Chapter 41 Miss You Already
miss you already
ROXANNE
I was prepared to wake up to Jameson licking my face, which is why I covered it with my pillow, but he zeros in on my exposed toes instead. I yelp as he licks them, and then happily grunts, satisfied he’s woken me up.
I’d gone to bed last night wrestling with whether I should text him. I picked up my phone at least three times, but I didn’t want to seem needy, or worse, like I was already attached. So, I did the mature thing and shoved my phone under my pillow and told myself to act normal.
But now?
The giddiness unfurling in my chest feels anything but normal. I scroll through his messages, and when I see the eggplant emoji, I choke on a laugh. It’s the “miss you already” that gets me.
After deleting several half-witty replies, I know I can’t do this without coffee. Jameson trots beside me as I pad down to the kitchen, phone in hand, trying not to grin like a total lunatic.
“Good morning!” Allie sings. “How did you sleep?”
Leo gets up to pour me a cup of coffee. “The beds are so comfortable here.”
“I need you. I have an emergency on my hands.”
“What’s up, babe?” Allie asks.
They both look at me, concerned, when I set my phone down and pull up Duke’s texts. Once they read them, they exchange looks.
“How is this a crisis?” Leo asks.
“Because,” I say as I get Jameson’s breakfast ready. “I don’t know what to say.”
“Is the eggplant throwing you?” Leo asks.
“I think so …”
“So, you send back the peach, obviously,” Allie says.
“Did you actually read this?” I ask, tapping on my phone. “He misses me … he misses me already. I mean … how do I …” I set Jameson’s bowl down and he dives in headfirst.
“My darling, you’re spiraling,” Leo says. “It’s too early for that.”
“You could, you know, start simply and just say ‘miss you too,’” Allie offers.
I sit down and grab my phone and coffee. “Is that too simple? Do I leave a kissy face emoji or … no that’s too much. Smiley face? Not enough …” I glance up to see Allie and Leo staring at me with wide grins. “What?”
“You’re in love and my heart is bursting,” Allie says.
“That’s a horrible thing to say. I’m not. I just want to sound—”
“Dear, if you weren’t in love with this man, you wouldn’t care about how you sound.”
“Damn. You’re right.” I set my phone down and bury my head in my hands. “Oh God, this man makes me feel like a teenager around him.”
“Oh, that’s the best kind of feel,” Allie says.
“Just have fun, Roxanne. You’re leaving in two weeks. Enjoy this man while you can. Soak up the attention and bask in his glow.”
Jameson flops down at my feet, snoring softly after his breakfast. That sudden comfort prompts me to pick up my phone and text what I feel.
Who cares, right?
Because yeah, I’m leaving in two weeks.
I’m just having fun.
Nope.
I just can’t fool myself. I’m so in love it’s ridiculous.
I craft my response while Leo rises to top off our coffees. I’m a writer, damn it. How hard can this be?
Don’t mock your brother’s billboard, you might be featured on one before you come home.
Jameson and I cuddled last night and he’s doing fine. I’ll take him on a little walk in a bit.
And I miss you too. Mostly because of the eggplant. Did Topper tell you what a peach symbolizes?
I set my phone down, and it pings a few minutes later.
Good morning, Trouble. Hope you slept well.
Oh no, what does a peach mean? I’m not going to look at Millie’s peach cobbler the same again am I?
I laugh.
No, no you’re not. How about I just show you what it means when you get home?
Deal. Need to hear your voice though. Call you tonight?
Can’t wait
Just as I hit send on that, my phone rings. “It’s Priti,” I say out loud.
“Put her on speaker,” Allie says.
“Priti?” I say. There’s an inaudible rush of sound which I think is her excited scream. “Priti? Can you hear us? We’re all here.”
“Oh yes! Oh my, New York misses you. I miss you! Can’t wait until you get back. It’s tough having all my best out on assignments all at once.”
“We miss you too, P,” Allie says.
“Tell me what you’ve been doing?” she asks.
“What haven’t we been doing?” Allie says. “We’ve been living our Yellowstone era—minus the crime.”
“There’s still time,” Leo says.
“Seriously though, I sheared a sheep the other day,” Allie offers.
“And I narrowly missed getting kicked by a horse while filming,” Leo says. “So yeah, basically we’re cowboys now.”
Priti laughs loud through the phone. “I love it! What about you, Roxanne?” Her voice shifts into a more serious tone. “How are you doing? Seriously, are you okay out there?”
“I’m doing well,” I reply, happy that I really believe that. “It’s not been as bad as I thought it was going to be, and we can’t wait to share our film and pitch with you.”
Priti whimpers and I can picture her clutching her heart. “This is so good to hear. I can’t wait to see what you’ve got.”
“How’s it going there?” Leo asks.
“Well, there’s been a development.”
My eyebrows tent. “Oh?”
“Apparently, there have been many requests from other teams to bring a delegate to New York to give a speech in addition to the pitches the team leads will be doing.”
“That’s interesting,” Allie says, tucking a stray hair behind her ear. “Sullivan was okay with that?”
“He was elated and upset he didn’t think of it before,” Priti offers. “He agrees that hearing from people living in the locations will only enhance the pitch sessions. We’re calling it the Ambassador Element. Think of who you might have come with you, Roxanne.”
I glance up from my phone. I don’t have to think, I know. There’s only one person I would bring with me to help me with a pitch, and he just sent me an emoji of a cat with heart eyes.