Page 39 of Going Deep
“Punishment?” Ginger wondered.
“Braised beef short ribs are his favorite,” Lola said with a grin.
“Teach him to shut me out of poker night,” Anna muttered while Ginger sputtered wine. Under the table, Henry, Anna and Grant’s Mastiff mix, roused himself to see if it was worth licking up.
Lola sipped her wine serenely. “Does he know yet?”
“He will when he gets home,” Anna said smugly. “I did it on the grill so he wouldn’t smell it in the house.”
Ginger swiped at the wine she’d spilled on the table. Henry, seeing he wasn’t getting any, settled back down with a sigh. “Uh, not that it’s any of my business, but can’t you get into trouble for stuff like that?”
“I don’t care, he deserves it. And it’s not like he won’t get any,” Anna went on. “There are leftovers.”
Ginger peered into the pot. “There’s like, one rib left in there.”
Anna winced, then shrugged. “Worth it.”
Lola just shook her head. “And people think I’m the chaotic one.”
“I don’t,” Ginger assured her.
“Thank you,” Lola replied, and lifted her glass. “Great wine, by the way. French?”
“Italian,” Ginger replied, amused.
“That was my second guess,” Lola said and drank.
“Okay, new topic,” Anna declared. “Ginger and Michael.”
“I like that topic,” Lola decided.
“Me too.” Anna waved at Ginger. “Spill.”
Her glass was empty, so Ginger reached for the bottle to get a refill. “Spill what?”
“The dish, the dirt.” Anna paused for a sip of wine. “You know, the what what.”
“The what what?”
Anna waved again. “That’s what the kids say.”
“The kids do not say that,” Lola informed her.
“Sure, they do. I have teenage sisters, they say it all the time.” Anna looked expectantly at Ginger. “Well?”
“You might as well tell her,” Lola said. “She won’t shut up otherwise.”
Ginger shrugged. “There’s nothing to tell. We haven’t talked.”
Anna sat up straight, sloshing her wine. “What?”
“Not since Sunday morning, when he called to check on me,” Ginger clarified.
“He hasn’t called since? Not at all?”
Lola’s lips twitched. “Anna, they had a scene and sex, they didn’t pledge their eternal troth.”
Anna’s eyes fired. “It was her first time.”
