“We could be, if you’d start taking care of your damn selves. We could be a lot more,” I answered. “Do you want that?”

More silence, more staring, more obvious surprise.

Final y, Leo whispered, “Shit, yeah.”

“Good then you have to help me and you can do that by growing, the f**k, up.” On that, I turned to Indy and announced, “I need a beer.”

“You’re holding one, honey,” Indy replied softly.

I looked down at my hand to see I miraculously stil had hold of my beer but it had mostly leaked onto the floor.

“I need a new one,” I informed her.

Shirleen’s hands came to my shoulders and she started pushing us forward, demanding, “Outta the way.

Emergency beer needed!”

“I’m thinking beer isn’t gonna be strong enough,” Ava muttered to Jules as they shoved in behind us and al the Rock Chicks fol owed.

Shirleen pushed me to the back where there was a pocket of space and serenity. Al y came forward and pressed a new, cold, open beer bottle in my hand and Ava took away the old one and put it on a display case.

I took a healthy swig.

“That was righteous,” Al y told me.

“Shoulda done that a long time ago, sugar,” Daisy said then she gave me a wink.

Before I could reply to Daisy, Annette shoved in.

“Jumpin’ Jehosephats, that was f**kin’ phat!” she shouted. “I was getting worried that nothing was gonna happen. I’d be, like, total y bummed if I had a party and the Rock Chicks didn’t deliver.” She shoved my shoulder.

“Bitch, you are sofa-king awesome!”

Then she whirled around and shoved away. Al the Rock Chicks’ eyes fol owed her.

“I take it she’s not mad,” I said to Roxie and Roxie grinned at me.

“Nettie’s a little weird,” Roxie shared.

“You got that right, sister,” Jet muttered.

I took another swig and watched Hector enter the store.

His eyes did a scan, found me and he started pushing through the crowd in our direction.

“I hate to bring this up right now but we need to talk about Mace,” Jet said quietly.

My eyes, and my thoughts, moved from Hector to Jet.

The Rock Chicks hadn’t discussed what happened that morning. Instead, Tex loaded me up in his bronze El Camino and took me home after that morning’s heartbreaking activities. In his Camino, I’d shared with him too about Mace and I being together (as, he too, was not a Rock Chick). His response to this was walking me to my apartment and spending the afternoon with me and Juno, eating popcorn and watching action movies.

“Nothin’ clears the head like popcorn and Bruce Wil is,” he’d informed me, shoving a huge fistful of popcorn in his mouth.

This was true- ish. Watching Bruce Wil is essential y blow up a skyscraper did take my mind off Mace and al our troubles.

For awhile.

“I can’t talk about Mace right now,” I said to the girls.

“She’s got a lot to process,” Jules told Jet.

“Process, my ass. She’s gotta cal that boy home, give him the business and get on with it,” Shirleen put in.

“They need to talk, not do the nasty,” Roxie replied.

“Doin’ the nasty does the talkin’, girl,” Shirleen shot back.

“You know that more than anyone. Shee-it, just last night, your man gave you a ring while givin’ you the business. That says it al .”

Al y put her hands over her ears and chanted, “La la la, I’m not listening, la la la.”

“Sex isn’t the answer to everything, Shirleen,” Ava talked over Al y.

Shirleen’s gaze snapped to Ava. “When’s the last time you and Luke had sex?”

“I don’t understand –” Ava started but Shirleen cut her off.

“When?” she clipped.

Ava glanced around then shared, “Before coming tonight.”

Daisy giggled and the rest of us exchanged grins.

“You two share heart-to-hearts? Does Luke f**kin’ Stark process his feelings with you? Or, when he’s got somethin’

to say, somethin’ to communicate, somethin’ to process, does he throw you up against the wal and give you the business?” Shirleen asked, making what I thought was a valid point. I myself had given Mace the business last night as my way of showing him I was glad he was back. He heard my message loud and clear. Sure, we talked but only after my message had been delivered.

“We didn’t have wal sex. We had dining room table sex,” Ava corrected, stubbornly not giving Shirleen her point.

“Oowee, dining room table sex. I like dining room table sex,” Daisy burst out. “You two need to get a desk. Marcus and I had desk sex last night. Desk sex is fine. ”

“We have a desk, it kind of… fel over when we tried desk sex,” Ava said.

“Luke’s a big guy, your desk is smal . You need a bigger desk,” Roxie advised.

“Kitchen counter sex is the best,” Indy put in her thoughts.

“Lee’s creative but when we do it in the kitchen…” she trailed off and started looking dreamy.

“La la la, not listening about Lee being creative, la la la.” Al y was back to chanting.

“I’m not sure it’s the where, it’s more the position,” Jules entered the conversation.

“I don’t think it’s the position, it’s al about the intensity,” Jet joined as wel . “Eddie and I like it hard, rough. That’s the best. You know what I mean?”

“Fuck,” we heard muttered and everyone turned to see Hector standing behind Jet and looking at her like he wished he could rip off his own ears after hearing that his brother liked sex hard and rough.

“Whoops,” Jules whispered and everyone started giggling except Jet who started blushing.

“Sorry Hector,” Jet mumbled.

“Welcome to my world. Now you know my pain,” Al y informed Hector.

Hector wasn’t about to be dragged into this conversation. His eyes sliced to me and he held up his hand, his index and middle fingers holding a folded piece of paper.

“You wanted a number?” he said to me.

Oh my God.

Mace’s Mom’s phone number.

My breath caught, I felt my eyes grow wide and I nodded.