A dark laugh rumbles from Shep’s chest. Typically not a good sign. Shep is more or less a human volcano.
“Regina,” he says it rough and gruff. “Would you like to tell them the truth, or should I?”
Regina grows still as a statue. That mean look in her eyes could make a viper recoil at the sight of her.
My sister leans in. “I’d watch your back if I were you. I’ll hide the knives as soon as we get back to the café.”
Not a bad idea.
Regina takes a breath. “Okay, so Shep and I were very, very close and intimate right up until Bowie strolled into town, and he hasn’t had but two words to say to me ever since. And just yesterday I stumbled upon the two of them locking lips at the manor. I was so devastated, I ran all the way home and sobbed into my pillow.”
Miggy, Carrie, and Annabelle all break out into a chorus of moans as they rub her back in an attempt to soothe her.
“Give me a break,” I say. “Shep was no more your boyfriend than he was Lola’s.”
Regina looks over, her body still wrapped up in Annabelle’s arms.
“Did Lola have intimate relations with him?” she smarts. “Did she have her heart broken when he stopped taking her calls and wouldn’t answer her text messages?”
Stephanie grunts, “No, but given half the chance, I’d jump at the offer.”
Annabelle clucks her tongue before looking to Regina.
“I’ve been there.” Annabelle sighs. “I know that horrible feeling when you wish to God everything would go your way for once and what you really want goes to somebody else.”
Carrie nods. “I’ve been cheated on with just about every man I’ve ever dated. It’s a horrible feeling. And I’ll do anything to make sure that never happens again. I’m so sorry you had to go through that.”
“She didn’t.” Shep offers Regina a stern look once again, but I’d caution against it. He’s starting to lose the ladies at the other end of the table. “Regina and I were never official. We had a very short-lived fling at best.” He offers her his full attention. “And I did return most of your calls and your text messages—but not all. Because it’s irrational for me to return dozens of both in a single day. When I suggested we cool it, you chose not to answer me.”
“All right.” Miggy flicks her fingers as if sweeping the conversation away. “Let’s let it go. Bowie, no hard feelings. I’ve walked into a situation once the bomb had already gone off, and I’ve gotten the blame for it, too.” She shoots a look to Annabelle and Annabelle flinches.
Interesting. I’ll have to dig deeper with that one.
Annabelle huffs at the thought. “Oh, Miggy, the bomb doesn’t always realize that it caused ground zero.” She shoots a quick look my way. “And just because you walk into something that you deem was your good fortune, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t evaluate to see that others were decimated in the process.”
Decimated?
Stephanie leans in and whispers, “Why do I get the feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore?”
Because we’re not. Annabelle is clearly talking in code.
Carrie brandishes Shep’s new book in the air. “This is why we’re here, remember? Shepherd, your books are always amazing, but this one? Well, you just knocked it out of the park. But why in the world would you have your top hitman wear a wire? What kind of a hitman would turn on his family like that?”
Miggy nods. “A coward.”
“What?” Stephanie squawks. “Don’t you call my—”
“Her favorite character a coward.” I give a furtive nod while stomping on her foot under the table.
“Ow!” Regina looks under the table. “Bowie? Did you just step on my foot?”
“It was an accident,” I say. But God help me, if I knew it was her, I would have put a little more effort into it. “Just like it was an accident when you tossed a pumpkin at my head.”
Annabelle winces. “Oh, Bowie, I’m so glad you’re okay. I’ll be honest, my sister was so afraid you were going to sue us, she put the kibosh on the pumpkin toss altogether.”
“Probably a good idea—the kibosh, not the suing,” I tell her.
Miggy glances to the ceiling. “I can’t believe you were doing it in the first place.”
Annabelle’s mouth falls open. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Miggy shrugs as if she were suddenly indifferent. “I’m just saying there’s no need to be reckless in business. You stick to what you know and what works. It’s those one-offs that can really sink things fast, and that pumpkin toss sounded like a liability from the get-go.”
A smile flickers over Annabelle’s face. “Are you saying anybody but me would have known that?”
“I didn’t say it”—Miggy leans in—“you did.”
Annabelle gasps as she scoots back in her chair. “If you’ll excuse me for a moment, I think I need another cup of coffee.”
“I’ll go with you,” I say, shrugging a little over at Shep. “I’ll get you a drink, Regina, since you haven’t had a chance. I know just how you like your coffee.” Dark and soulless much like herself.
Annabelle and I hop into line, and there are about seven people ahead of us. I can’t help but notice Annabelle is trembling.
“Annabelle.” I land my hand gently on her back. “Are you okay? You’re shaking.”
She grunts, “I’m sorry. I just”—she wipes her eyes aggressively—“I don’t sleep well and the slightest thing sets me off.”
“I can commiserate on the not sleeping well. A few months back I lost everything and had to start over. Let’s just say it feels as if I’ve been sleeping with one eye open ever since.” Hand to God, still do. “So that was quite a bit of tension back there. Does that have anything to do with you losing sleep?”
Annabelle closes her eyes a moment, and I can see the dark, puffy circles lying like bruises just beneath her makeup.
“Yes, it does.” She exhales a huge breath. “Miggy and I were so very close once. And now that she’s hit it big, she doesn’t seem to have time for me anymore.” She tips her head my way. “No offense, but I understand how Regina must have felt. Miggy and I used to text one another dozens of times a day, but when her business took off, her responses grew fewer and fewer until they just flatlined. I get it. She’s thriving. She doesn’t have time for friends anymore.” Her shoulders shake with a dull laugh. “But I wouldn’t have done that to her.”
“I didn’t realize you and Miggy were close. I guess I thought you and Hazel were good friends.”
“Oh no.” She shakes her head. “Actually, it’s the other way around. Hazel was more or less my employee. Miggy was my actual friend. But the book club has bonded us all. With the exception of Carrie and Hazel.” She glances back to the table where they all break out into a spontaneous laugh over something Shep just said. “Carrie and Hazel were at each other’s throats, and it just got worse these last few weeks. Carrie was furious that Hazel embarrassed her somehow. Something about her mother.” She shrugs. “I don’t know. I don’t want to know. Especially now that Hazel has turned up dead.”