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A thinly veiled look of contempt passed over Colette’s face but she nodded.
Stefano shot her an apologetic look. She merely shrugged as if to say, “Don’t know what her problem is,” and then turned back to Regina.
To her credit, Regina had tried to smooth things over and invite Colette into their conversation. Instead of accepting the olive branch, she had merely ignored them and monopolized Stefano’s attention.
They went to small French restaurant first and had dinner. She found herself completely unsurprised when she excused herself to go to the ladies room and Regina hopped up to go with her. The second they walked into the bathroom, Regina said, “What a bitch! The first time I met her she seemed a little cool, but this is outrageous.”
Lilly laughed as she moved into a stall and said, “She really seems to have an issue with my being a human. Is it really that big of a deal?”
They continued to talk for a few minutes more before they left. Regina’s outright censure of Colette’s behavior made her feel much better. She really didn’t know if she could take it, if everyone was so nasty about her relationship with Talan.
The rest of the dinner went off without a hitch. Seemingly out of nowhere, Colette warmed up to her. She wasn’t exactly friendly, but she stopped being outright rude, which was more than enough to satisfy Lilly.
As Talan promised, Lilly had been able to enjoy the scrunched-up look of distaste on Lachlan’s face as he drank the Clan MacGregor.
“Christ, lass. That’s bloody awful,” he complained. “How can people drink that shite?”
Lilly laughed and said, “Beats me. I try to stay on the middle shelf.”
As Lachlan laughed, Regina watched the byplay between them in confusion. Lilly explained the back story to her. By the end of the explanation, Regina was grinning.
“You’re a brave woman, messing with a man’s Scotch, Lilly,” Regina said, laughing. “Especially that one.”
Lachlan gave Regina an affectionate smile and turned his attention back to Talan and Stefano.
Stefano, who hadn’t spoken more than a dozen words to her the entire evening after the exchange in the car, looked at Talan and said, “I can see why that would appeal to you. You must get tired of everyone bowing and scraping.”
“It does get a bit old,” Talan acknowledged.
As the evening continued on, Lachlan had his second Scotch of the night. Lilly was completely gratified when he sipped it and said, “That’s not altogether bad. I might even like it.”
Eventually, they all climbed back into the limo. Lilly had indulged in a Martini, so she was feeling pleasantly relaxed as she pressed into Talan’s side. He looked down at her as she nuzzled into him and smiled.
She was listening to Regina and Colette discuss what seemed to be Colette’s favorite topic—herself. She’d be glad to see the end of this evening. Even when she was being decent, Lilly couldn’t find much to like about Colette.
Regina, though incredibly giggly and slightly dim, seemed to be trying her hardest to make Lilly feel welcome. When the conversation died down, she tried to draw Lilly back into it. “So, Lilly. Where are you from? You’ve got an accent that I can’t quite place.”
“Oh,” she said. “I’m from the Midwest originally. Kansas. I moved to Toronto when I was fourteen.”
“That must’ve been a big change,” Regina prompted.
Lilly was about to respond when Colette said, “Kansas is a dump. Be glad you got out of there.”
While she wouldn’t go as far as to call it a dump, she definitely didn’t have any desire to go back there. She imagined it would probably be painful. She hadn’t been back since her parents died.
“I don’t know if I’d call it a dump, but it’s definitely not on the list of places I’d like to go back to,” she admitted. “You’ve been?”
Colette gave her a withering look and turned away. Jesus Christ. She couldn’t win with this woman!
Regina smiled sympathetically at her and said, “You think Kansas sucks, try Marseilles during the plague.”
Lilly made a face and said, “I’m good, thanks. That sounds awful.”
When Colette shifted closer to Stefano, Regina rolled her eyes as if to say, “Clingy much?”
Stefano didn’t seem to mind, though. He gave her an indulgent look, then leaned down to whisper something in her ear. When Colette laughed in response, the tiny hairs on the back of Lilly’s neck stood up. It was just a sound, but her body had an incredibly visceral reaction to it. It was the laugh that she heard in her nightmares. Chilled, Lilly stiffened against Talan’s side.
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