The Rules of Dating My Best Friend's Sister(81)

I pointed to my phone. “Lala. That’s the name of the person I’m waiting for a call from. If you can just give me a signal if she pops up.”

“You got it, Holden.”

Over the next ninety minutes of our set, I must’ve looked over at Daisy a hundred times to see if Lala had called. But she never did. After we were done playing, the guys headed to Daisy’s table for drinks. I didn’t much feel like partying, but the mood among the rest of the band was celebratory, and I didn’t want to be a downer. So I joined in. After two rounds, the guys were all talking to different women at various places around the bar, and it was just me and Daisy. She’d had a few drinks already, which was unlike her.

“How about a shot of tequila?” she asked when the waitress came to check on us.

I’d been nursing my second beer for the better part of an hour. Before I had the opportunity to decline, she turned back to the waitress. “Two shots of Don Julio, please. And I’ll take another tequila sour.”

I lifted a brow when the waitress left. “You’re celebrating pretty hard tonight. Does that mean you’re feeling good about the producer who’s coming to see us?”

She let out a big sigh. “I broke things off with Rob last night.”

“Your fiancé? Why? I thought he was such a great guy.”

“He is. He’s the greatest guy. That’s why it sucked to have to dump him.”

“What was the problem?”

“We just had no chemistry. I’ve tried a bunch of things to get some sparks going, but it just wasn’t there.” She shook her head. “I’m too young to be in a dull marriage. I like sex too much.”

I finished off my beer. “That sucks. You can force a lot of things, but chemistry isn’t one of them.”

The waitress brought over our shots and Daisy’s drink. “You want another beer?” she asked.

“No, thank you.”

Daisy held up her shot, so I raised mine. “To good sex, like we used to have.”

I clinked but didn’t add anything, not wanting to give her the wrong impression.

“So who’s this Lala you were waiting for a call from?”

“A woman I’m seeing.”

“And you’re waiting on her, not the other way around? That doesn’t sound like the Holden Catalano I know.”

I smiled. “Yeah, it’s definitely new to me. And I can’t say that I’m enjoying being on the receiving end of the person not calling when they said they would.”

“She must be special.”

I nodded. “She is.”

“I’m guessing you have chemistry together?”

“We do.”

She started to laugh. “I bet no woman has ever complained about not having enough chemistry with you. You’re too sexy for your own good.” She pointed to my face. “The eyes, the scruff, the whole I-don’t-give-two-shits attitude. Hell, even a damn beanie is hot when you wear it.” Daisy chugged back half her drink.

“Maybe you should slow down a little?”

“Fuck that. I’m on the road to getting shit faced.”

An hour later, she arrived at her destination. Somehow I’d become her babysitter, and now I was stuck helping her into an Uber to get back to our hotel. She was so drunk, I had to keep my arm around her to make sure she stayed upright when we got out. At her room, I opened the door and flipped on the lights. Two steps inside, she dropped her purse. It landed upside down, and the contents spilled all over. I helped her to the bed before gathering all the crap from the floor. Then I put everything, including her leather clutch and phone, on the end table and walked down to the foot of the bed to take off her sandals.

“Alright, Daze. You’re in your room. I’m going to head out. You going to be okay?”

She smiled with her eyes shut. “Where are you going? Don’t you want to fuck me? I’m single now, you know.”

It was probably the alcohol talking. But drunk or sober, I had zero interest in any other woman than Lala. In fact, just being alone in a hotel room with another woman made me feel uneasy. So I leaned down and kissed Daisy’s forehead.

“I’ll check on you in the morning.”

I thought I might’ve heard snoring as I pulled the door closed behind me.

Back in my room, I was relieved to be alone. I couldn’t wait any more to call Lala. Her lack of communication was freaking me out. I needed to get some sleep tonight, so I was going to reach out, even though she was supposed to call me. I kicked off my shoes and chugged half a bottle of the free water the hotel left each day, then sat down on the bed and took out my cell.

Except…my code didn’t work.

I tried a second time. Then a third, before turning the phone over.

A purple case? Mine was black. Fuck, this wasn’t my phone. I’d had my cell in my hand when I picked up Daisy’s shit from the floor, including her phone. I must’ve taken hers by mistake and not mine.

Fuck.

I hated to be a dick and wake her, but I really needed my phone. I didn’t even know Lala’s number without it. So without bothering to put my shoes on, I went back to Daisy’s room and knocked.

No answer.

Great. Just great.

I knocked louder, then put my mouth near the crack of the door.