Chapter 11
Dillon spent the days of that week working to get the project back on track. They were so close to finishing that he refused to be derailed. Where he could, he helped out, calling for backup crews to complete some of the trim work, a plumber to help their fulltime plumber catch up, and another cleaning crew to start removing the excess material they wouldn’t need to finish the work. He was with his site foreman most of the day and well into the evening, with men working both an early shift and a late shift to compress the schedule.
Every night at ten, when he would collapse exhausted in his bed, he wouldn’t go to sleep until he called Ariana.
She’d be there to talk to him, her voice so beautiful and calming. He’d tell her about his day, and she’d fill him in on some antics of a yoga group or one of her meditation sessions. She told him she’d invested in a fishing pole and was practicing her casting in her backyard. So far, she’d snagged a tree, the gutter and her own hair. But she was making progress.
“I’m going to give you this fishing pole to replace the one I’m sure is at the bottom of the pond with your tackle box,” she’d said.
He’d told her that wasn’t necessary, but she’d insisted. He’d also told her that his brothers had retrieved the boat the day after it capsized and it was fine, sitting on the bank of the pond, waiting for her next fishing lesson.
Ariana had laughed, the sound so soft and happy, Dillon smiled. “I will get you back out there, and we will catch a fish.”
“From the shore. I’m convinced I can’t fish and boat at the same time,” she said. “I’m one of those who can’t walk and chew gun at the same time. I’d trip or choke on my gum.”
The week flew by. Dillon worked hard to get things squared away at work so that his crew and he could have the weekend off again. He wanted to take Ariana to the Hellfire firefighter fundraiser on Saturday. He hadn’t said anything yet, in case things didn’t work out and he had to work the weekend. The crew had worked late every night, seeming to focus better when he was on site. When Friday rolled around, Dillon met with his site foreman and told him the crew wouldn’t have to work the weekend.
A cheer went up when the foreman passed on the news to the crew.
Dillon had pulled out his cellphone with the intention of calling Ariana, when an incoming call made his phone chirp. He glanced at the name on the screen and grinned. “Hey, little sis. What’s up?”
“Dillon. We haven’t seen you at home lately.”
“This project has me working too late to make it out to the ranch.”
“We figured that much,” she said. “I wanted to let you know that Leslie finally got BODS up and running with the backup copy. She ended up having to install a new server and reload all the data that was stored in the cloud.”
“That’s good,” Dillon said, a flicker of unease forming in his belly.
“I thought it would be a good idea for you to give it another try. Maybe even bring your new match to the firefighter fundraiser tomorrow.”
“No,” he said, his tone flat and final.
She laughed. “Aren’t you even curious who BODS will match you with?”
“No,” he repeated. He didn’t want to meet anyone else.
“Leslie and I are meeting with the Good Grief Club today. Ariana’s supposed to be there. Leslie is going to see if Ariana is ready to meet her true match.”
Dillon’s hand tightened on his cellphone. He didn’t know what to say. He sure as hell didn’t want Ariana to give BODS another chance. He liked her. A lot. If she went out with her BODS match, she might find someone more suited for her than him. Which would be good for her, but what about him?
“You know it wouldn’t hurt to give it a second chance,” Emma said. “Leslie feels really bad about the glitch and wants to make it up to you and Ariana.”
“What if we don’t want a second chance?” he asked.
“Are you answering for Ariana? What if that second chance guy truly is her perfect match? You like her, don’t you?”
“Yes.” More than he was ready to admit to his sister.
“If you like her that much, don’t you want her to be happy?”
“Yes, of course I do.” He didn’t like the direction Emma was taking with this conversation. He was thinking the same thing, only he wasn’t ready to admit it and concede.
“If BODS finds her perfect match, she has a chance at true happiness. After losing her husband to cancer, she deserves to be happy again, doesn’t she?”
Damn Emma. Damn her to hell. Dillon ran a hand through his hair, wishing he hadn’t answered his sister’s call. He would’ve already asked Ariana to the firefighter fundraiser, and this wouldn’t even be an issue.
His conversations with Ariana each night had meant the world to him. She…balanced him. Made him feel calm and happy for the first time since he’d started his own construction company. If the real BODS match was what would make her the happiest, he couldn’t be the one to keep that from happening. Oh, but he wanted to. He wanted her for himself.
He sighed into the phone. “If Ariana wants to give BODS a second chance, I won’t stand in her way.”
“And if she goes for the second chance, will you?” Emma pushed.
If Ariana chose to go for the BODS true match and found him to be the one for her, Dillon wouldn’t care if
