Page 223 of Sing with Me

“When did you get in?” Skye asked instead.

“This afternoon.”

“How did you know I was in town? I almost went out of town for a meeting—ah, never mind. Avery’s very close cousin works for me. She knows my schedule.”

“Atlanta, right?”

“You heard about the merger.”

Diehl nodded. “Congratulations. Were you going to visit me when you get to Atlanta?”

“I was going to surprise you at your office. Thought you might give me a tour.”

“Sorry to spoil it for you by surprising you first.”

The elevator door opened. Diehl followed Skye to the end of the hallway.

“I’m glad you’re here,” Skye said.

“Have you thought of me in between our phone calls and FaceTime?”

Skye nodded.

“Not nearly enough, are they?”

“No. Maybe we need to be more organized…”

“So we can see each other more often than once in a while,” Diehl said. “We have to make this long-distance relationship work. Which one of us is more flexible?”

“Neither one of us is.”

“Except on weekends, but not nearly enough.” Diehl smiled. “I’m glad you have an administrative assistant now. If they’re proficient and organized, they will save you a lot of time. Otherwise, they can be a nightmare.”

“I hear you. That’s why I did all my own work when STL was by itself. Thing is, I was spending all my waking hours doing office work into the night. I do have an accountant, but he doesn’t answer phone calls or write evaluation reports. Basically my company grew beyond my ability to juggle all the roles myself.”

They put the grocery bags on the floor outside Skye’s condo to give their arms and wrists a break.

“I miss my house.” Skye unlocked the door. “I usually parked outside the kitchen.”

“So buy a new house.”

“That crossed my mind, but I couldn’t decide on the type of beach house I like. I didn’t want to spend three thousand dollars a month renting an oceanfront condo. So here I am watching sunsets by the river while buying time to decide where I want to live.” Skye reset the alarm.

“Are you inviting me to dinner?” Diehl grinned.

“If you help me cook.”

Chapter Fifty-Eight

Diehl followed her into her condo. “Do you always put me to work? Last time, I cooked breakfast with you. Now we’re doing dinner.”

“Dinner is harder.” Skye locked and bolted the front door, and led the way to the kitchen. She put her grocery bags on the floor.

“Why the floor?” Diehl asked.

“The bags have been in a grocery cart. I don’t know what’s in the grocery cart, and I don’t want any germs from there—and also from my trunk—to get on the counter where I prepare food.”

“Such a thing never crossed my mind.”

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