“Park here,” she told Christopher, indicating the line of snack bars and a pipe shop whose only clientele appeared to be tattooed skaters and potheads.
He parked in front of an old-fashioned liquor store, meeting her eyes with his sad ones as she stepped from the open door. As upset as she was, she gave him a hug. “I hope this won’t take long,” she said. “When I get back, we’ll talk.”
The rest of the drive had been frosty, as her grandmother would have said. She loved Christopher dearly, but she was happy to get out of the car and let her anger dissipate in the cool Santa Monica breeze.
Rochelle walked up to meet her, wearing a pair of low-cut jeans and a shirt that appeared to have shrunk along with her rib cage. She seemed to be growing thinner all the time, all except her chest, that is. Thank goodness for flowing fabrics. Gabriella might not have much up there, but at least hers was real.
She still couldn’t believe Christopher had talked to Alain, not to mention asked him for money. She couldn’t bear the thought of Alain knowing she was destitute, convinced that she’d gotten what she deserved.
“Well, isn’t this cheery?” Rochelle said. “Tania Marie the honey bee insisted on neutral territory, but this is pushing it, I’d say.”
“Is she here yet?”
“I haven’t seen her. Thought I’d wait out here and decide if I really want to meet with you. My daughter just flew in from school, and I’m too busy to play Tania Marie’s little whacked-out games.”
“Try to be nice to her,” Gabriella said. “She’s not a bad sort. What she’s been through would finish most women.”
“Oh, it’sfinishedher, all right.” Rochelle did a terrible imitation of Gabriella’s accent. “She just doesn’t know it yet.”
A mini SUV pulled up across from Gabriella’s town car. She spotted the straw hat and dark glasses behind the wheel. “Here she comes.”
“Good,” Rochelle said. “Maybe we can settle it right here. The last thing I want is a walk on the beach with you two.”
“You have something against the beach?” Gabriella asked.
“I have something against wasting my time.”
“You needn’t be unpleasant.”
Gabriella started toward Tania Marie. Unlike Rochelle, she looked better each time Gabriella saw her. Trimmer. The wind had tossed her short little flip into something softer and less funky, and from the tiny blue sunglasses to the tattoo on her ankle, she looked—well, jaunty.
In spite of the floppy hat, knee-length pants and jungle-print top, closer fitting than usual, Tania Marie’s manner was serious.
“I’m glad you could make it,” she said.
Rochelle made a huffing sound and unknotted her sweater from around her waist. “I should have my head examined for it after what you two pulled on Crosby’s show.”
“We had a point to make, and we made it.” Tania Marie slipped her macramé bag over her shoulder and began to walktoward the beach. “In fact, that’s what I want to talk about today.”
Rochelle sighed and she wrapped the sweater around her, looking as if she needed all of the warmth she could get. “I knew it. If this meeting is another excuse to knock my husband, you can go to hell, both of you.”
“I agree with her, Tania Marie,” Gabriella put in. “We said what we had to on the Crosby show. I have no desire to cause more problems for Jesse.”
“Big of you.” Instead of appreciating her support, Rochelle struck back as sudden as a snake. “I’ll be sure to let him know that you don’t want to cause any more problems for him.”
“Back off.” Gabriella had just about had it. “All I meant was Jesse’s a nice man, and he’s been kind to me.”
“I know what you meant.” Rochelle’s face had gone dry and tight in the sun. Gabriella felt her own cheeks burn. “Too bad for you he likes big tits.”
“Big ones or fake ones?” she inquired. “Only a very insecure woman would be this threatened by someone who means her no harm.”
“I thought it was the insecure women who went after the married men.”
The heat in her cheeks burned through Gabriella’s entire face. “How dare you suggest—”
“Cut the crap.” Tania Marie stopped on the sand, facing both of them. “Listen, you bitches. Don’t you see this is what they want? The only way we’re going to get out of this is to stick together.”
The harshness of Tania Marie’s command stopped the retort on Gabriella’s tongue. Heart slamming, she stood face-to-face with Rochelle, humiliated at what she’d been engaging in. “They?” she managed. “Who?”
