Page 12 of Designing Love
I freeze. The question lands with more weight than expected. “Honestly? I don’t know.”
She waits. Patient. Calm.
“I came here for space. Not just from Daniel, but from the hustle. The pressure. I haven’t looked at a contract in weeks. Haven’t opened my business email since I landed. My phone’s basically in witness protection.”
Sage raises an eyebrow. “So... you’re on vacation?”
“Exactly,” I say, grateful for the out. “It’s a future-me problem.”
She nods. “Fair. But just so you know, future you is allowed to build something new, too. Maybe even something that doesn’t involve Daniel or deadlines or proving anything to anyone.”
I smile faintly. “We’ll see.”
“You’ll know when you’re ready. And until then — eat your pasta and flirt with Ethan a little.”
I throw a crouton at her.
She dodges it expertly and lifts her glass. “To vacation, flirtation, and future Sophia. May she be fierce, free, and only slightly overwhelmed.”
I clink my glass against hers. “And may she avoid cayenne overdoses.”
Sage winks. “No promises.”
6
ALL WORK, NO CHILL
Ethan
My laptop glows with graphs and code I’ve rewritten twice and still can’t seem to finish. A site integration that should’ve taken me an hour has now stretched into a third of the evening of trying to work. Because the truth is, I haven’t stopped thinking about Sophia.
About how she looked in the coffee shop light. About the ease of her laugh. About how she made a Tuesday morning feel like a turning point.
I’m still sitting in that daze, staring at a blinking cursor, when the front door swings open.
“I brought salt, hops, and wisdom,” Claire calls out, holding up a six-pack and a bag of chips as she breezes in.
I glance at the clock. “You do know it’s Wednesday, right?”
“Exactly why this calls for an intervention,” she says, kicking off her boots and plopping down on the couch like she owns the place. “Also, I figured I deserved a reward for resisting the urge to call you three times today.”
I shut the laptop and move to join her. She tosses me a beer and I catch it mid-air. “You didn’t think I was going to just not follow up after that stunt you pulled at the Old Oak, did you?” she says, cracking hers open. “So? Spill. What’s happened since your ‘I might hire a woman I just met because she smiled at me’ epiphany?”
I groan. “You make it sound ridiculous.”
“Because it is,” she replies cheerfully. “But also kind of adorable. And so much like you to use your money to make other people happy. It’s like the time you made a big donation to the fire station when they needed a new firetruck.
I shrug.What else am I going to do with my money? I don’t need much to be happy.
“So, have you seen her again?”
I hesitate. “No. It’s been 24 hours since I saw you, and I’ve been busy all day with Simon and trying to wrap up this contract.” I pause to exhale. “I’ve been meaning to reach out, but... I don’t want to come on too strong.”
Claire narrows her eyes. “You bought a house, Ethan.”
“For reasons!” I defend, holding up a hand. “Good reasons. It’s a smart investment.”
“Sure. But also, reasons with cheekbones and maybe a brilliant mind for spatial flow.”
