Page 56 of It's a Wonderful Knife
She sighed. “Leo is very protective of Mona. It’s kind of romantic.”
I squinted at her. “She’s a married woman.”
“Yeah, but look who she’s married to.” Girdy adjusted her purple-framed glasses. “Ezra is so unpleasant.”
“He’s definitely not a bundle of joy.”
“I suspect he’s a misogynist, just like Charles Preston.” She gave the portrait over the mantle a scowl. “Imagine trying to cut your own daughter out of the will, simply because she’s a woman.”
“She got the farm though.”
“Pfft yeah, but she had to marry an ogre to get it.”
I laughed. “Ezra isn’tthatbad.”
“Sure, just keep telling yourself that.” She scowled. “Would you want to have his baby?”
I raised my brows. “Uh… no.”
She gave a sheepish laugh. “Sorry, I just don’t like men who put down women.”
“Really? You hide it so beautifully.” I smirked.
She punched my arm. “Oh, be quiet. You know what I mean.”
My lips twitched. I was glad Girdy was here. She relaxed me, and she was someone I could be myself around. I shifted my gaze to Jameson, who was sitting with Chloe and Dakota. “Have you had much interaction with Jameson?” I asked.
She shook her head. “No. He seems nice.”
“Everyone seems nice until they aren’t,” I muttered.
“Are you referring to anyone specific?”
“Oh, I don’t know.” I glanced longingly at the table where Elle had set up tea, coffee, and cookies for everyone.
Girdy laughed. “Shall we get some coffee?”
“Sure.” I sounded overly eager even to my own ears. I moved to the table and picked up a ceramic mug. As I poured myself some coffee, I said, “Humans are complicated, unlike dogs.”
“Dogs?”
“Mary Puppins is who she is, all the time.” I glanced over at Hermina and her dog. “She doesn’t like me, and she makes no bones about it.”
“I’m not sure where you’re going with this.” Girdy gave a confused smile.
“Sorry. I just mean people are unique in that they can be one thing to your face and another behind your back.”
“I see. Yes, that’s very true.” Girdy added cream to her coffee.
I scanned the group of people. “Odds are someone in this very room is putting on a big act about being scared of the murderer, when therealthing worrying them is whether or not they’ll be caught for stabbing Santiago to death.”
“Geez.” Girdy grimaced. “That’s rather grim.”
“Yes. But it’s true.” I sipped my coffee. “The way Jax turns on the charm and then drops the act when the guests aren’t around. It just shows how fake people can be.”
“Not everyone is themselves all the time, the way you are.”
“God, I don’t feel like myself lately.”
