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“Jovie’s,” I answered. I’d told them every little detail of our reunion, even down to my strange date.
Turner had a talent for dragging that sort of thing out of a person.
“Does she know Iris?” Turner asked, his eyes narrowed in thought.
“Iris?” I asked, confused. “Of course not. I met Jovie on Instagram. Wait, what are you implying here?”
“Ro!” he shouted. Iris, his wife, and Nova were baking cupcakes together with Iris and Dair’s kids while we brainstormed in Dair’s office.
Ro appeared impressively fast, sassy hands on hips. She was heavily pregnant, due any day, any minute now. “Yes, milord!” she said, smirking at him.
Turner beamed at her like her sass was his own personal ray of sunshine.
“Dair, Ro,” Turner addressed them both, holding his palms out and speaking slowly like he was making a big reveal. “Tell me this doesn’t smack of Iris fuckery.”
“You’re crazy,” Ro stated flatly.
“So?” he shot back at her. “You haven’t even heard what I’m talking about yet.”
He explained it all to her, the quick, crude, Turner version of events.
“Now answer the question,” he told her. “Does this smack of Iris fuckery?”
“Paranoid weirdo,” Ro muttered.
“Pregnant shrew,” he returned, then, “Dair, you’re awfully quiet.”
Dair opened his mouth to say something when Iris appeared in the doorway, smiling.
Turner pointed at her. “Do you have to appear when we say your name three times? Did we summon you out of the depths? Is it some kind of witchcraft?”
She giggled and went to sit beside her husband, patting his knee and winking at him.
“Hear me out,” Turner continued his tirade. “Iris found your pregnant girl and led you to her.” As he spoke he was on his phone. A minute passed.
I did find it curious how smug Iris looked.
“Aha!” Turner exclaimed. “Here it is. Iris and Jovie in a picture together at some party in L.A. Care to explain yourself?”
He was looking at Iris. We all were.
Seriously? I thought. I hadn’t for a second believed he could be onto something, but that right there was very suspicious.
Iris just shrugged and said, “To be clear: I did not set you up with your student. Even I’m not that twisted. I only involved myself when you fucked up and lost her.”
I was stunned. Maybe Iris really had done all the crazy stuff Turner thought she had. It was mind-boggling. “You set me up with Jovie so I would run into Nova while we were on our date?
“Yes. Don’t worry, Jovie knew it was all fake, and she was game. She’s a doll.”
“Do you think that’s what I was worried about?”
She giggled. “You’re welcome.”
“Admit it, you and Heath are both spooks,” Turner accused her.
She didn’t bat an eye. “Whatever work we have or have not done for the government is confidential, but I will say, whatever it was, I’m mostly retired and so is Heath.”
Turner was like a dog with a bone. “Mostly?”