Page 83 of Love.V2
“I know. I convinced Danny to spill the beans before he flew down here.” Tess smiled, lacing her fingers through mine as she maneuvered the parking garage like a pro. She had worked here for as long as I had, but it had been years since we’d driven to work together. What a tragic waste.
“You’re incredible.” She snorted at my praise, but I continued. “I’ve been trying to get out of that room for hours, and you managed it in under ten minutes. How do you keep getting more amazing? I hated itin there, every minute. And everyone’s looking at me to solve all these problems, and I hardly even work there anymore.”
I could sense myself talking, but something in my mind disconnected. I sounded slurred. Finally, I fell silent, only rousing when familiar streets rolled by.
“Where’re we goin’?” I asked, head lolling on the seat to look at her. She was beautiful.
“Home.”
I frowned. “Where home? I sold the condo.”
The car jerked, and I rolled to the side before she righted the wheel. “You sold the condo?” she demanded.
“Of course I did. Months ago. Your half is in an investment account whenever you want it.”
“Why?”
I snorted. “You weren’t there. And it was so cold. Why didn’t I realize how cold it was?” I raised my hands in front of me like I was trying to craft my thoughts into a tangible pattern, then gave up and let them fall into my lap. “You need life. Color. Plants. We should get a dog.”
She put the blinker on and stared at me in the glow of a red light. “I’m allergic.”
“Cat, then.”
“Poop you have to scoop by hand? No, thank you.”
I laughed. She was funny. I loved her. “Fine. A baby, maybe. I’ll put a baby in you. I’d love your baby so much, Tess. I want to clone you.”
My eyes drifted closed. Today had been too much. I didn’t even know what I was saying anymore.
“Dylan. Where were you staying? Before Chicago? After you sold the condo?”
“M’ dad’s…” I murmured.
Her soft, sighed curse was the last thing I heard before I drifted off, her fingers still clutched in mine.
Chapter 25
Dylan
I woke up groggy, mouth tasting foul. It took a few blinks to orient myself. Dad’s house. Guest room. Tess was nowhere to be seen, though the indent on the pillow told me she’d spent the night here, too.
What time was it? Had anything changed with Henry? Damn, I should call Ron and the board. I rolled to a seat on a groan, glancing at the bedside table for my phone and finding only an empty expanse of wood, save for a glass of water. I didn’t remember coming in last night. I hardly even remembered leaving the office.
Had I left my phone at Worther?Shit.I needed to be reachable, especially with Henry in the OR. Even if the board went with Danny’s suggestion not to announce a new CEO immediately, there were still clients to handle. Meetings and calls and emails I needed to be on to make it seem like everything was under control.
My heart sank as I trudged to the attached bathroom. I’d have to go back. No matter what unexpected, badass magic Tess had worked to bring me here, my phone was probably already blowing up with more emergencies. More needs. More things to do.
I wanted to crawl back into bed and pull the covers up over my head.
There was a time when I would have jumped at the chance to be CEO. Now, looking at my haggard face in the mirror, gray and drainedafter just two days back here, it was clear that version of me was long gone.
Working at Jinx, focusing on Tess and the things that made me happy, that’s what mattered. Leading people, connecting them, fostering their passions, and helping them bring businesses to life. Books. Soccer. Pasta on Tuesdays.
That’s what I wanted. Unfortunately, in the harsh light of the morning sun, I felt like I was just back to where I’d started: In Nashville, crashing at my dad’s house, with the weight of a multinational organization on my shoulders.
Until I saw the note.
Good morning. Brush your teeth and come find me. Don’t forget to drink some water! <3
