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Crystal’s perfectly plucked eyebrows rose. “I can’t imagine Grace on a horse.”
Merry choked and shook her head. “She’s talking about Grace’s boyfriend.”
“Oh.” Crystal’s confusion turned to a distasteful frown as Rayleen howled with laughter.
“Look at that face!” Rayleen crowed. “Christmas, I never thought you’d have a cousin with a stick up her ass.”
Much as she hated being called Christmas, Merry almost laughed at that. Crystal did have a stick up her ass. So did Crystal’s mom. Merry had never been able to understand how her mother and her aunt could be sisters raised in the same household. It made no sense.
Then again, they’d come from a very poor family. Merry’s mom had learned how to work hard and persevere. Crystal’s mom had been ambitious and determined never to be poor again. They’d taken different paths with their similar strengths. But they’d come from the same place, so they had that in common. Merry and Crystal, on the other hand…
Merry slapped her hands together and stood. “I’ll grab some drinks from the bar! What would you like?”
“Gin and tonic, please.” She arched a look toward the bar. “See if they have Hendricks at least.”
Rayleen snorted and walked away, muttering something that sounded suspiciously like “prissy bitch” under her breath. Merry pretended that she hadn’t heard, but Crystal’s tight look caused her forehead to wrinkle. Must be time for more Botox.
“God, Jenny,” she groaned when she got to the bar. “Make me something strong. I don’t care what it is, as long as I can get it down fast.”
“Hmm. Cosmo strong or something more substantial like a Long Island Tea?”
“Yes, the tea. Hit me.”
The blonde laughed as she pulled a glass from beneath the bar. “And your friend?”
“She’s not my friend. She’s my cousin Crystal, and she wants a gin and tonic with the fanciest gin you’ve got.”
“Whatever you say.” She held three bottles and tipped them all over Merry’s glass at the same time. “So you seem a little stressed.”
“God, you think so? My bitchy cousin showed up to visit, I’m freaked out about work and I haven’t had an or—” An alarm flashed in her head just in time. Or not just in time.
Jenny raised one eyebrow. “Been a while?”
“God, you have no idea.”
“Oh, I had a bit of a dry spell myself. But that’s over now. Yours will be soon, too.”
Merry was damn sure the sweet, funny blonde had never had a dry spell that lasted any longer than she wanted it to, and now she had a cute cop for a boyfriend. Merry told herself not to feel jealous. It didn’t help, but the drink would.
“Thank you!” she said when Jenny popped a maraschino cherry in the glass and handed it over. The first swallow tasted strong, but the second was much smoother. The third went down like silk. “Bless you, woman.”
“And the fancy gin and tonic.”
Wincing at the loss, Merry slid over a twenty. Jenny pushed back a ten. “Yours is on the house. With my sympathies.”
“You’re the best, Jenny.”
“Anytime.”
Merry felt so much more relaxed as she wove her way back to the table. Relaxed and maybe even willing to stand up for herself. “Don’t call me the Merry Slacker anymore,” she said as she sat back down.
“Fine.” Crystal didn’t look obnoxiously friendly now, just obnoxious. “Tell your friends to stop calling me names.”
“Stop acting like you’re better than this place.”
Crystal smirked. “It’s not an act.”
Merry close her eyes and took a long draw of her drink through the tiny red straw. Then she sighed. “Why did you come here, Crystal?”
