I stood stil with the phone to my ear, eyes staring unseeing at the floor in front of me.

“Roxie, you okay?” I heard Ava ask.

I didn’t answer.

Hank had never told me he loved me. I knew. Or at least I thought I knew. But he’d never said it.

And, because he never had, I hadn’t either.

Good God.

“Roxie? Are you okay?” Ava repeated and she was now close.

I lifted my eyes and focused on Ava.

“Hank just told me he loved me,” I whispered.

“Yeah? So?” Al y asked and she got close too.

“He’s never said that before,” I told Al y.

Both Ava and Al y reared back in shock and looked at each other.

“Jeez, he’s not a very fast mover, is he?” Al y asked no one.

“He didn’t give me a chance to say it back.” I kept sharing.

“Have you ever said it to him?” Ava asked.

I shook my head.

“You don’t move very fast either,” Al y informed me.

My eyes went to her and I felt them narrow. “I’m sorry Al y.

My eyes went to her and I felt them narrow. “I’m sorry Al y.

The last guy I said ‘I love you’ to took a sledgehammer to the door and eventual y beat the shit out of me, kidnapped me and stalked me. Maybe I’m a bit gun shy about this love business.”

“Hank’d never do that to you,” Al y returned.

“I know that,” I shot back.

“Then what’s your problem?” Al y enquired.

My body got tight. “What’s your problem?” I asked back.

“You’ve been in a bad mood al day. You upset Stel a!”

“Wel , excuse me. But I’m beginning to understand where Shirleen is coming from with al this shit. My brothers and my friends got a load of shit on their plate on a regular basis, mind you. They don’t need Rock Chick shit thrown at them al the time. It’s getting ridiculous.”

“Just you wait until it’s your turn, Al y Nightingale,” Ava, being a Rock Chick, went on the defensive.

“It isn’t going to happen to me. No f**kin’ way,” Al y retorted.

“What makes you so sure?” I asked.

“Because there’s only one left, not including Darius, who doesn’t f**k white women and who’s like a brother to me,” Al y answered. “And nothing is gonna happen between me and Hector, ‘cause I’ve known him since we were kids.

He’s like a cousin or something.”

“So, what you’re real y saying is,” Jet came up to our huddle and entered the conversation, “that you’re pissed off you aren’t gonna get your shot at a Hot Bunch guy.” I smiled at Ava and Ava smiled back.

Al y turned angry eyes to Jet. “No, what I’m saying is, I wouldn’t get myself into a shitload of trouble. And, if I did, I’d take care of my own business. I wouldn’t let some guy stick his nose into said business. I wouldn’t put up with that shit for a second. Some f**kin’ macho badass tel ing me what to do and f**king with my life and my head. I wouldn’t play those games. Some guy tried to do that to me, I’d put an end to it, pronto.”

I couldn’t help myself, I laughed. So did Jet. So did Ava.

“Seriously, chickies, not gonna happen,” Al y said into our laughter.

“I cannot wait for some guy to rip into your life and make you eat those words,” Ava told Al y.

“Not gonna happen,” Al y repeated.

“You are so going down,” I said to Al y.

Al y turned to me and snapped, “Can we stop talking about this?”

“Sure,” I replied breezily.

“Who do you think it’l be?” Jet asked Ava.

“We’re not talking about this anymore,” Al y reminded Jet.

“That Eric guy is hot,” Ava remarked to Jet.

“Fuck you,” Al y said to Ava and stomped toward the espresso counter. We watched as she stopped halfway there, saw Uncle Tex grinning at her like a loon then she turned on her heel and stomped into the books.

We al looked at each other and burst into laughter.

We didn’t have time to enjoy our hilarity. The bel over the door went and Tod stormed in, eyes wild.

I didn’t have to guess why Tod looked wild. He was Indy’s official y unofficial wedding planner and it was T-minus five and a half days to nuptial takeoff. Because of this, Tod was clearly in a state.

“Do you think, because you’re al the possible targets for murder and mayhem, that you can get out of this wedding business?” he screeched upon entry just as Stel a, Daisy and Indy came back up front. Tod’s eyes narrowed on Indy and he went on screeching, “Girlie, there’s shit to do! ”

“I know, Tod, calm down,” Indy replied.

Tod threw up his hands. “Calm down? I wil not calm down! We need to confirm numbers with the catering company. We need to finalize seating arrangements. We need to box and bow the handmade truffles for wedding gifts. Somebody needs to learn cal igraphy in, like, an hour so we can handwrite the place cards.”

“I thought we decided I was going to do them on my computer?” Ava, unwisely, put in.

“You decided, I did not decide. Place cards need to be handwritten! Everyone knows that! ” Tod shrieked.

The door opened again, the bel ringing over it, Annette came in and shouted, “Yo bitches! Anyone get kidnapped or shot at today?”

Before anyone could answer, Tod turned to Annette and snapped, “What’re you wearing to the wedding?” Annette’s head jerked in response to his attitude slapping her in the face upon entry and replied, “Don’t know, Toddie Hottie. I figure I’l smoke a doobie and it’l come to me.”

Tod’s face got red and I feared his entire head would explode.

“You come to Indy’s wedding stoned, I’l shoot you,” Tod threatened.

“Dude, I only do weddings stoned. It’s the only way to go.

Weddings are boring. Snooze-a-rama,” Annette shot back then turned to Indy. “No offense.”

“None taken,” Indy smiled.

Tod gave up on Annette and turned his glare back to Indy.

“We need a Ful Wedding Briefing. Now,” Tod declared.

“Somebody cal a Hot Bunch escort. We’re al convening at Indy and Lee’s in half an hour.”

“Excuse me but Jet, Al y and Indy are working. We got a breather but any second we could get a crowd,” Tex threw in.