Open Invitation?

Lil brushed a bit of dark thread from the sleeve of her white suit jacket. “Just every conversational rule in the book, most of the boundaries of good taste and almost his neck.”

Shannon laughed. “Got your hands full, huh?”

“You might say so.”

“Juicy details?” Shan begged.

“If we can go for a drink and you’ll take off that obnoxious, electric-blue jacket before I go blind.”

“My goodness, Lil, but that was downright rude.” Shannon chuckled and twisted her long, curly hair up into a knot on her head. She snagged a pen from Lil’s desk to secure it.

Lil opened her drawer, pulled out a green plastic ballpoint and handed it to her friend. “Give the Waterman back, please.”

“Oh, all right.” Shan pulled the high-dollar pen out of her hair and shoved in the el cheapo. She dropped the expensive one back on Lilia’s desk.

Lil picked it up, pulled two long curly blond hairs out of the pocket clip and grimaced. “You and Jane are rude to me all the time, anyway. So I have to return the favor. It’s part of the beauty of our friendship.” She dropped the hair into her wastebasket.

“Come on, I’ll buy the cosmos,” Shannon said, tossing her car keys in the air and catching them again.

“Is your car clean?” Lil asked. “Or does it still smell worse than the canals in Venice?”

“Hal had it detailed from top to bottom and it’s daisy-fresh now.”

“That man is a saint.” Speaking of which, why were her thoughts turning back to the mouth of a sinner? Lil had a feeling she’d see that mouth swooping down on her all night, in her dreams.