Page 110 of Heart Strings & Hotlines
“Poker’s not really my thing.”
“Because you’ve never played, or because you don’t want to?” Boone asks.
“Because I’ve never been invited.” I snap my mouth closed and stare at the blueprints so intently I expect them to go up in flames at any moment. “What kind of permits will we need to get all this done?”
No one answers me, so I’m forced to make eye contact when it’s the very last thing on the planet I want to do. It’s like I’m working against the pull of gravity to make it happen.
Boone nods in a slow, calm way. “We’re inviting you, Thane. It’s a standing invitation whenever you’re ready. As for the permits, I’ll get them started and let you know what I’ll need from you, but I have a feeling the Scuttlebutts will help get them pushed through.”
My groan vibrates against the little girl. Owing the Scuttlebutts a favor is also at the top of my never-want-to-do list, but I’m learning I can put up with a lot more than I thought when it’s for my girls.
My phone vibrates on the table, the notification coming from Lottie.
Charlotte: You’re a natural (heart eye emoji)
She must be talking about the picture Boone sent, and he’s staring at me too damn proud of himself, so I flip my phone over. I’ll get back to her when he isn’t playing Watson.
* * *
The automatic lighton the back deck flickers to life. I jump out of bed and look out the window. Lottie appears to float across the grass as she heads toward the lake.
What is she doing up in the middle of the night?
Tugging on a pair of lounge pants and a T-shirt, I tiptoe past Kara’s room and down the stairs to follow Lottie.
By the time I get to the lake, she’s sitting in the tall grass with her head resting on her knees.
“Did I wake you?” she asks when my footsteps stop a few feet away from her.
“No, I was awake and staring at my ceiling.”
The corners of her lips tilt up as she stares at the water before us. “You couldn’t sleep either?”
“Not since I left your bed.”
“Me too.” Her words are so quiet they’re hard to hear over the grasshoppers and other nighttime noises that all blur together. “I don’t know how to handle it.”
Sitting beside her, she tucks both arms around my biceps and rests her head on my shoulder.
“How to handle what, sweetheart?”
“The dependency. I’ve never been a clingy person. In fact, I’ve worked hard not to need anyone, and when I do, I hire someone so I’m still in control. But with you? It’s like…”
I drop my chin to the top of her head. She brings a silence to my world I’ve never known before, but I still hope she’ll finish her sentence.
“Like what?”
“When I’m with you, it’s like you’re an extension of me. You’re my left lung, and I’m the right. I’m your right hand, and you’re my left. Singularly, we’re capable, but together, we function on a new plane.”
The moon is so bright here that I can see her clearly. When she tilts her face to mine, the dark circles show under her eyes, and I know it’s not just from lack of sleep.
I gently sweep my thumb over the dark spots I wish I could erase. “What else is bothering you, sweetheart?”
She attempts to dip her chin, but I cup it and search every inch of her face for answers.
When she finally understands that I won’t let this go, her eyes well up, and the lava flares to life in my chest. It burns differently for her. My entire life, the sensation of a volcano being a living, breathing entity in my chest was always…manageable. But when it roars for her, it’s an uncontrollable force of nature that’s ready to tear down everything in her path.
“My father’s attorney asked for an injunction today. He’s trying to force me to stop all operations. If he succeeds, it could bankrupt me. I hate him, and honestly, the sentiment is probably mutual. If he can’t control me, I’m of no use to him.”
