“Me too,” I say, unable to fight the yawn that forces itself upon me. “I should probably get some sleep. I need to get up early and dive into this story tomorrow.”
“Yeah, I should go too.”
“Thanks for your help, Matteo. I’ve seriously been struggling to pinpoint an idea and you really helped.”
“It’s my pleasure,” he says quietly, his voice tender yet thick with something undetectable. “Goodnight, Sunny. Sweet dreams.”
“Goodnight.”
We both linger a second longer than we should and I’m the one who severs the connection, ending the call. My chest feels lighter and as I close my eyes, the darkness pulls me under with his dark gray eyes following after me.
CHAPTER EIGHT
MATTEO
“She was a force to be reckoned with. Her art was a battlefield and her paintbrush a weapon.” - Julian Hart, Painted Inferno
Istare out the window, my eyes drifting out into the distance that is nothing but onyx night sky. The clouds beneath us are hard to see with the lack of moon or sunlight. While the days are growing longer now that it’s February, it’s still getting dark earlier than I prefer.
I adjust in my seat, glancing at Cam sitting beside me. His head’s tilted back, mouth wide open, and if I didn’t have my headphones on, I’d be blessed with the obnoxious sounds of his snores.
The cabin of the plane is quiet, and the lights are set low. We were supposed to leave earlier today, but there were some mechanical problems, so we’re getting to Colorado a bit later than originally planned.
I check the time on my phone. We still have about two hours of flying time. We’ll land close to midnight, which isn’t ideal. Once everyone gets settled in their rooms, it will be super late and we need to get up early for our morning skate.
Normally when we travel farther distances, we fly in the day before the game. It helps to get acclimated to the area and the time change, if there is one. We won’t have much time for that on this trip. We’re just going to have to push through the exhaustion. It’s nothing we haven’t done before.
My phone vibrates in my hand, and I can’t help the smile that lifts the corners of my lips when I see her name on the screen. I unlock my phone, tapping on my messages and immediately opening our thread of texts.
Sunny
The best thing happened yesterday, and I think it’s all because of you.
My heart flutters inside my chest.
Matteo
Oh yeah? What happened?
Sunny
I had a meeting with my agent, which ended up also being a meeting with my editor at the publishing house. They loved the idea. She took it to her team immediately.
I just got off a call with them.
They want the book. I got the deal.
I slowly lean back in my seat, crossing my ankles as I stretch out my legs. This is great news. This is everything she was hoping for.
Matteo
That’s amazing. Congratulations!
Did you go with the idea we came up with?
Sunny
It’s similar.