“Well, shit, do you think Shea would mind having it at his house? Jakob won’t make it in the car out to your house.”

Elli nodded.

“Crap, I forget he can’t ride in the car for long. I don’t know. I can ask, I guess,” she said as she looked at the time. Shea was working out, so she would have to wait to call him.

“Cool,” Harper said with a nod, then she sat up quickly, “You know what would make me happy and forget that I have a whiny, little brat of a boyfriend at home?”

Elli giggled as she looked over at Harper, “What’s that?”

“Let's go out later!”

“Go out?”

“Yeah, let’s go karaoking!”

“Karaoking? Is that even a word?”

“It is in my dictionary! Come on! Let’s go get our drink on!”

Elli giggled as she shook her head, “Harper, I haven’t drank in months.”

“More the reason to go. We’ll have a ball, we always do! Please!”

“Maybe, depends on how the day goes,” she said with a grin while Harper’s shoulders slumped. She wasn’t saying no. She loved going out with Harper, but she needed to clean up a little at the condo before Shea got home, and she had a busy day tomorrow, so she wouldn’t be able to drink much if they did go out.

Elli cell phone rang just as she was about to get up to get the receipt that she had printed off the printer. It was Shea.

“Hey you. I thought you were working out,” she said as she got the piece of paper, folding it up and putting it in her check book.

“Got done early, what are you doing?”

“Hanging out with Harper in the office, my next appointment isn’t for another 20 minutes.”

“Cool. I was thinking about you, thought I would call.”

“Aw, I’m always thinking of you,” she smiled, catching Harper rolling her eyes.

She picked up the squishy ball she had on her desk and beamed Harper in the head with it. Harper let out of a scream before flipping Elli the bird.

“What was that?” he asked as Elli laughed.

“Harper being Harper,” she said as Harper stormed out the office, “I’m glad you called though. I need to ask you a favor.”

“Sure.”

“Is it okay if I have my friends over for dinner and games on Sunday? I know you leave Monday morning, but Harper wants Jakob to come and he can’t ride in the car for a long time, so my house is out, and Jodi’s water heater busted,” she said as she drew little hearts on her calendar.

“Sure, I don’t mind. I’d like to meet your friends.”

She smiled as Harper came back into her office, a coffee in hand.

“Who said you were invited?” she asked, teasing him a little.

“Oh, am I not invited?” he laughed, she laughed along.

“Oh, course you are. I think after two months it’s time for you to meet the besties. Thanks so much for letting me have it at the house. I’ll call everyone up and let them know. They’ll be excited to meet you,” she said, picking up the coffee cup Harper had just laid down when she leaned over to see what Elli was writing.

Elli took a sip, and Harper yelled, “Hey!”

“Oh hush!” Elli said back as Shea laughed.

“You guys act like sisters.”

“We do,” she agreed as her business phone started ringing, “I gotta go, I’ll call ya later?”

“Sure, babe. I love you, and miss you a lot,” he said, and like always her stomach filled with butterflies.

“I miss you, too, bye.”

When she hung up the phone, Harper had already answered the business line, so she leaned back in her chair, looking up at the ceiling. She wished she knew if she loved Shea or not. Sometimes she thought she did, but then Justin would come into her head, causing her to question her feelings. Plus, she decided when she did know for sure she loved Shea she didn’t want to tell him on the phone, but in person.

As Elli watched Harper write some things down, she decided she did need a night out. Girl nights with Harper were always a hoot, and she loved to do karaoke. When Harper hung up and looked up at her, all Elli said was, “What time we going tonight?”

Shea knew he should have told Elli earlier that he was coming home after the game. It was what he gets for trying to surprise her, a taxi ride from the airport to the house. He had called her about ten times, but she never answered. So he got in the cab and went home. But when he got to the condo, Elli wasn’t there either, and it was well past midnight. He tried to call her again, but her phone just kept going to voicemail.

When Shea went upstairs and saw that Adler was still there, he guessed maybe she was at a wedding, but she never had turned her phone off before, and he could have sworn she had said she was coming home early tonight. He stood with his hands on his hips, confused, a little pissed, and even more worried. He reached for his phone again and dialed Jakob.

“Hey, dude,” Jakob said when he answered.

“Hey, is Harper there?”

“Nope, she’s out with Elli.”

Out with Elli?

“Huh? Where did they go?”

“Well, apparently I’m driving Harper dog shit crazy, so she left to get her ‘drink on,’ whatever the hell that means,” he said, and Shea just shook his head.

“You mean bat shit crazy, and drink on? Where?”

“I think some karaoke bar, Wanna Do Something maybe?”