Page 127 of Back in the Saddle

“No, actually, Luna doesn’t. But you don’t hesitate to bring it on,” I stated.

“Babe,” Eric said quietly.

Yeah, I should just let it go. She wasn’t worth it.

I grabbed one of today’s menus and put it in front of him.

Dream remarked, “You think you can tell me off when you’re the kind of woman where some man says one word and you obey?”

“Not that I need to explain myself to you,” I began. “But I didn’t obey. He pointed out with one word you weren’t worth it. I’d forgotten that for a second. He reminded me. I was done with you. That’s what partners do. They check each other and make sure the person they care about doesn’t expend unneeded emotion on someone who doesn’t deserve it.”

Dream threw up both hands. “Why do I even come here?”

“Good question,” Luna stated. “Because I would have found a way to help you out. Even if you weren’t nice when you asked, you’re my sister, and I want what’s best for you, so I’d have figured it out. But you turned nasty and didn’t even give me a chance to work it out with you. It’s like you came here not wanting my help, instead just to piss all over my day.”

Dream put a hand to her daughter’s head at her chest. “I need a babysitter. I just don’t want to ask you to do it because you get so shitty about it,” Dream returned. “But I had no choice.”

“How hard would it have been to evenfakebeing nice when you asked, and then not put your two cents in to other shit that’s going on around you when you don’t even know what you’re talking about?” Luna demanded.

Dream pointed at me and opened her mouth.

“Put your fuckin’ hand down,” Eric growled.

That growl was hot too, as ever, but this time it was also mega freaking scary.

She put her hand down but asserted, “He said ‘babe,’ and Jess, your take-no-shit friend, took his shit, did what he told her to do and shut up.”

“Actually, I don’t think Jess was right about what Eric was saying,” Luna stated. “I think he said ‘babe’ to share that this shit is between you and me as sisters and to remind her she should butt out. And in normal circumstances, he’d be right. Except Jess is more of a sister to me than you ever were, so it’s the other way around.”

Ouch!

“These bitches actuallytake no shit,” I heard Shirleen murmur.

“I like it,” Daisy murmured back.

Dream, however, looked like she’d been slapped, and verbally she had.

“I guess I know where I stand,” she said.

“I would hope so, since you put yourself there,” Luna shot back.

That was definitely a score, and Dream knew it, which was why she turned on her foot and semi-waddled out.

For my part, I turned to Luna. “I’m sorry, Loon. It wasn’t my place to intervene, and I made it worse.”

“You know,” Luna replied, “I think half her problem with me is that I have you, and Raye, and Harlow, and she doesn’t have anybody, and she’s jealous as fuck.”

I’d say this was a good bet.

Harlow had gotten close and she asked, “What’s the other half?”

“No flipping clue,” Luna said.

Raye was also there. “You okay?”

“Par for the course,” Luna mumbled.

It was then, Tito was there, behind the bar with Luna and me.

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