Page 25 of Hale Yes
Cruz’s face pulls into a grimace. “Yeah, they ended up taking her to the emergency room last night. She has a stomach bug and the docs were worried about dehydration, so they gave her IV fluids and kept her overnight. Auburn said they got home early this morning, and she’s a lot better.”
“Aww, poor little thing. Are the twins sick too?” he asks, referring to the Bouviers’ eight-year-olds.
“Thank goodness, no,” Cruz replies. “They’re staying with Gianna’s dad and Tora so they don’t get exposed to the germs. Auburn hired a service to come deep clean the house while they had Eliana at the hospital.”
“In the middle of the night? I’ve never heard of a service that—” Lehra begins before shaking her head with a smile. “Never mind. I forgot they’re freaking billionaires.”
Which isn’t hard to do, especially where Gianna is concerned. She’s a Texas girl who moved to New York and snagged the most eligible bachelor in the city, though she’s still one of the most down-to-earth people I know. Of course she always dresses fabulously when they go to an event, but it’s not uncommon to see her in an old sweatshirt and holey leggings when she’s hanging out around the house. Auburn, on the other hand, always looks the part of a wealthy fashion CEO, and I imagine his underwear probably costs as much as the GDP of a small country.
“Poor Eliana,” I say. “And her parents. I wish we could do something for them.” Gianna has become a good friend to all of us in the past couple years.
“I’ll send them a care package and put all our names on it,” Lehra offers. “Some food for Auburn and Gianna and Pedialyte for the baby. Oh, and there’s this fantastic baby wash and lotion with lavender that I found at a baby boutique downtown. That might help soothe Eliana.”
Cruz is looking at his wife like he’d love to toss her on the table and make their own baby right here in front of everyone, if that subtle lick of his lips is any indication.
Artie leans over the table and inspects something on Cruz’s face. “What is that in your beard? It’s pink.”
Cruz’s cheeks go tomato-red, and he scrubs at a spot near his jaw. “Just a temporary… uhhh… shit. I thought I got it all.”
Lehra giggles, her face also blushing. Artie’s face, on the other hand, is ripe with glee.
“You kinky fuckers were role-playing again, weren’t you? Give us all the deets. Who were you? Strawberry Shortcake?”
Artie’s eyes twinkle even as Cruz glares at him, but the conversation is stalled when Charmaine returns with our drinks.
I swear Cruz and Lehra have the most fun sex life of anyone I’ve ever met. They thrive on fulfilling each other’s fantasies. Shetold me once about a “viking warrior” who busted into her house and took her roughly against the wall. Cruz dyed his hair and beard for that one as well.
The big man with pink in his beard effectively changes the subject by handing over the large box he walked in with. “Here you go, Nic. When I talked to Auburn, he asked me to grab this from his office. Happy birthday.”
“Thank you,” I say, my heart thumping with grateful emotion. Opening the box first, I find a killer black blazer dress and red leather wedge sandals and matching leather earrings from Auburn and Gia. Lehra, Cruz, and Artie got me a gift card for a fancy day spa.
“You guys, this is way too much,” I tell them, my eyes bugging out at the dollar amount on the card.
“It’s enough for a one hour hot stone massage, a facial of your choice, and a hair treatment in the salon,” Lehra explains. “We wanted you to feel relaxed and fabulous for your move.”
“That’s… so sweet.” My voice sounds slightly strangled, and I roll my lips inward and bite down. I truly have the best friends ever.
“Food’s here,” Artie chirps, nodding toward Charmaine approaching with a tray. She distributes the food, sliding the Irish nachos between Cruz and Lehra.
“Have you decided where you’re living?” Cruz asks.
“I haven’t had a chance to look yet. You grew up in Galveston, right?”
He nods through a bite of fried potato piled with meat, cheese, and veggies. “Uh-huh. Just south of Houston, so I’m familiar with the city. You want to live in the suburbs or closer to work?”
“Close to work would be good.”
“The River Oaks and West University neighborhoods are the nicest, but homes there are in the seven-figure range, and it canbe… stuffy.” Chewing thoughtfully, he adds, “Rice Village is great and has more character. I think you’d vibe well there.”
“Okay, I’ll check it out.”
“Lehra and I could fly down with you to look around,” he offers, and his wife gazes up at him like he hung the moon.
I smile. “That’s really sweet, but I moved away from home for college at sixteen. I’m used to doing things for myself.” From the corner of my eye, I see Lehra’s lips turn down at the corners, so I rush to put some cheer into my voice. “I wouldn’t say no to some restaurant recommendations though.”
Cruz gives me a tight smile. “That I can do.”
Artie nudges me with a pointy elbow. “What’s up with your lunch, Nic? You never get just salad.”
