His eyes lit with humor.
As always, I’d take it.
I finished so he wouldn’t worry about my state of mind.
“So, even though I’m not thrilled Dimitri took it there, I’m not going to lose sleep that William Dexter is no longer among us.”
His eyebrows went up. “Dimitri?”
“That’s how we were introduced to him.”
“Jesus. First name basis with a mob boss.”
I patted his chest. “Don’t worry, baby. It’s all good.”
Gabe sighed again.
After he did that, he asked, “Are there more cupcakes?”
I was offended.
“You think I’d bake cupcakes and not have spares for you?”
“Good,” he said, and I shrieked, because he got up and tossed me over his shoulder when he did. “Time to fuck. We can have cupcakes after.”
That was a plan.
And once we accomplished it, let me tell you, it was a smashing success.
Oh, and Gabe picked the chocolate/salted caramel cupcake.
So obviously, I made special note of that.
You know, for future reference.
TWENTY-EIGHT
IT
In the time before IT happens …
Cheeseburgers with the girls was not going according to protocol.
This was partially because Duane was there.
Who invited him, I didn’t know.
It wasn’t that we didn’t make it clear he was one of ours so that seal had been broken.
It was that he was ruining fantastic greasy diner cheeseburgers and thick shakes with an argument with Lotus over paint chips.
Uh, yeah.
Color me stunned, but the dude was actually going to paint his house.
And he was going to use the extra money to put in a new IKEA kitchen.
I was happy that he was seeing that he was someone who deserved nice things, but I wasn’t sure I wanted to be around when the kitchen discussion came up, considering what was happening right now.
