Chapter 25
Chapter Twenty-Five
D allas’s dad clapped a hand on his shoulder. “Good work today, son!”
“Thanks.” Dallas smiled, but it didn’t quite feel legit. Had he done a decent job closing the deal on a new property? Maybe. But it hadn’t felt like a challenge. He’d just done what was expected.
There was a moment there over lunch when he’d had this uncanny feeling like they’d all received their scripts beforehand. Him, his dad, the developer.
They’d all made a good-natured joke, pointed out the pros and cons of the deal, shook hands with a smile when the meal ended. The deal was done, and so was his part in it.
“See you at dinner this weekend?” his dad asked as he walked away.
Dallas nodded and smiled. “Yup. I’ll be there.”
Like he was just about every weekend.
He waved goodbye as he headed to his car. He supposed he could head back to the office.
But the office had started feeling more and more like some corporate version of purgatory since he’d returned from his last trip to Paradise Springs a week ago.
And the thought of going back to that stuffy building when the sun was shining…
Nope. He couldn’t do it. Instead, he headed toward downtown and his ranch-style home near the university.
If he changed quickly, he could be back out and jogging the streets before the sun went down.
Yeah, a decent run was just what he needed to burn off this restless sensation he couldn’t shake.
Rushing to get ready, he changed in record time and soon had his earbuds in hand and sneakers on his feet. He was mid-stretch, his mind firmly stuck on Ronnie and how she’d looked when she’d stretched at the end of their run…
When the ringing of his phone cut through the fantasy like an alarm clock rousing him from a deep sleep. He scrambled to answer it without even seeing who it was.
“Hey, Cowboy. Now a bad time?” Brandon’s voice was loud and familiar on the other end.
Dallas sighed at the nickname but didn’t fight it. “Now’s fine. I was just gonna go for a run. What’s up?”
Brandon launched into a story about Nate that had Dallas grinning as he set out on his jogging path at a walk.
“But actually, the reason I’m calling is…a bachelorette party.”
Dallas’s brows arched. “Well, I’m flattered, Big B. But I’m guessing the only way I’d be invited to a bachelorette party is if I was part of the entertainment, and my Magic Mike days are behind me.”
Brandon snickered. “Funny, man. I meant Margot’s bachelorette party.”
“Ah.” Dallas stopped walking at the mention of Ronnie’s sister.
Man. His brother hadn’t even said Ronnie’s name, but just the idea of her family was enough to have him daydreaming about her lips when she was fighting a smile, or the way she moved with such grace, or?—
“So, can you do it?” Brandon said.
Dallas flinched. “Um, sorry. Run that by me again?”
Brandon explained—again—how Bailey, Willow, and Giselle were all going to the bachelorette party and he was going to be flying solo at the inn. Not a big deal, except that their babysitter for Nate fell through and?—
“Yup. I’m there.” It was almost embarrassing how quickly he leapt to accept the invite. “I’m on it.”
“Cool. Thanks.”
Brandon kept talking, giving him more info on when he needed to be there, but Dallas’s heart was already pounding with excitement.
When his phone dinged with an incoming text, it did another wild leap. It was her. He just knew it.
Ronnie had texted at least once a day since he’d left town. Nothing too flirty, but way more interesting than the average small talk. She always had something funny to say, or a link to share. Something that lit up his day or made him think.
No matter what it was, her texts were a freaking oasis in the boring monotony that was his day-to-day life.
And he’d bet money that was her now.
“Brandon, I gotta go,” he interrupted. “I’ll see you this weekend.”
As soon as the call ended, he checked his texts. A grin split his face so fast, it probably broke a world record.
It was a picture of her flexed arm, and just enough of Ronnie’s face that he could see the over-the-top fierce expression. He chuckled as he read her caption.
Ronnie: Beat your best time on the course by a full minute.
He typed back quickly.
Dallas: I’ll be there Friday afternoon. Same time, same place. I’ll believe it when I see it.
Her answering text was quick and short.
Ronnie: Challenge accepted.
She followed it with a GIF of Forrest Gump running that made him laugh out loud.
As he started to jog, he found himself muttering his response aloud.
“Game on.”