“It’s nothing,” Emerson whispered.
Danielle crossed her arms and blocked the door.
“You aren’t budging, are you?” Emerson asked.
“Nope. Spill it, sister.”
“I’ve got a case that’s got me on edge. Plus, I ran into—” She stopped cold.
“Ran into who?”
“Never mind.”
“Now, you’re starting to piss me off.”
“I ran into Stryker Truman.”
“So?”
“He’s your boss,” Emerson whispered. “I can’t talk to you about him.”
“I never talk about personal stuff at work. Ever, Em. I promise. He doesn’t even know we’ve been BFFs since the beginning of time. I’ve never even mentioned you.”
Relief had Emerson smiling. “I’ve run into him a few times. One minute he’s a great guy and the next, a full-on jerk.”
Danielle ran her fingers through her long hair, then stared at Emerson in the mirror. She dug out a lipstick and handed it to her. “You need a little…I don’t know…pink.”
Both women were blondes with fair complexions, so whatever makeup Danielle used, worked for Emerson.
Emerson rolled on the lip color and handed the stick back. Next, Danielle held out a small makeup brush and her blush. Emerson refused. “I’m going to dinner with my best friend and her sister. Why am I putting on makeup?”
“You look like you could use it.” Danielle dabbed the brush into the blush and then applied it to Emerson’s cheekbones. “You know, people would die for your cheekbones. You could have been a model.”
Emerson barked out a laugh. “Yeah, but I’d have to wear six-inch heels. I’m five-four.”
“The only reason Stryker doesn’t like you is because you arrested him,” Danielle whispered. “He finally got the FBI account back at the beginning of the year. He lost a lot of business because of what happened.”
Emerson’s stomach roiled. “I feel badly about that, but at the time, I thought—”
“Don’t worry about it,” Danielle said. “Ancient history.”
“Danielle, Emerson, are you in there?” Claire-Marie called out.
“I won’t say a word,” Danielle whispered while she crossed her heart.
“Thank you.” Emerson opened the door.
Danielle’s older sister, Claire-Marie, hugged them as the restaurant buzzer vibrated in Danielle’s bag. “Our table is ready! Let’s get this party started!”
After the women were seated in their booth, a server took their drink order. Now that Emerson’s stomach had quieted down, she was famished. Tonight, Claire-Marie had pulled her dark hair into a ponytail that sat high on her head.
“You look like you’re going to yoga,” Danielle said, “but you’re drinking.”
“I’m playing later and like to give my partner something to hold on to.” Claire-Marie waggled her eyebrows.
Claire-Marie was a CPA by day. At night, she liked her kink served strong.
“Where are you playing?” Emerson asked.
