“Hello?” I asked groggily.
“Rise and shine, Miss Faircloth.”
I giggled at the sound of Bart’s voice. “Morning.”
“Sleeping in because your boss isn’t there to kick you in the ass?”
I rubbed at my eye. “It’s only eight in the morning or so.”
“Yeah, it’s definitely passed ten.”
I shot upright in bed. “What?”
He barked with laughter. “Just kidding. It’s about eight-thirty.”
I sighed. “If you were here right now, you’d pay for that.”
“Trust me; I want to be there. But, hopefully, this paperwork I’m about to go sign off on is the last of it.”
“Then, you’ll come back?”
“That’s the plan. Though, I’m prepared to stay longer if it takes longer. We need this loan to work, so I want to be here to field any issues that pop up on the same day.”
I tried to hide my disappointment. “Totally understandable.”
“Has Mr. Derecho gotten back to you with those property plots? I told our accountant we’d have those to him two days ago.”
I pulled my phone away from my face and checked my email. I had a message from Mr. Derecho, but when I opened it, the damn thing didn’t have a bit of good news.
“Luna?”
I put the phone back to my ear. “You want the bad or the good?”
“Good, please.”
“Mr. Derecho is about to hit the streets today to comb for more properties.”
“Oh, boy.”
I slung my legs over the edge of my bed. “But, that’s also the bad news.”
He groaned. “Dammit, is this thing ever going to come together?”
I stood to my feet. “This kind of thing takes time. We simply have to keep being patient.”
“I know, I know. But, if Mr. Derecho can’t produce something by the end of tomorrow, I’ll have to find someone who can. Make sure that’s communicated in your response to him.”
“Noted.”
I missed Bart more than I could stand, but I had no clue if the man missed me. Every time we talked, he told me about the places where he had eaten that had the best food and the bars he frequented after bank meetings that poured him the best drinks. With the way he talked about Houston, it almost sounded like he didn't miss this place at all.
Or me.
“All right,” Bart said with a grunt, “I’m going to get up and get to the bank to deal with these signatures. Keep me posted throughout the day, okay?”
I wiped away at my silent tears. “Can do. Will and I are finalizing furniture prices today, and if all goes well, we will have saved the seven grand we need for the extra renovations.”
“You’re outstanding. And don’t think I’m not trying to figure out a way to make you agree to a permanent position. Just want to make sure I’ve got my arguments in place first.”
I snickered. “I look forward to the arguments that might not change my mind.”
“Hey, I’ve already got you down from ‘definitely’ to ‘might.’ So, I’m taking it as a win.”
I shook my head. “Have a good day, Bart.”
“You too, Luna.”
The second I hung up the phone, I let the tears fall. I felt more overwhelmed than I cared to admit, and the last thing I needed was to be missing some guy who didn’t care about me. I put my face in my hands and let myself cry it out before I stood to head for the bathroom.
But, when I whipped my door open, I saw Will and Sadie standing there. “Oh, girl. Come here,” she said. She wrapped me up in a massive hug as the decadent smells of sweet tea and cheese grits filled my nostrils.
“Thank fuck I had on clothes,” I murmured.
Sadie chuckled. “I told him to wait for you in the kitchen, but he didn’t listen.”
I hugged Sadie tightly. “How long have you guys been here?”
She finally released me and wiped off my cheeks. “Long enough to get the picture.”
I rolled my eyes. “Fantastic.”
Sadie giggled. “Oh! And I have ice cream, and all of the fixings in the fridge and the freezer. Bryce and Will are taking the kids for the night so we girls can have some time to hang out.”
I looked over at Will. “I really appreciate it.”
He shook his head. “Not an issue at all. Plus, Sadie can’t stop craving chocolate malt milkshakes. So, she’s ready to have her fill tonight.”
Sadie whispered loudly, “I’m going to have three of them. One for each baby and one for me.”
I giggled. “You’re insane; you know that?”
Will held out his arm. “Come on. Let’s have some breakfast, and then we can all get to work.”
The day moved at a whirlwind pace, and by the time I was done with everything on my list, the girls were staring at me as I closed my laptop.
“It’s about damn time,” Willow said.
Sadie handed me a bowl. “Made you this. With extra caramel and salted nuts.”
I took the bowl. “Oh, hell, yes. Are we ordering pizza, too?”
Willow held up her phone. “Ten minutes out.”
I sighed. “I’m so sorry that it took as long as it did. Bart just kept throwing stuff at me, and I really wanted to get it done for him before I logged off.”
Sadie flopped down next to me. “Hey, I’m not judging. I’m a workaholic like that sometimes, too.”
I grabbed the spoon and took a heaping bite of the ice cream, but I felt them staring me down, waiting for me to start talking. I didn’t feel like doing this tonight. I was much too tired to get into the one thing the girls were waiting on me to dish about.
You need to start talking sometime. Might as well be now.
I swallowed hard. “Can I talk to you guys about—?”
Sadie exclaimed. “Yes, you can talk about Bart!”
Willow rolled her eyes. “Way to go, genius.”
Sadie blushed. “Sorry.”
I giggled dryly. “Is it that obvious?”
Willow nodded. “Yes.”
I rolled my eyes. “Fantastic.”
Sadie rubbed my knee. “Have you told him how you feel?”
I felt my eyes watering. “What? Have I told my boss that I might actually be in love with him? No, Sadie, I haven’t.”
Willow gasped softly. “Wait, really?”
I leaned back against the couch cushions. “With each day that passes, and he stays in Houston, I’m worried that his next phone call is going to be telling me that he’s not coming back. And I really want him to come back. I want him to be there. I mean, he’s the only person who makes me feel safe with everything going on right now, and it feels weird not having him here. But, I also don’t want him to make the decision to stay in Conroe just for me, in case he hates it back here. You know?”
Sadie nodded. “Then, he’d resent you for coming back.”
I snapped my fingers. “Bingo. You’re spot on.”
Willow took a big bite of ice cream. “According to Bryce, Bart hasn’t enjoyed being in Houston for the better part of two years now.”
I shrugged. “That’s what I hear, but every time he calls me and talks about all of the restaurants and the great drinks and how nice his own bed feels, it paints a very different picture.”