I nodded. “Since you live next door, I don’t think that’ll be a problem.”
“You live next door?” Josie’s voice was high-pitched.
We both turned to look at her.
“I do,” Presley said. “With two roommates.”
“The guys with head-to-toe tattoos?” Josie questioned, her eyes looking a little dreamy.
Presley nodded.
I don’t think I’d ever seen Josie’s smile get that big. I didn’t even want to ask why that made her happy.
“Okay. Then it’s settled,” Josie added, looking serious once again as she pinned me with a stare. “I’ll just busy myself with emails while you pack your stuff and get out.” Her gaze dropped back to Presley briefly before she turned toward the hall leading to her office.
“Oh,” I said, “before I forget, can you go through the living rooms and dining room and catalog all the furniture? I need a couple of pictures of everything for a record.”
Not to mention strange, period. Who the fuck was sweet Sylvia Sue?
I didn’t bother to ask.
“I was thinking more along the lines of donating.” I lifted an eyebrow. “Don’t tell me you’re attached to it.”
“God, no,” she huffed. “I was wondering how to break it to you. That stuff’s…”
“Hideous?” Presley noted, shifting beside me.
“Yes, that’s a good word,” Josie agreed with a chuckle.
“And you never thought to mention it before?” I smiled at my assistant.
“Trust me, I’ve wanted to.”
I didn’t doubt that. But no matter what, Josie was professional. She’d been my assistant for the past year, since I’d returned to Texas, right before I’d moved into the condo. I think she’d been just as shocked by the décor as I’d been, but at the time, things had been crazy busy for us both. With the movie release, I hadn’t had time to do much more than sleep and eat, hardly even enough time to get in a few words a day.
“Let me grab my phone,” Josie said. “I’ll let you show me what you want to get rid of, then you can pack.”
“If you know anyone who needs anything, let me know,” I told Josie. “We’ll get it moved to wherever they are. The rest we’ll have someone pick up.”
Josie nodded.
I turned to Presley. “Is the cabin stocked?”
She shook her head. “Only a few non-perishables. We’ll have to pick up food on the way.”
Good to know.
“Are you sure you’re ready for this?” I wanted to make sure she didn’t have any doubts.
Her smile brightened the entire room. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”
Chapter Forty-Four
Presley
When Jake asked me to go to dinner before we headed out of town, I had to admit that I was nervous. Although we’d had an amazing day, which was about to morph into a weekend away, part of me was thinking that I needed to take a break from him. Perhaps take a little time to get my thoughts straight before I allowed myself to get too carried away.
As it was, this guy was winning me over left and right. Everything he said, everything he did… I liked him. A lot. But something told me that I needed to keep some space between us. It was a vibe I was getting from him, I think.
Granted, it was possible that I’d freaked him out with the conversation this morning at the coffee shop. The whole happily-ever-after bit had sounded somewhat on the crazy side, even to me.
And then there had been my reaction to the women who had asked for his signature at the bookstore. Sure, I’d seen the way they had looked at him when they’d recognized him, and yes, it had been a little off-putting at first. When he’d instantly brushed me off as though I didn’t matter, I’d been tempted to call a cab to pick me up.
But then I realized he hadn’t brushed me off. I’d been the one who had stormed off. Those women had been enthralled by him, hugging him, asking for pictures and autographs, and I had allowed them to push me right out of the way. Admittedly, it had brought back some bad memories. But the truth was, those women had been incredibly nice, not pushy at all, but still, I’d reacted badly.
“Hey,” Jake whispered, squeezing my hand as we pulled up to the restaurant. “You okay?”
I forced a smile. “Fantastic.”
“Stay put,” he commanded, then got out of the car, waving one of the valets