I met with Silas to talk about some added responsibilities he’d be taking on once I left and also discussed the idea of bringing someone on to work for him if needed, as well.
I was still pissed that Reese had arranged for another place to live. Even if she didn’t want to keep things going with me, we were still best friends. So why the fuck would she want to move out?
Unless she was planning to get back together with Carl after I left.
I stewed on it as I sat at my desk and looked over the itinerary for my trip to Tokyo, where I’d be filming through January and into part of February. I’d be gone a little over a month.
“I’m home, Chewy,” Reese called out, and I heard the door close. I felt this sense of relief when she got home each day, which was not even logical to me. I’d always loved her. She’d been my best friend for as long as I could remember.
But this was different.
It was hard to breathe when she wasn’t in the room.
I didn’t know how I was going to be away from her for weeks, maybe months, when it was all said and done. And what if she did go back to Carl, and she married the dude like she’d always planned?
How would I even survive if I had to see them together?
I wasn’t going to ask her about him stopping by today, because there’d be no reason for her not to tell me if there was nothing going on.
So, I’d give her the opportunity to tell me.
I came out of the office, and she rushed toward me, dropping her purse on the floor. My arms came around her as her body crashed into mine.
“Hey, are you okay?” I pulled back, finding her chin and tipping her head back so I could look at her. “What’s wrong?”
“I just missed you.” She smiled, and my shoulders relaxed.
“Yeah? Missed you, too. Busy day?”
“Yes. I had a few meetings, and I have two new clients.” She pushed up on her tiptoes and kissed my cheek. “Come on. I’ll tell you all about it on the way. Let’s get our shopping done so we can have dinner and relax.”
I grabbed my coat by the door and pulled it on before reaching for my keys and stepping outside. The snow was falling, and the driveway had a layer of white powder covering it. I loved this time of year.
I pulled the passenger door open, and she climbed in. I leaned down and kissed her hard as I reached for the seat belt and pulled it across her body. I studied her face, noticing she looked a little pale, and considering how cold it was, her face should be flush.
“You still look a little pale. Are you okay?” There was always that sinking feeling in my stomach when I worried about Reese. The worst time of my life was the day that I found out she was sick. The fear of losing her—it had scared me shitless.
“I’m just a little tired, Chewy. I’ve been working a lot. I feel fine. I promise.”
“Should you see Dr. Roberts? Just to be safe?”
“Finn. Stop. I would go if I were worried about it. Being tired does not mean that I have cancer.” Her gaze hardened like I’d just completely offended her. “Now, get in the truck so we can go buy lots of presents and go to Reynolds’ for some good food.”
I nodded slowly before closing the door and hurrying around to start the truck and crank up the heat.
“So, tell me about your day,” I said, keeping my tone light as I waited for her to tell me about Carl.
“Well, your sister and Maddox came by early this morning, and we went over some design ideas for the casita.”
And you asked if you could rent their home.
“Yes. What else did you talk about?” Reese and I had never had secrets. But now that we were sleeping together, she was suddenly tight-lipped with me? That didn’t sit fucking well with me.
“I drew up some sketches, and they loved them. We looked at some different finishes, and—”
“Oh, for fuck’s sake. You asked to rent their house. Why are you leaving that out?” I said, not hiding my irritation as I found a parking spot on Cottonwood Cove Drive downtown.
She chuckled. “Ah, I figured Georgie might mention it. I was going to tell you. I just thought I’d wait until we have our little talk.”
“The day before I leave? Isn’t that what you requested? We wait until the last fucking minute to talk about it? But meanwhile, you go and rent another home? What’s your deal, Miney?”
Her jaw fell open as she searched my gaze. She unbuckled her seat belt and slid across the seat before climbing onto my lap. She placed a mitten-covered hand on each of my cheeks.