Page 23 of Fools in Love

“Then, take me home.”

Her eyes sparked with emotion, and she looked at me like no one ever had before. April’s eyes told me that this wasn’t just for one night; this was bordering on serious, maybe even love.

A man who wasn’t ready would have run from that look.

I wanted more of it.

My apartment was only a twenty-minute cab ride away, but it felt like an eternity. April was pressed up against me, my hand tightly holding hers in case she tried to open the door and hop out. I wasn’t letting her get away, and I prayed that she didn’t come to her senses on the drive back to my place and question what the hell she was doing, going home with me.

“My apartment was closer,” April said as she watched us cruise past Twenty-Fifth Avenue.

“You live on Twenty-Fifth?” I asked, assuming that was why she’d mentioned it.

“Twenty-Ninth and Sixth,” she offered.

I grinned inwardly. That was pretty specific, and she knew that I’d be able to at least narrow down the buildings if I had to. Hopefully, it wouldn’t come to that, and she’d invite me over willingly.

“We’re almost to my place,” I said, hoping it would calm her down.

I’d gotten a really great deal for being a firefighter at an older community that had been recently taken over and updated. It had asuburban neighborhoodfeel to it. And even though I wasn’t home that often, I loved it when I was.

The driver pulled to a stop, and I shoved my credit card into the seat reader before leaving a twenty percent tip and telling him thanks.

“Do you think we should have told our limo driver that we left?” April asked as we exited, and she glanced around at the grounds. “It’s really pretty here. They did a great job, updating the grounds.”

“You remember what it used to look like?” I asked because it had really been run-down at one point and hadn’t been considered a safe place to reside.

She nodded her head. “I do. The buildings look the same though, which I think is nice.”

“Until you walk inside,” I said before holding my phone as tightly with one hand as I was holding her with the other. “Do you want me to text our driver and tell him we took off?”

“I think it’s the polite thing to do. Don’t you?”

“I don’t know,” I admitted as I pulled her toward one of the tall brick buildings. “I’m afraid he might show up here and pull us out by our feet, kicking and screaming, at Sheila’s request.”

April started laughing. “You’re not wrong. But we should still tell him,” she added before snapping her fingers together. “Oh! I know! Tell him I got sick and we took a cab home. There was no time to wait. Didn’t want to vomit in his car and leave him with that mess to clean up.” She kept explaining all about her fake illness, and I had to admit, it was a good plan.

“I’m doing that. Saying all of that. So, if Sheila asks you, you’d better go with it.”

She let go of my hand and slapped her palm against her forehead. “Ugh. Knowing her, she’ll make us go on the date all over again.”

“Does the woman have no Off button?” I asked absentmindedly as I typed as quickly as my fingers would allow.

April shook her head. “Not when she has an idea in her mind.”

Pressing Send on the text, I waited to see that the message was delivered. I got an immediate response. “He said okay and he hopes you feel better and that he still would have taken you home.”

“Of course he would have. It’s his job. Tell him thank you again and that I’ll talk to Sheila.”

I did as she’d asked, typing out her message word for word so that the driver would hopefully get a sense of relief instead of thinking he’d get in trouble, before I pocketed my phone.

“It’s right here.” I nodded toward the brick building on the left.

I scanned my key fob across the pad at the entrance and held the door open for April as soon as it unlocked with a loud click.

“Elevators are up ahead. I’m on the tenth floor.”

She looked around at the hallway we walked down, her eyes taking in all of the artwork that lined the walls. When we reached the elevators, she pressed the Up button before I could do it.

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