Page 20 of Live Like There's No Tomorrow
“Yeah, thanks. But I don’t want to even think about it. I get to talk to Charlie this afternoon. That’s all I want to think about.”
“Okay. Well, I’ll leave you to it. Let me know how it goes?”
“Thanks. I will.”
When he was done in the office, Ben went to check on the restaurant. He groaned inwardly when he saw Emma sitting out on the deck with Jack’s mom, Chris. He could hardly pretend not to see her. She was grinning and waving at him.
“Hey,” he said when he reached the table. “We missed you at breakfast this morning.”
Emma folded her hands on top of her baby bump. “There was no way I was going to get down here that early. It takes me all my time to get out of bed these days.”
Chris smiled. “Make the most of it. In a few weeks you’ll be longing for the days when you could stay in bed and not have to get up and see to the baby.”
Emma nodded. “So everyone keeps telling me, but I’ll still be glad not to be the size of a bus anymore.” She narrowed her eyes at Ben. “And I want to get the christening organized soon.”
Ben shook his head at her.
“Well?”
“I’ll tell you what, how about I give you a call this evening and let you know.”
Her eyes widened. “Really?”
Ben couldn’t help grinning. “Yeah, really, but that’s all I’m saying for now.” He smiled at Chris. “And how are you?”
She nodded. “Doing wonderfully, thank you. I thought this was supposed to be a sleepy little town, but my life’s been busier than ever since I moved here.”
“Good for you.”
Emma chuckled. “A little too good for you, according to Jack.”
Chris laughed. “He’s just too protective and too nosey. It’s none of his business what I get up to.”
Ben smiled. Chris had been in the restaurant quite a lot lately with one of the pilots in training from Smoke’s flight school.
“It’s nothing serious.” Chris waggled her eyebrows. “I’m just having a little fun for the first time in way too many years.”
“I think it’s great,” said Emma. “Just don’t tell Jack I said that.”
Ben’s phone rang in his pocket and his heart started to hammer. He checked his watch. One minute past twelve. He fished his phone out and checked the display. It was her.
He hit answer and brought it up to his ear. “Charlie!”
Emma’s hands flew up to cover her mouth as she stared at him wide-eyed. He waved a hand at her and turned to go back to the office. How the hell had the time gotten away from him so quickly?
“Hi, Ben.”
“Hi yourself.” This was crazy. He was tongue-tied. He made it back to the office and closed the door behind him and sat down. “How are you?” He got up again and locked the door. He did not want to be disturbed; this might be the most important phone call of his life.
“All the better for hearing your voice. I’ve missed you.”
“I’ve missed you, too. So much.”
“I feel as though I’ve missed you my whole life, but these last few months have been even harder.”
“I know. It’s been like having hope dangled in front of me and then having to wait in silence.”
“I wanted to talk to you. Every day I wanted to talk to you.”
