Page 160 of The First Taste
I compose myself, shutting down the emotions I’m feeling. “Just tell me what you need, Lucas.”
He blows out a breath, taking a step back. He tilts his head to the side. “All I need is the names and phone numbers of some replacements for Manuelo. And maybe some second opinions, just to check Anita out and make sure that she’s really okay.”
My lips twitch. He could’ve asked one of our personal assistants for those numbers. But I won’t get into that right now.
“Fine.”
He narrows his eyes on my face. “Fine.”
I repress an eye roll. “I’m going to go. I’ll have Jane reach out to you within the next hour.”
He purses his lips. “Okay.”
I turn and stride down the hall. He calls, “Thanks!”
Without looking back, I wave a dismissive hand, heaving a silent sigh.
Kaia
I’m busy tonight.
I glance at my cellphone again, wondering what that text from Calum means. What is he doing?
Shopping for yachts? Visiting his tailor to buy another dozen custom made suits? Eating sushi with models? The last idea tugs the corners of my mouth downward.
“Hey!” Ella says, reaching out and jerking me to the right.
I look up and realize that I almost walked into a huge potted plant placed in the middle of the walkway down to the bowling alley. Screwing my face up, I sigh and put my phone in the back pocket of my jeans. “Thanks.”
Ella shakes her head at me, running a hand over her short baby blue dress. “You have been glued to your phone ever since I picked you up. What’s so important?”
I wrinkle my nose. “Nothing.”
She holds my arm as she tows me inside the bowling alley. Just beyond the doors there is the desk with an irritated person mousing through a computer. Just beyond that is a towering stack of cubbies, each jammed full of shoes. Even if I was blind, I could tell where we are; the pungent smell of disinfectant rises to my nose and the immediate blast of air conditioning on my skin see to that.
The clerk looks up at us, squinting a little. “You wanna bowl or what?”
Ella steps forward, pursing her lips. “Yeah. We are joining someone…”
Looking out across the brightly colored lanes, I spot Eric. I nudge Ella and she clears her throat. “Lane four. We need…” She looks at me, lifting her brows. “What, an hour?”
The guy sighs. “Two people, two pairs of shoes, one hour. That’s fifteen bucks.”
Before Ella can get her wallet out of her purse, I fish a twenty dollar bill out of my pocket. “Here.”
The clerk doesn’t even look at me. He just hands me change and hurries to get us each a pair of shoes. Then we walk over to where Eric is lounging, his feet up on the small screen where you input names.
“Hey,” Ella says.
He salutes both of us lazily. “You were supposed to be here twenty minutes ago.”
“Sorry,” I instantly apologize. “Ella was on time. I was running behind as usual.”
He smirks a little at me, his gaze traveling down my body. “It’s nice to see that you have a t-shirt and jeans. I was starting to think that all you owned were leotards and leg warmers.”
I flush at his teasing. Ella plops herself down in a nearby seat, changing her shoes. I do the same, my eyes traveling up to where Eric has already filled in nicknames for each of us.
“I know I’m Kaia Papaya,” I say, putting my other shoes under a seat. “But who are the other two names?”
