Chaser (Dive Bar #3)(69)

“Enough,” said Anne, taking the beer off Mal and having a swig herself. “Stop talking now.”

“But I want Jean to feel supported.”

Lips tight, Anne shook her head.

“Plus, we probably need to find out now if people ever actually manage to have sex again after a baby,” said Mal, looking around the room. “You’ll notice neither Jimmy and Lena nor Ben and Lizzy have gotten pregnant again. What if after a baby everything just stops working? We need to find this sort of shi … um, stuff out.”

“You just moved here last year, Jean?” asked Anne, ignoring her husband.

“Yes.” Jean latched onto the change of subject. “I love Coeur d’Alene. It’s such a pretty place.”

“It is. I always enjoy spending time here.”

“You’re way off track there.” Nell waddled over to join our group. “They’re not together. No sex life to talk about.”

Head cocked, Mal narrowed his eyes.

“It’s the truth.” Nell shrugged.

I kept my gaze on the baby. Beside me, Jean fussed, hands fiddling with a rip in her jeans. Next she raised Ada’s bib, wiping away a particularly spectacular line of drool.

Mal cleared his throat loudly, and the hairs on the back of my neck leapt to attention. “Nell, my dear, how is it you’re not sensing the chemistry between these two fine folk?”

“Shut it,” I said, voice low so as not to spook the baby. “None of this is any of your business and you’re embarrassing Jean. She’s never even met you before and you’re acting like an ass.”

The easy smile fell from Mal’s face. “Sorry, Jean. Didn’t mean to make you feel awkward. Just Eric.”

“We’ve all known each other a long time,” said Nell, hand on her lower back. “The gossiping can get a bit out of hand. Not that there’s any gossip here to talk about.”

Mal muttered something.

I swear to God, I could have killed him.

“What did you say?” asked Nell.

Pat came up behind her. His big tattooed hands cupped her belly. Thank fuck, someone with some sense had arrived. Now if he’d just pretend to faint or something to take all of this attention away from me and Jean. That would be great. Or he could cart Nell off to one of the rooms for some very careful sex or something. I didn’t care. So long as this topic of conversation got buried.

“What’s going on?” he asked in his gravelly voice.

The frown on Nell’s face was epic. No amount of Botox could get those lines out. “Mal’s just stirring things up, same as always. He’s trying to insinuate something’s going on between these two. Like Jean doesn’t have better taste.”

And honestly, I’d kind of had enough. Of people sticking their noses into our business and of Nell thinking she was in charge. And apparently, I wasn’t the only one.

“Nell, I love you. You’re like the sister I never had,” said Jean, back straight and chin jutting out. “You have been nothing but kind and supportive to Ada and me. And I thank you for it. But you need to give Eric a break.”

Nell actually seemed taken aback for once, her brows high.

“Also, what goes on between him and me is private.” Jean exhaled. “That goes for everyone.”

Holy shit.

Apparently the keeping it on the down low rule had changed. On my lap, Ada started fussing. Probably picking up on the tension or something. I lifted her up, holding her against my chest where she continued to grizzle and grumble. Fair enough. The whole conversation made me want to do a little of the same myself.

“Hold up,” said Nell, outrage in her voice. “Something is going on between you and him? Are you serious?”

Holy shit.

Jean said nothing.

I sat very, very still.

Nell, of course, was only getting started. “But I warned you about what he’s—”

“Babe,” said Pat, gently trying to turn her to face him. “Let it go.”

“No, but—”

He bent down, whispering in her ear, saying all sorts of things. Stuff about Jean being an adult and making her own decisions. How Nell had no business trying to keep Jean and me apart if we wanted to be together. And lastly, that Nell needed to forgive me and move on. All of the shit I would have liked to say, only anything I had to say, Nell didn’t want to hear. Apparently, she didn’t want to hear it from her husband either, because she stormed off down the hallway. Much like the twins had earlier only with less screaming. Pat followed quietly behind.

And all the while, I rubbed Ada’s back, trying to soothe us both. Honest to God, it felt like we were back in fucking high school. Everyone involved in everyone else’s business.

“Wow,” said Mal. “That was intense.”

Anne ignored his comment, pasting a determined smile on her face. “Jean, would you mind helping me bring out the food?”

“Sure,” said Jean, getting to her feet. “Just let me heat up a bottle for Ada first. Eric, are you okay to give it to her?”

“Yeah.” I nodded.

“I’ll come too,” offered Evelyn, dragging David behind her. Not that the guitarist seemed to mind. They were always holding hands as if they’d been surgically attached. Something that previously would have weirded me out. The constant touching and carrying on of couples. But now with Jean, I actually wouldn’t mind some of the same. Without everyone else breathing down our necks, of course.