She was not. Vivi was kind of a badass. She’d been in England for the last couple of years going to grad school where she was following in her mother’s footsteps and studying psychology. She worked at McKay-Taggart and Knight part time and shared a flat with Kenzie’s cousin Sophy.
Who looked…healthy, and that felt like a miracle.
“Don’t listen to her, Sosa.” Kala walked in behind Kenzie. “She’s a happy pervert. You’ve got a terrible relationship with sex because of the whole ‘kidnapped as a child and forced to grow up in a brothel’ thing. It’s fine. You’ll find the right dick and it will be miraculous.”
Vivi’s jaw dropped. “Kala. Seriously?”
Kala looked to their cousin with a shrug like she didn’t see the problem. “Or pussy. I’ve heard pussies can be magical, too. Honestly, or a vibe. Lou used to cuddle with hers when the nights got lonely, but then she got together with TJ and now they’re happy. But TJ does still cuddle a hot dog. He gets hungry at night. It’s weird.”
“Kala, new friends.” Kenz wasn’t sure they were friends at all.
But then she also wasn’t certain Ben Parker wasn’t playing her for all she was worth.
It hadn’t felt that way. The afternoon had been lovely. He’d taken her straight to bed, but he hadn’t stripped her and spread her wide for himself. He’d cuddled her and asked her about her family. He’d listened to her stories until she’d fallen asleep, and he’d still been holding her when he’d woken her and told her it was time for dinner.
He’d sat beside her as they’d talked with Cooper and Kala and Lou and TJ. Oliver had kept his distance, sitting with Lucy and Sami and Tim.
It felt good to sit there with a Ben who paid attention to her, who was polite to her family and seemed to want to be there.
Of course, she’d told him exactly how to play her.
Sosa shrugged and found one of the comfy seats. “She is not wrong. She is very smart Bratz doll. I don’t know about other one.”
“I swear if you call me a Bratz doll one more time, I’m going to show you that I held back with your friend yesterday,” Kenzie snarled. “I know my mother is being nice to you and I want to be nice as well, but I can be mean.”
Kala snorted and sank down in front of one of the free mirrors. “She can be. She’s one of those lovely souls who is sweet as pie until she’s done and then she will throw down, and she does not mind pulling out large portions of hair. If you aren’t attached to it or you’ve been wanting to try something different, try her, man.”
Sosa looked her up and down as though assessing. “Fine. But just because I do not say thing does not mean it isn’t true.”
“And just because I let you live doesn’t mean I like you,” Kenzie returned. And then immediately felt guilty, but she wasn’t taking it back. She turned to her cousin. She’d seen Vivi earlier. Vivian had been waiting to greet them when they’d gotten to the building, but Sophy didn’t work here. She only came in for club nights. “Soph, it’s so good to see you. I am not going to ask the question.”
The question Sophy had been asked since she was thirteen years old and diagnosed with cancer.
Her cousin gave her a brilliant smile. “I’m fine. All my checkups are good. Still in complete remission.”
Her port scar had faded, but the evidence would always be with herin that thin line on her chest. Kenzie hugged her tight and tried not to get emotional. Cancer ran in Uncle Simon’s family line, and though Sophy had come through it like a champ, it still almost wrecked them all.
Kenzie took a step back and smiled brightly. “I’m glad to hear it. How is your uncle doing?”
“The duke is quite well, thank you for asking,” she replied. “Don’t I sound like a proper British aristocrat? Uncle Clive’s been giving me lessons. We’re handling a bunch of renovations out at Norsely right now, so I’m in full-on Downton Abbey mode. Except we don’t have all the servants and stuff because my uncle’s on the solitary side.”
“Your uncle is named Duke?” Sosa asked since she seemed to be such a curious girl.
“My uncle is the Duke of Norsely,” Sophy replied. “My father is his heir right now, and I am here in England learning as much as I can about my family.”
“And breathing, since her mom and dad are helicopter parents,” Kala quipped.
Vivi’s head shook. “I forgot how bad she is at the whole civilized-conversation thing.”
“She’s not wrong,” Sophy admitted. “I’m afraid a long fight with cancer for their only child made them a bit overprotective, and the truth of the matter is they were both something of spies when they were younger, and also they run a company that literally finds missing people. You can imagine I did not get to do a bunch of teenage rebellion things since the one time I snuck out to go to a party, my mom showed up and insisted on taking my temperature and making sure everyone around me had their flu shots. I was not popular in high school. Or college, really. So I needed some space. My dad showed up at my apartment in Dallas when I had a boyfriend over and I walked out to find them discussing my diet and exercise program. That poor man who I kept around for his large dick was sitting there listening to a lecture about how to keep my blood count where it needs to be. So here I am in England, and my uncle doesn’t ask about my doctors’ appointments.”
It had been a hard time for her family, but she knew it had been devastating for Uncle Simon. They were fine now but he still worried, and letting Sophy out into the world had been difficult for him.
“You were sick?” Sosa looked her up and down as though it was hard to see the sick child in the healthy woman.
“I was, but I’m good now. I’ve been in remission for a long time and I take care of myself,” Sophy said and then wrinkled her nose a bit. “Mostly.”
“And I watch out for her, and it has nothing to do with the fact that I get to stay in this fabulous flat right here in Chelsea,” Vivi proclaimed. “I’m not joking. Uncle Si bought this ridiculous penthouse. I bring my broke-ass grad student friends up there and they think I’m some kind of billionaire. I have to tell them no, that is my best friend. Ooo, Kenz. Did I tell you we’ve been talking about getting a dog to go with the cats? Soph and I are settling into our spinster era. It’s kind of fun.”
