In a daze, she did. She staggered her way upstairs again and fell facedown onto bed. She didn’t even bother turning the TV off before she closed her eyes and crashed into blessed darkness with Brad’s scent lingering on her pillow.
Sachi’s voice split through her skull like an ice pick driven between her eyeballs. “Boss? You okay up there?”
Mandaline rolled over and groaned again as the world spun and threatened to sling her off the bed.
“Boss?” She heard Sachi’s steps on the stairs as she came up. Then the sound of her in the bedroom doorway. “Mandaline? Are you all right? You left the stairwell door open. I’ve been calling you for five minutes.”
“Kill. Me. Now. Please, in the name of all that’s holy, in the name of Hecate, just fucking kill me.”
She heard Sachi’s sad sigh. Her friend walked over and sat on the edge of the bed. “What happened? I’m guessing you tied one on solo style?”
“You’re not killing me. Why aren’t you killing me?”
She heard Sachi get up and walk out to the kitchen, followed by the sound of her getting the coffeemaker going. She returned a moment later with a cool washcloth, which she placed across Mandaline’s brow. “You know you and the grape aren’t buds.”
“You still aren’t killing me. And it wasn’t grapes. It was blueberry wine.” The cold, damp cloth felt like heaven on her flesh.
“Ah, she’s cracking jokes. She is in her right mind.”
“If you don’t hurry up and put me out of my misery, I’m firing you.”
“No you won’t. You luuubs me.”
“Yeah? Well, I thought you luuuubsed me, too, and yet you aren’t killing me.”
“Do I need to recant my vow not to hex people and throw a good one on those two, or just take great pleasure in throwing them out the front door if they show up here again? Or do I need to bring my skeet gun in with me to run them out? I have it in the car. I can go get it right now.”
Goddess bless her, Sachi was fiercely protective of her friends. “No,” Mandaline said. “No guns, unless you’re using it to fucking kill me like I keep asking you to. No throwing anyone out of doors. And please don’t hex them. If you won’t kill me, you’re not allowed to hex them.”
“Well, that’s probably for the best. I’m sure I’ve racked up enough bad karma in my days already. I don’t need to add hexing to the list. And shooting them might get me arrested.”
Mandaline carefully sat up, holding the cloth to her head. “Ellis freaked out last night after another one of those sexy visions hit us.”
“Freaked out how?”
“Accused me of drugging him and trying to go after his and Brad’s money.”
Sachi stared at her in disbelief. “Go on. Pull the other one.”
“No, really. He’s close to a mental breakdown, I think.”
Storm clouds darkened her expression. “He’s close to getting my damn fist in his snoot, is what he is, next time I see his ass!”
“No, seriously. It’s okay.” She flipped the washcloth over and pressed it to her forehead again. “Brad came back last night. I guess I cried myself to sleep in his arms.”
“Huh? Back up. I think you missed a step.”
“I was tanked when he got here. He carried me to bed.”
The eyebrow went up.
“We didn’t do anything,” Mandaline clarified. At least, that’s what she thought. It was hard to say for sure because of the big, fuzzy blur from the wine.
“Oh. Well, that sucks.”
“Ellis and I both need a few days to cool off,” Mandaline said. “Please, don’t be mad at Ellis. He’s just…” She sighed. “He isn’t dealing well with this.” I can’t believe I just said that.
“I’m guessing things with Brad are on track, at least.”
“Not really. He thinks a relationship between just him and me wouldn’t work, that it needs to be all three of us.”
She let out a snort. “What’s Julie say about it?”
“Apparently, that is what Julie says about it.”
“Oh. She always did have a good head on her shoulders, as well as a kinky streak a mile wide.”
Mandaline stared at her.
“Well, who do you think gave Libbie her reading list to start with, huh? Have you even checked Julie’s Kindle? That redheaded witch was queen of the pervs in our little group.” She pointed at Julie’s closet. “I’d be shocked if you don’t turn up a box of unmentionables somewhere in there.” She snapped her fingers. “That’s it! We need to find one of her vibrators and use it for the sex magick chant tonight!”
Mandaline stared at her.
“I’m serious,” Sachi insisted.
“I know you are. That’s what scares me.”
Sachi grinned. “Come on. You know life is far more interesting with me around.”
“That’s one word for it.”
“Hold on. Let me get you something to help your head and return you from zombiedom into the land of the living. You look like an extra for The Walking Dead.” Sachi left the bedroom and Mandaline heard her go downstairs. She returned to the apartment a moment later. After a stop by the kitchen to pour Mandaline and herself coffee, she walked into the bedroom and handed Mandaline a mug. Then she reached into her pocket and pulled out a small brown bottle.
“Peppermint oil. You know the drill, lady.”
Mandaline set the mug on the bedside table and dabbed some of the oil along her forehead and the nape of her neck. She put the damp washcloth back to her forehead again. A moan of relief escaped her. “You’re a genius. An evil genius, but still a genius.”
“Hey, I’ll take compliments how I can get ’em.” She grinned.
She sipped her coffee, the caffeine and peppermint oil working together to help knock back her headache and nausea. After a few minutes, she felt halfway human again. “Thank you, sweetie.”
Sachi cocked her head. “You really think Ellis will come around?”
“I don’t know.” She studied her half-finished mug of coffee. “I hope so.”
“You have no clue what you want, do you?”
“Not the foggiest. Sometimes I want both of them, sometimes I only want Brad, and sometimes I wonder why the hell I haven’t had myself lobotomized.”
“Love will make you crazy.”
“No, love will make you do crazy things. It’s other people that can make you crazy.” She looked up at Sachi. “And I don’t want to call it love. I barely know them.”
Sachi waved away her protests. “Yeah, yeah, whatever. Semantics. I’m going to head downstairs and get things opened up. Take your time. I’ve got plenty of people coming in this morning to help hold down the fort. And I’m putting a sign on the door that we’re closing from 11:30 to 1:00 for the tree planting.”
“That sounds good.”
Sachi studied her. “You could even sleep in if you wanted.”
“No, I need to get up. Get a shower.” She realized a nasty, scuzzy taste coated the inside of her mouth. “And brush my teeth.”
Chapter Eleven
The worst of Mandaline’s hangover had eased by the time Grover stopped by at ten and asked her to walk out back with him. He had four oak tree saplings in the bed of his truck, along with a shovel, several bags of mulch, and a tree stake kit.
Mandaline stared, confused and wondering if maybe her hangover was worse than she’d previously estimated. “Why four trees?”
“Sherrie down at the nursery wanted you to be able to pick which one you wanted.” He smiled. “She said take whichever one we want and bring the others back when we get a chance.”
“How much do I owe you?”
He shook his head. “Not a dime. She’s donating the tree, mulch, and stake kit.”