Page 24 of Stepping Up to the Plate

“That is none of your business, Tiffany. And it has nothing to do with Lola.”

“It could…”

“Can you get to the point please?” I bark, pinching the bridge of my nose.

“I see you aren’t going to connect the dots yourself,” she huffs. “Fine. When we first moved here, I may have convinced Lola that the best way to get over her jerkwad of an ex was to get dicked down by a sexy, take-control hunk. It was a good idea, except things didn’t go as planned.”

As the sentence comes out of her mouth, I make the connection. “No way,” I stammer. “No way, that girl had long hair.”

She rolls her eyes, “A haircut, really? That’s what kept you from recognizing her? That is the only difference. I don’t know how you didn’t notice. Those masks weren’tthateffective. Though she didn’t realize it at first, either.”

“Fuck. FUCK!” I shout, pacing and no longer hearing her. “I never even put her and Club Hedone in the same brain wave. I’d never have thought she went there. How long have you known? How long has she known?”

“I put it together after she said the thing about you trying to have sex with her at a club. I’m not sure when she put it together. It had to be sometime between when we moved and tonight.”

“Fuck. That night was a total mixup. Someone switched up the files by accident.”

“They called and told us that but I’m not sure she buys it.”

“I have to talk to her. I can’t let her go on thinking I treated her that way on purpose or that I would ever treat a woman like that without her consent. I wanted to fix it that night, but she was gone when I got back.”

“Yeah, fleeing is kind of her thing,” she remarks.

“What’s your apartment number?”

“You want to talk to her now?” she squeaks.

“Yes, she’s upset now and she shouldn’t be alone with how much she drank. I need to make sure she’s okay. I won’t be able to rest until I do.”

“Fine. Here’s my key. I’ll grab the spare from Carina. Don’t make it worse or I will put a curse on you and your bat.”

“Thank you. You’ll be okay getting back later, right? Kent can walk you.”

“God,” she giggles. “You really are nice. It makes this thing all the more comical.”

“Nothing about this is funny,” I deadpan.

“Give it a month. We’ll revisit that assessment.” She waves me off and I head upstairs to check on the woman who has been occupying my mind for months.

* * *

Using Tiffany’s key, I let myself into the girls’ apartment. The unit opens into the kitchen and living room. While the apartment is filled with Robby’s old furniture, it has a distinct feminine flair. The couch has approximately three too many pillows, and the room has more throw blankets than places to sit.

There are two doors next to each other leading to what I assume are their bedrooms. Taking a gamble, I head to the door closest to me. When I approach, I hear quiet crying. Knocking lightly on the door, I call out to her. “Lola, are you okay in there?”

“Go away, you big jerk!” she yells.

“I can’t do that, doll. I know you’re upset, but we need to talk and clear some things up. We don’t have to do that tonight, but I at least want to make sure you’re okay. I’m gonna come in.”

Inside, I find her burrowed under the covers in the dark. I leave the door cracked to let in some light and hopefully make her feel less trapped. It’s a fairly spacious room, but I’m still a pretty big guy and don’t want my presence to make her uncomfortable.

“Lola,” I cajole. Seeing her curled up in her bed makes something tighten in my chest. She looks vulnerable and small, especially since I can pretty much only see her face, everything else hidden by her comforter.

“Don’t, Miller. I can’t do this right now,” she cries.

“Do what?”

“Let you be a meanie. I gotta learn to deck. Maybe Charlie can help me,” she grumbles. Who the fuck is Charlie? And what does building a deck have to do with this? I don’t like the idea of some other guy teaching her how to do anything.

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