Not Pretending Anymore(80)
A few minutes later, the dots on my phone started to jump around, and I got more excited than I’d been in weeks.
Declan: I did it when I was home for the funeral last week—before you woke up. Are those the only ones you found so far?
Home. Yet again, he’d referred to here as his home. I wondered if he realized it.
Molly: I’ve found the loose ones you hid. But this is the only one with a picture of you. Are there more?
Declan: I guess you’ll figure that out at some point…
I laughed and started to text back. But at the last minute, instead of pressing send , I hit call .
“Did you believe the green ones made you horny?” he said in greeting, rather than hello.
I chuckled. “No, but I do think Twinkies will outlast the apocalypse.”
“Interesting. If you could only leave the house with one item when the apocalypse hits, what would it be?”
“I have no idea. Maybe a flashlight or a lighter? How about you?”
He answered confidently. “Ketchup. A big-ass bottle.”
“Why in the world would you bring ketchup?”
“Why in the world wouldn’t you? That shit is good on everything.”
I laughed. “God, Declan. This conversation is ridiculous, and yet it’s exactly what I needed.”
“Sadly, that isn’t the first time I’ve been described that way by a woman.”
There had been background noise, but it suddenly went quiet. “Did you just turn off the TV?”
“No, I’m at the bar down the block from my hotel.”
“The lesbian bar?”
“Yeah. I’ve made some good friends.”
That made me smile. Declan could make friends anywhere.
“Well, I won’t keep you long, then.”
“Don’t worry about it. I just stepped outside so I can hear you better.”
“I wanted to say thank you for doing that—for knowing I’d get to that last page of the photo album and need some cheering up.”
“Anytime, sweetheart. Anytime.”
Hearing him call me that sent a flush of warmth rolling through my belly.
I laid back on the couch and held the bag of M&Ms to my chest with my cell phone at my ear. “How are things in Cheeselandia?”
“Actually, it’s getting a little creepy.”
“Oh? How so?”
“I’m starting to get a pretty full arsenal of cheese jokes.”
“Cheese jokes? You mean your jokes have grown corny?”
“No, as in literal cheese jokes. What did the cheese say to itself in the mirror?”
“I have no idea. What?”
“You’re looking goud-a. ”
I laughed, which, of course, just encouraged him.
“What do you call cheese you stole?”
“What?”
“Na-cho cheese.”
“I hope these aren’t part of the big marketing plans you’ve been working on.”
“If I don’t get out of here soon, they might be.”
“Speaking of which, when are you done?”
“The end of this month.”
“Oh, wow. So you’ll be back in Chicago in just a couple of weeks?”
Declan was quiet for a moment. “Actually, I may be going back to California instead.”
“What? Why? I thought you were coming back to help finish off the project you started here?”
“I was, but…I think it’s probably best if I go back to Cali.”
“Is your boss pushing you to do that?”
“No…I think it would be… I don’t know. I haven’t decided yet for sure.”
I felt a sudden sense of panic. “But if you don’t come back to finish the project in Chicago, when would I see you again?”
Declan sighed. “I don’t know, Mollz.”
“You have to come back.”
He was quiet for a long time. “I better go. Belinda is probably going to wonder if I skipped out on my tab.”
“Oh…okay.”
“You take care of yourself, okay?”
“I will. You too, Declan.”
After I hung up, I felt a heaviness in my chest. What if Declan didn’t come back to Chicago?
CHAPTER 31
* * *
Declan
Sweat dotted my forehead as I let the music take me away. Once again, I was the only guy in sight at The Spotted Cow. “Whatta Man” by Salt-N-Pepa played as I moved and grooved amidst a sea of women. They’d played that song especially for me. I was honored. It was the Saturday before I was set to leave Wisconsin later in the week. Belinda had hired a DJ as a little going-away present for me. It was definitely the best goodbye party I could’ve hoped for. Drinks on the house weren’t half bad either. It was a much-needed night of escapism, because the days since returning from Chicago hadn’t been easy.
The disappointment in Molly’s voice when I’d told her I likely wasn’t coming back had killed me. Her reaction made me doubt my decision. But I knew I couldn’t handle watching her with Will again. It was one thing to know that with each passing day, Molly was getting closer to him. But seeing and experiencing it wasn’t something I wanted to put myself through. Not to mention, it was going to look suspicious if I showed up there again so soon. He’d give her shit about it, and I didn’t want to cause Molly stress. Whether or not she realized it, my heading straight back to California was the right decision. I still second-guessed it every chance I got, though.