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“Finally!” Bex exclaimed, then, “Yes, beautiful girl, let’s go get you a snack. Willa! Get your butt in here. I want details!”
Merry laughed, delighted. I laughed, too, breaking our kiss. Barrett released me, his pleasure and his relief reflected in one of his rare smiles. I smiled back, caught for the moment in his gaze.
“That wasn’t so bad, was it?” he whispered.
“How long will your confrontation last with Zale and Rhys?”
“Thirty seconds,” he grinned. Oh, to have that picture!
“Well,” I smiled bigger, stepping back from him, “don’t get too comfortable. While you’re out here not talking, I’ll be in the kitchen getting grilled. And I’m happy to inform you, they want to know ev-er-y-thing!”
Barrett looked over at Mara who was wiping tears from her eyes and smiling wickedly, then he looked in dismay at Rhys, who was laughing, and then Zale, who looked vaguely sick as he nodded, “Magpies.”
Now that the proverbial cat was out of the bag, we spent a few nights a week together. I preferred to be at my place with all my things around me, but his bed was bigger and a much better fit for him, so we compromised and split our time between both of our places.
I’d always strived to keep myself busy because being busy kept the reins to my wandering thoughts in my hands. With the addition of Barrett into my life, I did not have to try so hard. Bex, Mara and I still had girls’ nights one or two Thursdays a month, Olivia still stayed with me one or two Fridays a month, Barrett and I still went out for lunch on Tuesdays, and he still brought Olivia and me treats on Thursday afternoons, and on my office days downtown, I caught up with Minty and Junie. Barrett owned most of my weekends.
The first week in the public eye flew by, with Mara and Bex scrutinizing less, teasing more, and offering a listening ear if ever I needed one. Promises to push, pull, drag, or hogtie, whatever it might take to help me push past my fears and insecurities, had not been solicited but were freely given by the married sector of our mutual admiration society, and I was glad to have them at my back. I’d rarely introduced anyone to my family, acknowledging that by the time everyone got comfortable with each other, he would be on his way out. Barrett, already part of our family, circumvented that entire process, landing me in a novel situation I’d never found myself in before.
On Saturday night Junie swung by to pick me up shortly after eight o’clock and we headed out to see the guys play.
“How are things with Lenny?”
“Good!” She paused, “I think.”
I glanced at her, “You think?”
“Yeah, I think,” she twisted her perfect mouth to the side, “I mean, neither of us is charging full steam ahead, but I think he’s into me, just the way I am, and I know I’m into him. We’re having fun in between the sheets, so, yeah. I think things are good.”
“You seem cautious. Did the toys not go well?” I asked seriously.
She grinned. “No, that part was great! Just, I feel a bit cautious, probably because I’m cautiously optimistic that things could work out with this guy.”
“I’m really happy for you, Junie,” I said seriously.
Junie deserved a good guy. I didn’t know Lenny well enough to know if he deserved her, but Junie had met and discarded so many men for even a hint of disrespect that I trusted her judgement. If she said he was a good guy, he was a good guy.
“Did Barrett tell you about the band meeting?”
“No!” I exclaimed, “Actually, I forgot about that whole situation.”
“Really?” Junie looked at me doubtfully, “You were pretty wound up when you left Saturday night. I can’t believe we haven’t had a chance to talk about this. Minty and I were so excited that you went public, I forgot about Sarah’s bullshit.”
“He, um, made a very convincing case that I had nothing to worry about,” I laughed.
“I bet!” she snorted.
“Tell me what happened at the meeting?”
“Lenny was pissed, really pissed. She basically passed it off as nothing, said she was just playing to the crowd, that it takes time for a band to get into a groove and they only started practicing after Christmas, so they don’t know her very well yet, it’s all part of her performance, all bullshit, really.”
“I agree. She wants him, hates me,” I said.
“Mm-hmm. Lucky told her if she felt the need to rub up on somebody while performing, she could rub up on him seeing as he’s single and there’s no girlfriend to piss off,” Junie laughed.
“I wonder how close to naked she’s going to be tonight?” I snarked.
“About that,” Junie started, “don’t let her get under your skin. Last time, she really got to you. You were closing down, and that man’s face was terrified. She sees you shutting down, she’s winning. Don’t give the bitch the satisfaction.”
