Page 11 of Bailey Bangs Her Brother's Best Friend
That’s fair.
Want to see my place?We can video call.
Sure.
My phone rings immediately and I answer, sitting up so I look like a normal human being in the video.Echo yowls at being dislodged from my chest and the first thing Bailey says is, “Was that Echo?”
“Yup.”I point the phone at my cat, who’s settling back into a loaf on the warm spot on the couch.Bailey doesn’t know Echo very well, but she knows Echo’s sister, Raven—Hunter’s cat.
“Hey, sweetie,” Bailey croons.Echo’s ears twitch and she meows back.“God, she’s such a beautiful cat.”
“I know,” I say, unreasonable pride in my voice.A few years ago, the cat distribution system dropped two kittens in my backyard.One of them was yowling up a storm, and when I stepped outside, she walked right up to me, immediately twined herself around my ankles, and I fell completely in love with her.
She’s beautiful and sweet and lord knows where they came from.She’s smart too, and loves to talk back, hence the name.Raven’s quieter, and Hunter was going to help me find a home for her but he quickly failed at his job and became a fellow cat dad.
Bailey talks to my cat a bit more, Echo chatting up a storm in response.I can’t remember if the two of them have ever met, but I post pictures of Echo on Instagram enough that Bailey knows her.
Finally, Bailey says, “Okay, Montgomery, let’s see your place.”
I stand up and walk toward the back of the house.Fortunately, I’m a neat person, so there’s only a few items of clothing on my unmade bed that I quickly sweep into the closet and shut the door.I step back and angle the camera so Bailey can get a sense of the space.
“Very nice, Montgomery.”
My bedspread is dove gray.My sheets are white, and I’ve got some of my photographs framed above the bed, nature shots I took.But the big thing I wanted to show her...
I push the curtains back, my fingers grazing the cold glass door.It’s dark outside, so there’s not much to see right now, but Bailey still gasps.“Is that a balcony?”
“A porch,” I correct.“And I have a view of the mountain.”I squint into the darkness, my breath fogging slightly against the glass.The mountain’s lit up for nighttime skiing but I don’t think it’ll come out well on the video call thanks to the reflections on the window.“It’s to the left.Hard to see right now but I promise it’s there.”
“This could work,” Bailey says, more excited now.
Her enthusiasm makes my chest warm.She’s excited.About using my space.About trusting me with this.
“You can use the bathroom.”I switch on the light to the en suite and show her the space.Leo, another friend from growing up who is now a general contractor, and I renovated it when I bought the house three years ago, so it’s the most modern room.Right now it’s cluttered from my daily routine.“I’ll clean it up, of course.And even if you have to buy a few things to get the looks you had in mind”—I immediately think of my nightstand that I got off Facebook Marketplace and has a chunk missing out of the corner—“it’s probably cheaper than renting the Taylor house.”
We talk a bit more about logistics, what Bailey needs to bring and what she wants me to move before she gets there.After we hang up, I stare at my bed for a long moment.
In three days, Bailey will be here.In that bed.And I’ll be standing right where I am now, camera in hand, trying to keep my thoughts professional while photographing someone I’ve had feelings for since I was a teenager.Back when it was an innocent crush that I could pretend would go away.
They never did.
I should start making a list.Move the nightstand—that chunk missing from the corner won’t photograph well.Clear off the dresser.Maybe get some of those clips Morgan uses at the bar to keep the curtains back at the right angle.
Echo jumps back onto the bed, settling into her favorite spot right in the middle.
“You’re going to have to share that weekend,” I tell her.
She yawns, unimpressed by my problems.
Three days.I have three days to prepare my house, my equipment, and somehow, my brain for this.
The house and equipment I can handle.
My brain?That’s going to be the problem.
Silas
Saturday.The day.It’s here.
