“I can’t believe you forgot the Strongbow,” I heard Danica say, as she and Ash came crashing noisily through the back door. “You know it makes me happy when I cook.”
“Sorry, babe. Forgot. I’m a beer guy.”
I glanced over to see him setting a box of Strongbow, which they’d obviously foraged from next door, on the kitchen island.
“Taylor would’ve remembered,” she teased, as he broke open the box.
“You think so?” He handed her a Strongbow—and backed her up against the island, dick-first.
“Uh-huh.” She cracked open the cider, as Ash started grinding against her. I looked away. “She knows the way to my heart. You just know the way between my legs.”
“Yeah, and then I try to blow my load all the way up to your heart…”
That romantic statement was followed by making out noises.
“Do you guys have to be so grossly in love all the time?” I called out so they knew I was right here, I could hear them, and they could spare me the twisted foreplay.
Danica hopped up on her tiptoes to see over the bajillion white roses next to me and saw me sprawled on the couch. “There you are!” As if I was ever anywhere else? “Tay, come drink with me.”
I grumbled something that wasn’t really anything and turned the music up. I had “Gimme Shelter” on repeat, but who knew how many times it had already played.
“Are you kidding me with that?” Ash said, cracking open a beer. “It’s worse than waking up to your blaring ‘Master of Puppets’ alarm every goddamn morning. You’re gonna trance yourself into a coma.” He took a swig of beer, and when I didn’t respond, he told Danica, “Get her off the couch.”
“Hey.” I pointed at him. “When she met you, I told her you’re a keeper. Don’t you dare ever forget it.”
“And I love you for it,” he said. “Now get the fuck up off my couch.”
I sat up, unenthusiastically, and put my feet on the floor. But I didn’t get off the couch.
My best friend’s husband shook his head like I’d disappointed him. “What’s up with her, anyway?” he asked her.
Danica looked me over empathetically. Then she started washing vegetables in the sink. “Can we just tell him already?” she asked me.
Ash frowned. “Tell me what?”
I gave her a warning look, which she returned with a sad face.
Then we exchanged a silent but vehement back-and-forth, while Ash said, “What? Tell me what? Tell me tell me tell me.”
“Fine,” I grumbled, dragging myself up.
“Taylor got her heart broken,” Danica blurted, like she’d been holding that one in for way too long and the pressure was killing her.
“Really?” Ash said.
I cracked open a Strongbow and gave her a dirty look.
“I’m sorry, okay?” Danica eyed me. “But enough is enough. You can’t keep this dirty little secret forever. For one thing, it’s not dirty. And for another, it doesn’t need to be a secret. You’ve got to let people who care about you help you.”
“Yeah. I get that.” She was right, though I really didn’t want to talk about it.
Ash came over and leaned on the island. He was still just looking at me. “That’s what this is all about? You got your heart broken?”
“Why do you think she’s been moping around, on and off, for months?” Danica said gently.
“I dunno. PMS?”
“That, too,” I joked. I took a swig of my Strongbow.
“But you’ve been working with Dirty,” Ash said. “You must be meeting hotties all over the place.”
“Yeah. The hotties are all married,” I informed him. “The work is going great, though. I think I may have found my calling.”
“See?” Ash said, like that was all wrapped up. “Next thing you know, you meet a hottie, life is good.”
“Whatever.” I ignored the hottie thing, sipping my drink. “I don’t know why I never thought of this career path before. I love music. Working with musicians is really interesting to me. I guess I just never had the opportunity before. They weren’t exactly handing out jobs with rock stars at the temp agencies. But I like it. I think I’ll keep doing it.”
“Well, that’s awesome,” Danica said. “I bet Maggie could give you tons of guidance, if you want. Or… Talia.” She glanced at me, uncertain.
“Yeah.” Talia. Who now had the gig with the Players that I probably could’ve gotten if A) I’d thought of it first, B) I actually applied for it, and C) I could’ve