Chapter 6
RAIN FORRESTER
“Are those the women you told me about?” I asked as I eyed a table across the room where my mom was talking to some wives and girlfriends of the club’s guests.
There were a few, like Constance, that had a connection to the wedding, but I hadn’t had the pleasure of meeting any of them yet, so I asked, “Will you introduce me?”
“Of course,” Stan said as she stood and picked up her beer.
When we got to the table, I stepped up behind my mom’s chair and leaned over to rest my arms on her shoulders as I propped my chin on her head.
Mom took my hands in hers and held them in front of her as Constance said, “Rain Forrester, I’d like to introduce you to a portion of the crazy coven.
This is my Aunt Frankie, Jennifer, Paula, Brea, Blue, and Bernadette. ”
“It’s a pleasure to finally meet you,” I said as the women all smiled in greeting. “I’d like to thank you for your help with the rat infestation that was plaguing my family a while back.”
“Vermin!” Bernadette said with a shudder. “Disgusting.”
When none of the women denied helping, Lucky’s mom asked, “It was you?”
Stan’s aunt looked around the table before she said, “Actually, yes. We were the only ones who went on that road trip.”
“At first, Rain was worried that it might be some of the women in her family, but when she figured out they were all accounted for, she guessed the help came from our direction,” Stan explained.
Willow laughed before she said, “We were in the salon when she mentioned it and had to put some thought into who could have gotten there and back in such a short time.”
“Even though we definitely would have been up for the task, we didn’t have the opportunity,” Mom agreed.
“We live near Dallas,” the woman named Blue explained. “It was a quick trip, but Frankie even did some shopping the next morning while we slept in.”
“She does love to shop,” Stan teased.
“Do any of you need a refresher?” I asked as I looked around the table at their drinks. I saw that some of them were close to empty, so I asked, “What are you drinking, Blue? Jennifer?”
“We’ve introduced them to the wonders of Mexican Candy,” Summer answered.
“Sounds delicious,” I replied with a grin. “And how many have you had, Aunt Summer?”
“Does it look like we’re in math class? There’s no need to .
. .” Summer tilted her head back and blew out a breath before she gave me a half-smile and said, “Sorry, Rain. I had my grandchildren all afternoon, and then I had to deal with my sons when they came to pick them up. God, I love them so . . . so . . . so much that I now need to drink.”
“A double for Aunt Summer!” I announced. I looked around the table and said, “The kids on my branch of the family tree are all angels sent from heaven to grace us with . . .” I burst out laughing when my mom twisted around and looked at me like I was nuts, so I finished with, “Drinks for everyone!”
I walked past Lucky as he carried his guitar toward the stage, and after giving him a quick kiss, I went to the bar to get the drinks.
While I was standing there, I saw movement out of the corner of my eye and glanced over to find Cydney waving me into the kitchen.
Once the swinging door closed, I looked around and laughed when I found Amethyst bent over the sink splashing water on her face as Lark stood next to her rubbing her back in sympathy.
“What is going on?” I asked just as I heard the first strains of one of The Rojo Kings’ most popular songs. “Is she pukey?”
“That . . . ugh . . . She cursed me!” Amethyst wailed.
“We curse at you all the time. Why are you getting upset about it now?”
Cydney was laughing silently, but Amethyst must have sensed her amusement because her head turned fast enough to make me wonder if it might spin all the way around. “Don’t laugh at me, you insufferable . . . clown face . . . fudge head.”
“Maybe you wouldn’t feel so pukey if you’d let your inner gangster out and used an actual curse word now and then,” Janis mused as she watched the show.
Amethyst’s face got redder and redder until she finally yelled, “Fuck you and your fucking attitude, you mean fucking bitchbag skank!”
“Attagirl!” Janis crowed.
“I’m talking to you, Janis! You did this to me! This is all your fault.”
“How is this my fault? I don’t have a penis!”
“Janis, you’re just making it worse,” Cydney chided.
“And you! You did this to me!”
“She also lacks a penis,” Lark pointed out.
“Oh, God,” I mumbled as I walked around the counter and studied my friend’s face. “You too?”
“I don’t know!” Amethyst wailed.
“Maybe it’s a stomach bug,” I suggested.
“Either way, I’m out just in case what she’s got is communicable,” Janis said as she stood and made her way toward the door.
“Don’t you say a word to anybody, Janis!”
“I didn’t see nothin’, I didn’t hear nothin’, and I don’t know nothin’!” Janis called out over her shoulder before she pushed the door open.
As soon as the door shut again and drowned out the music, I asked, “I didn’t even know you and Tiny were trying.”
“We’ve been talking about it, but he wasn’t sold,” Amethyst said as she used the paper towel Lark handed her to dry her face. “And maybe I’m not. This could just be a stomach bug.”
“You got a whiff of that rum and coke and almost threw up on the table,” Cydney pointed out.
“If you weren’t pregnant, I’d beat your ass,” Amethyst growled.
“You haven’t ever been able to beat my ass before, so don’t pretend that being pregnant puts me at a disadvantage,” Cydney snapped back.
It was so normal for them to argue and threaten each other that Lark and I weren’t even fazed. I jumped when I heard Stan gasp and turned to find her standing just out of their line of sight in the short hallway that led to the bathroom.
“I’m sorry. I snuck in behind you to use the restroom, and then I didn’t know where to go,” Constance whispered quietly before she peeked around to look at Amy and Cydney, who were nose to nose with the stainless steel prep table between them. “I promise I won’t tell anyone what I heard.”
“Pfft,” I said as I waved at her dismissively. “I know you learned how to keep a secret early on.”
“It’s sort of built into my DNA.”
“Mine too,” I said wryly. I looked back at my friends and realized they still couldn’t see Stan, so they thought I was talking to myself. Just to fuck with them, I said, “It’s my new meds. They came with imaginary friends. Do you want to meet them?”
Lark looked alarmed and swallowed hard before she said, “Sure, Rain. Go ahead and . . . um . . . introduce us.”
I burst out laughing, but Stan stayed quiet, so that just reinforced their idea that I’d lost my shit.
I motioned to my right and said, “Lark, I’d like you to meet my friends, Lloyd and Harry.
Lloyd, Harry, say hello to Lark, Squid, and Amy.
” My friends just blinked as I motioned for them to say something.
Cydney glanced at Amy and Lark before she looked at me again. She gave me a small smile before she said, “Hi, guys. It’s nice to meet you.”
Amethyst slowly pulled her phone out. She held it below the table as she fiddled with it. I knew without a doubt that she was texting her sister Emerald, who just happened to be a psychologist. When this was all over, I would need to see that frantic text so I could have another good laugh.
I looked at Stan, who had both hands over her mouth with tears in her eyes, before I said, “I know, right? They’ve always been that way.” I laughed again before I looked at Lark expectantly.
She cleared her throat before she said, “I’m sorry. I didn’t catch that . . . er . . . uh . . . the end of the conversation. Could you repeat it for me?”
I smiled at Stan before I looked at Lark and asked, “Well?”
Lark started to stammer again, and I couldn’t hold it any longer. I started cackling uncontrollably. I laughed even harder when I heard Stan snort and was leaning against a shelf when Cydney frantically whispered, “Holy shit. I heard something! Did you hear that?”
When Stan stuck her head out and said, “Hi!”, everyone screamed, which made me laugh even harder.
“You bitch!”
“I hate you!”
“What the hell, Rain?”
Their screams of outrage were hilarious, and Stan fell back against the counter, holding her stomach. I was still laughing when Amethyst put her phone up to her ear and said, “Cancel that. She’s not crazy; she's just a horrid person who needs to be beaten to death with a hammer.”
“That was oddly specific,” Stan choked out as she used the hem of her sleeve to gently dab at her eyes, trying to salvage her makeup. “God, I love you people so much already that I never want to leave.”
“Girls, this is Stan. She’s Rin’s girlfriend and Bella’s friend.”
“It’s nice to meet you,” Stan said before she sniffed and then started laughing again. “I’m sorry, but this just really . . . Shit.”
Lark rubbed her forehead as she muttered, “One day, I’m not going to be able to stop myself, and I’m going to go on a killing spree.”
“Now, tell me, who else is pregnant?”
“Not it!” Stan yelled before she started giggling. She winced before she looked at Amethyst and said, “Sorry!”
“You know I am, and of course she has to be a copycat,” Cydney said, motioning toward Lark. Lark scoffed, and Cydney rolled her eyes before she said, “And obviously this hag can’t stand to be left out, so she just had to . . .”
“I hate your face,” Amethyst growled.
“You might hate my face, but you don’t want to puke anymore, do you?” Cydney snapped back.
“Are they always like this?” Stan asked under her breath.
“From what I gather, it’s been going on since they met, but they’re the best of friends.”
“Best friends? What do they act like around people they don’t like?”
“Just like the rest of us. Absolutely intolerant of any bullshit, with every word dripping with venomous sarcasm, thrown out with the express intent of making them cry.”
“It’s like you’re younger versions of my aunt and her friends.”