Page 41 of Toxic Apple Turnovers
Slater comes back with our drinks. “Hey, hot stuff.” He holds out his fist, and Meghan gives him a knuckle bump. “You were great out there.”
“Yeah, but then this killjoy showed up and hauled me off stage.” She hitches her thumb at Everett.
“You had a line six deep waiting their turn,” Everett is quick to defend himself. “And you needed to hydrate yourself.” He looks over at Slater. “Coffee, black, and a beer for me.”
Meghan groans, “There he goes again. Look out, Lucky. Once you hitch yourself to my brother, all the fun goes out the window. There’s no one more by the book than this guy.” She glances to Noah. “Except maybe that guy.”
I’m starting to think I have a type.
Slater takes off again, and I frown. I’ll have to catch him once he comes back. But in the meantime…
“So you know Slater?” I say, leaning in toward Meghan, then quickly regret it as the scent of vodka nearly knocks me out of my chair.
“We go way back. I’m a regular here. I’ve been drinking the devil’s trash can punch for years now.” She swings in toward my ear. “I may have slept with the guy a time or two.”
“Geez.” Everett nearly has a heart attack on the spot.
Noah chuckles. “Don’t worry, Essex. She’s just taking a cue from you.”
Meghan cackles if it were the funniest thing in the world and slaps Noah five right over my shoulder.
“Are the rumors true?” She nods his way. “Are the two of you sharing Lucky here? Is this one lucky lady or what?”
“No,” they both grunt in unison.
She laughs so hard she’s wheezing. “Me thinks they protest too much. So let’s hear it, Lucky. Who’s better in the sack? Keep the details fuzzy. I’m still clocking in as a sibling.”
“Right.” I give a nervous glance back at Noah.
“It’s Noah?” She slaps the counter as she explodes with laughter once again.
“I never said it was Noah.” I shake my head vigorously at Everett.
“So it’s this guy.” She rolls her eyes. “I guess the rumors are true. There used to be a line outside of his college apartment. But that’s back when he was honing his chops.” She shoots Noah with her fingers. “I lost touch with this guy for a while. You married what’s her face. And now you’re getting hitched again to what’s her other face. You do realize you’re setting yourself up for a lifetime of Chanel bags and couture runs to Paris. I never figured you for that kind of a guy. You seem far more down-to-earth. Like you should be marrying a baker, too. You know—come to think of it, if you and Essex were smashed into one person, you’d make a hell of a guy.”
I’ve often thought the same thing.
“But this way there’s plenty of you to go around. And no offense, and I will totally deny this once I’m sober”—she leans in—“but Essex is getting the better end of the deal. You should ditch the Featherhead while you can and find yourself a girl like Lucky.”
Noah’s eyes flit to mine. “That’s exactly what I was thinking.”
Cormack jumps onto his back, and a part of me is terrified that gun strapped to his hip will go off in the process.
“It’s a hoot out there! Come on, Boss. You owe me a spin.”
He shakes his head, then stops midway. “I think that’s Alex singing. Excuse me, but I’ve got to see this.”
“Whoohoo!” Cormack whoops it up, bopping him all the way to the dance floor as Noah navigates his way through it.
Slater comes back with the coffee and the beer. “Made it fresh for the freshest woman in the club, and I mean that.” He nods to Everett. “The girl likes to get lucky.”
Everett is back to growling before turning to his sister. “Do I need to keep you on a leash?”
Slater flips a towel over his shoulder. “Funny you should ask. She likes that, too.”
“Enough.” Everett all but threatens to cut the poor guy.
“How are you doing?” I ask, pulling Slater’s attention away from the sexual intervention Everett seems to be having with his sister.