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Danse Macabre :: Гамильтон Лорел
Страница: 14 из 427I tell your secret, you tell mine.»
I shook my head. «Me telling Nathaniel and Micah that you are jealous of how many men are in my bed, that isn't the same as you telling them that I may be pregnant.» I had a mean idea, so I said it. «But it might be close if I told Louie that you were jealous of my boyfriends. Does he know that you can number your old lovers in triple digits?» Yeah, it was mean, but she'd earned it. Only family can fight as dirty as best friends.
She paled a little, and that was enough to answer the question. «He doesn't know,» I said, and made it a statement.
«I think he deserves to know,» Nathaniel said, and again there was that tone in his anger that said it was more personal than it should have been between them.
«I'd planned on telling him,» she said.
«When?» he asked, and he moved around me, so that he was facing her.
I glanced at Micah, and he shook his head, as if he didn't know what was going on either. Good to know we were both confused.
«When you'd moved in together, married him, or never?»
«We're not getting married,» she said in a voice that was just a little desperate, as if her fear was washing her anger away. She rallied then. «You did that little show with Anita to rub my face in the fact that I'm about to become monogamous. You're always doing shit like that.»
«And how many times have you said, 'Oh, it's Anita's little stripper, or 'pet stripper, or 'how's tricks, or my personal favorite, 'you're damned cute for a walking, talking, beefsteak, or is that 'beefcake'?»
«Jesus, Nathaniel.» I looked at Ronnie. «Did you say all that to him?»
The anger faded around the edges as she finally looked uncomfortable. «Maybe, but not like he makes it sound.»
«Then why didn't you say it in front of me?» I asked. «If there was nothing wrong with saying it, why not in front of me?»
«Or me,» Micah said, «I would have told you if she'd been saying things like that to Nathaniel.»
«Why didn't you tell me, Nathaniel?» I asked.
He gave me his angry eyes. «I told you she didn't see me as real, as a person.»
«But you didn't tell me what she'd said; I needed to know.»
He shrugged. «She's your best friend, and you'd just made up after a big fight. I didn't want to start another one.»
«I was just kidding around,» Ronnie said, but the tone in her voice said she didn't believe it either.
I looked at her.
I shook my head. «Me telling Nathaniel and Micah that you are jealous of how many men are in my bed, that isn't the same as you telling them that I may be pregnant.» I had a mean idea, so I said it. «But it might be close if I told Louie that you were jealous of my boyfriends. Does he know that you can number your old lovers in triple digits?» Yeah, it was mean, but she'd earned it. Only family can fight as dirty as best friends.
She paled a little, and that was enough to answer the question. «He doesn't know,» I said, and made it a statement.
«I think he deserves to know,» Nathaniel said, and again there was that tone in his anger that said it was more personal than it should have been between them.
«I'd planned on telling him,» she said.
«When?» he asked, and he moved around me, so that he was facing her.
I glanced at Micah, and he shook his head, as if he didn't know what was going on either. Good to know we were both confused.
«When you'd moved in together, married him, or never?»
«We're not getting married,» she said in a voice that was just a little desperate, as if her fear was washing her anger away. She rallied then. «You did that little show with Anita to rub my face in the fact that I'm about to become monogamous. You're always doing shit like that.»
«And how many times have you said, 'Oh, it's Anita's little stripper, or 'pet stripper, or 'how's tricks, or my personal favorite, 'you're damned cute for a walking, talking, beefsteak, or is that 'beefcake'?»
«Jesus, Nathaniel.» I looked at Ronnie. «Did you say all that to him?»
The anger faded around the edges as she finally looked uncomfortable. «Maybe, but not like he makes it sound.»
«Then why didn't you say it in front of me?» I asked. «If there was nothing wrong with saying it, why not in front of me?»
«Or me,» Micah said, «I would have told you if she'd been saying things like that to Nathaniel.»
«Why didn't you tell me, Nathaniel?» I asked.
He gave me his angry eyes. «I told you she didn't see me as real, as a person.»
«But you didn't tell me what she'd said; I needed to know.»
He shrugged. «She's your best friend, and you'd just made up after a big fight. I didn't want to start another one.»
«I was just kidding around,» Ronnie said, but the tone in her voice said she didn't believe it either.
I looked at her.