I can’t let Lauren mess things up for me.
I’ve worked too hard.
I care too much to let her put me off my game…
It turned out to be a very decent day at work. Despite her fears over Lauren Treen stirring up all kinds of crap, Stella actually managed to avoid Lauren for most of the day.
This had been a real blessing.
Not only was Stella able to happily work on a new presentation she was hoping to show to the senior management board, but she was also able to have a chat with the sweet new guy who was working on the welcome desk at EcoPlay.
Stella didn’t think it was a love match between them, but it was fun to talk all the same…
He’s cute.
Maybe not exactly my usual type.
But with no Daddies in my world, I might need to be more open to something else?
However, now she was back at her apartment, Stella decided to shut down all thoughts of work and allow herself a little rest and relaxation time.
Stella’s ground floor apartment had a big, open plan living area that was flanked by two bedrooms on either side. Stella’s room was the master suite and had a generous sized bathroom off it. The guest bedroom was a little more snug but had its own walk-in shower.
All in all, the apartment was just about perfect for Stella.
When she had a friend from out of town over to stay, there was just about enough room. But on a day-to-day basis for just her, there was plenty of space.
In fact, Stella would often use the guest bedroom to store her in-progress work projects, spare bike parts, and whatever paperwork she had taken home from theThe Dog Dendog center.
‘Okay… so shall I have a juice box or….’ Stella wondered out loud, momentarily blushing self-consciously as she realized how much of a cliché she must have looked. ‘Damn. Talking to myself. Iseriouslyneed a Daddy…’
Stella laughed and shook her head as she walked over to the tall, metallic refrigerator. Opening it up, Stella had to search around for the eight pack of ice-cold juice boxes that she knew was in there somewhere.
‘Jeez. I’ve got enough greenery in here to call it a second garden,’ Stella grumbled before finally pushing past a big bag of kale and pulling out the multicolored juice boxes. ‘Not that I’m complaining.’
Stella actually loved her healthy diet and environmentally conscious lifestyle. She could easily have afforded a sports car or to eat out every night, but she genuinely loved nothing more than cycling and making her own food from scratch. It was just who she was, and Stella was more than happy to admit it too.
Just as the juice box was primed and ready to open, Stella caught a glimpse of her cellphone flashing over by the large l-shaped couch.
Taking a quick sip of mango and tropical fruit juice, Stella walked over toward the phone and picked it up.
It was almost certainly either Lilah or Nicki, but if they thought that they were going to get Stella out for a night on the quayside bars, then they had another thing coming.
Stella was still sweating from her cycle back from work and her plan was very much to sink this juice, shower, and thenindulge herself in a big crunchy salad and a golden era - 1990s of course - Disney marathon.
But rather than the message being from Lilah or Nicki, it was in fact from someone else altogether…
Yo, Stella! You still at the place over on Sunset Gaze? Logan X
Stella paused.
Her first reaction was to simply put the phone down and ignore the message altogether. It had been months upon months, possibly even closer to two years, since Stella had even heard so much as a single word from Logan.
What does he want?
Why… message now? I don’t get it.
Except… this is still somehow so Logan.
