Into the Fire - Leslie Kelly [20]
Any sympathy Lacey might have felt for the man at having been as embarrassed as she was by the situation evaporated. She reacted instinctively. And for the second time that evening, Nate Logan found himself taking an unexpected swim.
* * *
Lacey drove home in the robe. After she'd shoved Nate the Nitwit into the pool, she'd turned on her heels, grabbed her purse and shoes and exited the gym. She hadn't watched as her father and Raul helped Nate out of the pool. Nor had her stride broken when Nate had bellowed, "You'll pay for that!" as she walked out of the gym, slamming the door behind her.
Though sorely tempted to exit through the middle of the party, Lacey had slipped out a kitchen door and found her car on the darkened lawn. Her drive home had been quick and furious, matching her mood, and she knew it was a lucky thing she hadn't been pulled over. Good evening, officer, my license and registration? Yes, sure, let me check the pocket of my robe!
All she wanted to do was escape but the next morning, Saturday, she sat on the small balcony of her apartment, sipping a cup of tea, and wondered what had happened after she left. The phone had rung once during the night, but she'd spied the caller ID box and ignored it. She hadn't forgiven Raul and was in no mood to talk to him.
When the buzzer sounded from her front door, she wondered for a second if he'd come over to grovel—or to gloat—in person.
"Lacey, I know you're home. I need some chocolate!"
Grinning as she recognized the voice of her friend and neighbor, Lacey answered the door. "Good morning, Venus. Why, exactly, do you need chocolate at eight a.m. ?"
Venus Messina, who lived one unit over in the three-story building, breezed into the apartment looking a wreck. Her bright red hair wasn't in its usual big and fluffy style. Instead it was lying flat and lank against her head. Her makeup was smeared off, and she wore a black leather minidress and fishnets. Even looking a mess, however, the woman was striking. Six feet tall, curvy and buxom, with a look in her eyes that dared anyone to mess with her, Venus was everything Lacey had ever fantasized about being as a kid. Tough, fiery and hard as nails. Right down to her last Irish-Italian bone. Everything Lacey was not.
"All-nighter?" Lacey asked as Venus beelined for the kitchen.
Her friend didn't acknowledge the question. "Don't hold out on me, sugar. You know what I need."
"There's Godiva on the bottom shelf, behind the yogurt."
Venus gave a coo of pleasure as she found Lacey's stash of expensive chocolate and helped herself to a few sizable chunks. "Mmm, with enough chocolate I can almost forget that I just got dumped."
"Oh, V, I'm sorry," Lacey said. She didn't ask who the dumper was, since Venus changed boyfriends every few weeks. Almost as often as she changed hair color. "You okay?"
"Things were great," Venus said as she grabbed more chocolate and followed Lacey into the living room. "We clubbed all night, went to his place, had a romantic breakfast. Then he tells me he's getting back together with his college girlfriend and this was our last night together."
Lacey scooted over on the sofa, making room for Venus to plop down next to her.
"Of course, since it was only our third night together, I shouldn't feel this bad, should I?" Venus stuffed another piece of chocolate into her mouth, leaned her head back and shut her eyes. "Men are such dogs."
Lacey sipped her tea. "I won't argue there."
Venus must have heard something in her voice. She opened one eye and glanced at Lacey suspiciously. "What happened?"
Lacey shrugged.
"Oh, my gosh, last night was the party! The big night. I'm sorry, doll, I forgot all about it. You okay? Have you talked to your mom yet?"
Lacey sighed, knowing the phone would probably be ringing any minute. Her mother had been in a panic when they'd spoken the night before. Lacey hadn't been able to muster the emotional energy to call her yet.