“Wow, you’ve really had a bad day,” Mindy said softly.

She didn’t know the half of it.

“Thus me ordering another martini,” I replied on a teasing smile.

Max’s arm gave me a squeeze but when I looked at him he was looking at Brody. Then he spoke in a tone that could only be read one way and that was extreme approval.

“You should have seen her with her Dad this morning, Brody. Christ, she chewed him up and spit him out. Thought I’d have to get out the mop and clean the floor.”

Brody grinned but noted, “Bro, not sure that bodes well for you.”

“I’m not a dick,” Max replied. “I’ve noticed Nina saves the lethal stuff for bitches and dicks. Me, even pissed, she’s tame.”

My eyes narrowed on him and I asked, “Tame?”

Max’s eyes came to me and he murmured, “Honey, with me, your claws are like a kitten’s.”

Mindy giggled. Brody chuckled. My eyes narrowed further and our appetizers arrived.

* * * * *

I’d finished martini number two and was enjoying the final sips of the glass of full-bodied, delightful red wine I had with my now consumed, utterly delicious steak, its accompanying sautéed mushrooms and loaded baked potato after an individual, baked camembert, my appetizer, which was superb when our next incident hit.

Shauna.

Brody spoke first and he did it the instant his eyes hit her standing at the end of the table.

“Seriously?” he asked disbelievingly.

She ignored him and everyone else. She only had eyes for Max.

“Max, can we talk a second?” she asked politely, her voice unlike it was the night of the buffalo burgers. It was lower, sultry, cajoling.

“Nope,” Max replied curtly and I noted happily he was immune to her sultry cajoling.

She leaned in and said softly, “Honey, please.”

I was, unfortunately, even though Max asked me to be careful, slightly inebriated. Therefore when she called Max “honey”, I was not in any shape to fully consider my response as in, perhaps not have one at all.

Instead, my happiness about Max’s immunity to Shauna melted clean away, my back went ramrod straight, I looked at Mindy and I asked loudly, “Did she just call Max ‘honey’ in front of me?”

“Fuck,” Max muttered and his arm wound around my waist, pulling my lower body tight to his.

“I think she did,” Mindy whispered, her face again pale and she was watching me closely likely uncertain whether to jump across the table and hold me down or jump into the fray with me.

I looked at Shauna and told her, “You just called Max ‘honey’.”

“I’m sorry, Nina, this’ll only take a minute,” Shauna said, having decided that she was not a cold, heartless, cheating, she bitch from hell but, tonight, she was sugar sweet on the surface, however still unsuccessfully hiding the heartless, cheating, she bitch from hell she was to her core.

“No, it won’t take a minute, Shauna, because in one second you’re going to walk away.”

“Nina, honey,” Max murmured.

I threw out a hand my eyes glued to Shauna and declared grandly, “I got this.”

Max’s arm tightened and he said, “Shauna, Nina’s unpredictable when riled. Do yourself a favor, take off.”

“Max, seriously, this is important,” Shauna replied.

“Let’s go back to you calling Max ‘honey’,” I suggested.

“Nina, again, sorry but I really need a word with Max,” Shauna pushed.

“I might have been willing to allow that had you not called him ‘honey’ right… in… front… of… me. Now you’ll get one over my cold, dead body,” I retorted.

“Baby, calm down,” Max said on another squeeze.

“It slipped, habit,” Shauna said, the ice queen frosting her features for a second before she could hide it, her words meant to remind me she’d enjoyed Max, even if just for awhile then she fought it back and said, again low and fake sweet, “Sorry, really.”

“Apology accepted,” I declared magnanimously. “Now please, we’re nearing dessert, the best part of the meal. Don’t ruin it.”

She looked back at Max and said, “Max, you know I wouldn’t bother you if it wasn’t important.”

“Spit it out, Shauna, and go,” Brody ordered, sounding impatient.

She didn’t pry her eyes from Max. “It’s private. Max, please.”

Max’s mouth got tight as he tired of her game and stated, “We don’t share anything private, Shauna.”

“Max,” she begged and Max’s patience slipped too.

“Honest to God, Shauna, Brody’s in town and we’re tryin’ to have a nice meal. What the f**k?”

She realized she was getting nowhere so she changed tacks and announced, “I’m pregnant.”

The air at our table went static.

I was watching Max, my lungs burning due to the fact I was not breathing, wondering when he “scraped her off” and if there was a possibility this child was his as I watched him blink slowly.

Then he growled in his now lethally dangerous, deep, gravelly voice, “Come again?”

“Can we talk privately?” she repeated.

“No, Shauna, why are you tellin’ me this shit?” Max asked.

“Because it’s Curt’s.”

“Holy crap,” Mindy whispered.

“Jesus Christ,” Brody muttered.

“Oh my God,” I breathed.

“What the f**k?” Max clipped.

She squatted at the table beside Max and looked up at him.

“Max, you have to talk to Bitsy,” she entreated.

“Why in the hell would I do that?” Max asked.

“Because this is Curt’s baby. Because Curt would have taken care of me, of the baby. He told me so. And because, now, Curt’s gone,” Shauna explained.

“You have got to be shittin’ me,” Max bit out and I could tell he was beyond angry, he was building up to enraged and it was my turn to put my arm around his waist.

“Can we talk about this privately?” she asked again.

“No, Shauna, f**k, I don’t wanna talk about this at all. I don’t even wanna know this shit.”

She shuffled closer and put her hand on Max’s knee and my eyes honed in on it as she begged, “Curt would take care of me, you know it, you know he would. I can’t afford to raise a baby by myself.”