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happened couldn't be worth hurting yourself."
    "You don't know what happened."
    "So why don't you tell us," Eve suggested
calmly.
    "I get home tonight and find out that Gran
is letting my father stay at the farmhouse."
    Eve gasped. "Knowing how you feel about him?
Why would she do that?"
    "Because she's a perverse old bag." Olivia
took the wine bottle and refilled her glass. "Actually, Parker
probably conned her into it. She never had a chance."
    " Your grandmother?" Eve asked
incredulously. "Somehow, I have a hard time imagining
that."
    Olivia pointed a finger at her. "Don't
underestimate that slick bastard."
    "I can see you women are going to need
another bottle of wine. Why don't you take it into the living room
and I'll bring it out. I'll even turn the fireplace on for you." He
dropped a kiss on Eve's lips before gathering the plates and taking
them to the sink.
    "That man is unbelievable. Aren't you glad
you listened to me and hooked up with him?" She got up and wobbled
on her platform shoes.
    "Hey, you okay there?" Eve reached out to
steady her.
    "My feet are killing me." She bent over and
slipped one shoe off before toeing the other one off as well. Not
bothering to pick them up, she went into the living room and
dropped onto one corner of the couch.
    Eve followed a moment later, carrying two
clean, empty wine glasses and a box of saltines. "You don't mind if
I join you, do you? Or would you rather have the entire bottle to
yourself?"
    "You're such a wench," Olivia said
good-naturedly. "Here I am, in my time of need, and all you can do
is harangue me. If I wanted harassment, I would've stayed at
Gran's."
    "Gran wouldn't let you drink out your
sorrows."
    "I've got no sorrows. Just two
back-stabbing, evil bastards who won't leave me alone." She glanced
at Treat, who came opening a bottle with another tucked under his
arm. "You wouldn't happen to know any hitmen with reasonable rates,
would you?" she asked him as he filled their glasses.
    "I'll have to check my Rolodex." He leaned
over and gave Eve a long and lingering kiss. "I'll be in my office,
baby."
    Eve smiled at him, her eyes dreamy and warm.
"Okay."
    He tucked her hair behind her ear and, with
a wink to Olivia, left them to talk.
    Olivia took a sip. Sexy,
rich, and he picked
excellent wine. "I'm jealous."
    "Of?"
    "You." At Eve's startled look, Olivia rolled
her eyes. "You can't seriously be surprised."
    "Of course I am."
    "Aside from the fact that you have a
terrific man, you have a classic style I could never pull off, your
hair is always sheveled, and you have perfect breasts."
    "Sheveled?"
    "The opposite of disheveled, like my
untamable fro." She shook her head exaggeratedly to prove her
point. A lock flew into her mouth. She had to blow several times to
get it out.
    "You have beautiful hair, and I'd kill to
have your body—"
    "Big boobs are overrated," Olivia
injected.
    "—And you could have any man you wanted.
I've seen men drop to their knees and beg for you."
    Olivia shrugged as she drank a little,
relaxing into the nice, numbing buzz. "Also overrated."
    "Are you going to tell me what all this is
about or do I have to flog it out of you?"
    "You get kinky after a couple glasses of
wine."
    "Thanks to you I've barely had an ounce. My
glass was full when you stole it."
    Olivia tried to remember but there was only
gray fuzz, kind of like a TV that wasn't getting reception. "Nope,
can't recall."
    "Tell me about this business with your one
true love and your father before I strangle you."
    Olivia sighed. "I haven't talked about this
for eleven years. It's not easy suddenly opening up."
    "Then it'll be good to get it out of your
system." Eve topped off both their glasses and settled back,
wiggling to get comfortable. "Okay, I'm ready. No—wait." She handed
Olivia a couple crackers. "Nibble on these as you talk."
    Olivia wrinkled her nose at the saltines,
set them down, and drank more wine instead. "Michael was my best
friend from the time we were six, the first