I blinked.
Someone snorted, another person snickered. I hated all of those heffas,exceptBliss. Even though she’d Christmas-fied my house. And since there was no use talking to the sweetest person in the room, I turned my attention to Bliss’ twin, Blake. “Why did you let her do this?”
Smirking, Blake said, “Because she’s Bliss.”
Before I could say another word, Courtney shoved another shot glass in my hand. “Damn, Sloane. Drink this, and let’s get this party started.”
“Can we eat now?” My cousin Dallas asked, rubbing her very pregnant belly. “I’m so hungry.”
“Fine,” I muttered. “But this conversation is not over.”
“We’re definitely done talking about this.” Courtney walked her bossy ass to the table. “What’s done is done.”
An hour later, I could care less about the tangent my party had taken, though, because I was full and very tipsy. “I’m stuffed,” I groaned, setting my half-eaten dessert on the coffee table.
Dallas snatched a strawberry from my plate. “I have to hand it to you, Sissy. You certainly know how to throw a party. I’m glad Courtney let you take over.” When Courtney glared at her, she shrugged. “What? We all have our strengths, cousin. Love you.”
Bliss stood and did a dramatic curtsy. “It’s what I do.”
I stared at the Christmas tree. Bliss had certainly found a way to accentuate my house décor. And because she knew me, she knew better than to put a bunch of red shit in my house. Rose Gold, Gold, Silver, and even black ornaments made the slim flocked fir tree look full and wide—and pretty. But… “I still don’t know why you did this.” I cleared my throat of the sudden emotion that welled up inside.
Courtney filled my wine glass again. “Because… You’ve had your mourning period, and we all understand the reasons why.”
“Exactly. So why not just give me my little soiree?” I argued. “I’m reframing the day.”
“I’m the first person to scream fuck that nigga,” Blake said, “and I’m so glad you divorced that sorry-ass, stupid-ass, hoe-ass punk. Good riddance.” Her expression softened. “But, I worry that you’re embracing the angry part of you so much that you can’t see the light at the end of the dark tunnel. You can be happy.”
Blake had made an impressive living as The Breakup Expert. Her clients paid her to help them dump their significant others. And now she was talking about light in the dark and telling me I could be happy? Of course she was. Because she’d gone and fallen for her perfect match. I sipped from my glass, eyeing my cousin. “Dex was right… You’re so gone over Lennox.”
Blake tossed a pillow at me. “Not so gone that I won’t kick your ass off that damn couch.”
The room dissolved into much-needed laughter. Growing up with these ladies had made all the difference in my world. My father had cut off communication with most of his family, but I was blessed he and Aunt Vicki stayed close.
“I got fired from the Covington account today,” I admitted.
Bliss frowned. “What? I thought they’d already accepted your proposal.”
“Yeah, I fucked that up when I fucked Hyram.” I finished my wine and stood, pacing the floor. I glared at the Black Santa near the fireplace, fighting the urge to kick it. My anger was with myself, not Santa. No matter how corny that thing was. “I can’t believe I did this to myself. Ruined a bomb job prospect for mediocre dick.”
Dallas bit into a pickle. “Straight up? It wasn’t even good?”
I’d regretted the three-minute interlude shortly afterward because I never slept where I ate. But Hyram was fine, and we got caught up in the moment. “I’ve had better,” I muttered. “A lot.”
“I don’t miss those days,” Blake murmured.
“Enough.” Bliss let out an exaggerated sigh and stood. “We’re not going to spend any time talking about bad—or meh sex. This is a party.” She stepped over to me and squeezed my shoulders. Shaking me a little, she said, “Your next jobandyour next boo will be better than H. Covington.” She nodded. “With his pencil dick,” she added under her breath.
I cracked up. So did everyone else, because it was rare that Bliss used the “d” word. Hell, she rarely cursed at all. She was the ultimate cheerleader, though. Always in my corner, no matter what, no matter who, no matter why. When we were younger, she asked for three of everything. One for her, one for Blake, and one for me. Even on her own birthday.
Resting my forehead on Bliss’ shoulder, I let her hug me. “I love you so much for that. Thank you.”
She smoothed a comforting hand over my back and whispered so only I could hear her, “You’re going to be okay.”
I wanted to believe her. Truthfully, I hadn’t been okay in a long-ass time. Despite all my false bravado, I knew I couldn’t continue my current trajectory of work, work, and more work. I loved my job, but something felt off. Swallowing hard, I pulled back. “I’ll figure out my life eventually.” I held up another full bottle of Merlot. “Good thing we still have wine.” Bliss eyed Courtney, who glanced at Blake, who nodded at Dallas. Subtle they were not. “What’s going on?”
Dallas pulled out a box and set it on the coffee table. “We got you something.”
I picked up the wrapped box and shook it. “What is it?”
