“No discussion,” Zip broke into my thoughts, “no, ‘Zip’ is gonna talk you out of this one,” Zip imitated my word-is-law voice when he said his own name and it was hard not to laugh.
The good thing about this was Tex wasn’t going to be pissed that we weren’t going out that night. The bad news was I didn’t much like people telling me what to do. I’d already decided to lay low until the coast was clear, I didn’t need the Grumpy Middle-Aged Men Posse and Daisy telling me what to do.
“Listen, folks –” I began to say in my word-is-law voice.
May forced her way into the group.
Not good.
“What’s goin’ on?” she asked, eyes narrowed, she planted her hands on her ample hips, elbowing Zip and Duke as she did so.
“Nothing, May. Everything’s fine,” I answered even though it was an obvious lie. I didn’t need May to know what was happening. She’d freak.
May’s narrowed eyes focused on me. “You thinkin’ of breakin’ up with Crowe again?”
“No!” I snapped, exasperated. So I broke up with him once and it almost took effect. I’d learned my lesson. Was I going to pay for it for the rest of my life?
Jeez.
“Vance and I are solid, we’re real solid,” I went on, assuring May. “We’re… good.”
I started smiling to myself. I couldn’t help it. Vance and I were good. Even I, Miss No Relationship-or-Sex Experience, knew enough to know we were seriously good.
At the sight of my smile, Daisy gave a tinkly bell laugh.
The men weren’t laughing.
“Better wipe that goofy-assed smile of your face, Law, and get your f**kin’ head in the game,” Heavy barged right into my happy thoughts so I scowled at him.
“I have my head in the game,” I told him.
“Your mind’s somewhere else. Probably knitting baby booties,” Zip said and even though I knew he was trying to goad my head crackin’ mamma jamma to the surface, I still took the bait.
“No! Not booties. Knitting sweaters for Vance. Babies are out of the question, for now.”
Daisy gave another tinkly laugh.
“Hon, you thinkin’ about babies?” May asked, her face now the picture of motherly worry. “Don’t you think it’s a bit too soon? As in, seriously too soon? I mean, it’s only been a week.”
“A week and three days,” I replied.
“Oh for f**k’s sake,” Zip said to the ceiling.
“Let me get this straight. A second ago we were talkin’ about three angry drug dealers markin’ you for rape and torture and now we’re talkin’ about you knittin’ sweaters for Crowe?” Duke asked. “Jesus f**kin’ Christ. You f**kin’ girls.”
At Duke’s words May lost her motherly worry face and it went back to the narrow-eyed, pissed off face.
Then I watched, fascinated, as her face started to get red.
Zip and Duke moved a bit away from her.
Then she exploded. “What?” she screeched.
“What’s goin’ on?”
Everyone turned and Vance was standing at the end of the row.
He had his hands to his hips. He was wearing a black t-shirt, his black leather jacket and black cowboy boots. His hands had pushed the jacket back and you could see a gun clipped to the wide belt on his jeans.