“You can’t even afford your flat without his?—”
I kicked the side ofGayle’sfoot with my own, and she shut up.
Cat turned to gaze out the window again, muttering, “Rena’sa mess.”
Oh boy.
It was all coming out now.
Rena wasCat’scousin.Renamarried less than a year ago.Rena’shusband was a dick.AndRenahad gotten the same strongarm tactics from her father to find a connection asCatwas now getting.
Cat continued muttering. “Shepretty much hatesDagon.”
We all pretty much hatedDagon, thoughIknew between the three of us, “pretty much” wasn’t part of what we felt for him.Hewas arrogant, self-absorbed and condescending.
Though, he was gorgeous.
Their wedding had been an exercise in awkwardness with liberal mix-ins of embarrassment and moments of pure outrage.
The traditional wedding cake at a demon wedding had black frosting over a blood red cake.Andduring the cutting,Dagonrubbed his slice all overRena’sface, neck, chest, and even got some in her hair.Whenhe was done, she looked like she got in a bar fight while the bar was burning down around her.Andshe lost.
Enough said.
“The seal is broken now,”Iremarked. “SoI’mall in to be your wingman to help you find your connection.Agoodone.”
I wasn’t.Ididn’t even want to be out tonight.
ButIwas sureCatdidn’t want to sleep on my couch for the week afterIgot home from the hospital following my attack.Onlyfor her to go home for a week whenGayletook over.ThenCatcame back.Theydid this for six weeks, and probably would still be doing it ifIhadn’t put my foot down that they had to get on with their lives, andIdid too.
They got on with their lives.
I returned to work (much of whichIcould do at home, at least when we weren’t on set, so that wasn’t a big deal) but didn’t really get on with mine.
Hence, our night out.
Although, even before,Iwas more of a homebody.Thatsaid,Cathad been right when she insisted it was time to leave my couch.Iwas in danger of becoming my couch,Iwas spending so much time on it.
“Me too,”Gayleput in. “Though,Ican’t be hitting theBlackRoomeverySaturday.”
“You don’t have to,”Catsaid in a small voice that broke my heart. “We’llfigure it out soDadwill lay off and it won’t cost a fortune for us to go out.Andjust to say, you guys are the best.”
“You’re better than the best,”Ireplied. “Sotell your dad thatI’mover it.”Iwasn’t, but fake it ’til you make it, right? “Andnow thatIam, we are so totally on the case.”
“We so totally are,”Gayleagreed.
For a second, it looked likeCatmight start crying, something that freaked me out.Demonsrarely cried, and for the vast majority of halves, the demon was dominant.
Though humans did.
Of course, she got a lock on it, and she managed this by sweeping me from my pink high-heeled sandals that had straps that crisscrossed up my calves to my frothy, girlie-pink, short cocktail dress.
“Shut up,”Isaid before she could give me stick for wearing pink.
“You shut up,” she returned, her lips tipping up.
“Dudes like pink,”Gaylilielchimed in. “It’sall feminine and girlish and goofy and makes you seem vulnerable, like someone they need to protect.Theyget into that shit.”
“It’s not goofy,”Ideclared.
