“There was one time in college, but it didn’t go further than PG-rated. His halitosis turned us both off.”
“Wait! You and I went to college together. How did I never know about this before?”
Nadia shrugged, avoided her gaze, and bit into the danish.
“You dirty little liar!” Katie accused, making her laugh.
“I was wondering when you’d catch on. You’re slower than usual this morning.”
“Yeah, well, I didn’t have the perfect male specimen massaging my scalp to get rid of my pounding headache.” She gave Nadia a sour look. “I can’t believe you were having me on.”
“Jealous?” With a wink and a sip of her drink, Nadia stumbled to the table and plopped down. “I’m so glad today is Saturday. I don’t think I could handle Grabass McGraw today.”
“Sal sounds like a fucking tool,” Katie said in commiseration. Every woman had dealt with someone like him at some point in their career.
“I’m telling you, if I weren’t close to gaining access to the archives, I’d murder him and bury him under the courtyard.”
Her new cat gave Nadia an approving look.
“Oh, crap. I forgot to feed her. I’m a shit pet parent.” She shifted to stand, but Katie waved her down.
“Luc already did. Made it his first priority after starting a pot of coffee for us. He’s a damned angel.”
Ariel hacked—hard.
“You should have that thing X-rayed. She might have a massive furball lodged in her belly,” Katie said with a concerned glance at the cat.
“I’ll call on Monday and schedule an exam and shots. Will that satisfy you?”
“Immensely.” After a few silent minutes of boosting their depleted energy with caffeine and sugar, Katie asked, “What’s on the agenda for today?”
“Not sure. I can take you to the library if you want to see?—”
“God, no!” She rose and kissed Nadia’s cheek. “I love you, Tart, but I’m not into dusty old books like you. Let’s go explore Grimville.”
“Grimwich.”
“Yeah, same difference. What a heinous name for a city, by the way.” She mock shuddered.
Or maybe it was real. Katie didn’t have the stomach for gore or slasher films the way Nadia did.
“Maybe your hot neighbor can be our tour guide,” she teased.
Before Nadia could reply, someone banged on the front door. Katie, great friend that she was, went to answer. When she returned, she was trailed by Dina.
“Hey!” Nadia managed a passable smile and shoved the box of pastries toward her. “To what do we owe this pleasure?”
Their guest selected one without even looking, keeping her eyes locked on her. “I thought you might want to come down for the pool party. It’s about to kick off, and half the complex will be there.”
“Jesus! Is that all anyone does here?”
The perky redhead blinked, her eyes rounding in sync with her mouth.
A sinking sensation filled Nadia’s belly. “Oh, I’m sorry. Did I offend? I’m not religious and forget?—”
Dina waved a hand, eyes sparkling. “No. It was unexpected. You have an angelic appearance, so it was a bit of a shock to hear an exclamation come from your mouth.”
“She gets that a lot,” Katie said with a laugh. “Can we interest you in a cup of java, Dina?”
