Page 23 of Fire

Gwen scrunched her nose. There was no way the Marc Jacob, chunky-heel sandal pinched anything. “Did Emily straighten her out?”

“Yes. That girl is an angel. I’m so glad Juliette didn’t scare her away.” She clapped her hands once in excitement before demanding, “Now, tell me all about the weekend that put that smile on your face.”

Gwen blew into her steaming cup and took a small sip while she thought about what to tell Sheila. Knowing she was a bit of a gossip, Gwen didn’t want to share too much while she and Blake were so new. “I had a date Saturday night.”

“With Jason?”

Gwen shook her head. “No. Someone I met at a club.”

Sheila’s nose wrinkled. “And it went well?”

Well enough that it stretched into her whole weekend, she thought with an internal grin. “I think so.”

“Are you going to see him again?”

Gwen lifted a shoulder. “We don’t have plans to yet, if that’s what you’re asking.”

“Well, maybe he’ll call sometime this week.”

Gwen hoped so. They’d exchanged numbers, but she hadn’t heard from him since he’d left the day before. She’d secretly been a little disappointed he hadn’t shown up at her door again that morning before she left for work—as was his thing—but then reality intruded. He worked nights, probably until very late, she shouldn’t expect a phone call or to see him that early in the morning.

Gwen took another sip of coffee before she responded. “Maybe. We’ll see.”

“Well, keep me in the loop.” Sheila walked to the fridge and pulled out a bottle of water.

Sheila didn’t drink coffee. Gwen took another fortifying sip of hers, unable to understand how someone could function without morning caffeine.

“What’s his name, by the way?” She asked, slamming the fridge with her foot.

Gwen didn’t see the harm in sharing that much. “Blake.”

Sheila paused in the act of uncapping her water, a funny look transforming her face. “And you said you met him at a club? Which one?”

Uh oh, there was no way she could make the connection, was there? “Fire,” she replied reluctantly.

“Is his last name Stone?” At Gwen’s curt nod, she gushed, “Oh, my God. I can’t believe you went on a date with Blake Stone.” She absentmindedly set the unopened water bottle down on the table. “He’s in the entertainment news all the time.”

Gwen never followed celebrity gossip unless it had to do with the world of fashion. “I had no idea Fire was such a hot spot.”

“Well, girl, it is. You went out with one of the wealthiest men in LA.”

Gwen’s stomach churned. There were a lot of rich people in LA, how could Blake be one of the wealthiest only owning a nightclub? “I’m sure he’s not one of the wealthiest.” God, she hoped he wasn’t. That would cause a whole new set of problems in their relationship. In all her dealings, rich people were eccentric, had their quirks, and were difficult to deal with.

“Google it if you don’t believe me.”

It wasn’t that she didn’t believe her, it was that she knew Sheila had a tendency to exaggerate a teensy bit. She was sure he made good money and was probably well-off, but she doubted he was a multi-millionaire. He didn’t have that vibe. And she should know, she was surrounded by them all the time.

Gwen decided it was time to end the discussion. “Anyway, let’s not jump the gun. It was only one date.”

“But—”

Gwen held up a hand, cutting off whatever more she was about to say. “And that’s probably all it will be.” At least as far as Sheila would ever know. Gwen took the last swig of her coffee and threw the foam cup in the recycling bin. “I need to get to work. I have an appointment in an hour.”

Sheila nodded. “Ms. Fields.”

“Yes, and we both know I don’t need my mind on sexy millionaires when she arrives.”

Sheila laughed at Gwen’s retreating back as she made her way to the door. “You left the sexy part out when you were telling your story.”

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