“I wanted you to meet Counts. I thought you’d help him get a meeting with Christopher.”
She folded her arms and glared at Kendall. “I don’t interfere with anything at the club.”
“I didn’t realize that.” Kendall sounded so pitiful as tears slid down her cheeks.
Fee nodded. “Now you do.”
“We’ll discuss this in a moment.” Grabbing a few paper napkins, Kendall dabbed at her eyes, then looked at Counts before digging in her purse. “I have money for you.”
“Thanks,” he said, opening the flap and looking inside the envelope. Apparently satisfied, he stood. “I have to get going.” Whistling merrily, he strolled away, leaving the beautifully wrapped present.
“Wait! Counts, you’re forgetting your package.” Every time Fee called his name, she thought of the character on Sesame Street and struggled to contain her laughter. “Counts!” she said again, because he kept walking.
“It isn’t his package. It’s yours.” Standing, Kendall picked up the present and set it on the table before returning to her seat. “Open it. This is another reason I wanted you to come. Counts got me an excellent deal on this.”
Curious now, Fee tore open the wrapping paper, then used one of the butter knives to slice through the tape on the box. Once she lifted the flaps, her mouth fell open. Kendall had gotten her a commercial grade digital camera.
“Oh my god,” she said. “This costs a fortune.”
“We’re BFF’s, Fee. Family. Employer/employee. No amount is too great to spend on you.”
“You’re insane!” Fee giggled. “You won’t let me sit with you and Meggie because it looks bad, but you’ll gift me with a five-thousand-dollar camera?”
“That’s different. What’s money without status? If I break the social codes, I’ll never achieve my goals.”
Still chuckling, Fee shook her head.
“Don’t think badly of me. And I’m going to make up the brunches to you. But I had to work so hard, do so much, to earn my degree. I came from a very poor background. I just want to lift myself up.”
Fee set her gift down and gave Kendall a level look. “I understand. You can’t achieve your goals through other people’s misery, though. How’s that fair?”
“It isn’t! Especially someone as precious to me as Meggie. Daphne might be very pretty, but she’s a slut. Deep down, Meggie knows Christopher would never fuck over her with such a disgusting cocksucker. We all know that.”
Consenting to an extra person in a relationship created problems. Never mind when someone cheated. Stretch had more access to Cash than Fee did and it panicked her that he might sway Cash back into a one-on-one relationship. On the other hand, Stretch probably felt the same way. She couldn’t blame Cash. Though only he had the power to put them at ease, they’d consented to what he wanted.
Christopher and Meggie looked out for each other. He’d never allow some random girl to make Meggie uncomfortable. Would he?
What about whatever Kendall said to Meggie? That concerned Fee, too.
God! What kind of woman would agree to go to another woman’s house to lie as Daphne had?
“What did you say to Meggie when you called her?”
“I told her Daphne was in the parking lot whispering in Outlaw’s ear and hugging him, and he was returning the attention.” Kendall sniffed. “You know Meggie. She thinks the sun and the moon rises in Outlaw. Do you know she didn’t believe me? So I described Daphne. Meggie doesn’t know we’re acquainted. Then, I said I saw them leaving the club together and that they were pretty wrapped up in each other. They were putting on their public display of affection for the world to see. I didn’t mean to make her cry but that’s what she gets for being so fucking blind.”
“Kendall, seriously? Do you hear yourself? How could you tell such lies?”
“I didn’t lie! I embellished and left out the part where he shoved the hell out of Daphne.” She laughed merrily. “It would’ve done me so good if she’d fallen on her ass. Always prancing around Johnnie.”
“Oh my goodness, I have to go to Meggie,” Fee rushed out. “She must be…” Devastated. Even a woman with the utmost faith in her husband, would think the worse when faced with such a performance.
“She’s the same as always,” Kendall said. “Believing in Christopher.”
“Then why was she crying?”
“Our Meggie is a drama queen. She wanted me to feel sorry for her, when I know she’s just going to forgive him. She could see him fucking another woman and she’d forgive him. Please, sit. Look at this from my point of view and allow me to use Daphne for my own gain.”