Chapter 35
CHAPTER 35
WHAT A BEAUTIFUL, crisp, clear start to a delightful Sunday. I stood on Black’s balcony with a cup of coffee, leaning forward over the stone balustrade. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, and I didn’t have a hangover.
Happy days.
I took a deep breath of cool air then looked up sharply as I heard a noise from above. I was just in time to see Ryan leap the five-foot gap between Tia’s balcony and the one outside the bedroom he was allegedly sleeping in.
“You’d better be keeping your clothes on,” I yelled.
He grinned over the edge and gave me a cheeky salute. “Yes, ma’am.”
Well, Tia could do worse. I went back inside to find the love of my life sprawled naked on the bed.
“Poor baby, did I wear you out?” I asked.
“Mmm hmm.”
“Do you want breakfast?”
“Mmm hmm.”
“Any preferences?”
“Bacon roll.”
So he could still speak English then, just about.
Downstairs in the kitchen, a small group of zombies had gathered around the coffee machine, worshipping it like a shrine to sobriety.
“Are y’all auditioning as extras for Dawn of the Dead? ” I asked.
Nothing. Only grunts.
I rummaged through the fridge and got the bacon out, then found some ready-to-bake baguettes in a cupboard. Those would do. Surely even I couldn’t mess up cooking part-baked bread?
Nick wandered in as I shoved them into the oven.
“I need to get to the office. Has anybody got spare socks I can borrow?”
“I bought you two new packets last week,” Bradley said.
“Yeah, I know, but I think I wore those, and I can’t find any clean ones.”
“There’s this thing called a washing machine...”
“I can’t find that either.”
“Nicky, why don’t you get a housekeeper?” I asked. “Your whole house is a tip.”
“Maybe I should. At least then I’d have socks.”
“Is that a definite yes?”
“I guess.”
“Great. Bradley, can you find Nick a housekeeper? He’ll never manage it by himself.”
“Sure, I’ll start looking for candidates. This’ll be awesome.” Bradley already had his iPad out, hangover forgotten. “I won’t need to keep buying socks and boxers and shirts every week. Somewhere in Nick’s house, there’s a black hole they disappear into.”
Nick’s whole property was a wrinkle in the space-time continuum. He’d stopped caring about it years ago, and merely thinking of the interior made me shudder.
I shoved that mess to the back of my mind as Akari and Hiro came through the back door, Hiro flashing a grin and Akari giving us her sweet smile. She was still incredibly shy and hated to be touched by anyone besides Black, but I had hopes that once she got to know us all better, she’d let her personality shine through.
Nate had sorted out her money situation, at least. He’d given me an update yesterday.
“Carlos used to tell Akari, ‘Dreams are the future’s way of telling us what’s waiting.’”
I hoped that wasn’t true in my case. “You found the cash, then?”
“We followed his instructions, and it was right where he said it would be.”
So Carlos had done his best for her, right until the end. She’d be looked after. The remainder of the Ramos fortune would go to charity, just as he’d intended. Black could have imitated him again and got it back, but he didn’t want to. “It’s blood money,” he’d said. “I don’t want a dime of it.”
A sentiment I totally agreed with.
Meanwhile, Hiro settled Akari into a seat and poured her some juice.
“How’s the baby?” I asked her.
“He’s sleeping. My mother is watching him.”
“Have you decided on a name yet?”
She nodded. “Hisashi. It means ‘always with you.’”
“That’s perfect.”
A ringing phone interrupted our conversation, and I realised the guard from the gatehouse was calling me. Great. It was too early for visitors.
“Emmy, Miriam Black’s here. I told her she’s not allowed in, but she won’t take no for an answer. I don’t think she knows you’re alive, and she’s demanding to speak to whoever’s in charge. Should I call someone to remove her?”
Oh boy, this morning just got better and better.
“It’s okay, bring her up. Can you show her through to the kitchen? I’ll be waiting in there.” Then I dialled Black. “Miriam’s on her way up the drive.”
Suddenly, he was awake. “Be there in five.”
Miriam was yelling before she got fully through the kitchen door, all red-faced and probably drunk.
“I demand to speak to someone with some authority in this place.”
Nick moved out of the way, and she did a double take when she saw me leaning against the counter.
I couldn’t help smiling. “That would be me.”
Her colour dropped a shade. “I was told you’d died.”
“Then I guess you were misinformed.”
“You nasty little liar. I should have known you’d resort to playing dirty. My lawyer says you’re deliberately stalling everything.”
“Yep.” The grin was stuck on my face.
“Is that all you’ve got to say for yourself? You just don’t want to give me what’s rightfully mine, do you? That money’s my birthright, not yours, you scheming little gold-digger. You’re nothing but a prostitute who married Charles for his wealth. I insist you file that will right now so I can contest it.”
“Not going to happen.”
“Then I’ll force you to do it. My lawyer’s preparing papers to take you to court as we speak.”
“Then he’s even more stupid and greedy than you are.”
“Did you just insult me?”
“I sincerely hope so.”
“You… You…”
“Cow?”
“Yes! You stand here in what should be my house and call me names...”
She didn’t get any further because Black, who’d been standing in the doorway since she called me a gold-digger and a prostitute, interrupted her. And he was absolutely, gloriously, unreservedly furious.
“I think you’ll find this is my house.”
Miriam turned slowly and all the colour drained out of her face. She clutched at her chest but unfortunately stayed standing.
“But...but...but you’re dead.”
“Do I look like I’m dead?”
“Well, no, but...”
“How dare you come into my house and insult my wife? The wife I’ve been married to for twelve years, which is longer than you’ve been with your douche of a husband. That seem like a flash in the pan to you?”
“W-w-when you put it that way...”
“Emmy’s never taken a cent from me that wasn’t freely given. You, on the other hand, put your hand out the minute you need cash.”
“It’s not like that. We’re family.”
“Not anymore. You’re dead to me the same as I was dead to you. Now get out and don’t set foot on this property again.”
Miriam backed through the kitchen door and practically sprinted from the house. I was sure we hadn’t seen the last of her, but hopefully she’d leave us alone for a while.
Black walked over and high-fived me. “Nothing has ever been so satisfying.”
“I can’t believe the gall of the woman, walking in here like that. And she called me a gold-digger. And a prostitute! Last time I checked, my bank account was comfortably into nine figures, and I’ve slept with less than ten men in my life.”
“Although you do have to admit there’s a certain irony that four of them are in this room.”
I couldn’t believe Black had just outed us. I threw an orange at him, but he caught it and began peeling.
It was Dan who did the maths first. “So, going on the assumption you haven’t slept with Nate, that leaves five men.”
She glanced at Nate, and he nodded his confirmation. Why did he look so horrified?
“And I’m going to count Ryan out too because you’re not that much of a cougar. So that leaves Nick, Jed, Luke and... Oh my gosh! You two are together! Like together-together?”
Two steps, and Black had wrapped me up in his arms, his chin resting on top of my head. That didn’t make me feel short at all.
“Oh, you guys, this is so great!”
“This calls for a party!” Bradley tried.
“No!” Black and I both shouted at him in perfect unison.
“Not even a small one?”
Time to change the subject. “Who wants a bacon roll?”
There was a chorus of yeses, and Mack, who didn’t look as if she was on the same planet as the rest of us, raised her hand. Something glinted in the sunlight coming in through the window.
“Mack, what’s that on your finger? Is that a ring?” I peered closer, and it was. A great big diamond ring on the third finger of her left hand. “Did you get engaged?”
“Uh…” Mack looked at it in amazement.
Luke had been slumped over the breakfast bar, but now he sat up with his eyes wide in horror.
“Luke, where did this ring come from?” Mack asked.
“I don’t know. Well, I sort of do. It came from Cartier. But I’m not sure how it got onto your finger. I left it in my sock drawer.”
“I don’t think I was wearing it at the ball. Was I?” She looked to me for confirmation, and I shook my head.
“So are you guys getting married?” Dan asked.
Luke looked panic-stricken with a hint of what-on-earth-have-I-done. “Are we? Did I ask you to marry me? I mean, I was going to, but I don’t remember.”
Mack rubbed her temples, and her colour matched her costume from last night. “Everything after that last round of cocktails is a blank. Did you really ask? What did I say?”
Seriously? Oh, this was gold. “I always thought Black’s proposal was the worst ever, but this actually might have beaten it.”
“Diamond, I didn’t really propose. As I recall, Nate suggested we get married, and we were drunk enough to go along with it.”
“Exactly my point.”
Dan leaned forwards on her elbows. “Well, if you’re wearing the ring, Luke must have put it on your finger because you said yes.”
“I guess.”
“So are you getting married or not?” Bradley asked, ever the impatient one.
“Er, Mack, will you marry me? And for the record, this wasn’t how I’d envisaged asking you.”
The wail of the smoke alarm interrupted before Mack could answer, and I leapt sideways to yank the oven door open. Bradley pushed me out of the way, grabbed the charred baguettes with a tea-towel, and threw them out of the window Nate had just opened. See? Teamwork. Always a good thing.
“Okay, as you were.” I re-took my position in front of Black. Guess we’d be ordering in for breakfast. “Mack, he needs an answer.”
She looked as if she was about to puke, but managed a quick smile. “Yes, all right.”
“Thank goodness for that,” Luke slumped over the table again.
“Who won the pool?” Carmen asked.
“Luther. Again. Now can we have a party?” Bradley wasn’t giving up.
“Maybe something low key,” Mack conceded. “With no alcohol.”
“Can I be a bridesmaid?” Tia asked.
“Sure.”
Everybody began chattering at once, congratulating Mack and Luke. I twisted around and smiled at Black.
“There’ve been some horrible moments, but things are going to be okay, aren’t they?”
He stroked a thumb over the wedding ring on my own finger, now there to stay after our recent adventures.
“No, Diamond. Things are going to be a lot better than okay.”