Page 56 of The Focal Point

I shook my head. “I have no idea. I only bought them for Bailey to decorate.”

“You bought them so you could spend time with Bailey.” Tom raised his beer can to me before he took a swig.

“Not helping,” I repeated.

“I wasn’t trying to.”

Scout was leaning against Tom’s leg, his long snout raised as he looked adoringly at my best friend, his tongue hanging out the side of his mouth.

“Are you going to flip them?” Tom asked. “With Bailey’s work, they should be worth even more than you bought them f—Sorry.”

My friend had caught my glare at the mention of Bailey’s name and had the decency to flush.

“Seriously, though. What are you going to do with them?”

I shook my head. “Like I said, I don’t know. I haven’t exactly been in the right headspace to figure it out.”

Silence fell over the room as we considered what to do. It was silly to hold on to two superfluous houses—what use did I have for them? But they couldn’t just sit there unused. Should I just sell them?

But I shuddered away from the thought of selling the places Bailey had designed. They were her, every touch, every detail, every paint color, curtain fabric, and piece of art.

Living in a place where I could see and feel Bailey every moment I was home was exquisite torture, but I would rather have that than erase her from my life and pretend she had never existed.

“What if—”

I raised my head to see Tom watching me, an expression on his face I knew well. It was the one he had worn every time he had an idea, whether it was good or bound to get us in trouble or driven to the hospital—or both. Maybe all three.

“What?” I asked warily. What kind of trouble could we get in with houses?

One corner of his mouth lifted in a smirk. “I have an idea, and it might just help you get Bailey back.”

I was off the stool in half a heartbeat. “What? How?”

The smirk grew into a grin. “Let’s show Bailey that her work has meaning.”

I still didn’t know what my best friend was planning, but I felt a small bit of hope for the first time in a week. Tom was my chief technology officer because he always had good plans. I just hoped this one worked.

Chapter 23

Bailey

––––––––

A CHILD RAN BY LAUGHING, splashing through a puddle, water erupting around her multi-colored rainboots. I watched the ripples spread from the disturbance to the edge, then back again, colliding until the waves looked like a kaleidoscope. When it finally cleared, I could see the world inverted, trees against the blue sky, some still with late-blooming blossoms.

I wished I could clear my mind as easily as the puddle cleared, but it was still that mess of waves colliding with waves until everything was a confused muddle.

Blowing out a loud sigh, I let my head fall back and closed my eyes, feeling the dappled light. The sun felt good on my skin, the breeze fresh, and the sound of traffic and birds and people in the park a reminder that the world was still out there beyond the silence of my office and apartment.

I knew I was supposed to seek refuge inside, but today for lunch, I had sought refuge somewhere other than the places I had occupied almost entirely for two weeks. Especially since the rain had stopped. The sky had finally cleared after nearly an unusual week of rain, but weather that had perfectly matched my mood—dark and stormy, a swirling ocean of confusion.

Growing up, I prided myself on my drive, self-assurance, and ability to know my own mind. It was part of the reason the issue with Russ had been so humiliating—he had turned me into someone I didn’t know, who didn’t trust herself, and who had misjudged someone so entirely for years.

Once the fog had cleared and I had seen my ex for who he was, it took me time to trust myself again. Then I bent myself toward regaining that knowledge of myself and my mind so it would never happen again.

And yet, Liam had somehow slipped into my life. He had become first a client, then a friend, and then someone I didn’t want to be without.

I was still angry at him. Furious, even. I still didn’t know if I could trust him or if everything he had done had been a lie.