I dialed Rob first.
“Hello, charming boyfriend,” I greeted.
“Hi. Was just about to text the delivery guy and check on him.”
“No need. I can confirm that all the goodies are right in front of my nose. Did you talk to my sister?”
“Hey, you’re the one who said using Tess as a source of information is fair play.”
“True that.” Grinning, I shoved a bit of cheese in my mouth, dangling my legs in the air. “Mmmm... this is delicious.”
“Skye, fuck.”
Ah, what an atomic combination of words. Stifling a giggle, I moaned again, eating yet another piece of cheese.
“You want to kill me?” His voice was hoarse. My lady parts tingled with heat.
“Nah, just trying to sell you on jumping on a plane.”
“I’m of a mind to ditch the rest of my plans anyway.”
“Yeah, do that. Come over to the dark side.”
He laughed. “Can’t, unfortunately.”
“Hmm... must improve my phone-moaning skills.”
“Please don’t.”
Pouting, I said, “Tell me about the rest of your day.”
“Three interviews at the office, and another two during lunch and dinner, then I’ll drop dead in my bed.”
“See, if you were in my bed, that would be so much more fun,” I teased.
“I know.”
We spoke a while longer, right until he had to go into his first meeting, and then I devoured a granola bar and a delicious yogurt with chia seeds and strawberry jam.
I felt more than a little guilty about staying home, but Tess was right. I needed to rest before I went from tired to sick.
Skye: I feel guilty for not being there.
In response Tess sent me a photo. Josie was there, along with Ryker, Hunter, and Cole.
Holy shit!
Tess: We’re crazy busy. Josie’s with me in the front, the boys are packing up the online orders. Cole insists he’s the reason we’re swamped. First we teased him that he’s actually trying to charm his way out of packing boxes buuuut... customers tend to stay 30 percent longer in the store when he’s in the front (and buy more).
Skye: Maybe we should include him in the marketing strategy. “Come on in and our brother might charm you into going on a date with him.”
I snickered, yearning to have fun with all of them, but truthfully, I felt exhausted despite sleeping in and drinking coffee, so I went back to bed.
Sunday was just as relaxing. I slept in, and it was marvelous.
On Monday morning, I was still feeling as if I could sleep the whole day but forced myself to go into the city. I wasn’t showing any signs of even a cold, so I couldn’t justify staying home.
As per my usual routine, I first stopped into Joe’s coffee shop. I was so hungry that aside from my to-go order, I also bought a vanilla custard puff. My mouth watered as Joe put it on a plate in front of me. Next to me, a preschooler was looking at me with envy. She received a healthy sandwich. I pushed my unhealthy, extra-sugary treat out of her sight.