a call I need to make.
Javier answers on the second ring. “Winter.”
Seven years of dealing with him and we’ve built a good level of trust. I don’t hear the ice in his voice anymore. “I need to reschedule the time for tomorrow.”
“What time works for you?”
“Any time before three.”
“I’ll see you at two. And I heard King’s in town; don’t bring him.” He knows I’d never do that. King is his least favourite person to deal with; the only reason the cartel still works with Storm is because I handle all our dealings with them.
I end the call and place my phone on the desk while stretching my neck. It’s been a busy couple of weeks taking care of some issues we’ve had with customers. Nothing we’re not used to dealing with, but it’s taken me away from home for days at a time, and that always keeps me awake at night. Especially if I’m away while Birdie and I are in the middle of a cycle.
“You got a minute?” King asks, appearing in the doorway.
“What’s up?” He arrived earlier today and I know there’s something on his mind he wants to discuss.
He enters the office. “I need to cancel the trip we had planned for next week.”
We’d planned to visit some customers up the coast to negotiate new terms. It suits me to put it off. “No problem. When are you thinking to move it to?”
“Sometime in the next month.”
“That works for me.”
“Good.”
“How long are you in town?” I wasn’t aware he was coming. We’ve got nothing happening here that needs his assistance.
“I leave tomorrow. I’m only here to check out a bike for Holly.”
I respect King for many things; the way he loves his family is at the top of the list. “You wanna come over for dinner tonight? I’ll fire up the barbie.”
“Yeah, sounds good.”
We agree on a time and he leaves. I shoot Birdie a text.
* * *
Me: King’s coming for dinner.
Birdie: What time?
Me: 6pm
* * *
She calls me. “I don’t know what we have in the fridge that I can cook.”
“I’ll pick something up to cook on the barbecue.”
“The house is a mess, Winter. Like, seriously, there’s shit everywhere.”
“King won’t give a fuck.”
“I’ll give a fuck. I’ll finish up here as fast as possible. Maybe come get me in about half an hour so I can go home and clean.”
“I’ll clean the kitchen when we get home.” She’s exaggerating when she says the house is a mess. There’re a few breakfast dishes to be cleaned.
“God no. I’ll do it, and trust me, a lot more than just the kitchen needs to be cleaned.”
I stretch my neck again. I don’t know if it’s this conversation or something else, but I’m feeling tight as fuck again. “Suit yourself, but the offer’s there.”
“Don’t get pissy with me; I’m not the one who made these plans.”
Fuck. “I’ll see you in half an hour.”
“Bye. Oh, and bring that packet of gloves from the kitchen with you. I’ll need them.”
She ends the call without waiting for my response. It seems her sparkly mood has disappeared and I wonder who I’ll get when I pick her up.
20
Birdie
* * *
I pull my dress over my head and throw it on the floor before searching for something else to try. Locating another dress, a looser one that might actually fucking fit, I slip it over my head and check myself in the mirror.
“Jesus! I look like a fucking whale.” I yank this one off, too, also throwing it on the floor.
“You don’t look like a fucking whale,” Winter says, resting against the doorjamb and crossing his arms.
I ignore the way his gaze trails over my clothes littering the walk-in robe floor. “I do.” It’s true; the fertility drugs do it to me every single time I have to take them. They blow me up like a whale. Some days I feel like I’m frumping all over the damn place; some days I wonder how Winter can even look at me and still be attracted to me.
“You’re bloated from the drugs. That doesn’t make you a whale.”
My eyes widen and I stare at him. “So I do look fat?”
“Fuck, that’s not what I meant. I was just trying to—”
I hold my hand up. “Stop talking. You’ve already said enough and now I have to find something in the next ten minutes that doesn’t make me look as bad as everything else I’ve tried on.”
He watches me in the way he usually does when he’s trying