AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I broke it off. She was upset, maybe angry more than upset. Honestly, I don’t believe I meant more to her than a few ticked boxes. She wanted a child and a family, accused me of wasting her time. And she was right.”
Hope gaped. “Oh, fuck off! How else do you figure out if someone’s for you if it’s not by spending time with them? How long were you with her?”
“Four months?” I tried to recall.
“Pshaw, that’s nothing. Four months,” she scoffed. “She wanted a proposal and guarantee of forever after four months?”
“I’d move Minty in with me tomorrow,” I admitted. Fearful of what I might find in Hope’s eyes, I avoided her gaze. What was I afraid of?
That she secretly hoped for something more between us?
That she wouldn’t accept Minty?
That she, the one who knew me best, might reduce me to what everyone else sees?
Her slender fingers wrapping around my knee propelled me to look at her. Determination shone from her face.
“Don’t let your past get in the way. Be honest with her. Don’t let her go.” She studied my face for a moment before whispering, “Lucky, you’re my best friend and it’s not because you’re good-looking or play guitar in a band. It’s not even the fact that you smile and laugh and make the air brighter in any space you occupy. You are steadfast, loyal, honest, andkind. You’re so kind, Lucky.”
“So, I’m a good catch?” I smiled wryly at her.
She withdrew her hand but not her attention. “You are. If anyone deserves the love of a good woman, it’s you. I want you to have a woman who appreciates you like I do, but puts you first before anyone else, and also wants to jump your bones.”
I laughed, because that’s who I am, but I wondered if Minty would ever see past the good-time guy to the man who wanted to love her.
Because I could admit it to myself at least. I wanted to love her.
I wondered if she would ever see what Hope saw in me.
I transferred Brayleigh back into her crib and prayed she’d sleep until morning.
Minty
Junie spent less and less time at the office. We still met there every morning, but by early afternoon, she was ready to call it a day.
With Willa gone, the atmosphere in the office had shifted. Junie’s interest in the entire business had waned, and I found myself with less and less to do. Usually, a change in routine like that would stress me out but with Lucky in my life, free time was play time. As if she could read my mind, Junie tossed her pen on her desk and twisted sideways to face me.
“You know, I just don’t have the heart to go after the bigger clients without Willa.” She drummed her fingers on her desk.
“You don’t have to hang onto this office space, Junie,” I reminded her. “I can rent it to someone else tomorrow.”
Junie’s eyebrows arched up in surprise. “Oh, I’m not worried about that. Not at all. Willa wants to keep it until the end of the year at least, and I think they are trying to work out whether Barrett can swing the move. Would you be open to renting it to Barrett?”
“Of course,” I replied. “I meant what I said. In fact, I should make it clear that the rent will not change. That may help them decide.”
“She doesn’t expect that,” Junie confided gently. “Neither does he.”
I waved her off. “I’m happy to do it. I’m still making money and I don’t honestly need that much. Besides, I’d be helping her and that pleases me. And you, sweets. You don’t need to pay rent here for me to keep up with your administration tasks. You’ll be saving money, too. Which might give you room to seek out only those niche clients you want to take on.”
Junie relaxed back in her seat and grinned. “In that case, how about we meet here Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday mornings only. Anything else that needs doing we can do from home.” She made a point to look at the time. “Which means we’re done for the day!”
As soon as I told him, Lucky wanted me to stay with him on my days off. We had only spent the night together a few times so this was novel territory for us. Our relationship was so fresh that everything was new territory. He offered to come to my place on the nights he didn’t have Brayleigh if I preferred, but something about that didn’t sit well with me.
While I loved what Lucky and I were building, I still craved my familiar, undisturbed space.
It was a matter of needing a space to regroup rather than space away from him. I had not considered that angle when I decided to jump back into the love game. With a child in the mix, it would be even harder, ha, it would be impossible to keep tight control over my environment.
I didn’t need everything to be just so, but there were some things that were almost non-negotiable. I needed to see clear surfaces. Especially in the kitchen. Particularly around food preparation. One of the thoughts I struggled with was insects in my food. Clear counters were important.
