The Burning Claw
Page 78
“Good story line,” Jen smiled. “What about men?”
“What about them?” Peri asked.
“Do we have any?”
Peri thought about her question and then nodded. “We better or else we might slip up. We each have boyfriends. They are all best friends and are backpacking across Europe.”
“Nice,” Jacque nodded.
Peri stopped in front of a door directly below a sign that read The Dog House. They had arrived.
Jen shook out her hands and tilted her head this way and that, attempting to loosen up the tense muscles.
“We aren’t going in for fight, Jen,” Jacque laughed.
“I know that, butthead. I’m just trying to relax so I can act natural. I’m afraid I’m going to see her and try to tackle her in a hug.”
“Yeah, don’t do that,” Peri said shaking her head.
Peri pushed the door open and they walked inside and froze. There she was, their gypsy healer, behind a bar, not with Costin. Jen soaked in the image of her friend—whole, uninjured, and sporting a new set of locks.
“Holy schnauzers, what did she do to her hair?” Jen asked as they stood, stock still, staring at their best friend who was diligently drying glasses.
“I think it’s cute,” Jacque whispered.
“By burlesque standards, maybe,” Jen said, her lips pinched together as though she’d just sucked on a lemon. “It’s too, too…” She sputtered trying to find the right words. “It’s too blonde and purple.”
“You’re a blonde, dummy,” Peri pointed out.
“I’m a blonde because God made a mistake. That’s forgivable. I mean, he’s God. She’s a blonde” —Jen pointed at Sally— “because she made a mistake. She ain’t no god and therefore should not attempt to be changing what she was born with. This is what we call inexcusable behavior. Take note ladies, it won’t end pretty.”
“What does that mean?” Jacque ask glancing away from Sally briefly to look at Jen.
“It means her roots are going to look craptastic as her hair grows out. Not. Pretty.”
“Her hair isn’t what’s important, girls,” Peri huffed at them. “She’s got no memory of us. Any of us. She’s dating a werewolf, working in a bar, and believes her parents are dead. Can you see why I don’t think her hair is important?”
“No,” Jen answered. “Just think about how much easier getting through those things would be with good hair? It would be one less thing to worry about. But now she has to add that mess to her list of already jacked up issues. She could have saved herself that drama at least.”
“Okay,” Jacque interrupted. “We get it, Jen. And Peri, we hear you. The next question is are we just going to stand here and stare?”
“I’ll tell you what we’re going to do. We are going to march over there and tell her that damn dye job is a catastrophe and she needs to call in FINA.” Jen started to take a step forward.
Peri snatched the she-wolf’s arm before she could take another step and jerked her back. “First of all, it’s FEMA, not FINA, you dipstick,” Peri growled. “Second, how would you feel if someone told you your hair looked bad? A complete stranger at that.”
“Like I needed to fix it,” Jen said matter-of-fact like.
Peri groaned.
“I’ve told you before, there’s no reasoning with her when she gets something in her head. You just have to let it work its way out of her system like an intestinal worm,” Jacque told Peri, as she crossed her arms in front of her chest and looked back and forth between the two.
“Intestinal worm?” Jen scrunched up her face. “Yuck.”
“Hey, I’m not the one who acts like an intestinal worm. If you fit the shoe, then you’ve got to wear the stink.”
Peri snorted and Jen shook her head at her best friend. “I got nothing.”
“Finally,” the high fae moaned. “Now can we take a seat at the bar and see if we can strike up a conversation. And by all means, let me lead.”
The three marched up to the bar and each took an empty stool. Jen’s hands were shaking as she pulled the stool out and climbed onto it. She rested her arms on the bar, careful to cover her hands so that the shaking wouldn’t be noticeable.
Sally looked up from her intense glass drying and smiled at them. “I’ll be with you in just a sec.”
“Not a problem,” Peri assured.
Sally tucked the towel in her back pocket, and Jen had a flash of memory of a time when Sally had worked with Costin in his bar, and he’d tucked a towel into the healer’s jeans. Times have changed, she thought to herself.
“What can I get you ladies?”
“I’ll take a martini, dry, extra olive, please,” Peri told her.
Jacque ordered next. “I’m just going to take a coke.”
Jen shouldn’t have done it, but her mouth opened and the words spilled out before she could swallow them down. “I’ll take a sex on the beach.”
Peri reached over and pinched the crap out of Jen’s leg, and she had to bite her lip to keep from flinging expletives at the fae.
Sally paused and stared at Jen for a moment. Her face drew into a frown and she looked as though she was in pain. “I don’t think I’ve ever made that one,” she said finally. “I’ll actually have to look that one up. Oh, and I need to see I.D. from my two drinkers.”
Jen turned to look at Peri who gave her a nod letting her know she had it under control. Peri slipped out two I.D. cards from who the crap knows where and showed them to Sally, who nodded and then stepped away to make their drinks. The I.D. cards vanished just as quickly as they’d appeared.
“What time do you close?” Jacque asked Sally after she’d gotten them their drinks and they’d been there casually talking to each other.
Sally glanced at the clock behind her. “In about fifteen minutes.”
So, one a.m., Jen thought and then realized that they’d been there for forty-five minutes and only said a handful of things to Sally, none of which were conducive to building a friendship. She thought back to when they were kids and Jen had met her. She’d informed her, just like Jacque, that she was going to be her best friend and that was that. It worked then. Jen shrugged as she smiled at Sally. “So we’re new in town,” Jen said and ignored the foot stomp Peri was attempting to give her. “And you seem to be like a normal, not serial killer, type. Would you care to hang out with us one night this week and tell us what’s what?”
“What about them?” Peri asked.
“Do we have any?”
Peri thought about her question and then nodded. “We better or else we might slip up. We each have boyfriends. They are all best friends and are backpacking across Europe.”
“Nice,” Jacque nodded.
Peri stopped in front of a door directly below a sign that read The Dog House. They had arrived.
Jen shook out her hands and tilted her head this way and that, attempting to loosen up the tense muscles.
“We aren’t going in for fight, Jen,” Jacque laughed.
“I know that, butthead. I’m just trying to relax so I can act natural. I’m afraid I’m going to see her and try to tackle her in a hug.”
“Yeah, don’t do that,” Peri said shaking her head.
Peri pushed the door open and they walked inside and froze. There she was, their gypsy healer, behind a bar, not with Costin. Jen soaked in the image of her friend—whole, uninjured, and sporting a new set of locks.
“Holy schnauzers, what did she do to her hair?” Jen asked as they stood, stock still, staring at their best friend who was diligently drying glasses.
“I think it’s cute,” Jacque whispered.
“By burlesque standards, maybe,” Jen said, her lips pinched together as though she’d just sucked on a lemon. “It’s too, too…” She sputtered trying to find the right words. “It’s too blonde and purple.”
“You’re a blonde, dummy,” Peri pointed out.
“I’m a blonde because God made a mistake. That’s forgivable. I mean, he’s God. She’s a blonde” —Jen pointed at Sally— “because she made a mistake. She ain’t no god and therefore should not attempt to be changing what she was born with. This is what we call inexcusable behavior. Take note ladies, it won’t end pretty.”
“What does that mean?” Jacque ask glancing away from Sally briefly to look at Jen.
“It means her roots are going to look craptastic as her hair grows out. Not. Pretty.”
“Her hair isn’t what’s important, girls,” Peri huffed at them. “She’s got no memory of us. Any of us. She’s dating a werewolf, working in a bar, and believes her parents are dead. Can you see why I don’t think her hair is important?”
“No,” Jen answered. “Just think about how much easier getting through those things would be with good hair? It would be one less thing to worry about. But now she has to add that mess to her list of already jacked up issues. She could have saved herself that drama at least.”
“Okay,” Jacque interrupted. “We get it, Jen. And Peri, we hear you. The next question is are we just going to stand here and stare?”
“I’ll tell you what we’re going to do. We are going to march over there and tell her that damn dye job is a catastrophe and she needs to call in FINA.” Jen started to take a step forward.
Peri snatched the she-wolf’s arm before she could take another step and jerked her back. “First of all, it’s FEMA, not FINA, you dipstick,” Peri growled. “Second, how would you feel if someone told you your hair looked bad? A complete stranger at that.”
“Like I needed to fix it,” Jen said matter-of-fact like.
Peri groaned.
“I’ve told you before, there’s no reasoning with her when she gets something in her head. You just have to let it work its way out of her system like an intestinal worm,” Jacque told Peri, as she crossed her arms in front of her chest and looked back and forth between the two.
“Intestinal worm?” Jen scrunched up her face. “Yuck.”
“Hey, I’m not the one who acts like an intestinal worm. If you fit the shoe, then you’ve got to wear the stink.”
Peri snorted and Jen shook her head at her best friend. “I got nothing.”
“Finally,” the high fae moaned. “Now can we take a seat at the bar and see if we can strike up a conversation. And by all means, let me lead.”
The three marched up to the bar and each took an empty stool. Jen’s hands were shaking as she pulled the stool out and climbed onto it. She rested her arms on the bar, careful to cover her hands so that the shaking wouldn’t be noticeable.
Sally looked up from her intense glass drying and smiled at them. “I’ll be with you in just a sec.”
“Not a problem,” Peri assured.
Sally tucked the towel in her back pocket, and Jen had a flash of memory of a time when Sally had worked with Costin in his bar, and he’d tucked a towel into the healer’s jeans. Times have changed, she thought to herself.
“What can I get you ladies?”
“I’ll take a martini, dry, extra olive, please,” Peri told her.
Jacque ordered next. “I’m just going to take a coke.”
Jen shouldn’t have done it, but her mouth opened and the words spilled out before she could swallow them down. “I’ll take a sex on the beach.”
Peri reached over and pinched the crap out of Jen’s leg, and she had to bite her lip to keep from flinging expletives at the fae.
Sally paused and stared at Jen for a moment. Her face drew into a frown and she looked as though she was in pain. “I don’t think I’ve ever made that one,” she said finally. “I’ll actually have to look that one up. Oh, and I need to see I.D. from my two drinkers.”
Jen turned to look at Peri who gave her a nod letting her know she had it under control. Peri slipped out two I.D. cards from who the crap knows where and showed them to Sally, who nodded and then stepped away to make their drinks. The I.D. cards vanished just as quickly as they’d appeared.
“What time do you close?” Jacque asked Sally after she’d gotten them their drinks and they’d been there casually talking to each other.
Sally glanced at the clock behind her. “In about fifteen minutes.”
So, one a.m., Jen thought and then realized that they’d been there for forty-five minutes and only said a handful of things to Sally, none of which were conducive to building a friendship. She thought back to when they were kids and Jen had met her. She’d informed her, just like Jacque, that she was going to be her best friend and that was that. It worked then. Jen shrugged as she smiled at Sally. “So we’re new in town,” Jen said and ignored the foot stomp Peri was attempting to give her. “And you seem to be like a normal, not serial killer, type. Would you care to hang out with us one night this week and tell us what’s what?”
