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“Westin!” I squeal, my voice bubbling over with elation.
“God, I've missed your voice.” He sighs into the phone. “I'm so sorry I haven't had a chance to call. You wouldn't believe how hard it is to get reception where I’m staying.”
I relax at his words. So he hasn't been avoiding me. I shake my head at myself, continuing on down the sidewalk, taking the long way back to the bakery.
Westin fills me in on all things Germany. So far I have learned that cell phone reception sucks. He's completely lost because he doesn't speak a lick of German. He has to walk, everywhere. Every place takes coin money, which is horrible because you constantly have to carry around change. And nudity is not as frowned upon there as it is here. Apparently, he learned that during his first night when he turned on the television to see a completely nude man on the screen, on a public channel no less.
I can't help but laugh as he shares, wishing there were some way that I could be there with him.
“So what you're saying is...” I pause as I push my way inside the bakery, smiling at Kari as I pass her at the register.
“I hate Germany,” he states flatly, finishing my sentence.
Throwing my jacket and purse onto the counter, I start pulling out ingredients for a cake order I have to have finished for tomorrow. That's one good thing about this time of year. With Halloween and all the other fall festivities going on, business is usually pretty good, which keeps me busy. And lord knows I can use the distraction.
“I'm sorry.” I balance the phone between my face and shoulder as I crack open a couple of eggs and drop them into a bowl. “So how long do you have to be there again?”
“At least two more weeks. I’m confident it shouldn't take longer than that. Though in this line of work, you never can be too sure.”
“So what exactly are you working on there?” I ask, knowing full well he’s not allowed to disclose that information. I grew up with a father in the business, so I know how secretive these things are kept.
“You know I can't say.” He laughs. “But nice try.”
“Fine, don't tell me.”
“Scarlett.” His voice comes across the line, so serious I immediately stop what I’m doing and give him my full attention.
“Yeah?”
Before he has a chance to answer, several voices echo through the phone, making it sound like he just stepped inside a busy elevator or something.
“I'm sorry, I gotta go. I'll call you later.” And just like that, the line goes dead.
Pulling the device away from my ear, I stare at the blank screen for a long moment, not sure if I should be offended by the way he ended the call, or nervous about what he was going to say but didn't get the chance to.
Before my mind can get too carried away with worst case scenarios, Kari comes into the kitchen and starts talking to me about some upcoming things we have going on. Thankful for the distraction, I continue to work on my cake while we discuss ideas for our upcoming winter specials.
But even as I try to focus all my efforts on the here and now, I can't stop my mind from drifting back to Westin every now and again. I think about what he's doing. What he's wearing. I imagine him sitting around a board room table, his pressed suit fitting his toned body perfectly, his posture straight, his demeanor professional.
If there is one thing I can bet for certain, that man probably looks like a damn God when he walks into a courtroom. His very presence demanding respect. His looks commanding the attention of every female in attendance, and maybe even some of the males as well.
What I wouldn't give to see him at work. And who knows, maybe one day I will. Or at least that's what I think about as I stare up at my bedroom ceiling wishing for sleep. I think about him. Me. Us. What our lives could be like together if we ever really had our chance.
But then just like that, the fear comes back to the forefront of my mind. What if we don't get a future? What if he leaves me like he did before? What if I never know a life of happiness because a life with Westin will never be a possibility? What if?
There are a lot of unknowns where we’re concerned and only one thing I know to be true. I love that man like a day has not passed since I was sixteen. Like he never left me and we haven't spent the last ten years apart. I can't explain it, but in some weird way, I feel like time has not changed the people we are.
Sure, we are grown up now. Live in different places. Have lives of our own. But at our core, are we really any different than we were ten years ago? And if we're not, what is to stop us from making the same mistakes we made back then?
