Top it all off with her blabbing the entire story of her scars.
Jesus what had she been thinking?
Of course, she’d been rewarded handsomely for the reveal. Soothed, comforted, made to feel safe, aroused, and given the orgasm to shame all other orgasms.
“Dayum, girl, only one thing puts that kind of smile on a gal’s face. Care to share with the class?” Holly asked as she reappeared in the kitchen.
“Drink your wine.” Jazz slid the glass toward her nosy friend just as the doorbell rang.
Thank God for small favors.
“I’ll get it,” Holly said as she took her glass and started for the door. “You finish that fantasy or…memory?”
With a snort, Jazz flipped her friend off causing a round of giggles to erupt from Holly. Within the next ten minutes her kitchen was full of all the women she considered sisters. Man, she’d have loved to have these women as blood, but they were all closer than some families, which filled a huge void.
And gave her enormous guilt for never sharing with her girls what she’d shared with Gumby and Screw last night.
“You know a lot of this is actually scripted, right?” Shell said about thirty minutes later as she munched on a Twizzler and sipped a ginger ale. At eleven weeks pregnant, she’d been craving the candy for the past few weeks. Jazz hadn’t seen her without a bag of Twizzlers since before Christmas.
“Shut up! It’s totally real.” Izzy fired back as she threw a piece of popcorn at Shell. “You know you love it.”
“What?” Shell laughed as she dodged the flying snack. “Of all of us, you’re the one who I figured would hate this shit the most.”
“Well, I do, but I’m here so I might as well watch it.”
“Bullshit! You’re a closet Housewives lover! Admit it!” Shell’s eyes widened with so much glee, Jazz couldn’t help but laugh along with the other girls.
If she were honest, which she tended not to be when it came to reality television, she’d admit she loved watching the ridiculous drama of these lady’s lives unfold.
“You love it so much, I bet you dream of being on an episode of the Real Hells-wives of The MC. See what I did there?” Shell laughed as another puffed kernel flew past her head. “Someone help me! I’m under heavy fire here.”
“All right, all right.” Toni yanked the bowl of popcorn out of Izzy’s reach. “Isabella, you’re a mother now. You need to set a good example for your child.”
With a snort, Izzy balled up her napkin and threw it at Toni. The crumpled paper bounced right off Toni’s forehead making the whole group giggle. And they weren’t even one full drink in. Well, Jazz was on her second, if that glass of wine she and Holly shared deserved to be counted.
She didn’t think it did.
“Okay, we ready to do this?” Holly asked, grabbing the remote from the coffee table. “I’ve never seen it, so I might need one of you to fill me in.”
“You’ve never seen it?” Izzy said, eyes bugging. “Are you from this planet?”
“Who knew she was such a reality TV psycho.” Chloe leaned toward Jazz as she murmured the words.
Jazz chuckled. “Not me,” she whispered back. Then louder, “Before you hit play, anyone need a refill?” Everyone but Stephanie raised their glass.
“I’ve pumped enough to enjoy tonight, so bring it!” Izzy’s grin was slightly maniacal.
“Here, I’ll help you.” Toni stood and Jazz’s stomach dropped. “We can just make a pitcher so we don’t have to run back and forth all night.” Her smile was sweet, but her eyes said, “You can’t avoid me forever.”
Jazz swallowed a lump but nodded at her friend and boss before walking to the kitchen. It’d been a miracle she’d managed to avoid her for the half hour or so they’d been in the same house. Time to stop being a chicken shit and apologize. And not for the sake of their working relationship, though that was important, but because she loved Toni like a sister and the guilt of going off on her had been eating at her all day. Right alongside her stress over two maddening bikers.
“Toni, I’m sorry,” she said the moment they entered the quiet kitchen. “I was totally out of line yesterday. My inappropriate reaction to the tank top had nothing to do with you, the diner, or the shirt. It was some personal shit that came bubbling to the surface at the wrong time. Please forgive me. I can’t stand having tension between us.”
As though given permission to finally exhale, Toni let out a long breath that had her entire body sagging. “Oh, my God, Jazzy, you don’t have to apologize. I’m the one who is sorry. I got so wrapped up in making all these decisions for the new logo, and changing the diner’s name, I was just trying to get it done. I should never have pushed you so hard to try on the tank top. Were I a better friend, I’d have noticed the idea of wearing it made you genuinely uncomfortable.”