“Unfinished business, I guess you could say.” If you didn’t want to sound like an unhinged person frothing at the mouth about REVENGE!
Adriana’s lips curved just enough to display her famous dimples. “I guess that makes two of us.”
Oh, so she wanted to play the charmingly self-deprecating card? Good luck with that. Jean wasn’t going to give her the satisfaction of asking. Obviously they were both talking about Charlie, not that Adriana seemed to be aware of that. Unless shedidknow, and Jean was about to be dropped in a ditch along a deserted stretch of highway.
“Not just here for a beer party in the boonies, then?” Jean kept her voice light, like a person with no personal stake in the answer. Just makin’ conversation. Tra-la-la!
“It’s not my usual scene,” Adriana agreed. “I’m trying to fix my karma. Or maybe it’s selfish. I don’t know.”
“Am I an angel or a devil?” Jean asked rhetorically. “Story of my life.”
Adriana gave her another considering look, twisting one of her rings around her index finger. “You were riding with Margaret this morning. Are you two friends?”
Oh boy. Even though she kept her voice steady, Jean heard the twinge of emotion. It wasn’t a casual question, which meant Adriana most likely knew about Charlie and Margaret.
“She’s very beautiful, don’t you think?” Adriana added, looking at her lap.
Make thatdefinitelyknew, hence the probing for intel about the competition. Jean felt a surprising reluctance to be the bearer of bad news. Something about those big round eyes that looked a little tired, like someone as famous as Adriana should be immune to human frailty.
“Sure, I’d paint her. Whoever she is. Another beverage person, presumably.” Jean added a vague hand wave, hoping that would be enough to introduce reasonable doubt.
“She makes teas,” Adriana corrected. “Really good ones. Not alcoholic.”
“Oh yeah.” Jean nodded as the realization struck; that must have been what was in the get-well basket Charlie had left at her door, before tiptoeing away with the exaggerated motions of a mime. His criminal instincts were clearly limited to the romantic arena. “Very soothing. As much as I can be soothed.” She glanced at the security guards. “Not that I’m a dangerous person.”
“You tried her tea?”
“It was in a hospitality basket.” No need to mention she’d gotten it from Charlie.
“Ah.” She seemed weirdly relieved. “Not a custom blend?”
“Nope.” Maybe focus less on the tea and more on who your man is seeing behind your back, Jean thought at her. A little friendly suggestion.
“And the blonde girl?”
“Emma the frost maiden?” Jean shook her head. “I don’t see that happening.”
Adriana jumped on that, like she wanted to believe but needed hard evidence. “Why not?”
“One, old people suck at matchmaking. They’re way too obvious, like a cat in tap shoes. And two, I don’t get the impression Emma has much use for other humans.” What Jean didn’t say, because it would have been weird, was that no one could compete with Adriana Asebedo. Charlie was probably dumping Margaret right now, if he hadn’t already. Jean needed to hustle if she wanted to bring her evil plans to fruition before Charlie and Adriana rode off into the sunset together.
Fortunately, she thrived under pressure.
“You don’t think there’s anything there?” Adriana pressed.
“Nah. Here today, gone tomorrow.”
The singer fell silent, fiddling with her rings again. “It’s not always like that, though. Sometimes you meet a person and it’s lightning. It marks you. The burn is so bright, you can’t get it out of your head afterward.”
“Like your retinas are fried?” Jean knew she was deflecting, and maybe Adriana did too, because she gave her an arch look.
“That’s never happened to you?”
“If it did, I’d find a way to get it out of my system.” And I’d sure as hell never admit we were both talking about the same guy.
“And how would you do that?” Adriana sounded equal parts dubious and intrigued.
“Obviously it would depend on the situation. Like in your case, you’d probably write a song. Let it all out in the lyrics.”
