Page 55 of Who's Your Daddy
“No.” Lola shakes her head, though her voice is resigned.
I push off the wall and take a step closer. “I’ll get you a green dress to match your favorite crystal heels.”
She whips around, and when she realizes I’m so close, her eyes widen. “How do you even know that I own those?”
“You gushed about them to Sloane the night you bought them, and then you got all frowny upside downy when she asked when you’d have the chance to wear them. Tell me, Lola, have you ever worn them?”
She studies me, her brows knitting together tightly.
With any luck, she’s finally getting it. Finally understanding just how long I’ve been cataloging her every move.
She blows out a breath, eyes falling closed. “Fine. But we’re flying straight home after.”
I grin. “Whatever Lola wants…”
“I can’t believe this.” With that, she storms out of Sully’s office.
Even though she’s a little ball of anger, I’m smiling. And I’m pretty sure I won’t stop.
Chapter 17
Lola
“How is it so perfect?”
It takes every ounce of strength I have not to smile at the emerald green dress Benjamine brought up five minutes ago.
I hang it from my closet door, unable to turn away yet. It’s just so pretty.
“He’s a Murphy. They all possess some kind of black magic,” Sloane grumbles from my phone on the nightstand. It’s propped up on the bedside lamp, my best friend’s face filling the screen.
Black magic but good taste. I finger the soft material, twisting the dress closer. Light catches on the crystals at the neckline, making them sparkle against the otherwise deep green fabric.
“Did you give him a photo of your crystal Jimmy Choos? No, I bet he did this all on his own,” Sloane mutters. “He conjured up the perfect thing without any help. Damn them.”
I shuffle over to the phone and give my friend a pointed look. “Instead of pretending you’re upset about my dress, why don’t you tell me what Sully did?”
She sets her giant coffee mug on the granite counter with a little too much force, and a sigh the size of Alaska makes her shouldersslump. “He talked me into letting T.J. stay in Jersey this weekend. And I’m not even sure how. One minute I was saying no, and then boom, the plans were made.”
Ah, yes. It’s another Murphy trait. The ability to talk anyone into just about anything while making them believe it’s their own idea. This I can relate to. “It could be worse, you could be going to Boston with him.”
An almost laugh slips past my friend’s lips.
“Hold on,” I tease. “Did Sloane Murphy just smile?”
“Oh, stop. I smile.”
She used to smile. She used to be the life of the party. For years, she was the sunshine to my black cat. But I haven’t seen that side of her in far too long. Somehow, I’ve become the sunshine half of this friendship, and that’s saying something. I've never been called an optimist. I’m not bubbly.
But with all she’s going through, I’ll give her a break. And I can’t deny that it makes me feel better knowing that T. J. will be around to keep Murphy company while Cal is gone.
“T.J. will be fine with Sully. He may have messed shit up, but you can’t deny how much he loves him,” I remind her as I dig pajamas out of my dresser drawer.
Definitely not black…or red…or?—
I give myself a mental slap. Why am I stressing about this? Cal and I aren’t even sharing a room. No one but me will see them. I grab a set and then turn back to Sloane. “Plus, you’ll have a relaxing weekend to yourself. “
Sloane blinks, her lips tugging down. “That’s what you’re bringing?”
