Total pages in book: 46
Estimated words: 43072 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 215(@200wpm)___ 172(@250wpm)___ 144(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 43072 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 215(@200wpm)___ 172(@250wpm)___ 144(@300wpm)
“Wow, tell me how you really feel. What’s your address or email address to send you the money back? Then we can be done with this charade, go our separate ways, and never see one another again.” If Hendrix thinks I’m going to let that happen, she’s dead wrong.
“No can do, sweetheart. You want to give me the money back, you’ll do it over dinner tomorrow.” It’s non-negotiable in my eyes, though judging by the deep breath she takes, I’m sure Hendrix is gearing up for a full-blown argument.
“I can’t. If you’d just do what I asked, this could be over,” she responds.
“Can’t or won’t?”
“Can’t. Jolene isn’t allowing me to leave her side at the moment.” I can hear the wariness.
“Did you call the vet?” I mean, Cooper has been more sedentary than normal, but nothing like Jolene is acting.
“Yeah, they said it’s probably the anesthesia. Where do you want to go out to dinner? I’ll have my mom come sit with her if she’s still this way tomorrow.”
“Hendrix, you want to give me the money back, you’ll meet me for dinner. If not, I’ll see you when I see you,” I give her the option, seeing if she’ll put up or shut up.
“Fine, text me the time and place. I’ll meet you there.”
“Yeah, right, you’ll stand me up. I’ll pick you up at your place,” I reply.
“No way. I don’t know you from Adam, and even if I did, I still wouldn’t let you pick me up. We either meet somewhere, or I’ll mail you a check.” Gotta hand it to her; at least she’s playing it safe.
“I’ll text you tomorrow, make sure Jolene is okay. If she is, I’ll tell you the time and place.” I hear the whine of her dog in the background.
“Okay, I’ve got to go. My girl needs to eat, apparently,” she laughs.
“Talk soon, Hendrix.” I don’t bother to hear what else she has to say. I hang up and save her number in my phone, knowing tomorrow is going to be another wild adventure with Hendrix.
THIRTEEN
Hendrix
I worked from home for the day, going over the few contracts I could decipher and putting the other aside to deal with tomorrow when Nico will be at Journey’s place, so he can look at them. I thought I was in the clear not having heard from Madden in the morning. Luck was not on my side when it came to early afternoon, and it wasn’t in the form of a text. It took everything I had to answer the call, going so far as to not answer him until the sixth and final ring. Believe me, I was tempted to hit the decline button and send him to voicemail, but with my luck, he’d do his best to find out where I live and show up here, really being a stalker that way.
Madden proved that he was a decent human being, asking how Jolene and I were doing. It was sweet. Genuine, really. So, why am I still so anti-Madden? That’s a great question. I have no reason to be aggravated by the thought of talking to him or being around him. Well, tell that to my traitorous hormones. I’m pretty sure they have a mind of their own, honestly. Madden even told me he’d text me the time and the place while on the phone. I was unsure of the reason I would think he’d flake because he, in fact, did not.
Make Me Mad, Madden: Hyacinth Lounge, eight o’clock, reservations are under Hughes.
Do I really save his contact information in my phone as that? Hell, yes, I did. I also take my sweet time responding. It seems Madden is going all out for this shindig of a dinner. Everyone knows The Hyacinth has a dress code, the price can be steep, and there’s always a performance of some kind, whether it’s a pianist with a singer or dancer. Staying relevant and fresh is what they’re renowned for, and their drinks are out of this world amazing. Right now, the one thing on my brain is what I should wear—something stylish and short in length, something that doesn’t give out ‘I want to bang you’ vibes when that’s exactly what I’d do given the opportunity. Well, as long as he didn’t do something to screw up the mood. I move towards my closet, ignoring my phone beeping again, giving me an alert that I haven’t opened his text. There’s something more important that I have to do, and if I can’t find what I’m looking for, I’ll have to drive my ass to Journey’s.
I flip the light on in my walk-in closet, walking towards the small row of dresses I keep there. Sure, my job keeps me busy, and there are times when dresses are involved, but not a whole lot. I’m more of a leggings, jean shorts, and sneakers kind of girl. Never mind figuring out heels to go along with a dress. It doesn’t take me long to go through the ten or fifteen dresses I do have. A walk-in closet would usually mean it’d be big and easy to navigate. That couldn’t be further from the truth with my place. It’s crammed from ceiling to floor with anything and everything that couldn’t fit in the small garage that could potentially be damaged by the heat in here as well.