Page 42 of Nocere

"What happens when she sees a gun?" asked Jordan. "A lot of our friends are cops. The party in a few weeks will be filled with weapon-carrying sexy women."

"She'll be okay because Sami is always okay, but she will tell you that she doesn't like it and move away. Last time, she walked off to the bathroom. Stella checked on her before taking Alice home. I'm not sure what exchange happened."

I listened to everything Ainsley said and stored the information for later retrieval. Samirah appeared to be one of the strongest, boldest women I'd ever met, which I found exceptionally attractive. To know that she had vulnerabilities and anxieties, too, only made me feel more connected to her.

"How long have you known Samirah?" I asked them.

"A few years, but she was only around once or twice a year because of her work rotations. My mom knew her longer. She always spoke highly of Doctor Flynn. When I came out to Mom, she tried to hook me up with single Doctor Flynn, but I was already smitten by my lovely mermaid." Ainsley grinned at Jordan.

"Aww. Don't worry, honey. I'll lick your vagina tonight without your syrupy compliments." Jordan bat her lashes and I nearly died laughing.

"Jordan, oh my God."

Ainsley beamed, her cheery expression tangled with a giggle. "Oh goodie. I was hoping so."

"The two of you are lawless," I said, covering my face while cracking up. "I can't even deal."

"You can so deal." Ainsley tugged my hands away. "Back to the topic at hand. Samirah and your crush on her."

"I knew your busy-body nature invited me to dinner just to interrogate me."

"Correction. Jordan planned this interrogation, not me." Ainsley swung her spoon in the air like a wand.

"Accurate." Jordan clunked her utensil against Ainsley's.

"We just wanted to make sure you were into Sami, too," said Ainsley. "She can come on strong sometimes."

"Is that why you told her to be careful the last time we were here?" I cocked a brow at Ainsley and she chuckled.

"You don't miss a trick, do you?"

"I'm literally an intelligence analyst. I analyze things for a living."

"She got you there, babe." Jordan snickered.

"Yes. That's the reason. She comes on strong and you're—"

"Sensitive?" A half-smile tugged my mouth and Ainsley gripped my hand.

"Yes, Rosie. Sensitive. And I may or may not be protective of you."

"We both are," said Jordan. "And Alex. We tried to get her to come tonight, but she had to move the rest of her stuff to storage."

"My place is so tiny for the two of us, but I kind of like not being there alone sometimes," I admitted.

"The two of you are supportive of each other. Though Alex is labile at times," said Ainsley.

"Labile how?" I asked.

"Moody. Flighty. She's a good worker, but if she has personal stuff going on, she's disorganized at work and forgets things," said Jordan.

"The plight of a foster kid. We lose our bearings easily."

"Which is why you're so controlled and careful." Ainsley pulled the spoon from her lips. "Makes sense."

"Well, thank you both for caring about me. I'm doing okay and I do like Samirah very much. We're having dinner again on Thursday."

"Good for you." Ainsley smiled, leaning her chin on her hand. "I'm happy for you both."

"I hope it works out." I sat back in my chair while nibbling on a cookie again. "I really like her."

"Be yourself, Rosie. Be honest. And believe that you deserve good things. Because you do." Jordan winked at me and I smiled.

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