Page 31 of Decoded
He sits my phone between us on the console before he speaks. “I thought you were gone. I thought I’d lost you again.” Keaton’s eyes look up at me, his face stricken with grief. “I thought you left me, Anna. For good.”
A strong dose of reality slaps me upside the head. He isn’t upset that I messed up his calendar. He isn’t mad at me for making his big-ticket clients furious with him for missing out on another one of their lengthy meetings they demanded from him.
He was worried. Worried about me.
I pick my phone up from the console and put it in my purse. I replace it with my hand, palm up. Keaton’s blue eyes question me, and I give the slightest nod of an answer. Then he puts his hand in mine and squeezes our fingers together. He huffs out a sigh and brings our hands up so that our elbows rest on the barrier between us. Placing a kiss on the back of my hand, he whispers, “Thank you. Thank you for not leaving me.”
The spot where his lips touched my skin pulses and it’s then I realize that the walls I had built around my heart were crashing down. And I was in no hurry to rebuild them.
Chapter twenty-two
Anna
I
t’s been two weeks since moving to Cheatham and I love it here. The small town is so welcoming and seriously straight off a Hallmark movie set. The downtown square is strung up with lights and with the gazebo in the middle it makes for a real romantic setting. Salons, restaurants, small businesses and the local radio station surround the space, making it the most popular spot in town, and there’s always an upcoming farmers market, festival, or car show being advertised.
The hospitality doesn’t stop there. Everyone at Phisherman’s Cybersecurity has been so nice and I’ve become friends with Lincoln's assistant, Amanda. I admit that when she first asked me to go to lunch with her and peppered me with tons of questions, I thought Lincoln had sent her as a spy. But now that we’ve had lunch together practically every day, a full hour of her filling me in on the gossip as though I’ve lived here all my life and know exactly who she’s talking about, I realize she’s just nosy. And I love that about her.
So yeah, the town is great. And the people are great. And as much as I don’t want to admit it, my boss is seriously amazing. For a solid three days I was proud of myself for providing nothing but some stifled conversations and the bare minimum. But there was no denying the attraction between us. And there is no denying that I'm back to feeling the same way about him now as I did when we met on that plane.
The man brings in a coffee truck every Monday morning and pays for his entire staff to start their day with some much-needed caffeine. When I was struggling with the new-to-me phone system, he was so patient as he walked me through the process. He even fixed me up the cutest little cheat sheet in case I needed more guidance down the road. And when Jackie in accounting found out her mom had been diagnosed with cancer, he gave her a week of paid time off to help them adjust to their new normal.
Being his passenger princess has become my favorite part of the day. I had forgotten how easily this man could make me laugh and smile. It felt nice having these normal conversations with him and made me long for the relationship I once thought could have been a possibility. The time together has also given us time to get to know each other, since we were practically strangers when we decided to sign up for forever. I’ve learned that he has an allergy to mushrooms, had his first kiss at age twelve to a girl named Delilah who now owns a bakery here in town, how he had originally planned on going into engineering, but then stayed home to take care of his family after his dad passed. Even when I’ve seen firsthand how much his brothers can annoy him, there is no doubt that there’s a ton of love amongst them. No matter how much they bicker, and it’s an impressive amount, they maintain a standing lunch date every Friday at Pizza Papa.
That would explain why I see a younger version of Keaton heading this way. I’d bet money that Camden is closer to my thirty than Keaton’s forty. There’s definitely a family resemblance, but where Keaton’s face features a sharp, lickable jawline, Camden’s is fuller. His dark hair is longer and dips below his ears in little curls. Glasses sit on Cam’s face and his cherub cheeks raise them slightly as he smiles at me. I notice the dimple Keaton has is missing from Cam’s face, too. Those striking blue eyes are the same, though.
“There’s my favorite sister-in-law,” Camden teased as he sauntered up to my desk.
I shush him and he laughs. “Got it, we’re still keeping that under wraps. How are my big brothers today?”
“I haven’t seen Lincoln yet today. You’re here before he is, which is pretty impressive since you’re traveling from across town instead of across the office.” Lincoln’s office is identical to Keaton’s but is located on the other end of the building. According to Keaton too much togetherness can be a bad thing with them, so they decided on that layout early in the planning days. I’ve gotta admit, from the way I’ve seen the two interact, it probably is for the best. Camden has his law office downtown, closer to the courthouse.
Camden leans down closer to me to avoid eavesdroppers. “How is it working for my brothers? I know Lincoln can be a bit of a grouch. Keaton is usually very laid back and easy to get along with, but the two of you have a history. Just wanna make sure you’re hanging in there.”
I smile at his sweetness. You can tell Camden is the sweetheart of the bunch and wants to make sure everyone is happy and getting along. “I really love it here,” I tell him honestly. “I don’t deal a whole lot with Lincoln, but he’s nice to me when we do interact. Keaton is, well, he’s wonderful.”
A soft smile graces my lips, and a hushed sigh breathes out of me. It takes me a few seconds to realize what I just admitted and who I just admitted it to.
“He’s a wonderful boss, I mean. Come on? A coffee truck every Monday. Pure genius.”
Glancing up, I see the huge smile on Camden’s face. “Oh, shut up,” I groan, and run my hand down my face.
“Your secret is safe with me sis,” he says with a wink, then graciously changes the subject. “Have you tried out Pizza Papa yet? Best pizza in the county. You should join us for lunch.”
I shake my head. “I haven’t had the chance to try it yet, but Amanda and I already have a date for sandwiches over at Crumb and Get It.” The sandwich shop on the square is one of my favorite spots and I have visited it way too often in the short time I’ve lived here. It’s the pickles, I swear.
“Solid choice. Well, if I can’t get lunch out of you, why don’t you join us tonight at Kalli’s?”
“Kalli’s?”
“Yeah, Kalli’s Corral. It’s the only bar we’ve got in this town, but it’s a good one. I can’t promise they have the fancy drinks from the big city, but you can definitely get something to wet your whistle.”
A night out sounds much needed, and I decide I’ll ask Amanda her thoughts about it at lunch. “I might see you there.”
“Good news, girl!” Amanda comes dancing to our table after stepping outside to make a call. "Jason is gonna take care of the kids so we can go out tonight. I’m so excited! I haven’t been to Kalli’s since before my youngest was born.”
When I had asked Amanda what she thought of the place and that Camden invited me to go, she insisted I would have a great time there and then offered to tag along to be my wing woman. She just had to check in with her husband to make sure her three children were taken care of before she could commit. I didn’t have it in my heart to tell her I wouldn’t be needing her assistance in landing a man. There was only one man I had any interest in, and he was one I had firmly put in the off-limits zone, though these past couple of weeks have me reconsidering.
