“Wow. This looks great,” he said. He’d never come by before, even though he’d continually said he was anxious to see the place. He’d never found the time, and I’d always met him at his house for our design meetings. Now that the job was done, there’d be no reason for him to come here anymore.
He handed me the bag and the coffee, and I motioned for him to take the seat on the other side of my desk. “Thank you for this.”
“Listen, Reese. I’ve been really horrified by my behavior.” He held his hands up to stop me from interrupting. “My behavior before that night, as well. I’ve been an asshole. You deserved better.”
“Thank you for saying that. I think you and I just have this history, you know? Where we thought we would have a future together, but in reality, we wanted different things out of life. I think I convinced myself that if we both wanted marriage and kids, that was enough. But I realize now that I have dreams of my own, too. And I’m not upset with you anymore for dating Christy, because if you hadn’t, we would have just fallen into that same routine as soon as I’d returned home. I’m happy with where things are going in my life now. And I want you to be happy, too.”
He nodded. “I’ve been an idiot. I should have supported you when you left for London. I was being stubborn. Fuck, I messed up so many times.”
“I think things worked out the way they were supposed to.”
He studied me for a long moment. “Are you feeling all right? You look a little pale. You pushing too hard?”
That was the doctor in him. And with my history, it was normal for everyone to worry. “I have been feeling really worn out. I didn’t expect to have so many clients right away, but I’m loving it. And you know, I’m always afraid to even tell anyone that I’m exhausted because they will freak out and think it’s the worst-case scenario. I thought of calling Dr. Roberts just to be safe, but you know he’s good friends with my dad, so everyone will hear about it, and then all the drama will start.”