Page 51 of Seven of Hearts

Kylie dug her hands into her hair. “Shit...”

“Yeah. But it is what it is. At least I was in town when I found out. It could’ve been worse.”

She worked her fingernail into a groove in the wooden tabletop. “You flew back out here to be close to her.”

I nodded. “And the baby. But Leah . . . she’s?—”

“Perfect for you.”

I could have been knocked over by a light breeze.

“What did you say?”

Kylie shrugged. “I’m just saying. I’ve known you two longer than almost any other people on earth. I love you guys and I want good things for you. Besides...You always looked at her a little differently than you looked at my other friends.”

Busted.I had always harbored a crush on Leah Holloway. An innocent one that I never let fester or grow.

My sister’s best friend had always been on the other side of a line I wasn’t supposed to cross. But now there were two more lines. And they were pink.

“I tried not to,” I admitted.

Kylie stole a chicken finger and took a bite. Since things seemed to be moving in an amicable direction, I let her.

“Why?” she asked.

I grabbed one myself. “Because you needed her. All the shit with Mom and Dad put us through...She was one of your only friends who stuck by you. I didn’t want to take her away from you.”

Kylie stopped chewing. “You didn’t take her from me.” She let out an unexpected laugh as realization dawned on her. “My best friend is having my niece or nephew. She has a place in our lives forever.” She jammed the half-eaten chicken finger into the cup of ranch dressing. “But if you hurt her, I will murder you. Slowly and painfully. I’ll restrain you, then pluck out all your nose hairs, one by one, with tweezers until you’re crying. Then I’ll take floral pins and jam them into your nail beds. I’ll have to dismember you to dispose of the body in a way where it’ll never be found, and I’ll definitely be doing that when you’re still alive. Would you like me to start with your fingers or toes? I think I’ll start with your toes so you can’t slip out of the wrist restraints. And even if you get free after I start chopping off your fingers, you won’t be able to run away. I think I’ll disembowel you next. I’ll strangle you with your entrails as you bleed out. It won’t take long, but it will be very satisfying. After that, it’s just slicing and dicing, shaving off your fingertips, smashing your teeth with a hammer so no one can match them to dental records. Then I’ll drive around to all the boatyards up and down the coast to leave little bits of you to decompose under decommissioned fishing trawlers.”

I pushed the plate away from me as my stomach lurched. “That was rather vivid.”

She pointed a French fry at me. “Don’t fuck this up.”

I offered her the old fashioned. “Then help me.”

Kylie lifted an eyebrow as she sipped her drink. “You want a crash course in Leah 101?”

I nodded.

She laced her hands together. “I will take payment in mozzarella sticks, and you need to take notes.”

I flagged down Bridget and put in Kylie’s request, then pulled out my phone, opened the voice note app, and hit record.

“Okay,” Kylie said. “Starting with the basics. Leah loves food. She loves going to restaurants. Morning sickness was a bitch, but I think she’s coming out of it now. She never eats breakfast because she’s always running late. Gio and Ellie are her world, but she is exhausted after work if she’s not with them overnight. Get used to it. When she goes home, she usually wants to rot in bed. She loves bananas, but hates when they’re mixed with things because it overpowers them. Banana pancakes? Good. Strawberry-banana smoothie? Bad. The only exception is bananas and peanut butter. She loves them together. If the question is movies or TV shows, she’ll always pick a TV show that she’s watched before. Don’t even bother asking her out to the movies. She hates theaters. Saturdays are for thrift shopping and the farmer’s market. She will buy furniture, which means you’ll also have to go with her to the hardware store. It’s a real ‘If You Give a Mouse a Cookie’ situation. Her apartment is her nest. I know you’re like a weird minimalist monk who survives on unflavored oatmeal and a single blanket on your bed. So, I’m warning you: she is going to introduce you to the world of throw pillows, and youwilllove them. Are we clear?”

I grabbed a chicken finger and used the bite to hide my grin. “We’re clear. Keep going.”

15

LEAH

“Have a great day!” I called after Gio and Ellie as I dropped them off in front of their school. Gio’s backpack hung from one shoulder. He took Ellie’s backpack and put it on the other to carry it inside for her.

They waved goodbye, but I sat at the end of the car line until they made it safely inside.

It wasn’t even eight in the morning, and I was already yawning. Usually, this was the part of the day where I was ready to seize the crap out of it and get shit done.

I’d run through a drive-thru and grab a cup of coffee before I tackled the in-town errands, then head to one of the houses.

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