Page 48 of Tease Me

“Perfect. I’ll pick you up at eight-thirty on Saturday the twenty-fourth.”

I smiled as I remembered our last date, and thenIcaught myself. Was that a date? He’d just asked me on another hot date, too.Did he think we were dating?The question confused me.

“Jane? Jane, are you there?”

He dragged me back from mental despair. “Sorry, what did you say?”

“I said, wear something comfortable.”

“Oh, okay.”

“Perfect. See you then.”

He hung up the phone, and as I mulled over Henry asking me on a date, Needledick entered through the sliding glass doors. I’d been so distracted with Henry that I hadn’t even noticed my boss was late.I finished the paperwork for Cameron, the wedding planner, as Needledick approached the counter.

“Crappy weather out there.” He ran his hands through his wet hair.

“Yeah, do you know ifit’s going tolet up?” I reached for my bag under the counter in a manner that ensured he couldn’t check out my ass.

“Apparently,although it doesn’t look like itat the moment.” He tossed his keys into the top drawer.

We did our usual handover, and after I said goodbye, I headed for my room.

I opened the door to my balconyso I couldlet in the lovely sound of the rain. For breakfast, I made eggs on toast and a strong coffee and stared out to the gloomy sea as I sat at mysmalldining table to eat. Beneath the clouds, the ocean looked like molten steel. Whitecaps punctuated the grey, showing just how choppy it was out there.

I shuddered at the thought of being on the water today. I didn’t like it at the best of times, but on a day like today, it would scare the crap out of me. The idea of curling up in bed and reading a book or watching a movie was much more appealing.

With sleep beckoning, I finished my breakfast, and asI was washing up the dishes, my phone rang.I quickly dried my hands and tugged my phone from the side pocket of my bag.

One glance at the number on the screen made my stomach sink. I forced a smile into my voice and jabbed the green button. “Hi, Mom.”

“Hi, Jane, how are you?”

“I’m good. How about you and Dad?”

“We’re both good, too.”

And, as usual, that’s where the conversation ended.

Mom cleared her throat. “We’ve decided to have a party for your father’s sixtieth birthday.”

“Oh.”Oh crap, here we go.

“Your father and I would love you to be there.”

“Oh, Mom, it’sreally hard. You know I work weekends.”

“That’s the reason why we’re giving you plenty of notice. It’s on the 22nd of October. That gives you two and a half months to arrange the time off.”

Acid bubbled in my stomach at the thought of going back there. “I’ll see what I can do.”

“Jane, if you love your father, you’ll come home for his birthday. He misses you.”

“Of course I love him, Mom, butit’s not easy to arrange time off.”

“When was your last vacation?” she snapped the question down the phone.

“Oh . . . ummm, I don’t know.”

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