Page 43 of Just A Little Magic

“Well, not specifically, but we always go together. I know you go an hour early for last-minute touches even though the staff has it in hand. So here I am to take you.”

“And the flowers?”

“You like flowers.”

“You didn’t need to bring me flowers.”

“No, but I wanted to, so I did. You deserve flowers because you’ve outdone yourself again for the club. It looks amazing, and it was only halfway finished when I stopped by earlier.”

Barrett looked almost shy, standing in my living room, seeming unsure where to put his hands or whether he should sit. I hated this so damn much.I wanted us back.

I looked at Barrett. I mean,reallylooked at him, and I didn’t like one bit of what I saw. There were a few more worry lines along his down-turned mouth. The bags under his eyes were pronounced, and the concern in his eyes was undisguised. This enforced separation was as hard on him as it was on me. Giving him this night wouldn’t kill me. I could be strong.

“Well, I appreciate you coming to get me. Let me grab my jacket, and we can go.”

I put the flowers in water and then grabbed myjacket off the couch, which turned into fifteen minutes of cuddles for Elizabeth.

Barrett bundled me into his vehicle and we were off to the club. I was determined to bring us back to some sense of normalcy because this icy distance, even if imposed by me, was too much. I missed him so much my chest ached. Poor Elizabeth was sick of me talking to her about it. She’d started leaving the room when I said his name. Since I’d created the distance, it was up to me to bridge it.

“Have you talked to your dad?” That was an easy topic.

“Yes, he finally got off that nonsense of taking the company he doesn’t own anymore. I guess he tried spouting it to my mom and she shut him straight down.”

“What’s she up to?”

“Oh, she moved on to some place near San Diego at a yoga retreat. She said I wouldn’t know yoga until I’d done it at sunrise on the beach.”

“That is very early to get sand in crevices it’s hard to get out of.”

“You’re not doing naked yoga, although maybe you could? Babe, it’s not usually my thing, but I could be down for that.” Barrett waggled his eyebrows like he was one of the old-fashioned villains ready to tie someone to a train track.

“Since I’m checking up on everyone, how’s Travis?”

“Honestly, I’m not sure. When we talked earlier this week, he said he was still on the fence about staying in or getting out. He didn’t say what the frustration was, but we’ve never been like that.”

“What do you mean?”

“We’ve never been especially close. Even when kids, we just coexisted in the house. We get along, just not tight. Hell, you know more about me by a pretty big margin.”

“I don’t know you well enough to know what you’ve bid on at the auction.”

I desperately wanted to know if he’d bid on a date with anyone, but I’d given up any and all rights to know that.

“Aren’t you up for a date and decorating? That should bring in something for the charity.”

“Well, it’s vanilla, and the decorating is likely the draw rather than the date. I promised Jakob, and I hate to let him down.” There was zero reason for pining to be mentioned. “Fingers crossed someone bids on me. Surely, my advice is worth twenty bucks or something.”

I felt heat rise in my cheeks and knew I was blushing. It was hard to be cool and sophisticated when you blushed. Of course I wasn’t cool or sophisticated, but I wanted to seem like I was.

“Since I’ve been on the client side of your advice, it’s worth a helluva a lot more than twenty bucks. You never give yourself enough credit. You’re a goddamn gift.”

Humility was an admirable quality, but tonight, I had next to none. The club looked exceptional, in my obviously not-so-humble opinion. The main area of the club looked elegant, with deep-green tablecloths and black candelabras with gold-and-copper accents. The centerpieces were autumn flowers and leaves. It wasn’t a Halloween party, so we hadn’t wanted to go full spooky, just touches of it.

Quill, of course, catered the dinner with plated osso buco and wild mushroom risotto served with gold chargers. In the Rumpus Room, we’d set up a fall harvest theme with scarecrows, sweet-not-scary pumpkins, and the same types of flowers but in smaller, more playful arrangements. Hopefully, thedecor would inspire people to open their bank accounts and donate generously to this year’s charity recipient.

Barrett and I split up when we arrived, but there was only so much I could check without annoying the banquet staff. There was no way I could hang out in the Rumpus Room without completely tanking my mood, and I needed to be at least semi-cheerful to meet my date if anyone bid on me.

As a last resort, I was in Barrett’s office working on a private design for myself. I didn’t have room for a proper nursery in my rental, but that didn’t mean there wasn’t a dream board planned down to the last detail.

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