Eddie lifted up his hand and started inspecting his fingernails. I could mostly see just his profile but I knew he was grinning because I could see his f**king dimple.
“Maybe we should have this conversation upstairs,” Lee suggested when he saw my attention turn to Eddie.
“Maybe we should have this conversation in an alternate universe where Alternate Indy gives a shit what Alternate Lee wants her to wear.”
No way to miss the attitude in that.
Eddie stood. “I’ll just top up my coffee.”
“I’m sorry, Eddie,” I said to him as he walked into the kitchen.
“Don’t mind me,” Eddie returned, making a beeline to the coffee.
Once Eddie disappeared, I hissed at Lee, “Tell me you just didn’t tell me what to wear in front of Eddie.”
“I’ll tell you that when the image of you flirting with him isn’t freshly burned into my brain,” Lee replied.
Yep, I was right, Lee was not in a good mood about my flirting with Eddie.
I ripped my wrist out of Lee’s hand.
“It’s okay Eddie,” I called, “you can come back. I’m leaving.”
“You try to leave, I’ll carry you upstairs and change you myself,” Lee threatened.
Eddie leaned his shoulder in the doorway of the kitchen. “I’m thinkin’ you aren’t quite finished.” Then Eddie decided to throw down. “For what it’s worth, I’m with Lee. If you were my woman, there’s no f**kin’ way I’d let you out of the house wearin’ that.”
I glared at him. “Did someone ask you?”
“Nope. Just tryin’ to be helpful,” Eddie answered, grinned and walked into the room.
I opened my mouth to, I don’t know, scream, shriek, talk in tongues, when a sound came from the backdoor.
“Yoo hoo!”
Tod came in wearing his flight attendant uniform. “I saw Chowleena healthy and happy out there and your door open. I knew you’d have coffee, you always have coffee and I need coffee. The Beemer’s in the shop so we only have one car. I have to stay awake and go back to DIA and get Stevie later this morning and I’m dead on my feet. Your coffee’s so strong, you could melt nails in it and…”
Tod had been talking while he entered the kitchen through the backdoor and grabbed himself a mug o’ joe. He stopped dead in the kitchen doorway and his mouth dropped open. He stared between Lee and Eddie. Back and forth. Back again, and forth.
Then his eyes swung to me.
“What’re you doing? Collecting the straight, super-macho Village People?”
Eddie burst out laughing and Lee looked down and to the side but I caught the fact that his eyes crinkled.
I clenched my teeth.
Once Eddie quit laughing I said, “Tod, Eddie, Eddie, Tod.”
They nodded to each other.
Then I didn’t hesitate, I was being ganged up on, I needed back up.
So I asked Tod, “What do you think of my outfit?”
Tod looked around again, but this time only between me and Lee.
“Uh-oh, is there trouble in paradise?”