Chapter 1 #2
Ellis rolled her eyes at the answer that wasn’t accepted. “Ballpark? please.”
Leaning back in the booth, Court folded her arms. “Marlene has four kids, and I would assume some are married by now, if not all. And there are bound to be grandkids by now. They’re most likely under ten, the grandkids I mean.
All of Marlene’s kids are close to my age.
Spouses could be any age, really. So, the number is four plus more. ”
“Let’s go with six, since statistics say that at least two should be married, and Calvin and his wife? That means eight.” Ellis summed it up for the jury. Even if she was just making up these numbers.
Nodding, Court figured that sounded about right. “Something like that.”
“Let’s add another four that are children, since everyone who is married seems to have kids.” Ellis tapped the table as if she was making it so by doing the action.
“Do you and Calvin get along?” Rebel looked up from her glass long enough to smile at a tall blonde woman in a short tight dress with hips and an ass that even Court noticed passing their table on her way to the bar.
The woman didn’t notice either one of them.
But Court caught the scent of a flowery perfume and had to stop herself from getting up and following her wherever she was going.
“I haven’t seen him since I was seventeen, when he kicked me out of his house.
Not even a birthday card since that day.
So we’re tight.” Court told her, as if her business partner, whom she had known since before either could legally drink, wouldn’t know her own parents if they were close.
Court spent every holiday that she should have spent with her family with the Ellis family since college.
She wasn’t just close to Ellis and Rebel, but the entire Ellis family was her family, for all intents and purposes.
Mr. and Mrs. Ellis had taken her in and treated her just like another of their kids.
From holidays to family vacations, Court expected to attend and smile in the photos.
Photo’s that she stood out like a sore thumb since Mrs. Ellis was Korean and her four girls looked just like her.
Which left Mr. Ellis and Court in the back row looking pale and pasty in contrast.
But no matter what, they had been the parents that had supported her every move and cheered on her accomplishments over the years. If they had asked her to spend a weekend with them, she wouldn’t have hesitated in saying yes. Which was why she wasn’t going to see Calvin. Her heart wasn’t in it.
“Bitchy much? Court. You know I don’t need this.” Slamming her glass on the table, she pushed her sister to let her out of the booth so she could leave, since Ellis was on the inside.
Scowling at her sisters for the push, Ellis took her time getting out of the booth.
Ellis took her time to make a dig at her little sister.
“Anyone can see that woman isn’t even interested in you.
She didn’t even look this way when she was walking by.
She already has someone at the bar, so you’re barking up the wrong tree. ”
Even from where Court sat, she could see Rebel wasn’t able to take her eyes off the woman who was talking to another woman at the bar and not paying attention to her friend.
Rebel wouldn’t let that bother her. Nothing bothered Rebel that wasn’t work related.
She let herself stress over that. Not personal stuff. Never had.
“I think I know who's interested in me far better than you do.” She snapped at her sister as she sashayed to the bar, nearly running into a butch in sweats going the same direction. Not even noticing what had happened since she had a laser focus on the brunette still.
Tonight, her black skirt, which had been perfectly appropriate for work, was far higher than it had been that afternoon when she had said they were going for drinks tonight.
Her hair was no longer in the messy bun she had it in when they were working and was now a silky black waterfall going down her back, nearly to her butt.
“She’s taking her home.” Ellis said of her sister in annoyance, despite everything she had just told her, then turned back to Court.
Court wanted to argue about that fact, but held her tongue.
Ellis didn’t mind when either she or Rebel left her to hit on women, she just disliked when they both did at the same time.
Because despite being here often, Ellis was straight and when alone would garner way too much attention.
Usually when that happened, Ellis would simply go home.
Turning to the bar, the woman still had her back to them and was talking to a dark-haired woman who was sitting beside her.
Their stance said they were not a couple, but they knew each other before they came into the bar.
After years of going to lesbian bars, Court could read people pretty well.
This one said she wasn’t looking for anything tonight but a good drink.
Which was too bad, Court would love to spend a little time with the brunette, but she knew some women weren’t the one-night stand type. This woman was that kind of girl.