“He said some bad words, so it’ll probably be a long time before he gets it fixed.”
“Julia!” Derek’s voice sounded closer. “Say goodbye to Olivia and give me the phone.”
“Are you really in Kansas?” Julia asked instead.
“Close. I’m in Kansas City, which is actually in Missouri.” So they talked about her, then. Enough so his kids knew she was traveling.
“That doesn’t make sense. But Daddy said they have good barbecue.”
“He wanted me to sneak some home in my suitcase.”
“Ew. That would totally mess up all your clothes.” They giggled together again. “Daddy wants the phone, so bye.”
“Bye, Julia.” She heard the low murmur of Derek’s voice and then what sounded like a door closing. “Hey, you.”
“Hi. I guess I caught you at a bad time?”
“I can use a break. And I just told them they could have a half hour of video games or tablets and then locked myself in my room, so I’m all yours. Although, if I remember correctly,youare supposed to be working on your book.”
“I’m eating my dinner while we talk, which is rude, but I get to talk to you without losing work time. I’m a problem solver, remember?”
“I don’t care what you’re doing while you talk to me as long as I get to hear your voice.” There was a pause, and then a low chuckle that seemed to vibrate right through the phone and into her body. “I mean, there are other things you could be doing while talking to me.”
“I’ve got a bacon-wrapped filet mignon and perfectly sautéed vegetables in front of me. Don’t make me choose between them and phone sex.”
“That would be cruel and possibly not end well for my ego.” He paused for a few seconds. “I miss you.”
That made her laugh. “You’ve gone longer than this without seeing me.”
“Yeah, but you’re so far away. Youfeelfar away.” She heard his sigh over the line. “Usually when I talk to you, I can picture you. I can see you sitting on your couch, looking out at the view. Or sitting cross-legged on your bed or—my personal favorite—lying on the bed with a smile lighting up your face.”
She smiled as he talked even though she missed him as much as he said he missed her.
“But right now,” he continued, “I can’t picture what you’re doing and it makes you feel far away.”
“I’m sitting in the room’s desk chair in front of the room service cart,” she told him. “The bed has one of those generic white comforters that feels like it weighs fifty pounds, and all I see out the window is dark sky. But if I get up and walk across the room, I have a lovely view of the mechanical equipment on the flat roof below me.”
“Not quite what you’re used to.”
“I might be a little spoiled.”
She thought he’d laugh, but there were a few seconds before he spoke again. “Nothing wrong with that. Have you met a lot of people?”
Did he really think she was spoiled? She didn’t think so. She didn’t have an expectation of being given nice things. She worked hard and invested in things that kept their value.
“I did meet a lot of people,” she finally said, letting the topic swing toward work. “It’s a small conference, so a lot of face time. And I made some likely contacts, so it was worth the trip.”
“I’m glad it was productive, even though I miss you. I could pick you up at the airport tomorrow.”
“Your kids do not want to get up early on a Sunday morning and get dragged to Logan. They just started school, so enjoy the time with them.”
He made a sound that perfectly summed up the frustration she felt. “Let me take you to dinner tomorrow night, then. After I drop them off with Amber, I can head over. You can pick the place. Somewhere nice, and then we’ll go back to your place and catch up on everything we missed.”
Olivia shivered because she knew he didn’t mean a recap of her trip. “I can’t wait.”
“Finish your dinner and get back to work, then, and I’ll see you tomorrow. I...” He paused and she heard him clear his throat. “I hope you have a good flight.”
“Goodnight,” she whispered, and then he was gone and she was left staring at the phone in her hand.
