She fell quiet again, and I felt pressed to ask, “Is it okay? How are you feeling about me moving up there?”
“I’d love that.”
My phone vibrated against my ear, and I lifted it away. The name for my main contact on the investigation flashed on the screen, but I refused to answer it just now.
“I can't come up this weekend, but would you be able to come here?”
“I think so,” Jane replied. “I'll text you by Friday. Will that work?”
“Sure.” I was disappointed that she didn't confirm immediately, but I would be patient. “I miss you. I hope I'll see you this weekend.”
After the call, I realized I hadn't told her I loved her. I wanted to call her back, but I also didn't want to call her back. Because I needed to see her face when I told her how I felt.
ChapterTwenty-Eight
Jane
Thea stared at me, her lips twisting to the side. “Okay, I have tried to stay out of this, but you're being stupid,” she said pointedly.
“What do you mean?” I ground out.
“You're in love with Ian, and he’s in love with you. Now, just go fucking see him. Or maybe, communicate your feelings. I don’t know.”
I stared at her. Obviously for too long because she circled her hand in the air impatiently.
“Just admit I'm right. You're miserable. He's a stress ball.”
“He is?”
“He said he talked to you yesterday.” One brow rose in an arch as my friend eyed me. “I would think you would know that.”
I sighed. “You're right. I guess I didn't expect this.”
My heart pinched in my chest. Merely thinking about the level of stress he was under and, suddenly, all of my worries softened. I couldn't imagine how stressful this was for him. Thea was right.
“You're right,” I announced. I knew Thea well enough to know she liked to be told when she was right.
She practically beamed. “I know I am. Now, I think the ball’s in your court.”
“Why is it in my court?”
“Look, I'm not going to pretend I'm an expert at romance because I'm not. But you're the one who got upset and wanted some space. Logically, you're the one who has to fix this. My brother's not perfect. I mean, my God, he used to be so annoying.” I choked back a laugh as she continued, “But he's a good guy. With everything that happened with our dad, this is like stress times a thousand. You need to make him feel better.”
Normally, my train ride down to Washington, DC, was productive. I worked and stayed focused. I got plenty of those small, tedious tasks done. Today, I wasn't focused. I was impatient.
I'd almost considered driving, but then I realized that was pointless because driving definitely wasn't going to get me there faster. My fingers kept twitching. I wanted to text him and tell him I was coming, but I also wanted to surprise him.
Restless, I drummed my fingers on the seat and kept crossing and uncrossing my legs. Eventually, the man sitting beside me glanced my way. He was an older man with kind blue eyes. “How’re you doing over there?” he asked with a slight smile.
“I'm fine. Sorry.” I laced my fingers together in my lap.
“No need to apologize. What are you doing in DC for the weekend?”
“Visiting my boyfriend.”
“Well, then, I hope you have a good weekend.”
“How about you? What brings you from Boston to DC?”