Inferno - Chelle Bliss by Chelle Bliss

I nod. “And it feels worse than it looks.”

He winces. “No naked tango for you, then.”

“Are you two talking about sex in front of us?” Gigi asks before she makes a gagging motion. “Stop it.”

“You guys brought it up,” he tells her.

Gigi instantly points to Lily. “She did. Not us.”

Stone shrugs. “Whatever.”

“I don’t think we should put the makeup on her face today. It would be too painful,” Tamara says as she pulls out a few bottles from the bag.

“I made an instruction sheet,” Lily says, reaching her hand into the paper bag sitting on the coffee table.

“You mean a manual. It’s five pages long and,” Gigi says as she shakes her head, “has an accompanying how-to video tutorial.”

“I wanted to make sure she knew how to use everything,” Lily explains. She’s totally cute, and I love her to pieces. She cares for everyone and is the sweetest of the bunch. It’s not surprising since she’s Stone’s sister. They’re not very different, although he’d never admit it.

“It’s the best stuff they have. It’s made to cover tattoos, so it’ll cover those black eyes without a problem,” Gigi tells me, holding up a tube of flesh-colored makeup. “I put in some samples of every shade.”

“I don’t know how to thank you,” I say, giving Stone’s side a squeeze.

“This is what we do. Better get used to it,” Tamara says from her perch on the couch.

This is not what other people do. Although it’s completely the Gallo way of being.

“But you can pay us back by going out for margaritas without the guys,” Tamara adds. “Sometimes we need to talk without their nosy asses listening in on our conversations.”

“Trust me when I say we don’t always want to hear what you’re talking about,” Stone tells her. “The period talk can be a bit much at times.”

Tamara laughs. “We only do that to make you uncomfortable.”

“Mission accomplished,” he mutters.

Lily walks over, holding the papers she so graciously wrote. “Ignore him. I know I do,” she says about her brother as she hands me the instructions. “I’ve had a lifetime with him.”

I hope to say those words someday too.





25





STONE





“Hey, kid,” Uncle James says.

I rest my phone between my shoulder and cheek as I fold a towel. “What’s up, Uncle?”

“I wanted to know if you and Opal can stop by the office later today.”

I drop the clean towel into the basket and straighten. My stomach twists because Uncle James never asks me to come in unless there’s some wild shit going down, and now here I am, going for the second time in a month. “Is something wrong?”

“Nothing bad. We found a few things that I think Opal needs to know about as soon as possible.”

I turn my head, staring at Opal as she rests on the couch, still healing from the accident a few days ago. “Give us a couple of hours. Is that okay?”

“Sure thing, kid. I’ll be here until five. I don’t need you two here for long, but I think this news is best delivered in person.”

“You’re scaring me.”

“Don’t be. It’s only good news. I promise.”

“She could use some good news.”

“How’s she doing?”

I blow out a breath. “She seems to be okay, but she’s had a few nightmares.”

“It’s understandable. She went through a horrible and traumatizing ordeal. It’ll take a while for her mind to catch up with reality. Give her time.”

“I’ll give her all the time in the world.”

“I’m proud of you.”

“For what?”

“Growing up.”

“Whatever,” I mutter.

“Seriously, Stone. This may be the first time I’ve seen you worry about someone other than yourself. The Stone of six months ago would’ve moved on already.”

I rub the back of my neck, hating that he’s right. “She’s too good to walk away from.”

“I felt that way about your aunt. I wasn’t in a place in my life for a relationship, but I moved heaven and earth to make it happen. Hell, she didn’t even like me very much, but I didn’t let up. She finally came to her senses and knew I was the best thing to ever happen to her.”

“You may be more full of bullshit than I am, Uncle.”

James laughs. “Ask her yourself.”

“I will. I’m sure she has an entirely different story than you do.”

“I don’t lie, kid.”

I roll my eyes. “Yes, you do.”

He laughs again, proving my point. “I’ll see you later. A client just walked in.”

“See you soon.”

“Later,” he says before disconnecting the call.

I jam my phone into my back pocket and walk into the living room to talk to Opal.

She looks up and immediately smiles. “You okay?”

“Yeah.” I drop down onto the couch and pull her feet into my lap. “You up to getting out of the house for a bit today?”