Chuckling, she stood up. “You always had a home with Ryan. I guess being married makes it more official for you.”
“Hell, yeah. Before it felt like we were just cohabitating. It feels different now. You’ll see when you get married.”
“I’ll see you in an hour. Be prepared to get sidetracked. I want details on your honeymoon.”
“I have some really good stories.” Lily giggled with delight and said goodbye.
Sarafina took the stairs two at a time as she rushed to change her clothes. Heading over to her best friend’s house in her pajamas didn’t seem like the best outfit.
Pathetic.
Finding the energy to get out of her PJ’s never struck. She had been lucky she even crawled out of bed. As she dashed into her bedroom, she made sure not to spare one glance at her bed. If she did, she knew every delicious memory of Dax would touch her.
A week and a half. That’s how long it had been since she last saw him.
Not a peep. Not a word. Nothing.
One more night. He hadn’t lied that time when he said those words. She had secretly hoped he would change his mind. But it seemed so far out of reach as each new day passed.
She thought the memories would slowly fade, wither and die. Instead, her dreams about him played as if he only left yesterday.
Hoping that he was an anomaly, a two-night stand that could easily be forgotten, she couldn’t have been further from the truth.
If she didn’t immerse herself wholeheartedly in her work, or out enjoying her time with friends, he was on her mind. It seemed inevitable that she would ever forget him. The only solace she found in his absence was nobody in the Chilani family asked about him.
Of course, she only had contact with Travis, but she was thankful he didn’t bring him up again. If he had, she would’ve worried that he knew about Dax’s real identity. So, she knew Dax’s secret had to be safe.
Now that Lily was home, Lora would be on her heels. The thought of asking Lily for Dax’s number made her nauseated.
Giving that wretched woman his number seemed wrong, even with his approval. Plus, the temptation to call him herself would be immense. She wasn’t positive she could hold back.
What would he say? Would he even pick up her call?
The answer to the last question had her choosing not to ask Lily for his number even with the obvious repercussions from Lora. The pain would be intolerable.
Screw Lora.
With that mindset, she knew she needed a breather before entering that household. Making an impulsive decision, she pulled into her parents’ driveway before heading to her destination.
One of the best parts of being friends with Lily had been the short distance between their homes. Sneaking out in the middle of the night and meeting up would’ve been much harder if they had lived farther apart. Less than a mile away, she could remember many hot nights they traveled together, giggling, soaking up a little freedom.
Stretching her legs first, she made her way to the front door, knocking once and entered.
“Mom. Dad. It’s your favorite daughter.”
A tender laugh drifted from the kitchen as a voice she missed filtered with it. “It’s my lucky day. Although, you’ll always be my favorite daughter since I only have one.”
Sarafina hugged her mom as she laughed with her. “Oh, yeah, I forgot that part. Where’s Dad?”
“Golfing. Probably sweating deliriously. It’s hot out today. What are you doing? This is such a nice surprise. We haven’t seen you since the wedding.”
“Lily wants to pack up her room so I thought I’d swing by here first and say hi. What are you doing?” Sarafina eyed the tray of cookies and the bottle of wine next to it.
“Well, I’d like to call it a book club I’m going to, but why lie? We never really get to talking about the book we were supposed to read, instead, we talk about a bunch of nonsense.”
“So, in other words, talking girl talk. Sex, hot men…”
Her mother swiped her hand in the air as if to tell her to stop, but her smile and the laughter in her eyes couldn’t be mistaken. “I will neither confirm nor deny. When did Lily get back from her honeymoon?”
“Last night. Now she wants to get everything she owns into the home she has with Ryan. Well, that’s how she put it. She wanted my help.”
Raising a brow, amusement shuffled back into her mother’s eyes. “Or she wants to talk sex, hot men…”
“Stop, Mom.”
Her mom chuckled, then wrapped an arm around her. “I wish I could stay and talk more.”
Sarafina hugged her back. “It’s okay. I was only stopping by to say hi. I might walk to Lily’s house. Do you mind if I leave my car here?”
“Of course not. It’s hot, though. Grab a bottle of water. Why would you want to walk in this heat?”
Shrugging, she walked to the fridge to grab a water. “I’ll probably drive with her to Ryan’s house. This way I don’t have to worry about my car sitting in their driveway. Not a biggie if it sits here a while, or even overnight if I can’t get it right away.”
“Good point. Lock the door for me, sweetheart. I should get going.” Her mother grabbed the tray of cookies and the wine with a tender smile.
“No problem, Mom. Have fun talking about hot men. Don’t worry, I won’t tell Dad a thing.”
Her mother laughed, winking deviously at her, then walked out of the kitchen.
Sarafina took a sip of water before grabbing a granola bar from the pantry. The heat was brutal today, but maybe it would help erase her memories for a short while. And she didn’t lie to her mom. She would ride with Lily to transport all her belongings and didn’t want her car stuck at the Chilani residence.
Normally, it wouldn’t have bothered her, but Dax and his worries were never far from her mind. Distance, besides Lily, would be best. Even distance from Travis.
If only she could stick to it. Every time Travis came around or called, her worries slipped away. She truly didn’t believe he would hurt her.
Locking up the house as the sweat wasted no time dripping down, she blew out a deep breath. Like old times. Nothing bad would happen at Lily’s house. Absolutely nothing.
By the time she made it to the Chilani home, she was dripping in sweat and thinking what a horrible idea it had been to walk. Lily needed her to help pack. Now she barely had the energy to hit the doorbell.
“Fina, always a pleasure to see you. You look like a bedraggled doll. What’s the matter? Come in out of the heat,” Ms. Stinner, long time housekeeper for the Chilani family, said as she waved her hand for Sarafina to step inside.
“I parked at my parents’ house. The walk sounded like a good idea at the time. I don’t really think I realized how hot it was outside.”
“You silly girl, it’s very hot out. I have to check the laundry, but you head to the kitchen immediately and grab a nice cold drink of lemonade. Freshly made. Lily should be here soon. She called a few minutes ago.”
“Thanks, Ms. Stinner. I love your lemonade.”
She placed a friendly hand on Sarafina’s shoulder. “I know. Like I said, freshly made.” With a parting wink, she walked away.
Moments like that made it hard to believe the Chilani family was bad. Not that Ms. Stinner was a true Chilani. She was only the housekeeper. Regardless, they all made her feel so welcome, so part of the family. They couldn’t be bad people.