Susan closed the pantry. “Don’t get cute, brother.”
“I can’t help but be cute.” Rising, he shot her a teasing glance. “It’s the Lowell charm.” He gave his sister’s hair a playful tug. “Sorry about not picking you up. Stay as long as you want. You got the key, right?”
“How else would I have gotten in?” she asked.
He shrugged. “You could have taken after dear ol’ dad. Breaking and entering was his gift.”
She did the eye roll again, only this one appeared serious. “We have to get over the past.”
“I have.” He started to his room. “If Dad were alive today, I’d arrest his ass.” He glanced back. “I’m going to go to bed before I fall asleep standing up.”
“I love you, Brit.” Susan’s words floated down the hall.
He smiled over his shoulder. “Back at you, Sis.”
“I’m going to buy you some groceries,” she called out.
The bed came into view. “I’ll pay you back,” he countered, and his whole body felt weak with the idea of sleep. But as soon as his head hit the pillow, his mind pulled up a picture of Keith lying cold in his casket. Why, damn it? There was no rhyme or reason to his death. They hadn’t taken his wallet or his car. He’d been leaving the gym after working out. Someone just walked up to him and shot him.
Brit clutched a handful of pillow in his fist. Nope. Nothing was fine. All he could do was keep going. But for how long?
~
Cali leaned back on Tanya’s sofa and picked up another piece of pizza. Spicy sauce and melted cheese. Heaven. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d eaten.
“This is so good,” she said. “I can’t thank you enough for letting me come over.” And now Cali meant it. As much as she’d craved being alone, being with Tanya chased away her doom and gloom mood.
Tanya smiled. “You want another glass of wine?”
“Yes, but I shouldn’t.” Cali looked around at her friend’s apartment. It suited Tanya. Bright and cheery. Eclectic.
After arriving almost an hour late, Cali crashed on the sofa and Tanya opened a big bottle of Merlot. They ordered pizza and drank while Tanya listened about Cali’s suicidal day. Cali managed not to cry, but only because the three glasses of wine had helped. It was still helping.
Tanya refilled Cali’s glass and looked at Cali’s things in a chair. “New coat?”
Generally, Cali abided by a two-drink minimum. Not tonight. “No. It’s his.”
“Stan the Dickhead? Let me get my scissors.”
Cali grinned. “No, the other jerk.”
“Oh, you mean, Mr. Little Dickhead, the detective. How did you get his jacket?”
Cali remembered the detective wrapping his coat around her. For just a second, she’d almost seen some humanity in him. “He put it on me after he stole my keys.”
Eyebrows arching, Tanya said, “Sounds sort of sweet.”
“Humane maybe, but not sweet. There’s nothing sweet about Mr. Little—jeez. I can’t even call him an ugly name. I really need to learn to be a bitch.” Cali bit into the pizza with gusto and watched Tanya pour the rest of the wine into her glass. They weren’t drunk, but they were definitely approaching the silly stage.
Tanya’s goofy smile said the stage had already arrived. “Bitch lessons?”
Cali leaned forward. “Yeah. Can you teach me?”
“Shit.” Tanya held up a hand, did the attitude head-shake, and smiled. “Are you calling me a bitch?”
“Yeah, but in a good way.” Cali chuckled. They’d definitely hit the silly stage. “I’m too nice. Too agreeable. Ask anyone who knows me. If I had dollar for every time I’ve heard, ‘Oh, Cali, you’re so sweet.’”
Tanya picked up a piece of pizza. “It’s your eyes. Big and blue. You look like a Charmin baby.” She pulled a piece of pepperoni off the triangle slice and popped it into her mouth.
“A Charmin baby?” With her pizza poised for another bite, Cali licked a drip of sauce off her lip.
“You know, those baby faces that go on toilet paper.”
The bite of thick crust caught in her throat. “I have a face that should be plastered on toilet paper? You see, only a bitch could say something like that.”
Tanya dropped back on the sofa. “That’s a compliment. Charmin was very particular. I’ll bet my mom sent my picture and I was rejected.”
“Please, you’re exotic looking,” Cali said. “I’ve always wanted to look striking.” Picking up her wine, she studied the pizza balanced on her fingertips. “Seriously, I really need to learn to be a bitch. A bitch would have gotten her keys away from that detective.”
“You got the keys,” Tanya said.
“Only after he got what he wanted.”
Tanya chucked. “I’ll bet he wanted something else too.”
“I don’t think so.”