Claire of the Moon by Nicole Conn

Author:Nicole Conn [Conn, Nicole]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781594933271
Publisher: Bella Books
Published: 2012-05-14T03:00:00+00:00

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Noel took a gingerly sip of foam off the top of her beer. Claire grinned as she observed Noel, clearly the most out-of-place character in the seedy Humpwhale Inn. A country song wailed from a distant jukebox. Noel’s jaw tightened; distaste mingled with condescending amusement.

“She done you wroooo-ooong.” Claire laughed as she intoned with twangy melodrama.

“Excuse me?”

“Tore out your heart, shredded it to pieces with her unfeeling faaaa-aaangs...” Claire continued the mock country song, “drop-kicked it into the nearest dump bin, with the rest of the broken he—a-arts.”

“How descriptive. You must be a writer.” Noel smiled sardonically. “Yes...I can see it in your eyes. Wild imagination. Stormy soliloquies.”

Claire smiled in return. She felt very little pain as she took another sip of tequila followed by a beer chaser. “And your eyes, paint a barren landscape, darlin’—sagebrush twirlin ‘round your heart.”

A shadow of intense pain crossed Noel’s eyes.

“Sorry.” Claire said quickly. “Sappy music has that effect on me. But you know, Doc, whatever she did—fuck her.”

Noel stared into her beer. “Is that your answer for everything?”

“All I’m saying is no one’s worth losing your joie de vivre over, Noel.” Claire wanted somehow to help her. But as she smiled engagingly at her, Noel seemed to become more uncomfortable.

“So this is where you hang?”

“I never hang.”

“No. I rather suppose you don’t.” Noel took a quick sip of her beer. “What do you do?”

“Oh, I don’t think it’s any big mystery, Doc. Probably the same thing you do.”

“I somehow doubt that.”

“Different tools. Same game.” They were sparring again.

“It isn’t.” Noel was direct.

“Isn’t it?”

“The attraction between men and women is clear—straightforward, so to speak.”

“And between women and women?” Claire teased.

“It can weave...” Noel responded carefully, “dangerously...simply forever.”

Claire felt the heat of Noel’s pointed directness as the words slid between them.

“Hey ladies!” The spell was broken as Tara, Lynn and Adrienne bustled up to the booth in high spirits. “Mind if we join ya?” Tara didn’t wait for an answer as she directed Lynn, who appeared kidnapped, “Come on honey, you just scooch right on in.”

Claire looked at Noel. They were unwitting victims. Sending them away was out of the question.

“Looks like we all had the same idea,” Adrienne teased.

“Hell yes!” Tara prattled excitedly, “What’s the harm in a little bustin’ loose, I always say.”

“Is that what you always say?” Claire asked, uninterested.

Tara looked at the empty beer bottles on the table. “Yes. That’s what I always say. ’Sides...I wanted to see for myself what kind of trouble Maggie was referrin’ to.” She swiveled to Lynn. “Come on darlin’ it ain’t the end of the world. You’ll get your story done. You’ve been too cooped up anyway. How ’bout a nice refreshin’ spritzer.”

Lynn looked uncertainly at Noel, as if she might have the answer. Noel smiled at her, kindly. Lynn buckled. “Well...yes, I guess that would be nice.”

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