Page 24 of One Moment Please
“Lana is a devout Catholic.”
“Her daughter’s not,” I say, scrambling for a better lie so I don’t have to explain that I’m her son’s one-night stand.
“Who the hell is this?” she says impatiently.
“Gotta go!” I exclaim, clicking end before throwing the phone on the bed. “Holy shit.” I grab my hair. Crap. I’m still naked.
I glance at the clock. It’s five in the morning.
Why is this man’s mother calling him at five in the morning?
Boundary issues.
The shower is still going, so I scramble off the bed and dart around, tossing pillows in search of my things.
“Where the hell are my clothes?” I find no traces of them. I yank the blankets off the bed. Nothing. “Seriously, what the hell!”
The shower turns off, and my entire body flushes with fear. I let that guy, who may as well have been a perfect stranger, spank me last night. And now I’ve answered a phone call from his mother, like a crazy woman, at five in the freaking morning.
Jesus, this is mortifying.
I grab my phone and order an Uber and could cry with relief when I see it will be here in three minutes. Thank goodness for small favors.
Giving up on my clothes, I rush to the walk-in closet and slip on a pair of gray joggers, rolling them eight times at the waist, and throw on a crisp white dress shirt. If this asshole took my clothes, then it’s only fair to steal his. I grab my heels and creep toward the living room.
My phone pings with a notification that the Uber is here just as I reach the front door. I quietly open it, tiptoe out, and glance back at the house. Thank God I’m done with my thesis. The thought of running into that hot asshole at the cafeteria after the night we just shared would be more awkward than him being my actual doctor.
Three Months Later
“So this is where I need to come to get some actual face time with my best friend,” I joke, striding into Tire Depot Customer Comfort Center to find my wild, redheaded friend sprawled at one of the high-top tables, clicking away on her laptop like she does this every day. Because she does.
Kate’s blue eyes widen with recognition as she spreads her arms wide. “Lyns! Welcome to my office!”
I laugh and shake my head, dropping onto the stool next to her. “I hear the coffee here is awesome.”
She twirls off her stool and heads to the fancy automated coffee machine, calling over her shoulder, “I’ll get you the Mercedes Lee Loveletter special…a long espresso.”
“Thanks, I need it,” I say as she returns with the Styrofoam cup.
“Talk to me,” Kate urges, her brows pinched. “I’m sorry I’ve been so MIA. This book is kicking my ass, and I just had to hermit until I finished.”
“How close are you?” I ask, my mood lifting. “You’ve got to hurry up and type ‘The End’ so we can do our tradition of celebrating. I need a big night out.”
“I should finish by next week!” She grabs my arm excitedly.
“Good.” I pin her with a serious stare. “Then you, me, and Dean need to hang out. I miss your face! And I especially miss hearing you taunt Dean for wearing shirts with anchors on them.”
Kate giggles. “Or those capri-length skinny slacks he wears in the summer with boat shoes?”
“Yesss.”
“How does he make metro so hot?”
“I don’t know,” I reply with a shake of the head.
Kate’s face sobers a bit. “Any luck on the job front?”
“Nope.” I groan and cup my face in my hands. “And I’m moving in with Mom and Dad next week so things are about as bleak as they can be.”
