“Looks like something.”
“Don’t you have any work to do?”
She scoffed. “When my best friend was just assaulted in an alley? Hells no, girl.”
“I just want to forget about it, okay?”
I rubbed my forehead, wishing it was possible to forget. That night ran through my head morning, noon and night. It wasn’t just Eric I was thinking about, either. I was increasingly finding my thoughts wandering to the man whose cedar-scented flannel shirt was sitting on a chair in my bedroom.
It had to be because he’d saved me. This was just some sort of knight-in-shining armor complex I was experiencing. Why else would I be fantasizing about Kane? He’d shown no interest in me and more importantly, seemed to be the polar opposite of the men I usually chose.
“It’s screwed up to be thinking about a guy after the other night,” I said, my voice nearly a whisper as I stared into space.
“Honey, the only thing that’s screwed up is what that asshole did to you. Don’t you dare make yourself feel like anything you’ve thought or felt since then is wrong.”
And that was why I loved Cara. She knew when to push and when to reassure.
“You have time for a Starbucks run?” I asked, standing up and reaching for my purse.
“Always.”
“How’s my scarf?”
I walked around to the front of my desk and Cara rearranged it a little. She fluffed up my long, dark hair a little, too.
“Perfect,” she said. “Let’s just drop by my office so I can grab a scarf.”
“You don’t need one. It’s not cold or anything.”
She arched her brows at me. “It’s badass bitches wear a scarf day, Viv. Now let’s go find me one.”
“Not the one you used to tie up your personal trainer in bed.”
She threw her pretty blond head back and laughed. “No, that one’s at the dry cleaners.”
“Good call.”
I made not one, but two Starbucks runs during my work day, and also walked down to my favorite café for a long, quiet lunch with a book. By the end of the day, I knew coming back to work had been good for me. The police had come by yesterday to interview me about what happened with Eric and take photos of my neck. I’d follow his court case, but for now I had a sense of closure. It was time to move forward.
When I got back to my tiny downtown apartment and pushed open the steel front door, the lingering smell of brownies greeted me. I’d forgotten about making them yesterday.
It was a silly idea. Homemade brownies for the bouncer who’d pulled Eric off of me? It was all I could think of to thank him, because I was pretty sure Hallmark didn’t have a ‘thanks for saving me from sexual assault’ section of greeting cards. But maybe my thanks to him that night was enough.
I changed into yoga pants and a t-shirt and grabbed the dish of frosted, chocolately goodness from the kitchen counter, flopping into my favorite old living room recliner with it. I could have some of these brownies for dinner and then go to the gym.
Pulling off the lid, I considered it. But then I decided I should skip the brownies and just go to the gym. I could pick up dinner on the way home. I’d just drop these brownies off at Six on my way.
Decision made, I laced up my tennis shoes, grabbed my gym bag, purse and the brownies and went downstairs to hail a cab.
When I walked into the front door of Six after the ten minute cab ride, the after-work crowd was just starting to fill it up. I scanned the room and spotted Kane standing near the bar talking to a group of employees. He still wore the scowl I’d seen the other night.