Beauty & the Beast Read Free

too,” he said.
    “I know.” She grinned and covered his hand with hers. Then she made a face. “Oh, my God. You don’t think he gave her that rash, do you?”
    “Are these seats taken?” A quartet of newcomers approached their table—two couples attired in finery. Cat shook her head and made a welcoming gesture.
    “Please,” she said. “Those four are still up for grabs. I’m Catherine Keller. And this is my husband, Vincent.”
    “ER,” Vincent said, half-rising to shake hands.
    As they made their introductions, her anxiety about Heather receded into the background. She was here with her wonderful soul mate, the man for whom she had been destined. They had risked everything to be together, and they had triumphed. Together, they could handle anything. And they would.
    “It didn’t look like an STD,” Vincent said under his breath.
    The woman who had been about to sit down froze. “I beg your pardon?”
    “Just shop talk,” Cat said mildly. “My, this tomato looks tasty.”
    “He’s probably dumping her right now,” Vincent said. “Texting her while they’re standing on line.” Then he smiled at the newcomers. “No one here has an STD.”

CHAPTER THREE
    Tess Vargas flashed her biggest fake smile at her brother as she stood shoulder-to-shoulder beside JT Forbes and held out her hands for the drop. “I’m telling you, Jamie. We’ve got this,” she said.
    Her brother chewed the inside of his cheek, his “tell” that he was not quite committed to his decision. “You screw this up and you’re dead.”
    No , you’re dead , Tess thought. Despite the fact that her brother was a hardened NYC cop just like the other four, Jamie’s wife ruled the roost. And the tawny little chihuahua struggling in her brother’s arms was officially Connie’s dog, not Jamie’s.
    “We won’t screw up,” Tess insisted. “It’s one tiny dog.”
    “This is not just a dog. This is Princess Mochi,” her brother shot back, nuzzling the dog’s tiny face. She bared her fangs and snapped at him, and he jerked back his head.
    “Um, I think she may be peeing on you,” JT drawled.
    Her brother swore under his breath and straightened his arms. Princess Mochi dangled above JT’s marble floor. She yipped. Her teeth flashed and her bulbous dark eyes seemed to go red in the subdued lighting. Princess Mochi, right. Princess of Hell.
    Tess took the dog from her brother and set her gently on the floor. Princess Mochi spun around and around in a circle like a windup toy and took off like a shot. Her tiny nails clicked on the stone.
    “She just wants to inspect her new territory,” Tess ventured. “You should take off. You’re delaying the inevitable.”
    “No, seriously, I can’t wait to go to Disney World with twelve of my closest in-laws,” her brother grumped. “Did I mention that Connie’s brother is on anti-psychotic medication?”
    “Antidepressants,” Tess corrected. “Give it a chance. You’ll have fun.”
    “And her uncle spits wherever he feels like it and calls me Chachi?”
    “That’s better than dumbass, which is what I call you,” Tess said. She pointed to the door. “Go. Get your ears on.”
    “If anything happens to Princess Mochi…” He wagged a finger at her. “I’m not kidding, Tess.”
    Like a mosquito, the chihuahua buzzed into Tess’s line of vision. Whirring beside JT’s sofa, she uttered chuffing noises and assumed a squat.
    “No!” JT thundered, darting toward her. “No, bad dog!”
    “She is not a bad dog. There are no bad dogs,” Jamie said. “You need to tell her what you want.”
    “Oh, I’ll tell her, believe me,” JT said between clenched teeth.
    “No hitting! Hit her and I will shoot you,” Jamie said.
    “Who beat whom at the shooting range?” JT reminded him. At a recent birthday party, JT had gotten pissed off at the way Tess’s brothers were dissing her and scored well enough on a paper target to qualify for sergeant.
    “Okay, we’re done here.”