Ian's diet drug. Of course Ian had sworn I was the only vampire to ever experience those. Surely I wouldn't be that unlucky twice.
"I'm good to go. Jenny will be here any minute." Penny inhaled. "Can't believe you got rid of the rat smell. The lavender is a nice touch. And then there's my room. Spotless!"
"Thank Rafe and Jerry. They worked like maniacs. It became a contest, apparently. To see who could do the most, get things the cleanest." I laughed. "Everything between those two ends up a competition but at least no blows were exchanged. I'd like to see them go head-to-head over getting my sheets white enough."
"Yeah, but how did that hole get in the wall?" Penny lifted the picture of Ray, which I had to admit was in an odd spot. "A blow that missed?"
"No, Rafe heard something upsetting and hit the wall. Since the guy he was mad at wasn't in the room. He'll get it fixed." I adjusted the picture. "Hey, Ray looks good anywhere. You can throw his name into the conversation. Tell how it was with him here for a while. Make Jenny jealous again."
Penny grinned. "Can't say I'd hate that." Her nose twitched. "Mortal at the door. And I think I recognize my sister. I'm getting better at this sniffing thing."
"Good for you." I sat on the sofa and settled my skirt around me. I'd dressed carefully, successful businesswoman but hip and trendy in my print skirt and purple sweater. My shoes were expensive, my bridesmaid's gift from Flo. I'd picked the whole outfit just so I could wear them.
I still hadn't gotten into my bathtub again. Not sure when I'd be able to. It was sponge baths for me until I was sure Lucifer was permanently back in hell where he belonged. I'd probably have to go to Jerry's to wash my hair, but that was okay; he'd be happy to have me.
"Come in. You remember Glory." Penny showed Jenny into the living room.
"Sure. Cute place. Too bad you had to bring that monster computer, Pen. Where are we supposed to eat?" Jenny dropped her purse on the coffee table.
"We can eat on the table where you just dumped your purse or we have some TV trays." Penny frowned. "Lighten up, Jen. You know I need my computer."
"Sure, sorry." Jenny smiled at me. "Hi, Glory. Nice place, really. It's great that you took Penny in." She said this like maybe Penny had been a street person.
"Penny's a cool roommate. We have a lot of fun." I smiled back. "Show her your room, Penny." I reached for my copy of InStyle. "Nice shoes. Last year?"
"Oh, yes." She noticed mine when I crossed my legs but didn't comment. Hah. I knew jealousy when I saw it. "Come on, Pen. Let's see how bad you've trashed your crib."
Penny headed down the hall. "Not trashed at all. Who has time to mess up when I'm so busy dating?"
I heard Jenny snort. Interesting. She had to know Penny wasn't lying. So what was that about? I just stayed on the couch and flipped through my magazine, perfectly able to hear their conversation.
"You've had quite a run lately. What about your research?" Way to bring Penny down, Jenny.
"Oh, luckily I'd turned in the important part of my grant work before the break-in. Now I'm thinking of going in a new direction since the ongoing experiments were trashed. No use crying over what can't be fixed. I talked to the department chair. I'm not using animals for research again." Penny's voice was muffled. "What do you think of this blouse? Glory found it for me. She's a genius bargain hunter."
"Cute and on sale. Of course they wouldn't have anything in my size in that store." Oh, could Jenny poke the knife any deeper?
"Quit being a bitch, Jen. What's got you so bummed?" I heard the mattress squeak, Penny sitting on her bed. "Tell me all about it."
"Okay, smarty-pants. Here it is." Jenny sighed. "My grades are gonna suck this time. If I don't ace my finals, I may not be able to do the cheerleading next year." Big sniffs from Jenny. "They have grade-point standards. So does the sorority. And I was supposed to be in charge of rush next fall." More sniffles.
"I'm sorry. What happened? This isn't like you." Penny must have pulled out tissues because I heard Jenny blow her nose.
"Some of this is your fault. We usually met in the mornings. You checked my homework,