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Daxton follows his question with a hearty bark of laughter, which I suspect is related to the fact that he met Penny on a blind date.
I suppose it’s an inside joke of sorts because she’s laughing right along with him.
Tony glances at me and shrugs. “Do you want dessert to go with the meal, Dr. Morgan?”
I want more details about where the hell Eloise is, so I shake my head. “No, thanks, I’m good.”
Penny finally answers Daxton’s question. “I was at her apartment last night and found this gorgeous mask on a chair in her bedroom. It’s one of those masks you’d wear to a masquerade ball, and…”
“Oh, I’m needed in the kitchen,” Tony interrupts as a woman wearing a white chef’s coat stalks toward him. “If anyone needs anything at all, let me know.”
He leaves and I look to Daxton because I need this kid to press his girlfriend for more details. From what she’s already shared, Eloise hung onto the mask she wore to Club Skyn. I need to know why the fuck Penny is bringing it up.
“You were saying something about a mask?” Daxton prompts. “Is she going to a masquerade ball tonight? Are those a real thing? I thought they only existed in fairytales.”
I stand silently, essentially listening to this couple’s entire conversation while they ignore me.
“Her mask had beautiful red and green stones on it.” Penny’s hand taps the skirt of her red dress. “This color. It was gorgeous. She mentioned that she wore the mask before to a fun party, so since Philip is yesterday’s news, she’s going to stop by that same venue and see if there’s another party tonight.”
Jesus.
Eloise is headed back to Club Skyn.
My phone chimes, luring both Penny and Daxton’s gazes toward me.
I don’t bother checking it before I blurt out an excuse to leave. “I’m needed elsewhere. It was good to see you both.”
“It was good to see you,” they say in unison before they giggle.
They’re cute, but at the moment I feel like a guided missile headed straight for its petite, brunette target, so I need to get the hell out of here.
“I’ll tell Els you said hi!” Penny calls after me as I race through the crowded restaurant toward the exit.
As soon as I’m on the sidewalk I shove my food into the hands of a man who often hangs around looking for a kind soul to offer him a few dollars.
“Seriously, man?” His face brightens. “I can eat tonight?”
“Enjoy it!” I yell after him as I race down the sidewalk.
“I will!” he calls after me. “I hope you have a good night, Dr. Morgan!”
I will if I reach Eloise in time. I have no idea what the fuck I’ll do if I see her at that club, but I do know one thing. I don’t want another man’s hands anywhere near her.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Eloise
An emerald green dress,matching four-inch heels, and a fake diamond bracelet that Iborrowedfrom a friend before I left Buffalo comprise my outfit for the evening.
The bracelet is the only symbol of rebellion I own. Technically, I stole it, but since she’s never asked for it back, it’s time to lean into the assumption that it became a gift at some point.
The mask in my hand is another reminder that I’ve only broken the rules in life a few times.
I picked up it up at a costume shop in the West Village after I was handed an envelope as I rushed past a restaurant.
I was on my way to blow through a fifty dollar gift card that my mom had sent me through email two weeks before my twenty-first birthday. It was for a boutique that offers clothing that fit into her ‘acceptable range.’ She made it clear that she wanted me to choose an outfit that I could wear to celebrate my birthday at a nice restaurant with my brother.
Everything on the racks on the boutique involved a turtleneck, a skirt that brushed my calves, or long sleeves.
