Page 64 of Needing More
"Hey there, angel," Vic's voice drawled on the other end when it picked up.
Smiling she ignored the frisson of desire that shot through her sex at his sexy voice. "Hey there back at you. Where's Joel?"
"He's currently cursing at Hayden as they try and mount the new mirror in the men's bathroom."
That morning the mirror and the story behind it was all Joel talked about. Apparently, last night at the bar two guys got into a very bad fight that somehow ended up shattering a bathroom mirror. With the number of bruises on his knuckles, Sapphire swore it was Joel who was the one caught up in the fight, but Vic assured her those were obtained as Joelbroke upsaid fight.
"Where did you get a spare one on such short notice? I was just at the hardware store and didn't see either one of you." At some point, Vic must have put her on speaker because she could hear the echo of her own voice as she spoke.
This time it was Joel who answered. "We used the one out of Vic's upstairs bathroom. He's gonna gut and remodel the whole thing anyway now that his old man is gone. And what are you doing at the hardware store?"
Damn. She hadn't meant to walk herself into that. "It's a surprise. So, no more questions."
"I don’t like surprises," Hayden mumbled in the background. "I've had enough of those lately."
Sapphire's chest tightened guiltily at that and she stared worriedly at the phone. Maybe things weren't getting better as she had thought after all?
"Wow. What a way to kill the mood," Joel bristled and she could imagine him scowling at Hayden.
There was a moment's pause before Hayden, who sounded much closer to the phone, spoke again.
"Hell, baby, I'm sorry. I…I didn't mean it like that." He paused again. "I just really don't like surprises right now."
"It's okay," she said softly. She understood where he was coming from even if it did remind her she was the cause of his pain. "Well, I just bought a bunch of paint and paint supplies and I was going to see if I could hire Bailey and his crew to help me paint the farmhouse."
"Aww, angel, you didn't have to do that." She could imagine Vic's handsome smile even through the phone.
"Well maybe if it's all painted you will see the potential that I see in it. And maybe you will…" she paused and swallowed, looking up as more people walked into the store. She thought of what Joel had told her. "Not want to leave us," she finished in a whisper.
She could hear an exhale of breath on the other end and Vic spoke. "I'm not going anywhere, angel. I love you too much to just tear my heart out and walk away. I just need somewhere to belong here."
The squeezing in her chest intensified. She wanted to yell out that he did have somewhere to belong but it wasn't her call to make. They all knew whose that was.
Silence stretched on the other end and she had to check her phone to make sure she was still connected.
Finally, Hayden spoke. "Yeah, yeah, you bastard. I don’t want to see you go either."
Tears welled in her eyes and Sapphire smiled shakily. Running a hand over her hair, which was pulled back into a ponytail, she shifted eagerly in her seat. "I love you. All of you."
"Mmm, well then come on home, so we can finish what I started in the shower this morning," Joel purred on the line even as something that sounded like a drill whirred in the background.
Sapphire laughed. "I'll be home in a sec. I'm picking up sausages at the grocery store. And don't even start, Joel!" she rushed out quickly, hopefully beating the man to any childish sausage jokes.
Joel and what sounded like Hayden laughed in the background.
"Also," she added thoughtfully at the rearview mirror to the full truck bed in the back. "Do you think if I put a tarp over all the stuff in the back anyone would try to steal it?"
This time it was Vic who laughed, a low dangerous sound.
"I don't think anyone in this town is that fucking stupid. Everyone knows whose truck that is and everyone knows that I would show up at their door tonight if anything happened to you or it."
Sapphire tried not to smile like an idiot at that. It was a very odd and giddy feeling to feel protected like this.
Clearing her throat, she continued. "Well, okay then. I'll just put the tarp on it and run into the store. Gotta go. See you at the house. Love you."
Hanging up after their chorus of `I love you’in return, Sapphire stepped out of the truck. Her heart felt so light even her steps felt light.
Going directly to the meat counter, she ordered the whole tray of sausages they had on display. The older man behind the counter nodded and smiled before taking her order to the back to wrap them up.
