I just had to get over it.
I sipped the wine and stared at the wall.
And then the buzzer for the door cut through my pity party.
My heart did a stupid, hopeful leap.
Maybe it was Dane, coming to tell me he couldn’t stop thinking about Saturday either. That he didn’t care about theprofessional boundaries or any of the hundred reasons we shouldn’t be together.
I pressed the intercom button, trying not to sound too eager. “Hello?”
“Ina! Thank God you’re home. Buzz me up, we don’t have much time.”
Not Dane. Lucas.
I pressed the button to unlock the door, wondering how and why Lucas would be at my place. I heard footsteps pounding up the stairs. He was apparently taking them two at a time.
I opened the door to find Lucas breathing heavily and carrying what appeared to be a garment bag. There were several shopping bags that were threatening to slip from his grip.
“Walkups are the devil’s work,” he gasped, stumbling past me into my apartment without waiting for an invitation. “Five flights. Five. I’m going to die. The Stairmaster lied to me. It is not the same.”
“Lucas, what?—”
“No time for questions.” He deposited everything on my couch and turned to face me, hands on his hips, still breathing hard with a bead of sweat trickling down the side of his face. “You’re going to an event tonight.”
I laughed. “No, I’m not. I’m staying in with my wine and watching garbage on Netflix.”
“Wrong.” He unzipped the garment bag with a flourish, revealing a floor-length gown in a gorgeous and eye-catching sapphire blue.
My mouth hung open as he pulled it from the bag. “Lucas, what is that?”
“It’s a gown, sweetie.”
I shook my head. “No shit, but I mean why are you bringing me a gown?”
“You’re going to the gala to surprise Dane.”
My laughter died in my throat. “I’m sorry, what?”
“The gala. The one where Dane is currently being paraded around as the city’s Most Eligible Bachelor while looking absolutely miserable.”
I couldn’t take my eyes off the dress. I knew it was expensive and it was absolutely gorgeous.
“That looks small.”
He winked. “It’s a bodycon, girl. It’s supposed to look small.”
“Is it a corset top?”
He grinned. “Nope but it looks like it, right? The sales lady promised me there is plenty of room to breathe in this thing.”
“Good, I rather enjoy breathing,” I muttered.
“I guessed your size. I know this will fit.”
“You can’t just guess a woman’s size.”
He lowered his chin and gave me a look. “I can. Come on, we need to get you ready.”
