Chapter 15
Chapter Fifteen
Naturally, Milo settled right back into his old routines—working ridiculously long hours and spending very little time at home.
Nora laid into him about it daily when they would video chat, but he had several big projects that he was working on that were challenging and exciting and helping him keep his mind off of the fact that he missed her like crazy.
Unfortunately, they were also keeping him too busy to take even a few days off to head back to Harbortown.
“I’m really sorry,” he said miserably. “Things are just taking longer than I expected, and…”
Her sigh was loud and definitely one of frustration. “Milo, I get that you’re busy. I do. But I’m feeling a little less like a priority, and it hurts.”
“I know, but…”
“Still talking,” she firmly interrupted. “The last thing I want is to be a distraction or some kind of obligation that you feel you need to deal with. When you told me you were all in with our relationship, I believed you, and I’d like to think you believed it when you said it.”
“I did! I am! I just…”
“Maybe we were both fooling ourselves,” she went on.
“We were living in a time that wasn’t exactly real.
You were working, but just doing resort stuff, not your usual tech projects.
And I knew you were a workaholic when we met, but I didn’t see that side of you before.
I’m not asking you to completely stop being who you are, but…
you also promised me you’d…you know…be a little more present for us. ”
Raking a hand through his hair, he let out a long breath. He knew he had a good reason for putting in all these hours, but it wasn’t anything he could discuss with her yet.
“You’re right,” he said after a moment. “I came home and went right back to my old habits, and that’s not fair to you.”
“I know we talk every night and text each other throughout the day, but it’s been three weeks, and you’ve backed out of coming to visit twice already.”
“It’s not like I’m not trying, Nora. I swear I am. It’s just…”
“I had this whole thing planned for us this weekend—there’s a festival in town that Reece was telling me about—and I figured we’d have dinner at the pub, check out the festival, go for ice cream, browse around the bookstore, and now you’re not going to be here,” she murmured.
“Part of me worried that we’d get tired of the long-distance thing, but I didn’t expect it to happen this fast.”
Panic had him by the throat because that wasn’t what was happening—at least not for him—but he needed to prove to her that what he was doing was for them, not as a way of avoiding them.
And do it all without giving away any of the details.
Ugh…what the hell was I thinking?
“Okay, may I speak now?” he asked carefully.
“Yes.”
“What I’m working on is something really important.
And I’m not just saying that,” he quickly clarified.
“And it doesn’t just involve me. There are a lot of moving parts—other people involved—and if I take time away, we’ll lose momentum.
I swear it’s going to get better. Soon. Just… please be patient with me. Please.”
She whined his name, and he knew he was close to losing this fight.
“This is all temporary, I promise,” he went on. “Why don’t you come here for the weekend? I’ll pay for the ticket, I’ll make all the arrangements, and…”
“But if you couldn’t take the time off to come here, you’re not going to take the time off while I’m there,” she countered.
“That’s not true. It’s easier for me to make time for us if you’re here. I can take time off because I won’t lose face time with my team while I’m on a plane going across the country. Please, Nora. Come to Seattle.”
She sighed again.
“I don’t know…”
“Sexy baths, sexy showers, sexy pizza in bed…whatever you want, we’ll do it. We don’t even have to leave the condo.”
“I’m listening…”
“Any work I have to do, I’ll do it from home. I’ll have every meal delivered. I’ll even feed it to you in the tub.”
Thankfully, that made her laugh. “I’m not sure that would be a good idea, but you know I’m going to expect you to be in the tub with me part of the time.”
“Naturally. And I’ll even throw in a massage.”
“Like someone coming in and giving me a massage?”
“Yup. If I know I’m going to have to work for more than an hour, I’ll bring in someone to give you a massage. A ninety-minute one. What do you say?”
“Ugh…Milo…”
“First-class seat on the plane.”
“Now you’re making me feel shallow,” she murmured.
“Nope. I’m trying to spoil you so you arrive here relaxed and stay relaxed all weekend.”
“I have an early morning hike on Monday…”
“Then I’ll call Slater and tell him to either take it himself or assign it to someone else. We haven’t asked for any favors like this before, so this one time won’t be a big deal.” He knew he was grasping at straws here, but he was desperate.
“I’ll talk to Slater,” she said after a long moment. “You just…get all your work done so you won’t have to do any while I’m there.” Then she paused. “Except maybe like two or three hours so I can get that massage.”
He nearly slid onto the floor with relief. “Done. I’m making all the flight plans now and I’ll email them to you.”
“Okay. Thank you.”
“No, thank you for being willing to come here. Next time, I will definitely be the one flying across the country.”
“You better,” she said, but she laughed softly afterwards. “Go make travel arrangements, and we’ll talk tomorrow.”
“Sounds good. Get some sleep. I know it’s late by you.”
Hell, it was getting late by him too.
“I’m climbing into bed now. Want to know what I’m wearing?”
Now it was his turn to laugh. “If we play that game—again—no one’s going to get anything done.”
“Spoilsport. Fine. Goodnight.”
“Goodnight, Nora.”
He hung up and quickly made all the arrangements for her to fly to Seattle. As soon as he emailed the info to her, he decided to tap out a quick text to Slater giving him a heads-up.
Milo: Hey! You up?
He figured he’d have to wait a few minutes—or longer—but the dancing dots appeared almost immediately.
Slater: Yup! What’s up?
Milo: I need a favor.
Slater: Sure!
Milo: I can’t make it back to Harbortown this weekend, so I’m flying Nora here.
Slater: And you want me to charter a plane and fly her there?
Milo: Was that ever an option?
Slater: Could be.
Milo: I wish I had known that. I just booked her flights.
Slater: Oh. Okay. So…the favor?
Milo: I have her flying out on Friday and getting back late Sunday night. She said she has an early hike on Monday, so I need someone else to do it.
Slater: Ah. That kind of favor. I get it.
Milo: Will it be a problem?
Slater: Not at all. A few of the guides have been grumbling about our cutting back on their hours so it kind of works out.
Slater: You could even let her stay until Monday and fly home then.
Milo quickly turned to his computer and altered her itinerary before emailing her the update.
Milo: Done!
Slater: What time is her flight on Friday?
Milo: One in the afternoon.
Slater: I’ll give her morning hike to someone else too and I’ll take her to the airport.
Milo: Thank you.
Then he remembered their conversation from a few weeks ago.
Milo: Um…did you ever talk to her about you staying on for the winter months?
Slater: No. It never seemed to come up, but maybe on the way to the airport?
Milo: Don’t force it. Like we said, it needs to be organic. And make sure she knows it was your idea and not mine.
Slater: No problem.
Slater: So why aren’t you coming here again?
Milo: Big project that I’m working on. It’s really a very hands-on thing and I can’t spare the time to be away while I’m flying.
Slater: But you’ll be able to find the time to be with Nora while she’s there? The math doesn’t seem right.
Milo: Trust me. The math is fine and I’m working it all out.
Slater: We’ll see. Don’t mess this up, dude. She’s seriously missing you.
Milo: And I’m seriously missing her. Don’t worry. I’ve got it all under control.
Slater: Make sure you do. Nora’s a good person, and you’re probably the only guy I know who I’d consider good enough for her. Don’t make me regret it.
Milo: I won’t. Trust me.
Milo: And thanks again for the help. I think this weekend is going to be a good thing.
Slater: No worries. I’ve got your back. Take care and let me know when you’re coming back this way. Maybe we can try the chartering a plane thing.
Milo: As long as it’s bigger than the plane you use at the resort, I’ll be fine.
Slater: LOL! You got it!
Putting his phone down, he emailed Evie asking her to book a massage for Nora for Saturday. Now that he had a plan and motivation, he was more determined than ever to get as much work done before Nora arrived.
And with any luck, he’d make up for being the world’s crappiest long-distance boyfriend.
It was official: she was spoiled.
And I’m too relaxed to care…
Her flight to Seattle had been pretty darn perfect.
Milo had sent a driver to pick her up, and when she’d climbed into the back of the SUV, there was a box of warm chocolate chip cookies waiting for her and a bottle of milk on ice.
And when she arrived at his condo building, Jeffrey had greeted her warmly and escorted her up to the penthouse where Milo was waiting for her with soft music, wine, and a tub full of bubbles.
And that was just the beginning.
After a very sexy and satisfying evening, he’d served her breakfast in bed before announcing that her masseuse would arrive in an hour.
She’d never had a real massage before—only ones that came with physical therapy after she’d gotten hurt on a hike or something—and now that she knew what she’d been missing, this was going to become a regular part of her life.
The table had been set up in the primary suite with all the blinds drawn, some spa music playing quietly, and a jasmine-scented candle burning. It was an incredibly relaxing environment, and as they were finishing up, she wasn’t sure she’d ever be able to move again.