“Ow. Ow, ow, ow.”
Sebastian smirks.
Ivy shakes her head, then grabs a bottle of water from the fridge. “Here. Drink this.”
I take a long gulp, hoping it will stop the burn.
And also buying time.
Keep your cool. Don’t get flustered.
“So... back to Violet ‘sneaking’ over.” The smug grin on Sebastian’s face makes me want to pour the rest of the water on him.
Or better yet, my coffee.
“She didn’t sneak over,” I huff. “She just happened to be there.”
He arches a brow. “Happened to?”
I glare at him. “I went outside. There was a kitten. I thought it was going to attack me.”
“You mentioned that.”
Mr. Pickles strolls into the room. He takes one look at me, then comes over, parking his ass in front of me. He flicks his tail, judging me with his big eyes.
“Don’t you start. Just cause you witnessed it?—”
“Oh, Mr. Pickles witnessed it?” Ivy looks at Sebastian. “We may need to call a cat psychic. See if he or she can reveal what really happened.”
“Dear God.” I pinch the bridge of my nose. “A cat nearly attacked me. I fell on my ass?—”
“You fall a lot,” Ivy says matter-of-factly. “Remember when you ripped your pants falling off the deck when Mr. Pickles brought you that mouse?”
Sebastian nods. “It was a polite gift.”
“A gift?” I point at him. “It was a fucking dead rodent.”
“Would you rather he gave you a live one?” Ivy asks.
“Jesus. It’s too early for this.” I pinch the bridge of my nose. “Plus, he did that during your honeymoon.”
“He was bonding with you,” Ivy says with a smile.
“So how did Violet show up? There was a kitten. You feared for your life,” Sebastian smirks. “Probably screamed like a final girl and made the poor cat deaf.”
Ivy nods solemnly. “No doubt.”
“I didn’t scream,” I say, agitated by this conversation. “I fell and... Violet appeared.”
“She appeared?” Sebastian’s brow is wrinkled. “Like she’s... magical? Or a witch?”
“For fuck’s sake. No.” Lack of sleep ruins me. That’s the only explanation for what I say next. “She came out of the damn shrubs.”
Silence.
Sebastian’s eyes widen. “From the?—”
“Don’t say it!” I point at him. “Don’t say a damn?—”
