At that moment, my cell phone starts ringing in my pocket. It must be Nancy, I’m sure she’s the only person who would call me this late at night which means I need to take the call instantly. Even knowing that Liam is safely tucked up in bed isn’t enough, my panicked brain starts concocting the most horrific images that I can barely deal with.
“I just have to take this,” I tell Robyn regretfully. “I’ll be back in a moment.”
I run from the bar and suck in a couple of deep, cold breaths once I get outside. It’s only when I actually look at the screen of my phone and I see that it’s Barry’s name written across it, that I begin to calm down just a little bit. Of course, it’s Barry, my accountant has no idea of time. He needs to get a life outside of work, honestly!
“Hello, Barry,” I answer wryly. “Is everything okay?”
As soon as he starts talking I can hear an edge to his voice which gets my back up. I don’t know what this is going to be about but I immediately start panicking. “Evan, sorry for ringing you at this time, I just thought you might like to know right away…” The pause is agonizing, it makes me want to scream. “The investor you met with on Friday is very interested in you and your new, restructured business. He wants to be a part of the company.”
“Oh my God.” I reel as I realize what this means. I’m saved, really saved. Now, I can pay back the banks, get out of debt and have some money to move forward with… but in the right way. With Archie’s help now the company is much smaller and more stream lined. Everything is working out even better than I’d hoped. “Barry, that’s incredible news. Thank you for ringing me and letting me know. That’s just…” I rub my forehead in shock. “That’s wonderful.”
“Yes, well you can thank your lawyer friend for that. Also, you might want to consult with her again to get all the paper work drawn up quickly. You’ll want to move fast with this one.”
I glance towards the door of the bar, glad that I can tell her right away. Barry doesn’t know that me and Katy are involved, and he doesn’t have to. He isn’t actually someone that I see on a regular basis, we just talk a lot. He probably wouldn’t be happy about it, but I don’t care because I have everything that I’ve ever wanted and more.
“Yes, I will speak to her about it. Thank you, Barry. Keep me updated.”
As I hang up the phone I do a little fist bump in the air. It wasn’t that long ago that I knew the company was going to be put up for auction. I was going to lose control of the one thing that my father left for me. But now I have even more control than before… just control from a distance which suits me better. This is the next thing that I needed to get all the worries off my chest. I just know that I can make things profitable again, and I can’t wait to get started.
I push the door of the bar open, embracing the warmth as it circles me. Now I actually want a drink, I need it to celebrate, and I’m going to buy all of Katy’s friends one too. This is a moment that I want to commit to memory, and while I might not know these people I want them all the join in with me. If only for this second.
“Is everything alright?” Katy gushes, while grabbing onto me. As I turn to face her I see intense fear in her gaze. It seems that her brain has gone to exactly the same place as mine, which her words confirm. “Robyn said you raced out to answer the phone. It isn’t anything to do with Liam is it?”
“No, not Liam.” I pull her close to me and kiss her. “The business actually. That was Barry, my accountant on the phone. He was just ringing to tell me that one of the investors that I met with last week is really interested, so effectively the business is saved because of you.”
As she blushes I kiss her again. I press my lips hard into hers and allow all the love to flow from me. Her plump mouth is all wet and warm which sparks up an intense fire in my belly, but that’s one I won’t be able to satisfy for now. I’ll have to hold myself back until we get home later on.
“There’s something else that I want to speak to you about,” I tell her quietly. This isn’t the way that I ideally wanted to have this conversation, I would much prefer to do it in a much more romantic way, but for some strange reason, this just feels right. “I want to know if you will move in with me properly? I’ve spoken to Liam about it, and we both want you to live with us properly.”
Her eyes widen in shock. “Are you serious?”
“Of course, I’m serious,” I chuckle. “I wouldn’t ask you otherwise, would I? And I don’t want you to think that this is just a spur of the moment thing, this is something that I’ve thought about a lot and I’ve had lots of conversations with Liam about. He really does want you around forever.”
I can see the thoughts racing through her brain so I remain silent while she really thinks this through. It won’t make much difference, since we’re pretty much living together anyway, but this will make it official which I know makes it heavier. I’ve had a lot of time to think about it, whereas I’ve just sprung this on Katy. It makes sense that she needs a couple of moments.
“I would love that,” she replies cautiously. “But you know that would mean moving all my stuff in too?”
“I do get that concept!” I exclaim in mock horror. “But to be honest I’ve been to your apartment and most of it is take out cartons anyway. I think we can chuck most of it out… but move in whatever you want. I want it to be your home as well. It needs a feminine touch.”
“Oh wow, that’s amazing.”
“Is that a yes?” I command. “You haven’t given me a straight answer yet.”
“Of course, it’s a yes.”
I grab her and spin her around before dipping her downwards and kissing her hard.
“I think we have a lot to celebrate then, let’s go and get some drinks in!”
Chapter Twenty Eight – Katy
As we crash through the door to Evan’s – and now mine, I suppose – home, we giggle excitedly like crazy teenagers. Maybe we’ve gone a tiny b
it overboard on the bubbly tonight, but that’s because we have so much to celebrate. Things moving forward with me and Evan, the business working out, Liam getting better, it’s all just so wonderful. Of course, we’re giddy, it’d be mad if we weren’t.
“Nancy!” Evan calls a little drunkenly through the house. “Nancy, are you there?”
“I’m here.” The girl that I only vaguely recall seeing for maybe a second at the hospital flies out into the hallway, with her dark hair spilling behind her back. “How was your night?” She looks at us both with a bright smile. “It looks like you’ve had a lot of fun, which is awesome!”