“Goo-dee-la-la-kee-la-gee-jah,” the kid answered.
Joker looked to Carissa.“That means no.”
Carissa turned to Millie and rolled her eyes.
Mom started giggling again.
“How youdoin’?”High boomed andsuddenly the slightly warm, slightly awkward impromptu welcome wagon partychanged to just awkward.
“I’m good, High, thanks,” I replied.
His eyes narrowed on my face, taking in the still-angrymarks on my brow and jaw and the still-taped nose and he gave clear indicationhe did not agree with my assessment.
“Let’s drink wine,” my mother suggested.“Did you girlsbring Rosalie’s wineglasses over?”
“Of course.We took everything but the asshole’s stuff,”Millie declared then said quickly toward Carissa, “I mean, the a-hole’s stuff.”
She turned back to me as she got close to her man and tookthe Sephora bag from him.
And it was just what Ididn’twant to know aboutChaos.Precisely the fact that the brothers in it wouldn’t even allow theirwomen to carry Sephora bags, even big ones like that.
Once she’d nabbed it, she lifted it up my way and said, “Wegirls got together and got you a bunch of housewarming goodies.Have you triedthe Moroccanoil line?”
And there it was.
Indication that the old ladies in Chaos understood what“housewarming” meant and it didn’t have to do with buying someone a plant.
“No,” I told her.
“Oh myGod,” she rhapsodized.“It’samazing.We got you the body gel and the body soufflé and the shimmering body oil.Thenwe got you the Fresh sugar face polish and rose face mask and hydration creamin case you want to do a facial.It’ssublime.And—”
“Babe, just hand her the bag,” High interrupted, havingstraightened from putting Travis on the floor.
Her head swung High’s direction and she gave him a pointylook.“Don’t interrupt me while I’m talking about Sephora purchases,” shesnapped.
High totally ignored her, but did it appearing faintlyamused, and looked to me.“You in or you got shit you need to carry in?”
“We just did the walk through so—” I started.
“Right, keys,” he ordered, lifting a hand toward me.
“Still got groceries out there,” Joker muttered, strollingthrough the living room toward the front door, glancing down at the baby whowas hightailing it to the kitchen, diapered booty wriggling, likely to crawlaround the kitchen like he’d do at any trusted friend’s house.
Oh man.
“I’ll get Rosie’s stuff upstairs then help you, Joke,” Highmuttered back as I grabbed my car keys from where I’d tossed them on a tablethey’d put by the door (that used to be in my foyer in my apartment, but lookedso much betterby that door) and gave them to High.
“Think I can get it all with this go,” Joker replied.
He thought?
How many groceries did they buy me?
High took off after Joker before I could ask.
Millie handed me the Sephora bag and prompted on a bigsmile, “Dig in.Hope you enjoy,” before she moved toward the kitchen, Carissa,and rustling grocery bags.
“Gee, tee, dee, la?”Travis asked, and I looked that way tosee Mom somehow had hold of him and he was asking her questions.
