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“I really need coffee,” I said.
His eyelids lowered a bit and the dimple came out, but his lips didn’t form a smile.
“I see you’re in ready-to-bolt mode so I’ll let you off the hook. Just to finish this, I hope you can understand now why I’m gonna get things straight with Mace.”
I sighed, knowing that this was another argument I wasn’t going to win and deciding to save my energy for one I could win.
Whenever that would be. Likely when I was ninety-eight and wearing black flats.
Then I said, “If he grabs me and we disappear in Mexico, you’ll only have yourself to blame.”
The smile came out. “I’ll take that chance.”
I used the best word a woman had in her argument arsenal, undoubtedly its own special kind of F-word for men.
“Fine,” I clipped, meaning anything but. “Can I have coffee now?”
Somehow, it seemed Eddie found my “fine” amusing. I could tell by the warmth and tenderness being joined by an affectionate gleam in his eye.
Wonderful.
So much for me putting on the brakes. It seemed instead I somehow shifted us up from relationship overdrive straight to relationship hyperdrive.
His lips touched mine then he said, “Yeah, you can have coffee.”
TWENTY-TWO
ONE OF MY GIRLS
Late morning, Eddie and I walked into Fortnum’s. My arm was around Eddie’s waist, my other hand on his abs. Eddie’s arm was curled around my neck, his hand hanging loose in front of me, which meant I was tucked super close to his side.
I’d decided to call this the Eddie’s Woman Hold, and even though the W-word was seriously flipping me out, I had to admit, The Hold wasn’t so bad.
The minute we entered, my musings on The Hold ceased and I wanted to turn around and run.
I wasn’t a big fan of being the center of attention. I much preferred to fly below radar.
That, obviously, was not going to happen the morning after I’d been grazed by a bullet.
I’d looked in the mirror that morning and I thought I looked like I normally looked. I just had a white dressing taped to my temple. It wasn’tthatbad, certainly not as bad as the looks on everyone’s faces made it out to be.
Duke and Tex were behind the espresso counter. Jane and Ally behind the book counter. Mom, Trixie, Ada, Blanca and Lottie formed one huddle in the seating area, Eddie’s sister Gloria, Tod, Stevie and Indy in another, and the Wild Bunch, plus Hank, in the last.
When we walked in, everyone stared at us.
Eddie and I stopped.
I did a store sweep.
Then I did a vague hand wave.
Then I called, “Hey.”
No one moved.
I sighed. “I’m perfectly fine,” I told them.
This prompted action, but only from Duke.
