I really, really wanted to.
And the weird thing was, I didn’t want to go over there for the same reason I usually met a man late at night. I mean yes, I wanted that too. But I wanted to see him. Talk to him. Just be around him, even if all we did was sleep.
I had never felt like that before.
Something about it scared me. Gave me the urge to pull back, like a hand jerking away from a hot stove. Something told me I should think more on that. Try to figure out why liking him made me nervous, made me feel like something was wrong. Maybe because I knew liking him was pointless? But for now I put it in the same place I put Mom. I’d think about it later.
I cleared my throat. “Where’s the dog?” I asked, changing the subject.
He sat up and reached for something off-screen. Then Brad’s frown took up the camera.
I grinned. “Hi, Brad.”
The dog scowled into the phone.
Justin set him back off to the side and stayed propped against the headboard. “Did you eat your lunch?”
“Yes, it was amazing. Huge, but amazing.”
“You work twelve hours. I wanted to make sure you had enough snacks so you don’t get crabby.”
“Ha. The Go-Gurt was a nice touch.”
“I’ll send you a lunch survey next time so you can pick your sides.” He put a muscular arm behind his head and smiled into the camera. “I want to be clear on your lunch expectations.”
“I like clear expectations,” I said, distractedly, also liking the view.
“Are mine clear?” he asked. “That I want you to come over?”
I laughed. “Yes, you’ve been very clear about that.”
“Good.” He paused. “You are the only thing in my life making me happy right now. And I’m not the least bit afraid to tell you that.”
I gazed at him through the phone.
“You know what?” I said. “I will go over there.”
His face broke into a grin. “Tonight?”
I was already getting up. “Yeah. I’ll have to be back in the morning, but—” Thunder cracked overhead and I froze.
“Was that thunder?” he asked. But before I could answer, another rumbling shook the house and the rain started.
I opened the curtain to my window and looked out. “Ugh. It’s pouring.” The lake would be choppy and dark, docking would be a nightmare to do alone. “I can’t take the boat in this.” I was instantly disappointed. God, I hated this island.
“It’s okay,” he said. “It would have been nice, but…”
“But what?” I flopped back onto the bed.
“Well, the bed’s a little crowded anyway.” He panned over, and Chelsea was sleeping next to him on top of his comforter, curled up in her Frozen blanket. I laughed and he brought the camera back to him.
“Just know that I wish you were here,” he said.
I smiled. “I wish I were there too.”
CHAPTER 27 JUSTIN
I’d never done drugs before, but I imagined this was what being high felt like. I couldn’t wait for our date tonight.
We were doing the historic bridge walk and getting pizza. There was a Music in the Park event in the Nicollet Island Pavilion, which was on the route. It was the last concert of the season. I was bringing a blanket and some bug spray, a bottle of wine and some glasses. Leigh was watching the dog and the kids. I’d planned everything based on Emma’s answers to the survey I’d sent and then I made another invite. I used a picture of the Toilet King outside my window as the backdrop for it. Details matter.
Every date with her was sacred to me. I liked spending time with her so much, I brought her lunch yesterday just to have an excuse to see her for five minutes. I thought about the next time I got to see her every second up until she arrived.
I thought about her all the time.
She was getting an Uber to my apartment to meet me. When she finally knocked on the door, I practically ran to answer it. When I did, I busted up laughing. She was wearing the same shirt as me. The Toilet King, knotted at the waist.
“No way,” I said, looking her up and down in the doorway. “Where’d you find it?”
“Like it’s hard to find Toilet King anything around here?” she said.
“He’s got us as walking advertisements,” I said, stepping aside to let her in. “Unbelievable. We look like we’re on some twisted team-building exercise,” I said, closing the door behind her.
She grinned up at me. “Aren’t we?”
I couldn’t hide my smile. I didn’t know how it was possible she got more beautiful every time I saw her, but she did.
“Hi,” I said, my voice low.
