“Dude, you’re so right,” Sul agreed.
“He does not look like Ryan Reynolds,” Chloe stated, though she did not deny she bore resemblance to Sandra Bullock.
Gage ignored her. “And they say opposites attract. Right?”
“Oh my God, she’s gonna send Judge around the bend. And he needs it. He just snaps,” Sully snapped his fingers, “and the babes come running.”
“Ma mère bien-aimée, make them cease speaking,” Chloe demanded.
“Darling, Momma’s had a bad day. Fight your own battles,” I begged.
“Who is this Judge?” Sasha asked, excited, as ever, that her sister had a crush, and all that excitement centered around having fodder to give her sister stick about said crush.
“You are not to go anywhere near him,” Chloe said quickly, then added as cover, “As I said, he’s vermin.”
“Don’t worry,” Sully put in smoothly. “She’s gorgeous, but she’s not his type. I think his last girlfriend did the weather or something. I don’t remember. But she was on TV down in Phoenix. He goes for those swanky types.” Pause, and then with faultless timing, “Like you.”
Dear Lord.
Duncan was handing Chloe a martini.
Then he shoved in again beside me (and Killer).
Whereupon I whispered, “You didn’t mention that part.”
“Sorry, baby, don’t keep track of Judge’s love life. I didn’t know that part. All I’ve seen is women throwin’ themselves at him, not the ones he’s caught. The boys, though, are tight with him. When they’re not in school, they’re both team leaders for Kids and Trails.”
“Hmm,” I hummed.
He grinned.
“No reply, Coco?” Sasha teased.
“I’m ignoring anyone who didn’t bring me a martini, which means the only person in this room is Bowie,” Chloe replied.
Sasha giggled.
Sully and Gage grinned at each other.
“I’ll bring your next one, gal, ’cause you’re a goddamned hoot and I wanna know you,” Harvey said.
“All right, I’m not ignoring you either,” Chloe allowed.
Harvey boomed with laughter.
“This is why I don’t care,” Duncan said in my ear.
I turned to him, and due to all the goings-on in that room, did it smiling.
“Sorry, honey?”
“This,” he tipped his head to the room, “is why all that shit doesn’t matter. Because we have this. In some form, we’ll always have this. And your ex, he also has this, and when you guys sort shit out, he’ll have this with us. So all that other, Genny, it doesn’t matter.”
He was very right.
I told him that by touching my mouth to his.
He got my message, if the sweet, warm look in his eyes I saw when I pulled away was any indication.
“I’m not sure I get this, Sash, you and your sister couldn’t be more different, in looks and like, everything,” Gage noted.
Before Sasha could answer, Chloe said in a dangerous tone, “Sash?”
My youngest looked to my oldest and crowed, “You got Duncan and the Bowie story. But I got the boys and the Bitchface Wheeler drama.”
Chloe’s eyes narrowed.
“Oh dear,” I whispered.
Duncan chuckled.
Harvey had all daughters, so he knew precisely what to do.
“I could use me a jalapeño popper. What about you all? Could anyone use a popper?” Harvey asked.
“I can always use a popper,” Gage stated.
“I’m guessing that’s my cue,” Beth said, also having all daughters, she didn’t hesitate rising from the couch.
“I’ll help!” Sasha cried, jumping to her feet.
“No offense, lovely lady who’s about to feed me, but I’m enjoying my martini. Bowie makes me the best martinis I’ve had in my life. I’ll help with dinner,” Chloe chimed in.
Sasha threw her sister a look.
I sucked back more gimlet.
Duncan again chuckled.
Tuck followed Sasha to the kitchen.
“Et tu, Tuck?” Chloe asked the cat.
Tuck ignored her.
I grinned.
Duncan chuckled more.
“Babe,” Heddy called.
I looked to my friend.
“I love your family,” she declared.
“I do too, Heddy,” I replied. “I totally do.”
Chapter 18
The Day
Duncan
* * *
Duncan put the mug of coffee on Genny’s nightstand, but he did it watching her face.
She pried her eyes open and aimed her eyeballs at him but otherwise didn’t move.
So he was chuckling when he seated himself in the crook of her body.
“Mornin’,” he greeted.
“Bluh,” she moaned, rolling to her back with her forearm over her eyes.
He leaned over her, both hands in the bed at her sides.
“I think you’re feelin’ that fifteenth gimlet,” he teased.
“Bluh,” she repeated, blanching.
“Advice, honey, don’t try to keep up with twenty-year-olds.”
Shamelessly, she shifted blame. “Your boys are enablers.”
“My boys? Your girls were with you drink for drink and eggin’ that shit on.”
“Don’t say ‘egg,’” she groaned.
He grinned. “As always, you’re a cute drunk, but favor next time, baby. Put the kibosh on it before you get so hammered we can’t have wild drunk sex because you’ve passed out.”
She tossed her arm out to the side away from him and turned her head that direction. “Ulk, I missed wild drunk sex with Duncan.”
“We’ll reenact that scene without the celebrity drama and gimlet thirteen, fourteen and definitely fifteen, but probably eleven and twelve too.”
“Ugh.”
He started chuckling.