I gently make my way up her neck, kissing her skin in slow, lazy movements.
“Chase,” she purrs. “We have to hurry. Someone might hear.”
I palm her throat as our eyes lock.
“Evie, I’ve been waiting for this moment for-fucking-ever. I’m taking my time.”
Eddie’s chuckle pulls me back into the present, making me blink and rub a hand over my jaw, hoping my smile doesn’t betray my thoughts.
“I hate to say this to you because you’re just crazy enough to fire me, but telling by the look on your face, I think you’re fucked and on the way to a restraining order.”
I’m about to cuss him out, but my goddamn phone buzzes again. I scowl, pulling it back out from my pocket, and jump off the wall. “If you’re not Evie, stop fucking calling me.”
But the moment I look down, I recognize the name on the screen.
“You’re right,” I toss out to Eddie, obviously full of shit as I answer the call. “You are fired. Now, go back to work. My real best friend is calling.”
He smirks and gives me a salute before he walks back inside, letting the metal door bang closed behind him.
“Who are you talking to?” Noah mumbles.
“I know people. What’s going on? How’s the Adlers’ European vacation? Did you guys have a threesome yet?”
“Dude,” Noah levels, making me chuckle.
“You’re in France and you didn’t think I’d make an Eiffel Tower joke? To be seen is to be loved, Noah. I see where I stand.”
The lovebirds finally decided to take a honeymoon and left yesterday. I made them promise to be back in time for the opening, or I’d never forgive them.
“Cool the jokes. It’s 4:00 a.m. here, and I’ve got shit news.” I frown, listening more intently. “Your apartment lady called. Apparently, you weren’t answering.” I raise my brows, connecting the dots to the spam call. “Since I’m your emergency contact—”
“Spit it out.”
“A pipe busted—correction, pipes. Your ceiling is now your floor.”
“Goddammit.”
Annoyance strikes me hard. It’s not as if I’m losing any valuable items. The apartment came furnished. But this is not the hassle I need when I’m a month out from opening this damn restaurant.
“Yeah,” he yawns. “They’re estimating a month before you move back. She said it looked like someone took a sledgehammer to them. But you could go by in a few hours and see what’s salvageable.”
“All I had were my clothes ... fuck.” I jump through some mental hoops, trying to remember if I brought anything important. I didn’t.
“Chase,” Goldie’s voice chimes in, and she sounds sleepy. “Just go stay at our place. You can wash your clothes, and if they’re ruined, you can wear Noah’s stuff. We’re not back for three weeks anyway, so you can stay until after the opening. I’m sure Evie won’t care. She’s staying with us.”
God, is that you?A smile breaks out on my face. I didn’t know she was staying with them while working in LA. Noah’s getting a strongly worded letter tomorrow regarding my disappointment.
“Are you sure?” I say completely disingenuously, pouncing before my ex-best friend can take Goldie’s offer back. “You’re my favorite Adler, G-Money. Don’t tell your sister. What’s the code for the door?”
Goldie softly giggles before Noah rattles off the longest sequence of numbers in history, but right now, I’m more locked in than the guys with the nuclear codes. It’s never leaving my memory.
“Got it. You two go back to bed. And tomorrow, make sure you buy some croissants, but try and pronounce it like the French. They really love that.”
Noah doesn’t even say goodbye before he hangs up. I’m still smiling because just when I was about to count myself out, fate delivered a bright neon sign.
And it says,Back in the game.
I snap my fingers a couple of self-congratulatory times before I pocket my phone and head back inside. There’s a definite bounce in my step as I make my way toward the door, but as I reach for the handle, a rattling sound catches my attention. It’s like cans getting kicked around.
