Page 28 of Dr. Baby Daddy
Kate wiggles her eyebrows and loops her arm through mine. “Oh, so you went back to his place?”
“Well, when pulling out the keys to the apartments, he got to his faster than I got to mine.”
Kate laughs and shakes her head. “I don’t know how you managed to get that man to leave the building at all. The only time I’ve seen him leave in years is to go to work and come back.”
“Yeah, well, how many of the people in that building bothered to get to know him?” I wince as the words come out sharper than intended. “I’m sorry. That sounded bitchy. I just mean that everyone is more interested in something they can gossip about than getting to know the other people in the building.”
Kate shrugs. “You’re the only one who has made it a point to go around and meet all the neighbors. Some of us are friends with each other, but you have a gift for charming everyone who crosses paths with you, Izzy.”
“Well, let’s see if I can charm Dex enough to commit to giving me a job.” I give her a flat look before grinning and unwinding my arm from hers.
“Good luck. You deserve the job.”
I make my way through the club and over to the hall that leads to Dex’s office. Sweat beads on my palm as I raise my fist and tap on the half-open door.
Dex looks up and sits back in his seat. “Izzy. Come in. Thank you for filling in tonight. I know you’ve been showing up a lot for us over the last few weeks.”
“I have, and that’s what I wanted to talk to you about.” I grip the strap of my bag a little tighter. “I was told that it was going to be one night of auditions before I found out if I got the job. I understand that there are more factors that go into choosing aperformer, but it’s been weeks. For my financial security, I need to know if this is going to be a permanent position or if I should look elsewhere.”
Dex leans over and opens the bottom drawer of his desk. He pulls out a thick folder and holds it out to me. “I’m glad you brought it up. I would be thrilled to offer you a job, performing here four nights a week. I have an employment contract here for you.”
My heart skips a beat as I take the contract and stuff it into my bag. “I’ll get this signed and back to you for my next shift. Thank you so much!”
“Thank you, Izzy.” One of Dex’s rare smiles crosses his face as he turns his attention back to his work.
I leave his office and head for the locker room, changing from my jeans and shirt to a dark plum-colored dress. The slit in the dress cuts high on my thigh and the back dips low.
Hopefully, Oliver will be here tonight.
Learning that he goes to almost all my shows was a shock. The last thing I expected was to find out that he was lurking in the shadows while he kept acting like I was an inconvenience to his life.
I smooth down the dress and touch up my makeup in the mirror over the sink. Knowing that Oliver might be out there tonight is enough to have butterflies running rampant in my stomach.
This was easier when I didn’t know that he was out there.
Performing doesn’t make me nervous often, but tonight, it does. I run my hands through my hair, pinning it to one side.
Kate rushes into the locker room, bouncing up and down as she stands in front of me. “You got the job! Dex just told me the news. Congratulations! I can’t believe we’re going to be working together permanently.”
I laugh and pull her into a tight hug. “I know! Thank you for getting me the audition. I really appreciate it.”
She pulls out of the hug and heads to her locker. “So, is your doctor going to be out there tonight?”
“I don’t know. I told him that I was going to be performing a couple different sets tonight, but I don’t feel like we’re at the point where I can ask him to be here. We’ve only gone on one date. And up until last week, I wasn’t sure that he even really liked me.”
Kate takes out a stick of gum and pops it into her mouth. “If he didn’t like you, he wouldn’t talk to you. My mama always told me that if men wanted to, they would. He’s been spending time with you even when you thought he didn’t like you much.”
My pulse flutters as I nod and try to shake out the nerves. “This is all new. I didn’t date much back home, and when I did, the men I was with didn’t have much interest in what I was doing.”
“And does he?”
“Yeah. He says that he’s been here for most of the shows.”
“All right, so he might show up tonight.” She leans against her locker, crossing her arms and arching an eyebrow. “Should I be slipping you shots of tequila through the night to keep you calm?”
Laughing, I put a little dot of perfume on one wrist and rub it with my other. I put a tiny bit on each pulse point before settingthe little vial back in my locker. “Honestly, that might not be a horrible idea. How are we going to get the shots on stage, though?”
Kate hums. “I don’t know. We could get a squirt gun, and I could shoot it into your mouth from behind the bar.”