Chapter 26
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Eloise
“What happened to your head, Els?” Penny’s hand darts to cover her mouth as she steps over the threshold and into my apartment.
“I was chased by the devil.” I follow that with a laugh.
She joins in. “So, a creep chased you for your number? I’ve been there and done that.”
I motion for her to drop the bag she’s holding on my dining room table.
As she does, she sighs. “I should clarify that I was the one being chased. I wasn’t the chaser.”
“Gotcha.” I nod. “Thanks for bringing lunch, but you didn’t have to do that.”
“I may have an ulterior motive for the burgers and fries.”
I was expecting a turkey sandwich on rye, so this is an upgrade.
“I was walking past a diner. It’s called Crispy Biscuit,” she goes on, explaining the change in menu. “I smelled the burgers cooking, and I couldn’t resist. You eat meat, right?”
I don’t get a chance to answer before she’s lost in a fit of giggles. “That sounded very high school of me. I was talking about actual beef, not blowjobs.”
“I figured as much.”
She winks at me. “You get me, Els. That’s why we’re such good friends.”
In my estimation, we are closing in on being friends in the broad sense of the word, but I do like being around her, and when she invited herself over, I told her I’d be here waiting for her.
My only task all day has been thinking about last night.
I haven’t given any thought to the point in time when I fell on the sidewalk, but every second after that is playing on repeat in my mind.
The way Gaines touched me. How it felt when he fucked me and his tender response to my confession is overwhelming me in the best way possible.
“Am I right to assume you didn’t see any action because of the devil?”
I glance to where Penny is now unloading the food from the bag. “I should pay for half of that.”
She doesn’t flinch at my sudden change in subject. Instead, she shakes her head. “No go, Els. I’m here to ask a big favor, so the food is my way of preparing you for that ask.”
I laugh that off as I reach for a crispy fry. “Ask away, Pen.”
She rubs her hands together before she turns to face me. “Daxton says Dr. Morgan will give him the thumbs up for strenuous activities soon.”
My brows lift in understanding. “Okay.”
“We’re going to go out for dinner first to celebrate, and I want to wear just the right dress.” She drops her hands to the hips. “I want to find my own ooh-la-la dress for that.”
I smile at the reminder of what she called the dress I was wearing the night we met. “I get that.”
“If you’re feeling up to it and have time today, can we go shopping together?”
I glance at the black sweatpants and red T-shirt I’m wearing.
She’s all glam in a white button-down shirt tied at her waist, boyfriend jeans, and cute kitten heels.
“I’ll need to change, but I’m in.”
“Seriously?” She launches toward me for a hug. “You’re the best, Els.”
I wrap my arms around her in an embrace. This may not be how I envisioned my day playing out, but I could use a distraction, and I can’t think of a better one than this.
“Let’s eat, and then you can change,” she suggests. “I’ve never gone dress shopping with a fashion designer before.”
I bark out a laugh. “A fashion line comprised of my knitted and crotched creations is the dream, but I’m not even close to that yet.”
“Mark my words, Els Rehn.” She beams with a smile. “That dream will become reality.”
The Upper East Side on a Saturday afternoon is a busy place.
We’ve been to two boutiques already, and even though I suggested we catch the subway and head to Tribeca to a shop that I know will have something Pen will love, she’s insisted on sticking to this neighborhood.
Since we’re spending her money to get her a dress to impress the guy she wants to sleep with, I need to keep my opinions to myself.
A woman knows what works on her body, and Penny has a vision.
“I think I need a dose of caffeine before we continue my treasure hunt,” she says. “There’s a coffee shop close to the hospital. They make a decent cup. I had a few when Daxton was being treated.”
I know the shop she’s talking about. The coffee isn’t decent, though. It’s more lackluster because it’s always bitter, and every time I’ve had a cup, it’s been lukewarm.
“They also have these melt in your mouth croissants.” She lets out a breathy sigh. “Fair warning, Els. They are to die for.”
I think she meant to say that they should come with a warning because they are so dry they’re a choking hazard, which could lead to death.
“I’m still full from lunch.” I pat my stomach beneath the blue sweater I’m wearing.
I paired it with jeans and low-heeled black boots Penny found in my closet. She spun me around twice after I was dressed before she granted her approval.
She tugs lightly on the end of my ponytail. “That’s fine by me. I can eat an entire one in ten-seconds flat.”
Lucky for her, I know the Heimlich maneuver.
“Maybe we’ll stumble on a hot doctor there.” She wiggles her eyebrows. “I read online that a gorgeous single trauma surgeon works at the same hospital as Dr. Morgan. His nickname is Dr. Sexy.”
I laugh off the suggestion that I’d be interested.
“Let’s grab those coffees now.” She links her arm around mine. “Then I know we’ll find the dress of my dreams.”