She Was Never Just the Billionaire’s Wife (Natasha and Chase) novel Chapter 176

(Gloria)

My neck is fucked.

That's the first thing my body tells me when I open my eyes, cheek stuck to the arm of the couch.

Throw blanket twisted around one foot.

A wine glass on the coffee table with half a finger of red left in it, congealed at the bottom.

The TV is still on. A chef on a Spanish island is chastising someone about raw garlic.

Eight twenty in the morning.

I sit up slowly.

My phone is face-down on the rug under the coffee table because I threw it there at some point around midnight.

My recollection of the event is fuzzy, since the bottle of red wine was empty by then.

I pick it up and glare at the screen.

Nothing.

Not a missed call.

Not a text.

Not a goddamn emoji.

Twelve hours of waiting for a man who I foolishly decided to give another chance.

I never learn.

I stand up and my back loudly informs me what it thinks of last night.

After brushing my teeth and washing my face I do something that should probably let me know that I’m not quite sober yet.

I pick up my phone and call Piper.

She picks up on the second ring.

"Gloria."

"You were right. I agreed to go on a date with him and he stood me up. I still don’t know why."

"Oh, Gloria. I’m so sorry."

That's it. That's all she says.

Not I told you so.

Not What did you expect?

Just Oh, Gloria. I’m so sorry, in a voice I don't think I've heard out of Piper Morton in years.

"Come have breakfast with me. There's a place on Larchmont with eggs that will fix at least three of your problems."

"Yeah. Yeah, okay."

"Forty minutes. I'll book us a table and text you the details."

She hangs up.

I shower and fret about what to wear for far too long.

It’s brunch, not a gala.

I put on jeans and a clean shirt and the lipstick that compliments my complexion perfectly.

Then I drive across town, all the while telling myself what a massive mistake this is.

Piper is at a corner table on the patio in oversized sunglasses, her hair pinned up with a clip.

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