people sometimes do and instead stared glassy-eyed at the grooves on the tall wooden table next to them.
“Tell you what. Why don’t I take you home?”
Lauren blinked and raised a drunk eyebrow. “I’m not going home with you. You’re not going home with me, I mean. Not that kind of thing. You’re an actress, ma’am, and I haven’t forgotten.”
“And you’re a stage manager. Ma’am,” she added for good measure. “We have our jobs all sorted out, so let’s get you home safe. I’m in good shape.”
“Okay,” Lauren said, her eyes now looking heavy. “Listen, I’m in no condition to argue, even though we probably would argue real, real good.”
“Real, real?” Carly couldn’t help but wonder if argue was a euphemism. She decided it was. “I have a feeling you’re right.”
Six minutes later, they were in an Uber on the way to Lauren’s, where Carly would get her situated, then do the gentlewomanly thing and head back to the apartment the theater had rented for her.
“We have arrived,” Lauren said. She stumbled out of the car. “I wonder if Rocky can make me another martini.”
“Oh.” A long pause. “Rocky is your…boyfriend?” Carly closed one eye as she awaited that little piece of unfortunate news. She imagined a muscle-bound ex-football player appearing on the front porch any moment, looking for his girlfriend. If sexy Lauren was taken, who was she going to have fun with while she was here?
“Rocky is not my boyfriend. He’s tiny.” She held her hand just slightly above the pavement. “He’s complicated, means well, and is very snuggly. I miss him.” Lauren sighed wistfully.
Aha. An undefined love interest who was apparently very small. This was complicated, indeed. Lauren was right.
“He’s also a really good dog. Mostly.”
Carly froze on her way up the walk. “He’s a dog? Rocky is a dog?”
Lauren laughed. “Yeah. What did you think he was? A hamster? Hamsters are no Dolph Lundgren.”
“You’re going to have to explain that one later,” Carly said, watching Lauren try three times to pull her keys from her bag. “Here. Let me do that.”
“You are really nice tonight.” Lauren leaned against the brick and stared at Carly, who felt Lauren’s gaze boldly roam her body. It sent a flash of heat all over. “God, you’re pretty, Carly Daniel. Just like the movies. No. More.” A pause. “Maybe you should come in after all.”
Damn it. Lauren might actually be into her, and because she was too drunk to decide, Carly couldn’t do a damn thing about it. “I think I’ll just get you in there safely and take off.”
“Okay, if that’s what you want. Is that what you want? You’re free to say, you know.”
Carly chuckled, just as the key turned in the door. She opened it for Lauren and stepped back. “If I went after what I wanted, this night would end very differently than it’s about to. Not that you’ll necessarily remember all of this conversation tomorrow.”
“Right? The world is a little…spinny, which is the most fun word. Spinny.” A pause as she marveled at the sound. “Spinny, spinny, spinny.” Carly laughed. Lauren was cute and made her smile. “Thank you for seeing me home safely, Supergirl. I’m going to drink water and sleep, okay?”
“Sounds like a great idea to me. Maybe the spinning will stop.”
Lauren walked past Carly into her home, paused, walked back out, and stared at her with those luminous green eyes. She didn’t say a word.
“Lauren? You okay?”
She nodded, grabbed the material of Carly’s shirt with one hand, and kissed her. Well, hello. Carly didn’t have time to think, to stop Lauren, because her body had taken the lead and had elbowed wisdom in its boring face. It was a simple kiss, but Lauren’s mouth was warm and wonderful, and she tasted a little like mango. Her tongue touched Carly’s lower lip and made her shiver. When Lauren stepped back and steadied herself with an arm to the doorjamb, all Carly could do was blink and smile. Well, that was settled. Not straight. Lauren Prescott was one hundred percent not straight. This was big. This was a victory, but it also had to be over for tonight. Lauren was drunk. Not that she could articulate that at this point. Carly, on the other hand, reveled. She bit her lower lip and let her tongue run over the same spot Lauren’s had, still tasting the sweetness from Lauren’s lips.
Finally, when her language skills drifted back to her, she passed Lauren a soft smile. “You certainly know