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“So, what are we watching tonight?” Charleigh asked as she stood in front of Risa’s DVD collection.
“Something funny!” Mariah called from the kitchen before she drowned out everything by turning on the blender.
Risa had her head tilted back and her eyes closed. She was in the recliner Brandon had gotten for her after her second knee surgery. Right now she was recuperating from her fourth. She hated it. Blessedly, she wasn’t wearing her brace, but her knee was well wrapped and her leg was propped up on pillows. Her meds hadn’t quite kicked in yet and she was cranky.
“dueSouth,” she muttered when the blender finally shut off.
Charleigh looked over her shoulder. “What was that, Crankypants?”
Risa stuck her tongue out at her without opening her eyes. “I want to watch the third and fourth seasons of dueSouth.”
“Why not start from the beginning?”
“Because I like Ray K better than Vecchio.”
“She’s got a point,” Mariah said as she came in from the kitchen carrying a tray loaded down with three glasses, a pitcher of Margaritas, and a smaller carafe of what also looked like Margaritas.
“Nineties eye candy, my favorite ladies, and margaritas? I’m in,” Charleigh said with a grin as she found the DVDs and turned to put the first disc in.
Mariah poured Risa a drink from the carafe and handed it to her. Then she poured herself and Charleigh glasses from the pitcher. Risa narrowed her eyes at Mariah and took a small sip. She wrinkled her nose. “Virgin? Really?”
“You are not mixing alcohol with your meds. I remember what happened last time,” Mariah confirmed flatly.
Charleigh took a sip of hers and sighed. “So glad I’m not breastfeeding anymore,” she muttered happily.
“I hate you both,” Risa sulked, but she took another drink.
“We love you, too,” they said in unison.
The three of them settled in to watch the antics of a misplaced Canadian Mountie, his pet wolf, and his Chicago PD detective partner. Four episodes in, they paused and called out for pizza. Instead of starting a new episode, Charleigh poked Mariah in the leg with her big toe and said, “Tell us a fantasy.”
Mariah side-eyed her and then looked over at Risa with a raised eyebrow. Risa shrugged. Sure, why not?
Mariah bit her lip as she thought. Then she grinned and said, “I finished my latest novel a month before the deadline, thus fulfilling my contract with Reuben, and he and I finally, finally parted ways.”
Risa snorted and Charleigh blew a raspberry at her. “That’s not a fantasy, ‘Iah. That’s an attainable life goal.” She poked her in the leg again. “Come on, brat, spill.”
Mariah shifted on the couch until she could rest her head on the couch arm. “I want to get Jace into drag.”
Charleigh choked on the sip she’d just taken. Risa readjusted her recliner so she could see Mariah better. “Do what now?” Risa asked.
Mariah rolled her eyes. “I’ve been thinking about doing a Drag Night at Sin. Make it a once a month event. I’d like Jace to participate. We could do the whole genderswap thing together.” She ducked her head and mumbled, “I think it would be really hot.”
Risa tilted her head as she thought about it. “His jaw line is a little too square, but with a little bit of contouring…I think he could be really pretty.”
Charleigh’s eyes had gone glassy and there was a naughty little smile on her lips. Mariah snorted and poked her. “You’re totally thinking about Duncan in a dress right now, aren’t you?”
“Mmm, black leather mini with thigh high boots,” she replied with no hesitation at all.
Risa and Mariah both laughed at her and Charleigh grinned unrepentantly.
“He’s got the legs for it,” Mariah conceded.
“And the hair,” Risa added.
“Yep, my man would make a hella sexy woman,” Charleigh agreed. “What about your man, Risa?”
“No,” she said firmly. “I like Brandon's beard.”
Mariah nodded thoughtfully. “He does look good with it.”
“If he ever decides to shave it off, though, it might be worth talking about,” Risa said after a moment.
“How ‘bout you, Risa? What’s one of your fantasies?” Mariah asked.
A very clear image flashed through Risa’s mind and she shook her head as she took a drink.
“Come on, babe, don’t be shy,” Charleigh cajoled.
“I don’t want to bring you down,” she hedged.
“It’s a fantasy. How could it possibly be a downer?” Mariah asked.
Risa’s meds had finally kicked in and her self-control wasn’t what it usually was, so she told them the truth. “Danny’s still alive. We’re having a cookout and he just showed up with a big pan of his Mama’s Ropa Vieja. Tru is manning the grill and Beck is mixing drinks. The team is all together and we’re whole. Like we used to be.” She brushed away a few tears and turned her head away.
“Oh, honey,” Mariah breathed as she and Charleigh got up and sat on either arm of Risa’s chair. They gathered her into a hug and the three of them stayed that way until the doorbell rang.
Charleigh pressed a kiss to Risa’s head and murmured, “I’ll get it.”
She went to pay for the pizzas and Mariah continued to stroke Risa’s hair. “I’m sorry.”
Risa sniffed and shrugged. “It’s alright. It’s been almost two years. I’ve accepted it. The meds make me a little maudlin sometimes is all.” She awkwardly hugged Mariah back and sat up. Wiping at her eyes one more time, she shook herself and let go of the sadness. “Where’s the food?” she asked with a slightly raised voice.
“Keep your knickers on. I’m almost done,” Charleigh called from the kitchen.
Mariah tilted her head at Risa and Risa gave her a crooked smile. “I’m okay, I promise. I’m in therapy and talking and everything, just like a grown up.”
Mariah huffed and grinned at her. “I never thought I’d live to see the day.”
“I know, right?”
Charleigh came in with three small pizza boxes and paper towels. She gave a box and towel each to Risa and Mariah and then threw herself back onto the couch. They stared from their boxes to her and back again. She looked at them. “What?”
“Really?” Risa asked dryly.
Charleigh rolled her eyes. “Oh, please, like we really need plates. I put two slices of each pie in the box so we’ve all got some of everything. There’s less clean up this way.”
“I can’t believe you’re a mother of four,” Mariah deadpanned.
Charleigh flipped her off. “Fuck you, I’m an awesome mom. Where do you think I learned this trick?”
Risa started giggling and pretty soon Mariah and Charleigh joined in. Mariah shook her head as she set her box down and took the tray with the empty Margarita supplies into the kitchen. She came back with the tray loaded with bottles of water. After she passed them out and got herself settled into the corner of the couch again, Charleigh queued up the next episode of dueSouth.
Before she hit ‘play’, Risa said, “I love you guys.”
“Always,” Mariah started.
“And forever,” Charleigh finished.
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