With a sigh of relief, Goldie relaxes the container she’d protectively held to her stomach.
“Don’t worry, B-dog,” Goldie says cheerfully. I can tell Brexley instantly hates her new nickname for him. “Next time Red gets some Gigi cookies, I’m sure she’ll share with you.”
My stomach tightens. The impossible image of us curled up on my broken couch while I feed Brexley cookies springs to mind. It’s domestic, sweet, and utterly impossible.
Goldie pops the lid and pulls out the last cookie. “Thiscookie can make up for all the injustices of the world.”
Bangs and Bombs immediately leap onto the couch, thinking she is holding a treat for them. She automatically raises her arm to keep it out of reach, even as they paw at her arm and jump all over her lap.
Laughing, I scoot the bunnies off the couch and park my butt next to Goldie’s. Brexley takes a seat at the table.
“What makes them so magical?” he asks.
I shoot Brexley another dark look of warning, but he only innocently sips from the bunny mug.
“They are made with love and lard,” Goldie repeats dutifully. It’s in every note my Gigi sends along with the cookies.
“So what did this one do?” I ask Goldie, even as she moans around her first bite.
Once she finishes chewing, she says, “I’ll tell you what he did. He was perfect, and cute, and said all the right things. A real prince charming, ya know?”
They are always prince charmings in the beginning.
“But he never lets me come over to his place. It’s just weird. How can I properly judge what kind of guy he is if I never see where or how he lives? So I cut it off. I don’t need the weirdness. But then he showed up last night, as you saw. He brings me a single red rose like it’s some kind of scene out of a romance movie. So . . . ” She trails off, blushing.
“Soo, you went home with him, didn’t you?”
“Well yeah. He lives on Broadway and Pike, so it was an hour by subway but his place was gorgeous like all that side of town. Then we got down to business, and things were going great. Well, they were okay. The chemistry was kind of meh, but it’s not always the greatest at first. Everyone knows that.”
Brexley sputters and coughs. His face is practically purple as he chokes. “Wrong pipe,” he rasps out by way of explanation.
“So then what happened?” I ask, urging Goldie to continue.
“What happened? What happened is I drifted off to sleep in a pair of strong arms and woke up to a slap in the face from a woman I’ve never seen before. Turns out, the little fucker took me home to the apartment he shares withhis girlfriend. She was out late working and came back to find us in her bed.”
My hand flies to my mouth. “Oh shit.”
Goldie has a hand over her face and misses the dangerous glow now emitting from Brexley’s eyes. I suppress a shiver. Cold hate radiates out from them. For a moment I don’t realize why, but then I turn back to my very embarrassed friend.
Is he upset on her behalf? The Big Bad Wolf cares about a girl’s shitty boy situation?
Once I think I have him figured out, he completely throws me off again.
“So I had a very long ride this morning and I feel like absolute crap.” Goldie angrily rolls her eyes heavenward. “I swear, I still can’t tell if this is some kind of test I keep failing, picking the wrong guys. Or if I’m just destined to be alone. Maybe my standards are too high, but I swear either this guy is a liar, or that one doesn’t have a job. Is it bad I want one just right for me?”
“Eat some more cookie,” I say, lifting her wrist. She’s still clutching the half-eaten treat.
When Goldie finishes it, she sighs and sinks further into the couch. I get up and lay a throw blanket over her lap then grab a small handful of oats from the container next to the rabbit pen. I sprinkle her lap with oats then make a chittering sound to get the buns back on the couch. Bangs and Bombs are up in a second, chowing down as Goldie pets them. After they finish, they are likely to sit with her.
Putting the tv remote in her reach I say, “I have to get to the library, but you can stay here as long as you want.”
My friend throws a grateful smile at me as I head toward the bedroom. Her eyes catch on the fresh claw marks on the door. She shoots me a deliberate look that asks if everything is okay.
I give her a quick nod before disappearing to grab a sweater and my bag. A low voice penetrates the closed door.
“Want me to kill him for you?”
I can only imagine Goldie’s reaction. There is too long of a pause.
