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Lilith scowled down at her quadruple shot, dark chocolate and caramel latte. “My ex-husband is such a pain in the ass. I don’t even know how you haven’t poisoned him yet. I couldn’t do it.” She tugged an invisible strand of hair into place with manicured fingernails.
Eve smiled faintly and took a small bite of her apple tart. “You just have to know how to talk to him. He can be quite reasonable if approached the right way.”
“Arrogant fucking asshole,” Lilith said. Another patron of the coffee shop gave her a disapproving stare. Lilith met his eyes and glared back; he hastily dropped his gaze and started fussing with his writing pad.
“Back to our newest grandbaby,” Eve said, smoothing her long skirts across her legs.
Lilith turned back, her eyes softening. “My daughter sent me pictures.” She picked up her smart phone. “Have you seen these?”
Eve peered at the screen. “Seth sent me a few but not these. Here.” She passed a stack of computer printouts across the table. For a few minutes, the only sounds were the rustling of paper and cooings of, “look at the itty bitty toes”.
Lilith, sucking on her latte straw, made the slurping sound of an empty cup.
“Damn it.” The cup crumpled and melted, smelling faintly of brimstone. “Hey, Eve, lemme grab a sip of that.”
“You won’t like it,” Eve said, handing her cup over. “It’s too plain for you.”
Lilith took a drink and wrinkled her nose. “You’re right. It needs more sugar. And more cream. And a lot more coffee.”
Eve smiled and traded the cell phone back for her coffee. “Keep the photos, I still have them on my computer.”
“I’ll email these to you,” Lilith promised, waving the phone.
“Thank you.” Eve drained the last of her coffee and stood up. “Same time next week?”
“You bet.” Lilith shrugged on her black leather jacket and grabbed a motorcycle helmet off the chair next to her. They walked to the parking lot in companionable silence.
In front of Eve’s hybrid, Lilith paused, holding her helmet under her arm like a severed head. “Are those new earrings?”
Eve beamed and brushed her long hair back behind one ear to reveal several strands of metal charms dangling from the lobe. “Yes, Adam gave them to me yesterday. Do you like them?”
Lilith suppressed a scowl and said neutrally, “They made a pretty chiming sound when we were walking.”
Eve gave her a knowing look but let it pass. Standing on tiptoes, she kissed her cheek. “I’ll see you soon, hon.”
“Sure thing.” Lilith stepped back onto the sidewalk and watched Eve drive away.
As she was walking over to her bike, her cell phone rang. Seeing the caller’s profile, she grinned and answered it. “What’s up, goat hair?”
“You know I hate that,” Samyaza said, but she sounded amused. “Would you pick up a gallon of milk on your way home? This situation with Senoy is going to run later than I thought.”
Lilith tucked the phone between shoulder and ear and dug in her pocket for her keys. “If you need help, I wouldn’t mind kicking his ass again. You know. For your sake.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” Samyaza said dryly. “Will you remember the milk?”
“Pick up strawberries, whipped cream, and chocolate syrup. Got it, dove eyes.”
“You’re incorrigible,” she sighed, and the line disconnected.
Lilith smiled fondly down at Samyaza’s profile picture, still lingering on her screen. “That’s why you love me, sweetheart.”