Stevie nodded. “You should take the next one. Maybe you’re just as good or even better than he is, you just don’t give yourself enough credit. Like a wise woman once said, you’ll never know unless you try.” She flashed a toothy, know-it-all grin that made me smile in return.
“Sounds like a very wise woman.” Stevie was right, and going forward that would have to be my goal and my attitude. Try and improve with every failure.
My future depended on it.
Chapter 16
Levi
Hope to see you tonight.
That message came through from Lacey midday Friday, which surprised me since I hadn’t heard from her since that impromptu visit to Michelle’s house when she’d grilled me on my career path, and then we’d made out like horny teenagers.
In fact, I hadn’t caught but a glimpse of her yesterday, and she hadn’t shown up at all on Friday, simply sent a polite and professional email to me and GG saying she was out chasing leads. Chasing leads in Carson Creek, two phrases that didn’t seem to go together, which only made me wonder what she was really up to.
“Looking forward to it,” I texted back after I got my body and my mind under control. Something about this woman tempted me beyond all reason. I wasn’t the man who did relationships, my failure of a marriage and chosen career had proven that time and time again, but here I was in the middle of a secret affair that had me thinking about more.
More of what exactly? I wasn’t so sure yet.
But I wanted to explore it, to see what more could entail with Lacey.
Lacey’s need for secrecy didn’t put me off, but after her visit the other night I wondered if it was fear, or something else holding her back and feeding her need for privacy. Then again, it could just be the nosiness of small town living.
“Levi,” GG grunted at me about an hour before the day was officially over. The older man was grumpier than usual today and I had a feeling he’d finally picked up on the fact that his daughter was unhappy with him and her career.
“Yeah?”
“Arts and crafts festival this weekend. I need you to cover it.” He didn’t look up from today’s paper and the scowl fixed on his face remained in place.
Arts and crafts festival, words I never thought I’d hear, at least not in terms of a writing assignment. “Sure thing. Is this a well-known event in town?”
GG nodded. “Happens every year, last of the cool weather festivals.”
And yet there was no mention of it in the paper and there was no online edition to promote it like crazy. “How do people know about this festival?”
GG looked up at me, his busy brows tugged into a vee of confusion. “It happens every year.” The duh at the end of that particular sentence went unspoken.
“Right, but it’s not on the same weekend or the same dates every year, is it?”
“No. There are signs all over town.”
“All right,” I sighed because what was the point arguing with a brick wall?
His frown slowly transformed into a satisfied smile now that questioning him was over, and GG nodded. “Good man. Have a good weekend!”
“You heading out?”
He shook his head. “Not for a while, no. Lacey hasn’t been in all day and I don’t know if she plans on coming in at all today. The paper has to be done for tomorrow’s edition.”
I bit back a laugh at his complaints. “She wasn’t in much yesterday either, but the paper went out, right?”
“Still,” he grumbled, muttered under his breath about ungrateful daughters.
Taking the out offered by GG, I shut down my computer, added a reminder about the festival to my phone and straightened my desk. “I’ll see you around GG. Have a good weekend.”
“Yeah, you too.”
I nodded and jogged down the steps that led to the bright and sunny day beyond the brick building. It was a nice afternoon, and I planned to spend a few hours with Mickey before Michelle’s shift ended at the hospital. They had a mother-son date night planned that included a movie and dinner, but it did not include me.
“Go get a life,” Michelle had joked, but she still refused to invite me along. “I’m sure Lacey might like to see you tonight.” With an eyebrow wiggle, she’d gone back to her books and left it at that.
By the time evening rolled around I was wound so tight I thought I might snap in half. It wasn’t just the anticipation of seeing Lacey again, or knowing that I would hold her again, taste her again, hear her melodic laughter again. It was also the simple act of looking forward to seeing another person, a specific person.
I dressed deliberately and added some cologne to the mix before I made my way to the car I rarely used because most places were well within walking distance. I drove to Lacey’s place, but I didn’t park in front because of privacy, instead I picked an empty spot just a few houses away and killed the engine just as my phone rang.