Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 89674 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 448(@200wpm)___ 359(@250wpm)___ 299(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 89674 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 448(@200wpm)___ 359(@250wpm)___ 299(@300wpm)
“No,” Linda answered, concerned. “Why?”
“He and Dash are on a break.”
“What?” she asked, moving closer to the phone. “What happened?” I heard the panicked pitch in her voice, knowing I’d put it there. Damn.
“I’m putting you on speaker, Dash,” Carter said. “Tell us what’s happened.”
What did I actually say? How much did I expose? “I’m not a hundred percent certain what happened. No, that’s not right. It was all on me. But Beau arrived home from his vacation earlier than I realized. I’d been drinking all day. It gets fuzzy after that, but I came home to a note that he’d chosen to leave me. I tracked him to Sea Springs—”
Linda cut me off. “Sea Springs?” she asked, confusion in her tone. “Why?”
“I was just as surprised as you. I went to bring him back home, but he refused. He’s on the other side of town from the resort and your parents’ old place. But, I don’t understand why he chose Sea Springs either.” I took a longer drink of the vodka, needing something strong to finish this conversation. Rehashing the bad decisions that caused me such severe pain was hard to do.
“You went to bring him home and he didn’t go with you?” she asked.
“Yes.” The heavy weight of my heartache was stated in a single word.
“I’m going to call him,” she said.
“She’s gone. What’s your plan?” Carter asked.
“That’s why I’m reaching out. I resigned today and plan to put both my homes on the market unless you want this property back. Beau has sound reasons for leaving. He’s not wrong. Ultimately, he’s unhappy living in Chicago and even less happy with who I’ve become. Both are fair points. He needs a year on his own. So I’ll take this time to relocate and do my best to win him back.”
“Huh,” he said. “That’s unfortunate, Dash. I’m sorry.”
“Me too. What do you want to happen with this place?”
“It’s yours now. I handed it over to you two,” Carter said.
Good. Finally something was going my way.
“Beau’s unhappy here. I’d like to put it up for sale so he knows how serious I am about winning him back. The money will be split down the middle,” I explained.
“We have time to sort out the specifics, but do what you think’s best. Will my account with the firm go with you? We added that requirement to the contract, correct?” he asked.
“Yes.” More relief assailed me. While our contract did stipulate his account would go with me, actually knowing Carter would stay in my corner made life suddenly more bearable. “Please don’t hesitate to say that you’d like to stay with the firm. I can take it.” Except I lied. I couldn’t take it, not at all.
“No,” Carter said with a small chuckle. “I’ve only signed with your firm for you.”
“Good. I’ll work hard for you. One last thing. I planted some erroneous information on the properties you’ve bid on. Richmond’s responsible for the breech of the data,” I explained. That looked like the only right decision I’d made in a long time.
“We encountered your father at the conference. Linda talked you and Beau up to everyone. She has such a talent at getting under their skin. It was a great moment for us both.” The smallest of smiles curled at the corner of my lips while I tried to visualize my father’s anger at hearing good things about me. I was surprised he hadn’t had a heart attack right on the spot. “I then clutched his shoulder and told him that you were like a son to me.”
All right, that was funny. “How did he respond?”
“Well, the best way to describe the interaction would be to say that he’ll be avoiding me in the future, I’m sure,” Carter said, clearly proud of himself. “A flush crept up his neck. He doesn’t appear to be a healthy guy.”
“Very good. Thank you for sharing. I wish Beau was here. He’d love to hear all the details,” I said. Sadness crashed over me again, back in full force. “Listen, I’m going to go. I’ll keep you updated. If you remember any other details about my father, call me. When I transition your account out of the firm, I’ll make contact.”
“Dash, take care of yourself. You and Beau showed me what love looks like. You’re the reason I have a family today,” Carter said, his tone reassuring.
“Thanks, Carter. I’ll reach out soon.” I disconnected the call to place another to Beau. He still wasn’t answering, but that didn’t seem to matter to me. I had a routine of calling my love every morning and then again in the evening. I texted him throughout the day. Of course, he didn’t respond, but I just couldn’t let it go. Yes, we were different people, we always had been, but that was our strength. Beau just needed to remember.