Page 68 of Searching for Bristol
“Will it be weird if I askhimto move in withme?” Bristol asked.
Lilly shifted in her seat after she’d turned off the engine and shook her head. “No.”
“You sound so sure,” Bristol said with a small wrinkle of her nose.
“Look, the Watson brothers know what they want, and they don’t mess around when it comes to getting it. Rocky hates that apartment, but it’s easy. He’ll jump at the chance to move out. Not in a he-wants-to-mooch-off-someone-else kind of way. But more in a way that he’ll be relieved you aren’t living in a shithole anymore.”
“His apartment isn’t a shithole,” Bristol said, defending Rocky’s home.
Lilly simply raised an eyebrow.
“Okay, it’s not the Taj Mahal, but it’s not awful. The water heater rocks.”
Lilly laughed.
“I just don’t want to flaunt the fact that I have plenty of money. I don’t want him to feel bad about that.”
“Then find a house that needs work,” Lilly said with a shrug. “Something that he can fix up. He’ll feel as if he’s contributing in a way other men wouldn’t be able to, and he’s really excellent at what he does. But also, there’s more to life than money.”
That was actually a really good idea. Bristol had always found older homes held more charm than the newer cookie-cutter houses anyway. She smiled widely at her friend.
“Right. So, after breakfast, and seeing Finley…you want to drive around and see what Fallport has to offer in the way of houses and future Bristol Wingham original stained-glass workshops?” Lilly asked.
Bristol couldn’t keep the smile off her face. “Yes!”
“Cool.”
Itwascool.
* * *
Later that night, Bristol’s good mood from the morning had slipped away. She’d been so excited about the prospect of moving to Fallport and thrilled with Lilly’s support. In fact, Lilly had insisted on calling Elsie and telling her all about how Bristol was thinking about moving to their town permanently. Bristol heard Elsie’s screech of excitement through the phone.
She and Lilly had a great time driving around looking at houses, and making notes about what was most important in any house she might consider purchasing. They’d stopped at On the Rocks for a late lunch, and Elsie had sat with them and added her own encouragement about Bristol’s potential move.
But now she was back in Rocky’s apartment, and he still wasn’t home. And she hadn’t heard from him either. The worry she’d been able to push away for most of the day was back full force. He’d been gone almost twenty-four hours now, and she was concerned about whether he’d been able to get a good meal. If he’d slept at all. And, of course, if he and his team had been able to track down the bad guy.
She wanted to pace, but that wasn’t possible with crutches. And since that wasn’t an option, she wanted to get lost in making stained glass. But she couldn’t do that either. Trying to work with small beads hadn’t reduced her anxiety. So all she could do was sit on the couch and stress.
Just when she was about to lose her mind, her phone vibrated. Picking it up, Bristol’s breath caught in her throat when she saw a text from Rocky on the screen.
Rocky: Cell service sucks, so I hope you get this. We’re wrapping things up. Should be home in an hour or so. Everything okay?
The smile on her face was probably extremely sappy and goofy, but Bristol didn’t care. She was so relieved to hear from Rocky, her hands were shaking. She took a deep breath to try to calm herself before texting back.
Bristol: Everything’s perfect now that I know you’re all right. You are all right, aren’t you? Are you hungry? I could make something for dinner.
Rocky: I’m fine. I could eat. But don’t go out of your way. Anything sounds good right about now.
His message just made her more determined to make something filling and healthy.
Bristol: Can’t wait to see you. Drive safe. See you when you get home.
Rocky: Home. Funny, I’ve never seen that apartment as home until you moved in. See you soon.
She stared at his words for a long moment, happiness spreading through her. Then she forced herself to get up. If she was going to have dinner waiting for him, she needed to get her butt in gear.
* * *
