She threw her hands up in the air and giggled, which was the happiest I had seen her since our accident. “Keep your eyes on the road, buddy. I wouldn’t want you to hit another innocent woman’s car.” Then suddenly, she let out a scream, “What about the gender reveal? Take me back! I’m missing the big surprise.”
“Crystal, you can find out tomorrow, remember? You need to get home and get some rest.”
“Oh, okay, that’s right,” she huffed.
Once we got to her apartment, I took her hand and walked her upstairs. Crystal had a hard time balancing herself and had to rely on both my hand and the wall for support.
After fumbling in her purse for her keys, Crystal opened the door and staggered into her apartment. “I’m okay! Please, come in and make yourself at home.”
“For goodness sake, Crystal. Here, take my hand.”
When I steadied her, she turned to face me. “Thank you for helping me inside.”
“Something tells me that if I hadn’t, you’d end up sleeping in the stairway.”
Crystal rolled her eyes and headed toward her kitchen, where she proceeded to pull out two wine glasses. “Look, maybe I was a little too harsh on you for what was a minor fender-bender. So, I want to make it up to you. Would you like an ‘I’m sorry’ drink?”
I was thankful that she was starting to come around and loosen up a bit. “Sure, I’d love one.”
Crystal sat next to me on the couch and handed me a glass of wine. “You’re probably wondering how someone like me ended up at a Truman party.”
“Why would you think that?”
She rolled her eyes and chugged all of her wine, then poured herself another glass. “Oh please. Just look at me. Do these look like designer clothes?”
“Don’t be silly. This outfit is a million times better than what I saw at that party tonight.”
“Of course, you would know, seeing as how you work with the Truman’s. They are all billionaires.”
The last thing I wanted her to think was that I was an arrogant, rich prick. “They may have a lot of money, but they’re good people.”
“Oh, I know. I’ve been best friends with Annie ever since we were little girls, and I work with her at her yoga studio below this tiny ass apartment. The Truman’s who live here in River Valley are down to earth. That’s why Annie and I have remained friends after she married Richard. And well… I love working for her.”
“I was wondering if you worked at that studio since you live right upstairs. Is that what you went to school for?”
She was starting to relax even more. “I went to school in Hawaii for holistic medicine.”
“You’re kidding? That’s one of my favorite places to visit! Beautiful sandy beaches, excellent food, and you can’t beat the ocean views.”
Her eyes lit up as she proceeded to tell me more. “I miss it so much, Gavin. Every morning I could have breakfast outside while watching the sunrise, practice yoga in my backyard, and I had a kitchen that was big enough for more than one person!”
As soon as she was done speaking, she leaned forward and accidentally slipped gracefully onto the floor.
“Are you alright?”
Crystal giggled for several minutes, and as she lay looking up at me, she went from looking pretty to becoming the hottest woman I’d ever seen.
She propped herself up on her elbows, allowing me a wonderful peek of the cleavage appearing from under her blouse. “I’m fine! As I was saying, I loved and missed Hawaii.”
“Well, at least you get to work with your best friend now.”
“That’s true, although my goal is to one day own a holistic practitioner’s office. It’ll be the only one in town too, and I can even sell Annie’s line of products.”
Richard had mentioned that Annie sold nutritional food. “I believe she sells protein bars, right?”
Crystal tried to stand up but found it was easier to stay on the floor. “Protein bars, protein shakes, protein snack cakes, and the list goes on. They’re delicious, too. Although nothing is as delicious as this wine.”
“I think you’ve had enough alcohol for the evening.”
