Page 15 of Vipers & Roses

“What?”

“He’ll keep his work life separate from his personal,” she clarifies.

“He sold me a handgun, Z. Is that work life or personal life?” I question fervently.

“This is a stupid conversation,” she hits. “And I need toilet paper.”

“What?” my mouth drops open in awe. “Toilet paper?”

“Yeah, aren’t we going grocery shopping next?” she states as I back out of the park. “I just remembered we’re out. And you sound jealous.”

“Of what?” I slam on the brakes, and she propels forward, slamming her hand on the dashboard to stop the motion.

“Are you trying to kill me?” she screeches.

“Yes, I am trying to kill you with my greatest weapon, my two thousand and five model Corolla. This car will eat you alive, sister. Now tell me, how am I jealous?”

She shows me her palm and gives me one of those hawk’s eye looks. “I said…you sound jealous,” she speaks slowly, “because you haven’t managed to shut up about that boy for the last hour. May I remind you that it’s sweet Shrek, the slime remover you’ve got a date with, not The Dark Knight, the gunslinger?”

I scoff. “The Dark Knight. Hardly.”

“That boy is bestowed with more charms than Tinker Bell,” she adds as I start to back out of the car park again, but someone catches my eye in the rear vision mirror, walking past my bumper, and I slam on the brakes again. “What the hell?”

“Oh shit, it’s him,” I gasp, dropping my head down into Z’s lap, so I can’t be seen.

“Who?” she wrenches her head behind her. “Who are they?”

“They?” I ask. I saw only one handsome head in the mirror. “It’s him—Shrek. I mean, Cormac.”

“He’s hot, but who is that Daddy with him?” she crows mischievously.

I bolt upright as if lightning struck me just in time to see the two tall, straight-back men walk past my car towards the stores. “I wonder if that’s…Gabe.”

“Gabe? As in Gabrielle? As in the detective that you know…?” she doesn’t dare mention the actual words ‘rape’ or ‘sexual assault’ because she knows how painful it is for me. So, pretending that it didn’t happen even though my life drastically changed from that moment and will never be the same again. But let’s not go there.

With their backs to me, I can’t see their faces to know if the silver-haired man walking beside Cormac is Det. Gabe. He’s dressed in a white button shirt, sleeves rolled up to his elbows tucked into black dress pants.

“Men don’t whet my appetite, but even I can see how hot they are. Especially the silver fox,” Z crows, “look at that ass.”

“I can’t see,” I bite because they’ve walked out of my vision range.

“Get out and follow them,” she encourages, getting a massive kick out of this.

“I’m not lowering myself to perving,” I argue. Even though I so want to. I wish I had a pair of binoculars.

“That silver fox walking in those pants,” Z chuckles. “I might need something cold to calm my cheeks down.”

I growl in annoyance, throw the door open, and climb out just in time to see the two striking men step inside the café next to the liquor store.

“I could use an ice-cold Coke right now,” flapping her hands in front of her face, faking a hot flush. This woman thinks Ryan Gosling looks like Kermit the Frog and crushes on Sydney Sweeney so bad that she wouldn’t eat for two days when she got engaged. Men do nothing for her. “Would you mind getting me a Coke, Rae? Looksee, there’s a cafe just over there.”

“Why are you forcing me into the dragon’s den?” I hiss at her.

“Because your bestie is dying of dehydration,” she hits back. “And if you don’t go and get me a Coke right now, I will open your daddy’s Scottish whiskey.”

“You will not,” I scorn.

“Oh, yes, I will. Just watch me,” she threatens, clutching the bottle with her contemptuous hand.

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