Page 13 of All for Love

Groaning out loud, I carried my sneakers to the living room and put them on there. Then I grabbed my purse and keys and headed out. Ellora lived nearby in a cute, three-story townhouse she shared with two roommates, Anjali and Chelsi.

They were sisters, lovely people who had potted flowers on the front steps and always kept a mountain of caffeine and wine in the house. But they were also doing their medical residency at a hospital downtown, so Ellora pretty much had the house to herself.

I parked down the block, smiling when I saw Ellora sitting on the top step, sipping coffee while she waited for me. Her vibrant red hair was pulled into a high ponytail and the smattering of freckles over her nose and cheeks was out in full force. Unlike so many others, she wore them with pride, hardly ever covering them up.

She wore brightly patterned yoga pants with an oversized black T-shirt and had big hoop earrings in her ears. Her delicate features brightened and she stood up when she saw me striding toward her, giving me a wave before turning and opening the front door.

“How was the wedding?” she asked as I ascended the five stairs to their door. “Your mom looked stunning. I saw a picture on social media that she got tagged in. She was a gorgeous bride. Coffee?”

“Definitely, and yes. She was radiant. It was a beautiful day.”

Ellora hummed contentedly at the back of her throat. “I’m glad everything went well. You worked damn hard to make it happen.”

She let me into their narrow foyer before shutting the door behind us, and I waited before following her to the kitchen. The foyer gave the impression that the place was cramped, but it opened up into a spacious, open-concept living and dining area with the kitchen making up the rear and the bedrooms and two bathrooms upstairs.

The girls had decorated the place to look and feel like a home, with plenty of cushions, rugs, pictures on the walls, knick-knacks they’d picked up while strolling through markets, and potted plants to add some greenery. I breathed in deep, immediately feeling a sense of calm and peace at whatever fragrance they had in their diffuser today.

“What is that?”

“Gingerbread,” she said, glancing at me over her shoulder as we walked into the kitchen. “It was discounted. Sixty percent off. Can you believe that?”

“No. I need it in my life, though. Which store?”

We made small talk while she fixed my coffee, topped hers off, and poured it all into two travel mugs. Once we were ready to go, she handed mine over and smiled, her sky-blue eyes alive with interest.

“Was your mom happy with everything at the venue? I can’t wait to hear all about it.”

I grinned, happy to indulge her. “Everything was perfect and she loved it. It was amazing to see her so happy. Now we just have to hope Mr. Wagner pulls out all the stops to keep her that way.”

“He’s a billionaire,” she said, deadpan. “I’m sure he’ll manage.”

I laughed. “It’s not about the money for her, but I suppose money buys plane tickets and plane tickets make people happy.”

She clinked her coffee mug against mine. “This is why I love you. It’s like our minds are melded. Plane tickets do, indeed, make people happy, but so does sex. Think the old guy will be able to keep up with her?”

I grimaced, wrinkling my nose and shaking my head. “The only thing worse than thinking about how badly my night ended is thinking about how theirs might’ve.”

Ellora slowed as we strolled down the sidewalk, frowning as she tilted her head in question. “Why did your night end badly?”

Ahhhh crap.I’d been hoping to discuss the wedding thoroughly before we got to the bitching. “It’s nothing. Ignore it. We’ll talk about that later.”

She shook her head, her eyes searching mine before they narrowed. “Let’s talk about it now. What happened? Why do you look so guilty all of a sudden?”

“I, uh, I kind of went home with a loser.” I shifted on my feet, drumming my fingers on the side of my mug and looking everywhere but at her. “Beautiful day, isn’t it? Not a cloud in the sky. Not a breath of—”

Ellora bumped her arm into mine. “Nice try, but no. Why are you feeling so guilty about hooking up with someone after the wedding? That’s kind of what weddings are for when you’re single. A no-strings attached, never-have-to-see-him again, why-the-hell not sort of hookup.”

Nervous laughter shot out of me before I could stop it. “Yeah. If only it was like that.”

“Why isn’t it? Who was the loser?”

“It’s, uh, no one.” I cleared my throat, hoping that the squeakiness would be gone when I spoke again.

Ellora stopped walking, her eyebrows climbing on her forehead as she stared at me. “Just who did you sleep with last night, Mercedes?”

“Kody.” Mortification bloomed inside me, and my cheeks, neck, and chest burst into a red color while my supposed best friend burst into a fit of laughter, spilling her coffee all over the place.

As she tipped the mug upright and got herself under control, I exhaled heavily and planted my hands on my hips. “It’s not that funny.”

She pointed at my chest. “You slept with the literal devil. How is it not that funny? At least tell me it was worth it.”

I didn’t say it, refusing to acknowledge it out loud, but she grinned like the cat that got the cream, obviously drawing her own conclusions from my silence. “That good, huh?”

“No,” I lied. “I shouldn’t have said anything, but it gets worse.”

“Worse?” Ellora’s brow puckered as she scoffed. “How could it possibly get worse?”

“I have to work with him, and he had no idea a professional partnership was even in the works,” I admitted. “I mentioned it to him briefly this morning, but you should’ve seen the look on his face. He didn’t know and he’s not happy about it.”

“Of course not. You two working together is going to go down like fingernails on a chalkboard. It just won’t work.”

I sighed. “I know.”

Yet another reason why I shouldn’t have done what I had, but I’d done it and now I had to live with the consequences. I just didn’t quite know yet how I was going to do that.