Page 23 of Barron's Second Chance
A noise outside his door caught his attention, and he turned to see two of his bar staff, Tracey and Anthony, stride past in laughing conversation. Tracey peered discreetly into his office and gave him a quick sultry smile filled with promise.
The busty blonde had been working for him for over a year and had been his casual bed partner at the start, but he would never have gone there if he knew she would be staying in town this long. She was initially hired as a seasonal worker, but Ian hired her as permanent staff when the busy period extended further than they originally expected. Instead of moving onto a bigger city like she had planned to, she decided to make New Haven her home. Barron had a feeling that she only stayed with the hope of starting something exclusive with him. Little did she know that her staying in New Haven would put a screeching halt on what was only an itch to scratch for him. Still, she tried constantly to sway him between the sheets again, to no avail.
Until today.
Tracey was shocked when he pulled her into his office and asked whether she was free tonight. There was no pretense about what Barron wanted, and Tracey eagerly accepted. He didn't know why today of all days he decided to take her up on something she continuously offered in the past. He just knew that ever since he got up this morning, he felt a knot of anxiety in his gut. And then his Mom called, and Barron felt even more restless. Setting up plans with Tracey was a spur-of-the-moment reaction which he was seriously having second thoughts about now. But he didn't want to give her whiplash. Plus, even though he wasn't feeling it much anymore now, it didn't mean that sex wouldn't relieve him from this…whatever this feeling was.
The shrill of his phone brought him out of his conflicted thoughts and he glanced down at the screen, frowning at the unfamiliar number. As a business owner, he was used to random calls, which he usually answered in case it was something important related to The Homestead.
"Hello, Barron speaking." He leaned back on his desk, legs crossed at the ankles as he waited for the anonymous caller to announce themselves.
There was a slight pause before a soft, husky voice came through the line. A voice that had been haunting his dreams for years.
"Barron? It's me." Another heavy pause. "Eden."
Barron shot up straight, heart pounding quickly as a jolt of awareness pulsed in his chest.
Fuck, Eden.
He tried to contain his breathing as a slew of emotions coursed through him.
"Eden," he croaked. He cleared his throat before trying again. "Uh, hey. Eden." He closed his eyes at his lame greeting. Almost seven years of no contact, and that was the line he chose?
Barron ran a hand through his hair and paced his small office. "This is a surprise," he finally said.
"Yeah." She stopped.
Silence.
And more silence.
Shit, this was awkward.
He always imagined that when he had the chance to talk to Eden.Properlytalk to her. He would be concise, confident, and suave. He even had a speech planned on what he would say. An apology. An offer of friendship. A witty remark that would make her smile. A joke that would cause her to laugh. A caress that would get her weak. A stroke that would turn her body on fire.
But for now, he would settle for a simple non-stilted conversation.
"How are you?" He asked, hand gripping his phone tightly.
"Tired but happy to be home." He could hear the smile in her voice; he could picture it clearly in his head, too.
"Good." Another awkward throat clearing. "Good," he repeated before silently swearing at himself.
"I asked your Mom for your number. I hope you don't mind."
Since that wasn't phrased as a question, she carried on. "I know this is out of the blue," she drawled.
Understatement of the year. A feather could knock him over right now.
"But your Mom mentioned today that she's hosting her annual summer barbeque tomorrow."
"Ah, yeah." He stopped pacing and ran more fingers through his hair. "She told me this morning that she was going to invite you. I'm cool with you coming. I would love it if you could. But no big deal if you can't. I get it. It's cool."Shut up, Barron.
"Well, that's why I'm calling," she sighed. It wasn't a sound of annoyance. More like tiredness... weariness. "I'm planning on coming."
His heart picked up speed once more, and his pacing started up again. "Great," he told her, hoping she could hear the sincerity in his voice over his tension. "It would be great to see you."
"Yeah."
