Too Far From Texas

Chapter Ten

By the fourth flight and hotel, I was starting to understand how it might feel for someone like Harry to go from city to city, night after night. The Nashville and Dallas book signings had both gone well, but I was ready to go home. I missed my kids terribly. And though Lorelei was a good companion, even having to spend hour after hour with her was starting to get old. She'd apologized for the Brandon fiasco, but I could tell she was getting restless too.

I hadn't talked to Harry on the phone since the day I'd landed in Nashville, but we continued to text each other when we had the chance. With the time difference and our schedules, hearing each other's voices or seeing each other's faces was not all that feasible, but we made it work.

I'd learned something about Harry. He was a flirt. And I learned something about myself. I liked it...a lot.

After the hotel robe photo and the eggs comment, it seemed like he knew he was onto something, so he would tease me here and there with similar photos and captions. It was like having our own private instagram conversation. Just that morning before Lorelei and I hopped into a cab to take us to the airport, Harry had sent me a photo of his boots. Not any ordinary boots, mind you. Certainly not the usual brown boots I'd known him to wear. These were metallic silver and blue with red stars up the sides.

Wearing these for you today. They scream TEXAS.

I nearly spit out my coffee.

They scream HELP! FASHION POLICE!

Heyyy.

Seriously, Harry, did you just buy those?

I've had them a long time. I like them.

Okay. I'm sorry. They're cute. Really.

Don't lie just to spare my feelings.

I giggled.

No really. I do like them. And I like that you thought of Texas.

And you.

And me :)

I had incredible jet lag when I finally made it home, so I opted for a nap before Tod brought the girls. Crawling into my own bed was like heaven and I fell asleep almost instantly.

I awoke to the sound of Harry's ringtone. I'd sheepishly set it to one of his songs just for fun, but this was the first time it had actually rung since we'd only been texting the last few days. With a yawn and a stretch, I answered.

"Hi, Harry."

"Hi yourself. You sound sexy...um...I mean, sleepy."

"I was napping," I grinned, throwing my arm over my head.

"Oh, sorry baby."

"No, it's okay. I needed to get up. The kids will be home soon."

"Yeah? How much time we got?"

I bit my lip. "For what?"

I heard him chuckle low. "Nothing."

"Harry."

"What?"

I lowered my phone to check the clock.

"What time is it there?" I asked him.

"Just past eight. Why?"

"You mean you actually have time to call in the evening? No dinner meetings or other commitments?"

"Not tonight," he replied. "Just me and my hotel room."

"Oh. Nice...I think."

"It is," he said low. "Except I miss you."