Page 63 of The Focal Point

“So, thanks, Mom. You did well.”

Applause accompanied appreciative laughter and a whoop of joy from Bailey’s assistant, Kristen, which made Bailey laugh, too. My father wiped at his eyes with the back of his hand while my sister wrapped her arms around him and beamed up at me.

Bailey, too, was grinning up at me from under my arm, her face shining with happiness, and I dipped my head to kiss her.

“Love you, too,” she murmured, stepping back as I released her to indicate the woman who stood to the other side.

“And I’d like to introduce Bianca, who has been an integral part of this process and getting everything up and running. She will be managing the houses. Please give her a warm welcome.”

Bianca thanked me and moved forward, opening her mouth to speak, only to let out an “oof” as Scout came out of nowhere and jumped up, his paws on her shoulders and an enormous grin on his snout. She nearly tumbled back but managed to catch herself. I held my breath, waiting for the outburst, but instead, she began to laugh and ruffled the dog’s ears.

“Scout, down!” Tom was scrambling for his dog. But I hadn’t missed his moment of hesitation nor how his wide-eyed gaze had locked on to Bianca’s face. I had known the guy for a long time, and that meant something special, even if I knew Tom would be difficult about it.

Well, I hoped it was his turn. I couldn’t wait to rub it in his face. Lovingly, like a brother, of course.

“Love you,” Bailey said again, wrapping her arms around my waist.

“Love you, too.”

I kissed the top of her head, grateful beyond belief for everything I had.

***

Bailey

“BAILEY, WHERE ARE YOU?”

Kristen’s voice echoed through the phone I had put on speaker as I rushed around the bathroom, pushing an earring into my ear as I shoved on of my heels on.

“I’m coming. I’m leaving in two minutes.”

“You haven’t even left the house yet?” I heard a panicked edge to my normally unflappable assistant’s voice. “Bailey, you’re going to be so late.”

“I know,” I groaned, pushing in the other earring while I hunted for the second heel. “I had a late night with the new design project and fell asleep without setting my alarm.”

“And Liam wasn’t there to wake you up,” came the reply with a smirk I could hear through the phone.

“I can’t wait until he’s back from New York,” I sighed, down on my hands and knees to search the crevice under the vanity cabinet. The floating design Liam had chosen when he renovated the bathroom was modern and gorgeous. But it made losing things easier, and they always found their way into the dusty black hole underneath.

“There you are,” I muttered, stretching into a thread-the-needle yoga pose to grab my other shoe.

“What?” Kristen’s question cracked through the line.

“Nothing. I’m leaving in two minutes. If the clients get there before I do, give them some swatches or something to get them going,” I said.

“You’re the boss,” came the reply, and the line disconnected.

Sighing, I pushed to my feet using the countertop as leverage, cringing as my knees cracked, and stuffed my foot into the remaining shoe’s missing partner.

Liam had been on a business trip for two weeks—the longest we had been apart since our engagement. We spoke every night and texted each other throughout the day, but it wasn’t quite the same. In fact, I hadn’t been entirely truthful with Kristen—I had forgotten to set my alarm, but Liam had called before the first leg of his flight home to talk, and grateful to hear his voice and see his face, I had entirely lost track of time.

Initially, I had planned to go with him. I hadn’t been to New York in ages, and Liam hadn’t had to do much to talk me into it, although the promise of a shopping spree on his dime and a spa day had been the final push I needed to agree. But at the last second, I’d had to back out for an issue with a difficult client.

Liam was possibly more disappointed than I was, though we wouldn’t have seen much of each other. But that was how it had been for the past couple of months as the wedding drew closer, the planning grew more intense, and business for both of us exploded, including a new house for Hope’s House Foundation.

It was good to have so much work, but it also meant that, many nights, the only time Liam and I saw one another was in bed as we fell in, exhausted and asleep only a few minutes later.

A nagging thought in the back of my head reminded me of Russ, of the excuse he’d used to cheat on me repeatedly—that I was too busy, too career-focused, too much of a workaholic to make time for him. Mainly because I could tell that Liam was feeling the lack of time together.