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“What about?”

Doc looked happy, so this could end well for him. With his prez in a good mood, it meant girls’ night might actually go ahead.

“Maeve, Charlotte, Eden, Nancy, they’ve all been working really hard. Like really, really hard.”

“Cut the shit,” Doc said. “What do you want?”

“I want you to grant them a girls’ night.”

“Are you out of your fucking mind?” Doc asked. “I don’t need Maeve and Nancy mingling any more than they already do.”

“I need this,” Grim said.

“Why the fuck do you need girls’ night?” Doc asked, and his good mood was certainly taking a turn for the worse.

“I don’t need it for myself, it’s for Betty.”

“The girl you keep chasing around?” Doc asked.

“I don’t go chasing her around.”

“Where were you last night?”

Grim went quiet.

“It’s not your job to look out for her.”

“It wasn’t your job to look out for Maeve, but I don’t recall stopping you from chasing her, or being there for her.”

Doc froze.

“Betty had a shit year. That was how long she was gone. Kidnapped. Did you know she was a local and had lived here a couple of years?” Grim asked.

“Yeah, I knew. I’d bumped into her a few times at the supermarket.”

He was not happy to hear that. Was he the only person who didn’t fucking remember Betty prior to her being taken? This didn’t make him feel any better. In fact, it made him feel a hell of a lot worse.

“Look, that is beside the point. No, you know what, that is what makes this even easier, because we fucked up.”

“We fucked up?” Doc asked.

“Yeah, that is exactly what we did. We fucked up, and now we have to fix this. Betty was a local, and for a year she was gone, and we didn’t notice. We only noticed when it became a risk to your woman and daughter. Betty suffered through our negligence. We owe it to her to allow her to have the experience of a girls’ night with our girls,” Grim said.

“You know, I don’t think I’ve ever seen or heard you try to fight for anything the way you’re fighting for this.” Doc laughed. “Fine. You can have your girls’ night, but you are going to be the one that cleans up the mess.”

He was not afraid of a little mess.

Doc left, making his way down the stairs, and Grim got on his cell phone and dialed Maeve’s number. He let her know he’d gotten the all-clear on the girls’ night. All she needed to do was invite Betty, and he was determined that she have a good time.

****

Friday Night

Betty was not a party person.

Maeve and Charlotte were not taking no for an answer during her makeover, and then her aunt got involved, telling her it would be a good time for her. It just made her even more nervous. But she agreed, and then Grim was there, encouraging her. He told her she would be safe, and she had nothing to worry about.

She was not a social butterfly. She didn’t socialize well, as she was mostly awkward within social settings and around people.