“The courthouse? Beverly Hills?”
“Yeah. I’m attending Federica and Akua’s wedding. Just a tiny, quick thing, pictures down at City Hall, then we’re getting dinner.”
“Are you the only witness at the wedding of two of your exes?” Audrey asked, amused but unsurprised.
“Firstly, obviously I’m attending. I introduced them, we’re all great friends, and they can both talk about how great I am in bed—”
“No way they do that.”
“Pretty sure they do. I’ll ask later.”
“Please don’t.”
Zora cackled. “And, secondly, I’m not the only guest. Nash is here too.”
“Another of their exes. Naturally.”
“You act as if you’re not queer, I swear.”
“Definitely queer. Just… poorly dated.”
“Yeah, well, so would I be if I was busy becoming a doctor and engaging in the world’s most bizarre and intense career—two careers, technically—and, you know, traumatized by my shit family.”
“I’m not traumatized—”
“Don’t even try that on me. We both know you are. You don’t get into examining dead bodies without being traumatized.”
“Actually, I examine the bugs.”
“Yeah, on the dead bodies.” She huffed. “Name one mentally healthy person you work with.”
“Name one mentally healthy personyouwork with!”
Zora laughed again. “Babe, I work for a queer non-profit. We’re all going through it.”
“Exactly.”
“Still not bugs on bodies.”
“Bugs areinteresting.”
“So I’ve heard.” Her shudder was audible.
Zora had always been supportive of Audrey’s job, and morbidly fascinated by aspects of it, but she had yet to come around on bugs. Audrey was used to that.
She smiled. She really did love her job, even if it did seem a little weird to people outside her profession.
“Anyway,” Zora said pointedly, clearly focusing her mind on things other than bugs, “my point stands. No way in hell River found a girlfriend that quickly, especially not one who was justitchingto attend the Sinclair family horror show.”
Audrey laughed. “Halloween was a while ago.”
“Yeah, and your family’s trying to infect Christmas with it. Thank God you’re not there for actual Christmas. You’ll have a much better time with us.”
Something inside Audrey’s chest warmed. She always did. Zora’s family were loud, loving people, and time with them in Moreno Valley had become… familiar. Far more comfortablethan the annual tree week with her own biological family, even if she still wasn’t sure about spending Christmas Day itself with them. Zora insisted it was fine, that they wanted her there, but Audrey wasn’t convinced. “Yeah, let me know if they want me to bring anything back from Michigan.”
“Just your cute self and your will to live.”
“No matter how badly this week goes, I don’t think I’ll be losing that.”
