Chapter 18
Chapter Eighteen
It had been four days since Linc kissed Britt.
In that timeframe, they’d exchanged short, polite texts.
They hadn’t talked on the phone, and she’d been too busy to get together.
He chose to believe she actually was working as much as she’d said and not just using it as a made-up excuse not to see him.
He was an optimist by nature, except lately it had been hard to keep a positive outlook.
Linc had followed Laurel’s advice instead of Jake’s and waited until the morning after the bachelor auction to text Britt.
When she didn’t respond after an hour, he’d tried to call.
No answer. It took everything in him to not call or text again, but he wanted to give her time.
He knew her well enough to realize that if he kept hounding her when she wasn’t ready to talk, all he’d accomplish would be triggering that Southern stubborn streak of hers and then no telling when he’d hear from her.
So, he’d gone about his day… doing household chores, going to the grocery store, definitely not checking his phone every five minutes to make sure she hadn’t texted and he’d missed it.
By the time Sunday turned into Monday, he'd only received one text from her. Arguably, the worst text any man could ever receive: the dreaded “we need to talk” text. It haunted him like a vulture lying in wait because they hadn’t designated a time for when their “talk” would happen.
Britt’s schedule wasn’t set in stone. Being second in command at Shades Restaurant meant she sometimes had to cover when people called in.
She also had to work whenever her boss, Aaron, went on vacation.
If the executive chef wasn’t there, his sous chef had to be in order to ensure leadership presence in the restaurant at all times.
Aaron was planning to hire a second sous chef to spread the load and hopefully allow them more flexibility.
Until that happened, one of the two of them was always working.
Britt was on deck right now, hence not knowing when they’d be able to talk.
Although Linc and Emery’s show ended at ten a.m., he was usually at the radio station for a few hours after that, completing paperwork and whatever else needed to be done.
Linc and Em in the A.M. had been the top-rated morning show in Idaho for years.
They’d garnered enough of a following that they’d been syndicated sixteen months ago.
Now their show was airing across multiple markets.
Being so recognizable in the industry bumped the number of endorsement spots they were hired to do, either together or individually.
Recording those, along with the usual promo teasers and commercials, added to his time at the station.
Sometimes before leaving, he and Em would plan out bullet points of what they wanted to cover in their show the following morning. It also wasn’t uncommon for them to call or text throughout the rest of the day with changes or new ideas.
By the time he typically left the station, there were only a few hours between when Linc got home and when Britt had to get prep done for the night’s dinner service.
It made it hard to get together on days when they both worked, especially when he got off late and she had to go in early.
Still, they’d always found the time. These past few days, however, he hadn’t seen nor spoken to her, and their texts had been sporadic at best.
He hated to think she was avoiding him over a kiss, especially after what had happened in Vegas, but the more time that passed, the harder it was becoming not to consider it. Plus, she’d signed the divorce papers.
That had gutted him, which was ridiculous.
What did he expect? For them to stay married after a drunken wedding officiated by an Elvis impersonator?
Britt deserved so much better than that.
Plus, he’d never had any intention of getting married, so why did the knowledge that she’d signed make him feel like he was about to lose his lunch?
Maybe because even though she’d always vowed never to get a divorce, she’d signed them anyway?
Had the thought of being married to him been so distasteful?
Fuck. She signed the paperwork.
He should be happy. He should be relieved that she’d taken the initiative, but he wasn’t. Dammit, he was a mess.
She signed the fucking paperwork.
Checking his phone one more time confirmed there weren’t any messages. He tossed the damn thing onto the counter and glared at it like it had personally offended him.
Well, shit.
Could there be a worse time to realize he was irrevocably in love with his wife?