Page 14 of Free Agent

Fucking hurt.

No matter how much I tried to pretend otherwise.

So much time wasted gaslighting myself on one thing or another.

Shit.

I shook my head.

This was not a mental road I cared to travel right now. The anxiety of thinking about this shit with Monty, plus the new gossip storyline I’d accidentally created for myself had me wired and restless, so sleep wasn’t about to be an option.

I should do something for myself today.

Not just today, actually.

Period.

But especially today.

Instead of overthinking it, I grabbed my phone and headed straight back to my front door and grabbed my purse and keys.

I was taking myself to my favorite restaurant.

Or so I thought.

Turns out, I wasn’t stepping a toe in Sucre Noir without a long-ass wait, not even a seat at the bar. I could order takeout, but that defeated the purpose of coming back outside, and was probably gonna be a long wait too.

Shit.

I stood outside on the sidewalk for a bit, just taking in the energy of the city while I considered my options. I could just go home, but now that I’d taken the time to make this drive, I didn’t want to do that.

As I looked around, the subtle glow of a sign in the distance caught my eye.

Instantly, I perked up.

I couldn’t do Sucre Noir, but Rendezvous, the rooftop restaurant at Hotel Veil was high on my list of favorites, and not at all a bad second choice.

And it was known for privacy.

A potential winner all around.

I practically floated down the block to the hotel, checking the wait time on their website on the way. I was able to go ahead and reserve a table, which made getting into the hotel even easier.

Today was looking up, finally.

I could already taste the crab cakes as I stepped off the elevator. There was no crowd of people sitting around waiting for a table, which meant no worries about sneaking pictures or anything dumb like that. I was likely to see some familiar faces, sure, but they weren’t trying to do anything but enjoy their meal, privately.

You were damn near signing an NDA to get in anyway. There was a notice posted at the door warning against all manner of… not minding your own business, basically.

With a smile on my face, I followed the host to my table, outside on the heated balcony, with a view of the city. I was practically skipping behind her, so excited for the prime table that I misjudged the distance between my purse and my phone as I went to tuck it away after telling Sierra where I’d ended up.

It slid straight to the floor.

Where I accidentally kicked it, sending it sliding across the room.

“Oh, shit,” I whispered, embarrassed.

The action had caused my screen to light up, so I was at least able to easily see where it had gone.

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