“It’s not your fault. I’m just now realizing what it must have been like for you when I was with someone. But I was never as happy as you are. You bitch. Your life is a f**king love song.” Sometimes it felt that way. And then sometimes Lucah would drag me out of bed and throw me in the shower and yell at me to get ready or I’d be late for work.
“I like him. I really, really do. Shit.” The butter started burning and she had to rush to the stove so it didn’t ignite.
“Wow, Sloane Harris burns something. That has to be a first.”
“Shut up,” she said, but she was smiling. I gave her another hug and helped her dump out the disgusting butter and then air out the apartment as she popped two giant bowls’ worth of popcorn, covered it in fresh butter, and then with herbs and spices. We each grabbed a bowl and went back down the hall.
“My God, I thought you’d been kidnapped. I was about to go and make sure you hadn’t been.” Lucah’s eyes flicked from me to Sloane to make sure we were okay.
“You can stop being weird, Lover boy, we’re okay. I’m not mad at you, I’m not mad at her, so we can all go back to normal and you can continue to appreciate everything I do for you, okay?” She handed him a popcorn bowl and flopped down on our couch.
Lucah and I had picked out a lot of the furniture together, since Sloane had chosen most of the furniture at our other place, and wanted to keep it. There was definitely a lot more red in my new place. Lucah had always wanted the red ones. I’d give him a look and he would play complete innocence.
“So, what’s the theme verdict?” Lucah said, sitting down on the other end of the couch so I could sit in the middle. Like they were trying to share me. Joint custody.
“I’m thinking costume p**n . Ball gowns and massive hair and jewels and guys with tight trousers.” I waited for Lucah’s reaction.
“So that means period pieces. I can deal with that.” He smiled at me. We watched older movies a lot when we were alone, so I knew he was more than fine with it.
Sloane hopped up and went to get the movies and put the first one in. It was the Pride and Prejudice with Kiera Knightly and Matthew Macfadyen. Definite costume p**n .
“I like the one with Colin Firth better,” Lucah whispered in my ear.
“No talking. You’re ruining my costume buzz.” Sloane glared at both of us, so we stuffed our mouths with popcorn.
We got a little rowdy as the movie night went on. Mostly due to the two bottles of wine we opened after we started watching the second movie, Marie Antoinette (with Kirsten Dunst) and also the drinking game we created. We drank every time a man was wearing pants so tight you could see his penis, whenever a woman’s boobs were stuffed into her dress so tight that they formed a shelf, and there were other rules that I didn’t remember in the morning. Sloane was so gone that she didn’t even make it back to her place and sacked out on the couch. That wasn’t the first time, and it probably wouldn’t be the last.
“So we have those interviews today,” I said to Lucah the next morning as he rinsed the shampoo from my hair. We’d decided to conserve water and shower together, even though my shower wasn’t as big as his had been and we were both a wee bit hung over and sluggish. It was a delicate dance of switching places without falling, or tripping over the other’s feet.
“Any good candidates?”
“A few, but I’m sure the ones I like won’t get chosen.”
“Maybe you’ll be surprised and the person you don’t want to hire will turn out fantastic.”
“You wouldn’t be speaking of my last assistant, would you?”
“Maybe. Maybe I’m talking about something completely different. My turn.” I faced him and squeezed some shampoo in my hand. He’d started using my shampoo because he said it gave his hair good volume, but I knew it was because it smelled like me. I scrubbed my fingers through his hair, being careful not to get any in his eyes.
“There are actually a few women who made the cut and one who’s our age, which could be kind of fun.”
“Oh really? I’d be shocked if they picked her, unless she’s super hot.” I made a disgusted sound.
“You men. Always thinking with your dicks.”
“Why do you think they call men who are jerks, dicks? For that very reason.” I’d never thought of it that way.
“You’re smart sometimes.”
“You’re smart and sexy all the time.” I used the shampoo to turn his hair into a mohawk before I made him tilt his head back so I could rinse his hair out.
When we finally made it out the door, we grabbed a cab and stopped at a bakery near work. I didn’t know what Lilia might like, so I did the same thing Lucah had done on our first day. Got her one of everything.
“You’re sweet,” Lucah said when he realized what I was doing.
“No, I’m really not. I am a cold and calculating businesswoman. Don’t you think anything otherwise,” I said, pointing my finger at him and giving him my best glare.
He held up his hands in surrender.
“Okay, okay. You win, Miss Clarke.”
“Don’t you forget it.”
“Never, ever.”
Lilia acted as if I’d given her the world, or at least a very expensive and rare purse when I handed over the bag of breakfast goodies.
“Just take what you want and leave the rest in the break room. I’m sure they’ll get eaten in no time.” It was a universal truth that pastries left in the break room would not survive for long.
I waited to see what she would pick as she dug through the bag.
When she dug out the strawberry frosted donut, it was like kismet.
“Good choice,” I said and she handed me my messages.
“Oh, and your mother called, about five minutes ago. She said she tried your cell, but it went to voicemail.” What? I pulled out my phone only to find that my battery was completely dead. I’d forgotten to charge it last night. I really needed to stop drinking so much wine on weeknights.
“Okay, thanks Lilia.” I took the messages and went to my office, closing the door. My mother calling me in the morning could be a catastrophe, or it could just be her STILL trying to set me up with Fin Herald. I happened to know, from Marisol, that he was currently in Japan, so it probably wouldn’t be that.
I dialed out and she picked up after the second ring.
“Hi Mom, everything okay?” I kept my voice light, but my heart was pounding and my hands shook a tiny bit.