She decided on the red dress she wore to her brother’s wedding. It was the only thing she had at Lance’s apartment.
She took the cab to Greenwich where Eli’s address was. It was a remodeled Methodist Romanesque church made into condominiums and incredibly perfect for someone as eccentric as Eli. She rang the number on the digital com by the door. It instantly buzzed and opened the door.
She went up the stairs to the top floor. The music was loud and it reverberated in the hall. It was Eli who answered the door, and he was completely inebriated. He was dressed in white shimmery pants that were tight as snakeskin, a white shirt, black bowtie and a ridiculously multicolored checked suit jacket. She loved it. He let out a squeal of delight.
He kissed both of her cheeks and took her hand pulling her in.
“Won’t your neighbors be upset at the loud music?” She asked.
“No, darling. They’re all here.” He laughed. “Now let’s get you something to drink. Marianne told me your father passed away, so we are going to celebrate his life!”
A half an hour later, she remembered nothing.
***
“I will figure out a way to punish you for the stress you put me through last night, but you need to shower. We leave in less than an hour to catch our plane.”
Through a fog, a throbbing migraine and blurry eyes, she heard Lance’s deep voice. Lance’s restrained anger was evident in the tone. She groaned and rolled over. What the hell did she do last night? And, how did she get home?
“Tam?”
“Uh-hmm. I heard you.”
“You’re in shit.”
“Okay.” She couldn’t argue with him because she wasn’t quite sure what she did. She sat up slowly. Well, she was in his bed so he couldn’t have been so angry as not to want to sleep next to her.
“Twenty minutes and I expect you at breakfast…or lunch. Whatever you want to call it.”
She rubbed her eyes and lifted her head to stare at him. He was gorgeous in a dove grey suit, dark blue mauve shirt and matching tie. He was inserting expensive cuff links while staring at her with barely contained anger. “That bad huh?”
“You don’t remember?”
“No.”
“I’m not sure if that makes it better or worse.”
“Now I’m curious.”
“Well, I’m not telling you a damn thing. I think you should simmer in it a bit after the worry you put me through.”
“I’m sorry.”
He stared at her a moment before he nodded curtly. “Breakfast—twenty minutes.”
“I can do that.”
Without another word, he left.
Yikes, hewasmad. She didn’t think she’d ever seen him like that before.
She actually made it to the kitchen in fewer than twenty. She wore a pair of jeans and a lacy white blouse. Lance was nowhere to be seen, but Mavis had breakfast ready for her.
She gave her a look of sympathy as she set a plate of fruit and toast in front of her. It was the perfect meal for a massive hangover.
“If you are looking at me like that, he was really mad, wasn’t he?”
Mavis cast a quick look around the room before she spoke. “I don’t think I’ve seen him like that before. He really loves you Miss Easler.”
