Page 26 of Falling for Sierra
She had been looking forward to seeing Blake. His news about having to work instead left her feeling more than a bit down. She looked down at her desk and the papers scattered across it that she had been working on getting wrapped up so she would have more time with him.
No point in rushing now.
Well, on some things. Now that she’d let Blake know that the owners had accepted his offer, she had other things she needed to do before the sale could go through. Blake seemed to be in a hurry to close, which meant she needed to schedule the inspection and a few other things. Because he wasn’t financing, but paying cash, they could close much faster and didn’t have to do all the same steps it would take to satisfy a lender. Still, there was a lot to do. She picked up the phone and started making calls. She couldn’t have it ready by Sunday but possibly by next Wednesday, if she could get people out and things done by then. Sierra picked up the phone and started dialing.
* * *
Hours later, Sierra lay in bed staring up into the darkness. She couldn’t help but wonder how she’d managed to get used to having someone else in her bed enough that she would have such a hard time sleeping alone after just a few nights.
Would she have done anything different if she had known the consequences? She couldn’t say now what her choice would have been before, but looking back now, her time with Blake was worth the lack of sleep now. Though she wished he could be here, or she could be there with him.
Restless, she turned on the tv mounted on the wall at the foot of her bed, found an old movie she’d seen at least a dozen times before and rolled over again. Maybe something to listen to would let her mind stop spinning enough so she could sleep.
* * *
“Hello, earth to Sierra,” Alyssa snapped her fingers in front of Sierra’s face, making Sierra blink, shake her head and focus on her best friend.
“I’m sorry.” Sierra shook her head and looked at Alyssa. “I’ve been a little scattered recently. What were you saying?”
“I asked if you want to go into Casper with me tonight. Have a couple drinks, do a little dancing, unwind a little.”
Sierra stared at Alyssa for a moment, trying to decide if she should go out and have a little fun. What if things broke loose for Blake and he was able to make it out tonight after all?
No. He said he wouldn’t be able to make it tonight. She might as well go out and have a little fun. Some dancing and a couple drinks might make her tired enough to sleep.
“Sure. Let’s go. Is it just you and me or are there other’s going too?”
“You, me, and Lindsey. Yes, I’m driving, so you and Lindsey can drink as much as you like. I want to dance and spend time with my friends.” Alyssa all but bounced in her seat. Her excitement was contagious, making Sierra eager for the evening out with her friends as well.
* * *
Sierra stumbled up the steps to her front door, a soft giggle escaping as she made it to the level porch and across. She fumbled with her keys for a moment, glad Alyssa hadn’t left yet, and she had the glow from the headlights to guide her way. It only took a moment to unlock the door and push it open, she turned and waved at Alyssa and Lyndsey before stepping inside and closing the door behind herself.
After hooking the small bag she’d taken with her over the hook next to the door, Sierra let herself relax against the door. She’d had a couple drinks and danced until she was breathless, but she wasn’t drunk. She hadn’t had enough for that, and the hour-long trip home had cleared her mind of most of the tipsy. Still, she was what her father’s friends would have called ‘happily relaxed.’ In her experience that was just enough alcohol left in her system to keep her from worrying, and to inhibit the filter that kept her from saying whatever crossed her mind.
Sierra stood from where she’d slumped against the door, kicked off the boots she’d worn to the club, pulled her phone from the handbag she’d been carrying and padded into the living room to slump into the overstuffed chair where she could watch out the huge picture window on one wall, or she could if it wasn’t pitch dark outside.
She let her head fall back against the cushion of the chair and stared into the darkness. Her mind wandered, thinking back over the evening. She’d had a good time with Alyssa and Lindsey, but something had been missing. Every time she’d stepped away from the table they’d claimed as their own, she wondered what Blake was doing. She wished he’d been there with her.
Now, staring into the night, she wondered what he was doing. Did Blake even dance? She picked up her phone from where she’d dropped it in her lap when she’d sat and dialed him. The line rang twice before he answered.
“Sierra? Is something wrong?”
“No, why would there be something wrong?”
“Sierra, sweetheart,” his voice changed gentling, “It’s almost one a.m. You’re not usually up at this hour. Are you sure everything is okay?”
“Oh, I didn’t realize what time it is. I’m sorry about calling so late. I can call back tomorrow if you’d rather.”
“No. I was awake. What’s up?”
“Not a lot. I went out with friends tonight and we just got home. I was thinking about you and had a question.”
Blake was quiet for a moment, then spoke, “What did you want to know?”
“Do you dance?”
Another moment of silence before he spoke. “I can, though I don’t often.”