Chapter 6
CHAPTER SIX
Macie looked up from her computer in surprise when she heard the garage door open.
Glancing at her watch, she saw it was only two in the afternoon.
She wasn’t expecting Colt home for another hour and a half or so.
She wasn’t panicked though, because it wasn’t as if the thugs who’d broken into her apartment would open the garage door if they’d tracked her to Colt’s house.
Thankful for the break—she’d been rebuilding an author’s website after her old one had been infected with malware, and her eyes felt like they were crossed—Macie saved her work on the computer and stood to greet Colt.
It was Friday afternoon, and she was looking forward to him being home for two full days.
She felt grounded when he was there. As if he had some sort of magical force field around him that prevented her anxiety from flaring up.
She heard the door to the garage shut and then he was there.
“Hi.”
“Hey, hon. How’s your day been?”
“Good. Yours? You’re home early.”
“I am. I thought we could go on a trip this weekend, if you wanted to.”
Macie froze. A trip? Together? Would they stay in the same hotel room?
It was a stupid thought. They’d been sleeping in Colt’s bed together since she’d moved in.
It wasn’t sexual, and as the days passed, she got more and more unsatisfied with the status quo.
She had no idea how to let Colt know she was ready for more.
Didn’t want to do anything that might change the comfortable relationship they had.
And if she initiated sex, and he didn’t want it, she’d be embarrassed and have to move back to her apartment.
As if he could sense her inner turmoil, Colt strode toward her. Macie loved seeing him in his uniform. He looked confident and strong, things that were the complete opposite of how she felt most of the time.
“If you’d rather, we can stay here like we did last weekend,” he reassured her as he tucked a piece of hair behind her ear gently. “I just thought you could use a change of pace. You’ve been cooped up in my house almost since you moved in.”
“I like your house,” she blurted.
“I know you do, hon. And I like you in my house, but I’d like to take us both away for a weekend.
The detective in Lampasas hasn’t found Teddy yet, though after your place was broken into again, they’ve really stepped up their searches.
I reserved a room at the Four Seasons in Austin.
I requested a view of Lady Bird Lake and the Congress Avenue Bridge so we could watch the bats leave at dusk to go feed. ”
Macie had heard of the famous bats of Austin. It was said that over a million bats lived under the bridge and came out every night at dusk to feed. She’d wanted to go see the phenomenon, but hadn’t ever made the time.
Colt went on. “They have an aquarium in Austin that we could do, or we could take a tour of the downtown area. Sixth Street is always an option too. They have a huge multi-block party every weekend, complete with live bands, but I wasn’t sure that would be your thing.
The stores down there are pretty eclectic, and we could wander around during the day if you wanted.
The bottom line is that I just want to spend time with you, Macie.
One on one. Continue to get to know you. Have some fun.”
Macie took a deep breath and nodded. “I’d like that.”
“But?” Colt asked.
Macie smiled a little and shook her head. “How can you read me so well?”
“Because I pay attention. What part of my plans do you not like? Nothing is set in stone. We can change things up however you want.”
“There’s a store called Uncommon Objects in Austin.
One of the authors I work for told me about it.
It’s an antique store, but it’s apparently so much more than that.
They have all sorts of stuff, but what I’d really like to get my hands on are the antique photos.
Real photos of real people. Memories that are lost to those who experienced them, but I can only imagine the stories that will run through my head when I see them. ”
Colt was smiling at her and had a look in his eyes that she couldn’t interpret. “Of course we can go there.”
“And there’s a restaurant called Bacon that I want to go to. I saw a rerun of an episode of Food Paradise on the Travel Channel that featured it. They make all different kinds of flavored bacon. I think it would be fun to visit.”
The indulgent look hadn’t left Colt’s face. “I’ve been there. And you’re right, the food is amazing. But hon, I have bad news.”
“What?” Macie asked.
“They closed.”
“Seriously?”
“Yeah. A couple years ago. I guess the street it was on frequently flooded, and they got tired of it. They were supposed to open in a new location, but I haven’t heard if they’ve done that or not.”
“Well, darn,” Macie said.
“I’ll make you bacon if you want it, Mace,” Colt told her.
“It won’t be the same,” she said with a pout.
Colt chuckled. “True. We’ll see if we can find another place that sells kick-ass bacon while we’re there. How’s that? The city’s well known for their eclectic, independently run restaurants.”
“Okay.”
“So you’ll go with me?”
Macie looked up at Colt and said seriously, “I think I’d go anywhere with you.”
“We won’t have time to get there to see the bats tonight, and I figure we’ll both be tired by the time we arrive. So I thought we could just order room service.”
“Sounds perfect. Colt?”
“Yeah, Mace?”
“I appreciate everything you’ve done for me. I mean, I know I’m Ford’s sister and he’s one of the soldiers under your command, but I appreciate it all the same.”
He looked confused then. “Macie, you know I’m not helping you just because you’re Truck’s sister, right?”
Macie heard the incredulity in his voice, and began to get nervous in a way she hadn’t felt around him since she’d moved in.
“Well, no, because that would be crazy. I mean, you can’t move everyone’s siblings into your house if they need help.
But I get that you were there with Ford when I called him that night.
And when I refused to stay at his place with him and Mary, you were put in a weird spot. All I’m saying is that I’m thankful.”
She couldn’t interpret the look on his face now, and that was beginning to freak Macie out. She’d obviously said the wrong thing, again, but didn’t know how to fix it. So she tried to fill the awkward silence.
“I mean, it’s not like we aren’t friends, because I think we are. I like you, and I think you like me. But when you didn’t call after my brother’s wedding, I kinda figured out where we stood with each other, and I’m okay with that.”
“When I didn’t call?” Colt asked, breaking his weird silence.
“Mace, I didn’t have your number. I could’ve asked Truck, but I didn’t know if that’s what you wanted.
I also didn’t want you to feel weird about what happened that night…
but I sure didn’t. I loved talking to you.
Getting to know you. But I wasn’t going to force you to go out with me if you didn’t want to. ”
“I left my number,” Macie got up the courage to say. “On a note.”
The confusion left his eyes, and determination took its place. “Where?”
“Where what?”
“Where did you leave the note?”
Macie’s head was swirling with confusion. “Right next to your bed, so you’d see it when you woke up. On the nightstand.”
Without a word, Colt grabbed her hand. He turned and pulled her after him as he went up the stairs toward his bedroom. Macie didn’t protest or say anything. She was too weirded out by the way he was acting.
When they got into his room, he turned to her and said, “Show me where.”
Macie pointed at the small table next to the bed. The same notepad she’d used that night was still sitting there, along with a pen.
Colt looked at the table, then back at her, then back to the table.
Just when Macie was about to completely wig out, he said, “I didn’t see a note from you, Mace.
And believe me, I looked. When I woke up and you weren’t next to me, I was upset.
I had been looking forward to having breakfast with you.
To talking with you some more. I got dressed then went downstairs to see if you had left a note there.
And once again was disappointed when I didn’t find anything.
I figured you simply didn’t feel the same connection between us that I did. ”
“I did. I do,” Macie said. “It was hard for me to leave that note because I was scared you were just being nice. That you didn’t mean it when you asked if I wanted to have lunch or something. But I liked you. So I left my number. And you didn’t call.”
He rubbed his free hand over his face. “God, what a clusterfuck,” he muttered. Colt dropped her hand and went over to the bed. He got down on his knees and looked under it. Macie had no idea what he was doing.
Then he reached under the bedframe and pulled out a white sheet of paper and held it up.
She held her breath. The paper had some dust bunnies attached to it, indicating that it had been under his bed for a while.
He hadn’t lied. It looked like he really hadn’t seen her note.
He stood and walked back to her, holding the note between them. She looked down and saw her own handwriting on the small piece of paper.
Colt. Thank you for last night. If you were honest about wanting to have lunch sometime, I’d like that. ~Macie
Her number was clearly written under her short note. Swallowing hard, she looked up at Colt.
“Damn it all to hell,” he said softly. “I can’t believe I didn’t get this. I’ve wasted so much time.”
Macie wasn’t sure what to say to that.
“I remember shutting my bedroom door that morning and thinking how glad I was that I didn’t live in an apartment when it slammed harder than I’d intended,” Colt mused. “I bet it blew off then. All this time, I could’ve been with you, and I fucked it up.”