The Gamble
Page 78

Kami gave him a glare then turned to Max and dealt her death blow. “Or like when you f**ked things up with me and Curt.”
My head snapped around at this interesting news and I stared at Kami.
“Uh-oh,” Mindy muttered.
“Kami, for f**k’s sake,” Max bit out.
“Christ, Kami, that was twenty years ago,” Brody put in.
“Not quite,” Kami snapped.
“You wanna do this here, great,” Max stated and crossed his arms on his chest. “Curt f**ked things up with you and him, not me. He always wanted Bitsy, Kami, even when he was with you. He got his chance, he took it. Truth hurts but there it is. Curt’s dead, Bitsy’s broken and it’s time for you to get the f**k over it.”
“Bitsy’s not broken, she may be stuck in that chair but she’ll be rollin’ in Curtis’s money for the rest of her life.”
This utterly nasty comment was when I felt it necessary to intervene, why, I didn’t know, it was insane. But I did it.
“You’re a cow,” I declared and her eyes narrowed on me.
“What’d you call me?”
“A cow. We use that expression in England when we’re talking about a bitter, whinging woman.”
“What’s ‘whinging’?” Mindy asked on a whisper and I didn’t take my eyes off Kami as I answered.
“Moaning, complaining, nagging, bitching. That’s whinging.”
Kami leaned forward and hissed, “The nerve.”
“No, nerve is described in England as ‘cheek’, otherwise known as audacity or impudence, demonstrated by you walking up to our table and being a cow.”
“Nina,” Max muttered but he didn’t sound angry anymore, he sounded the opposite.
It was Max’s sister and if he didn’t want me to have a verbal altercation with her that was his call. I’d said my piece anyway.
So I sat back, drained my glass and declared, “I need another martini.”
“You gave up Shauna so you could end up with the likes of that?” Kami asked, gesturing with her hand at me.
Kami’s comment about Bitsy had been my final straw. Her insult to me was Max’s.
“I gave up Shauna because she was f**kin’ Curt at the same time she was f**kin’ me, hedgin’ her bets and tryin’ to talk Curt into leavin’ Bitsy so she could land him if she didn’t manage to land me. And I gave her up because, once she thought she was in, she was mostly a bitch and thought she could lead me around by my dick. She couldn’t, she didn’t like that, so she got even bitchier. When I finally scraped her off, she latched onto Harry who she could lead around by his dick at the same time spendin’ his money and f**kin’ around on him. Now, you got your explanation, you got your scene, go sit the f**k down and, I swear to Christ Kami, you don’t leave the drama behind next time I see you, I won’t f**kin’ see you. Yeah?”
My goodness. Max, I realized, was mostly patient in his Mountain Man way but when he was done being patient, he didn’t take any shit either.
“High and mighty, always were,” Kami shot back, still raring to go.
Max shook his head. He was done and I knew this because he slid in beside me and looked at Brody, remarking, “Remind me to thank you for this great f**kin’ idea. Steaks at The Rooster. Fuckin’ brilliant.”
“Don’t blame me,” Brody muttered, grinning.
“Waitress!” I called, lifting up my martini glass when I caught her eye and then circling it around the table indicating she should bring a fresh round for all.
“I love your top, Neens, I forgot to say,” Mindy told me.
“Oh yes, darling, and yours is lovely. I forgot to say that too,” I replied.
“And that thing in your hair,” Mindy continued. “It’s fab.”
“Thanks,” I smiled at her.
Kami emitted an annoyed, unladylike snort and stomped away.
When her lingering malevolent presence wafted away on her heels, Max’s arm came around me and he suggested, “Maybe we should put Kami in a room with your Dad, see who’s the last one standing.”
I looked at Max and proclaimed, “Dad would kick her ass.”
Max grinned and stated, “Babe, Kami ain’t no slouch.”
“I can see, still, Dad hadn’t given me the good stuff this morning. Probably jetlagged.”
Max was still grinning when he muttered, “That ain’t good news Duchess.”
“What’s this about?” Mindy asked and Max and I looked at her.
“Nina’s Dad’s a dick,” Max answered bluntly.
“What?” It was Brody’s turn to ask.
I explained, “My ex-fiancé told my father I was here and my father is concerned about losing the social status he was counting on gaining through my marriage. Therefore my father flew out here to tell me I was making a big mistake, he did so this morning in his uniquely insulting way, managing also to utter slurs against Max who he doesn’t even know before Max had to chase him out of his house. However he hasn’t left town which means he’s at the hotel in Gnaw Bone likely planning to hatch a sinister scheme against Max, me, both of us, the town of Gnaw Bone and all its inhabitants or maybe even the entire county.”
Mindy and Brody both stared silently at me.
“Like I said,” Max summed up, “Nina’s Dad’s a dick.”
“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.