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Fuck, I’d hurt her feelings.
“No, I mean that I like it. It’s really good. I think you’ve got something here,” I said sincerely.
“Really?”
“Yes. She’s cute. What’s her name?”
“It’s a he. He’s supposed to look like a badass. His name is Mayhem the Unicorn.”
“I like it. What’s Mayhem up to?”
“He stands up to bullies.”
I stared at her. “Stop being so adorable. I mean it.”
“Never,” she returned instantly. “Adorable is how God made me.”
“Pride is a sin, you know.”
“I know,” she said wistfully. “It was always my favorite one.”
“Oh! Oh!” I liked this game. “Guess mine!”
She rolled her eyes. “That’s too easy. I’m not going to encourage you.”
Fair enough. “You seem pretty far along here. Do you have a story in mind? I have a friend that works in a children’s division at one of the big publishing houses. Want me to give her a call?”
Her nose scrunched up in that cute, sexy way it did when she was thinking too hard. Finally she shook her head. “Not yet. I’m not quite ready. I need to come up with more story first.”
I shrugged. “Suit yourself. Let me know when you change your mind. So what else were you planning for your lazy Sunday? Going to take another nap or want to try something more interesting?”
She eyed me. “What did you have in mind?”
She let me think I talked her into it.
I was a lamb to slaughter.
I should’ve known. Before we ever broke out the cards, she’d shown me her poker face, and it was the best I’d ever seen.
“You’re just lucky,” I told her as I shuffled the deck for the third time. “It’s a game of luck.”
“If it’s a game of only luck, why do I always win?”
“You always win? Against everyone?”
She hesitated. “Well, not with Iris, but she cheats.”
“I knew it! Can you prove it, though?”
“Well, I mostly meant she cheats because she has a genius IQ. It’s really not fair. She’s hacking life.”
I nodded emphatically. “It’s not fair, is it? And wrapped up in that bombshell package. No one sees her coming. And she doesn’t always use her superpowers for good.”
Ro laughed. “She’s one of the sweetest people I know. She’s wouldn’t hurt a fly.”
“Did no one ever tell you about that time she ether-tapped Dair?”
She looked shocked. “You’re making that up. That damned fiction brain of yours is spinning tales again.”
