Page 135 of Back in the Saddle

Shirleen got to me, and with a hand at my back, she led me to the table, murmuring, “Come sit down, child. Linda’s bringing hot chocolate.”

“I’ll go tell her to make an extra couple mugs,” Alexis said, and dashed toward Linda’s door.

I sat down, assuring them all, “I’m fine.” I looked among my girls. “And the bitches are right. Mountain ismuy guapo.”

“Oh my God, you met him?” Luna asked.

“Yep,” I answered, my attention having been taken by Eric, who’d left me and was having a seemingly intense conversation with Stella by the plaid Christmas baubles.

“Who’s Mountain?” Daisy asked.

“He’s a street vigilante,” I told her.

“Ah,” she said, entirely unaffected by this information.

“Jesus Christ,” Jacob bit off, then tramped to where Eric was with Stella, probably to ask what Eric was doing about my insane life, rather than asking me, seeing as it was my insane life.

Men.

“I’m thinking there’s something we don’t know about you girls,” Martha stated, her eyes pinging indignantly between all of us.

No one said anything.

Martha harrumphed, but surprisingly didn’t push it.

Guess there were advantages to being abducted.

My eyes strayed back to Eric and Stella.

Jacob was striding toward Linda’s apartment, but Eric and Stella were still at it.

“Don’t you worry, sugar bunches of oats,” Daisy said, reaching out to pat my hand.

“Worry about what?” I asked.

She jerked her blonde coif toward Eric and Stella, it trembled seismically, and she said, “Ain’t nothin’ but a thing.”

“What are you talking about?” Luna asked Daisy.

Raye had her lips sealed tight, which meant Cap had told her about Eric and Stella’s history.

“Eric and Stella used to date,” I announced.

Harlow gasped.

Luna shot wide eyes to me.

“Your man used to date a rock star?” Martha asked.

I decided against telling them the undercover part and just shrugged.

Daisy waved a bedazzled-tipped hand in front of her enormous bosoms. “It waseonsago.” She leaned into the table. “Stella’s havin’ flashbacks. The least fun part of the Rock Chick ride was getting kidnapped.” She paused to consider. “Also nearly crashing over a bridge onto a highway during a high-speed chase. That wasn’t a barrel of laughs.”

Martha stared at her and did the sign of the cross, and as far as I knew, she wasn’t Catholic.

Linda, with Alexis and Jacob in tow, showed with a tray of hot chocolate.

Linda was a retired schoolteacher, the oldest Oasis resident, both in her time spent renting there and her age, and she was a sweetheart.

---