Big Tex (8 page)

            "So Willow, yesterday I found out that Sierra is an Interior Designer, but she wouldn't tell me what you do.  Why so secretive?"  Micah asked.

            "Yeah, I have no clue what you do for a living."  Brody said sheepishly.

            "Oh, it’s not that big of a deal.  I just don't tell a lot of people.  I'm not an Interior Designer, but I am partners with Sierra.  I just hate bringing shop talk home with me, and I tell people what I do for a living, there is always this big discussion that I like to avoid.  Besides, I have no clue what either of you do so why is it so bad that I haven't told?"  Willow told them.

            "We're both architects."  Micah said and Willow's jaw dropped.

            "You're…You're both architects?  Seriously?"  Willow stuttered.

            "Yup.  Did you like my house?  I'm the one that designed it."  Brody announced.

            "Yeah, it was great.  I can't believe you're both architects!"  Willow said and gave a nervous look to Sierra.

            "Why, we don't look smart enough to be architects?"  Brody joked. 

            "Um, no, it’s not that, I just …um…It seems like this place is full of architects."  Willow laughed.  "I think you might know my mom, Lauren Fox?"

            "What!  Your mom is Lauren Fox?"  Brody yelled.  He thought back on all of their conversations wondering if he had mentioned anything bad about his new boss.  He didn't think he had said anything bad.

            "Ha-ha, you're sleeping with the boss' daughter, Brody!"  Micah laughed.

            "Don't laugh too hard sweetie, you're sleeping with the girl who is like a daughter to your boss."  Sierra said and slapped him playfully upside the head.

            "Oh shit.  She won't fire us for this, will she?"  Brody asked.

            "No, mom's not like that.  She'll be a good boss for you."  Willow said.

            "Well Willow, now that we know what your mom does for a living, how about you tell us what you do?"  Micah asked.

            Sierra interjected.  "Have you guys ever heard of Billie Fox?"

            "Is that your brother?  I thought you were an only child."  Brody asked.

            "No, I am an only child.  I'm Billie Fox."  Willow said, her eyes averted to the floor.

            "What?  That can't be.  There has to be some sort of mix up."  Brody said and got up to go to her bedroom.  He came back with an architectural magazine in his hand.  He flipped through the pages until he found what he was looking for.  "You're this Billie Fox?"  He asked.

            "The one and only."  Sierra laughed.

            "But, you're only 27!  And you're a woman!  And you're my girlfriend!  And this is Billie, not Willow!"  Brody was confused.

            "Yes, I'm only 27.  Architecture is in my genes, it's a passion and a gift that I possess.  And yes, I'm a woman.  You weren't complaining about that last night or this morning for that matter.  And I'm supposed to be your girlfriend."  Willow said, a little hurt.

            "See, I'm responsible for part of this.  No one ever took her seriously as an architect because she was a woman.  Sure they gave her small jobs, but all of the big jobs went to men.  Willow was so much better than those guys, so I came up with the name Billie.  Her name is Willow, and I call her Will a lot.  Another name for Will is Bill.  There is no way she could ever pass as a Bill, so Bill became Billie, which can be a girl's or boy's name, it’s just more frequently used as a boy's name."  Sierra explained.

            "No one would even meet with me when they knew I was a woman.  Now they call me thinking I'm a man, I go in there and knock their socks off and then they could care less if I'm a man, woman, or child."  Willow finished.

            "Wow, and to think that we've been worshipping your work for the past few years!"  Micah said.

            "See, this is why I never tell people what I do for a living."  Willow said, frustrated.  "Brody, talk to me."

            "I'm just a little shocked, sorry.  It was bad enough that your mom is my boss, now you're a better architect than me?  That takes a little getting used to."  Brody said slowly, not looking at Willow.

            "No, don't even think like that.  It’s not about who is better at what.  Your house is awesome!  I was jealous the moment I looked at it thinking that whoever designed it was a genius!  I am still the same Willow that you met before.  My job doesn't define who I am, it’s just what I do.  You aren't going to take that out on me, are you?"  Willow asked.

            "I guess you're right.  I'm sorry, I'm not trying to be an ass, it’s just a little weird to be sleeping with someone you idolize, especially after finding out that the idol you thought was a man is a woman."  Brody half laughed.

            "Well, now you can idolize my body and my work at the same time."  Willow joked, hoping to break the tension.  It worked and everyone laughed.  "So, we're good again?"  Willow asked Brody.

            "Yeah, we are."  He said and pulled her in for a kiss.  "Can I have your autograph?"  Brody asked.

            "You're funny Country Boy."  Willow said and finished eating her breakfast.  "Seriously, you aren't going to treat me differently now, are you?"

            "No, I promise I won't.  But next time we go out to dinner, you're paying.  You must be loaded!"  Brody laughed.

            "Yeah, I am, but so are you!"  She replied as the phone rang and Sierra answered it.

            "Willow, it’s your mom."  She said when she handed the phone to Willow.

            "Hey mom, were your ears ringing or something?  We were just talking about you.  Well, actually two of your architects were talking about you.  Brody Harris and Micah Knowles.  You remember the guys we met while we were down there, that's them."  Willow said and then listened to her mother for a little while.  "I agree.  Have you seen Brody's house?  He's the one who designed it."  She nodded a few times as if her mom could see her.  "No mom, I don't think he rivals me, I think he is far better than me, he just hasn't had the kind of exposure I've had.  I know that you know how to get him the attention he deserves."  Her mother talked for a while, then they hung up.

            "Sorry, that was the first time we've gotten to talk since we left there.  She seems to have high praise for both of you.  She said there are a few idiots in the office, but both of you have very bright futures ahead of you.  She hopes that you will stick it out and keep working with her."  Willow said.

            "So our jobs aren't in jeopardy then?"  Micah asked and Willow shook her head as if to say no way.  "Yeehaw!"  Micah yelled.

            "You know, that's the first country thing I've heard come out of your mouth Micah!"  Willow laughed.

            Micah grabbed Sierra and hugged her, swinging her around in circles.  "Oh, the stress has been lifted!"  He cheered as everyone laughed at him.

            "Well, I hate to break up this little party, but we need to get you guys to the airport soon."  Sierra said sadly.

            "What?  Already?  But I feel like you guys just got here.  Maybe I should call my mom and have her give you guys the next couple of days off."  Willow offered, feeling so disappointed that they were leaving already.

            "No, don't do that.  We don't want to look like we're using ya'll to get time off from work.  Besides, ya'll have to work this week too, so it’s not that big of a deal.  We'd never see ya during the day anyways."  Brody said as he kissed Willow's cheek.

            "Fine, fine, fine.  See what happens when you try to spend more time with your boyfriend?"  She joked.

            "Don't worry, remember what I said.  We've got phones, e-mail, planes…it'll all work out!"  Brody said optimistically, though he didn't want to leave Willow either.

            The guys got their luggage together and the girls brought them to the airport.  The mood was somber the whole way there.  The guys were trying to put on a strong front, but the girls knew that the guys were upset about leaving too.  When their boarding call came over the loud speaker, the four got up and walked towards the gate together.  Sierra began crying, and Micah tried to kiss away her tears.  He promised that they would talk later that night and that they would see each other again soon.

            Willow kissed Brody with everything that she had in her.  She clung to him as if she was taking her last breath, trying not to cry.  As he pulled away from their hug, a lone tear fell from her eye.

            Sierra and Willow watched the guys walk away from where they were standing, and before they disappeared for good, the guys both stopped, turned around and waved goodbye.  Willow and Sierra blew them kisses and waved, then turned to leave themselves.

            When the girls stepped outside, the cold breeze hit them.  Willow put her hands in her coat pockets and felt a piece of paper.  She took the paper out and unfolded it.  As she looked at it, the tears fell harder from her eyes.

Dear Willow.

Thank you for the best weekend of my life.  I look forward to spending more and more time with you in the future.  You make every day I spend with you feel like heaven.  I can't wait to see you again.  Just know that I am thinking about you every minute of the day.  You are my Rocky, my Billie, and my Willow.  Until we see each other again, I will miss you.

Love,

Country Boy Brody

P.S.  Micah and I left something for you and Sierra at your apartment.  Happy hunting!

            Sierra and Willow ran into their apartment to begin the search once they got home.  They searched high and low and couldn't find anything.  Finally, Willow gave up and went to lay down in her bed.  As she hit the bed she felt a slight lump.  She pulled her covers back and there lay the button down shirt that Brody had worn yesterday.  She put the shirt up to her face and inhaled the scent.  It smelled exactly as Brody had.  His note on top of the shirt said 'Wear this when you sleep so I can be close to you.  Love, Brody'.  Willow yelled to Sierra and told her where to look.  Sierra found Micah's shirt in her bed too, with the same note, only signed from Micah.  The girls instantly put their new shirts on, feeling a little better about missing their men.

Chapter 9 Winning Moments

            When the guys got home that night, they called to let Willow and Sierra know they'd made it.  They sounded exhausted and jet lagged, so the girls didn't talk to them for too long.  Willow and Sierra thanked them for the shirts and said they had been wearing them all day.  The guys laughed and hung up and went to bed.

            At 5:00 in the morning, 15 minutes before Willow's alarm was going to go off to get her up for work, the phone rang.  The ringing scared Willow awake, and she was shaking by the time she answered it.

            "Hey, did I wake you?"  Brody asked.

            "Huh?  Brody?  What's going on, are you ok?"  Willow asked, confused.

            "Yes and no.  Physically I'm fine, just having trouble sleeping and I needed to hear your voice.  I'm sorry if I woke you."  He said.

            "Ah, how sweet!  It was almost time for me to get up anyways, so it’s not a big deal. Are you sure you're ok?  You sound a little shaky right now."  She asked.

            "Yeah, I'm ok.  I just had a really weird dream about you and I had to make sure you were really ok.  You sound pretty shaky too, but I guess it’s because I just woke you up."

            "You got that right.  I always get jittery when the phone wakes me up.  So, a really weird dream?  You hate me that much that you have bad dreams about me?"  She teased.

            "No, definitely not.  Obviously this dream shook me up pretty bad or else I wouldn't have called, right?"  He asked.  "It was just weird, but I'm so happy that you're ok!"

            "Alright, well my alarm is going off, so I need to get ready for work.  Do you feel better now?"

            "I'd feel a lot better if you were here to kiss me now, but this will have to do.  Have a good day at work Billie!"  Brody teased.

            "I will, you too.  Get some sleep before you go in.  Your dragon lady boss won't like it if you fall asleep in your Monday meeting!"  Willow teased back, knowing that her mom probably wouldn't like it but would understand since the guys had been in New York visiting her and Sierra for the weekend.

            The next few weeks passed rather quickly.  Every other weekend the guys would come up and visit the girls in the city.  During the visits, the four of them got a lot closer and got to know each other better.  The guys even began to like the city a little.  Willow and Sierra dragged them through all of the tourist spots, and brought them to the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building, Times Square, and the World Trade Center memorial.  Their favorite spot was Madison Square Garden, where Willow and Sierra had recruited them to be Knicks fans.  The guys had really enjoyed the action-packed basketball games and gained a whole new respect for the girls' favorite team.

            Brody was finally learning to accept Willow's success in their field, and he himself was getting more and more attention for his work.  He was apprehensive about being with Willow when he first found out that she was the Billie Fox, but over time he learned to accept it.  He actually has come to enjoy the fact that his girl is so successful.  There have been a few times where he has gone to her to ask for her advice in dealing with certain issues on a design that he was working on at the time, and she has always led him in the right direction.  Willow never made him feel as though she was better than him, and if anything at all, she boosted his self-confidence by saying she wished she was as good as him.  Willow truly felt that Brody was a better architect than her, and she was proud of that, rather than jealous.

            One night when Brody and Micah were with the girls in New York, they were sitting around playing cards and drinking, Micah asked Sierra why they always talk about her being Lauren's second daughter.  "Well, my parents died the summer after we graduated from High School.  Willow and I had been best friends since middle school, and I was always over at her house anyways, so Willow's parents kind of took me in and gave me a home.  Lauren also paid for me to go to college, but I didn't know it at the time.  I just thought that my parents had left me money in their will, or that they had already paid for it.  I found out by accident after I graduated, that Lauren had paid for it all.  She has been there for me whenever I needed her after my parents died, and I could never thank her enough for all that she has done for me.  So I may be like a second daughter to her, but she is also a mom to me."  Sierra explained.