Chapter 43
Daisy
Good morning, Sunshine.
Hey, Sailor.
I miss you. Is it ok to say that?
Only if there's nothing wrong with me saying it back. I miss you, too.
What are you doing today?
I have clients all day, including a certain someone who is my last client of the day.
Planning to torture me more today?
That depends. Am I speaking as your physical therapist, or...
Speaking as my sunshine.
Your sunshine?
Mine. My own personal sunshine.
Torturing you also means torturing myself.
"Aww,look how cute you are, smiling down at your phone like a lovesick bride-to-be. What did Duke say?" Isla cranes her neck to my phone screen, but I lean away, tucking the device to my chest. "Ohh," Isla wiggles her eyebrows. "It's a dick pic, isn't it?"
"Ew, no."
"Why is that anew?"
"Receiving pictures of private appendages is not my cup of tea."
"Ohh-kay," Isla says, in this nasally and affected voice.
I ignore her and tuck my phone into my purse.
"Well, whatever it was, your smile started here"—she points at the top of one cheek, swinging her fingertip across her face and ending at the top of her opposite cheek—"and ended here."
I feel the warmth of a blush steal over my cheeks, and I turn away to keep Isla from seeing.
"Would you mind printing out the list of clients for the day?" I ask over my shoulder as I head back to my office to stow my purse.
I sneak one more peek at my phone as I'm hanging the straps on the hook affixed under my desk.
I'll take torture if it's at your hands. See you this afternoon, Sunshine.
I read the message to myself three times, grinning like a loon.
Chapter 44
Penn
"Helpme understand why I found Duke passed out cold in his car last night," Hugo says, joining me in the line to order lunch at Sammich.
I pluck a bag of barbecue potato chips from the wire rack near the cash register. "He fucked around and found out."
