What if I want him to cross the threshold? “I seem to remember that not going so well a little while ago.” My face heats and Gia’s mouth falls open in surprise at how bold I’m being.
I get up off the couch and walk away from Gia. This feels so intimate, being on the phone together, and I really do hate that he isn’t coming back sooner.
He groans. “I need to see you tonight. It’s already killing me I have to cancel.” I can actually hear the pain in his voice. I shouldn’t like it as much as I do, but I’m glad I’m not alone in this ache.
“Okay. Stop by and kiss me goodnight.” The last thirty minutes waiting for him to come back were nearly impossible, so I have no idea how I’m going to get through the next few hours.
“I’ll be there,” he tells me. He’s quiet for a moment and I’m not sure if I’m supposed to say bye. “Caroline.” He sighs my name and there’s longing in his voice. “I’ll be thinking about you all night until I see you again.”
“Good,” I tease him. “You’ll miss the dress I put on, though.” He groans again and I feel my core clench. “I’ll see you soon.”
“That’s a promise,” he says, and I end the call. I want him to do whatever it is he needs to so he can get here soon.
“Two girls all dressed up and no place to go,” Gia says from the couch. It’s then I remember I did have plans tonight. Ones I’d been on the fence about going to because I didn’t want to go alone.
“Instead of watching the minutes tick by until we can see our men—”
“You called him your man!” Gia shouts, making me cheeks heat. I ignore her and press on.
“We could go to the event I got us tickets to a few weeks ago.” I remind her of the tickets Mrs. Badger gave me because she couldn’t make it. She’d been one of my first dog walking clients and was so good to me. I put the tickets aside thinking maybe it would be a good place to meet clients. The event is for an animal rescue charity, so people who attend likely have animals, and it’s all for a good cause.
“Let’s do it.” Gia hops up from the sofa and we get ourselves together before we grab our bags and leave. We hail a cab and soon we’re pulling up outside the hotel where they’re having the event. I see some people brought their pets with them and I smile. I think Elvis is better at home on the sofa taking his seventh nap for the day.
“I hope they have something to eat,” Gia says. “I forgot to before we left.”
“We can grab something after. I’m scared that some of this isn’t meant for us.” I motion to a tray a server is holding. It looks fancy, but I’m pretty sure it’s all meant for the dogs.
“Yeah, I’m not risking it.” Even as Gia says the words, her eyes follow another tray that passes us.
I laugh as we each take a glass of champagne and mingle for a while. I run into some people I actually work for and get introduced to more.
“I think I should volunteer,” I tell Gia. “They are doing a lot of good here.”
“I was thinking the same thing. Maybe…” Her words trail off a moment later and I follow her line of sight. She tilts her head and I’m in shock. “Is that—”
“Aiden,” I finish for her and smile when I see him. “What are the odds?” I’m deliriously happy to see him. Seeing him now in his casual suit, I find him impossibly more attractive.
He’s in a pair of slacks and button-up shirt with the top button undone. His hair is a little messy and I know he’s been running his hands through it. I can tell he’s trying to be nice to whoever he’s talking to, but somehow, I know he’s ready to go. I watch as he pulls out his phone and I wonder if he’s checking the time or seeing if I texted him. Maybe I should have, but I didn’t want to bother him while he was at his event.
As if feeling my eyes on him he lifts his head from his phone and he stares right at me. I watch his face light up with a smile and I start to move towards him. His smile drops just a bit as he stands up a little taller. He looks a bit more rigid than when I first noticed him, but I can’t figure out why.
“Hey,” I say when I finally get to him. It looks like he’s about to reach for me but stops himself.
“Hi,” he says after a beat. “You look beautiful.”