“Which I am,” Cary muttered, walking into the kitchen in just his jeans, which he hadn’t bothered buttoning all the way. “Got any beer?”
Gideon pointed at the fridge with his tongs. “Bottom drawer.”
I shook my head at my best friend. “Hair of the dog this morning?”
“Hell, yeah. My head feels like it’s splitting in two.” Cary pulled a beer out and joined me at the island. He popped the cap off and tipped the bottle back, gulping down half the contents at once.
“How’d you sleep?” I asked, mentally crossing my fingers.
He’d stayed the night in the attached single-bedroom apartment, and I hoped he loved it. It had all the beautiful prewar details of Gideon’s penthouse and was furnished similarly. I knew Cary’s style was more contemporary, but he couldn’t fault the view of Central Park. All the rest could be changed, if he just said the word.
He lowered the bottle from his mouth. “Like the dead.”
“Do you like the apartment?”
“Of course. Who wouldn’t?”
“Do you want to live there?” I persisted.
Cary gave me a lopsided smile. “Yeah, baby girl. It’s a dream. Thank you for the pity f**k, Gideon.”
My husband turned away from the stove with a plate of bacon in his hand. “There is neither pity nor f**king included in the offer,” he said dryly. “Otherwise, you’re welcome.”
I clapped my hands. “Yay! I’m stoked.”
Gideon snagged a piece of bacon and stuck it in his mouth. Leaning forward, I parted my lips. He bent toward me, letting me bite off the end.
“Come on,” Cary groaned. “I’m fighting nausea as it is.”
I shoved him gently. “Shut up.”
He grinned and finished his beer. “Gotta give you guys a hard time. Who else is going to stop you two from singing ‘I Got You, Babe’ in a few years?”
Thinking of Will and Natalie made me smile. I’d discovered even more to like about Will and found that I got along well with his girl, too. “Aren’t they adorable? They’ve been together since high school.”
“Exactly my point,” he drawled. “Spend enough years with someone and either you start bickering or you fall down the lovey-dovey hole, never to be seen again.”
“Mark and Steven have been together for years, too,” I argued. “They don’t fight or moon at each other.”
He shot me a look. “They’re g*y, Eva. No estrogen in the mix to cause drama.”
“Oh my God. You sexist pig! You did not just say that.”
Cary glanced at Gideon. “You know I’m right.”
“And with that,” Gideon declared, grabbing three strips of bacon, “I’m out.”
“Hey!” I complained after him, as he exited to the living room.
My best friend laughed. “Don’t worry. He hitched himself to your brand of female.”
I glared at him as I munched another piece of bacon. “I’m giving you a pass, because I owe you for last night.”
“It was fun. Megumi’s good people.” His humor fled, his face darkening. “I’m sorry she’s going through what she is.”
“Yeah, me, too.”
“You make any decisions about how you’re going to help others like her?”