I shudder. The last thing I need is to be turned into clickbait fodder in Libby’s trashy tabloid. “I can imagine what they’d cook up. Who the f**k is Lucy? A memoir. Except in your tabloid, I’d be in my underwear for no logical reason. Not happening, Lib.”
Libby’s shoulders sag.
“Anyway,” I continue, “speaking of me being allowed out into the wild… there’s a comic convention happening this weekend…”
“Shit,” Priya hisses.
“You’re not trying to find this random guy in a rubber suit, are you?” Libby groans. “That’s just crazy. One photo does not mean this guy is your soulmate.”
“I know that,” I snap back, prickling at her words. “But I’ve got a gut feeling. And since my head isn’t working properly, I’m relying on my gut. Besides, my doc said I should get back to normal life and this is my normal. I go every year.” I smile innocently at them. “So… you’re coming, right? Because you’re my ‘loving and supportive’ friends?”
Priya narrows her eyes. “You owe us big time, lady.”
I grin, all fake sweetness. Memory loss has some advantages.
“And one more favor,” I continue, while I’m on a roll. “Can you both join a therapy session online in three days? I’ll send the details later.”
“Sure we can,” Priya supplies with a shrug, followed by a nod from Libby. “Honestly, this healthcare service is phenomenal. Even friends are involved.”
“Apparently, it’s part of my work’s insurance package.”
Priya looks up, her wine halfway to her mouth. “Impressive. Maybe Wolfe and the Quinn brothers aren’t the assholes we thought.”
“Actually…” I pause, swirling my straw in my drink. “Wolfe gave me a ride home today.”
Their eyes nearly pop out of their heads.
“JP Wolfe?” Priya parrots, like she misheard. “For real? But why?”
I shrug. “I’m not sure. He made me go to his office after I had a meltdown at Dwayne. I thought I was going to be fired or something, but instead, he insisted on driving me home.”
“Hold up.” Priya’s eyebrows reach for her hairline. “You’re saying that Wolfe actually put his own billionaire butt in a car seat and drove you himself?”
“Uh-huh.”
They look so stunned, it’s almost insulting.
“That’s so weird.” Libby wrinkles her nose. “Why would he want to drive you home?”
“Cheers, Lib, way to make me feel special.”
“He’s the big boss. I’m just saying it like it is.”
I sigh, pushing down that pesky pang of disappointment in my chest. “Okay, fine, maybe you have a point. He’s not even my boss. There’s a whole corporate ladder between us. It’s amazing he even knows my name.”
“Holy cow,” Priya gasps, her mouth hanging open. “He’s totally trying to fuck you.”
I nearly spit out my drink. “What? No, he’s not! There are plenty of other options at the office, trust me.”
“Doesn’t mean he wasn’t hitting on you.” She smirks. “Maybe he’s got a thing for amnesiacs.”
The words of protest die on my lips. I’m not the best at figuring out what men are thinking.
Was Wolfe hitting on me? That voice of his. It was sinfully sexy. His words felt as if they were tickling my clit.
But then, why on earth would he?
What did he say about his relationship status? “I asked him if he was seeing anyone and he was pretty evasive.”
“Men like him always are. He’s probably hiding a wife and ten kids.”
An odd feeling bubbles inside me. The idea of him being off the market bothers me more than I care to admit. It’s ridiculous, I know, but a small part of me wants him to be available.
Stupid.
I’m ashamed to say I did a little cyber-sleuthing before meeting the girls. Internet searches brought up pictures of him with beautiful, classy women but it was hard to tell if they were girlfriends.
“He asked me if I wanted to get a bite to eat,” I tell them, avoiding eye contact.
“Like on a date?” Libby shrieks so forcefully, I feel a gust on my face.
I snort. “Hardly. I think he was hungry, and I was conveniently in his vicinity. No, I’m the opposite of his type,” I say dismissively.
Priya nods, giving me a once-over. “True… you’re probably not his type. Gorgeous but too geeky for someone like Wolfe.”
“You don’t have to be so quick to agree with me.” I scowl and look at Libby for support but she just gives me an apologetic shrug.
The nagging voice in my head, a pesky, persistent guest, pops up again… What if JP had made a move in the car?
A surge of excitement zaps through me. An image of me blowing him in his Aston Martin as he drives down Sixth Avenue flashes through my head.
Jesus, why did I go there?
I smirk to myself and shake off the silly thoughts.
Priya lifts a perfectly sculpted eyebrow at me. “Please tell me you at least got some good gossip while trapped in the car with him.”
I think back to what he said about wellness retreats. That was a surprise. He seems like the type of man to scoff at wellness stuff. I can’t picture him in the downward dog position.
In fact, he seemed uptight even talking about it, which was a bit of a juxtaposition. Shifting in his seat and clearing his throat, as if loving wellness retreats carries shame like frequenting BDSM clubs.
But I can’t tell the girls that.
“Well, you won’t believe this, but he’s actually into K-pop,” I say, unable to suppress a laugh. “I caught him listening to one of my favorite girl groups on the way home.”
Priya looks revolted. “No way. My respect for him just plummeted.”
Libby frowns. “He doesn’t seem like the type of person who’d dance around to K-pop.”
No, he does not.
He looks more like a guy who would be into that Nine Inch Nails song about fucking like animals.
Our long-awaited cheese arrives.
“Lucy.” The waitress places a hand on my shoulder, concern etched on her face. “It’s good to see you again-I’ve been worried about you. You feeling better now?”
“Yes, thanks. I’m great now,” I stammer, not sure if I should know this woman’s name.
“That’s good to hear. You look after yourself.” She smiles and gives my arm a reassuring pat before moving along.
I turn back to the girls. “How did she know about the accident?”
They glance at each other, a tinge of unease on their faces-a recurring expression these days.
Priya breaks the silence. “That was about what happened a couple of weeks ago. You had a little… cry… here.”
My fingers freeze around my glass. “I did what? Why? Was I drunk?”
“We don’t know, Luce. Truth be told…” She pauses to draw in a deep breath. “Before the accident, you seemed distant. You started crying out of nowhere a few times.”
“What?” I stare at her like she’s talking in tongues. “Over the apartment not selling?”
She shrugs, looking lost. “You wouldn’t tell us.”
“Why the hell didn’t you force it out of me? Pinned me down and hounded me until I spilled?”
Priya gapes. “We tried! We asked, begged even. You kept saying you’d tell us when you were ready.”
“Oh God.” I groan. “Was it related to Daredevil? He must have dumped me. Maybe it’s a blessing I can’t remember.”
“Maybe.”