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CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE
It was after five o’clock when Paige finally returned home. Which meant she had less than an hour to change her clothes, apply fresh makeup, and make her way over to Anthony’s Bar for her date with Mr. Right Now.
The afternoon had been a disaster. First, her hairdresser was running late, and Paige had been forced to cool her heels for almost half an hour till he was ready for her, which made her more than forty minutes late for her mani-pedi, which meant that the manicurist had already moved on to her next client, which meant Paige had to wait again, which made her really late for her bikini wax, which proved even more painful than usual. Then her phone died, so she couldn’t even text Mr. Right Now to warn him she might be late, after promising to be there at “six on the button.”
Could anything else possibly go wrong?she was thinking as she hurried past the condo’s concierge toward the elevators.
“Miss Hamilton,” he called after her. “There’s someone here to see you…”
“What? Who?” she asked, returning to the lobby.
“Hello, Paige,” Heather said, rising from her seat behind a large marble pillar and walking toward her, the unmistakable scent of marijuana surrounding her like a stale but overpowering perfume.
Shit,thought Paige.This afternoon just keeps getting better.
“You two have got to be related,” the concierge said with a smile, oblivious to the tension between them. “You look like twins. Guess you get that all the time.”
“All the time,” Heather said.
“Is something wrong?” Paige asked. “Your parents…”
“Alive and kicking. Unfortunately,” she added, not quite under her breath.
Wow,Paige thought. Okay. “Are you high?”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Heather said, although her unfocused eyes said otherwise.
“What are you doing here?”
“We need to talk.”
Paige glanced at her watch. “I really don’t have time right now.”
“Make time,” Heather said. “I’m sure you don’t want an unpleasant scene in the lobby, which is freezing, by the way. Do they have to keep it so goddamn cold?”
Paige looked toward the concierge, who was watching them expectantly, his smile starting to waver. “Fine. Okay. Come on up.” They walked toward the elevators. “You’re sure this is necessary?” Paige asked, as they stepped inside a waiting elevator. “I mean, if it’s about what happened with Noah…”
“What do you know?” Heather said, as the doors closed and the elevator started its ascent. “She’s not just a pretty face.”
Paige brought one hand to her nose to keep the sickeningly sweet smell emanating from Heather’s hair and skin at bay. She hoped it wouldn’t transfer to her own skin. She didn’t have time to take a shower. “Look. I’m sure you’ve seen the video. It pretty much speaks for itself.”
“It doesn’t speak forme,” Heather said.
“Okay, well, fine.” Paige gulped at the fresh air as the doors opened onto the tenth floor and the two women stepped into the hall. “I can’t believe you’re going for the moral high ground here, but…whatever. Just try not to upset my mother.”
“Your mother isn’t home,” Heather said. “The concierge told me she took off about an hour ago.”
That’s odd,Paige thought. Her mother had told her that Harry was babysitting his grandchildren tonight, giving her a chance to stay home and study her bridge notes. Of course, plans change, and her mother might have tried to reach her after her phone died. “Fine. Okay. Come in.” She unlocked the door. “But I really don’t have much time.”
“Big date?” Heather asked.
“As a matter of fact, yes.” Paige walked directly into the kitchen and plugged her phone into the charger next to the landline.
“With Sam?” Heather asked from the doorway.
“No. Not with Sam.”
“With Noah?”
