Tony tossed it almost immediately.
“What is it you propose?” Em asked, ever so cautiously.
Barbie stood and pressed her palms together. Then she hurried to the bags and pulled out a garden gnome…a gnome that looked just like Em. Then she removed another smaller version from the sack—Fiona. “Ta da.”
This was right up Barbie’s ally. She gave good gifts, that was for sure.
“Oh my God.” She took the gnomes, setting them on her coffee table. “These are amazing.”
“Oh shit, Barbie made it here first,” their friend, Cressida, said. Her voice was all muffled, as she peered into the windowpane beside the front door.
Emmaline should move putting curtains up to the top of the list of things that must be done right away. Right after buying the curtains, which would come after measuring for them.
Time to get on that.
Barbie went straight to the door, swinging it open and spreading her arms wide. “Welcome to Emmaline’s! Prepare to party!”
“Barbie, we said no gnomes!” Cress said, leading the last of their crew—Lauren—into the room. Lauren, Cress, Barbie, and Em used to be inseparable. Before Em moved away.
Cress and her brown hair, tan skin, and subtle way of making things better was a contrast to Lauren who preferred not to spend any time in the sun, had strawberry-red hair and could be a bit of a hurricane.
Lauren held out a gorgeous basket filled with something that smelled really nice. Lavender? Yeah, that was lavender. Not the fakey-fake kind that came in a perfume bottle, but the real deal. And the basket was one of the handmade kinds Emmaline would expect to see at the galleries her ex took her to early in their relationship; back when things were good. At least, back when she’dthoughtthey were good.
“We brought you a little welcome back basket.” Lauren flashed a smile and held out the oversized, gorgeous basket. “This is the agreed-upon gift.” She gave the gnomes side-eye.
Barbie lifted a shoulder, her shirt slipping a little and pushing the cleavage situation into seriously iffy territory.
“So…what have we missed in the pastdecade?” Cress asked, putting her hands on Em’s shoulders and giving her a once-over. Like she was checking to ensure there were still two ears, ten fingers, two legs, all that. Lauren’s presence was oddly settling against the persistent rattling Emmaline had gotten used to inside her own head lately.
“Well, it didn’t involve the dumpster, last night’s fire, and a faulty battery in her chick stick, that’s for damn sure,” Barbie said with a wink at Emmaline.
Oh, dear God.It was out there. Just like the all-day pajamas.
“Barbie,” Em said between her teeth. “Filter.”
Was it possible to actually feel the blood draining from one’s head as one’s cheeks heated? Just, you know, asking for a friend.
“I figured you might be involved when I heard about the fire in your new neighborhood.” Cress didn’t seem phased at all.
“Who told you about the fire?” Em asked.
Cress trailed her finger along the back of Em’s sofa. “I have my ways of hearing things.”
“But what’s a chick stick?” Lauren asked.
Em shook her head faster than she’d done it before. “It’s nothing. I was only playing with matches. No big deal.”
“I think I know.” Cress raised her hand and did a colorful dance.
“I’ve never been so curious about a situation since that time Emmaline let a bumblebee loose in Lance’s bedroom. Remember? Because she decided she wanted a pet.” Cress got wistful at the memory. “Stung him, right on the bum while he was…you know…”
“I apologized for that,” Emmaline grumbled. “Now, I have new, more pressing issues.”
“I know.” Cress lifted her shoulders in excitement. “Isn’t this fun? Somebody better spill.”
“Barbie is exceptionally good at that, isn’t she?” And they’d be having a little chat later.
Barbie gave a rather abbreviated explanation that involved unnecessary hand gestures.
