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She pouted. “Don’t wanna.”
Raven sighed as she approached the pair. “Come on, Mimi, just—”
She swayed. “No, being sober isboring, I—” She did a double-take as Dax sidled up to his sister. Her expression turned sullen and petulant. “What’reyoudoing here?”
“I could ask you the same thing,” said Dax, his own expression vacant.
Her upper lip peeled back. “I don’t wanna talk to you.” Catching sight of me standing a few feet away, she sneered. “Idefinitelydon’t wanna talk to you.”
“Funnily enough, the feeling’s mutual.” Unrequited love was a true bitch, so a part of me felt sorry for her. But only a small part. It was hard to be understanding when it was Dax she loved; when she acted so selfishly where he was concerned and persisted in making things difficult for him.
“Get your things,” he told her, his tone sharp. “You’re leaving.”
Her head whipped back to face him. “No. I’m staying here with Raven. Unlikesomepeople, she’s nice to me.” She staggered backward and bumped into the kitchen island hard.
Ow.That had to hurt. But the alcohol apparently dimmed the pain, because she only chuckled.
Dax looked at his sister. “What did she bring with her?”
“Just the duffel she dumped in the living room,” Raven replied.
“I’ll go get it,” volunteered Caelan, who then stalked out of the kitchen, nodding at me as he went by.
Mimi joined her hands, her eyes lighting up. “You know what we need?Music. Where’s my phone?” She began patting the pockets of her jeans.
“You can’t stay,” said Dax, his voice hardening.
She flapped a hand. “Unclench, will ya. Come on, we’ll have a drink. A toast to Gracie. We’ll let bygones be bygones and whatever.”
Raven flicked the ceiling a quick look. “Mimi—”
“Gracie would have wanted that, wouldn’t she?” She stared at Dax, her lips trembling. “She wouldn’t like that we’re fighting.”
Her choice of words made me frown. She spoke like they were a couple who were at odds with each other. Not that I thought she believed theywerea couple, just that she seemed to feel they had a more intimate connection than they did. From what Dax told me, they didn’t have a connection that went beyond their mutual link with Gracie. I suspected he’d otherwise shove Mimi out of his life—he wasn’t a man who suffered any fools.
She swayed a little again. “We didn’t used to fight when Gracie was alive, did we? We got along fine back then. Why can’t we do that now?”
Oh, maybe because she kept coming on to him.
Gulping, she anxiously rubbed at her wrist. “Do you think she’s mad at me? For wanting you? Do you think she hates me like you do?”
I cringed on her behalf. Damn, she was gonna hate herself in the morning if she remembered asking him that.
Raven held up her hands. “Nobody hates you, Mimi. Gracie would certainly never hate you.”
“Hedoes,” Mimi said sulkily. “Did you know he got married? Or did he hide it from you as well?” Her gaze flew back to him. “Why did you do it? I’ll never buy that you love her, so don’t give me that crap.”
He let out a bored sigh. “This is not—”
“Whydid you marry her?” It was more or less a whine.
I wanted to give her a mouthful of shit—point out that it was none of her business; that she needed to stop pining after him; that acting out this way wasn’t going to achieve anything—but it would only escalate the situation. That would bowl over the attempts of Dax and the others to defuse it.
Caelan reentered the kitchen, a duffel in hand.
Mimi’s glassy eyes dipped to it, and her brow furrowed. “You know, that looks just like my bag. We have the same taste.”
Unreal.
