Page 6 of Loving Her

Likes pizza with mortadella and burrata. Drinks rarely—maybe red wine? Craft beer occasionally.

Only child. Mother still lives in (??) Minnesota. Father died sometime when Sash was a teenager.

No pets. Kind enough to take care of Winston when I travel :)

Does not like ice in water.

Always hear her listening to Lilith Fair type music. Lesbian folk?

Goes to the movies when she can, pretty sure she has a FilmForum membership? Does that Polar Bear Club thing too in San Pedro every NYD.

Asian food seems to be her favorite. How come she never cooks anything Asian inspired for the Lounge?

Doesn’t like Nutella. Who doesn’t like Nutella?

The last one made her forget her embarrassment for a moment, and Sasha chuckled. “Someone with a tree-nut allergy doesn’t like Nutella, Rubes.”

Ruby looked up, blue eyes round with astonishment. “You’re allergic to tree nuts?”

“That’s why my pesto at the Lounge doesn’t taste ‘right’ to you. Esme’s budget didn’t stretch to pine nuts for a long time, and I couldn’t use almonds as a cheaper sub because then I couldn’t do taste tests. So, I toast pepitas and use them instead.”

“Oh.” Ruby bit her lip. “Do you carry an Epipen around? I should probably know that if you do.”

“I get one every year just in case, but I’ve never had a severe anaphylactic reaction. Just nausea, some itching, but my throat doesn’t swell up. Still, better safe than sorry.” Sasha paused, thinking about how to break the next piece of news to Ruby. She’d thought she would take this secret to the grave. “Rubes, you should know… I don’t have a pet because I’m allergic to dogs, too, and they’re the only kind of pet I’d want.”

Ruby frowned for a moment, and then gasped as realization hit. “Sash! But you always watch Winston for me!”

Sasha could only shrug sheepishly. “I take Claritin starting a few days before I take him in, and for a few days after you take him home. I also get someone to really deep clean my place afterwards.”

Horror filled Ruby’s eyes before she clapped her hands over her mouth. “Oh my God,” she said, muffled through her fingers. She looked like she was on the verge of tears as she pulled her hands down. “Sasha, I’m so sorry. You should have told me! I could be asking Natalie or Esme or anyone else to watch Winston.”

“Please don’t,” Sasha begged. “Don’t! It’s as close as I’ve ever come to having a pet, and I love Winston. It’s worth the effort to me. I promise if it was a really bad allergy, I’d tell you no, but it’s livable, I swear to you it is.”

Ruby looked like she was about to keep protesting, and her eyes were still shiny. But just as she opened her mouth, Frankie swept in from the kitchen with her tray of marinated goodies and a plate of crunchy, buttery garlic bread crisps. “Ladies! Special delivery.”

It wasn’t the first time Frankie’s jocular attitude and delicious food had broken up an awkward mood for Sasha, and she found herself grateful for her chef friend’s uncanny ability to know when she was needed yet again. Sasha smiled up into Frankie’s wise gray-green eyes and got a knowing wink and nod in return.

Frankie set down her snacky burden and slapped Sasha on the back with a strong hand. “Good to see ya again, Sash. It’s been way too long since you’ve been here.”

“You haven’t been at the Lounge, either,” Sasha pointed out.

“Ah, yeah, but you know, Cam’s been working there a lot lately and things are a little…” Frankie ran a hand through her edgy short dirty-blonde hair and rubbed at the back of her neck. “Eh, you know how it is.”

Ruby’s face went from woeful to intrigued. She propped her chin in her hands and beamed up at Frankie. “I don’t know, I’d like to know. I’m nosy.”

Frankie glanced down at Ruby, then did a double take. Sasha wondered if that was interest she saw in Frankie’s eyes. “I’ve seen you at the Lounge, too. With the laptop.”

“That’s me.” Ruby pointed at her black messenger bag.

“Frankie Mancini, this is Ruby Fierelli.” Sasha gestured between the two of them. “Ruby, Frankie.”

Ruby sat up straight. “Mancini?”

“Fierelli?” Frankie raised one dark eyebrow and grinned. And that was forsureinterest in her eyes now. Sasha groaned internally. When Frankie wanted to, she could turn on the charm as high as Cam did, and few could resist. Or wanted to. Plus, she was tall, slender, androgynously sexy and had an aura of the bad girl that a lot of women liked.

Sasha had none of that. She was 5’5, felt like she was built like a female Patton Oswalt, had always been too shy to speak up about her feelings for people. No confidence or charm or anything. If Frankie decided to chase after Ruby, Sasha couldn’t compete.

But to her immense relief, Frankie just winked down at her and grabbed a small wooden chair that was nearby, turning it backwards with a deft twist of her wrist and plopping down into it. She crossed her arms over the back of the chair and leaned forward, grinning. “Queens?”

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