“Shit! I need to get back to work.” I scramble out of my chair, almost tipping it over.
“Relax,” Kira says from behind me. “I already called in Matt. He’s been here for an hour.”
I whip my head over to the counter, where sure enough, Matt has come in hours early to cover for me while I sat with Valerie.
“Kira, thank you,” I say, wrapping my arms around her. “I might be leaving, and I feel horrible about that. You gave me so much. How could I ever repay you?”
Kira shakes her head, her eyes watering. “You already have, honey. You being happy is all I need.” She kisses my forehead. “You deserve to be happy.”
Kira shoos me out of the diner, telling me to enjoy the sunshine, so Valerie and I walk hand-in-hand aimlessly for an hour. Me in my dark jeans and black tank top, her in a pink dress that swishes and sways as we walk. She has flats on today, making it easy to tuck her body into mine.
“Wait a minute,” I say, stopping in the middle of the sidewalk. “Why would I need a new car if we’re about to go on an international tour? A car here won’t help me in Europe.”
Valerie grins and kisses me on the cheek. “I just wanted to give you a new car. Your old one really was a piece of shit.”
I burst out laughing. “It really was. But it got me here. It got me to you.”
“I really like you, Ella. I’m glad you’re coming on tour. There’s just one problem though.”
I quirk a brow at her playful tone. “Oh yeah? What’s that?”
“It turns out that every hotel in every city we’re going to is entirely booked up. You’re going to have to share a room with me.”
I cup her cheek in my palm. “I think I can handle that. Turns out I really like you too. Thank you for seeing me and appreciating me.”
Valerie stands on her toes and kisses me. “Thank you for being you. You are a beautiful person, inside and out.”
CHAPTER 01
“Why are you naked?” I shrieked as I rushed into my kitchen to find Rhodes fucking Kennedy just standing there, naked as the day he was born, and drinking my coffee.My good coffee.
“I had to make sure you went to this thing today,” he retorted. With a smirk, he added, “You did lose a bet.”
“Butwhyare you naked?” I repeated. The naked part didn’t bother me. Why the fuck did he feel he had to be nakedanddrink my coffee did. Rhodes was as gay as I was. His supposedly larger-than-average dick meant nothing to me, though he was happy to brag about it when we got drunk. His drunken go-to topics always included either his dick or how Star Wars was possible—space nerd.
“I had to do my fucking laundry,” Rhodes said. “And I’m not paying a stupid laundromat when I have you.”
“The fact that you’ve survived this goddamn long without me is a miracle,” I muttered as I helped myself to a large cup of coffee. After tossing and turning all night with obsessive overthinking, I slept most of the day. Coffee was a needed investment if I was going to survive the evening.
At least, that’s what I was doing, drinking coffee at six at night. I didn’t have a clue as to why Rhodes needed it.
“Is that what you’re wearing?” he asked, pulling me out of my thoughts. His gaze raked down my outfit of a simple black t-shirt and jeans.
Three months ago, I’d lost a drunken bet with him and signed up for some stupid strangers’ photo shoot session with this woman traveling the country. As a result, I had an unwanted date with a photographer and a stranger today—one I had to spend at least an hour getting lovey-dovey with for some ridiculous photos. Sadie, the photographer, called it a social experiment in chemistry. I called it dumb. The last time I did anything with chemistry was in high school, and I sucked at it.
Besides, dating of any kind wasn’t really something I wanted right now.
“What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?” I demanded.
“Nothing.”But the face he made said otherwise.It screamed with his judgmental, internal commentary.
“Damn it, Kennedy!” I shouted as I stormed right back to my room. Out of the two of us, he had the better fashion sense. “I hate you!”
“You’ll thank me later,” he yelled after me.Not a chance in fucking hell.
“Get your naked ass in here, and help me find something to wear to this damn thing!”
CHAPTER 02
