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Luce takes my hand, holding it tightly. “So you, what?” she prompts.
I look around, making sure no one is close enough to hear what I’m about to say. “After I got the letter saying I was fired starting in January, I became…” Pausing, I swallow. “I just got… I got really depressed,” I admit, my voice barely above a whisper. “I felt like such a failure. Like I’d let everyone down—”
Luce’s sharp voice silences me. “Abigail Rosie Wilson! Stop that shit right now. You haven’t let anyone down. Christ, it’s not your fault the city has budget cuts. It’s no secret that you like to be in charge of everything, but I think that’s outside even your control.”
I know the last part is meant as a joke, but it still tugs at me in a negative way, and I immediately press my lips together and pull my hand from hers. Squeezing my eyes shut, I slowly count backwards from five to compose myself.
“Maybe itismy fault,” I snap. Okay, so the counting did fuck all.
She straightens in her seat. “Look at me,” she demands, her tone unwavering. When I meet her eyes, they’re filled with concern. “Why didn’t you come to me?” Her tone is soft and tinged with a sadness I know is on my behalf.
I shake my head, feeling a lump form in my throat. “We weren’t really talking at the time,” I confess, feeling a wave of guilt wash over me. “But Jamie... Jamie was there for me. When I kept refusing to go see my doctor to get some antidepressants, he got me some St. John’s Wort—”
“What’s that?”
“It’s a mild antidepressant you don’t need a prescription for. Anyway, it’s been helping with the depression.”
As I speak, I can see the concern in Lucia’s eyes lessen, and I feel a sense of relief wash over me. Opening up about my struggles is never easy, but knowing that Lucia is here to listen makes it a little bit easier to bear.
“Okay,” Luce says once I’m done talking. “Well, I’m here now, Gail. So what do you need?”
Tears well in my eyes. “I just need you to be here for me.” Tossing my freshly dyed locks over my shoulder, I add, “And tell me how amazing my hair looks.”
She bursts out laughing. “You’ve always been stunning. If I was into girls, I’d have put a ring on your finger years ago.”
Throwing my head back, I laugh so hard my stomach and sides hurt. “Damn straight,” I hiccup. “We would make the perfect couple.”
We continue to talk, and the more we say, the smaller the ball in my stomach becomes. As the hours pass by, I feel nice and loose, almost invincible. And it’s not just because of the alcohol, it’s how I always feel with Luce.
She’s in the middle of telling me about the dress for her and her hubby’s big New Year’s plans. By all accounts, it sounds like it’s going to be an epic affair with most of the Sabertooths, partners, and other friends.
“Are you sure you don’t want to come to the party?” Luce whines. When I shake my head she pouts. “Can’t believe my bestie and Sy’s best friends are all skipping out on us. Surely that’s breaking some kind of friend code. Hey, we should totally sue you, Mickey, and Soren.” She smiles evilly.
I do my best not to react at the mention of Sawyer’s teammates, but of course I fail, my body betraying me big time.
“Wait,” Luce says, grinning knowingly. “Why did you blush when I mentioned the two troublemakers?”
“Did not,” I argue weakly.
“Abigail!”
“Lucia.”
She grabs my hand again, squeezing it, her eyes never leaving mine. “Did something happen between the three of you after Sy and I left O’Jackie’s that one time?”
My cheeks feel like they’re on fire, and I know they’re a deep red as another blush spreads across my skin. “Not exactly,” I admit.
She tilts her head to the side, her green eyes studying me. “Are you going to make me keep asking questions?”
“No,” I huff. “Look, nothing happened. We drank, we danced, we laughed. And then they joked about a threesome.”
“They did what?” she screeches.
“Down girl. I didn’t go for it,” I say, waving her off. “I… couldn’t.”
Luce’s lips form an O. “What do you mean you couldn’t? Were you on your period or something?” When I don’t immediately answer, she squeezes my hand tighter. “Come on, you have to give me something.”
Taking a moment, I twirl a lock of hair around my index finger while mentally trying to figure out how to tell her why I couldn’t accept the threesome, even though I really wanted to.
