20. McCarthy
MCCARTHY
“ T his is a fucking disaster.” Talbot Wynter throws up his hands. “I’m going home. You still owe us for the time. No refunds. Company policy.”
“Fuck you, Talbot. That’s a hundred eighty grand down the drain.”
“You’re the one who wanted to bring your girlfriend on a hit job night.”
“She’s not my girlfriend,” I snap.
“Oh yeah? Whose stuff is that?” Talbot goes to the boxes in the corner of my study and fishes in the top one. “Or did you suddenly get a fetish for sparkly, lacy pink—”
My fist connects with the side of his face.
“Don’t touch those.”
Talbot rubs his face and kicks the box. “We’re not doing any more work for you if you can’t keep your side piece out of the way.”
“Fuck off.”
He stands there, blocking the door, arms crossed.
I flex my hands, trying to relax my fist. I can’t afford to be blacklisted by the Wynter brothers. They’re… resourceful.
Talbot inclines his head to acknowledge my acquiescence then turns on his heel.
I don’t see him out.
Screw him.
I never should have let myself get wrapped up in Jenna’s nonsense. She’s meaningless. I should have stayed the path.
Truman trots into the study, tail waving like a flag, like he owns the place.
“You’re happy to be back in the land of the sane, aren’t you, boy?” I stroke the dog’s silky fur. Well, mostly silky. There are mashed potatoes in his paws.
I sponge him off, then I’m pouring a glass of Glenfiddich scotch when the penthouse door opens.
“Are you giving me my refund after all?” I shout to Talbot.
But he’s not there. Instead, Jenna, soaking wet and reeking of burnt fish, squelches into my living room and throws all her shit on the floor.
I take a sip of the scotch as she stands there, dripping at me.
“Don’t say it,” she sputters. “I don’t want this to be any harder than it has to be.”
“Cupcake, what the hell happened to your eyebrows?”
Jenna squawks, clapping her hands to her forehead.
“My… Oh… Oh god! It doesn’t look that bad, right?” She’s anxious.
If she hadn’t just cost me serious money, I’d say it was adorable .
As it is…
When I pry her fingers away from her face, I bite back a hiss.
“The parts that haven’t been burned off look fine.” I run my thumbs over her face, checking for injuries. Just because she is standing doesn’t mean she isn’t having a delayed reaction. Fortunately, her eyebrows seem to have taken the brunt of the damage.
“I really can’t believe I’m asking this because, believe me,” I say, stepping back, “I don’t care, but… how ? I ran through the flames, and I’m not missing my eyebrows.”
“This isn’t from the house fire.” She’s suddenly cagey.
“ Which one was it? ” Rage floods me.
“Which one what?” she squeaks, flapping her arms.
I’m back up on her. “Which of your ex-fiancés did this to you?”
“Why do you always assume the worst?”
“Stop fucking with me, Cupcake. I’m not in the mood.”
My front door bounces open as several elderly women pile into my home.
“I can’t see anything. Crocus, does he have fancy artwork up everywhere? All I can see are blobs.”
“Look at this kitchen! I bet this is the show kitchen!”
“Marble countertops.” An elderly woman shakes her head in judgment. “The way those stain.”
“You got any steak, hot buns? I need red meat after the night I’ve had. Can’t get the good shit on the island. Jenna, you need to tell your mother that I’m old. My cholesterol is between me and God. I only have so many years on this earth. I don’t want to eat sticks and fungus,” Mavis rails .
“I told you to wait outside!” Jenna screeches while the seniors stream into my living room from the open show kitchen.
“I need to use the bathroom.” Gardenia walks headfirst into me. I grab the elderly woman before she can topple over.
“Unhand me, scoundrel! Oh.” Her wrinkled but surprisingly strong hand gropes my face, my chest, then—
“Don’t touch his junk—gosh!” Jenna shoos the elderly woman away.
“Ooh, an open bar!” Crocus exclaims.
“Don’t touch that,” Jenna barks.
“They’re guests,” I tell Jenna mildly. “It’s polite to offer a guest a drink.”
“Look, we’re not staying.”
My eyes narrow. “You sure? Because it seems like you’re a bit in over your head. You still haven’t told me what happened to your face.”
“You don’t get to judge me. You stole my dog.” Jenna wags her finger at me.
“You’re not a safe place for him.”
“She blew up my FWB’s boat. He has a cock like a porn star’s, and now he’s never going to talk to me again,” Sunflower complains to me. “Do you know how hard it is to find a nice piece of ass on an island?”
“Cupcake…”
“Look, this is not normally how things go for me.” Jenna frets. “I’m actually a very traditional, quiet person.”
Gardenia reaches out to grope at Jenna’s face, almost poking her in the eye. “Ooh… that doesn’t feel right. Look, girlie, just shave them and draw them on. That’s what I do. Started in the forties and never went back. ”
“Do you have an elevator? I don’t think I can go up these stairs.” Sunflower has a hand on the banister.
“My great-grandmother is drinking your fifty-thousand-dollar bottle of liquor. Can we please just wrap this up?” Jenna makes a rolling motion with her hands.
I cross my arms. “It’s worth it just to hear you admit that you were wrong.”
“The only reason things went to shit is because you showed up.” She’s right up on me, furious, her finger poking me in the chest.
“ Really , Cupcake? I’m the reason your grand revenge plan went up in flames? I’m not the one who emptied out the retirement home to make a Thanksgiving side dish at her ex’s house.”
“You know what?” Jenna scoops up Truman, who paddles his paws in the air in my direction. “We’re going to go take our chances with the Coast Guard.”