“Hi. Where are you?”
“Still in New York City.”
“Does that mean it went well with Tara?”
“I told her I loved her.”
“And?”
“She said it back.”
I wiped at the tears already running down my cheeks. “Oh, Knox. I’m so happy for you.”
“Listen, Sloane, I want to stay down here a couple more days.”
“Do it.”
“Are you going to be okay on your own?”
“I will be. I promise.”
“Will you call me if you’re the least bit uncomfortable?”
I laughed. “And what? You’ll come rub my feet?”
“If that’s what you need.”
“Tell you what, rub Tara’s feet instead.”
“I can’t wait for you to meet her.”
I heard another voice in the background. “You better go. Just keep me posted on when you think you’ll be coming back.”
“I need to check in with work and see if I can get Monday off.”
I laughed. “Do you really think Tackle would make you come back?”
“You know something I don’t, peanut? Did Tackle get a promotion in the last twenty-four hours? The last I checked, his dad still ran the company.”
“I didn’t mean anything by it, Knox.”
“Right. Okay, gotta go. Again, if you need me, I’m a little over an hour away.”
Less than an hour later, Tackle showed back up at my place.
“Did you talk to my brother?” I asked when I opened the door.
He answered by walking over the threshold and wrapping me up in his arms. “He won’t be back until Wednesday at the earliest.”
“Oh.” I hadn’t expected he’d be gone five days. I hadn’t been away from my brother for that long since February.
“You okay?”
“Of course.”
“There’s something I want to show you.”
“Where are we going?” I asked when Tackle drove down one of the area’s most historic streets.