“We… are… fucking… there,” Annette said.
Jason looked at me and closed his eyes in good-natured frustration. When he opened them I was smiling at him. We’d shared these looks a lot over the years.
Then I turned to Jet. “What’s Smithie’s?”
“Pardon?” she asked.
“Smithie’s. I overheard you say when you came into Fortnum’s the day I met you that you worked there.” She grinned at me. “Wel , official y, I don’t work there anymore.”
“You let Eddie win,” I said.
“Eddie wins a lot,” she told me.
I found this sobering information, considering the fact that I figured Eddie was a lot like Hank.
“What is it?” I asked.
“A strip club. I was a cocktail waitress there.”
“Cool!” Annette cried.
Jet smiled ful out to Annette and we al sat in the limo dazzled for a moment by her smile.
“My sister is a stripper there,” Jet went on. “She debuts tomorrow night. You can al come if you want. I can get you VIP passes.”
“Sugar! That would be hot!” Daisy screeched with excitement, then did a glance sweeping around al of us.
“Her sister is Lottie Mac.”
“Queen of the Corvette Calendar?” Jason asked, clearly intrigued.
“Fuckin’ A,” Daisy replied.
I stared around them. It was like they were talking in a different language.
“You want to come?” Jet asked me.
“Love to,” I answered.
She grabbed my hand and squeezed then let go.
Through the hand squeeze I felt something pass between her and me. The hand squeeze wasn’t about me going to watch her sister strip; it was her giving me strength. I was reminded that just over a week ago she’d been through a trauma much like mine. She’d almost been raped and her Dad was stil in the hospital. She knew my pain in many different ways, hers was nearly as fresh.
“I see you took my advice about Hank,” Daisy said, taking me out of my thoughts.
I looked to her. “No, I’m leaving as soon as they find Bil y and al of this is over.”
The limo went deathly quiet.
“Come again?” Daisy said into the silence.
I sighed and looked out the window. “You wouldn’t understand.”
“Try us,” Jason prompted softly.
I sighed again, this time, deeper and louder. I explained my Hank-deserves-better-than-me philosophy. After I stopped talking, there was more silence.
“Come again?” Daisy repeated.