Page 51 of The True Garza
“You don’t feel intimidated being the only woman there?”
“I’ve gotten this far by not allowing myself to feel inferior on account of my sex, so no. There’s nothing about the male species that intimidates me.”
She hums. “Well, just saying, you intimidate me.”
“Good. Maybe you’ll think about me the next time you decide to get behind the wheel while intoxicated.”
“You should come by the salon,” she says. “You’re overdue another mani and pedi.”
“My nails don’t need to look pretty for the jobs I do. In fact, it’s better if they aren’t.”
“Well come get a facial, then. A massage. Some new outfits. True left his card on file for you, and Ireallywant to jack up his bill for narcing on me all the time.”
“What do you mean he left his card on file?”
“His credit card. He said whenever you come to the salon, I should refuse your money and put it all on his card. So please come. Run up the bill.”
That’s news to me. “Does he do that often? Leave his card on file for women?”
“True?Hell no. That’s why I want you to help me take advantage,” she replies. “True doesn’t spend on women. Period. It’s the other way around. For reasons that completely elude me, women just treat him like he’s God’s gift to them. They shower him with all sorts of things. You know he once had a fling with that A-list actress Verity Smalls? She bought him afreaking Ferrari. His women spoil him, so it’s tough shit trying to get that asshat to buy you so much as a damn burger.” She snorts. “I think he just left his card on file because you were working a job together. He probably forgot, and I’m not reminding him until I get a chunk out of him.”
I don’t know what to do with all that information, so I just mumble, “Probably.”
What Iampissed about, however, is that she’snothooking up with him. That hedoesn’thave two girlfriends and some weird wife-sharing arrangement. Because there goes my desire sparking to life again.
Dammit to hell.
Jules croons and jigs along to music for the entire drive to her craftsman-style home.
“Thank yousomuch,” she says after I’ve parked and tossed her the keys. “You’re a real one.”
“No problem.” I start toward True, who’s waiting for me. “Have a good night.”
“Wait! Let’s exchange numbers.”
“Go on inside,” I tell her. “I’ll get yours from True and text you.”
Only when she’s inside the house and the lights come on do I climb into the SUV.
“Covering for her won’t help her, you know,” True says as he backs out of the drive.
He knows. Of course he does. He’d be terrible at his job if he didn’t. “You’d really narc on her?”
“Jules… has been through some really tough shit,” he explains carefully. “When she starts doing reckless shit like this, we can’t ignore it. There are signs with her. Patterns. It can get really bad. So yeah, I narc because I care about her, and only her husband knows how to pull her back from going off the deep end.”
“Oh, I didn’t know.”
“So, what did you ask her about me?”
Ugh, this dude. “You seriously need to get over yourself.”
“Right. So youdidn’ttake advantage of her inebriated brain?”
“That’s correct.”
“Hmm. Interesting.”
Interesting? Does hewantme to ask about him? Why? He grates me at every turn and barely tolerates me. I can’t figure him out.
