“I heard that got approved. Congratulations,” I said, grinning.
“Thanks. I’m really excited about it. Working with the foundation was the solution to all the problems I was facing. I run my services out of the foundation headquarters, so I’m not renting a space out-of-pocket. I have a regular income through foundation employment, so I can drop my prices even lower for my services. I have creative freedom on who I take on as clients, so my schedule is always booked. There’s no one looming over my shoulder unless a massive case drops into my lap. It’s the perfect scenario.”
“But?” I asked.
“What do you mean?”
“Anna, you’re my sister. I know when you use the word perfect, it means there’s a ‘but’ coming on,” I said.
“There’s no ‘but.’ I feel so much better about life. I know we talked about singing or whatever, but this really does make me happy,” she said.
“But?” I asked.
“Fine. Whatever. But it is a bit lonely.”
“And that’s where Drew comes in,” I said.
“I’m not calling Drew.”
“Then get out there and start dating. If you don’t want to date Drew, then find someone else to date,” I said.
“Hailey, I’m not ready for something like that. Is it lonely? Yes. But I have to be ready, and I’m not there yet.”
“I know you guys drifted apart, but I also know you guys enjoyed the time you spent together. I’m sure you still have his number in your phone, right?” I asked.
“What does that have to do with anything?” she asked.
“Just text him. You don’t have to see him or go out with him, but maybe talking with him will alleviate some of the loneliness.”
“Hailey, come on,” she said.
“What? What’s so wrong with that?”
“He should be pursuing me. That’s how he operates, right?” I asked.
“Seriously? You’re not calling him because you think he should be calling you? Anna, I can’t think of one good reason why the two of you couldn’t get back together.”
“I thought you said you just wanted us to talk,” she said.
“Why are you being so weird about this?” I asked.
“Why are you suddenly so persistent about it?”
Because the topic of conversation was a damn good distraction from that man in my gallery. Every time I thought about it, I worried about my life. About my child. About the safety of my home. Knowing that man was out there somewhere, tracking me and looming over me, it made me feel like I was being watched. Like at any moment, I could turn my head and he would be there with that knife in his hand. It made me scared to walk to my car alone. It made me scared to be in my gallery alone. I didn’t even feel comfortable conducting other interviews in my gallery until I could get this resolved.
If any of those people got hurt because I put them in this man’s path, I would never forgive myself, Bryan included.
“You know what? I know how I’m going to repay you for all this stuff,” I said.
“You don’t have to repay me. It’s not for you anyway. It’s for my little niece or nephew that I’m going to spoil relentlessly,” Anna said.
“Nope. I’m going to repay you, but not monetarily. I’m going to help you find a man.”
“What?” she asked flatly.
“Yep. I’m going to hook you up with someone. Anna, you’re a workaholic. Liking your job or not, you work too damn much. You don’t take any time for yourself. You need a stress release, and we both know the best kind is a good man,” I said.
“And you think you’re going to help me find a good man,” she said.