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I take a sip and groan in appreciation. “Are you kidding? This is one of my favorites. I haven’t had a pink panty pull-down in forever.”
She beams proudly. An incredibly handsome man comes up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist. The resemblance to Raven is unmistakable.
“This is my husband, and Raven’s brother, Robbie,” Ember carries on.
The floodgates open and the introductions are endless. Declan’s sisters and their husbands, Raven’s best friends and their husbands or significant others. There’s no way I’ll remember all their names, but I try my best to keep up.
Declan and the rest of the guys join us with another round of guests that are obviously the parents. After a few minutes, they gather the overly excited kids and leave.
“You good?” Mike comes to stand next to me.
“I’m eating my words.”
He grins around the rim of his beer bottle.
“Yo, boss man, I’m stealing your cousin.” This comes from Charlie. She’s not only married to Blake in the band, and one of Raven’s best friends, but she’s also my soon-to-be co-worker.
“Behave,” he warns her.
“We’re not at the office, so you can suck it up,” she snips, dragging me to an open chair amongst the other women. “For the first time in for-fucking-ever, no one is pregnant.” She lines up eight plastic shot glasses on the side table and fills them with a yellow liquid, then scans the group. “Right? No one is pregnant?”
There’s a quick chorus of ‘no’.
“But since I’m nursing, shots aren’t a good idea,” a lady named Harper pipes in.
“Pump and dump that shit like the rest of us did.” Charlie passes the shots around to us and goes to shoot it then stops, pinning me with her eyes. “Wait, I heard nothing from you.”
“Me? I’m not pregnant. I’ve been drinking this.” I show the cup Ember gave me earlier.
“Yeah, but you could be fake sipping. And since I don’t know you, I can’t tell.”
“I’m not even married, so no, I’m not pregnant.”
“I wasn’t married either,” she replies.
“You were engaged,” Raven points out. “And your wedding was in less than a month when you found out.”
“Very true. Okay, bottoms up, girls.”
We all shoot back the tangy, citrusy concoction.
“That was delicious.” I lick my lips and get the aftertaste of sweetness.
“Of course, it was. I make a perfect lemon drop,” Charlie brags. “Now that the pleasantries are done, time to get real. Please tell me you know how to whip ass.”
The hair on my arms prickles under the heat of the curious stares. “Whip ass?”
“In the office. I’ve spent a lot of years in several positions at MJ Labels, whipping that place into shape. The staff and clientele know very well what happens if they step out of line. I need a wingman and hope like hell you’ll fit the bill. Mike assures me you have it in you.”
I stare at this woman, understanding exactly why Mike refers to her as a wildcard. A bubbly giggle escapes before I slap my hand over my mouth. When it’s under control, I answer. “I bartend three nights a week at a bar geared toward cops. My dad is a cop-turned-detective, and I frequently spend time with four macho-type men. You can count on me to hold my own.”
“Good to know. But note—giggling is not good. Badass bitches don’t giggle,” she chides.
“Charlie, stop harassing her. If she changes her mind about joining the label because of your mouth, I’ll strangle you.” Raven cuts her eyes in warning.
“I’m resigning on Monday. You can rest assured Charlie isn’t chasing me off.”
The back door opens again, and Raven squeals like a little girl at the group walking through.
“Max!” She leaps up and rushes to a dark-haired man whose arms are outstretched.
“That’s Max Roberts, and the couple is Finn and Presley Black. Max, Finn, and Robbie are best friends and served in the Marines together. Max is the only one still active,” Ember leans in, informing me quietly.
Hearing the word Marines, I twist to her. “Your husband is a Marine?”
“He and Finn did many years and now work in security.”
“My boyfriend was active and is now in the Reserves.”
“Wow, small world. I have a feeling our guys will have a lot in common.” She toasts her cup to mine and flashes me a mega-watt smile.
It’s then I realize these people aren’t only down-to-earth, they’re cool. My earlier trepidation disappears. I say a brief prayer that the other clients of MJ labels are equally as awesome and easy-going.
I return Ember’s smile. “This is quite a mix-matched crew.”
“Yeah, it’s hard to believe, but we all fit. I have a feeling you’ll be right in the mix, too.”
The compliment washes through me, and I take a large sip to keep from giggling with glee and earning a nasty glare from Charlie.
Raven and Presley wander back to our group. Finn gets a chair and slides it in the circle before kissing his wife and joining the other men.
