“Hi, sorry. I was going to call.”
“My fucking heart, Laurie! Are you okay?”
“Yes.” Again, I’m overwhelmed, and when I burst out in tears, Elise says, “You don’t sound okay. I have some money on my credit card. I can take the first flight to New York.”
I shake my head and force the words out. “I’m crying because I’m happy.”
“Oh.” She pauses for a few seconds. “Your message was very ominous. Did you finally leave that bum? Who is this Adriano Rizzo?”
“I have a lot to tell you.” I walk to the couches and sit down. “Austin was cheating on me with Heather’s best friend, and he kicked me out. Late at night, might I add. The bastard could’ve timed it better,” I grumble. “The next day Heather accused me of stealing money and fired me.”
“What the fuck?” Elise snaps angrily. “I swear, if I were there, I would’ve fucked them up.”
Elise has a bit of a potty mouth, but I’ve gotten used to it.
“It gets worse,” I mutter, getting up again to check what snacks there are in the kitchen. “Heather refused to pay me for the last month, so I was out on the street without a dime to my name. I spent the night in a diner, and luckily the waitress took pity on me and didn’t ask me to leave.”
“No! Why didn’t you call me? Send me your bank details right now. I can transfer enough to keep you going for a couple of months.”
God, I love my best friend. We have never met in person, but she’s always been there for me.
“You don’t have to worry. The man whose ID I sent you made me a deal I couldn’t refuse and paid me a crap ton of money.”
Elise sounds very skeptical when she asks, “What kind of deal?”
How do I explain it to her?
Wanting to make it sound better than it’s probably going to be, I ask, “Have you watchedPretty Woman?”
She gasps, and her tone is filled with disbelief. “Are you serious? He’s paying you for sex?” There’s a short pause, then she adds, “He’s hot. How much is he paying you?”
“A lot, and apparently it’s not about sex. He mentioned something along the lines of a relationship, but I have no idea what that entails.”
“Huh?”
I shrug as I open a can of mixed nuts. “Adriano has zero social skills and is a big ol’ grumpy bear. I think he just wants company, but his sour personality scares off women.”
Then again, he did kiss the living daylights out of me.
I keep that info to myself, though.
“It doesn’t sound weird at all,” she drawls. “As long as Mr. Hottie pays up front.”
“He has, and he put me up in the penthouse suite of a very expensive hotel. I’m about to raid all the snacks.”
“Okay.” She lets out a sigh. “But check in with me every morning and night, so I know you’re alive.”
“I will.” Changing the subject, I ask, “How are things on your side of the planet?”
I lean back against the counter and toss some nuts into my mouth.
“Boring. I can’t wait for my vacation time in December. I wanted to keep it a surprise, but seeing as your life got busy all of a sudden, I’ll spill the beans. I saved up for a trip to New York. Got my passport last week.”
My jaw drops, then I shriek, “You’re coming to visit me?”
“Yes,” her tone is filled with laughter and excitement.
“I’ll finally get to hug the crap out of you,” I shriek happily.
