Chapter Twenty-Four
Allison
I’m not sure how I manage to get any work done after the magical weekend I’ve had. I missed my chance to call Morgan this morning and my leg is bouncing in eager excitement for her lunch break. I’ve already texted her that she MUST call me as soon as she is away from her desk.
At 12:32 my phone rings.
“Morgan!”
“Hey Ally, I’m sensing you have something you need to tell me?” Her sarcasm knows no bounds.
“How’d you know?”
“Maybe the twenty-four text messages I got gave it away,” Morgan sasses.
“I just had the most amazing weekend of my life. I basically had sex for forty-eight hours.” I throw my arms up in glee.
“How are you alive?”
“Okay, not forty-eight hours straight, but let’s just say, I was naked all weekend.”
“Oooh, girl, I’m not even going to pretend to not be jealous. Do you think his brother is just as good?”
“Are you already planning to jump his bones the minute he gets here?”
“I might give him a day or two to settle in. Now, tell me all the details. Is he good? Big? Attentive?”
“Oh God, yes. Very. And there isn’t a part of my body that hasn’t been ravished.”
“I hate you.”
“I know. It’s okay. Because I can’t even believe it myself.” I shrug my shoulders and smile.
“I give you a hard time but I’m one hundred percent happy for you. I’m glad you’re back to your old self. Being fun and flirty and having amazing sex with a hot guy always helps!”
“Thanks, bestie. It’s refreshing to feel good again. I can’t tell you what it’s like to be able to be myself and get fawned over.”
“I think that’s what we all strive for.”
“I agree. And I think Oliver may be the one.” I fiddle with the pen on my desk, spinning it.
“You did say you were going to marry him.”
“I did? When?” I sit upright.
“When you first ran into him.”
“No, I didn’t. I didn’t even know him then,” I defend, slapping my desk in defiance.
“You did. I remember laughing at you in your stunned state.”
“Well, see, there you go. I was stunned and not thinking clearly.”
“Uh huh. I think you knew.”
“I didn’t.” I protest. “Love at first sight is so overused.”
“It sounds like you used the term correctly.”
“I definitely like him,” I hedge.
“I can hear the tone in your voice, and I think you love him, Ally.”
“Morgan.”
“Let yourself go and admit it.”
“We’ll see,” I say, coyly. “I can definitely say I’m falling for him,” I admit.
“I’ll let your half-assed admission slide. And, on that note, I better grab something to eat and take it back to my desk.”
I disconnect and stare at my computer screen until the words blur and my stomach growls. I guess I need some lunch too. I wonder if Oliver is still here.
I cross the hall and knock but everything is quiet, no shuffling or banging, so he must have left already. I’m kinda bummed he didn’t come back for another kiss before he left. I shrug and then head to the market for lunch.
When I walk in the door, I immediately scan for Oliver since we always seemed to run into each other, but it’s pretty empty. I sigh in defeat and grab a pre-made sandwich and a small bag of chips then head to the register.
“He’s not here, darling,” Rose informs me.
“How did you—”
“I watch and I know. So, I take it you guys are an item now?” She winks.
“Yes, very much so.” I’m pretty sure I’m grinning like the Cheshire cat.
“You make a beautiful couple. It’s going to last.”
“I hope so. I’ve never felt this way about anyone before, even men I thought would be good options in the past.”
“The heart knows.”
“I think you’re right. Thanks, Rose.”
“Anytime, dear. Have a good afternoon,” she says, handing me the bag with my items.
When I return home, I try to call Oliver and it goes straight to voicemail. Huh, that’s super weird. I continue to work the rest of the day since I didn’t get much done this morning and then try to call him again to meet for dinner. Still nothing. I’m trying not to worry, but what’s up? He doesn’t seem like the type of guy who would use a woman for sex, so now all the bad thoughts are running through my head. Is he lying on the floor across the hall under some heavy-weight machine? Did he get hit by a car going home? Did someone put a gun to his head and tell him to write his book and he wasn’t allowed to call anyone until his pages were done?
I shake the crazy thoughts out of my head as I reach for the peanut butter swirl ice cream I have stashed in the back of my fridge, grab a spoon, and plop on the couch before calling Morgan.
“Hey Ally, what’s up?”
“I can’t get ahold of Oliver. His phone has been going to voicemail all day, and I’m starting to get worried.”
“If he wham-bam-thank-you-ma’amed you, he better run.”
“Morgan, why would you say that? I’m thinking he’s in a ditch somewhere and now you put that in my head. He wouldn’t.”
“I’m sorry. I’m sure he didn’t. Did you ever stop to think that his battery is dead?”
“All day? Come on.”
“I know. I’m just trying to think of a rational explanation. Can you go to his place?”
I cringe. “I don’t actually know where he lives. He always comes here.”
“That’s out. Hmm, email?”
“Nope.”
“Publisher?”
“Oh yes, ‘Hello super busy person, could you tell me how to find my new boyfriend?’ That would go over well.”
“I’m sure he’s fine. Did he say where he was going after he left this morning?”
“Just across the hall to set up and then to write.”
“Ally. Duh, he probably turned his phone off to write and not be distracted.” I drop my spoon.
“Morgan you’re a genius. That’s it! I did think of a scenario where he had a gun to his head to write all the words, but this is more rational. Just a simple ‘do not disturb.’ Thank you!”
“I know. And you’re welcome. Now stop eating that ice cream and stop worrying.”
“How did you know?”
“I’m not new here. Look, just relax and I’m sure he’ll call you tomorrow.”
“I’m putting the ice cream away as we speak. Thank you for saving my stomach a night of discomfort.”
“Anytime. Bye, babe.”
After closing the freezer, I do my nightly rounds of running the dishwasher and turning off all the lights, then make my way to bed. I lean down and inhale the scent of the peonies and grab Oliver’s book while admonishing myself for thinking the worst as I get into bed.
When I flip open the cover, I realize Oliver signed it and wrote an inscription. It reads: To the woman I’d hide a body for. I laugh and hug the book to my chest realizing just how ridiculous I’ve been.