Total pages in book: 158
Estimated words: 144908 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 725(@200wpm)___ 580(@250wpm)___ 483(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 144908 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 725(@200wpm)___ 580(@250wpm)___ 483(@300wpm)
Mama Anat beamed at him. “You’ll do it, then?”
Savage swore under his breath, threw his hands into the air and stalked across to the table, where he sank into a booth. “I swear you’re going to drive me to drink.”
“You already drink, honey,” Mama Anat said, her voice brimming with laughter. She was in no way perturbed with his not-so-gracious attitude. “Maybe I’ll make it so you never drink.”
“Keys, this is what comes with associating with older women. They put curses on you. You find yourself agreeing to do things for them you’d rather be tortured before you’d ever do, and you don’t even know why.”
Even Ambrielle found herself laughing at Savage’s mournful tone. He was supposed to be the big, bad, scary one of Torpedo Ink. Seychelle looked at him lovingly, and Mama Anat and Doris seemed to as well. They didn’t even wince when he cursed.
“Are we super late?” Three more women joined the table, one scooting in close to Ambrie, the other two on the side of the table close to Lizz. “I’m Anya. I bartend with Preacher at the Roadhouse. And this is Lana; she owns Label 287. Tessa is apprenticing at Label 287. She fills in occasionally at Alena’s restaurant. We all kind of rotate and help each other out at the various businesses.”
“Hi, Ambrie,” Lana said. “I wanted to officially welcome you to Torpedo Ink.” She reached over to Seychelle and touched her hand briefly. “I wasn’t so welcoming to a sister when she needed it, and all of us have learned to do much better. We’re a family. Everyone here. And you’re part of that family. We’ve got you covered.”
Doris looked shocked. “Wait. Lana, you didn’t welcome Seychelle? Honey, you never said a word to me. Seychelle, you were having such a difficult time and you were so ill. Lana?”
“I know, Doris. I was wrong to question the relationship,” Lana said.
Seychelle smiled at Lana. “It was no big deal. We cleared everything up.”
Lana shook her head. “You were very hurt. It was a big deal. One of the things Alena, Tessa and I are talking about quite a bit with Blythe is taking responsibility for our mistakes and owning up to them. I really hurt you and contributed to the breakdown of your relationship with Savage. At least I could have. I hate that I did that, and I think about it every day.”
“Lana.” Seychelle was gentle. “You know there were extenuating circumstances. I love that you’ve taken me into your circle, but I don’t want you to feel guilty over something that was out of your control, and it was.”
Sabelia arrived, her wild hair pulled back in a ponytail and a wide smile on her face. “Ladies, what will it be today? I see you have a newcomer with you. I’m Sabelia, and I just managed to kick Preacher’s bossy butt on the challenge of the week, so I’m in a very good mood. May I suggest the lavender-honey tea as one of your choices? It’s especially wonderful today. And the apricot scones are yummy.”
Ambrielle couldn’t help herself. “Were there real toads in Preacher’s truck? Live toads?”
“You bet there were toads. Hundreds of them. Very large ones too. Croaking away, announcing a loud messy triumph that said, ‘Sabelia kicked your bossy butt.’ He might make me work overtime at the bar this weekend and yell at me, but he’ll know I might retaliate in a way he won’t like. The next time he goes to bed, the toads might join him.” She did a little dance right there in the aisle.
Savage and Keys groaned in unison.
“We’re right here, Sabelia,” Keys announced. “You know we can hear you. Aren’t you the least bit afraid one of us might decide to strangle you?”
She looked at him over her shoulder and gave a little sniff. “Aren’t you afraid I might decide that little shop of yours you love so much is next on my hit list?”
“You wouldn’t dare.”
“Try strangling me and see what happens, Keys.”
“This is what comes of letting riffraff work at the bar,” Keys stated, overly loud.
Ambrielle looked around the tea shop, blinking back tears. Master. He had arranged this. While he was in a doctor’s office having biopsies done to determine whether he had throat cancer, he had made certain she wasn’t sitting in a waiting room. Ambrie had been so certain she wanted to be right there, as close as possible, not to be supportive but because she was afraid to be away from him. He had given her this—these wonderful crazy people. He had surrounded her with funny, real people of all ages, willing to laugh at themselves and give her their time in order to distract her from the reality of her parents’ deaths. From the violence surrounding her from those moments on. That was the man he thought so unworthy of her. So which one of them was really unworthy?