It’s getting late, and I have an early flight. I try his phone, to let him know that I’ll be asleep, but I just get his voice mail.
“Hey, just wanted to let you know that I’m going to sleep for a while. Come on in and wake me up when you get home. See you soon.”
I lie down, and the next thing I know, my phone is ringing.
“’Lo?”
“It’s Eli. I’m sorry, Kate.”
“What time is it?”
“It’s after two. I’m not going to make it back tonight. I got hung up here. I’ll have to send someone to take you to the airport in the morning.”
Um. Wait. What?
“Okay.”
“I’m so sorry, Kate. I have to go. Please take care of yourself. Thanks for everything. Take care and safe travels.”
And with that, he’s gone.
“Thanks?” I ask the empty room. “Take care and safe travels?”
I sit and blink into the blackness. Did that really just happen, or did I dream it? I check my phone, and sure enough. It was real.
He’s not coming back.
I stare at my phone as it goes black and feel my eyes well. He’s just my friend. This shouldn’t upset me at all. So I don’t get to have sex with him one more time. So I don’t get to feel the weight of him on top of me, or his lips on my skin. So I don’t get to hear that sexy accent of his as he whispers in my ear because he’s so darn turned on he can’t help himself.
So I don’t get to feel his hands on my back as he holds me, or see the special way he smiles at me when he thinks I’m being particularly adorable or ridiculous.
So what?
It’s a clean break. Like ripping off the Band-Aid quickly. It’s probably for the best.
And hurts worse than any slap in the face.
I thought I’d at least get to say goodbye in person.
I lie back and can’t stop the tears that flood my eyes, and that only pisses me off more. I refuse to waste one more tear on a man. Any man. Especially a man who doesn’t love me and says goodbye with safe travels.
No more tears.
Not one.
I roll onto my belly and bury my face in the pillow, crying angrily. Why did I let myself fall in love with him? Haven’t I learned anything?
***
“Hey, superstar,” Declan says, when I open the door for him and turn to gather my luggage.
“Good morning. Thanks for picking me up.”
“No problem. Eli said he—”
“I don’t care what Eli said,” I interrupt, and then scowl. “That sounded really bitchy.”
“Kind of.” He helps me gather my bags.
“The moving people will come get the rest later today or tomorrow.”
Declan nods and follows me down the steps. I glance to my left, and also coming down Eli’s steps is Gabby’s friend, Cindy.
She glances over at us, smiles and waves, and then walks to her car, climbs in, and leaves.
Are you fucking kidding me?
“She’s a little slut,” Declan mutters, as he loads my bags into the back of his car.
“So is your brother,” I reply. “That is what he got hung up with last night?”
“Hey,” Dec holds his hands up in surrender. “I honestly don’t know. I was simply asked to come take you to the airport.” He winces and offers me a sympathetic smile. “I’m sorry.”
“Whatever,” I reply and get in the passenger side. “It was over anyway.”
“Was it?”
“It sure as heck is now.”
Chapter Twenty
Eli
I drop into the chair behind my desk, lean my elbows on the smooth wood and prop my head in my hands, gripping my hair in my fists. It’s after eight in the morning, and I just got here.
I never went home.
All I want to do is sleep, so I’ll take a cold shower, get dressed, and get back to work.
Back to my life.
But first, I dial Kate’s number, needing to hear her soothing, sweet voice after the fucked up night I just had, and frown when I’m immediately sent to the automated voice of her mailbox.
Her plane has taken off.
And it’s probably for the best.
“You okay?” Beau asks, as he walks into my office and flops into the chair across from me, looking every bit as exhausted as I feel.
“I feel the way you look,” I reply. “I told Sal to replace that hydraulic. I told him. I made it very clear what would happen if he didn’t.”
“We just never planned on a guy being killed in the night shift because he didn’t do it fast enough,” Beau replies, and rubs his eyes with the pads of his fingers.
“It was pride,” I spit out. “I bruised his fucking ego, so he drug his feet.”
“Well, he can drag his feet all the way to the unemployment office.”
I nod grimly. “That doesn’t help that young man’s widow and two small kids.”
“We’ll make sure they’re very well taken care of.”
“Something tells me she’d rather have her husband,” I whisper sadly.
“Eli,” Beau begins and scratches his scruffy cheek. “I wanted to tell you, I was really fucking proud of you last night.”
I raise a brow and watch my older brother. He’s my best friend, and we respect each other, but we’re men.
We don’t get mushy.
I shift in my chair, uncomfortable, but he keeps going.
“You handled the situation perfectly.”
“I didn’t do it alone,” I remind him. “You were right there with me, taking on your fair share of the work.”
“Yes, and I’ll continue to, but you did great. Dad would have been impressed.”
I smirk. “Right.”
Beau cocks his head, narrows his eyes. “Dad loved you.”
“I know.”
And I do. But, he didn’t respect me, and wasn’t impressed by anything I did once in my life.
“You’re a good man, Eli. A fair one. A good leader. I’m proud of you.”
“Thank you.”
“Is she gone?” he asks suddenly, changing the subject.
“Yes.”
He sighs. “And you let her go.”
“She doesn’t live here, Beau. She has a life and a job.”
He shakes his head at me. “I’m sorry you missed last night with her. She was good for you.”
So am I. So fucking sorry.
“Did you at least call and say goodbye?”
“I’m not a dick, Beau. Of course. I called and wished her safe travels.”