Margie petted Bullet’s back, making kissy noises at him as she walked down to the lobby. Seeing Mrs Hartman, she asked, sounding distracted, ‘Is she gone?’
‘Yes.’ Mrs Hartman joined her in walking to the front window, as they watched Megan Matthews get into a cab and drive off. ‘Why do you think she came to pay our Ryan a visit?’
‘Whatever the reason, her being here will only cause him more hurt. I’m just glad Ryan already left with Diederick. That poor boy doesn’t need this woman toying with him any more. I know her kind. They only come back when it suits them, when their life isn’t what they want it to be. She comes so Ryan can nurse her ego and then, when she thinks something better comes along, she’ll tear his heart out again without thought.’ Margie sighed. ‘It’s a good thing you called to let me know she was here. I told her there was a wedding and that they’re gone.’
‘Hopefully the news will be the end of her,’ Mrs Hartman said, still looking outside, though Megan’s cab had driven off. ‘It broke my heart to watch him throw away all the pictures he took of her. It’s like a piece of him is missing.’
‘He handed me the box and asked me to burn them.’ Margie clucked her tongue, scratching Bullet’s neck. ‘Normally, he’s so optimistic. That one did a number on him and she’ll only do it again.’
‘Let’s not tell Ryan about this. It’s better if he doesn’t see her. She knows she’s lost him now. She’ll leave him be. I saw it in her face. We won’t be seeing her again.’ Mrs Hartman waved her hand towards her apartment door. ‘Bring that little guy and come have some cookies. I just baked a batch of oatmeal raisin.’
‘It’s a good thing Ryan has us,’ Margie said.
‘That’s right. We take care of our own. The boy will finally find his much deserved happiness.’
Chapter Twelve
The pain filtering through Megan was unbearable, not so unlike the time a bullet grazed her side, only worse because it shot through her chest and stayed. Her period stopped and yet she was still weepy, almost unable to get off her couch as she watched movie after endless movie. Nothing took her mind off Ryan for long and she was left feeling miserable and alone. A werewolf came on and she remembered how Ryan’s hair was brown like the onscreen beast. If it was a documentary on animals, she’d think of how Ryan took pictures and knew bear trivia. And if there was a love story – forget about it.
The news of Ryan’s marriage left her stunned. Ryan and Rosa, even their names sounded cute together. She just bet they were perfect – happy, loving, making baby noises at each other with stupid little pet names like muffin-pie and sweetie-kins. Megan snorted grumpily at the thought.
Hearing noise at her door, she glanced at it, not moving from her couch. Her doorknob jiggled and she automatically reached under her seat cushion for her gun. The familiar grip of the standard-issue 9mm handgun slid into her hand.
‘Megan?’ Zoe called out, coming into view as she pulled the spare set of keys from the door. Her sister’s eyes found her on the couch, glancing down at her hand. ‘Oh, please, don’t tell me you were going to shoot me. It was Kat’s idea I come over and check on you. Shoot her, not me.’
‘Ever hear of knocking?’ Megan pulled her hand out and shoved it under her cheek, not bothering to sit up.
‘Yeah, but I also know you’d have the door blockaded in about three seconds if you didn’t want me coming in.’ Zoe laughed and shut the door. ‘Good thing I did come over. You look like ass.’
‘Don’t come in here looking all breezy and pretty raining on my depression.’ Megan motioned over Zoe’s outfit. The pretty chartreuse and charcoal silk dress had a deep V neck, a contracted hem and half-length sleeves.
‘I almost didn’t believe there was cause for worry, Megs,’ Zoe said. ‘After all, men never affected you, even in high school when you caught Jake what’s-his-name cheating on you with that cheerleader.’
Megan sighed, pushing herself up on the couch. ‘Why should I care about him? Besides, Kristy Skankyton gave him crabs.’
‘Skankyton?’ Zoe mused.
‘What? She was a skanky whore. Why do you think Jake liked her? Why do you think the whole football team liked her? All at once in the boys’ locker room?’
‘OK, maybe I was wrong. You seem bitter.’ Zoe walked over to the television and pushed the volume down. Then, frowning slightly as she stepped over broken DVDs on Megan’s floor, she moved to the end of the couch to sit. ‘Didn’t feel like paying the late fees?’
‘They pissed me off.’ Megan ran her fingers through her hair, getting them snagged in the tangled mess. ‘Stupid, unrealistic, happy couples.’
Zoe leant over and picked up a broken half. ‘Happy? This chick dies in the end leaving the man alone and depressed.’
‘Really? It didn’t start that way. Huh, maybe I’ll rent that one again and fast forward to the ending.’
‘Ah, nice to meet you, Ms Bitterton.’ Zoe tossed the broken piece on the floor, back into the pile.
‘I’m not bitter. Stop saying that.’ Megan began to lift her arms in a stretch, only to frown and think better of it. Instead, she crossed them over her chest. ‘Look, if you’re all going to come over here to do the “let’s cheer up the depressed sister and make her shower and eat” bit that we did to Kat when she couldn’t work it out with Vincent, then I’m telling you now, I will shoot you all.’
‘Don’t make me take away your gun.’
‘Go ahead. I have a Glock 40 cal in the bathroom and a 9mm auto in the bedroom.’
‘And this is why I came alone,’ Zoe mumbled. ‘It’s a not-so-sneaky sneak attack. See, if we all came, you’d get hard-headed and resistant. This way, I can threaten to call our mother if you don’t get off your butt and into a shower. You not only look like ass, you smell like it too.’
‘Go to hell,’ Megan mumbled, fully intent on lying back down.
‘Mom will bring the tea,’ Zoe threatened, all the while smiling sweetly. ‘I’ll make sure of it.’
Megan glared at her. ‘I hate you.’
‘You hate the world right now, so I won’t let that go to my head.’
‘I want to punch you in the head right now,’ Megan pouted, knowing full well she’d never hurt her sister.
Zoe knew it, too. Wryly, she drawled, ‘That’s real mature.’
Megan made a weak noise. ‘I just want to sit here.’
‘Wallowing in self-pity?’
‘You don’t understand.’
‘What? That you are in love? You messed up and are now feeling sorry for yourself instead of being the aggressive Megan I know and love. The Megan who goes for what she wants?’ Zoe arched a brow. ‘Mm, no, I guess I don’t understand at all.’
‘It’s not that simple.’ Megan took a deep breath and held it against the pain inside her.
‘Just apologise. Tell him how you feel.’ Zoe moved closer, running her hand over Megan’s back.
‘This isn’t a damn romance novel.’
‘Hey, you leave my slight addiction to books out of this,’ Zoe ordered.
‘Slight?’
Leaning over, Zoe pinched Megan’s outer thigh. ‘Shut up! It is slight.’
‘Whatever.’ Megan tried to suppress her laugh.
‘We all saw him look at you, Megan.’ Her sister clearly wasn’t going to let her get out of the conversation.
‘He’s married, Zoe.’ It almost killed her to say the words out loud. It made them all the more real. ‘He came back from Montana, got married and is now on his honeymoon with his wife, Rosa.’
‘Rosa?’ Zoe sounded sceptical. ‘And you got this info where?’
‘I’m a cop.’ Megan dropped her head. ‘I know, Zoe, and it hurts. I’ve seen people who’ve gone crazy when they can’t have who they want and I never really got it before, but I do now.’
‘Don’t talk like that, Megs. You’re not crazy, you are in love. But you are right. Love isn’t rational, it’s not planned, it can’t be controlled or forced. It’s not even one of your mysteries to solve. It just is.’
‘If I wanted philosophy, I’d have asked Sasha.’ Even as she said it, Megan gave her sister a small smile. ‘If you want to make me feel better, help me come up with ways to hurt Rosa.’
‘All right, that’s it.’ Zoe stood up. ‘Enough. You are better than this. Get your smelly butt into the shower. I’m supposed to get you over to Kat’s for a surprise cheerup party and makeover. And, if you don’t hurry, I’ll call Mom and tell her about it.’
Megan grumbled.
‘Kat bought wine.’
She grumbled again.
‘And beer,’ Zoe added. ‘Lots and lots of beer.’
‘Fine.’ Megan made a face. ‘But no happy-couple movies.’
‘Only exploding bullet-flying fun,’ Zoe teased.
‘Promise?’ Megan gave a sheepish grin.
‘Yeah, yeah, promise. But, if you start scratching your crotch and belching, I’m calling Mom. This is a party with your lady sisters, not your macho cop buddies.’
Buuuurrp
!
Kat fell over laughing as Sasha finished. Sasha just grinned. ‘I told you I learnt something in college.’
‘Oh, how things degenerate fast,’ Zoe moaned.
‘Ah, come on, Zoe, try it. You might like being vulgar,’ Kat said.
Megan cuddled back into Kat’s white cushy couch, curled in a burgundy knit blanket. For the first time since Ryan walked away in Montana, she felt some semblance of happy. All that was missing was Ella to make the night perfect.
‘I should have known you’d turn this into a Megan night.’ Zoe laughed. ‘I was such a sucker when you told me this was a ladies night makeover party.’
‘What?’ Kat stood, showing off her tight vinyl police uniform with the too-small shirt, high-cut shorts and utility belt. ‘I call this a makeover.’
‘I don’t think stripper was too far of a leap for you,’ Sasha mused. She wore a militant black leather dominatrix costume, complete with shiny cap and whip.
‘And bossy not too far for you, college girl,’ Megan said, kicking her bare foot out at Sasha who sat on the floor.
‘I can’t believe you didn’t put on your outfit.’ Kat pouted. She was the only one not drinking, but didn’t seem to care.
Megan sat up, revealing her plaid pyjama pants and tight tank top. She grabbed the old-fashioned nurse’s uniform and held it up for inspection. ‘Do I look like a compassionate caregiver?’
‘You might turn into one, if you put on your superheroine costume,’ Kat said under her breath, but not so quiet they couldn’t hear.
‘Super like me?’ Zoe jumped up, dropping her quilted blanket as she put her fists on her hips, lifting her chin. A long cape fluttered behind her tight spandex bodysuit. The bright colours were hard to look at for too long. ‘Super chef!’
‘Super slut,’ Sasha mumbled, giggling.
‘Ha, ha,’ Zoe answered, sitting back down and tugging the quilt around her shoulders.
‘Why don’t you go get us more food, super chef?’ Megan handed an empty dip bowl to Zoe. ‘And don’t forget the chips.’
Zoe got to her feet, grumbling. ‘This isn’t chef work, it’s waitressing.’
‘Ah, but super chef can do anything,’ Sasha said.
The doorbell rang, a long drowning series of tones.
‘Like answer the door,’ Kat said.
Zoe looked down in shock. ‘What? I’m not answering the door like this!’
‘Go on. It’s probably just the male stripper Kat ordered.’ Sasha laughed.
‘You ordered a male stripper?’ Megan sat up straighter, somewhat shocked.
Sasha laughed harder.
‘Megan, you go get it. We’re not dressed.’ Zoe ran towards the kitchen with the empty dip bowl.
Sighing, and somewhat curious, Megan got up, trailing her blanket behind her. Kat said, ‘I can’t believe you actually hired a stripper. I was joking about that.’
‘The whores are in the other room waiting for you,’ Megan said, swinging open the door to look out into the hall. No one was there. ‘Hello?’ Leaning forwards, she glanced down the hall, but saw no one.
‘Megan?’ Kat called.
‘Um, do you have another door?’ Megan shut the front door, frowning.
‘What?’ Kat came up behind her.
‘No one’s there. I’m going to go help Zoe in the kitchen. You should have Vincent check the doorbell. It might be faulty.’
Ryan took a deep breath. She didn’t see him. He never imagined Megan would be at Kat’s house so late in the evening. When he heard her voice, all he could think to do was hide behind the thick plastic plant in the corner. Lucky for him, she didn’t search too hard, just peeked her head out the door. Not so lucky for him, he’d seen her and it was like a shock of cold to his soul. He hadn’t been ready. He told himself he’d have time to prepare for her, and perhaps an inordinate amount of alcohol.
She looked beautiful, her long dark hair pulled into pigtails, hanging over her shoulders at each side of her neck. By her clothes, she was staying the night with her sister. Funny, she’d never done that before. At least she was happy, judging by the quizzical smile on her face. Her words confused him, but more than likely she was just teasing her sisters by calling them whores.