by Alicia Rae
Jason picked up his tool, set it on the counter, and leaned against it. He crossed his arms in front of his chest. “And where does Gail fit into all of this?” he questioned in a considerate voice, stopping me cold in my tracks.
My mind was already an array of scattered emotions.
Fuck.
Between Caroline’s accident and Gail’s and my hectic workweek, I had not even mentioned William Rawn Associates to her. Over the past weekend, Gail’s eyes had been so light and happy for the first time since her sister was injured that I had not wanted to ruin the moment for her.
I just did not have the heart to worry her over a job that might not ever happen when she had so many other things going on in her life.
Gail was my calm in a sea of chaos.
“You love her, don’t you?” Jason asked quietly when I did not respond to him.
Love was such a powerful word. Once it was said, there was no taking it back. It would forever bind one heart with another.
But her laughter and the way she looked at me as though I was all she saw made me want to be a better man, to take care of her, and to make her smile every damn day. It made me want to give her the world.
Fuck yes, I love her. She’s mine.
“Yes,” I breathed at last. Even though adding love into the mix made my mind spin and my heart beat at an unhealthy, rapid speed, I knew with every last part of me that it was the truth. “I love her.” I blinked up at Jason. “How did you know?”
“I knew when I saw you at the hospital with her,” he said thoughtfully before shaking his head gravely. “You have adamantly refused to visit any hospital since Lily’s family passed.”
“Yeah, I just couldn’t let her go alone,” I murmured, not having the words to explain how I felt. But I knew I was in love.
“That’s what love does to you,” Jason replied genuinely, steering the conversation back to a lighter territory. Then, he grinned. “So, my little brother went and fell in love.”
“Ah, here we go.” I chortled, knowing a joke was coming on.
“Hold on a sec.” He stuck his hands out in front of himself. “Let me soak in this moment.”
I shook my head, laughing at him. “Leave it to you to ruin it,” I countered jokingly.
Jason rolled with laughter, stepped forward, and slapped his hand on my shoulder. “I’m happy for you, brother. Gail is a great woman.”
“Thank you.” I smiled. “Now, I just have to figure out all the other details of my life.”
“They’ll come,” he said reassuringly. “Just give them some time to work themselves out. Love is the hardest part to make work. The rest will fall into place as it should be.”
“Man,” I exhaled. “I hope you are right.”
“Big brothers are always right,” Jason scoffed.
“Uh-huh,” I retorted. “You keep telling yourself that, bud.”
In Denver with my general contractor, Dave Jones, I walked through the hospital, taking notes along the way. The existing part of the building needed a lot of work as it was not up to proper code anymore. Correcting that problem would be the first thing on the list.
As far as extending the building, the suggested plans would require meticulous detail and a tremendous amount of structural support added to the current building to handle its new load.
It was a much bigger job than I’d originally anticipated, and it would require a significant amount of hours to plan and pull all the loose ends together.
“So, how are we looking, Damon?” Dave asked, briefly setting his hand on my shoulder as we walked out of the hospital.
I grabbed my sunglasses from the front pocket of my Armani suit, so I could see Dave without squinting in the bright sun. “Like I need to clone myself,” I answered honestly.
Cars whipped around us, and I made another note that we would need roadblocks and more fencing when we bulldozed the parking lot to pave a new one.
“Can the prints be ready within approximately two months?” Dave asked with a hopeful tone.
I ran some thoughts and scenarios through my head. “If I work around the clock, it could get done, but three months would be a safer and more reasonable deadline,” I replied. “Have you started working with the city council on permit requests yet?”
“Yes, sir.” He grinned. “So, can I count on you to get the plans done in time if I give you an extra month?”
That was Dave, always getting right to the heart of things.
He deserved my honesty.
I let out a deep breath and said, “I have a tremendous amount of work on my hands right now, especially with our last project doubling in size.” I watched Dave’s face go grim. “Let me look over all my notes more thoroughly, and I’ll get back to you.”
“Okay. I can be a patient man.” He nodded and tipped his head my way. “But I need a definite answer by the end of next week, so I can get things moving forward.”
“Fair enough,” I replied, extending my hand to him.
“I hope you’ll seriously consider this project, Damon,” he said, shaking my hand. “This job could expand your resume and open new doors for your career.”
“I will,” I responded politely. “I’ll be in touch with you soon,” I added, dismissing myself.
I ambled over to my rental car, bent down, and carefully maneuvered myself into the tiny driver seat.
Damn, I miss my truck.
With my meeting concluding earlier than I’d expected, I decided to stop over and surprise my parents. I had planned to visit them anyway, knowing my mom would disown me if I were in town and did not stop by, but I would now get some extra time with them.
I headed south, making the short drive to their country home, while trying to keep my mind off work. In any case, I had to talk with Gail first and see where things were going with us before I made any official decisions.
I pulled into the driveway to see my mom doing yard work out front. I smiled, thinking there was no surprise there. My mom loved taking care of her landscaping.
She turned to see me and waved.
As I turned off the car, my cell rang next to me. I picked it up to see that I did not recognize the number. I answered it anyway in case it was an emergency.
“Hello?” I said into the phone.
“Hello, sir,” a gentleman said. “May I please speak with Mr. Damon Johnson?”
“This is he.”
“Hello, Mr. Johnson. I’m Jonathan Reagan with human resources at William Rawn Associates. I inquired about your work by email.”
“Yes, of course,” I replied in shock, still stuck on the fact that someone from William Rawn Associates was calling me.
“Our director of operations and I have reviewed your file, and we would like to interview you in person,” he responded. “Would you still be interested in the architectural design position?”
Is this a dream?
“Most definitely, sir,” I said at a complete loss for more words.
“How about tomorrow afternoon at three?” he asked.
“That sounds great,” I answered with a huge smile on my face. “Thank you so much for this opportunity,” I added, finally making my brain form a coherent, educated response.
“You’re welcome, sir. We look forward to meeting you. Good day.”
“Thank you, and you, too. Good-bye.”
As I pulled the phone away from my ear and hit End, the reality of what I’d just agreed to slammed into me.
William Rawn Associates was in Boston, Massachusetts.
And I was supposed to be there tomorrow at three.
After I visited with my parents this evening, I would have to catch a red-eye flight tonight or leave early in the morning to make the interview in time.
Fuck me.
Gail still had no idea about this job opportunity because I was an idiot. It would be rude to tell her such a thing and try to explain myself correctly over the phone.
Plus, Dave and Jason both had enough work to keep me
busy. Adding another company into the mix would take my workload over its limit. Something would have to give.
I had no idea what to do.
I let out an exasperated sigh, needing a few minutes to myself to just breathe in and out, over and over again.
But my mom was waiting for me, so I washed away all my anxieties and told myself I would deal with them after my visit.
I just needed a damn hour to process everything.
I stepped out of my rental car to see my mom patiently waiting for me on the driveway. Smiling over at her, I closed the distance and pulled her in for a much-needed hug.
“Oh, my dear boy,” she said, squeezing me. “I missed you.”
“I missed you, too, Mom,” I replied, looking around. “Where’s Dad?”
“He’ll be home in time for an early dinner.” She drew back and searched my eyes. “Everything okay?”
“Yep,” I said, not feeling the need to worry her.
“I thought you weren’t coming until tomorrow?” she asked in astonishment.
“Well, my meeting was today, and I wrapped up everything quicker than I thought.” I grinned lovingly at her. “So, here I am.”
“That’s wonderful, dear.” She nodded, gesturing me toward the front porch. “Where are you staying?”
“My general contractor booked me in a hotel, so I did not want it to go to waste,” I replied softly, not wanting to hurt her feelings.
“Oh, I see.” We both took our seats on the patio furniture. “So tell me, Damon, how is California treating you?”
“Very well,” I said truthfully, crossing one leg over the other. I was going to bake in this suit. “Jason and I are finishing up the office over the next week or two. You and Dad will have to make a visit, so you can see it.”
“Don’t worry, dear.” She smiled tenderly. “Your dad went out and bought himself one of those computer, tablet things.” She laughed. “He has our whole first year of traveling planned out on it, complete with an itinerary, too.”
“That sounds busy.” I chuckled, sincerely happy for my parents to finally have the time to do what they wanted in life with my dad retired and their kids now grown.
“Oh, it is,” she agreed. “He has this fear of not being on the go and getting lazy, so instead, he’s going to wear us out by driving thousands of miles all over the United States,” she teased.
I laughed affectionately at my mom while missing my parents. They always had this fun kid-like side to their marriage but also the strength and love to make it work.
“Well, at least you’ll finally get to see all the places you wanted,” I responded.
“That’s a good point.” She winked at me. Then, her face sobered as she studied me. “So, tell me, dear, how is it someone’s eyes can look so happy yet sad at the same time?” she asked softly.
I raised my brow at her. “I’m that easy to read, huh?”
“Of course. It’s a mother’s job to know these things,” she answered and reached over to pat my leg. “Out of my three boys, you’ve always been the one to wear your heart on your sleeve.”
“Oh,” I muttered.
She snickered. “And Jason has my emotional detector skills.”
“Yeah, I recently found that one out.” I smirked. “I think it’s intensified since he fell in love with Abbey and Pearl.”
“I believe that.” She chuckled softly. “Blake’s the opposite. You have to pry out his feelings with a pair of pliers, but his heart is made of gold.”
“Good thing we are all different.”
“Yes, you are. However, you all have a heart of gold,” she said affectionately and then let out an exasperated sigh. “Moreover, you’re good at being ambiguous. So, out with it, or I will go get my pliers and use them on you, too,” she added, switching to her motherly tone that was not to be argued with.
I smiled at my mom’s strength. She had raised us boys good, giving us her heart, so the least I could do was be open with her in return even though I felt like I was repeating my conversation with Jason.
“I’m in love, Mom.” I got straight to the point because my stubborn mom, who I loved beyond words, would pry it out of me anyway.
My mom’s eyes filled with moisture. “That’s wonderful, son. I’m so happy you have found your match in life.” She hesitated, probing me with her eyes again. “However, I sense there is a big, fat but in there somewhere.”
I had no idea how my mom could have a serious conversation and still manage to make me laugh.
“But she’s stubborn and independent, and my work keeps pulling me away from her.” I expelled all the air from my lungs.
Mom shooed me with her hand. “Many people commute for their jobs and still make a relationship work, Damon.”
She shrugged in the same manner Jason had yesterday. They were so much alike.
“Make it work,” she added.
I went right for the heart of my problem. “William Rawn Associates asked me to come in for an interview in Boston tomorrow at three,” I said, forcing each blow out of me.
My mom leaped from her chair and embraced me. “Oh, Damon! That is delightful news!” she cried, backing up and looking up at me. “Falling in love and getting your dream job all in such a short time! You have been busy!”
My face fell. “Gail doesn’t know about Boston,” I admitted out loud for the first time, feeling like someone had just sucker-punched me in the gut.
My mom frowned. “But you said you love her?” she asked with a perplexed expression.
“More than anything,” I answered, knowing it was true with everything that I am.
“All the more reason to make it work, Damon,” she repeated as she sat back down. “Go to your interview tomorrow. See how it goes. Then, talk to Gail. Love is the hard part to find in life. But if she loves you as much as you do her, nothing will be powerful enough to stand in your way of being together.”
“Yeah,” I murmured.
My mom said something about starting dinner for us. I nodded at her while wondering if Gail would forgive me for keeping her in the dark for so long about this job prospect without so much as a word to her. I should have told her right away.
Now, what if she thinks I was keeping it a secret from her?
We had told each other, no secrets.
After having dinner with my parents, I went back to the hotel, checked in, and showered. Then, I realized time had gotten away from me, and I still needed to book a flight to Boston since I would not be taking the flight back to Lake Tahoe tomorrow.
I grabbed my laptop, sat on the hard hotel bed, and began to search for a nonstop flight to Boston. I found one for six in the morning, and I booked it. The earliest flight I could find returning to Lake Tahoe was Friday evening.
I muttered a curse under my breath at the idea of having to wait so long to see Gail. At least we would have the weekend together.
Missing her like crazy, I reached for my phone. When the screen lit up, the background picture of Gail and me popped up.
I smiled at it while remembering when Gail and I had left Freshies Restaurant, and she’d jumped on my back. I’d given her a piggyback ride all the way to her car. On the way, she had taken her phone out and snapped a few pictures of us together. This one of her kissing my cheek with a smile was my favorite. Then, we had finished our day lazing on the beach together.
God, I fucking miss her.
I scrolled through my contacts, found her name, and called her, longing to hear her voice.
She picked up on the second ring and breathed, “Hello, handsome. I was just thinking about you,” into the line.
She instantly calmed my stressed-out nerves.
“Oh, yeah?” I queried with a grin, interested to know more. I lay back on the bed, propped my arm behind my head on the stiff-ass pillow, and settled in. “And what were you thinking about me?”
“How much I missed you and how awkward it feels to be back in my own bed,” she replied coyly as I heard her
shifting around.
“I can imagine since we have always slept in mine,” I pondered. “Why don’t you just sleep in my room then?”
“Hmm…maybe I will,” she deliberated.
I heard her shuffle to her feet, pad her way down the short hallway, and plop on my bed.
“I was just debating over that, too. Why do we always sleep in your bed and not mine?”
That was a good question. “I have no idea, babe.” I laughed. “Although, your room is pink with flowery stuff everywhere, so maybe that’s why I instinctively dragged you to mine.”
“Whatever.” She laughed. “Would you rather I paint it blue, give up my girlie clothes, and start wearing manly pants around the house?” she countered sassily.
“Fuck no.” I shook my head as an image of the way her gorgeous legs looked in her dresses flashed before my eyes. “Stay girlie, sweetheart.”
“Thought so. Although, I will take you up on snuggling into your bed.” She snickered.
I wished I were there with her to pull her warm, soft body against me.
“So, how was your meeting today?” she asked while I was still daydreaming about her.
“It went well,” I said, crossing my legs at the ankle. “The job is much larger than what the contractor originally anticipated—or led me to believe, I should say.”
“Is that good or bad?” she asked, sounding worried.
“Both.” I sighed quietly.
“Anything I can do to make it better?” she asked kindly.
My chest tightened. She always wanted to help someone in some way. It was just part of who she was and why I loved her so profoundly.
“You can fly down here, so I can wrap you in my arms,” I said, speaking my inner thoughts out loud.
“I wish.” She unveiled a dreamy sigh. “But I’m so glad you’ll be home tomorrow.”
“Um…that is part of why I’m calling,” I said regretfully. “I have to make an unexpected detour to Boston, so I won’t be home until Friday.”
“Oh, okay,” she murmured, not even arguing or sounding upset, just disappointed.
I thanked the heavens for her understanding because I did not want to argue with her or explain myself over the phone. It needed to be done in person.
