I stayed in the dark and quiet for another hour. The medicine – and Loki – definitely helped, and I was left with a more manageable headache.
I was contemplating getting into my jammies and settling in for the night, regardless of the time, when my phone burst to life.
Kate Potter calling.
Panic thrummed. She didn’t usually call me outside of work. Though perhaps she didn’t know I was off work? I swiped to answer. ‘Hey, Kate. Are you okay?’
‘No,’ she said, voice full of panic. ‘I kicked Beth out with the dogs, and then I told Troy to come ’round for dinner for us to try this date-thing again. I panicked and said I wouldcook.Now there’s suddenly all this pressure and I amfreakingout. And I thought, you know what would make this less pressured? If this was a double date. Will you and Robbie come? I made enough lasagne for an army. I’m just … totally losing it. I’m not ready for any physical stuff. Up until yesterday, I thought my yearning was unrequited. Ihaven’t had time to adjust. What if he comes expecting to … you know, sleep over?’
I bit back a sigh. ‘When is he due around?’
‘In an hour, at eight. Can you come?’ She sounded desperate.
‘Sure,’ I said. ‘We’ll be there. See you soon.’
She gave a scream of relief, making me wince. ‘Oh my goodness, you’re the best! Thank you!’
I hung up and let out a low groan.
‘What did you do?’ Robbie asked, amused.
‘I agreed for us to go on a double date.’
‘When?’
‘In an hour.’
It was his turn to groan. ‘Stacy, you’re in pain.’
‘I’m fine.’ I pushed myself up from the covers. ‘But I definitely need a shower to make myself presentable. You’ve got spare clothes in that duffel bag of yours, right?’
‘Yeah, but not dinner-out suitable.’
‘It’s dinner-in, at Kate’s house. You’ll be fine.’ I slid out of the bed, pounding head and all, and padded to the shower.
An hour later we were idling outside of Kate’s house. We were five minutes early. No sign of Troy’s truck yet.
‘Let’s go in,’ I decided. ‘Give her five minutes to settle. See if we can do anything.’
‘Sure.’
We got out of the car. Loki had stayed at home, too tired to come with us, which made me feel more than a little guilty.
Even with the distance between us, his quiet affection rose through the bond, softly scolding me for my guilt.
We rang the doorbell and Kate answered, looking like she was half a minute away from hyperventilating.
‘Okay,’ I said. ‘Let’s get you a glass of bubbles. Robbie bought a bottle.’
As always, Robbie dominated the space, even in the spacious kitchen we hovered in. He held out the bottle of Bollinger to Kate, and a smile broke out across her features.
‘Oh, how lovely! Thank you so much.’
With a new task to do, Kate settled a little. She popped the cork and poured us each a flute of champagne.
She took a big gulp of hers and asked, ‘How do Ilook?’
‘Beautiful,’ I said. And she did. Her riotous curls were piled on top of her head in an updo I would never be able to accomplish in a million years, but she made it look effortless. Her lips were painted a bright red, and her diamanté-studded glasses brought the bling. She also wore a beautiful green dress that hugged her figure in all the right ways.
