Page 62 of Wish I Might
“Knock that off, or you are going to sleep on the couch.”
“Sorry.”Smug now, she turned back onto her side, away from him.“Goodnight, Nash.”
“Goodnight, Bailey,” he said, and with her scent wrapped around him in a teasing caress, closed his eyes.
* * * *
She was already gone when his alarm went off the next morning, and he found a note next to the coffee pot telling him that she’d contacted her HVAC guy and was waiting for a call back.Taking it philosophically, he poured himself a cup of coffee and went to take a shower.
Since his office faced North, the room was relatively cool, so he decided to stick with working from home.He pulled the fan in from the bedroom and kept the shades pulled and the lights off, and it worked pretty well until he had a two-hour Zoom meeting.His boss insisted on having everyone on camera so he had to turn on the lights and turn off the fan so it didn’t interfere with the audio, and by the time the meeting was over he was ready for another shower.
He was just climbing out when his phone rang.Dripping wet, he scooped it off the edge of the sink to frown at it.Unknown number, and he started to swipe it to voicemail when he remembered Sawyer.
Nerves buzzing, he answered on speaker.“Hello.”
“I’m looking for Nash Kavanagh.”
Nash snagged the towel off the rack and started to dry off.“Speaking.”
“I’m Sawyer.”
“Thanks for getting in touch,” Nash said, then wondered,okay, what next?
“No problem,” Sawyer replied.“I understand you’re looking to hire a couple of people for a project.”
Nash draped the towel around his shoulders and grinned into the fogged mirror.“In a manner of speaking.I assume Jesse filled you in?”
“He gave me the basics,” Sawyer allowed in a slow drawl.
“And?”
“And, I’m interested.But I’ll want to hear the specifics before I agree to participate.”
“Understood.”Nash mentally ran through his afternoon schedule.He was clear of meetings until four, and since it was lunchtime now… “Are you available to meet?”
“Now?”
“I’ll buy you lunch,” Nash offered.“We can go over the details.”
“That might work.Hold on a moment.”
When the phone went silent, Nash assumed he’d been put on mute, and took the opportunity to towel dry his hair.He had the towel slung around his hips and was digging in the fridge for a cold Coke when Sawyer came back on the line.
“I can do lunch in half an hour, but I need to be clear by two.”
Nash looked at the clock on the stove, did some quick math.“That’s fine.How about The Wild Orchid, in say, half an hour?”
“I’ll be there.You’re aware of my meeting fee?”
“I am,” Nash confirmed, recalling the FAQ section on Sawyer’s website.The fee for meeting with Sawyer to discuss things in person would come off the booking fee, if they decided to move forward.“I assume cash is acceptable.”
“More than,” Sawyer said, amused.“See you in half an hour, Nash.”
He clicked off, and Nash, Coke forgotten, went to the bedroom to dress.
* * * *
He got to the pub with time to spare, but Sawyer was already seated at far end of the bar when he walked in, nursing a beer in a pint glass and watching the door.He gave Nash a nod, said something to the bartender—not Chloe, Nash noted—then stood and crossed the room.“Nash?”
