Page 59 of Kill Me Again: Psychics

Baxter threw the coin up, catching it on the back of his hand and keeping it covered. “Which outcome are you hoping for?” I asked.

“Calisto. Less explaining. More apologizing.”

He revealed the coin. Heads.

“You got your wish.”

“Yeah.” Relief washed over his face.

“If you wait while I get dressed, I can come with you.”

“Oh, yeah… Don’t worry about me,” Verity said. “I can just sit here and wait all day. I have nothing better to do.”

“No,” Baxter said. “It’s just Calisto.” He leaned in to kiss my cheek, his tiny smirk giving away that he knew exactly what he was doing. I turned my head, catching his lips instead, smile and all. “I’ll call you later.”

“Make sure you do,” I called after him. “And good luck. I’m sure he’ll understand if you’re honest with him.”

He saluted and left. Which left me with no choice but to face my sister.

“Oh, you can see me,” she said. “I was starting to think I’d turned invisible.”

I sat on the sofa, the cushions still warm from Baxter. Picking up his mug, I took a sip, Verity watching me like a hawk. “I didn’t know you were coming today.”

“Evidently. Or no doubt you’d have ferried your new man out of the door before I got here.”

“Maybe. Or at least introduced you properly.”

“Having any knowledge of him whatsoever would have been nice.” The hurt in Verity’s voice made me feel like a complete dick.

“I knew what you’d say.”

“That he’s too young?”

I inclined my head in recognition of her hitting the nail on the head. “He’s not really. It’s… complicated.” Understatement of the day.

“Let me guess… he’s actually your age and just very committed to Botox?”

“Not quite.”

“I thought you were dating Glenn. He forgave you for messing up your first date. He’s nice. Funny. He’s got a good job and a stable income.”

“He’s all of those things. But…”

Verity picked up her tea and took a sip, her expression betraying her feelings about being forced to drink it in a morning. “But what?”

“Glenn doesn’t make my heart beat faster.”

“And Baxter does?”

“Yes.”

“And you’re already sleeping together?”

I nodded. I wasn’t about to deny it. I wasn’t Judas.

Verity shook her head. “You’ve got to see how destructive this pattern is, Lake. It was only a few weeks ago that Carl did a complete number on you, and you’ve already found yourself a similar replacement.”

“They’re nothing alike. Carl was a manipulative con-artist, who didn’t give a shit about me. Baxter is… different.”