“She needs several nights off,” Connor amended, and I was suddenly far too tired to argue with either of them. “Come on.”
Connor hopped to his feet in a movement which was far too graceful for a man of his size. He extended a hand to me.
“We’ve got it from here, Abs. Take the rest of the day off.”
Normally I would push back and insist that I was fine, but the bone-deep exhaustion which had been lingering around me for weeks was finally setting in. I needed to be my best self the day of the festival, and at the rate I was going, I wasn’t sure I’d be well by the end.
So, instead of opening my big mouth to say I was fine, I simply nodded and allowed Connor to hand me my purse and gently push me toward the door. He gave me a two-finger salute as I stepped onto the sidewalk. I snuck a glance back toward the store, smiling when I saw Imogen and Connor bent over the counter, divvying out tasks from my brain dump.
By the time I made it back to my condo, the exhaustion and brain fog had set in. I kicked my boots off before I collapsed on the bed, darkness and something dangerously close to peace enveloping me as I drifted off for a nap.
Chapter 18
Abbie
BythetimeIwoke up that evening, the sun was low in the sky, casting an orange haze through the large window overlooking my bedroom. It took a moment for the panic of having slept so late to hit. Once it did, I jumped out of bed to grab my phone, quickly dialing Imogen’s number. To my surprise, she sent my call to voicemail, instead shooting me two quick texts:
I closed the store. In a meeting right now. Talk later?
Hope you got some sleep. <3
My brows furrowed. Imogen was never in meetings, at least not in the traditional sense. She was an entrepreneur who made her own schedule, and there was no way Imogen Phillips was signing up for a meeting that late in the evening. I would hound her about it later. Right now, I was hungry and needed food. I slid my phone into my back pocket and headed for the kitchen.
“Good, you’re up.”
The sight of Connor in my kitchen, zipping up a small cooler, brought me up short.
“I assumed you went home,” I said. “You scared me.”
“Sorry,” Connor said, though he didn’t appear to mean it. “Were you able to get some sleep?”
“Yeah, I slept great, actually. I clearly needed it, since I slept the last half of the day away.”
Connor smiled and checked his watch.
“I know it’s getting late, but if you feel like taking a walk with me, I’d like to show you something.”
I looked at him more closely, feeling my heartbeat kick up when I saw hope in his eyes. He wanted me to say yes. More than that, he looked nervous that I might decline his invitation. If I had a single self-preserving bone in my body, I might have said no, but I wanted to go with him.
“Should I change clothes?”
“Wear something comfortable. It’s a warm night.”
I bit my bottom lip and nodded once, turning back toward my bedroom. I was eager to get out of my jeans. It was a testament to how exhausted I was that I’d been able to fall asleep in them in the first place. I flipped through my dresses quickly, cursing myself for having put off laundry day for so long. I finally found one that was comfortable and flattering, because again, self-preservation had left the building a long time ago. If I was going on an evening stroll with my incredibly attractive ex-boyfriend, I had a right to do it while looking good.
I slipped the blue cotton t-shirt dress over my head, ran my hairbrush through my hair to tame down some of the frizz. The dress had a v-neck that dipped just low enough to reveal the silver daisy chain I still wore. I wondered if Connor noticed I still wore it. Truth be told, I wasn’t ready to admit that I hadn’t taken it off. I grabbed my sneakers and stepped back out into the kitchen.
Connor stopped in the middle of closing the fridge as he took in my outfit change. His eyes swept over me, lingering longer than I expected. I fought back a flush.
“Do I need to bring anything?”
“Just yourself,” Connor said, and just like that, whatever spell had been cast over the moment had broken, though I could have sworn his voice was rougher than usual. Connor grabbed the cooler, and we headed out the door.
Once we hit the main street, I was grateful Connor had told me to change clothes. This was not jeans weather. It was unusually warm, considering we were just days away from the first week of October being over.
“Do you remember junior prom?”
I couldn’t mask my shock, almost tripping over my feet as we crossed the street. I tried to pay attention to where we were going, but the streets were unseasonally busy with passersby heading toward Main Street for a dinner out. People crowded the sidewalks, their conversations mingling with the sounds of distant music.