Whispering With You

6. To starting points and big girl panties.

Kelly

My phone rings and I snatch it out of my pocket, answering it without looking to see who's calling. "Yeah?"

"He said yes!"

Instantly, I'm smiling. I lean against a blank wall in the kitchen of the house of my newest project, crossing my ankles. "Never doubted it, baby girl."

The phone is quiet, and I hold it out to see if the call was disconnected. "Sutton?"

"Oh, sorry, I was doing a dance. I'm just so happy."

Laughing, I hit the button to request a Facetime call.

"Are you Facetiming me?"

"Yeah, now answer it so I can see your happy face."

Suddenly, her face fills my screen and I realize I was not prepared for it. I suck in a breath, trying to will my breathing back to normal. She's beautiful. I always knew she was beautiful. But with her flushed cheeks and the smile stretching her face and her wild blue eyes staring at me, I'm struck with just how beautiful she is.

"Shit," I say before I can stop the words.

"What?" she asks, blinking a few times.

I shake my head. "Uh, nothing. It's just that you look so beautiful right now. Happy looks good on you."

"Oh," she whispers, her mouth keeping the O shape for a few moments, and she blinks some more. "Uh, well, thank you." She clears her throat. "And thanks for your advice. It worked. J was more than happy to say yes. He even tried to pawn his job off on me." She laughs but it sounds nervous, not like the contained excitement from before.

"So when do you start?" I try to move the conversation away from my sudden proclamation, cursing myself for not censoring my thoughts.

"Not sure. I'm supposed to meet with Vivi and Rylie to discuss details, but I ran out, slapping them high fives on my way, to call you."

I laugh, picturing the scene in my head. "Jesus, Sutton. Only you."

"Yeah, I'm special like that."

It's weird talking to her on the phone, seeing her face. We text so often I've gotten used to that form of communication. "What are you doing after work? You want to see something I'm working on?" I ask before I can talk myself out of it.

"You want to show me your work?" She twirls a strand of her white-blonde hair around her finger, and I track the movement. It's a nervous habit of hers.

"Yeah, I have a project I'd like your help on, if you're not busy."

"Yeah? Ok, sure. You helped me, so it's only fair that I help you, too."

I smile. "Great. I'll text you the address. I'll see you after work then. And, Sutton?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm real proud of you, baby girl."

She ducks her head but not before I see the blush creeping up her cheeks and the wide smile she wears. "Thanks, Kelly," she whispers before ending the call.

Just then my dog ambles into the room, sits at my feet, and stares up at me, her way of saying she needs to do her business. "Yeah, yeah," I say, scratching behind her ears and down her golden coat. "Come on."

We walk through the house to the front door, and I follow her out into the yard, turning to look at the front of the house. When I saw this house go on the market, I called the realtor who happened to be a friend and I snatched it up before there was even an official showing of the place. It's been on my radar for years.