“Thank Christ,” Lee muttered.

Then Jules gathered a Rock Chick huddle.

“Whatever you do, do not compliment Stel a on her outfit,” she advised.

“Why?” Ava asked.

“Because it’s cute,” Jules replied.

“And why wouldn’t we tel her it’s cute?” Roxie asked.

“Because Mace packed it for her,” Jules explained.

“Ah,” Jet nodded.

“And he packed her underwear,” Jules went on.

“I see,” Daisy muttered.

“And it’s very sexy. She told me it’s the only sexy set she owns,” Jules continued.

“Welp, there you go,” Al y remarked with complete understanding.

“And he kind of bought it for her when they were together,” Jules said.

Oh my. That was interesting.

Daisy giggled and it sounded like tinkling bel s. I loved Daisy’s giggle.

“And he also kind of bought her outfit for her too when they were together.” Jules’s tale of Mace’s Wardrobe Decisions Destruction seemed to never cease.

Jet clapped her hands to her on her mouth, her eyes wide and dancing and Shirleen snorted.

“And it’s cute?” Roxie asked with obvious disbelief.

“Super cute, in a Hawaiian surfer kind of way,” Jules answered.

“I can’t wait to see this,” I whispered.

“I can’t believe Mace could buy a cute outfit,” Roxie responded.

“Is she okay?” Ava asked Jules.

Jules shook her head.

“The stitches?” Shirleen’s voice was sharp; she’d been brought up to date with The Battle of Daisy’s Den.

“No, I think it’s something else. Something that made Stel a look pretty pissed and pretty confused at the same time. However, Mace looked very pleased with himself when I saw him come into the hal with Juno as Stel a went into the bathroom.”

“Broody Mace looked pleased? ” I asked.

We al knew what that meant. Been there, done that, had We al knew what that meant. Been there, done that, had the t-shirt.

Stel a had been laid.

“Dear Lord,” Jet breathed.

“This soon?” Ava asked.

“That beats Hank’s record, I think,” Al y told Roxie.

“Yep,” Roxie replied, a smal reminiscent smile playing about her mouth.

“Holy crap,” I said.

“Shit, I haven’t even had time to sort the pool. How am I gonna win any money back at this rate?” Shirleen looked to Al y. “It’s gonna have to wait until you get nailed.” Al y opened her mouth to speak but was interrupted.

“You women mind finishing whatever the f**k you’re talkin’ about later?” Lee asked in a not very polite voice.

My head shot up and I glared at him. “This is important,” I snapped.

“Yeah?” he asked on an eyebrow raise.

Oopsie.

Okay, wel , maybe his plans that day were a tad bit more important than gossip.

We gave Stel a and Mace time to shower, have pancakes and then we al wandered into the big room.

Throughout al this I watched Stel a. Her outfit was cute. I wanted it. I loved it. It was a black OP tank with a circle of dusky blue hibiscus flowers in a band around the boobs and a pair of dusky gray OP corduroy short shorts. She looked like super-cool, rock-surfer-chick. I was a little surprised at Mace’s heretofore unknown shopping abilities and wondered what the underwear looked like.

Stel a was being quiet and avoiding al things Mace.

Mace wasn’t looking straight out pleased but he certainly wasn’t broody or pissed off, which was mostly what I knew about Mace’s inventory of emotions. He didn’t look quite happy, instead he looked energized and alert at the same time he looked mel ow, the last new to me in Mace’s emotional arsenal.

The Rock Chicks gathered around Stel a acting as buffers in case she needed us but Mace (breaking Hot Guy Courtship Tradition) wasn’t pushing it and he stayed out of her space.

By the time we walked into Daisy’s big room, we’d backed off.

That was a mistake.

Stel a sat on the arm of the couch next to Al y, Juno sitting on the floor by her side.

Mace walked right in and I watched, mouth dropping open, as he put his hands to her waist, shoved her clean off the couch to her feet, keeping his hands on her. She made an angry, surprised noise and her head whipped around to look at Mace but I couldn’t see her expression.

He sat down where she’d been sitting, slid back, put one foot into the couch and brought her down in front of him, straddling her and doing it close, his hand sliding from her hip to come to rest on the top of her thigh.

Holy shit!

Juno, by the way, took this in stride. Clearly used to this type of Mace Maneuver from days of yore.

Mace never struck me as an affectionate type of guy.

Like Luke, if you told me Mace would be affectionately demonstrative in a touchy way in public, I would have laughed. But there it was, proof positive.

My gaze shot to Al y. Al y was staring at Mace’s long leg by her side and her wide-eyed gaze shot to me. The Rock Chicks darted knowing looks at each other and then our eyes swung to Stel a.

Her back was ramrod straight, her face pissed way the hel off but I could tel she was damned if she was going to blow. Not now. He’d get it later and boy, was he going to get it.

I wanted to shout, “Atta girl,” but I kept my mouth shut.

Then Lee launched into his announcement which most everyone knew anyway.

Except Shirleen.

“It’s decided,” Lee said to Shirleen.

“I don’t believe this,” Shirleen said back.

Lee had no response.

My eyes moved from Shirleen to Stel a. Stel a didn’t look pissed off anymore. She looked pale. It would appear that Mace hadn’t told Stel a either.

“Erm, excuse me,” Stel a said, her sexy, rough voice was soft.

Stel a’s voice, by the way, was something I’d always loved about her and not only when she was singing. Her voice was, quite simply, the shit.

“You never give up,” Shirleen said to Lee, not having heard Stel a.

“Too much at stake,” Lee replied.

“Excuse me,” Stel a repeated and Al y’s eyes moved to her.

“I don’t f**kin’ believe this shit!” Shirleen exploded. “You boys were close to takin’ that jackass down!”