Fresh out of a shower and the funk of the inhabitants of the county jail washed away from her skin, Shanice eased into the kitchen. Charli shooed her toward a high pub chair at the kitchen counter and Shanice moaned with delight. Her sister had created a decadent homemade breakfast of mascarpone-filled crepes with fresh strawberries and honey poured liberally on top.
"Mmm, this is so perfectly good it almost makes up for the blunder of the century. I'm so sleepy I don't know what to do. And before you ask, hell no, I did not get any sleep in jail. Too busy watching everybody else watching me." She licked a bit of strawberry juice from her spoon and laid it down on the breakfast tray just long enough to fuss. "That is the last time I go out with you, woman," Shanice grumbled around a mouthful of the best crepes she'd ever had.
"It's not my fault the heel broke off your shoe on the corner of the worst street in the Fillmore district," Charli defended. "Nobody in their right mind would associate you with those hookers on the corner. First, you're too classy by half, and second, when the police started rounding 'em up, you would think they'd have paid closer attention to who they were grabbing off the street."
"Well, it's your fault for talking me into going to that raunchy club in the first place. You could have at least warned me that some local celebrities were going to be at the place," Shanice said with no small amount of snark. "I would have avoided it like the plague. All those skanky women showing all their asses just hoping to get the attention of some celebrity-fied pimp."
"But Shan, it's not my..."
"Whoa, it is in fact all your fault. It is all your fault I broke my shoe trying to run to the car in the rain. It is all your fault you left me standing on the corner while you went to get the car. And it is definitely all your fault that the cops picked that exact moment to raid the 'ho stroll." Charli laughed like a loon regardless of Shanice's fierce scowl. "I don't care what the issue is, it's your fault, Charli. If it rains, your fault. My laptop dies your fault. I gain ten pounds while taking a purge, your fault. Get it?"
"Okay! Fine." Charli cracked up. "But you can't deny you had a good time. Well, until you got arrested."
"Speaking of getting arrested, how did you pull off finding that lawyer on the fly? When he dropped me off, I was relieved he simply opened my car door for me, waved at you like your best girlfriend and got the hell out of here. God, how embarrassing it to be saved by a co-worker. Hell, to be saved by anyone. Anyway, he seemed familiar as if I'd seen him somewhere other than the office, but I can't place him."
"We went to law school together. Have been good friends ever since. When I saw them carting you away, he was the first person I thought of to call. God, Shan, I completely forgot that he was working at your place now. He's only been there, what, a couple of months?"
Shanice shrugged. No point in worrying about it now. "Well, girlfriend, he's quite a catch," Shanice said around a swig of orange juice. "He said you two weren't going out, but if he's single, you should. You two would make a cute couple. You know, your cocoa to his vanilla? Go on, girl."
"We're not dating. Just friends. Besides, I'm not his type."
"What? Is he gay or something? Maybe you can convert him, girl."
