Page 28 of Mr. Delicious
Chapter 8
Wren
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Stella was literally a fairy godmother incarnate.
I hardly recognized myself when she was done with me.
I didn’t have time to go to the salon, but, with Stella’s skills, I was seriously considering getting her to permanently take over my haircare. My hair looked amazing. Stella had cut it a little shorter to get rid of the dead and split ends. Now, instead of being waist length, it stopped just short of my elbows. So, it was still long, but now it was healthier looking and sparkling.
My long blonde locks hadn’t sparkled like this since I had it professionally styled for Cora’s wedding. Before that, it was probably at my college graduation. That went to show how busy I was—I hadn’t had the chance to do much to treat myself.
Well, today I was well and truly making up for it because I looked like a million dollars. Selene, Denise, and Albert didn’t even recognize me when I came in. I had to confess with as nervous as I felt, there was a comfort that came with knowing I looked good.
My hair hung in loose, sultry waves down the back of my black v-line dress which hugged my tiny frame and accentuated all the features I wanted to show off. The silk of the dress flirted with my legs as I walked. The hem stopping just above my knees with a slightly longer dip in the back to give it a classy edge. Stella was really pleased with the look, and so was I.
Here I was, waiting outside the coffeehouse for AJ. It was five minutes to twelve. I thought I’d wait outside so as not to cause a scene. I hated being the center of attention, no matter how small the group was. I’d told Selene and Denise I was going on a date, but I didn’t tell them with who.
Denise was only too happy to help since she was aware of the situation with Billy. I didn’t tell Denise everything that had happened, but I told her enough, just leaving out the part about me being broke.
The last thing I needed was for my best worker to seek employment elsewhere and spread the word. I didn’t think Denise would do that with any malicious intent, but money was money, and people worked for money. Nice as I was to them, I doubted it would go down well if I told them paying them was going to be a problem, which it wouldn’t because I would sooner go bankrupt than owe any of those guys their salary. I’d told them things were going to be tight until I found suitable replacements. I made it sound like I’d be recruiting reliable people, which wasn’t far from the truth.
I just wouldn’t be doing that for a few weeks yet.
I pulled in a breath as the clock over the station chimed, announcing midday.
A sleek, black limo approached me and pulled up to the curb. I hadn’t seen many limos in this area, maybe further in the city where all the Michelin starred restaurants were based, but not here, where it was mostly hangouts and boutiques.
I looked away from it and wondered where AJ would be taking me. I couldn’t believe I was going out with him. Just his appearance alone was in stark contrast to Billy’s. When you looked at AJ, you could tell the man took care of himself. He dressed well, had an incredible physique, and had the kind of hair you wanted to run your fingers through.
He definitely deserved the name Mr. Delicious.
Billy, on the other hand, had the kind of body that may have looked good once—not when he was with me—but he’d let himself go.
He didn’t look terrible when we first got together, but he certainly did now. Thank God I wasn’t the one who was sleeping with him and hadn’t been for a long enough time for me to forget what he looked like without clothes on. He was someone else’s problem now.
I was seriously looking forward to this lunch date. Aside from his gorgeousness AJ just seemed like a nice guy. Great personality and sense of humor.
I liked the warmth I felt from him.
“Miss Chase?” A voice came from behind me. I turned to see the limo driver. He’d gotten out and was smiling at me kindly, his salt-and-pepper handlebar mustache lifting as he smiled.
“Hi there,” I replied.
“Oh good. I’m here to pick you up.”
“Pick me up?” I looked at the older man not knowing what he meant.
“Yes. AJ sent me to retrieve you.”
All I could do was stare, stare at him and at the limo behind him.
“Really?” My voice broke. “He. Oh, um, okay.”
I had thought when AJ said he was going to pick me up,hewas going to pick me up. But, hey, that wasn’t even an issue and was so minor on the scale of things, considering I was being picked up for a lunch date by a driver in a limo. Wait until I told Stella this.
“Thank you,” I told him as he held the door open for me.
