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“I’m good. She didn’t hurt me.”
“Do you know her?” I glanced through the glass door and watched as the car the chick had just gotten into drove away. “Does she live here?”
“Not that I know of, but I don’t know everyone who lives here. The only people I see are Harris and the TK guys. She looked familiar, though. Probably some celeb,” Jenna mused as we waited on the elevator. “Forget about her, Lu. I already have.”
Shrugging, I followed her into the elevator when the doors opened. “How about Mexican on Saturday?”
“Sounds good to me, babe.” Her blue-gray eyes looked uncertain, though. “Are you sure this will be okay with Harris?”
“Jenna, he loves you. Of course it will be okay.”
“I’ve missed him so much, Lucy. He’s the only friend I have left other than Angie. Nat…” Her voice cracked and she shook her head. “She won’t even talk to me.”
I didn’t know what to say to that. I wanted to help her, but I had no idea how or even if I could. Instead, I changed the subject. “Let’s go shopping Saturday morning. We could get our hair cut and a new outfit. Angie and Kin can come with us. We’ll have a girls’ day.”
“Maybe just the two of us?” she suggested. “I’d like to go with the others, but…” She shrugged. “I’d rather it just be us.”
Baby steps.
“Sure,” I said with a nod. “Of course. Just us, I promise. Whatever you want, Jen.”
“Thanks, Lucy.” The elevator slowed down and finally stopped on her floor. “It means a lot to me.”
Chapter 24
Lucy
Marcus pulled to a stop outside of First Bass, but none of us noticed at first because we were all laughing too hard. My Range Rover was overflowing with chicks. Jenna, Angie, Kin and Kassa had all piled in with me when we’d left Jenna’s apartment earlier. Meaning Jace—and Gray, because he wasn’t about to let Kassa leave without him—had to take a taxi since there was zero room for anyone else.
“Did you see his face?” Kin said with a laugh as she finally turned to watch through the back window as the taxi the guys had taken pulled up behind us. “Kas, what have you done to Gray? He looked like he was going to bust a nut he was so pissed.”
Kassa twisted around in the middle of the back seat to follow Kin’s gaze. “I swear I don’t know what his problem is. He’s been like a bear with a sore head for the last few weeks. I can’t freaking leave the apartment without him.”
I watched with amusement as Jace and Gray got out of the taxi and Gray came to the back door, where Jenna and Angie had squeezed in with the other two, and opened it. Kin got out first and stepped right into Jace’s arms for a welcoming kiss. Kassa took a little longer to get out, her amusement gone now as she frowned up at her new roommate. “I worry about you sometimes, Gray. You’re going to have a stroke if you don’t relax.”
“I’ll relax when you stop doing crazy things,” he grumbled. “I don’t like you going to the club without me. If I hadn’t shown up when I did you would’ve gone alone.”
“Jace is with us, and I have four other girls with me. I wouldn’t have been alone, dumbass.” She shot him an irritated look over her shoulder and joined her brother on the sidewalk.
I waited until everyone else was out before opening the front passenger door. Marcus was already on the sidewalk, handing the keys over to the valet. I kept my focus on the club in front of me and the long line of people waiting to get in. The flashing lights from the cameras of the paps across the street had my own amusement fading and I gritted my teeth as I headed straight for the entrance.
I knew they didn’t know about my secret, but now that so many people who were close to me did, I couldn’t help wondering if one day the paps would start throwing questions at me like, “Been cutting tonight, Lucy?” or “Keeping the blades sharp, Lucy?”
Jace was already waiting with the door open and I gave him a small hug as I went inside. As usual, Tiny was waiting at the VIP entrance. He stepped forward as I approached. “Miss Thornton, it’s good to see you. The boss was expecting you an hour ago. Did you run in to traffic?”
“Traffic, a raging rocker…” I glanced at Gray, who just crossed his massive arms over his chest and gave me a lift of his dark brows. “You know how the artistic types are so fickle, Tiny.”
The big, dark man grinned. “That I do, Miss Thornton.” He stepped aside and the others started up the stairs to the VIP floor. “Enjoy your evening.”
“Thanks, Tiny.” Marcus was at my back as I started up the stairs. Halfway up, my phone started ringing and I would have ignored it if it hadn’t been my dad’s ringtone. Frowning, I pulled my phone out of my back pocket. “Hey, Daddy. What’s up?” He’d known I was going to First Bass tonight and I probably wouldn’t be home until late.
“Hey, Lu. You busy right now?”
There was something in his voice that had my heart clenching. “Hold on a second, Daddy.” I got to the top of the stairs and moved away from my friends so I could hear him better. “Is everything okay?”
“No, baby, it’s not.” He blew out a harsh breath and I could have sworn I heard tears in his voice. My free hand clenched into a tight fist, my nails biting into the palm of my hand. “I’ve been thinking about this long and hard, Lucy. I think…”—another harsh sigh—“…I think you should stay with Harris.”
“What?” I couldn’t have heard him right. No way would my dad suggest that. Hell, I would love to stay with Harris. If I was with him, I knew I would be able to sleep. He would wrap me up in his arms and I’d fall asleep to the sound of his heartbeat under my ear and his heat making me feel safe.
