Chapter 173: I still love you
1027words
She gulped. "Are you hiring me?"
I leaned back in my chair and stole a glance at Lane who sat in the corner.
"I am. Is that a problem?"
I couldn't be sure. She seemed nervous by my tattoos and even more nervous when she saw Lane. It wouldn't surprise me if the girl ran for the hills. She looked terrified, but finally squared her shoulders and took a deep breath.
"It's not a problem at all. This is what I want. I left Phoenix to start over and I believe this is the best place to do it."
"Awesome. I couldn't agree more. Can you start on Monday? My girlfri- I mean, my fiancé will be back by then. She'd love to meet you and help you get settled." God, it felt weird saying fiancé, but I loved it.
"Monday sounds great. It'll give me time to get settled in my new apartment." She stood up and I followed suit, reaching over my desk to shake her hand again. "Thank you for this opportunity, Mr. Hudson."
"Please, call me Drake."
She blushed with a small smile before she turned to Lane. There was a nervous tension between them again before she dipped out of my office, probably running for the parking lot.
My scolding gaze moved to Lane. "Are you fucking serious right now? I interviewed a woman from clear across the country and you just so happened to have fucked her."
He laughed and held up his hands. "Can't say I didn't warn ya. She was..." he trailed off as his gaze went somewhere else.
Was he daydreaming about her right now? I couldn't help but wonder if that's what I looked like when I first met lynn. Was Ruby Lane's lynn? God, I'd love to witness that. It would be nice to see Lane settle down and actually find a woman to love, not just to stick his dick in.
"Where'd ya go there, man?" I laughed.
"Sorry. Just reminiscing. Cool. So we have a new accountant. What's next?"
I looked down at my calendar and cursed. "We were supposed to start shooting this weekend but with everything that's happened and now luis and lynn are gone, I think we'll push everything out. Besides, I need a moment to get my feet planted again."
"Sounds like a plan, brother. I'm gonna go hunt Ruby down before she takes off and ask her out for a drink."
"Dude," I scolded. "Don't fuck this up for me. We need her."
"Hey, give me some credit, man. I'm not a total pig."
I snorted as he disappeared out of my office. He may not be a pig, but he was definitely a man-whore. If he screwed this up for me, I'd be pissed. It wasn't easy finding good help these days. But instead of dwelling on it, I grabbed my keys and left the studio to head home. I wanted to unwind and then call my fiancé. Man, I could never grow old of calling her that, but wife sounded better..
The more TV I watched, the more depressed I felt. I wasn't the type of guy to sit around watching TV all day, especially alone. I thought it would be nice to have the weekend to myself, but to be honest, I missed my people. Lynn and luis were gone and I wished I would have gone with them. I could have switched Ruby's interview to a Zoom call, but it was too late for all of that.
I grabbed my phone and texted Molly instead of calling her. She could be with her family right now and I didn't want to interrupt too much.
DRAKE: missing you like crazy. How's Seattle?
As I leaned back, I plopped my feet up on the coffee table and waited for her reply. But the longer I waited, the more bored I became. Then my phone dinged. Thank fuck.
LYNN: Seattle is boring without you. I might miss you more. What are you doing?
DRAKE: sitting here completely bored out of my mind. Lane is MIA with a woman. Who knew a head injury couldn't keep him down? Lol. What are you doing?
LYNN: omg, stop! He hasn't been out of the hospital for more than a few hours and already has a date? Hehe. Oh, Lane. We're currently having Lobster at Mama Bell's favorite restaurant. luis has stolen the spotlight as usual. ;)
I laughed at her text. Why was I not surprised that Pierre had stolen the spotlight? That guy was seriously the best, and lynn wasn't wrong, he needed to get laid. Who did I know?
DRke: Why does that not surprise me? Lol. Have the best time ever, babe. I'm going to go workout until you can call me later. ;) Can't wait to hear what you'll do with your gift.
LYNN: You'll be sad to hear that I'm sharing a bedroom with Luis. No toy and no fun. :( Enjoy your workout. I love you. I'll see you Sunday and will call you later. X
I grinned reading her message before I went to toss my phone down, but stopped when another text came through. I half expected it to be Lane or even luis, but it was neither of them. Dakota's name flashed across the screen and my heart sank into my stomach.
DAKOTA: Just wanted you to know I'm safe. I'm sorry for everything, Drake. I still love you.
My eyes read the message over and over. She was safe, but my anger for her was still palpable. Dakota chose to walk out on my help and I wouldn't beg her to come back. If she wanted to be on her own and choose a life of drugs, then so be it. She was a big girl.
Instead of texting her back, I tossed my phone on the coffee table and got up. My home gym in the basement was calling my name and I wouldn't come out until I was exhausted. I didn't have anything else to do anyway.
