Page 139 of The Rogues

“Exactly,” Cyrus joins. “Besides, you guys have already met them.”

“As their rivals, not as Josie’s pack,” Remi interjects as he maneuvers himself on the couch.

“Plus, Lark is really scary,” Malaki gripes. “Oh god, I shouldn’t have taken her water.”

“It wasn’t her water,” I repeat.

Just as I hope to further assure him that everything is fine, the doorbell rings. I get up so fast, ready to rip the bandage off this night so we can all have a little bit of fun. I look back to the guys once more. They’re all looking at me, wide-eyed, and I’m suddenly nervous for them.

God, they’re going to let their nerves get the better of them. It’s kind of hilarious.

Lark and Nicola are both standing tall, each holding a tray of snacks. When I see the detail in Lark’s cheese platter, I squeal.

“You two didn’t have to do that,” I say.

“Please, don’t act like you’re not drooling over this speciality brie,” Lark comments as I step aside to let them in.

I shrug, because I am. I can tell it’s from one of my favorite local delis downtown.

Nicola smiles wide and pulls me in for a hug. “It’s good to see you, Jo. It feels like it’s been ages.”

I feel squeamish by that, my face contorting into a grimace.

“I’m sorry about that… after everything, it was hard⁠—”

“I’m not saying that to make you feel any kind of way,” she reassures me, her smile soft.

“Exactly. We’ve all been dealing with it in our own ways,” Lark adds. “We each needed time to come to terms with it and to heal. You could have taken months and that would have been fine with me.”

“Ditto!” Nicola exclaims.

My chest feels full just from this simple interaction in the walkway. I blink back tears, emotion choking me.

“And about that interview next week…” Lark starts, her voice low. “If you want us to come with you and Cyrus, we can. If that will make things easier for you, I will find blackmail material on Donna to make it possible.”

I snort a laugh. “No, I think we’ll be fine. Having to talk about it will be hard, and I know it’s not fair to Cleo, but we have to keep on, right?”

Nicola nods. “Right.”

I point my thumb over my shoulder. “Are you guys ready? My guys are biting their fingernails.”

“Why?” Nicola asks.

“Well… they’re nervous, I think.”

“Oh, I love this.” Lark barks with laughter. “These too-cool-for-school rock stars are nervous about us. I can’t wait to mess with them.”

They follow me into the living room, where the guys are standing around awkwardly. Malaki holds his arms out like he doesn’t know what to do with his hands. Jamie tries to nonchalantly lounge on the couch, while Lennon beams so wide that it’s almost scary. Remi and Cyrus both watch the other three, their features pinched like they’re trying to figure out what to do with them.

There’s a moment of silence before Lark says, “Stop being weird.

Malaki squeaks.

Jamie immediately drops his unnatural-looking pose. “Sorry.”

Cyrus steps forward, knowing it’s time to put on his prime hat. “We’re just happy to have you two here.”

“Any friends of Josie’s are friends of ours,” Lennon says stiffly, like he rehearsed it.