Chapter Nine
Summit
Meetings began as soon as I arrived in Chicago.
I’d spent the flight reviewing the files and felt comfortable in the knowledge that it wasn’t all that difficult an assignment, other than the rush to travel.
The only real negative, for me at least, was the fact that it put off my plans to see Rowan again and have “the talk.”
I got to my hotel room very late in the evening, showered, and went right to bed.
The next morning, as I sat over room service coffee and toast, my phone chimed, and I picked it up.
I’d received a text full of cute emojis and a yes and no box.
Check yes if you like littles. Check no if you don’t want to meet me for another date.
I spread cherry jam on a toast triangle and took a bite.
How adorable was his note? Had he been disappointed that I had to go away?
Certainly it didn’t sound like he was upset about it.
Which was good because I had to travel, not every week or anything but a couple of times a month for sure.
Our business dealt with international clients as well, so I might find myself just about anywhere on those trips.
Would he like to go sometime? I compressed my time away as much as possible, but every so often had downtime.
Time I could spend exploring but never wanted to alone, so I didn’t do it often.
Some of the most interesting and romantic places on the planet.
Paris, for example. Rome. London… The meetings across town the other day were connected to an international deal.
Had it gone better, it would be done, but since it was not, there would be a trip in my future.
Maybe Rowan, if all went well, would like to go with me.
Sipping coffee and finishing my toast, I set my phone down and allowed my mind to go somewhere it was far too soon even to consider.
Picturing strolling the streets of all the cities I traveled to with him at my side.
Showing him the places I’d been and the much larger number I hadn’t wandered at all.
My phone alarm reminded me it was nearly time to leave for the day, but when I picked it up to check the time, I noticed something I hadn’t before.
The text above Rowan’s was not sent. Somehow it still hung there.
What did I do? His note that had seemed so cute before now held a poignancy. Did he think I wasn’t interested?
How irresponsible. One of my pet peeves was leaving people hanging even when the missed appointment or contact was an accident. Thousands of texts I’d sent and received, maybe tens of thousands, and this one I didn’t send.
Pressing the contact, I brought the phone to my ear and listened to it ring once, twice, three times. Surely he’d answer? If he didn’t want to talk to me, he wouldn’t have sent the cute text, would he?
“Hello?”
“Hi, Rowan, it’s Summit.”
“I knew that.” Of course, he did. He’d saved my number in his phone. “I hope you didn’t think my checkbox was too silly.”
“It was adorable. I am so sorry I didn’t speak with you yesterday. I was called out of town and, well, this is embarrassing…”
“The reason you got called out of town is embarrassing? Now, I’m intrigued.”
If he got any more adorable or funnier, I didn’t know what I’d do. “No. I had to fill in for a colleague who couldn’t make it. I’m in Chicago. Which you would know if the text I’d sent you had gone through. Or perhaps I should say if I’d sent the text. I’m not sure what happened.”
“Really?” I could hear his smile in his tone. “I thought that…well, I wasn’t sure if we actually agreed you’d call me or not. I thought maybe I misunderstood.”
Dammit. I’d left him hanging. “No, absolutely not. It’s all on me, and I was wondering if you’d like to get together soon? I’ll be home in a couple of days.”
“Yes, please,” he said. “I would like that.”
“Maybe meet at Chained?”
“I’d like that, too.”
We spoke another few minutes, and it made me late and I didn’t care. My priorities had shifted. Business had taken first place in my life for a long time, mostly because I didn’t have one. Rowan held much more appeal than yet another legal document.