“Hey, Mal,” said Lizzy, interrupting the lovers’ reunion. “Should we invite Anne’s friend Reece along to eat? He often does stuff with us on Sundays.”
Oh the wonderful loyal little shit stirrer. I appreciated the thought, but her intentions were misplaced. I didn’t need protecting.
“I think Reece said he’d be busy,” I said.
My sister played the wide-eyed innocent so well. “No, really? Why don’t you give him a call and check, Anne?”
I shook my head. “Maybe another–”
“Fuck no, Lizzy. I mean, I don’t think there’ll be room.” Mal’s arms remained around the woman. Then he noticed the faces of his friends, the disapproving and the curious both. For a moment he looked confused, blinking, his forehead creased. Then he stepped back from her, shoved his hands into his jeans pockets. Talk about compromised. Our fake relationship had entirely slipped his mind. His Chucks shifted restlessly.
Also, apparently the thought of making Reece jealous no longer appealed to him. But I hadn’t wanted to call Reece either. I’d been perfectly happy as things were. Either way, right now, it didn’t much matter. This woman had changed everything.
Ainslie put a hand on his arm. “Is something wrong?”
“It’s cool,” I said, not on the verge of tears. The air was just really dusty in the old building. “Why don’t you go for a drink with your friend and catch up?”
“I thought we were gonna do something,” he said.
“Yeah, but …”
Eyes guarded, Mal looked at me. Then he looked right through me. I wasn’t even there. Whatever he was thinking, it didn’t show on his face. It couldn’t be easy for someone who was used to getting what they wanted when they wanted it to back down from an obvious offer of sex. Let’s be honest, his impulse control was limited at best.
“I’m sorry, you are?” Ainslie asked. Perfectly polite, I couldn’t fault the woman’s manners.
“Ainslie, this is Mal’s new girlfriend, Anne. Anne, this is Ainslie.” Fucking great, even Ev knew her. This one was a regular. What had happened to never seeing him with the same woman twice?
“Girlfriend?” Ainslie laughed uncertainly, eyes darting around the group. No one laughed with her. Christ on a crutch, this was awkward.
Mal stepped closer. “I was just saying hi to a friend. What’s the big deal?”
“There isn’t one. It’s fine.”
“Yeah, there obviously is or you wouldn’t be looking at me like that,” he said, his tone fierce and pissed off. Like I was inconveniencing him or something.
“You need to not talk to me in that tone of voice,” I said. “Especially not in front of other people. Go out with your friend, have a nice time. We can discuss this later.”
“We can, huh?”
“Yes.”
Ainslie took a big step back. Poor woman.
But Mal looked around the group, pissed and confused. A vein looked about ready to pop in his neck. “Fuck it.”
He turned and strode back toward the stage, barking an order for sticks at one of the roadies. Soon the pounding of drums once again filled the warehouse. Everyone was looking somewhere else. What a clusterfuck.
Davie looked to Jimmy. His brother nodded, wandering off also in the direction of the stage. Ben followed while Ainslie just sort of drifted off back to the record company people.
“Crap, I forgot.” Ev grabbed at her head dramatically as if struck by a sudden thought. “We women all have to go meet Lauren. Girl’s night out.”
“You do?” asked David.
“Yep.” She gave him a piercing look. “We’re starting early.”
He got the drift. “Right. Yeah.”
I don’t remember much about us leaving. Between Ev and Lizzy, I was hustled out of there damn fast to a big black Escalade waiting outside. The beefy, bald man standing beside it was strangely familiar.
“Hi,” I said. “Didn’t you put the bolt on my door the other day?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“That’s Sam. Sam, this is Anne. She’s one of us.” Ev slid into the backseat and buckled up, while Lizzy jumped in the front. She bounced her butt up and down on the plush leather. It was good to know someone was enjoying the lap of luxury. I could have given two shits if we were in some smelly old cab.
“Lovely to meet you, ma’am,” said Sam. “Good to see you as always, Mrs. Ferris.”
I climbed in and buckled up.
“I don’t understand,” said Lizzy.
“About?” I asked.
Lizzy twisted in her seat so she could see me. “This. He makes you happier than I’ve ever seen. It’s like you’re a different person. He looks at you like you invented whipped cream. Now this. I don’t understand.”
I shrugged trying my best to keep my face calm, neutral. “Whirlwind romance. Easy come, easy go.”
“I’m going to need a rusty shovel, Sam,” said Ev.
“I’ll get right on that, Mrs. Ferris.” He pulled out of the parking lot.
“Excellent. We better go pick up Lauren. She’ll want to be included in this.”
“And what is this?” I asked. “We’re not really doing girl’s night out are we?”
Her face let me know that hell yes we were.
“You know, I’m not really in the mood right now. But that’s very sweet of you.”
“Sam?” Ev sang out almost merrily.
“Yes, Mrs. Ferris?”
“If I needed your help kidnapping our Anne here and making her drink with me, would that be a problem?”
“Of course not, Mrs. Ferris. Anything for you.”
“You sweet dear man,” she cooed. “You know he used to be a navy seal. I wouldn’t mess with him, but you do whatever you feel you need to, Anne.”
“You’re kind of evil when you get going.” I stared out the window, letting the scenery slip by.
Ev held her peace. For all of a moment. “I don’t know what the hell Mal was thinking back there letting that skank climb all over him.”
Lizzy snorted. “I’m not sure he was thinking.”
Me, neither. But I didn’t say that.
The truth was, Mal and I might have broken up. Our fake relationship could be over. Who knew? What a truly god-awful horrible f**king notion. I blinked profusely. Must have had something in my eye. Honestly, I wasn’t the crying type. So my crush had been crushed. Life goes on. Whatever Lizzy knew, or thought she knew, she wouldn’t say a word. And me, I had no comment to make on the subject.