Page 16 of Lennox Lane

Lane sat between them in oversized sunglasses, letting her lavender pixie cut catch the sunlight. Her lips were glossed and her fitted jumpsuit made at least three men forget how to chew. She ignored them all with ease because attention from strangers had never impressed her.

“So, are we going to talk about Lennox acting like somebody stole the password to his firewall?” Cadence asked, getting right to business.

Nova tittered as Lane frowned and let her know they wouldn’t be discussing his fine stupid ass.

“No, we’re not talking about it?” Nova asked, “Or no, the password wasn’t stolen?”

“No, as in I’m ordering food before y’all turn my business into the lunch special,” she let them know.

“When it comes to you and Lennox, your business is the lunch special,” Cadence smirked.

“And dinner,” Nova added as Lane looked between them, hating how much she loved their nosy asses, but she wouldn’t change them for the world.

“No, you don’t,” Nova said. “You love us because we’re pretty and invasive.”

“Like lionfish,” Lane spoke as she studied the menu, “I’m getting the crab cake salad.”

“Lane,” Nova warned.

“And truffle fries for the table.”

“Lane, spill it,” Cadence fussed.

Lane’s lips pressed together at the sound of the name that bothered her more than it should have. Lennox wasn’t the first man to get close enough to make her consider softness, then retreat when things became real. He was just the first one whose absence left her feeling empty, and that irritated her more than she cared to admit.

Lane set the menu down. “He was acting weird.”

Cadence’s smile softened. “It bothered you.”

“It annoyed me,” Lane admitted, begrudgingly, making Nova’s brows shoot up.

“Is that Lane for it hurt your feelings?” Nova asked.

It was not Lane; let them know. Nova hummed like she didn’t quite believe her, and Cadence rolled her eyes. These hussies knew her too well.

Lane slid her sunglasses down her nose. “Do y’all want lunch or is being in my business soothing your appetite?”

Cadence and Nova snorted, not taking her seriously. Cadence told her to stop deflecting and answer Nova’s question. Lane almost gagged, admitting that her feelings were hurt.

“He had the nerve to act like I did something to him. He’s the one who pulled back, then showed up with another woman on his arm. Now he’s moody, and I’m supposed to care?” She asked.

“You do care,” Nova said.

She did care because, if nothing else, men kept audacity. “If he got hit by a bus, I’d call 911 before driving away from the scene of the crime,” she said, rolling her eyes as her friends laughed.

“That’s oddly specific,” Cadence pointed out.

“Because he’s specifically disturbing my peace,” Lane pointed out as well.

“How good was the sex that he can even irritate you?” Nova’s nosy ass asked.

Lane was like a deer caught in headlights at Nova’s question. She wasn’t sure she should answer because a flashback of how skilled he was with his hands and mouth might make her send a “Hey Bighead,” text to her nemesis. Cadence groaned at Nova’s question before she laughed because it was well known that the N in Nova stood for nosy.

“What? She’s never bothered by men, so I wanna know what kind of pretzel he twisted her to get her this way,” Nova spoke, using her fakest investigative journalism voice.

Lane took a long sip of tea as both women stared her down, waiting for her to spill all the naughty details. She purposely set the glass down slowly to build the suspense and irritate them.

“LANE!” They both yelled.