button that had the phone number of Hayes' place saved in the phone's memory, she waited for her sister-in-law to pick up on the other end. The phone rang twice before Janice answered.
"Hello?"
"Hey, Janice. It's me, Billie."
"How are you doing, Billie? Oh, and thanks for bringing Hayes home the other night."
"I'm doing good thanks. And you're welcome. The reason I'm calling is I need to ask you a really big favor."
"All right. Fire away."
Billie took a deep breath before she continued. "I'm going out on a date tonight and I need to dress with a little more style than I usually do. I need you to help me find a dress, or a skirt and nice top, to wear for tonight." She heard a noise that suspiciously sounded like the phone being dropped on the other end. "Janice? Janice, are you still there?"
Janice's voice came back on a second later. "Sorry about that. Can you repeat that last part?"
"I need to find a dress or a skirt to wear for tonight."
"I just had to hear you say that a second time so I would know my ears weren't playing tricks on me. Are you serious?"
"Of course I am."
"Who are you and what have you done with my sister-in-law?"
Billie rolled her eyes. "Are you going to help me or not, Janice? I'm kind of desperate. Royce is picking me up around seven and I haven't got a goddamn thing to wear."
"Calm down. I'll help. I'll be at your place in ten minutes. We should just have enough time to go to the mall and get you something to wear."
"Are you sure you're up to a shopping trip in your condition?"
"Billie, I'm eight months pregnant. I'm not suffering from a debilitating illness. Besides, I wouldn't miss this for the world."
"I'll see you in a few minutes then."
After she hung up the phone, Billie went into the living room to wait for Janice. Hayes and his wife only lived a few miles away from her apartment so she wouldn't have long to wait. Exactly ten minutes later, Janice was buzzing up to apartment. Billie grabbed her purse and spoke into the intercom to let her know she would be down in a minute.
Stepping off the elevator, Billie found Janice standing outside the apartment building waiting for her. She had her back to her. From behind, Janice didn't look like she was eight months pregnant, but when she turned around, her baby belly stuck out prominently.
Billie hurried over to Janice. "Thanks for coming to my rescue on such short notice."
Janice smiled. "Like I said on the phone, I wouldn't have missed this for the world. Now let's get a move on so we can get you back home on time."
After they got into Janice's car, her sister-in-law headed for the nearest mall. As she drove, Janice asked, "So, are you going to keep me in suspense about Royce? I must say I'm very curious to learn more about the man you threw yourself at when you fetched Hayes the other night."
"Hayes is worse than a gossipy old woman. Is there anyone he hasn't told that story to?"
Janice chuckled. "Probably not. I had to stop him from calling Keegan that late at night. The only way I was able to stop him was reminding him how drunk he was. You know Keegan has no patience for Hayes when he's drunk."
"And you think I do? If there was someone else who could find him when he takes off, believe me I would gladly give the job over to them."
"Well, is it true? Did you tackle a six foot seven inch guy onto the trunk of Hayes' car and then try to have your way with him in the nightclub's parking lot?"
Billie groaned. "I'm going to kill Hayes. I didn't exactly tackle Royce. It was more like I made sure Royce knew how I felt about him. And I didn't have my way with him. It was just a kiss."
"I guess with you sprawled on top of him, Royce couldn't mistake your intentions. If you're going out on a date with him tonight it must have paid off."
"I'm not so sure."
"What do you mean? The way I heard it, the two of you were getting kind of hot and heavy at the gym earlier. And in front of Dad no less."
"Oh. My. God. Does Hayes have nothing better to do then tell everyone my business? I can just picture him running to get his cell phone the