she watched Newsies."
Mallory pursed her lips to bite back a laugh, then held up two fingers. "Twice."
"Do go on," Morgan said, giving me a sideways glance. "I'm fascinated."
"Well," Mallory said, lifting a hand to push blue hair behind her ear, "you know Merit used to dance - ballet - but she eventually came to her senses. And by the way, I don't know what kind of freaky shit vampires are into, but if at all possible, stay away from her feet."
"Mallory Carmichael!" My cheeks heated with a blush I'm sure was crimson red.
"What?" she asked with a nonchalant shrug. "You danced in toe shoes. It happens."
I put an elbow on the table, my forehead in my hand. This, I bet, is what my life would have been like had my sister Charlotte and I been closer - the kind of intimate humiliation that only siblings could provide. For better or for worse and, God willing, in sickness and in health, Mallory was a sister.
A hand caressed my back. Morgan leaned over, whispered in my ear, "It's okay, babe. I still like you."
I gave him a sardonic look. "That feeling is not mutual at the moment."
"Mmm-hmmm," he said, then turned back to Mallory. "So our former ballerina was hooked on musicals."
"Not so much the musicals, but the style." Mallory looked at me, made an apologetic face.
I waved her off. "Just put it out there."
"Keep in mind, she went to NYU, then Stanford, then lands back in Chicago. And our Merit loved the Big Apple. The Windy City is a little more akin to New York living than California was, but it's far from having a walkup in the Village. But Mer decides she can make up for it. With clothes. So this one winter, she starts wearing leggings, big floppy sweaters, and always a scarf. She never left the house without a scarf kind of" - Mallory waggled her arms in the air - "draped all around her. She had a pair of brown knee-high boots, wore them every day. It was this whole 'ballerina chic' thing." Mallory adjusted on her seat, leaned forward, and crooked a finger at Morgan and Catcher. They both leaned forward, obviously entranced. The girl knew how to work a crowd.
"There was a beret."
They both let out groans, sat up again. "How could you?" Morgan asked with a mock horror that was belied by the laugh that was threatening to escape him. "A beret, Merit? Really?"
"You will never give me shit again," Catcher said. "I own you now. I own your ass."
I plucked at a bite of salmon, chewed it with careful deliberation, then waved my fork at them. "You are all on my shit list. All of you."
Morgan sighed happily, drained the last of his glass of wine. "This is good," he said.
"This is really helpful. What else do I need to know?"
"Oh, she has tons of secrets," Mallory confided, with a grin to me. "And I know all of them."
Morgan, one arm slung on the back of his chair, made a beckoning movement with his free hand. "Let's go. Keep'em coming."
"Mallory," I warned, but she only laughed.
"Well, let's see. I bet you didn't tell him about the secret kitchen drawer. You should clean that out while you're over here."
Morgan sat up straight and slid a glance behind him at the kitchen door. "Secret kitchen drawer?" Then he looked back at me, winged up eyebrows.
My answer was quick and vehement. "No."
He slid back his chair.
"Morgan, no."
He was halfway to the kitchen before I was out of my chair, laughing as I rushed after him. "Morgan! Damn it, stop! She was kidding. There's no such thing."
By the time I made it to the kitchen, he was pulling drawers open left and right. I jumped on his back and wrapped my arms around his shoulders. "She was kidding! I swear."
I expected him to throw me off, but he laughed, pulled my legs around his waist, and kept searching.
"Merit, Merit, Merit. You're too quiet. So many secrets."
"She was kidding, Morgan." In a desperate attempt to keep my secret drawer, well, secret, I kissed the top curve of his ear. He paused and cocked his head to the side to give me better access. But after I put my chin on the top of his head and said, "Thank you," he started searching again.
"Hey! I thought you were going to stop!"
"Then you're na?ve." He pulled open another drawer, froze. "Holy shit."
I sighed and slid down his back. "I can