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5
“Happy Bad Housewives Day, bitches,” Lara said, lifting her glass of beer as they occupied their favorite booth at Splurge. Once a week, they met at someone’s home or a restaurant to catch up and talk about life.
Nikki took a sip of her wine. “Amen. Cole has the kids today,” she said, referring to the two boys she had from a previous marriage. “I have to enjoy while I can. We’ll be trying for a baby soon.”
Lara broke a piece of bread and took it to her mouth.
Brit played with the edges of the menu she knew backward and forward. Since the previous night, she hadn’t slept well. Damian had left her after they had sex, which bode well with the deal they agreed on before they entered her place. But her heart skipped a beat when she remembered the glint of sadness in his eyes when he’d said goodbye.
“Brit.” Lara raised her voice, pulling Brit from her musings. “Are you okay?”
“Yes.”
Nikki frowned. “I like your hair. When did you cut it?”
“This morning,” Brit said, touching the ends of the shoulder-length blunt cut she’d gotten from a hairstylist at the mall.
Lara withdrew, studying her with narrowed eyes. “You usually get a haircut when you either want to change or want to forget about something.”
Fuck.Brit’s palms grew damp. She hadn’t told them much about Damian and wouldn’t now. Damn, especially after having slept with him. What kind of crappy friend was she? “I wanted a change. I’m planning on attending a really good convention for makeup artists in New York. Decided to start trying new hairstyles now to see what works best,” she said, managing to sound cool.
“Oh, right, you mentioned you wanted to go,” Nikki said.
Lara’s gaze lingered for a moment, as if she suspected her friend’s answer, but she didn’t confront her. “Nice. Has anyone heard from Violet?”
Brit shifted in her seat. Cold slicked her forehead, and she wondered if a guilty stamp would form there with beads of sweat. “No.”
“I hope she’s okay. It’s crazy she’s been gone for so long,” Nikki said.
“Do you think she and Damian would get back together if she returned?” Lara asked.
Ice dripped into Brit’s blood stream, and she shuddered. She swung her gaze around the restaurant, not focusing anywhere in particular, and hoping they talked about something else, fast. She’d missed Violet dearly, and wanted her friend to return to her life. Healthy and thriving. But a small, petty part of her couldn’t deny her friend’s presence would be a daily reminder of her sleeping with Damian. And that would be a pain to get over.
“I don’t think so,” Nikki said. “She made it seem like they were done before she left.”
“Yeah, but what if she’d been out of character then too? Maybe she regrets it now,” Lara said.
Brit grabbed a generous amount of bread and shoved it in her mouth in a silent prayer for them to change the subject as soon as possible. The waitress came and took their orders, and thank god Nikki started talking about her daughter’s newest milestones and no one pressed on the Violet situation anymore.
“I need to use the restroom, guys,” Nikki said, standing up. “Be right back.”
Brit watched her friend go.
“So, how long have you and Damian been fucking?” Lara asked.
Her blood turned into a messy, chilly knot in her veins. She clenched the edge of the table, wishing she could disappear. A glance in Lara’s direction solidified the hard truth.
Lara’s forest green eyes studied her, and she straightened her shoulders. “What? It was all over your face when I asked about Violet. And this haircut idea? Too suspicious.”
“Damn it, Lara.”
“What happened?” Lara rocked back in her seat, crossing her arms over her chest. “You know, Violet didn’t trust us and she took off. Now, you’re keeping secrets too? How hypocritical is that?”
Man. Lara wasn’t known for mincing words and she wouldn’t start now.
Brit looked around to make sure no one heard them, then sighed. Her throat felt dry and coarse. She swallowed the lump of doubt lodged there, and said, “You’re right. We shared a moment a week ago, I guess. But we slept together last night for the first and only time.”
“Listen, I’m not shaming you. I don’t want you to get hurt.”
