Page 28 of Untethered Heart
I am so sorry, babe! My brother called, and then the big boss came in. Call me!
The message moves to read, but no dots dance on the screen. I bite the corner of my lip, hanging up the desk phone so I can try and reach Claire.
ME:
Dylan got a backer for the distillery. We sign contracts in two weeks <3
CLAIRE:
WHAT!!! OMG!!! Tequila tonight! We both need it!
ME:
Love you
CLAIRE:
Love you, bookissing-face-emoji
This is what I needed. A reminder of what I’m here for, what I’m working towards. I may be living in the city, but I’m a small-town girl at heart. The quiet life has always called to me, and soon, it will be time to return home. There’s no sense in ruminating over devastatingly handsome billionaires or one-night stands. It’s time to remember who I am and what I want. Even if that once small and orderly list suddenly feels like a shamble of threads pulling me in every direction. I have Claire. I have Dylan. I have the tavern and the distillery to work on. I have everything I need.I think.
Chapter sixteen
“Burning the midnight oil, OG?”
I look over my glasses to find Isabelle leaning against my office door.
“James Huxley approved the new plans for Smoke and Barrel. The commercial building company Mason recommended can get started now. I’ve just sent the all-clear to Gage, he’s already got the contact details for the company.” I lean back in my chair, tossing the glasses on my desk.
Isabelle drops into the chair opposite me with an assessing gaze, fiddling with the pink stone hanging around her neck.
“What was the final verdict on the chandeliers?”
I chuckle. “No wagon wheels.”
“Gage must be getting excited,” she says with a small smile.
An amused snort escapes me. “I’m not sure Gage knows how to get excited.”
Isabelle shifts in her chair, cheeks reddening, but I don’t have the energy to think too hard on it. The last week has wreaked havoc on my brain. I’ve come to refer to my life as before Lex and after Lex.
Before Lex, my mind was focused on business and family. My life was neat and organised. I knew where I was going and how I was getting there. After Lex, I can’t stay focused to save my life, and yesterday I came to work wearing different coloured socks.I’m a fucking mess and I can’t figure out why she has this hold on me.
“Are those cufflinks meant to be mismatched?” I look down at my wrists, where Isabelle is pointing. One light blue shirt sleeve is pinched together with a silver square bearing a H monogram, the other with a black heart.
“Fuck!” I bury my head in my hands, leaning my elbows on the desk.
“You’ve seemed distracted lately, OG. Is there anything I can help with?”
I drag my hands down my face, resting my chin in my palms as I study Isabelle’s receptive gaze. Maybe talking will help my scrambled thoughts.
“I met a woman.”
She smiles. “Go on.”
My fingers drum against my cheek as I inhale deeply and unleash the weight that’s been pushing down on me.
“She was different. I’m used to women throwing themselves at me, and I’m constantly pushing back, reminding them I’m not in it for anything more than a night. With Lex, I couldn’t get enough, she was so responsive and”—I pause, hunting for the words—“genuine. It wasn’t just bodies getting lost in mutual satisfaction, it was free-falling. Her hand in mine, and just letting go. She didn’t know I was a Heart. I think she’s the first person to look at me as Caleb. She must have heard about my reputation or something, though, cos once she filled in the blanks, she pulled away.” I laced my hands behind my head. “I just don’t know how to let go of it.”
