“More like you,” I corrected with a small laugh. “I’ll keep an eye on her if she does decide to stay here. Meanwhile, I’ll encourage her to consider going back to you for Christmas.”
“You’ve always been such a good friend, Gabriel. Bless you.” A male voice cut through the background suddenly. “I better go, but let’s catch up soon. I’m heading into the city right now for a meeting.”
“Talk with you soon.”
I spent the drive to the office in silence while I tried to wrap my head around the conversation with Nikki Lewis. Something had happened, all right. I doubted Penny’s reasons of just wanting to live her own life, but I wasn’t sure it was my place to push any further. I would make myself available if Penny wanted to talk more, but other than that, I wouldn’t get involved.
I parked in the parking garage next to the building my office was situated in. Huddled against the snowy wind, I hurried into the lobby to take the elevator to the tenth floor. Neil Morrison greeted me when the elevator doors slid open.
“Surprised to see me?” he asked wryly.
I stepped out of the elevator with a shrug. “A bit. I didn’t think you were going to be coming in today.”
“I thought we could celebrate your new research,” Neil said.
We crossed the lobby that was still quiet and dark. A few of my employees, the early birds like me, nodded in acknowledgement when I passed by them.
“Celebrate?” I repeated and unlocked my office door. “How do you propose we do that?”
I set about opening the blinds to my office windows, even though there was no warm sunlight to come through.
“Yes,” he said. “I have some VIP passes to an exclusive new club on Wednesday night. What do you say?”
I was tempted to remind Neil that Alyssa was home for Christmas break, but I remembered that Alyssa had mentioned in passing that she would be busy on Wednesday night with Penny. Getting a few drinks did sound good. Maybe I could find a woman’s company to enjoy and get my mind off the troubling feelings Penny awoke in me.
“You’re on,” I said, nodding. “Wednesday night it is.”
CHAPTER FOUR - PENNY
“I told you that my dad would pay for a day at the spa,” Alyssa said.
I rolled my eyes, but I was too relaxed to even come back with a biting response to that. Seated side by side, with our feet in warm water that smelled of rosemary, I was confident that my body consisted of jelly. I didn’t know how Alyssa planned on dragging me around downtown Chicago to shop after spending the past three hours in a relaxing massage and hot steam room.
“I’m glad that he was okay with it,” I said. “Remind me to thank him later for letting us do this on his dime.”
“I’m sure he knows we are thankful,” Alyssa replied as she sighed in contentment. “We need to find some dresses for tomorrow night.”
I opened my eyes to look at Alyssa, whose eyes were closed with a smile stretched across her face.
“What’s going on tomorrow night?” I asked.
“Nothing major. Just a club that I want you to see.”
“No,” I said shortly. “You know that I hate clubs, Alyssa. Why did you plan that?”
Alyssa opened her eyes to look at me. “Because you need to get out and have some fun. I told you that we weren’t going to stay cooped up in my dad’s condo the entire winter break.”
“Why is that such a bad idea?”
“You know, I love my dad, but I don’t want to stay home with him the entire time.”
I sighed anxiously. I hated the idea of going to a club. I had spent the entire four years of college holed up in the library that was open day and night, just to avoid the parties. I rarely drank, and was secretly afraid that I’d end up picking up guys like my mother attracted. The thought made me shudder. The thought of staying in and spending time around Gabriel, however… I shook the thought out of my head.
“How are you even going to get in?” I asked her. “You’re only nineteen.”
Alyssa smiled and shot me a look. “I know the bouncer who will be working the door. He has a thing for me.”
I shook my head and closed my eyes.