Page 85 of Shameless

But I’m mostly grateful that he cares enough and he and Napoleon have put a smile on Jenna’s face.

So grateful that I don’t let the fact that Crew sits on the other side of Lula bother me like it usually would.

As it is, the food is lovely and I’m sitting between Jenna and Lula with Mom just across to complete the trifecta of the women I love the most in the world.

Jenna is so taken by feeding Napoleon, that she’s in her own bubble, whispering to the tiny dog while they share a cheeseburger and fries.

Satisfied that my daughter is content, I turn my attention to the conversation at the table.

“I can’t wait to go back East,” Tiffany’s tone is as vitriolic as ever. “I get it that my husband has an important campaign to win, but I wish he had insisted on taking us with him. Especially Evan. He wouldn’t dare hook up with that white trash in front of his father.”

Her eyes drift behind me where I know Evan and Jasmine are dining at a table for two.

“Seriously Jules,” Lula’s mother continues. “With all the nice girls in town, couldn’t you have knocked up someone that wasn’t complete white trash?”

If this isn’t the pot calling the kettle black, I don’t know what is.

I could say that Tom and I have made the same mistake, but I decide not to antagonize Tiffany after all.

I’ve known the woman my whole life and believe it or not, this is her being nice. Tiffany’s ugly side would result in the kind of scene that would get people banned from the club for life.

I don’t want Mom to have to explain why she isn’t treating her former best friend like she would any other guest, so I keep my mouth shut.

It’s more than obvious that she invited Tiffany to dinner for Lula’s sake, as an attempt to mend a bridge that was burned to smithereens when she and Tom got together.

“I told you so many times to keep Jules away from her three years ago,” Tiffany turns to Mom. “You should have listened. Oh wait, you were too busy screwing my husband behind my back to keep your children in line.”

Tom clears his throat. “Tiff, I thought we talked about this. This isn’t the place or the time to rehash the past. Let’s try to be civil to each other since you’re stuck in Star Cove until the sheriff is satisfied that you can leave the state.”

Oblivious to what her ex-husband just said, Tiffany looks at Lula. “I hope you realize that if you want to be with Jules, he has all this baggage that will never go away. It’s self-inflicted too, since his ex wanted sole custody. Believe me, children are enough of a pain in the ass when they’re your own. Taking onsomeone else’s is stupid. God knows if I went back, you wouldn’t even be here. Run before it’s too late or you’re gonna be stuck being a stepmother to that little brat.”

That’s it.

I can’t bite my tongue for one more second. “Tiffany, that’s enough.”

I’m prepared for more unpleasantness, but Tom intervenes before I can speak my mind.

“What do you mean a stepmom? You got it all wrong, Tiff. Lula is with Stefan.”

Tiffany’s laugh is so loud that it causes several people at other tables to look at us. “Ah, Tom. I’ve always known that Arianna must have been the one who made a move on you. There’s no way you’d have been able to keep your tryst a secret. You wear your heart on your sleeve and you’re so oblivious to anything that’s really going on around you, it’s painful.”

Tom’s brows crease as he looks at his ex-wife. “What do you mean?”

“I can’t believe Talulah has been living under your roof for weeks and you haven’t noticed that she’s involved with all of the three young men at this table.”

Fuck.

I was planning to talk to Tom about my feelings for Lula and I knew he would probably have questions about her and Stefan. This was the last way I wanted him to learn about us and Lula. And I admit that I was totally burying my head in the sand about Crew.

There isn’t any hiding from it now and after this afternoon, I know that getting Lula to choose me over Crew, might be just as hard as getting her to break up with Stefan.

A part of me wants Lula to myself, but an even bigger part of me knows that, at least for now, I need Stefan and Crew to keep my girl safe. At least until Evan goes back to whatever hell he came from and until we’re sure that Morelli will really stay away from her.

There’s also a murderer on the loose and we have no way to know if Eddie, Trevor and Maura were their only targets.

Lula and I stumbled on the massacre minutes after it happened, Rikki got there while the shooter was still around.

What if whoever did it thinks we know something and comes after us? Lula is safer with the three of us looking out for her. We’ll figure out the rest later.

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