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“Eight-hour round trip. We’ll be at the auction for an hour or two. My eyes are only on one piece of equipment, which will be at the front of the line. I bid and fill out the paperwork, and then we’ll be back on theroad.”
“Sounds like a whole process. How often do you do this, and why do you doit?”
“Once or twice a month, depending on what they have for sale. Hudson and I buy machinery that needs to be updated. We fix it up, modernize it—that kind of stuff. Then, we sell it to farmers and construction companies around thearea.”
Interesting. I knew he and Hudson did some type of machinery work but never knew what exactly itwas.
Stella’s explanation consisted of, “They fix stuff and sell machines,” which wasn’t as thorough as hisanswer.
“How did you get into it?” I want to draw out every detail of his life that Ican.
“My grandfather started the business decades ago. My dad ran it after he passed and while I was in LA and Hudson was in the military. He’s ready to retire, so he asked us to take over. Since we’re home for good now, we figured it was the perfect time. We’ve already expanded the business and doubled ourclientele.”
“So, you bid on the machines you want and then take them to the shop if youwin?”
“Most of the time, I bring a trailer and tow the machine with my truck, but today, I’ll have a contractor pick it up and deliver it to theshop.”
I squint my eyes at him. “Why not tow ittoday?”
“It’s not only uncomfortable, but also a longer trip when towing a piece of heavy machinery. I want you to becomfortable.”
Dallas might have had parts of his heart shattered, but fragments are still shoved in there, beating. He’s kind even though he’s heartbroken. He’s miserable, but he manages to consider otherpeople.
“I’ve been on eighteen-hour flights and gone straight to work without sleeping for another twenty-four,” I tell him. “It’s nothing compared to traveling withStella.”
“You get paid for that. You’re not getting paid for this, and quite frankly, even if you were, I’d still want to make it comfortable for you.” He shakes his head and whistles. “I sure don’t miss traveling withStella.”
I nod in agreement. “At first, it was a blast, but it’s not always glitz and glam, working for Hollywood’sfinest.”
His fingers close around the steering wheel, and he stares at the road. “Seemed like a good idea then, but I have myregrets.”
“Regrets about working for her or not moving back when Lucydid?”
“Both, to be honest.” The ease of his laid-back mood evaporates. We’ve moved from the weather to an intimate conversation. “Moving to LA was Lucy’s idea. I was fine with staying in Iowa, but she wanted achange.”
I’ve been curious about Dallas’s story since he started working for Stella. She filled me in on small details, and I picked up information here and there, but we never ventured into personal conversations, never let our real life seep through the cracks of our professionalone.
“You moved for her?” Iask.
“I loved her.” So much was said in those threewords.
“Why did you stay when she movedback?”
Dallas had been working for Stella for three years when Lucy moved back home. Stella was a stressed mess, worried about finding a new bodyguard as good as him, but he decided to stay, relieving usboth.
Sadness. Regret. Tension. All of those emotions pass over his face. “I offered, sometimes even begged when the loneliness of missing my family barreled through, but Lucy insisted I stay. The money was too good to pass up. Our plan was to save enough money, so I could move home after a few years. We’d be able to live more comfortably.” More waves of sadness smack into him, and he pauses. “Fuckit.”
I stay quiet, not sure if he’s going to shut down or breakdown.
He expels a long breath before going on, “I’ve never told anyone this, not even Hudson. We …” He hesitates again. “We were trying for another baby. Maven was unplanned, so we wanted to do things the right way. Expand our family. Funny how life works. We could conceive when we weren’t ready but couldn’t when we were. Her doctor suggested IVF, which costs a fucking fortune, so we decided to save money and try it in a fewyears.”
Wow.
My heart breaks at his confession. He was desperately trying to have another baby with his wife and failed. Then, I got pregnant after a one-night stand with him. His wish for more kids has been granted but with the wrongwoman.
“You regret not coming back,” I say, my voice thick, my throathurting.
“Every fucking day of mylife.”
