“Lead the way.”
I went back to my car, and Shae followed me to the all-night diner I knew about a few blocks away. I had discovered it during my insomniac phase. Though it was something of a matter of debate whether or not that phase ever actually ended.
“Swanky,” Shae said, getting out of her car.
“Not really, but the club sandwich is good.”
Inside, we slid into a booth near the front window. Las Vegas was flowing on beyond the blacked glass. The booth was so small that our knees occasionally touched. Something Shae didn’t seem to mind at all. After a while, I didn’t either. It was effortless to be around her. She put on a tough exterior but could also seem to nearly radiate calm, at least with those she liked. I had seen it with Aden and later Camilla when she joined their family.
Shae must have been really hungry because she loaded up with bacon, sausage, waffles, and scrambled eggs, going at the plate with enthusiasm rarely witnessed. I was more of a functionalist in most things, food was no exception. My own breakfast limited to toast and jam with orange juice. Though to be fair, I had technically eaten before we left and was mostly trying to fit in.
“Not hungry?” Shae asked, working on her third sausage.
“I just don’t eat much. I’m working on a warrior diet.”
“A what?” she asked.
“Warrior diet. It’s where you eat one meal a day that gives you everything you need with intermittent fasting in between.”
“Sounds dangerous.”
“Oh, probably, most things are these days. Hell, even carbs are becoming taboo. It will likely be meat next. I just figured it would be best to eat as little as possible.”
“Makes an odd sort of sense,” Shae said.
“Happens more than you’d think.”
“Is that how you got to be Art Director at Sure Thing?”
“Mostly. What about you, why’d you become a nurse?”
“I failed medical school. It was this or a dentist, and I hate dentists.”
“Seriously?”
She laughed. “No. I’ve always wanted to be a nurse. Most people don’t realize how difficult the training is.”
“But, you hate dentists?”
“Oh hell yeah, shifty bastards. I can’t think of another area of the medical system where it is not only okay but normal to charge 10 to 15% above the book price. They are also the only medical professionals to charge for parts. No better than mechanics, really.”
“Wow, that’s a lot of hate,” I said.
“Sorry, it just makes me really mad. Particularly when they swan about in those white coats and call themselves ‘doctor’. Most of them have doctorates, you know. ‘Doctor’ my sweet, achin’ ass.”
“Well, that’s not surprising.”
“What?”
“Your aching ass. I would imagine your feet and ankles would hurt pretty bad too after a fourteen-hour shift.”
“They do actually.”
“Would you like a foot rub?”
“What, now?” Shae asked, looking around us.
“Sure, there’s no one around. Leave your socks on if you’re worried about hygiene.”
I had no idea where it had come from. I usually didn’t shake hands, let alone rub feet, but the concept of Shae being in pain was too much for me to take. I really was getting attached to her and wanted her to be happy.
After a moment’s hesitation, Shae took off her sneakers and put one of her feet up on the bench I was sitting on, setting it right between my knees. Focusing my attention on her relief, I started massaging her foot. It looked pretty small in my hands. I never really noticed how petite Shae was.
I guess I was doing a good job. Shae leaned back on her bench, humming contentedly. Looking at her, I decided that I wanted to see more of her.
“I’m going to a book signing tomorrow, would you like to come?”
“Sure,” Shae said, sounding a bit surprised but also pleased.
I looked at her sweet grin, happy that Aden had pushed me to take this leap.
Chapter Three
Shae
I was buzzing when I got back to my apartment. I really hadn’t expected that kind of fantastic treatment. Not only had Chris taken the ache out of my feet, but he had also insisted on paying for everything. I figured he had the money since Sure Thing Graphics was quite the big name, but I still resisted. At first, anyway. He was still running on the old fashioned idea that the person who instigated the outing pays for it. I didn’t feel like disabusing him of this notion.
Though honestly, had we been alone, I wouldn’t have minded if he’d tried to get some of the pain out of my ass as well. He really was quite handsome and beautifully soulful if a bit eccentric. Not that the ability to think outside the box was a bad thing.
After putting more food into Jeepers’ bowl — the kitty vocalizing his objections to the late feeding in no uncertain terms — I stripped down to my panties. My bra found its way across the room in short order, as I crawled into bed, hoping to settle my mind enough to get some sleep before my date with Chris in a few hours.