Page 59 of Bombshell (Whiskey Dolls 1)

“Obviously now isn’t the time to discuss it, but once this trial’s over you and I need to sit down and discuss what we’re going to say to Eli so that you don’t have to leave every goddamn morning before the sun’s even all the way up.”

“You—”Wait. What? “You want to tell Eli about us?”

“I mean, he’s only six. It’s not like he’ll really grasp the nuances of what our relationship means, but yeah. I just figured it’s time we stop sneaking around like we’re doing something wrong.”

Damn it, Marin! You willnotcry. Pull yourself together, woman!

I cleared my throat and tried my hardest to keep my expression as blank as possible. “Y-yeah. Sure. I mean, that sounds good. If you want to. Cool. Cool, cool, cool.”

Those glacial blues of his glinted as he grinned down at me. “I see you really like the idea of that.”

I shrugged casually. “I mean, it’s... whatever.”

He wasn’t buying my act, not even for a second, but he let it slide and bent down to rub his nose against mine before rolling off of me and moving to the bathroom. “All right, then it’s settled. Monday’s a federal holiday, so the courts are closed, how about we discuss it then?” he asked as he returned to the bedroom with a warm damp washcloth in his hands.

He proceeded to clean me up, wiping me with a gentleness I would never had guessed he was capable of. “Works for me. I’ll pencil you into my calendar.”

“Appreciate it, beautiful. Now give me one last kiss to tide me over until I see you again.” He tangled his fist in my hair and used the hold to tip my head in the exact position he wanted before growling, “And make sure it’s a good one.”

I could definitely do that.

* * *

“You’re in love.” The statement was spoken by Ms. Weatherby, with Tali nodding in agreement.

I sputtered in my teacup, my eyes ping-ponging between my neighbor and my sister. “Pfft. That’s ridiculous. I’m not in love. You need to go back to the eye doctor and have him check your prescription again; I think you may need to go up in thickness.”

Ms. Weatherby narrowed her beady eyes. “Child, I’ve got the peepers of an eagle.”

“You’re blind as a bat!” I countered. “I had to put big fat labels on all your canisters so you’d stop poisoning everybody with that toxic lemonade you always made everyone drink!”

She waved me off like it was nothing. “Then call it intuition, but I know love when I see it, and you, missy, are in love.”

“She’s right,” Tali confirmed. “Your cheeks are always this shade of pink that I now realize is whisker burn, and you’ve been walking around for weeks now with this dopey, glassy-eyed look. You were so out of it the other day that you walked into the wall.” She narrowed her gaze speculatively. “I wonder what you were thinking about then. Orwho?”

I threw her a withering look. “Remind me why I thought it would be a good idea to invite you to tea today?”

“Because you’re a good sister and knew I needed to get out of the house today before I lost my freaking mind.”

To say things had changed in the Allen household would have been a serious understatement. When Nick decided he was going to do everything he could to win his family back, he’d really pulled out all the stops.

At first, when Tali told me he’d informed her he had no intention of moving out of the house they owned together, I was certain that he was going to be found dead in a ditch somewhere and my big sister was going to be convicted of murder, leaving me to raise my niece and nephew all alone.

He’d been banished to their guest room, but apparently he didn’t complain about it. He’d also taken some time off work, time that would end with him working from home two days a week to be closer to his family. For the time being, he was doing all the things around the house that had been neglected while he’d spent all his hours at work.

He’d cleared the gutters, replaced the rotted board on their front porch, painted the shutters around all their windows, and fixed that faucet that had been dripping in the master bath for months.

When he wasn’t making repairs, he was making breakfast for the kids and packing lunches. He’d taken over the school drop-offs and pick-ups. But the thing that made me positively giddy was that, apparently, he’d taken to being as touchy-feely as he used to be. Tali called them his sneak attacks. If she was at the sink washing dishes, he’d come up behind her and kiss her neck. If he passed her in the hallway, he’d brush his palms along her hips. If there was a reason or an opportunity to touch her, he took it.

Tali liked to pretend like it was annoying the hell out of her, but I knew her better than that. She might not be willing to admit it yet, but she was softening to him. I had a good feeling that it was only a matter of time before all was right in their marriage again.

“Whatever,” I grumbled, stuffing a chicken salad finger sandwich into my mouth then speaking around it. “I don’t love him.”

“Love who?” Ms. Weatherby asked.

“Her new man,” Tali sing-songed. “He’s the older, handsomer, more responsible brother of her ex.”

Ms. Weatherby’s attention whipped around to me. “The one who put his hands on you?”

---