"Wait a minute," Quinn leaned forward on her elbows as she, Harlow and I sat at the outdoor table by the pool. "So, the girl that you banged on the way back from FSU is Hollie's roomie? And she was here for Halloween, beat up Elliot, and now she is coming back for Thanksgiving break?" Each of us had our laptop open to work, but we were all in our bathing suits while we worked. Between us was a chilled bottle of white wine, an ice bucket, a small bottle of Wolcott bourbon and a charcuterie board with some assorted crackers, cheeses and summer sausages. I had my two best friends with me, and I felt so much better because of it.

"Yep," I said, while popping the P. "Gracie and Jashanna had found out about her, and figured out that she was the roommate. They convinced Hollie to invite her to the Halloween party, and the rest is history."

"It was a good thing they did that," Harlow pointed out. "She was the only one downstairs when Elliot broke in, and who knows what might have happened if she hadn't been there."

I shuddered at the thought, knowing very well what my ex would have probably done to me. He had been prepared to violate me in my own bed, all because I had the gall to divorce him. How had he changed so much since he was a teen? Even if I'd never married him, he had once been a great friend, and virtually a brother to me after Elizabeth moved me into her house. What would possess him to do that to someone he should have at least some feelings for? How could he want to hang on to a marriage that he had checked out of well over a decade ago? I took a quick sip of the wine, hoping to wash away the sour taste in my mouth at that thought.

"I owe her a lot." I looked between the two of them as I took a breath. "You don't think I'm crazy, right? She's 22, and I'm going to ask her to move into the basement because I'm making her an intern." I paused for a moment, trying not to freak out. "Shit, now I think I'm crazy! What the hell am I doing?"

"Stop!" Harlow said as she reached over to grab my hands, which were now flailing about. "You're not crazy, okay? Hell, Elliot sucked, and we all know it. All of your daughters know it too. If this girl is that great, and she saved you from that asshole, and your daughters already like her, then you should absolutely give it a shot. It may not be a typical relationship, but that isn't a bad thing. Mine is pretty typical and I'm miserable. I think what you're doing is going to make you happy and smile a lot more than you have been. The intern thing is funny, but as long as you're not doing anything that gives her advantages over other workers, then you should be fine. Hell, just let me do her reviews, and nobody will complain. Clayton and Tori are getting married and lots of our other employees are dating each other too, so you shouldn't have any complaints."

I let out a sigh of relief. "Okay, thanks. I guess I just expected to end up with someone older and already in a career, but she just captivated me from the first time I saw her. Maybe I'm not crazy, she just makes me feel that way about her."

"I agree. You're not crazy, Demi. I mean, maybe all of us are, just a little. But your heart knows what it wants, or at least what's between your legs knows." Quinn couldn't help but snicker as she added the last part. I pulled my hand out from Harlow's grasp and smacked her arm. They were both being gentle with me, since the bruising on my back and neck were in plain sight while I wore the bathing suit, and I knew that Elliot would be a dead man if he ever showed up here with the two of them around.

"I can't believe you said that!" Not that she was wrong. The desire that built up in me at just the memory of Zee in my bed made a longing throb build up, and I knew I'd be using my toys tonight. "Okay, there may be a little truth to that though. Seriously, she's like nobody I've ever been with."

"Then go for it," Harlow said softly. "I can't think of anyone that deserves happiness more than you do."

Quinn sighed heavily. "It's going to break some hearts though. I had a guy all lined up for you too. He's a friend of one of the guys I've been seeing, and he said he knew you from a work conference and would love a date."

A work conference? That didn't mean much as I was at one at least once every few months, and there would be no way that I'd remember him unless he made a good impression. Since I couldn't, I doubted that he did. "Well, I guess he'll have to find someone new. I'm not looking for anyone anymore."

"I'll let him know. Maybe I can scoop in and steal him for a few nights to make him feel better about the loss." Quinn licked her lips in anticipation, while Harlow and I just chuckled. I had no idea how these men kept going back, but maybe she was just outrageously good in bed. Actually, I had little doubt about that, now that I thought about it. She was seeing about half a dozen different men at the moment, and none of them complained. That should have told me enough.

"He's all yours!" I assured her with a grin. "Honestly, even if things don't work with Zee, I think I would want to date more women anyway. She reminded me how much I missed it, and I don't think I'd want to miss out on that again."

"Amen!" Harlow cheered as she raised her whiskey glass in a toast. "Pussy forever!"

It was great having them here, it really was. Of course, I'd love it if Zee were here with us too, but she was off trying to finish the last of her classes, which I would happily be patient and support. Later that afternoon I went to pick up the girls while Harlow and Quinn took a dip in the pool, and the younger ones quickly joined them as soon as we were home. Even better, waiting by the front door was a pair of boxes with all the security gear and new locks that I'd ordered. Once that was set up, it would increase my peace of mine in the house and let me sleep easier. Indoor cameras, a video doorbell, motion sensor light bulbs for the rear, and new key coded locks, I was getting it all.

Yes, I'd still have to install it, but most of that I could do on my own, and with all of my handy helpers I was sure the rest wouldn't be too hard. Quinn was a whiz at installing things on her own, she'd only order a handyman if he was cute, so I had little doubt she'd pitch in.

"Mom, where is dad now?" Gracie asked as we sat at the dinner table that night. The forecast had a relative cold front coming in, so we were preparing for the temperature drop with a beef stew that Harlow had made for us, and some crusty rolls to sop up the juices. Yes, much like Elizabeth's kabobs, I'd be asking for her recipe too!

"I don't know, sweetie. Monique told me he was arraigned yesterday and paid his own bail. She already served him with the new modified visitation document, which will be virtually impossible for him to fight at this point. But after that, he could go anywhere. I assume he would head back up to Orlando, since I doubt your Nana would want him at her house." Monique had also served him with a restraining order and a letter of termination from the company, but I didn't need to mention those things to the girls.

"Good," she muttered. "I'd hate to punch my own father."

"I'll punch him for you," Harlow said quickly.

"Me too!" agreed Quinn.

"I don't think anyone will pass up a chance at it these days," Jashanna said brightly. "Maybe we can all take a swing?"

"Damn right!" Harlow stuck a fist out and got a bump in reply. "He better not come back, or we'll kick his ass!" It sounded like a joke, but they were very serious. They wouldn't need Zee's brass knuckles to take him down.

"Well, he won't be back here if we can help it. Tomorrow we can install all the new security cameras and the new locks, and we'll feel a lot better about things."

"Yeah, just don't pull a Spaceballs move and make the combination 1-2-3-4-5," Gracie giggled. Was that silly movie one of our favorites? Yes, yes it was. In fact...

"We should watch that tonight," I suggested. "I think we could all use the laughs."

"Yes!" both girls shouted in agreement.

"You're all nuts, but I love it" Harlow quipped. "I'm in."

"I guess I'm in too!" Quinn added. "I can't be the only one skipping movie night."

It turned out to be a great night. We made a ton of popcorn, tossed in some m&m's, and then sat down to laugh at the silly antics of the movie. The only thing that would have been better would be if Hollie and Zee were here, and then I'd have all of my favorite people in one place.

"Do you two have any holiday plans? Either Christmas or Thanksgiving?" I asked Quinn and Harlow. "If not, you're more than welcome to come here to spend it with us." Gracie and Jashanna both swiveled their heads to see their reactions, knowing the holidays would be better with the pair joining us.

Quinn gave me a half shrug. "I can probably do Thanksgiving, since my mom might be visiting my other sister in Jersey, and her husband gets on my last nerve, so I doubt I'll go."

"He's a big asshole?" Harlow asked with a knowing look.

"Oh, yeah. He keeps grabbing my ass, and my sister never listens when I tell her. The guy is a creep, and I don't want to be around him. Hell, if they go see my mom at Christmas, then I might stay here for that too. That would be a shitty Christmas if I had to see him."

"Eww!" Jashanna said, faking a gag. "He's married to your sister and does that?"

Quinn nodded with a grimace. "I know! Who does that? And it isn't even a little graze, it's a full on grab, and last time he did it I slapped him, and he played the victim and it got ugly with my sister taking his side. So, now I never go near them. If they visit, I leave. My sister thinks I'm blowing it all out of proportion, but she's way too reliant on his money so she can't say shit to him, I guess. But I can."

"Well, I'll probably be here," Harlow said with a groan. "Khloe isn't senior enough to get out of the holiday flights, so she's usually working the holidays. It might be better if we didn't see each other anyway, we've been arguing about everything whenever we talk."

"You can expense the trips," I told her. "We'll have some meetings to make it all legit. I'd much rather you be here with us than alone back home."

"Damn, how do you know so many messed up people?" Gracie asked in a whisper.

"See! That is why you two need to stay together," Quinn pointed out to Jashanna and Gracie. "There are so many people out there in the world that will drain the soul from you, and you don't need that. You two have something special, so hang onto each other."

"We will!" Jashanna agreed, pulling the much taller Gracie into her lap. "I'm keeping her forever."

Yeah, they were the couple goals that were setting the standard that us poor adults needed. Well, maybe not Quinn, she seemed happy enough without an official partner. But still, she had her share of bad dates too. If she ever settled down, I hoped she picked a good one.

And yes, I hoped Zee was my good one too. As much as she'd pretty much fallen into my lap due to pure luck, she'd saved me the horror of dating apps and meeting people at bars, and I really didn't want to go through that. But even with the age difference, I had a feeling she was a lot better than finding someone random out there.