fine, Bailey.” He couldn’t find it in himself to call her anything less than her name. “I just had a bad night, probably food poisoning, I don’t know, and I overslept. How did the launch go?”
“Great, early feedback is wonderful. I’d tell Caleb but he didn’t come in either.”
“I told him not to bother, Monday would be soon enough. Hey Bailey, I’m not going to try to come in today. I need the break. Tell everyone I’m sorry I’m not there and I’m proud of them.” For some reason, he needed his writers to know this, today, now. “And not because of some fancy page layout changes but because they are a great bunch of people.”
“Are you sure you’re all right, Dar? You sound strange.” Despite everything, Bailey always did know how to read him. What would she say if he told her he’d done something that was going to change everything? Hell, he didn’t know how to process this yet. This feeling that made him want to vomit and dance around on thin air at the same time. How was he going to explain this to her?
“I’m fine, Bailey, really, I—I just need some time to think about things.”
“Remember the vacation you wanted? I have an idea, why don’t we leave Chester here to take care of things for a week and we go home, just the two of us. You’re right, Dar, the heat is getting to me and—”
“Sounds great, Bailey, we’ll talk about it next week, okay?” Her voice sounded almost desperate, just like she sounded every time he’d thought about leaving her. Did she know he’d left with Caleb? Was it just a coincidence that her possessiveness had returned now? How could she know? Did it matter if she knew? “Listen I’m going to run now. I think I’m just going to go back to sleep. I’ll see you Monday.”
“Sure, Dar, hey I haven’t told you in a long time, but I love you, you know that right?” There it was again, something in her tone he hadn’t heard in a long time. Maybe he’d never heard her like this. Rattled. Bailey was rattled.
“Yeah, Bailey, I know. Oh hey, don’t forget to hand out assignments, I have everything in the calendar, and have a good weekend.”
“Yeah, okay, sure, you too.” There was disappointment in her voice. He wasn’t imagining it. He closed his phone, he didn’t have time to think about his messed up relationship with her. He’d wasted a decade of his life waiting for her to decide what he should do. When she needed him, he was there, until last summer he knew he would always be there for her. Now, well now, things had changed. This wasn’t the life he wanted and Bailey no longer had a say in his decisions.
Loud angry voices penetrated his reverie. Caleb’s voice filled with heat licked at him, drawing him out into the public area of the bar. He stopped at the end of the hallway and leaned against the wall. Caleb dressed in nothing but a pair of jeans circled an older man, the muscles in his arms flexed in irritation. His hair was tousled, his eyes on fire. Darcy’s stomach pitched in an unfamiliar way, nearly bringing him to his knees as he watched him move almost cat-like around the other man.
Their words made no sense, half in the broken Cajun English he barely understood. It was about Caleb’s mother. His uncle? He figured out the uncle wouldn’t go see his sister before she died. Caleb was angry. They were all that was left of the Lasseigne family. His uncle was afraid to see her wasted body. His big sister was always so full of energy. “I don’t care, Jebadiah, she doesn’t ask for you no more but it hurts her heart that you don’t come.”
“Don’t tell me how to be, Remy. She doesn’t even know the world exists now. She won’t even know I’m there.” There was bitter pain in the man’s voice, Darcy could hear it. Why couldn’t Caleb? And who the hell was Remy?
“Remy is Caleb’s first name, cher , Uncle Jeb calls him that to make him mad, and it’s working.” The waitress from the night before quietly
“Great, early feedback is wonderful. I’d tell Caleb but he didn’t come in either.”
“I told him not to bother, Monday would be soon enough. Hey Bailey, I’m not going to try to come in today. I need the break. Tell everyone I’m sorry I’m not there and I’m proud of them.” For some reason, he needed his writers to know this, today, now. “And not because of some fancy page layout changes but because they are a great bunch of people.”
“Are you sure you’re all right, Dar? You sound strange.” Despite everything, Bailey always did know how to read him. What would she say if he told her he’d done something that was going to change everything? Hell, he didn’t know how to process this yet. This feeling that made him want to vomit and dance around on thin air at the same time. How was he going to explain this to her?
“I’m fine, Bailey, really, I—I just need some time to think about things.”
“Remember the vacation you wanted? I have an idea, why don’t we leave Chester here to take care of things for a week and we go home, just the two of us. You’re right, Dar, the heat is getting to me and—”
“Sounds great, Bailey, we’ll talk about it next week, okay?” Her voice sounded almost desperate, just like she sounded every time he’d thought about leaving her. Did she know he’d left with Caleb? Was it just a coincidence that her possessiveness had returned now? How could she know? Did it matter if she knew? “Listen I’m going to run now. I think I’m just going to go back to sleep. I’ll see you Monday.”
“Sure, Dar, hey I haven’t told you in a long time, but I love you, you know that right?” There it was again, something in her tone he hadn’t heard in a long time. Maybe he’d never heard her like this. Rattled. Bailey was rattled.
“Yeah, Bailey, I know. Oh hey, don’t forget to hand out assignments, I have everything in the calendar, and have a good weekend.”
“Yeah, okay, sure, you too.” There was disappointment in her voice. He wasn’t imagining it. He closed his phone, he didn’t have time to think about his messed up relationship with her. He’d wasted a decade of his life waiting for her to decide what he should do. When she needed him, he was there, until last summer he knew he would always be there for her. Now, well now, things had changed. This wasn’t the life he wanted and Bailey no longer had a say in his decisions.
Loud angry voices penetrated his reverie. Caleb’s voice filled with heat licked at him, drawing him out into the public area of the bar. He stopped at the end of the hallway and leaned against the wall. Caleb dressed in nothing but a pair of jeans circled an older man, the muscles in his arms flexed in irritation. His hair was tousled, his eyes on fire. Darcy’s stomach pitched in an unfamiliar way, nearly bringing him to his knees as he watched him move almost cat-like around the other man.
Their words made no sense, half in the broken Cajun English he barely understood. It was about Caleb’s mother. His uncle? He figured out the uncle wouldn’t go see his sister before she died. Caleb was angry. They were all that was left of the Lasseigne family. His uncle was afraid to see her wasted body. His big sister was always so full of energy. “I don’t care, Jebadiah, she doesn’t ask for you no more but it hurts her heart that you don’t come.”
“Don’t tell me how to be, Remy. She doesn’t even know the world exists now. She won’t even know I’m there.” There was bitter pain in the man’s voice, Darcy could hear it. Why couldn’t Caleb? And who the hell was Remy?
“Remy is Caleb’s first name, cher , Uncle Jeb calls him that to make him mad, and it’s working.” The waitress from the night before quietly
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