Chapter 35
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
Parker
Despite being resolved to call Tristan, it took me twenty-four hours before I summoned the courage to send him a message asking him if he wanted to go to lunch.
I hit send and threw my phone on the sofa like it was on fire.
Immediately it started to ring. I grabbed it and Tristan’s name was flashing on the screen.
My heart squeezed in excitement but I wasn’t prepared to speak to him. Maybe he was calling to tell me no—to say he wanted to break all ties forever.
If I didn’t answer, I’d never know. I swiped up.
“Hello,” I answered.
“Hey,” he said. “I thought I’d call.”
“I see that.”
“Thanks for the message,” he said.
“Thanks for calling,” I replied. This was awkward and weird and I wanted to race back to sitting opposite him at his dining room table, sharing a bottle of wine.
He took in a breath and all I could imagine was him saying no to me.
“Look,” I blurted out. “You don’t have to say yes if you don’t want to. I just thought—”
“I can’t do lunch,” he said, cutting me off.
I knew it. He was calling to try to let me down gently.
“But I could bring a takeaway over to your place if that works for you. Your dad said you’d moved back there now Wilson has been arrested. Tonight even.”
“Tonight?” Even though it was only six, I was already in my jammies.
“You probably have plans tonight already. We could do—”
“Tonight is good.”
He sighed with what sounded like relief. “Good.”
“Good,” I replied.
“An hour?”
“Perfect.”
We hung up and I clutched the phone to my chest. An hour wasn’t long. The sooner the better. The only problem was, I hadn’t quite figured out one last piece of the puzzle. But I had to carpe the diem. I wasn’t going to turn down a date with my husband.