Page 58 of The Meeting
When he finally noticed both women staring at him, he realized he had yet to respond.
“That’s exciting. For both of you. Kailynn, it must be a relief not to have to find a place, huh?”
She nodded.
The silence enveloped them, so Abi cleared her throat. “Chase, once I get all settled into Logan’s, we’ll have a game night.”
“That sounds great. Count me in.”
He gave another glance at Kailynn where she busied herself shifting boxes inside the car. The car had already been meticulously packed, so it seemed unnecessary... which only led him to believe she was avoiding him.
Abi gave him an apologetic look, which he shrugged off. Something was clearly going on, and now he wanted to know what. He vowed to contact Kailynn later to schedule some time for them to talk within the next few days. But right now, he needed to get to work.
“Okay, well, I need to get to the office. It was great seeing both of you.”
Abi smiled, and Kailynn gave him a half wave. She barely looked up from the boxes. He would have to take it for now.
When he steppedinto his office, he made a beeline straight to his desk. He needed to knock out as much work as possible so he could make time for Kailynn. Her barely acknowledging him when she was usually friendly or flirty was a slap in the face. He knew it was his fault. He had been so busy he hadn’t made the time to talk to her or see her. It only took that brief run-in for him to realize she probably thought he was only after her for sex—something he had gotten far too early in their relationship. He knew it would come back to bite him, and he only realized now that it was his fault she probably felt used.
He had no intention of ever making her feel that way, and he knew he needed to prove she was more than that.
He buckled down and pushed through his caseloads as quickly and efficiently as he could. He had never had trouble getting through his work. It was rare for anything to interrupt his thoughts when he was focused, but somehow, thoughts of Kailynn crept in. He had to constantly remind himself to stop thinking about it. Pretty soon, he was through all of his work for the night and nearly caught up.
He sat back at his desk and stared at the piles of folders that were now finished. A sense of pride washed through him. He had to build his business from the ground up in a city where he didn’t know anyone. Now, his business thrived, he had made friends, and he was enjoying life... something that had eluded him for too many years.
When he and his ex-wife Allison had split, he hadn’t wanted to try for a relationship again. Marriage was off the table. There was no desire in ever being trapped in a miserable situation. He had dated, but no woman had ever come close to being anyone he would want to spend time with.
Now that he had met Kailynn, he found himself rethinking his situation. She was someone he wanted—someone he desired.
What if she could be the person for him? What if she could be his soulmate?
He shook his head. What if, what if. He knew what if scenarios wouldn’t get him anywhere. The only thing he needed to do now was find out if she could be the one.
He needed to take her out on a proper date and treat her like the queen she was.
* * *
Kailynn satin the living room with an open bottle of wine and a glass poured to the brim. This was her first time living alone—her first night not having a roommate. Ever since she moved out of her parents’ house, she had roommates—either friends or boyfriends. She had never had a place to herself.
And she did not know what to do with herself.
She picked up her phone to call Abi, but immediately set it back down. Today was a big day for Abi. She was finally living with Logan, which was a huge step in itself, and she didn’t need Kailynn calling her out of boredom and loneliness.
Kailynn stood up and grabbed her glass, taking a sip so she wouldn’t spill. Walking slowly back to her former room, she stared at the space before her. They had transformed it into Kailynn’s workspace. She moved all of her personal belongings into Abi’s old room where the bed was. She hadn’t seen a point in moving the bed to the other room, so it made the most sense to make Abi’s room hers and her old room the workspace.
Abi and Logan had helped her add shelving units to the walls to mimic the space she had at her former office, but this space was bigger. She had so much more room to work and spread out that she couldn’t help the bubbly feeling expanding her chest.
She hadn’t set everything up yet, but she was at least able to get all of her personal belongings out of her new workspace. She set the wineglass down on a folding table sitting in the corner. One thing she needed to do was move her working tables from her office over to her new place before the lease ran out in a week.
Picking up a piece of art Abi had painted her, she held it at arm’s length. Abi usually painted landscapes, but occasionally she would do a portrait. Kailynn was one person who had ever been so lucky to receive one.
The painting depicted a woman sitting at a sewing machine working away. A beautiful dress sat on a mannequin in the corner. The woman was Kailynn. Abi had painted Kailynn the way she envisioned her. It was a beautiful gift that Kailynn knew she would treasure for the rest of her life—something she felt she didn’t deserve.
She set the painting down and walked over to the wall with a hammer and nail. Once the painting was hung, she stood back and smiled at it. This place was coming along nicely, she decided.
Her phone dinged, signaling a text message, so she fished her phone out of her pocket. It was from Chase.
No one is being beaten over there, right?
