AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“A sleepover?” I scoff, the thought sending a shudder down my spine. “Over my dead body.” I glance up at Penny. “My niece wants to have a sleepover with her cousins at my place for her birthday. Why can’t she be happy with a new dollhouse or maybe a… What do seven-year-old little girls like these days?” If anyone would know, it’s Penny.
“Sleepovers.”
The plane hits some turbulence, and we jostle in our seats, my fresh drink splashing over the rim of the glass. I wipe it up with the cocktail napkin and take a sip. “There’s gotta be something else. The last thing I need is an invasion of pint-sized partygoers overnight. Maybe a new video game or—”
“No, really,” Penny insists, pulling out her phone. “Luxury sleepovers are all the rage. One of the teachers at Edison has a side business setting up boutique sleepovers. She has all sorts of themes to choose from and is booked almost every Friday and Saturday night for the next two months.”
“Luxury sleepovers? Since when do kids need more than a sleeping bag and a toothbrush?”
She gives me what I can only assume is ateacher look. “It’s a good thing the packages include activities. I’d hate to see what you’d come up with for the girls to do.”
“Activities?”
“Think scavenger hunts, DIY spa stations, movie nights with popcorn bars… That kind of thing.”
“Popcorn bars?”
“Gia would love it. Trust me.”
Penny thrusts her phone at me, and I scroll through the website, full of staged pictures that show full setups of themed individual kid tents complete with mattresses, pillows, lanterns, trays with personalized cups, and all sorts of crazy decorations and favors. There are glowing testimonials and effective ad copy. Penny has a point. Gia would absolutely adore a sleepover like this, and if it means giving her the perfect birthday, then maybe, it’s worth a shot.
“Gia would lose her mind,” I agree, flicking past an image of a full-on, pastel-pink tea party themed sleepover.
“And you’d be the best uncle around.”
“Dreamy Nights Slumber Company,” I murmur, committing the name to memory. “Maybe, I’ll ask her mom.”
Penny reaches for her phone, her expression carefully guarded. “Okay, but if you end up scheduling one, you have to promise me something.”
“What?”
She presses her lips together and flicks a glance at Luke, who’s caught on to the apprehension in her voice and has set down the report. “Promise me you won’t hit on my friend.”
Suddenly, this sleepover idea seems a lot more interesting.
“What gives you the impression your friend is my type?”
“Half the women in Chicago are your type, Coop. But Eve is… Well, she’s a sweetheart, and I just don’t want to see her hurt.”
“Coop wouldn’t hit on someone you specifically asked him not to, would you, Coop?” Luke’s tone suggests I’ll agree if I know what’s good for me, and I’m happy to appease my friend. But I’ll do it my way.
“Penny,” I say, flashing her a grin that has a proven track record of convincing ladies of my sincerity. “I promise, I won’t hit on your friend on one condition.”
Penny narrows her eyes. “What’s that?”
“All bets are off if she hits on me first.”
A smug look fills her face as she laughs and lifts her iced coffee to her lips. “No worries there. I’ll make sure Eve knows exactly what she’s in for.”
Eve
Ipulluptothe loading dock off Pearson St. around back at the Water Tower Residences, a luxury, glass-and-steel high-rise, and park, successfully avoiding the hustle and bustle of the Saturday afternoon crowd heading in to shop at the attached mall from the Michigan Avenue entrance.
I ignore the judgmental look the husky security guard throws at my rusty 2002 Ford Escape. Sure, this old girl has over two hundred thousand miles, but she’s new to me and the first real investment I’ve made in my growing business. Plus, if there’s one thing I’m good at, it’s ignoring odd looks and curious stares.
Before I get out, I flip down the visor and doublecheck my hair and makeup, my hand trembling only slightly. I give myself a little pep talk. I’ve got this, or at least, I think I do.
Either way, here goes nothing.
