Page 82 of Kings & Carnage

Claire greeted the hostess with familiarity and we were led to a private booth near the back of the restaurant.

"Going to the ladies’ room before we eat," I said, stashing my bag and coat in the booth. "Can you get me a water?”

"Sure," she said.

I looked for the restroom sign and followed it down a narrow hall, past the men's room, to a wood door markedLadies.

One of the two stalls was occupied so I took the other one and emerged a couple minutes later only to come face-to-face with Alexa Petrov.

She was applying lipstick in the bathroom mirror, black jeans hugging her perfect body, her ivory cashmere sweater looking like it cost a million dollars and perfectly complementing her glossy chestnut hair.

I turned on the water to wash my hands and waited for the inevitable snide remark.

But when I looked at her in the mirror, she was focused on her lipstick and I noticed her hand was shaking.

"Hey," I said, because I might as well try and be nice if it was going to be awkward.

She met my gaze in the mirror but didn't say anything as she finished with her lipstick.

Fun times.

I washed my hands and started pulling paper towels from the dispenser, eager to get out of there. When I turned to throw the paper towels in the trash, Alexa was looking at me with an expression I couldn't define.

Probably because Alexa had only ever looked at me with disdain, and this wasn't that.

She opened her mouth to speak, then seemed to think better of it. By now, I felt like I’d landed in an alternate universe, one where Alexa was mute.

Or maybe not just a complete and utter bitch?

A few seconds later, she sighed and headed for the door without a word.

"What the fuck?" I muttered.

I finished drying my hands and headed back to the table where Claire was sipping water through a straw, the menus closed at the end of the table.

I scanned the restaurant for Alexa and didn't see her. I had no idea who she'd come to Chasen’s with but she was gone now.

"Okay, that was weird," I said, sliding into the booth.

"What was weird?" Claire asked.

"I ran into Alexa in the bathroom just now," I said.

"I thought that was her!" Claire said. “She walked past so fast I only got a view of her perfect ass, the gorgeous bitch.”

"It was her all right," I said.

"What insult did she try and decimate you with this time?” Claire asked.

"That's the weird part," I said. "She didn't insult me at all. Actually, she didn't even speak.”

"Alexa Petrov passed up an opportunity to make you feel like shit?" Claire asked. "She must be coming down with something.”

"Right?" I didn't know how to explain the strange look on Alexa's face, the moment when it had seemed like she was going to say something that wasn't critical or demeaning.

Maybe even something that was… important?

"Oh well, who knows what goes through her head?" Claire reached for the menus and handed me one. "They have the best steak-and-Gorgonzola salad here, but everything is good.”

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