Free Dog Collar Knockoff by Adrienne Giordano Page B

get back.”
    Joey shot Lucie a quizzical look in the rear-view then went back to the road. “What’s your hurry?”
    “I have things to do.”
    “So, do them tonight. It’s not like you have plans. You’ve spent the last three months moping around the house. At least tonight you’ll have something to keep you busy.”
    As usual, he thought he knew her so well. Predictable, Lucie. Never straying from her routine. Wouldn’t he be stunned to know she had a date? With a cop. An Irish one to boot. Ha. Carlton wouldn’t be the only one having a heart attack.
    As much as she wanted to tell him, just hit him with it, she couldn’t. Frankie was his closest friend and cluing Joey in on her date meant putting him in the middle. A scary thought if ever there was one because, knowing him, he’d feel compelled to tell Frankie. And that would be bad. No matter that they were broken up, neither of them would want to hear the other was suddenly dating. Their history didn’t include dating others. In all the times they’d broken up, she’d never heard anything about Frankie seeing other women. Never once in all these past off-and-on four years.
    “She’s going out tonight,” Ro said.
    Lucie spun on her, gritted her teeth. Really, Ro? Really?
    “Where’s she going?” He looked back at Lucie. “Tell me you and Frankie are back together. Please.”
    “Are you wagering on how long we’ll be broken up again? I swear I’ll kill you. That is so rude.”
    Joey stayed silent, an absolute tell that he was, in fact, running another Frankie-Loves-Lucie pool on when the big reunite would happen. Now with Ro getting divorced, he was busier than ever.
    When she’d first heard that he ran these pools, she’d been infuriated. As if her and Frankie’s personal lives were plain fodder for the entire town. Even Ro had been known to get in on it. Then, after the initial anger, she’d realized the bets and the subsequent odds were indicative of the ups and downs of her relationship.
    And the insanity that came with being part of the life .
    “She’s not back with Frankie,” Ro said.
    “Dammit. You got my hopes up there. If you were, that’d be five grand in my pocket.”
    Five thousand dollars? If the kitty was that much, maybe she needed to get in on this pool. After all, she shouldn’t be exempt because she wasn’t the one doing the breaking up this time. She had no control over when Frankie might want to get back together.
    And she could use that five thousand dollars. Health insurance didn’t come cheap.
    She smacked herself on the head. A minute ago, she’d been outraged. Now? She was selling her soul for health insurance.
    “Sorry, Joey.”
    “Eh. No big. What are you doing tonight then?”
    “Just going out with friends.”
    “You’re not gonna tie the bathroom up, are you?”
    Ro took that one. “Keep talking and we might.”
    Lucie laughed. “You guys drive me to want to drink, but I do love you.”
    *
    Joey wouldn’t leave.
    Ten minutes until O’Brien picked her up and her brother was still sprawled on the living room sofa. On a Friday night. Wasn’t this indicative of her life? Usually, by now, he was at the bar around the corner watching the games on television and making his collections.
    Tonight? Glued to the sofa.
    And she couldn’t have him here when Tim showed up. Who knew how he’d react to a cop taking his sister to dinner. Not that it was any of his business, but she wanted tonight to be a drama break.
    Lucie stood at the top of the stairs, leaning against the wall that still had the mark from twelve years ago when she’d gone tumbling down with a marker in her hand. One floor below, Joey shouted at the television and didn’t appear to be anywhere close to moving off of the sofa.
    Time for reinforcements.
    She dug her phone from her purse and dialed Ro.
    After one ring, Ro answered. “What happened? Don’t tell me you ripped that dress already.”
    When Lucie had gone to Ro’s to try dresses