Daisy winked and made an okay symbol. “I’m picking up what you’re putting down.” She looked around. “She meansno putting out.” Everyone but Lacy laughed, but Daisy reached down to pat her shoulder. “Eagle can put the pressure on him better than anyone. Teamwork makes the dreamwork, Lacy.”
“Okay,” Lacy whispered. “But we–”
“No!” Kristie, Mama Hen, and Daisy said in unison.
I patted Mama Hen’s shoulder and said, “I appreciate the gesture. But I can handle him myself. Lacy is free to do as she pleases.”
Daisy shook her head. “She wants to pleaseyou, ain’t that right?”
Lacy nodded. “Actually, you know what? They’re right. Fuck them all!” she said, lifting her bottle.
We all gasped, looking over with wide eyes. She was always so proper and very much Team Eagle. But she was breaking that for me.
“Be good, girls,” Mama Hen said before she finally left.
The others stayed a while longer, but once the cooler was empty, we all started losing steam.
Kristie checked her watch. “Not to sound like a grandma, but I need to get to bed soon. If I sleep too late on Sunday morning, I can’t sleep Sunday night, and I have work Monday. So does Shiv for that matter.”
“I think they planned to be back tomorrow,” Daisy said.
Kristie stood, stretching as she did. “Must be nice to have her dad,” she said with a wink. Shiv’s father was a well known doctor who’d put in a call to help her get her job at the CDC. ButShiv paid it forward and helped Kristie get one, too.
Kristie extended her hand and Lacy grabbed it. “I feel like a grandma. All that riding then sitting on the floor for hours has me stiff.”
“We need a hot tub,” Daisy said as she picked up bottles. “Mrs. President, see what you can do.”
“I need a good hot tub and a place for an ice bath,” I said as I started cleaning up the small plates and napkins.
They all stopped cold and looked at me like I grew another head.
“What? After a hard workout a good ice bath is fantastic. You were dancers, did you never have one?” Dancing for hours surely was tough on your joints and muscles.
Daisy shook her head. “Closest would be a shower that didn’t melt my skin off.”
“By the time I got home, I’d want a hot shower and a snack,” Lacy said.
“Well, I will see about both, but you must try the ice bath.”
“You’re evil,” Klara said as she helped move things to the kitchen. “I’ve not done the full ice bath, but I used to love to soak my feet in them.”
“Ladies, I can handle this mess,” I said, but they all just ignored me.
After only a few minutes, the living room and kitchen were just as tidy as before. Looking around, I sighed. “I left my bag at the clubhouse with my cute little utensils.”
“I can get them and bring them back for you,” Lacy said.
Waving her off, I answered, “No. I can wait until tomorrow. It’s late. Mama Hen probably already grabbed them for me.”
“You’re right. Well, off to bed for me,” Lacy said. “It’s been a long day.”
I walked them to the door and pulled it open, then pushed it almost closed again. “Listen, I really do appreciate you all so much. I know I haven’t been here as long, and–”
Daisy put her hand up. “Nope. Respect is respect. Andbecauseshe’s been here longer, she knows better. I’m just sorry everything blew up like that.”
Kristie leaned in for a hug. “If there’s anything I’ve learned in life, longevity doesn’t measure value or loyalty.”
Lacy then took her turn with me. “Maybe she’s just having an off day. She was very out of character.” She pulled away, her brows shooting up high. “Not that it’s an excuse or that I agree with anything that happened. But it’s just odd. Hopefully she’ll see what she did was wrong and make it right.”
