Page 8 of The Focal Point

Because when I truly dug down, when I thought about it and was honest with myself, which I didn’t want to be, work and my company was all I had.

It hadn’t always been that way, of course. I’d had friends, and I had even had a fiancé. But since Russ had laughed his way out of my life along with our friends, well, that had been it. Suddenly left with an empty apartment and no lack of time, I had poured myself into beginning my interior design business.

And, well, I couldn’t say it hadn’t turned out well. My company was thriving, growing quickly. In the past six months alone, I had hired four people—a design consultant, two guys to help with all the work, and now an upholsterer.

And then, of course, the magazine article and hiring by Thomas Kinnear.

In the depths of the night, though, when I had nothing to take up my attention and my time, the thoughts I could outrun all day crept back in.

I was alone.

Not that I had taken many steps to rectify the situation. I was too busy to make new friends or start dating again. My business did take all my time. But more than that, I was afraid—afraid of what I would find, fearful that I wouldn’t find anything out there but dislike and heartache, just like I had before.

Would they—potential friends, a boyfriend—reject me again? I knew at some point I would have to get back out there. I couldn’t be alone forever. But the thought sent a cold tingle of dread down my spine and had me turning away from every opportunity.

Unfolding myself from the couch, I padded across the room in my bare feet, having discarded my heels earlier in the day, and set my tablet down on my desk. The surface was strewn with papers, folders, swatches of paint and fabric, and design blueprints.

It was like a microcosm of the macrocosm that was my life—stuffed full and slightly chaotic.

My lack of romance didn’t take away from the fact that I loved my life, though. Work fulfilled me in a way time with my fiancé never had, and I was incredibly proud of what I was building. I loved being an entrepreneur and my own boss.

But maybe Kristen had a point. It couldn’t be healthy in the long term to work as hard as many long hours as I did. Maybe I could get a massage, or go shopping, or something. Just take the afternoon off and disappear.

Then again, when would I get all my work done? Taking an afternoon meant work didn’t get done, and what didn’t get done just got pushed to the next day, adding to my already packed schedule.

Oh, well. Someday, when the company employed more people and work would get done without me, I would take the day off.

Walking around my desk, I had just settled into my chair when my phone rang. The caller ID showed an unknown number, and I hit the green button to talk.

“This is Bailey.”

“Bailey, hi. This is Liam Bradford.”

The voice at the other end of the line sounded oddly familiar, the words said as though I should know who was talking. Whoever it was must have interpreted my silence correctly because they continued.

“We met the other day at Tom’s house.”

A zing of remembrance shot up my spine, and I sat up straighter.

“Oh, right, Mr. Bradford. Hi.”

“Just call me Liam,” came the chuckled reply.

“Okay, Liam. What can I do for you?”

I was surprised to hear from him. I gave out many business cards, most to people I never heard from again, which was entirely normal. That’s they came in packs of 100, 500, and 1,000. I was even more surprised to hear from him this soon—we’d only met the day before.

“I’d like to set up a meeting with you. What you’ve done at Tom’s is great, and my place could use some work.”

“Okay, I can absolutely do that.” Dragging my tablet across the table, I grabbed the pen and flicked open the calendar app. “How soon were you looking to meet?”

“As soon as possible” came the immediate answer, surprising me enough again that I paused for a moment. Did he need a decorator that badly?

“Okay, I can do that. Let’s see.” I sank my teeth into my bottom lip as I looked for a time slot to squeeze him in. “How about—”

“You did a great job at Tom’s.” The voice cut me off. “I love all the colors and the furniture.”

“I’m glad you liked it. If you want to meet, we can—”