Page 33 of Fallen Ink

“As ready as I’ll ever be. Carter has been through this with me before, so at least he’s prepared for the fact that he’ll rarely see me for about four months. Just remind me that I said this in a couple months when I’m ready to pull out my hair because people are constantly showing up with shoeboxes of wrinkled receipts and saying ‘good luck.’”

Adrienne winced. “That was one time, and I never did it again. I’d had a hard year and was working even longer hours than you to pay the rent. Now, everything is as color-coded as possible for you.”

“Damn straight, it is. I can’t have anyone else at the office see me showing up with a shoebox again. The horror, Adrienne. The horror.” She winked, and Adrienne rolled her eyes.

“Stop. It wasn’t that bad. I know you’ve seen worse.”

“True, but since you’re family, I get to rag on you a bit. It was in the contract when each of us was born.”

“You’re a dork.”

“Girls, be nice to each other. Livvy is in the other room, and I don’t want her hearing something that she’ll end up saying on her own. Be good role models for your niece.”

“Sorry, Mom,” they both said at once, then looked at one another, smiles threatening to break over their faces. It was as if they were ten again and in trouble for popping wheelies on their bikes with the Thompson boys next door. Those kids had never liked the fact that she and her sisters were far better riders than they were, and Adrienne a daredevil when it had come to stunts. Her mom hadn’t been happy about that at all either, but Shep had always secretly taught them everything he knew so they could kick the Thompson boys’ butts.

“You’d better be.” Her mom smiled as she said it, and her tone wasn’t as sharp as it had been when they were kids and in trouble. “Go out on the deck and relax for a bit. Your father turned on the heater before anyone showed up, so it’s all nice and toasty. Don’t make me waste all that electricity.” She winked as she said it before heading back out into the living room to, presumably, play with her granddaughter.

Both Adrienne and Roxie had frozen in place as their mother came out of nowhere to scold them, but now relaxed a bit after she left. After a moment, they went out onto the covered deck with the outdoor heater and relaxed like their mother with her all-knowingness had instructed them.

Seriously, the woman had like ninja skills when it came to finding them doing something they probably shouldn’t. It had made being a teenager in the Montgomery house difficult. Shep had been lucky in that he was just old enough when the rest of them had been born that he was able to get away with a little bit more. But as soon as the girls reached their teenage years, her parents had been well trained and ready for whatever trouble they might get into. Needless to say, Adrienne hasn’t truly rebelled until after she moved out and buried herself in art.

Mace, thankfully, had wanted to rebel right with her when they met, so she could figure out what kind of alcohol she could have and want, and what kind made her dance on tabletops with only one shot. People always thought it was tequila, but she knew the real answer. Vodka was the Devil’s drink. Mace had also been there when she had her first and only cigarette. Apparently, she wasn’t destined to become a smoker, and for that she was grateful. That one inhale had made her eyes red and itchy for a week, and she still wanted to cough just thinking about it.

And through it all, she had Mace.

“What is that smile?” Thea asked as she walked out onto the deck with a newly filled wine glass in hand. “You’re thinking about that guy of yours, aren’t you?”

Adrienne froze, unaware that she’d been smiling while thinking about Mace. “Uh, what?”

Roxie tilted her head, studying Adrienne’s face. “You know, that is a smile about a man. I saw it before when we were at Blushes With Lushes and you couldn’t keep that secret back any longer. So, who is he? I know you said we didn’t know him, but does he have a name?”

“What does he do?” Thea asked, taking a seat next to Roxie on the rocker and picking up the conversation. Adrienne sat on the chair next to it, her booted feet up on the outdoor ottoman.

“Is he good in bed?” Roxie added.

“How big is his—?”

Adrienne held up her hands, laughter bubbling up in her throat as she cut off Thea’s question. “Oh my God, stop it. Both of you. It’s like we’re in high school again or something and you’re waiting to see what I think about the new boy in study hall.”

Thea grinned and took a sip of her wine. “I don’t recall asking about length and girth in high school, but not all of us were…seasoned back then.”

Adrienne flipped her off. “I had sex once in high school, asshole. And never again will I have sex in the back of a Toyota Corolla.” She shuddered. “Never. Again.”

“So this new man of yours drives something better?” Roxie asked. “Perhaps…a stick?” Her sisters looked at each other and cracked up laughing, and Adrienne just shook her head.

She knew she’d already lied to them once, and since it seemed like many of their other friends already knew about her and Mace—at least the basics since it wasn’t as if she actually knew what was going on either—she needed to be up-front with them.

“So, uh, I wasn’t exactly truthful before…it’s Mace.” She shut her mouth as soon as she blurted out his name, out hoped to hell she hadn’t just made a mistake. She’d been wishing on that particular hope a lot recently.

Her sisters stopped laughing and stared at her. Roxie’s mouth opened and closed like a fish as she tried to figure out what to say as Thea’s eyes brightened.

Her middle sister pointed at her and squealed. “I knew it! I fucking knew it!”

Roxie bounced on the rocker, forcing Thea to hold onto the side so she wouldn’t fall off, but neither of them seemed to care. “Mace? Your Mace? He’s really your Mace now, isn’t he?”

“Before we get to the burning questions of the century when it comes to you and Mace,” Thea began, a twinkle in her eyes, “I’m going to need you to answer the previous questions asked.”

“Is he good in bed?” Roxie repeated.

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