“And it was really, really good.”
“No anal, though, eh?”
“Stop!” I laugh again. I can’t help it. It’s way better than crying, anyway.
“I’m sorry, I couldn’t help myself.”
“Anyway . . . today was just my second day of work. So there I am, working with him, the whole time thinking about what we did last night.”
“As I’m sure he was.”
“How do you know that?”
“How could he not? Men think about sex over a hundred times a day. Or is it a thousand? I can’t remember. Anyway, it’s a lot. And you don’t think he was reliving those moments with you? Imagining all the ones he wants to have in the future? Please. The guy probably had a raging hard-on all day long.”
“I don’t know.”
“Well, I do. He did. Trust me. He’s probably imagining you bent over the toilet right now.”
“Wow. That’s sexy.”
“You have no idea what’s sexy to a man. They’re sick puppies.”
“I’m starting to get scared about how you know all this.”
“What can I say? Miles talked too much.”
“Ew. Not all men are like Miles.”
“Yes, they are. They all are. So what else? Why are you crying?”
I shrug. “I’m not sure.”
“It’s your period. Has to be.”
“No, it’s not. I think it’s just . . . overwhelming. I changed jobs just days ago, started working with a team of really nice but slightly crazy people, I’m sleeping with my new boss—living in his house, for God’s sake. My dog is in love with his dog . . . it’s crazy! Nuts! Who does this kind of stuff?!”
“That does sound a lot more interesting than my life. You know what I did today?”
“No. What did you do today?” I wipe my nose again and let out a big sigh. I’m feeling better already.
“I removed a hairball from my shower drain that was the size of a baseball.”
“Ew.” I can totally picture it. My sister has really long, thick hair. “That’s disgusting, Jen. I’m so not glad you told me that.”
“I thought about mailing it to Miles, but then I didn’t.”
“Probably a good move. We wouldn’t want him having you declared legally insane.”
“If he doesn’t come get these kids from me this weekend, he’s going to learn all about legally insane, trust me.”
“If he doesn’t show, I will.” I go all warm thinking about my sister and her kids. At least some things never change. I can always count on them for love bundled up in a whole lot of noise.
“And what does the man in your life think of all this?” Jenny asks.
“The man in my life? What man?”
“Felix.”
“Oh.” I picture him and Sahara sleeping together. “He’s in love with Ozzie’s dog. He doesn’t even sleep with me anymore.”
“Wow. That is serious.”
“I know.”
“I think you should trust Felix’s judgment.”
“Really?” It’s kind of crazy, but that makes a lot of sense to me. Felix has never let me down.
“I don’t know. Don’t dogs have a sixth sense about people?”
I think about it for a second. “He does have his preferences.”
“He hated that one boyfriend of yours, remember?”
I snort. “How can I forget? The guy was a felon, a fact he neglected to mention when I first met him.”
“Good thing your sister is a computer wiz who can do background checks.”
I smile. “Saved my butt again.”
“Yeah, well, I’m here for you. Always.”
“Thanks, sis.”
“So you’re going to stick this out?” she asks.
I nod, feeling way more confident about it than I was ten minutes ago. “I am. I’m worried I’m going to get my heart destroyed when he figures out we’re really not all that compatible, but until then, I guess I’ll just enjoy myself.”
“Yeah, do that. Great idea. You can’t live life always worried about what might happen tomorrow.”
“That’s pretty much what he said.”
“See? He’s obviously very smart. When are you going to bring him around to meet the kids?”
“Can I? Should I? Isn’t it too soon?”
“I don’t see how it can be too soon if you’re sleeping with him. I guess it means you’re serious about him, and that’s what matters.”
“Maybe I’m just sleeping with him because I’m wild and free and live life by the seat of my pants.”
“Yeah, right. How long did it take your last boyfriend to get in your pants?”
“Four months.”
“Exactly. Obviously this Ozzie guy is different. Bring him over tomorrow if you feel like it. I have the lasagna already made.”
I chew my lip, considering the offer. “I’ll let you know.”
“Okay. Listen, Sammy’s been quiet too long, so I’d better go. He’s probably beheading all his sister’s dolls again.”
“Wow. That’s not freaky at all.”
“He’s a boy.” She sighs. “Boys are so different from girls.”
“Okay, better go lock him up. Thanks, Jenny. I really appreciate you putting up with my mania.”
“It’s not mania. You’re just being a girl, and you’re allowed to act like one.”
“Love you.”
“Love you more! Bye!” She hangs up before I can respond.
Dammit. I hate when she wins the love-you-more game so easily.
I send a quick text before shutting my phone off.
Me: Love you more! Ha!
CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE
I use a wet washcloth to erase the signs of my breakdown, and then I return to the kitchen with renewed vigor and determination, joining Ozzie and Toni at the table. Lucky comes in as Ozzie starts to talk and sits next to me.
“Did either of you get any data today worth discussing?” Ozzie’s addressing Toni.
“Not sure. I wrote a few things down.” She pulls a legal pad out of a folder and runs her finger down the page. “I think someone must have opened a window at some point, because I started picking up conversations inside the house too, I think.”
“Good.” Ozzie nods.
“I heard a lot of the regular BS, people just shooting the breeze and messing around, but then there was some talk about a problem they were having that hadn’t been resolved yet.”
“Did they say what it was?”
“No, they just kept talking about Petit Rouge. That’s who or what their problem is. They talked about shutting it down.”
Ozzie nods slowly, his eyes distant.
“What does that mean?” I ask, mystified.
“Gangs use code all the time for just about everything. Petit Rouge could be a shipment of drugs, illegal imports, a rival gang, an operation not paying protection money, a single person . . . until we can put it in context, we won’t know what it is.” Ozzie returns his focus to Toni. “Any luck with that?”
She shakes her head. “No. I can tell you, though, that most of the talk about it came from one guy. I think he arrived late to the party. I got the impression it was a rival gang member or business they were talking about.”
Ozzie’s eyes narrow. “What’s the time stamp the first time you heard his voice?”
Toni scans the pages in front of her. She stops on the fourth page. “Eleven thirty-three p.m. or around then.”
Ozzie looks to me. “Look up that time stamp in your notes. You see anyone coming in just before that?”
My job was easier than Toni’s by the looks of our notes. I have less than half as many. “Only seven people went in, and four went out.” I look down the page, trying to find a time that matches up with Toni’s observations. “There were two people who came in before she heard that conversation.” I shuffle through my stack and find the two people I took screenshots of. “You can’t see their faces, just their heads and bodies. It was pretty dark.”