“Sure you are,” Nick soothed but I could swear he sounded a little bit like he was laughing.

I narrowed teary eyes at him. “I am!”

Vance totally ignored me but kept his arms around me. “We’re goin’ to Lincoln’s for dinner. You’re welcome,” Vance told Nick.

“Nah, game on tonight,” Nick answered.

“Another time,” Vance said.

“Sure, sounds good, haven’t been there in awhile.”

“Not much has changed.”

“Best part about it.”

“Hello!” I shouted, pulling out of Vance’s arms and pointing to myself with both hands. “Having total emotional breakdown! Anyone? Anyone?”

Nick started out-and-out laughing. Vance just grinned at me.

“You done?” Vance asked me.

I rolled my eyes.

Whatever.

I’d finish my total emotional breakdown later when I was alone, possibly while listening to Stevie Wonder singing “All in Love Is Fair” which was the best time to have them.

“I’m hungry,” I grumbled, wiping my face with my hands. Then I called, “Boo!”

Boo trotted in, tail straight in the air, equally oblivious to my emotional turmoil.

I scooped him up, glared at Nick, swung my glare to Vance, walked out of Nick’s and went to my side.

I was in the bathroom cleaning up my face and repairing makeup damage when I heard Vance return. Then I heard a rustling bag.

When I walked into the kitchen Vance was eating an M&M cookie.

“Don’t eat that! Those are for Luke, Ike and Mace.”

Vance stared at me for a beat then looked into the bag.

Then he looked at me. “There’s at least thirty cookies in there.”

“Thirty-three,” I told him. Then I scowled at his cookie. “Now, thirty-two. How am I going to divide thirty-two cookies three ways?”

He didn’t answer me, instead he said, “Why are you giving Luke, Ike and Mace thirty-two cookies?”

“They beat people up for me,” I replied. “That requires payback. Since I can’t bake, I can’t make them cookies. Knitting is boring, as in super boring, so I can’t knit them sweaters. I don’t think they’d like a homemade card or anything I could do with the stickers I bought. There will likely not be a time where I could beat up someone for them. Therefore,” I pointed to the bag, “cookies.”

He took another bite of his cookie while walking up to me. His hand went to my neck and he brought me closer to his body by putting pressure there.

I put my hands on his waist and looked up at him.

“Princess?”

“What?”

“You have to be the f**king craziest woman I’ve ever met.”

I was back to glaring at him. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

He grinned. “I meant it as one.”

Well.

There you go.

I couldn’t help it, I smiled.

* * * * *

We were sitting at Lincoln’s Road House. It was after we ate, the dirty dishes still in front of us and we managed the whole thing, from duplex to bike; bike to Road House; door to table; menu to ordering; ordering to eating, all without fighting (or even bickering) once.

It had to be a record.

I was enjoying my second beer, relaxed, mellow maybe even at peace with the world.

“You wanna tell me why you were cryin’?” Vance asked and my eyes moved to him.

I instantly decided I was not at peace with the world.

“Um… no,” I answered.

There was no way I was ready to tell Vance that Nick was cool with walking me down the aisle toward Vance even if it happened tomorrow.

No way in hell.

Vance shook his head and looked away, his eyes moving to the television hanging by the bar and I had the feeling I’d disappointed him.

“What are you doing tonight?” I asked to change the subject and his eyes slid back to me.

“Got a job. It’ll take a few hours.”

“Are you coming back to my place when you’re done?”

I found I was worried about his answer.

“Yeah.”

I found I was relieved at his answer.

“Okay,” I smiled at him.

His gaze dropped to my mouth, taking in my smile. Then he looked in my eyes again and his were serious.

“Princess, we’re gonna have to do something about your inability to share.”

“I’m working on it,” I promised.

He watched me a bit and then said, “Somethin’ else.”

Uh-oh.

He still had the serious look in his eye.

“Yeah?” I asked, but I didn’t want to know.

“I’m wonderin’ why you bought Mace, Ike and Luke cookies when I’m the one who brought in Clarence and Jermaine yesterday.”

I didn’t know what to make of this question. The answer seemed obvious to me but I gave it to him anyway.

“You get na**d gratitude,” I told him.

He stared at me a beat and again I knew I threw him.

Then he gave me one of his shit-eating grins.

“A lot of it,” I went on.

The grin turned into a smile.

“Vance!” a female voice called from behind me.

Vance’s eyes cut to the voice, his smile vanished and I looked over my shoulder.

Coming toward us was a fantastic-looking, curvy, leggy, long-wavy-haired brunette. She had on a short skirt, high-heeled boots and a tight sweater that was giving some serious cle**age.

She was also smiling at Vance in a way that I did not like.

“Hey,” she breathed when she got to our table and I realized instantly that this had been one of the many girls who had come before me.

Poof! There it was. My head crackin’ mamma jamma came out.

“Jackie,” Vance replied. He was across the table from me but I could see his face and it was blank.

I hated his blank look when he directed it at me. I liked his blank look when he was giving it to leggy brunettes in short skirts that he’d f**ked somewhere down the line.

Jackie’s eyes moved to me, looked me up and down where I sat on my stool then she dismissed me and her eyes went back to Vance. She turned so her back was slightly to me.

Um.

No.

“What’re you up to these days? Haven’t seen you in ages,” Jackie asked Vance in a way that communicated she thought his answer might just be the key to the meaning of life.

“Jackie, this is Jules,” Vance said, I thought making a point and I could have kissed him.

She swung her head (as well as her hair) around and glanced at me again. “Jules,” she muttered, then she swung her head (and hair) back. “So, how’re things?” Jackie went on, missing the point.