“Oh Sugar, what happened?” Daisy asked, eyes on me, her voice gentle.

I faced off against Daisy and ignored her soft look. “I said I don’t want to talk about it.”

And I didn’t. My emotional Rottweiler was straining against his chain, snarling and barking, teeth bared.

I didn’t need this shit. I didn’t need these people.

I didn’t need to think about the fact that I’d had unprotected sex, twice, with Crowe. If his swimmers were anything like him they were gonzo and had probably already fertilized at least one of my eggs and as I stood in the yellow counseling room were likely creating a beautiful baby with dark hair, dark eyes and amazing bone structure. This would mean I’d never get Vance Crowe out of my life.

Furthermore I didn’t need to think about what he said to me, how he said it or how it made me feel.

I needed to think about my mission. I needed to keep my head in the game.

The door flew open and Roxie, who still had her hand on the knob, went flying.

Indy, Ally and Jet stormed into the room. I looked to the ceiling and fought for patience, or deliverance, or the ability to beam myself to Nicaragua.

I came back into the room when I heard Indy say, “Sorry Roxie.”

“What’d we miss?” Ally was staring at me.

Jet closed the door.

“I have to get to work,” I announced, stalking to the door but Daisy got in front of me and stopped me.

“He hurt you?” she asked, her voice still kind.

“No,” I answered. “I’m late. I have appointments.”

“Does anyone know if they did it?” Jet whispered to May.

“We haven’t got that far,” May replied.

“Sugar, talk to us,” Daisy grabbed my hand.

I looked at our hands then at her then I pulled my hand out of hers. “Listen, I don’t mean to be rude but I have work to do and this, really, is none of your business.”

Daisy’s head jerked and she took a step back.

I went to walk by her but a strong hand wrapped around my upper arm, ultra-long fingernails (I noticed, at a glance, they were painted frosty pink with swipes of silver across the tips) biting into my flesh and Daisy turned me back around. I was now facing a Daisy without the kind and gentle look on her face. This was a serious Daisy, serious as a heart attack.

“Girl, I know you’re a kickass, head-crackin’ mamma jamma but whatever happened with Vance you ain’t ever gonna get through if you don’t talk to your girlfriends, comprende?”

“You aren’t my girlfriends,” I told her.

Her eyes narrowed.

“Excuse me but we held the goddamned Sacred Girlfriend Ritual last night in your very own livin’ room,” Daisy declared, “complete with margaritas and makeup.”

“Sorry, Jules, but you aren’t getting rid of us,” Indy said.

“If he hurt her, I’m gonna kick his f**kin’ ass,” Ally said to no one.

“Vance wouldn’t hurt her, no way,” Roxie said quietly, watching me.

May pushed through everyone and grabbed onto my upper arms. “Talk, girl,” she said quietly in her Mama’s-gonna-make-it-better voice and even I, head-crackin’ mamma jamma (whatever that meant) was no match for May’s Mama voice.

I took a deep breath and let it go. “The date was terrible,” I told them and May’s hands dropped and she stepped back, her face falling with disappointment.

“Oh no,” Jet said.

“We fought,” I explained.

“About what?” Roxie asked.

“He tried to tell me what to do,” I answered.

“Well, that wasn’t the way to go,” Indy muttered.

“When we got back to my house, we made up,” I went on.

“That’s good,” Jet put in, her expression brightening.

“Then we started to… um, you know…” I faltered.

“Go on,” Ally encouraged.

“Then, at a good part, Vance had to stop and go outside to shoot Sal Cordova who was stalking me.”

Daisy started to giggle.

“He shot him in the ass,” I told Daisy and I had to grin because I still thought it was funny.

“What kind of good part?” Ally asked, bringing me back to the matter at hand.

I looked at her, grin still on my face now for a different reason. “A really good part,” I told her.

“What we talkin’ about here? Hands and fingers or mouth and tongue?” Daisy demanded to know.

“Or fingers and tongue?” Ally threw in an alternate combo.

“Hands and fingers, mainly fingers,” I answered.

“Oh my,” Roxie breathed.

“Vance got shot too,” I said.

“No!” Indy exclaimed. “Lee didn’t tell me!”

“He’s okay, just a graze, some stitches in his thigh,” I assured Indy.

“So, you didn’t do it,” May said.

I looked to May. “Yes. We did. This morning. Twice.”

Their eyes grew round and they leaned in.

“How was it?” Indy asked.

“What’s his body like?” Ally asked.

“Did it hurt? Are you okay?” Roxie asked.

I closed my eyes, bit my lip and then opened my eyes again and told them the rest. All the rest, everything. When I was done talking, they were staring at me, mouths open.

“Holy crap,” Indy breathed.

“I knew that horse ridin’ thing was no urban myth,” Daisy said to Indy.

I looked at Roxie and she had tears in her eyes. I watched her a second and, forgetting about my travails, I walked to her.

“I’m okay,” I assured her and she nodded, tears still threatening. Then I asked, “Are you okay?”

“Vance. We…” she stopped. “Jules, remember I told you yesterday he was the one who rescued me when my ex kidnapped me?”

I nodded.

“Well after he brought me back, he went after my ex, Billy, when Billy got away. Tracked him for days. In the end, during the big face down when Billy caught up with us at Daisy’s party, Vance shot him in the hand.”

I stared. I’d heard the story but I didn’t know it was Roxie’s boyfriend or Daisy’s party.

Wow.

I shook off my wonder at this news and focused on Roxie. “You said ‘us’,” I told her, getting closer but not touching her, “did you see that happen? The shooting?”

She nodded.

“Roxie, that must have been tough,” I said softly.