Page 125 of Need You
He let out a sigh. “You like the condo?”
“It’s beautiful.” But it wasn’t Glory Junction. In the year she’d lived in the little town it had become home. While the condominium was luxurious and conveniently located, it felt like a hotel. And without Colt—not to have him there every day—she would feel an enormous void. A void that would break her heart.
“Does it have good security? What kind of neighborhood is it in?”
“It’s safe, Colt. Would you like to see it? I could send you a link.”
“I’m driving, but yeah, send me a link.”
“You don’t want to tell me why you went to Portland? Does it have to do with work?” She assumed it had something to do with a criminal investigation.
He hesitated, then said, “To see Lisa. She had a show there.”
Delaney had trouble swallowing as she sucked in that piece of information. A lot of emotions hit her all at once. Jealousy being the predominant one. “Why?”
“I confronted her about the song.”
Delaney let out awhooshof relief. It was good that he’d done that, part of the healing process. “Is she going to give you the credit you deserve?”
“I don’t care about that, Delaney. I just wanted her to know how I felt about it, what kind of person it made her in my eyes. It’s done now. I can move on.”
She wondered if moving on included them. Could he trust her with his heart? Too afraid to ask, she said, “How far are you from home?”
“About an hour away. I took my time, drove down the coast, stopped at Redwood National Park.”
“It sounds wonderful.” But how had he had the time? Her stomach dropped. “Colt, you didn’t lose your job, did you?”
“Nope. Not yet. Jack covered for me. When will you be back?”
“I don’t know yet. The business ... I have to get serious, Colt. I let things go too long. It’s time to take the reins.”
“Okay.” He sounded disappointed but at least he wasn’t being unreasonable. “I’ll see you when I see you.”
“Don’t say it like that. It sounds defeatist.”
“I say it like I see it, Delaney. I’ll call you tonight after I look at your condo link.”
He hung up and she suddenly felt lonelier than she ever had before. In a city of nearly four-million people, how was that even possible? But an emptiness spread through her, making her incredibly melancholy. Homesick, she supposed. For Colt Garner.
The front desk called, letting her know that Karen was waiting in the lobby. She took the elevator down and found her smartly dressed house manager on the phone. Karen gave her the one-minute sign and Delaney turned her attention to the small café in the lobby. She hadn’t had lunch and only a cup of coffee and half a muffin for breakfast. There hadn’t been time.
“That was Fran.” Karen dropped her phone in her purse. “She said the reviews from the Glory Junction show continue to dazzle. The press loved all three collections, but the adventure wear ... they’re crazy about it. We’re getting calls from buyers who want to stock it, stores that don’t even have adventure-wear lines.”
Given how much work Delaney had put in to making the pieces functional for outdoor sports enthusiasts, she thought it funny that retailers would sell them strictly as street clothes. Then again, look how fashionable yoga pants had become. Delaney called them the new mom jeans.
“I have to talk to TJ about that. My guess is that Garner Adventure is going to want exclusivity.”
Karen shot her a get-real look. “You know how much money we’re talking about here?”
“A deal is a deal. Can we eat, Karen? I’m starved.”
Karen glanced at her watch. “We’ve got thirty minutes until our appointment to see the building. In traffic, it’ll take forty-five. Your call.”
Just the memory of LA traffic gave her hives. “Fine. Afterward, though, we’re eating.”
“We’ve got an appointment with your warehouse manager at four and that’s clear across town.”
She missed being able to walk everywhere. “I guess I’ll just starve then.”
