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“Of course.”
Stepping away from the bar, I swiped to answer.
“Hello?”
“Hey. I’m so glad I finally got you.”
My brows drew together. “What do you meanfinally? My call log doesn’t show anything I missed.”
“Oh, I called alright. And texted. Heath apparently thought it would be funny if he changed your name to Mia’s and Mia’s name to yours in my contacts. So I’ve been texting Mia, thinking it was you. I thought it was odd that when I asked what you were doing, you said you were running out to get tampons, but I figured you were just being funny.”
“So you texted me today?”
“Of course. I wasn’t even out of the courthouse before I texted you the good news.”
“What happened in court?”
“Your friend was a godsend. I can’t thank you enough for referring me to him. We got right in with a judge, and he granted me temporary, emergency custody. I have to jump through a million hoops, like a background check, home inspection, interviews with social workers, et cetera. But the kids can stay with me legally now. I’m so damn relieved, Owen.”
It felt like a weight had lifted off my shoulders, which was fucked up because this wasn’t my burden to carry. “That’s great. Congratulations!”
“Anyhow, I’m sorry I didn’t reach you earlier. It wasn’t until I asked if you wanted to celebrate with me later that I finally figured out what was going on. Mia responded that she’d love to hop on a plane, but she had a new artist showing tonight. Mia manages an art gallery.”
I’d stepped into the hallway that led to the bathrooms to talk on the phone. Two loud, drunk guys came out of the men’s room laughing. Devyn heard the commotion.
“Are you still at work?”
“No. I, uh, stopped at a bar for a beer with a friend.”
“Fun! Which one? Maybe I’ll come meet you for a celebratory drink.”
I hesitated, not sure how the hell to answer. “Umm…”
“Oh.Oh gosh,” Devyn said. Apparently, she knew me better than I’d realized. “It’s not a guy friend you’re with, is it?”
“No, it’s not. Tarryn is an old friend. She dropped by the office earlier.”
Devyn was quiet for a few heartbeats. When she spoke again, all the happiness in her voice was gone. “Sorry to interrupt. Have a good time.”
“Maybe we can have a drink a little later?”
“It’s fine. I actually have a lot of stuff to do anyway. I need to go.”
A minute ago she’d had time to come celebrate with me. Now she couldn’t wait to get off the phone. “Devyn—”
“I’ll talk to you later, Owen. I just wanted to tell you the good news. Thanks again for everything.”
“Devyn, hang—”
“Bye, Owen.”
She hung up before I could say anything more.
I stood in the dark hall, unsure what to do next, for almost a full five minutes. Did I take Tarryn home with me? Give myself the push I probably needed to move on from Devyn? Or did I go home and pine for a woman who had no interest in being with me? I knew what felt right in my heart, but where had listening to my heart gotten me? Nowhere fast. That’s where. So maybe it was time I started listening tootherorgans.
Before I could finish deliberating, Tarryn came strutting down the bathroom hall.
I held up my cell. “Sorry about that. I just hung up.”
