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Her textured hair could use a day at the salon, but that would have to wait. She’d have to skip washing it for now, but maybe Vivi or Sabrina would assist tomorrow.
All the effort had caught up with her and she’d felt a bit shaky. She’d moved to the bed to dress in the casual T-shirt and sweatpants provided.
Too bad she’d seen her ashen face in the mirror. Her first date with Rory was only minutes away and she looked like she was three feet from her grave.
Beatrice had a beauty drawer in her desk filled with makeup, hand cream, nail polish, and assorted perfumes. The head of SFI was tough as nails, but balanced her badass self with a love for girly things. Best of all, she made no bones about it.
Amelia was about to text her and ask to borrow mascara and lip gloss when there was a knock at the door.
“Amelia Bedelia,” Sabrina, their lab tech and all around upbeat coworker, sang. “Just checking on you, girl. You all right in there? You need anything before your date?”
How does she know? Amelia was grinning as she hopped over to the door and found the flamboyant redhead standing there with Amelia’s overnight suitcase in one hand and a garment bag slung over her shoulder. “Tell me that’s all for me.”
Sabrina pointedly looked her over from head to toe. “Damn girl, you look like shit.”
The one thing Amelia really adored about Sabrina, besides her always bright disposition, was the fact she called things as they were. “Feel like it, too. Although, I’m getting better. Being here helps.”
Sabrina set the items on the bed before she dug around inside the overnighter and came out with Amelia’s bright pink makeup bag. “Bathroom, now.” She pointed. “We’ve got serious work to do and not much time to get it done.”
The two joked and laughed as Sabrina applied foundation, blush, and eyeliner. Within minutes, Amelia found her reflection appeared almost normal. When she slipped into the soft cotton skirt that fell well below her knees and the matching blouse from her wardrobe, she hugged her friend and heaped oodles of gratitude on her. “How did you know about the date?”
Sabrina winked, tucking the suitcase in the small closet and handing Amelia a pair of leather slip-ons. “I have my spies,” she declared. “Plus, Beatrice asked me to go to your place and pick up a few things. Trace is still guarding it, just in case, but so far, no one has shown up.”
“Well, that’s a relief. Hopefully, the mugger is happy with what he got and doesn’t try to raid my place on top of it.”
“You’re sure there was no one stalking you?”
She’d been asked that question already, and yet, it still hit her as odd. “It was a random attack. I’m just a physical therapist, I’m not well known or anything.”
“Just?” Sabrina looked offended. “You got the curmudgeon known as Rory on his feet and walking. That’s a historical feat. You should get a medal.”
She laughed. “I’m not sure he would agree with you, and I admit that I’ve had a few patients claim I’m a sadist when I’ve pushed them during therapy, but I don’t have any enemies. I’m not...”—she almost said,special like the rest of you, but cut off the words—“interesting. No offense, but because of the types of lives you’ve all led, you see a conspiracy around every corner. You think there’s more to everything than there actually is.”
Sabrina gave her a half-hearted smile. “You’re right. We do. We walk around looking over our collective shoulders, but we have good reason for it. Be patient. We’re all worried about you. Sometimes people who love you need something to focus on. Conspiracy theories are an excellent distraction.”
Love? On one hand, she appreciated it. It was sweet that they were so concerned about her well-being and convinced they needed to keep her safe. On the other, the questions freaked her out. “I know. Give me a few days and I’ll be back to normal. We’ll put all of this behind us. Beatrice—as well as the rest of you—have better things to worry about than me.”
“I only brought a few days’ worth of clothes. Hopefully, you can go home before you run out of underwear, but I’m happy to pick up more, and you can always use the washer and dryer downstairs. If you need help—”
“I know, call you.” She motioned her to the door. “Thanks again. I can’t tell you how much better I feel.”
In the hall, Sabrina glanced back. “You and Rory, huh? I’d say you’re pretty interesting.”
Amelia felt her cheeks heat. “Under that scruffy beard and cavalier attitude, he’s such a good man.”
As if she’d conjured him, the elevator doors opened and there he stood with a tray in hand. Sabrina braced a foot against one panel to keep them open, and he barely glanced at her, eyes glued on Amelia.
“Damn.” He limped toward her, and she couldn’t keep the smile off her face, thinking about the two of them hobbling around together. “You look amazing. I didn’t know we were dressing up.”
Over his shoulder, Sabrina winked and the doors closed. Amelia gingerly shifted out of Rory’s way and ushered him inside. “Sabrina brought me a few of my things. Here.” Using it for balance, she slid the extra chair around to the tiny table near the window to create a seating area for them. “Is that grilled cheese I smell?”
“My culinary skills are limited.” He set down the tray and helped her into the chair. “But these babies have my special sauce on them. Prepare for your taste buds to be captivated.”
She chuckled, helping him arrange the food and drinks. He’d even remembered napkins.
Suddenly starving, she dove in, skipping any pretense of making polite conversation first. She laughed at herself when sauce ran down her fingers and she sucked it off rather than using a napkin. “This beats hospital food any day. What kind of cheese is this?”
He stared at her as if he couldn’t quite believe the gusto with which she’d attacked the simple sandwich. She couldn’t believe it herself. “A mix of cheddar and Colby-Jack. Super rare and fancy,” he joked.
