Page 29 of Knockout (Whiskey Dolls 2)

“Well?” she dragged out a second later.

“Well what?”

“Tell me about her,” she demanded loudly. “What was she like? How old is she? What does she do for a living?”

“Actually, she’s my neighbor.”

“You mean...she lives in the building?”

Might as well get this over with. “Right below me.”

There was nothing for several seconds, then Gram proceeded to crack up, her cackling laugh blasting through the line and nearly rendering me deaf. “Oh, this is just too fantastic! Iknewit! Didn’t I say I knew it? Because I freakingknew it!”

I hadn’t even been awake ten minutes, and already I was getting a screaming headache.

“It isn’t like that. We had a great time, and I realized I’ve been wrong about her this whole time. She’s smart and funny as hell, but there’s nothing romantic between us.”

Gram didn’t say anything for several seconds. “Let me get this straight. This girl is pretty, smart, and funny. You had a great time, but nothing is going to come from it?”

“Pretty much.”

Another pause, then. “Why the hell not?” she bellowed.

I pulled the phone away from my ear with a wince. “Jesus. Will you relax before you give yourself a coronary?”

“Don’t you dare tell me to relax, Jude Kingsley. Have you lost your mind? I know you aren’t stupid, because I raised you to use your brain. I swear to God, I know you’re smarter than this. Pull your head out of your ass, or I’m gonna knock you upside the back of it the next time I see you.”

“Look, Gram, it just isn’t like that, okay? We agreed to be friends. At least there’s that, right? No more fighting. That’s a good thing.”

“Oh, good thing my saggy ass. Agood thingwould have been you putting the moves on a woman you’ve been attracted to for months instead of chickening out.”

“I didn’t chicken out,” I demanded. “It’s just not like that between us.”

Yeah? Tell that to your dick, a voice in the back of my head snarked sarcastically.

“Well this was the biggest waste of time. Can’t believe I woke up early for this,” she groused through the line.

“Hey,youwokemeup. If anyone here has the right to be offended, it’s me!”

“I can’t even talk to you right now. I’m not mad, Joodle Bug, I’m just disappointed.” She let out a dramatic sigh, and I could just imagine her shaking her head like she used to do when I was a kid and had let her down. “So, so disappointed.”

My jaw dropped. “Are you kidding me?” I barked, but she’d already hung up.

What a bright, shiny start to my day.

* * *

Layla

I marched into the dressing room backstage at Whiskey Dolls still breathing heavily from the number we’d just performed. I moved to my makeup station, dabbing at the sheen of sweat misting over my stage makeup, careful not to ruin it before my next set.

It wasn’t until I was sitting at the mirror, reapplying the bright, candy apple red lipstick, that I noticed the room was eerily silent. I took a look around the spacious dressing room, realizing that all conversation had halted, and that everyone’s eyes were pointed right at me. “What? What’s everyone staring at?”

Marin, who was standing beside the changing screens, dressed in a cream nighty, garters, and stockings, her hair and makeup done to make her look like a cabaret dancer from the 1920s, rolled her eyes and threw her hands out at her sides. “Like she doesn’t have a clue.”

I did have a clue, but messing with my friends was just too much fun. “What are you talking about?”

“Your date!” Mac cried. “We want to know how the date was, you selfish cow. Now, spill.”

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