“What?” I asked, knowing exactly what he meant.

“I’m thinkin’ we’re not in the straightaway here, am I wrong Sugar?” Daisy put in.

She was not wrong. “I need more coffee,” I said to deflect conversation from me, mainly because I could take no more. I needed peace and quiet and alone time, something I hadn’t had in days.

Everyone looked at everyone else.

I got up and went to the coffee counter. “Set me up, Tex.”

He stared at me. “Darlin’…” he started and I just knew he was going to impart some sage piece of wisdom on me that I couldn’t cope with, not then, not ever.

“Set me up, Tex,” I repeated.

Tex ignored my demand and said, “He won’t let you do it.”

Whoa.

Whoa, whoa, whoa.

I was not having this conversation.

“Set me up,” I said again.

“He’ll wear you down.”

“Set me up.”

“He’ll get through whatever defenses you put up.”

“Set me up.”

“He won’t give up.”

“Tex! Set me up!” I shouted.

Duke walked up beside Tex all the while watching me.

Tex turned to Duke. “Tell it to her straight, brother.”

Duke shook his head. “Not yet my time. I’ll lay the honesty on her when the time’s right.”

Tex nodded as if he understood this completely. I didn’t want to understand it. I wanted to get to a phonebook and start calling plastic surgeons to get quotes on a total face make over.

“Can I please have some coffee?” I snapped.

Santo walked up beside me and said his first words of the morning to me. “I don’t get it. I thought you were Ren’s woman.”

Someone! Please tell me!

Why me?

Chapter Sixteen

Milano Interruptus

After the Rock Chicks made plans to go see Stella Gunn’s gig the next night (Stella was a friend and The Premier Rock Chick on account of she was lead singer and lead guitar in a kickass local cover band called The Blue Moon Gypsies), Sissy took off with Lucky to inspect her house. She’d been delaying it due to grieving her Stephen Kilborn pottery.

I got a call from Jules saying she’d be over around lunchtime to hear the dirt on Luke firsthand. She warned she was bringing May.

I decided to hang at Fortnum’s because it seemed safe. I wasn’t all fired up to move from the Kidnapping and Getting Nailed Portion of my Rock Chick in Trouble Experience to the Shot At or Car Bombed Portion just yet.

I was standing behind the book counter when I saw Jules and May walk in. I gave them a smile as my phone rang. Seeing as I was on edge (and the ultimate dork), I jumped, knocked over a can of pens, a pot of paper clips and, unfortunately, a jar of pink and purple bouncy balls (which seemed a weird item to have at a bookstore but who was I to say, Indy had always been a bit crazy).

They went all over the floor, balls bouncing everywhere. I dropped to my hands and knees, fumbling with my ringing phone and scooping up balls, pens and clips.

I put my phone to my ear. “Yo,” I said.

A low laugh then, “Ava.”

It was Ren.

I froze on all fours then said stupidly, “Yo Ren.”

“Hey,” he replied softly.

Ren, too, had a sexy soft voice.

Crap.

Where were these guys during my senior prom, I ask you? No need to answer that, I knew. They were nowhere near Fatty, Fatty Four-Eyes. They were dating Skinny, Easy Cindy Too Much Lip Gloss.

“Hi,” I said and my voice sounded too high.

“Babe,” I heard said from what seemed like far away. I jerked, dropped the phone from my ear and it clattered to the floor.

I did not want Luke to see me on all fours on the floor. It had grown somewhat chilly outside so I was wearing jeans, a pale pink thermal under a faded brown tee that had pink script on the front that said “Sah-weet” across my boobs and I was wearing pale pink Croc Mary Jane’s. I wasn’t flashing my ass or anything. Still, it wasn’t the best position to get caught in by Luke Stark.

I looked behind me, grabbing for the phone, but Luke wasn’t there. So I slowly lifted up and, eyes peering over the counter, I saw him and I froze. He was standing a few feet inside the front door facing Jules, body close to hers.

Ultra close.

He had his hand up to her jaw, like he had with me just hours before, thumb stroking her cheekbone. Worse, his face wasn’t semi-soft, still-hard. It was all-soft, totally soft in a way I’d never seen him look before in my life.

He was smiling at her, his eyes warm. Ultra warm.

He hadn’t called me “babe”. He didn’t even know I was there.

He’d called Jules “babe”.

What’s THAT all about? Bad Ava demanded.

Don’t jump to conclusions, Good Ava warned.

I jerked back down to all fours and started breathing deep, feeling bad feelings in fact, the worst feelings ever.

Shit.

Shit, shit, shit!

I heard Ren’s voice coming from my phone on the floor. I grabbed it, flipped it shut and my mind screamed, escape!

I listened to my mind thinking, at that point, it knew what the hell it was talking about.

I started motoring, cell in my hand, scrambling on all fours, sliding on bouncy balls and pens as I went, crawling down the side aisle of books that ran the length of the store perpendicular to the eight rows of fiction. I got to row four when I saw movement at my side. I stopped and my head whipped around.

Jet and Eddie were making out in the M-N-O section. Eddie had Jet pressed against the books, one of his arms around her, hand under her shirt, the other hand up on the shelves by her head. It looked like they were two minutes away from bookshelf sex.

They broke off kissing but didn’t move away from each other and both of their gazes swung to me on all fours on the floor. Jet’s mouth dropped open. Eddie’s brows went up.

“Erm… sorry,” I mumbled, gained my feet and ran through the front section into the middle section where there were more books and a big table topped with dozens of milk cartons filled with old vinyl, through that room and to the back room which was more books.

I went to a corner (Women’s Studies) and started hyperventilating.

Get out of here, now! Bad Ava screeched.

Go talk to Luke! Good Ava cried.

I didn’t listen to either of them.