Page 123 of Windlass

Lana didn’t have another woman with her that Angie could see, but that meant nothing. Blond Bridget could be close. With luck, she’d show up now and take Lana away. Angie didn’t want to deal with her, not after the weekend. Not with Stevie bristling like a feral cat beside her.

Please don’t fight, she begged Stevie with her body language, sliding between them as she turned.

“Great.” Lana’s eyes drifted to Stevie. Angie tensed, prepared to pull Stevie off Lana as she’d had to before, but Stevie leaned back against the cart and nodded coolly. Lana’s cheeks darkened with an angry flush.

“Are we in your way?” Angie asked.We. It felt good to say even in these circumstances.

“Not you.” Lana’s eyes suggested Steviewasin the way.

Stevie reached into the cooler and snatched a bag of frozen peas. To do what? Throw them at Lana? Angie curled her toes in anxiety, the action hidden by her shoes.

“But I come in peas,” said Stevie as she proffered the bag to Lana.

Angie burst into laughter so loudly several nearby shoppers turned to look. She laughed until she had to slap a hand over her mouth to stop herself.

Lana couldn’t have looked more disgusted if someone had taken a giant shit in the middle of the aisle. She tugged at the brim of her hat, adjusting it as she glared first at Stevie, then at Angie.

Now that she was looking for it, Angie saw the hurt still lingering—but the disgust and irritation were stronger.

“She’s perfect for you.” Lana’s tone implied this was an insult of the highest degree.

Angie smiled.I come in peas. Knowingly or otherwise, Stevie had done the one thing Lana couldn’t stand: embarrassed her.

“I know,” Angie said. To Stevie, she added, “Put those in the cart. I’m making you eat them later.”

“I hate peas.”

“You’re a big girl.”

By the time they’d finished bickering, Lana had stalked off. Angie watched her go. An odd sadness passed over her and faded. It wasn’t that she’d miss Lana, not in any way that might concern Stevie or Angie’s friends. She didn’t know what it was that twinged, exactly. Perhaps an echo of a life she was choosing to leave behind, like a door swinging shut in the darkness of a quiet house.

She didn’t think she’d hear from Lana again.

“Thank you.” She looked back at Stevie, who jerked her eyes away as if she hadn’t been studying Angie closely.

“For what?”

“For not flipping out.”

“I never flip out. I’m peas-full.” Stevie patted the bag of peas in the cart. “Or I will be when you force them down my throat.”

“Because I’m totally going to make you deep-throat peas.” Angie rolled her eyes, unable to squash her smile.

Stevie straightened. “We’re done shopping, right?”

“Almost.”

“Then why are we standing here?” Stevie took the cart and started off in the wrong direction.

“Bread is this way.”

Stevie halted and spun the cart around with an unpleasant squeak of tires.

“Knew that.”

“Course you did.”

Stevie brought the cart parallel to her, those blue eyes quieting in concern. “You okay? Lana . . . you know.”

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