Page 96 of Without You, Scotch and Sammy 2

My brows knit in surprise. “You’d keep our friendship a secret from him?”

“Well,” she smiles. “I’d possibly tell him about my hot friend Pammy and her daughter Lola. I might even suggest a blind date between you both.” Her smile turns serious. “But if you ever needed me, and as long as whatever you need doesn’t hurt my brother, sure, I’d keep your secrets. I’d take them to the grave. And if your secret is that you’re asking me for outfit advice for a date with another man, then I sure as shit won’t be telling him. But I’d take your call, and I’d tell you which thong to wear.”

I look to Marc for answers, but he shrugs.

“Why are you looking at him?” Britt demands with sass. “Word on the street is he was a dick too.”

“Brat! Don’t throw me back into the shit. I only just finished clawing my way out.”

Brittany smiles mischievously. “If I’m going down, I’m taking the world with me. It’s gonna be messy and loud and the hellfire will burn.”

I laugh softly. “Okay. Fine. You can join my squad.”

“Woop!” Meg cheers. She dives forward and takes Britt in a sideways squeezy hug. “Little Brittany got titties. Did anybody else notice that?”

Marc makes a soft gagging noise beside me, while Jack smiles wolfishly and nods.

Britt laughs. “I’m so glad we got that outta the way. Now that we’re friends, I need a favor.”

“Huh?”

“So my big brother has been sitting in my kitchen every morning for weeks. He pretends to fall asleep on my couch every night, because he doesn’t wanna go home alone. You know when he wasn’t in my kitchen?”

“Britt--”

“When you and Lily were in his apartment.”

Her words slice me, but her smile keeps it light. “So, what you’re saying is that you want me to get him out of your house?”

She snickers as Lily lets out an impressively loud fart in Marc’s arms.

Britt raises her hand between us in measurement. “It’s like, ninety-percent his happiness, ten-percent getting him out of my damn house. You’d be doing me a solid if you got him out. I haven’t had kitchen sex in weeks, and a girl misses getting banged against the fridge sometimes.”

Jack chokes in momentary shock, then he scrambles away when Marc’s foot swings out in an attempt to brain him. “Don’t touch her again, jackass!”

Britt rolls her eyes. “Don’t listen to him, baby. I’ve got an itch that only you can scratch.”

Their laughter and lightness had me forgetting the enormity of today for a few minutes, but then my gaze comes up nervously as Ed walks in, then my young and semi-hot lawyer follows closely behind.

Shit.

Ed steps forward hesitantly as all my visitors spread to allow him room, then taking me in a chaste side hug, he smiles. “Are you ready?”

No. “Yeah.”

“I’ll see you in there in a bit. Don’t worry so much, okay?”

I nod jerkily, and Marc brings his hand up to my shoulder to calm me. “Relax. I’ll be with you the whole time.”

I nearly burst into tears on the spot. I won’t be going in alone.

Tony, my lawyer, steps toward us with a million dollar smile and a super-friendly hug. “Are you ready, Sammy? We’re gonna kick butt.”

“Who the hell is this guy?” Marc snaps. His hand squeezes my shoulder as he brings me back closer to him. I smile. High school Marc is back, and I’m back in his circle.

“Marc, Tony Nece, my lawyer. Tony, Marc Macchio, my really good friend.”

Marc eyes Tony up and down slowly. “I’m also her brother in law. You know. Like, how she’s married. To my brother.”

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