I held up my hand—my ringless hand.“You tell me.”
Kat’s mouth fell open.“No… oh sweetie.”
And that was why I came here instead of crash-landing at my house.Her hug felt like the best cozy blanket, the ultimate in posh luxury spa wraps, and had just enough Katali Musk 12 notes to transport me back into a million awesome memories.
She squeezed twice, giving me the option to let go.For once, I didn’t.I kept hanging on.
“You want to talk about it?”she asked.
“No.”
She waited a beat.Knowing I needed to spill.
“He was fucking around on me.”
“Iknewit.No one with that thick of a caterpillar on their upper lip and peach fuzz on their jaw is worth more than a trash panda’s puked up pizza.”
My shoulders shook.Only Kat could make me laugh when I wanted to cry.“That wasn’t the worst of it.”
She pushed me out to arm’s length.“You’re messing with me, right?”
I shook my head.
It was so hard to admit, but if anyone would understand, it would be Kat.I sucked in a bracing breath.“Did you watch the live stream?”
Kat nodded.“The mask was a nice touch.Was he wearing lifts?”
“No, that was… oh geesh—” I tried not to laugh, but it would not be contained.“—It’s-a-me-Mar-ee-oh.”
“Who?”She was understandably confused.
“Allie’s husband.”
She searched the empty room for her sanity.“Whoa, wait a minute.Your sister isn’t married.She ain’ even dating.Not since that disaster with the epi-pen dude.”
“I know, it’s a shocker, but get this… my stick up her butt twin bumped into a guy who stole her rideshare, they ended up at the chapel together and, boom.Married.I think she’s pregnant already.”
Kat blinked and held her breath.Her thoughts wereloud.
“Iknow.”
“His name is Mario?”
I cackled.Sue me.Making fun of my “big” sis was ingrained into my DNA.I mocked his name for a second time just for a laugh.
“Gurrlll…” Kat wiped fake moisture from her eyes.
I dug in my pockets for my phone.“To be fair, you might want to walk that back.”It took me a minute to find the photo I’d snapped of Allie and her hubs before I left.It was a great picture.They were doing their usual disgustingly sweet snuggling right at sunset with the brilliantly blue Mediterranean peeking out around the edges of their love fest.If I were in a better headspace, I’d have it framed for her.
But it brought tears to my eyes.I turned the phone away mostly to escape the memories, but Kat grabbed onto it like a starved tiger.“Who in the365 Daysis that?”Her fingers glommed tighter.
“Mario.”
“It’s-a—uh-unh.He’s too gorgeous to make fun of.For real?Allie?”
I nodded.“Bagged and tagged with a whole family heirloom signet ring and everything.”Omitted was the whole capital F, “Family” detail, because while it was outrageous enough that my straighter than an orthodontist’s-child’s-teeth sister did something spontaneous, Kat wouldneverbelieve she married a mobster.Worse… an assassin-mobster.
Which pinched.Because that would be something I’d do.I mean…Johnny Porciello?
