Texas Ties by Jean Brashear

Author:Jean Brashear
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Romance, Texas, Serials
Publisher: Jean Brashear
Published: 2019-02-15T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Six

‡

“Camille Paglia is an idiot,” Luisa announced. “She’s setting the female sex back thirty years.”

Ava heard the comment as she walked back into the living room of her Hyde Park home. “I love her.”

“What?” Laken sat up straight from where she’d been sunken back, lounging on the wine-red cushions of the huge, overstuffed sofa Tom loved. “You of all people, Ava? I figured she’d have you screaming.”

“Nothing I love better than an iconoclast. Can’t you see she’s jerking you around, Luisa? She’s refusing to say a strident feminist can’t love sex and men and Harleys.”

“She’s pretentious,” Sylvie spoke up. “She’s going for shock value.”

“Well, she sure shocked me, defending Madonna,” Ellie contributed. “I can’t stand Madonna.”

“Madonna’s toned down a lot,” Laken mocked. “She’s gone respectable.”

“You’re kidding, right? Did you see her at the Grammys?” Ava laughed. “I can’t imagine having your kids grow up and taking another look at your misspent youth through their eyes. Can you imagine showing your teenager those old videos or her photo book?”

That got a laugh out of everyone. “Gawd,” Laken drawled. “Thank goodness I don’t have kids.”

Ava looked fondly at her friend. “You don’t have videos to worry about.” She narrowed her gaze. “Do you?”

Laken actually blushed. Whoops and whistles cut the air, along with applause.

“That does it. No book next month. We need to watch videos,” Ellie teased.

“Yeah. Like you and Wyatt don’t know how to do it,” Laken shot back.

“Oooh, Ellie’s getting bold since she faced down bad ol’ Saxon,” Ava jeered.

“You did?” Luisa was intrigued.

Ellie blushed. “Ava, I didn’t tell you so you could go squeal.”

“What happened? No more talk about the book until Ellie dishes the dirt.” Laken poured another glass of wine and settled back into the cushions.

“It was nothing. Just a misunderstanding.”

Ava saluted with her glass. “With a bare-chested, angry barbarian.”

Laken whistled shrilly through her teeth. “I’d pay money to see it.”

“What?” Sylvie intervened. “Ellie…or the bare chest?”

“The chest. She can call me and tell me the story.”

Everyone laughed.

“Come on, Ellie. We’re waiting.”

“Yeah,” Ava urged. “Tell us about the fight.”

“Fight?” Sylvie frowned. “You fought with him?”

“And won.” Ava stated. “Of course, she fought dirty.”

“What did she use? Fists? A big stick?”

“A chair?”

“Her easel?”

Ava shook her head. “Something much more lethal.”

They all waited. Ava paused. “Come on, kid. Spill it.”

“What did you use, darling?”

Ellie lifted her head, her cheeks burning. She shot Ava a glare.

Ava shrugged.

Ellie gestured with one hand. “Just cranberry bread.”

Laken choked on her wine. “Oh, that’s low, Ellie. A bachelor who lives in his studio and you tortured him with home-baked bread?”

“It was her temper that did it. Ellie got mad,” Ava explained.

“Mad? Our Ellie?”

“Ava, I am never telling you another story. I don’t think we’re speaking anymore, come to think of it.”

Ava just smiled. “You can’t stay mad at me. Besides, you should be proud. You vanquished the Viking.”

“I didn’t vanquish him. He’s—he’s not so bad.”

Catcalls filled the room.

“Of course he is,” Laken pronounced. “Ill-tempered, no manners, yells at our Ellie. We need to take action, ladies.

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